Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion
I. Author Interviews!
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Open Author Interviews
You had me at Giant Crabs take Manhattan. As a fan of classic monster movies, I'm now hooked.Glad to meet you.
Patricia W. Fischer
William wrote: "1) What is your name and bio?
William Meikle. I'm a Scottish writer with ten novels published in the genre press and over 200 short story credits in thirteen countries, the author of the ongoing M..."
Congrats! You should be plenty proud.Keep us informed of how it plays out.
Patricia W. Fischer
Cliff wrote: "Category.Prison Earth - Not Guilty as Charged
Dear readers. My name is Clifford Scovell, and I want to add to my recent bio. I was just informed that my book, Prison Earth-Not Guilt..."
1) What is your name and bio? Curt Rude. I am a highly decorated former police officer and graduate of the FBI National Police Academy. The Austin Daily Herald commented on me as such . . . "Take one dose of Rude's prose. After 4 hours, call a friend and tell 'em, you can't put his book down." Midwest Book Reviewer Repenski stated the following . . . "His writing turns the lights off in the darkroom. He really takes a shot in Brand of Justice." The Total Writer states . . . "Curt Rude captures what many run from - the truth."2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it? Brand of Justice
This tale lurks in a place between right and wrong; where youth and innocence clash with police and authority. After cops nail the wrong guy, they start dyin' 'accidentally', but no one is the wiser for it, except for one young man. He must prevail in an epic struggle to save innocence from the death penalty. All bets are off.
This story can be found in Minnesota libraries and most online sources. Printed copies can be found in Higgins Bookstore as well as Book World. Amazon has paperback editions. I like to put copies up on Ebay occasionally. When the mood strikes me I'll give books away on my blog. http://curtrude.blogspot.com/
3) Where do you come up with your ideas? I draw on my personal experiences to share what could be considered unbelievable stories. I have kept company with murders, rapists and others who prey on folks. Their methods of madness lunge out of my stories.
4) What books/authors do you like to read? I love Ken Kesey. I have studied under a master profiler and author, Roy Hazelwood. I devour McMurtry, DeMille and on and on.
5) What's your next writing project? I am currently putting together an agreement to co-author a story of real street stories with a Captain from the Chicago area.
1) What is your name and bio?My name is Andrew Chapin, and I grew up on Long Island reading Ray Bradbury, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain and dreaming of one day becoming a published author.
After graduating from Fairfield in 2009 with a BA in English, I was offered an opportunity by John Tartaglio to develop a book about his life - an idea that eventually spawned FROM TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH. It was published on December 30, 2013.
I began to teach middle school English at Thornton-Donovan School in New Rochelle in 2010. Recently, I completed my MS in adolescent English education at Iona College and asked my longtime girlfriend to marry me (she said yes).
Once I have finished seeing FROM TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH through, I will turn my attention to my fiction novel KNOWING WHEN YOU'RE TOO YOUNG TO GROW UP. Thankful for the family and friends who have enabled me to pursue my passion, I look forward to the boundless possibilities that lie ahead.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
From Tragedy to Triumph : The Story of John Tartaglio
Published on December 30, 2013, FROM TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH is currently available in paperback and Kindle on amazon.com. It will be available on Nook, Kobo, and other e-book formats shortly.
Synopsis:
In 24 hours, a rare bacterial infection turned healthy 17 year old John Tartaglio to a double-leg amputee, but 15 hours and 59 minutes is all that it took for him reclaim the life that he had left behind.
FROM TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH is his story of perseverance over a heartbreaking circumstance as incomprehensible as it is seemingly insurmountable. Amputated up to his hipbones and told he would never walk again, John would not give up on life. Instead, he rose to do what others said he could not. Walking, running, competing, but most importantly living, he proved to them what he always knew - his disability did not define him; he defined his disability.
Sharing his journey, insights, and overall perspective will help:
• How you think about yourself
• How you approach problems
• How you manage expectations and achieve your goals
From those with mobility issues who need to be reminded that living an independent life is possible to the athletes who need to push and challenge themselves that much more and everyone in between, FROM TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH can positively impact your life.
“He has no legs. What’s your excuse?”- Christopher Mahoney, Tri-athlete
“Disabled is somebody that can’t do something, John's not disabled. John can do whatever he wants.”- Mark Spellman, Strength and Conditioning Coach
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
Whether I’m writing fiction or nonfiction, the process is still the same. I draw on memories of the past, recalling emotions and personal thoughts I have felt in particular situations. I also review various journal-like tidbits–some that are multiple pages long and others that are no bigger than a fortune cookie fortune.
Essentially, I free-write with a keen focus on empathy as a means to make characters authentic, relatable, and understandable. After some raw, untainted words are scrawled across the page, I begin to add structure and further develop it.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
As an English teacher and maybe also because I never want to grow up, I am drawn to books that have teenage/young adult protagonists. The Catcher in the Rye, The Outsiders, The Chocolate War, and The Pigman are some of my all-time favorites.
I have always been captivated by Dystopian novels, many of which I reread periodically. Some of my favorites are the classics Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, 1984 by George Orwell, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Newer titles that have enthralled me are The Giver by Lois Lowry and The Hunger Games Trilogy.
Brett Easton Ellis books - in particular American Psycho, Less than Zero, and The Rules of Attraction - are staples of my bookshelf. Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint is another all-time favorite that is written in a style that I have used as a model for my next writing project.
5) What's your next writing project?
Fiction has always been my pursuit, so I will be working on editing and promoting KNOWING WHEN YOU’RE TOO YOUNG TO GROW UP.
This is the coming-of-age story of a teenage protagonist who unknowingly sets out on a journey towards self-discovery when he travels abroad with his high school. Unbeknownst to him, this trip will indelibly change his life when he is confronted with situations that force him to question his worldview and reevaluate himself, his friends, and his overall conception of humanity.
Vincent wrote: "I've had some success on my blog with open author interviews, so I'll include it here for our members. All authors are invited to participate--just answer the five questions below. (You may do it h..."1) What is your name and bio?
They call me Rachel Kelly...probably because that's what my parents put on my birth certificate back in New Bern, NC back in the early '80s. I grew up the child of two Marine Core parents in Eastern North Carolina. I went to College as FAR away from my hometown as I could get in a little known place called Cullowhee. It's an unincorporated town...not even a real town. The "barber" is the unofficial mayor.
I fell in love with a guy while teaching how to count down his cash drawer at the end of the night while working at Walmart. After finally convincing him to ask me out, he tells me to choose between marriage and breaking up a week later. I say, "Sure, lets do it," and we have made 4 really good looking children.
I was whisked away by my true love to California where I had two of my kids as he got a Masters of Divinity and started a Financial Services Company (exotic, I know). The stock market crashed and we left California about as broke as a family of 4 could be and moved back to North Carolina.
After 2 years in NC, the stock market crashed again. But we still had 2 more kids (Can't stop true love).
Tired of being broke and having the stock market wreak havoc on our lives, Brad moved out to the Oil Mecca of Williston, ND. After nearly 3 months I decided being a single Mom of 4 was waaaaaay overrated and I packed up the family, threw 1/2 our stuff in storage, rented out the house, and headed for the Great White North.
With no one to call a great friend (just yet) I hunkered down to write my fingers off in ND. The scenery inspired me and I got VERY serious about Colorworld. I fell in love with the rolling plains, the bitter cold, and the amazing people coming from all over the world to change their fortunes forever.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
So, as I mentioned, Colorworld is the name of the series and Book 1 is now out in print and ebook:
http://colorworldbooks.com/
It's sci-fi light, could be called paranormal romance, and looks kind of like X-Men meets mensa convention meets Brave New World, with some crazy (but not overdone) love; all without the spandex or capes.
Check out the book description here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
The initial idea came to me in a dream. The rest of my inspiration comes out of philosophical texts and religious lore. Religious lore isn't quite scripture, but it's part of the tradition.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
LOVE C.S. Lewis The Great Divorce. Love Albert Camus. I am a huge fan of post apocalyptic, dystopian, and paranormal stuff.
5) What's your next writing project?
Colorworld Book 1 is out now and Book 2 hits in April. Book 3 will be out in time for Christmas 2014! After that it's 4-7! This puppy is just getting started!
1) What is your name and bio?~My name is A. L. Waddington and I write YA Fiction under the cross genre of romance/science fiction/time travel. I did my undergraduate studies at the University of Texas Dallas and Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. I graduated from IUPUI with a BS in psychology. I am an avid reader, love spending time in my gardens and cheering on our Indianapolis Colts. My husband, Ty and I have a son, two daughters, a very spoiled puppy and an oversized cat. We reside in Indiana.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
~The first book in my EVE series, Essence
rereleased on January 16, 2014 by my new publisher, Booktrope. The second installment, Enlightened releases in April 2014.Essence Synopsis:
Jocelyn Timmons does not believe she is anything special — just an ordinary high school senior, living an ordinary life full of school-work, volleyball and friends. She’s about to find out how wrong she is.
Jackson Chandler moved in to the house across the street. His dark wavy hair, green eyes and charismatic personality draws everyone to him. Everyone, but Jocelyn.
Whenever Jackson gets near Jocelyn she feels ill and dizzy. When he touches her, she blacks out and has visions of another life, in another time. As the odd hallucinations evolve and become clearer, she feels a strong pull towards the people she sees there. Frightened, she watches her once stable life begin to crumble around her and she begins to question her own sanity.
Could it be possible that these episodes are actually her own memories of a life she is living somehow, somewhere, some-when? Maybe this is time-travel or some other paranormal mysticism? Our minds often wander, but can our souls?
You can learn more about Essence, me, and my EVE series at: Website/Author Blog: www.alwaddington.com
Facebook series page: https://www.facebook.com/EVEseries
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/authoralwadd...
Twitter: follow me @eveseries
~or twub#EssenceBook1EVEseries
Or purchase a copy of Essence at: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Essence-The-Ser...
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Essen...
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
~ My inspiration for the creation of the EVE series was my three teenage children and their strong love for the imagination of something just a little beyond their own existence. I have written my manuscript(s) in a fashion that will hopefully appeal to this particular genres ever-changing reality that translates into the adult world and allows them to melt into a world grounded in reality yet makes them ponder their own perception of reality.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
~I read more YA Fiction than any other genre, but I will read about anything that peaks my interest. I love Anne Rice, Stephan King and am currently engrossed in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice series. I have been wrapped up in his fifth book of the series, A Dance with Dragons and absolutely love it.
5) What's your next writing project?
~I am currently finishing up the fourth installment in my EVE series and researching for my spin-off series, tentatively titled The Spirit Quest Series that will continue on with the premise of the EVE series with one of the EVE series main characters siblings adding a different perspective to the story.
1) What is your name and bio?My name is Dustin Martin. I'm a college student majoring in English. I've been writing for about five years now and published my first book this year.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
My book is called "Halfway Heroes." It follows Lydia and Mark, two teenagers who are left with incredible new physical abilities after an accident with experimental chemicals during a high school field trip to a pharmaceutical company. With the limitations of these abilities, they discover that they’re not beyond human reach, but their lives are changed—perhaps forever.
The two become separated; Lydia is whisked away by a government official, while Mark is offered a job with the wealthy owner of the pharmaceutical company. The two men thrust the pair into a world they never knew existed, full of gifted people with powers like their own. The opposing ideals of the two sides drive Lydia and Mark into a swirling confrontation with one other and with their respective groups, one that will force the two to question the consequences, motivations, and nature of their actions and abilities.
It can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, and all of Smashwords affiliates.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
Letting my mind wander, usually while exercising, driving, or listening to music.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
I like many genres, with my favorites being fantasy, sci-fi, action/adventure, and young adult. I don't tend to stick to any one author and like to read from different ones here and there.
5) What's your next writing project?
My next project is a sequel to my "Halfway Heroes" book, as I mean for it to be a trilogy.
1) What is your name and bio?Hi there to you, wherever you are.
My name is David Carter and I live on the south coast of England and write fiction, much of which features my detective, Inspector Walter Darriteau. He’s based in Chester where his cases take place in the old city and surrounding areas.
When I am not writing fiction I am a bookseller by trade, though it would be nice to sell more of “my” books, as opposed to everyone else’s!!
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
My new Inspector Walter Darriteau murder mystery is called “The Sound of Sirens” and you can find it on Amazon, Goodreads, Ebay, and of course you can order a copy through any bookstore anywhere quoting the ISBN: 978-1482307726. You can also read lots about the book on my website www.davidcarterbooks.co.uk
It opens in a pub, late on a hot summer night, when a young guy walks in and shoots the lead singer of a band dead. But why?
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
Good question. A lot of them come through “what ifs”.
What if that woman getting into a stranger’s car went missing?
What if the house my cousin bought was haunted?
What if a man fell under a train? Pushed or jumped?
What if a supermodel with lots of secrets fell in love with an investigative journalist?
I see “what ifs” all the time, and sometimes they lead to a dead end, and sometimes they lead to a 500 page novel.
When you next see or hear something a little out of the ordinary, add your own “what if”. You might be surprised where it takes you. You might enjoy it too... or you might not.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
I enjoy Robert Harris, John Grisham, Lee Child, John le Carre, Ian McEwan, and many others too, though I am trying to broaden my reading into other areas, and particularly I have recently been looking at indie books because they need all the help they can get.
5) What's your next writing project?
I have just finishing another murder mystery set in a business-based background. A story of Greed, Power, Murder, and Revenge, so the blurb says, it’s called “The Legal and the Illicit” and that should be out in the summer. Beside that, I am writing another Walter Darriteau case, 85,000 words in the can, as they say, and probably another 20,000 to finish it.
After that I may well look again at writing a sequel to “The Life and Loves of Gringo Greene”, but oh, to have more time. That would be nice.
I try and write every day because I enjoy it so much, indeed I get withdrawal symptoms if I don’t!
That’s it from me.
Thank you for reading, and thanks too for this opportunity to talk a wee bit about my books and my writing.
Happy reading to everyone,
Take care,
David Carter.
1)What is your name and bio?My name is CORRINE ANNETTE ZAHRA and I'm 14 years of age. I'm from from New York City, however born of Maltese parents. I presently live in Nadur, Gozo (Maltese Islands). I attend the Agius the Soldanis Gozo College Girls Secondary School. I am the author of The Legend of Amanda Robins published April 2014 by FARAXA Publishing.
2)What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
The title of my book is The Legend of Amanda Robins and readers can find it on Amazon as an ebook and paperback and hopefully soon in a bookstore near you.
3)Where do you come up with your ideas?
Ideas come to me easy, but it takes a while for them to grow into a proper story. I let my imagination go wild. There is nothing better than a little imagination to help me escape reality.
4)What books/authors do you like to read?
I like reading fantasy and fiction books like Divergent and Harry Potter. My favorite authors are actually Veronica Roth and J.K. Rowling. I also like vampire books for example The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd by Heather Brewer.
5)What's your next writing project?
Still working on that. I don't have a lot of time for my writing, but hopefully next summer...
1. Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.I’m Russell Chapman, from the UK but am now based in Lugano, Switzerland. I’m predominantly a photographer but I also write about current affairs. In particular regarding the Middle East. I have one book, ‘Syria: Refugees and Rebels’ a photo documentary of my time in Syria as well as the refugee camps of Lebanon and Jordan. I’m well traveled and curious about everything. I’m intellectually curious but also mentally lazy. I can be a terrible procrastinator, leaving things to the last minute.
For me life is an adventure, not in the sense that every moment has to be full of excitement but rather it is about discovery. I really do believe in living in the moment, not in some hedonistic way but in the sense of appreciating each moment, to be happy in the moment. So many people say they will be happy when they reach a certain goal but they are so focused on that goal that they forget to be happy in the present. Life can be taken from us so easily. I have been in conflict zones, seen how one minute we are here and the next we can be gone. This is why I appreciate very much the now.
I started my passion with photography when I was 10, I think it was the fascination with being able to capture a moment in time. I got books from the library and taught myself the science behind the art and experimented with what I learnt. It was agony waiting for my pictures to come back from the lab. One of the things photography taught me was how to see light, the realization that when we look at something, we don’t see it directly but rather the light it reflects and is captured by our eyes.
As a writer, I really enjoy looking at things from a different perspective. I am well versed in the Middle East and write about events there but often from a different angle. So often the general media skims over situations or sometimes gets it plain wrong, so I like to try and give more in depth detail. The challenge is that as time goes by people seem to skim read more and more, attention spans are diminishing and most people are more interested in celebrity gossip than actual news. So I try to write in such a way that will get the information across before they lose focus. I think it is a challenge for most writers of serious subjects
2. What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ‘Syria Refugees and Rebels’ I was inspired to go to Syria last year because I have Syrian friends and they were all telling me that the situation on the ground is not how it is being reported in the news.
I wanted to photo document what I would see and experience. I was in Syria for a month. I then spent another month split between Lebanon and Jordan, visiting refugee camps and following the work of individuals who are trying to help the refugees. I don’t like calling them simply refugees, they are people like you and I but have been overtaken by circumstances beyond their control. They have the same hopes and desires as anybody, to have a home, a job, a family, to be able to live in security and with dignity. When we hear the word refugee nowadays we think of pathetic creatures, dirty, living in mud. So much so that they almost seem less than human. My book is about giving a voice to people who have lost so much but who are no different to you and I.
3. Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t think of any, I have to be in the mood in order to write and I work much better in the morning. After a couple of hours writing I have had enough and go and do something else.
4. What authors, or books have influenced you?
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell. I first read these books when I was a kid. I learnt to read when I was 4 and I was less than 10 when I first picked these books up. As time goes by it is interesting to see how those authors were well ahead of their time. The dystopias they created are becoming ever more a reality.
5. What are you working on now?
I’m working on publicizing my book ‘Syria: Refugees and Rebels’ sales of the book will fund my return to the refugee camps so I can continue telling their stories.
6. What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Network, network, network. I also have a pretty strong platform with over 2000 followers of my blog: http://russellchapman.wordpress.com/ and more than 1200 followers of my Facebook page. I also speak at different events. The most recent was at Oxford University, there was an international conference called Refugee Voices and I was invited to show my work and talk about my experience at the closing session.
7. Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up if you really believe you have something to say
8. What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I know it is a bit of a cliche but always expect the unexpected. It has been proven true so many times
9. What are you reading now?
At the moment I’m reading about Charles Bronson a prisoner in England who has spent 28 years of the last 30 in solitary confinement. The way he tells his story is very powerful.
10. What’s next for you as a writer?
I am continuing my work writing about events in the Middle East as well as Russia. There is a lot happening in the world, there is always something to write about. At the moment I’m taking a bit of a break as I am focusing on selling my newly published book but normal writing will continue in the not too distant future
11. If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would take the bible. Also a very good survival book, sometimes we need to refresh our memory. A book on the flora and fauna of the place I would be stranded, I would want to know more about my surrounding and what is good to eat. Maybe finally I would take the book Perfume, it is one of the most imaginatively intense books I have ever read.
http://russellchapman.wordpress.com/
Stan wrote: "Here is the Amazon link to Corrine's book.Thanks for the comment! :)
1)
My name is Scott Whenman. I was born in West London, England and have stayed in the area. Back in 2010, I took a turn for the worse, when I suffered a mild-stroke. That was when I wanted to take my passion for writing and take it a step forward. Since my illness, I retired from boxing and concentrated of making something of my life, but it's too late.
2)
My debut novel The Addict, is the first in a 7 book deranged serial killer series. Mainly it's based around a character named Reggie Hancock, who with his only friend in the world Jonathan Regis wants to test their nerves and see if they could come up with and get away with; The Perfect Murder. That's when Reggie thinks it's too easy and wants to do it again and again. Reggie Hancock becomes THE ADDICT!
3)
I have notepads everywhere around the house, when I get an idea, I write it down. Most of my ideas came from years back. I would watch a low-budget B-Movie horror film, then create my own version and see if I could make it better.
4)
Ever since I could read it was always Stephen King, James Herbert, Dean Koontz and Richard Laymon.
5)
So far, I have enough material and ideas for a total of 26 novels. At the moment I'm halfway through He's the Bad Man, a paranormal book about a family tormented by a n unknown entity.
My name is Scott Whenman. I was born in West London, England and have stayed in the area. Back in 2010, I took a turn for the worse, when I suffered a mild-stroke. That was when I wanted to take my passion for writing and take it a step forward. Since my illness, I retired from boxing and concentrated of making something of my life, but it's too late.
2)
My debut novel The Addict, is the first in a 7 book deranged serial killer series. Mainly it's based around a character named Reggie Hancock, who with his only friend in the world Jonathan Regis wants to test their nerves and see if they could come up with and get away with; The Perfect Murder. That's when Reggie thinks it's too easy and wants to do it again and again. Reggie Hancock becomes THE ADDICT!
3)
I have notepads everywhere around the house, when I get an idea, I write it down. Most of my ideas came from years back. I would watch a low-budget B-Movie horror film, then create my own version and see if I could make it better.
4)
Ever since I could read it was always Stephen King, James Herbert, Dean Koontz and Richard Laymon.
5)
So far, I have enough material and ideas for a total of 26 novels. At the moment I'm halfway through He's the Bad Man, a paranormal book about a family tormented by a n unknown entity.
Did you always want to be a writer?
I think I was born with a pen in my hands. I grew up in west Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union, and I lived on a farm in a small village nestled in the beautiful Carpathian Mountains until I was sixteen. Growing up without TV or toys, I learned to read by the age of four, but I had no children’s books to read.
My parents were peasants, preoccupied with one thought—how to feed their children. Buying books was not on their list of things to do. Left without books, I read my father’s newspapers and wrote on cartons, cardboard boxes, stable walls, old magazines, or just in my head, until one day I discovered a tiny village library. Then books became a huge part of my life.
The village library had a few worn-out children’s books, most of them without illustrations. To satisfy my hunger for reading, I reread these books many times. Soon there were no children’s books in the library that I had not read. Annoying the librarian, I asked for thick books meant for serious readers. She did not mind, and I started reading everything I could carry home. Memorizing words, phrases, and pages, I felt as if I were living in a different world, one that was free, brighter, and kinder.
At six, I wrote my first poem. I loved how words made me feel. Beautifully swirling in my head, looking for freedom, they created amazing pictures, providing comfort and escape. Writing, I learned to block out the harsh reality of the life I was born into. My fantasies took me to the heights, where no one could reach me, and to places which belonged only to me. My imagination made me forget about the unfair world around me, the toys I never had, and food I did not know existed.
In high school, I showed my writing to my father, hoping he would support my dream of becoming a journalist. He looked at my notebooks and said, “Forget about writing. You cannot feed yourself with books. Go where the food is.” It was harsh but fair advice. As a farmer’s daughter, I had a slim chance of following my dream and becoming a writer. The Soviet Union was very corrupt, run by one party. Without connections and money, there was no way I could enter a prestigious college and find decent work.
I entered Lviv Business College and tried to make it on my own in the big city. After I finished college, I worked in the food industry, but I never lost my passion for reading and writing. I wrote many poems and short stories in both Ukrainian and Russian, hoping that one day I could publish them. Sadly, that day never arrived.
After the Soviet Union crumbled, I left Ukraine with my two little daughters and immigrated to the USA. Allowed to bring two bags each, I packed family pictures and some clothing for the children, and left behind my thick notebooks with endless notes written over the years.
When we arrived in New Jersey, I stopped writing and concentrated on my new language and life. Once in a while, nostalgia for writing overwhelmed me and I wrote sad poems, sending them to my mother. Reading her letters, I could see spots where her tears had fallen. Struggling to make it in a new country, I buried my desire for writing and wrote only in my head or made up stories for my children.
For many years, my need for writing would not let me sleep. One beautiful morning, I pulled out my daughter’s old computer and with two fingers started typing my first story, “The Little Girl Praying on the Hill.” This story has many emotional ties to my early childhood. It reminded me of how happy I was when I wrote my first poem on a piece of old newspaper. It rekindled the fire inside me. Luckily, I never suffered from writer’s block, and I kept writing as often as I could. My imagination never betrayed me either. In my heart, I am still the same little girl with a huge hunger for fantasies. As long as I can look at the world through the eyes of a child, I will write children’s books.
Wow! That is quite the journey your life has taken. I am glad you found your way back to writing. What inspires you to write?
I often think of what inspires authors to write good books. Countless little things can inspire a writer to write a great story or poem. Inspiration is amazing, and a good writer knows how to convey it to readers. For some writers the inspiration lasts for a split second, and for others it can last a lifetime. When I read well-written phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or stories, I relive the author’s inspiration. Each of us carries an untold story, waiting for its time. Life itself provides beautiful inspiration; we just have to look around us.
You have written quite a few books, how do you find the time. Do you have a daily writing routine/schedule?
I do not write just to write. I do not write to create a few thousand words each day. I write when I feel, when emotions slowly transform themselves into words and then quickly overload my mind, forming sentences and paragraphs, until I let them out. I write when I am in a happy, sad, angry, or melancholy mood, or just have something to say or share with the reader. I do not like to write under pressure. I write because writing has been a part of me for so long that I feel as if we have become inseparable friends who cannot live without each other. For me, writing is rewarding, almost therapeutic. It consumes all my bad energy, making me feel alive and vibrant. It is as if I escape to a beautiful oasis, where I can reconnect with my soul.
Any tips for new authors?
When a story is told, it is not forgotten. I strongly believe that the best stories live inside each of us. Look around and write! Let your stories see the world! Use your imagination and make your story uniquely yours. Write what you know, write what you feel, write what you love, write because you want to.
When you are ready to publish your book, do your homework and make sure your book is professionally edited. Create a professional-looking book, one which will not get lost among the millions of poorly published books. Make your book one that you would want to buy for yourself or for your child. If you are a children’s writer, forget your age and envision your book as children would. Get involved in each illustration. Nobody knows and feels your book better than you do.
Writing is an easy task; publishing and marketing is a business. These days, an author must also be a smart businessperson. To be a self-publishing author, you will have to learn every aspect of publishing. Lastly, when you publish your book, you will wish that the day had 48 hours, because there will be no time left for writing. Writers today must be very business oriented and be devoted to social media to promote their books. So do not quit your day job yet. Wait until you become famous.
What is the current book(s) you are promoting?
Currently, I’m working on many projects, including several new children’s books and short stories. I love to write children’s stories, but I also love to write in different styles. I just finished my first short story, The Little Girl Praying on the Hill. Now I am working on a new book, A Taste of Bread. I have also written many children’s stories, which are awaiting their turn to be published. English is a second language for me, and it takes me much longer to correct my writings before I submit them to the editor.
I am very happy to announce that I just received the first printed copy of my new book The City Kittens and the Old House Cat, a beautifully illustrated, heartwarming Christmas book about sharing and giving.
This year I am publishing four new children’s books:
Good Morning, World! A happy and uplifting story about Baby Thomas and his grandpa. Baby Thomas wants to hug and embrace a beautiful world full of amazing things, but Grandpa takes the world very seriously. They see the same picture, but each takes a different approach. In this book, young readers will easily connect to the wonders of nature and unforgettable characters, playfully interacting with each other.
Too Many Rules for One Little Mouse is the first in a series of books on the adventures of Carlo the mouse. Clever, curious, and very impatient, Carlo dreams of the world outside the hospital. His parents teach him how to follow the rules and how to survive on his own, but Carlo’s insatiable desire for adventure constantly gets him in trouble.
Now We’re Talking is the second book in the series on Carlo’s adventures. This nosy little mouse leaves home for the first time to explore life inside the hospital. Before he knows what’s up, the kitchen staff are on his tail.
What’s Going On? is the third installment of the adventures of Carlo the mouse. Carlo knew he was not supposed to go near the manager’s office, but when the kitchen staff were chasing him, he made a choice that started a war.
WORKS IN PROGRESS
Carlo the Mouse—A full series of new books. This series of enchanting books is an entertaining look into the life of a little mouse born inside a hospital’s walls. His insatiable desire for adventure gets him in constant trouble with the exterminator, the head cook, Fidel the cat, and the hospital manager, who becomes his worst nightmare.
Who Is Most Important in the Fridge? These fun rhyming stories introduce young readers to delightful food characters with goofy personalities, real feelings, passions and fears, who always disagree with each other about who will feed a hungry little girl first.
The Mysterious Life Inside a Closet. A humorous story about the mysterious life inside the closet and a curious little kitten, which sneaks inside the closet and causes mayhem.
The Royal Palm. A teaching story about a snobby silver palm, which learns a valuable lesson and the meaning of real friendship.
Runaway Clothes. An instructional story about a little girl who didn’t like to take care of her clothes and toys. In the end, she learns how easy it is to lose something you love.
The Autumn Wind. A moving story about the powerful wind and the peaceful garden, and how things change quickly when the callous autumn wind unleashes its power.
That Is How Things Are. A beautiful story about friendship between a kitten and a sparrow, and how the little kitten learns about the power of nature.
To order paperback or hardcover copies of my published books, please visit Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, or my website, www.mrsdbooks.net. E-book versions are also available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple.
Can you describe your main character(s) for us?
One of my children’s books, The Trees Have Hearts, occupies a special place in my heart. This is an entrancing story of a young girl who was friendless because she could not speak a new language. She lived in an old house with a small garden, where three trees and the mysterious wind became her first imaginary friends.
The garden friends developed a wonderful friendship with the lonely girl, and they helped her overcome her fears and worries. Through the story, they taught her how to make real friends and helped her cope with difficult moments while adapting to new surroundings.
The unforgettable characters here open a beautiful imaginary world to young readers, inviting them to share the fears, tears and joys of a little girl. The story teaches the true meaning of friendship while showing readers the beauty of nature. This book opens an unknown imaginary world through the eyes of a child.
Ok, now to my favorite part... a quick glimpse into you and your favorites. :)
Favorite Book? Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak.
Favorite Author? Romain Rolland.
Favorite Food? Bread.
Favorite Sport? Figure skating.
Favorite Quote? “We were born to succeed, not to fail.
Two great posts today from Scott and Mrs D.I enjoyed reading both of them.
Thank you for sharing that,
David C
Thank you for allowing me, David.
David wrote: "Two great posts today from Scott and Mrs D.I enjoyed reading both of them.
Thank you for sharing that,
David C"
Thank you David. Much appreciated. Have a great day!
1) What is your name and bio?I'm Ted Galdi, debut author of Elixir. I'm twenty-nine years old and live in Los Angeles.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
The name of my book is Elixir. Synopsis:
Meet 14-year-old Sean Malone. He has an IQ above 200, a full-ride scholarship to one of the country’s top universities, and more than one million dollars from his winning streak on Jeopardy! However, Sean wishes he could just be normal.
But his life is anything but normal. The US government manipulates him, using him as a codebreaker in pursuit of a drug lord and killing innocent people along the way.
For reasons related to his personal security, Sean finds himself in Rome, building a new life under a new name, abandoning academics, and hiding his genius from everyone. When he’s 18 he falls in love. The thrills begin again when he learns that his girlfriend is critically ill and it’s up to him to use his intellect to find a cure, a battle pitting him against a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical company and the demons of his past.
Elixir is a story about identity, secrets, and above all, love.
The book won't be released to the public until Summer 2014, however, it's available right now on NetGalley for advance review. In addition, if any Goodreads members would like an advance copy (either digital or physical) in exchange for a review just message me or email me at [email protected] and I'd be happy to send one.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
I'm inspired a lot by music; it helps me really get into whatever "scene" I'm writing. Once I'm in the right mood, the words tend to flow.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
I'm currently reading the Rabbit series by John Updike and am enjoying it.
5) What's your next writing project?
I'm going back and forth between a handful of ideas but haven't picked any yet. At this time I'm mainly focused on helping get the word out about Elixir.
1. What is your name and bio?My pen name is Lenita Sheridan. I grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska where I was raised in a Christian home. When I was eleven I accepted Christ as my personal savior. In my twenties, I moved to Washington state to look for a teaching position. After gaining residency, I was accepted to graduate school at the University of Washington. I graduated with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing. I now live on Whidbey Island where I teach, write, and am a member of the Coupeville United Methodist Church. As a member of that church, I sing solos and in the choir and do crafts.
What is you book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
My book title is Guardian of the Gauntlet. Here is the synopsis from the back cover. When sisters, Princesses Camari and Mila, meet Prince Denir, they soon find he has a special gauntlet. This gauntlet only works if one has faith in a higher power. Using this gauntlet, Denir turns Camari invisible. When he is called off to war, Camari is left in the predicament of being invisible. She must learn not only how to turn herself visible again, but how to outwit two wicked characters.
The book, both in paperback and ebook format are available at Amazon. It is also sold elsewhere and these other sites can be linked through my website at www.LenitaSheridan.com.
3. Where do you come up with your ideas?
I get my ideas from childhood memories of growing up in the Goldstream Valley outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. There I played in the forest and went to the valley below to watch birds, catch frogs, and generally slog through the wet tundra. My childhood years definitely helped my imagination.
4. What books/authors do you like to read?
I read fantasy, inspirational books, and animal stories. I like Jan Karon, C.S. Lewis, and James Herriot.
5. What's your next writing project?
I'm now working on Guardian of the Gauntlet, Book II, The Greater Good. I plan to write a third book, Guardian of the Gauntlet, Book III, The Wedding Banquet. These books are all based on parables.
1) What is your name and bio?
My name is Carrington Shaw. I live in a state I despise for its ridiculous year-round heat, sunshine, beaches, and palm trees, and work like a slave to support my own frugal lifestyle. Behind me there is an unusually large trail of tears for someone of my young age, but I feel it's given me a unique perspective on life that I constantly struggle to use to my advantage rather than let it suck me into the pit of despair.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
My book is called "Pure Spirit", and it can be found on Amazon.com in ebook form. Here's the synopsis:
“You’d think they want me to be miserable forever. This is so not festive.”
These are the reflections of Lorelai Halifax, age 19, as she watches her own funeral. Lorelai is witty, opinionated, and loving, but carries a guilt complex she doesn’t fully understand. When an unforeseen event brings her young life to an end, she decides to test the boundaries of her new condition in an all-too-prosaic milieu. In death, she works to enrich her relationships, while struggling with the long-term effects of child abuse that will haunt her forever. Her bittersweet interactions with both the living and the dead cause her to question the meanings of life and love more profoundly than ever before.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
"Pure Spirit" was based almost entirely on a dream, with most of the characters being based on people in my own life, since they were a part of the dream, as well. The story surprised me because I had an entirely different ending planned for it originally.
Many of my other ideas also come from dreams or are based completely on incidents from real life, or perhaps an offhanded joke from a friend about what might make a good story.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
So many favorites. I love Victorian lit., so Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, to name a few. I'm a huge fan of Anne Perry's William Monk series. Neil Gaiman is always a pleasure. Michael Crichton, and more recently Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The Princess Bride and The Giver will always be among my favorite titles. And Harry Potter. I could never have enough of that world. I could just go on and on here.
5) What's your next writing project?
Right now I'm working on "Stalkers Anonymous", another short story, except this one is creative non-fiction. It's the hilarious, not quite believable but 100% true account of a group of 20-somethings who took their revenge on a persistent stalker.
My name is Carrington Shaw. I live in a state I despise for its ridiculous year-round heat, sunshine, beaches, and palm trees, and work like a slave to support my own frugal lifestyle. Behind me there is an unusually large trail of tears for someone of my young age, but I feel it's given me a unique perspective on life that I constantly struggle to use to my advantage rather than let it suck me into the pit of despair.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
My book is called "Pure Spirit", and it can be found on Amazon.com in ebook form. Here's the synopsis:
“You’d think they want me to be miserable forever. This is so not festive.”
These are the reflections of Lorelai Halifax, age 19, as she watches her own funeral. Lorelai is witty, opinionated, and loving, but carries a guilt complex she doesn’t fully understand. When an unforeseen event brings her young life to an end, she decides to test the boundaries of her new condition in an all-too-prosaic milieu. In death, she works to enrich her relationships, while struggling with the long-term effects of child abuse that will haunt her forever. Her bittersweet interactions with both the living and the dead cause her to question the meanings of life and love more profoundly than ever before.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
"Pure Spirit" was based almost entirely on a dream, with most of the characters being based on people in my own life, since they were a part of the dream, as well. The story surprised me because I had an entirely different ending planned for it originally.
Many of my other ideas also come from dreams or are based completely on incidents from real life, or perhaps an offhanded joke from a friend about what might make a good story.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
So many favorites. I love Victorian lit., so Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, to name a few. I'm a huge fan of Anne Perry's William Monk series. Neil Gaiman is always a pleasure. Michael Crichton, and more recently Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The Princess Bride and The Giver will always be among my favorite titles. And Harry Potter. I could never have enough of that world. I could just go on and on here.
5) What's your next writing project?
Right now I'm working on "Stalkers Anonymous", another short story, except this one is creative non-fiction. It's the hilarious, not quite believable but 100% true account of a group of 20-somethings who took their revenge on a persistent stalker.
What is your name and bio?Hi, I'm Rita Lee Chapman and I wrote my first book when I retired. I'm Australian and it was when I retired to Queensland that I started writing seriously.
What is your book title, synopsis and where can readers find it?
I have two books: Missing in Egypt is a romantic travel mystery set in Australia and Egypt. It includes vivid descriptions of Egyptian sites and temples.
It is available at
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Missing-in-Egyp...
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
My second book is Winston - A Horse's Tale and it is for horse lovers from teenagers upwards. Told by Winston himself, it is set in Australia.
Available at:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9QOZGE
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Both my books are on sale at Smashwords for half price for the month of July. Just quote coupon no SSW50 when you purchase.
Where do you come up with your ideas?
A holiday in Egypt inspired my first book and a lifelong association with horses the second.
What books/authors do you like to read?
I love Kate Morton, Bryce Courtenay, Mary Higgins-Clark
and so many others. I also enjoy autobiographies.
What's your next writing project?
I'm currently writing a mystery/thriller which will be out by the end of the year.
1. What is your name and bio.?I'm Jim Vuksic, born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - U.S.A.; but attended St. Mark Seminary in Erie, Pennsylvania from 1961 through 1965.
After leaving the seminary, I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and am a Vietnam veteran. Upon being released from active duty, I was hired by the H.J. Heinz Company and stuck around for 33 years, until retiring as the manager of the company's Pittsburgh facility in 2001.
My late wife and I had 5 children together and were loving partners for 35 1/2 years. I am now the proud father of 4 adult children and grandfather of 4 wonderful grandchildren.
2. What is your book's title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
Levels* is a post-apocalyptic novel about the result of a social experiment conducted by a group of dedicated men and women to eliminate all of the institutions, philosophies, and bad behavior in general which they believed contributed to the downfall of previous societies.
Within three centuries; war, crime, poverty, hunger, prejudice, inequality, greed, and vanity have been eradicated. However, they are not the only things that have disappeared. The institution of marriage, the family unit concept, long-term intimate relationships, and religion no longer exist.
The reader accompanies Jonathan and his companions, who have just completed their formal primary education and indoctrination, as they set out to prove worthy of advancement within the ranks of their social structure, so that they may discover more about their world and those that control it.
Levels* is distributed through Ingram Books/Spring Arbor and is available in paperback, e-Book download, audio book on CD and audio download at Amazon.com, Audible.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and several independent commercial vendors. The paperback and audio book formats may be borrowed from any of the Carnegie public libraries throughout Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
* http://jimvuksic.tateauthor.com/
3. Where do you come up with your ideas?
I often speculated upon what it would take to create a social structure in which everyone, without exception, has access to the exact same quantity and quality of food, clothing, housing, formal education, medical care, and social advancement opportunities. Levels is my attempt to create such a world. Readers must determine if I have succeeded or failed.
4. What books/authors do you like to read?
I have an eclectic taste in genre. My favorite authors include Jean M. Auel, Ray Bradbury, Dan Brown, Suzanne Collins, Keith Donohue, Kazuo Ishiguro, Gary Jennings, Stephen King, Cormac McCarthy, Mario Puzo, J.K. Rowling, and J.R.R. Tolkien (listed alphabetically, not by preference).
5. What is your next writing project?
Writing a novel was actually just one of several goals, included in a bucket list, that my late wife insisted that I create when I retired.
I am presently in the process of completing the last of those goals - visiting all 50 states by car (43 down - 7 to go!). Between that, staying in touch with my children and grandchildren, and a fairly active social life, I may never find time to write another book.
1) What is your name and bio? David Ingerson. As a twenty-four year U.S. Air Force officer and pilot, I have traveled and lived abroad. I have trained and led teams on short-term missions to the Philippines and Cambodia. Having suffered my own share of trials and setbacks as an entrepreneur, I encourage employees and customers to rise above life’s difficulties. I am genuine and passionate as I encourage my listeners to honestly admit their challenges and disappointments. Through my story of triumph through tragedy, I spur others to rise above life’s frustrations and overcome in spite of intimidating obstacles.2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it? The Caleb Years: When God Doesn't Make Sense: The Caleb Years: When God Doesn't Make Sense When our fourth child was born in a military hospital in Okinawa, Japan with several life-threatening congenital anomalies, not the least of which was a seriously malformed heart. From one medical malady after another the effervescent child endured ten major surgeries including five open heart surgeries. During his second open-heart surgery at 18 months of age he was infected with HIV due to a contaminated unit of blood. I write in first person revealing my challenging emotions as well as various victories as well as crushing defeats. Throughout the vivid descriptions of each incredible situation and circumstance the reader accompanies us on our emotional roller coaster in this real-life drama. Ultimately, the book is a story of hope in the midst of heartache.
Available at: http://www.thecalebyears.com/#option/... http://www.amazon.com/The-Caleb-Years... http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-c....
3) Where do you come up with your ideas? My ideas for writing come from my journaling.
4) What books/authors do you like to read? I enjoy inspirational instructional non-fiction such as Eric Metaxas' Bonhoeffer.
5) What's your next writing project?: A sequel to The Caleb Years: When God Doesn't Make Sense: Beyond the Caleb Years: When God Gives a Second Chance.
1) What is your name and bio? My name is Shirley McLain and I live in Sapulpa Oklahoma. I retired after 32 years of being an RN and took up writing. I now have four books on Amazon a YA mystery, a book of short stories, a book of poetry and my latest historical fiction.2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it? Dobyns Chronicles is a captivating celebration of the life of Charlie Dobyns. His life began in northeast Texas near Bonham, on the Red River. His Cherokee mother and cowboy father strove to survive on their river valley ranch. Tragedy ended this way of life for Charlie in 1888. Follow him through Chickasaw Territory and on to McAlester in eastern Oklahoma.
This is a story of a changing way of life and adaptations made to survive. Charlie's strong passion for life and dignity equipped him for survival as he raised his siblings with, likeability and dignity. It’s a story of loss, misfortune, hard times and heartbreak, but also love, determination, kindness, joy and spirituality.
Follow Charlie’s life through the adventures that shaped the man he became, and that of his family for generations.
The book can be purchased on Amazon or in my site store at shirley-mclain.com. I also have a facebook store called Shirley's Books where it may be purchased.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas? The idea actually came because of my mother. She had told my sister and I our entire life about her Grandfather, Charley Dobyns. It had always been in the back of my mind to do it.
4) What books/authors do you like to read? I love the Outlander series by Diane Gabledon plus the Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling but I am my eclectic in my reading.
5) What's your next writing project? I have started the 2nd book in the Jensen Mystery series. I don't have a title for it yet. The first one was The Tower.
Please make sure you write out the question you are answering. 1) What is your name and bio?
I'm Alice Kuipers and here's my short bio: Bestselling author Alice Kuipers was born in London. She moved to Canada in 2003. Her first novel, Life on the Refrigerator Door, was published in 28 countries and won several awards. Since then, she has published two further award winning YA novels internationally, with a fourth, The Death of Us, coming out in September this year. Alice has three small children and she began writing picture books for them. Her first picture book Violet and Victor Write The Best Ever Bookworm Book will be published in December this year. Alice’s website is full of tips and hints for those of you who want to become writers too. Find her here: www.alicekuipers.com or on twitter, facebook or goodreads.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
The newest book is called The Death of Us. Here's the synopsis/blurb: Callie is shocked when her friend Ivy reappears after an unexplained three-year absence, but the girls pick up where they left off, and suddenly Callie’s summer is full of parties, boys and fun. Beneath the surface, things aren’t what they seem, however, and when a handsome boy with a dark past gets tangled up with Ivy, the girls’ history threatens to destroy their future.
You can find it starting from September 2nd in Canada and as an ebook. Have a look at my Goodreads author page to find out more.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
I'm always on the look out for ideas. I believe ideas are everywhere, you just need to know where to look and to make the time to write them down. I read lots, look out the window, eavesdrop on conversations, ask lots of questions, and then I let myself dream.
4) What books/authors do you like to read? Most recently I've enjoyed We Were Liars - the writing style is beautiful, and I'm loving 1Q84, although I don't really understand what's going on right now. Normally my favourite book is the one I'm reading.
5) What's your next writing project?
I'm working on another YA novel set in the same city as The Death of Us, and a second picture book. The first comes out in December.
Hello, all! 1) What is your name and bio?
I'm Carmen Gross, though my pen name is Carmen Stevens. I was born in Fargo, North Dakota in March of 1992 and currently reside in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. I'm a full-time college student and self-published author. I published my debut novel in July of 2013. I enjoy reading, writing, acting, movies, music, and spending time with family and friends.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
My historical fiction novel is titled "Anne." Here is a synopsis:
18th century England-Fourteen-year old Anne Falkman is an arrogant, desperate orphan trying to live any way she can on the streets of London. Through her desolate, lonely years, a hope was born within her, the hope that fate would bless her and give her lasting happiness. Growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father, Anne has nurtured a fear of men. She also fears marrying and giving birth, which was the death of her mother and caused her father to go mad and violently hate his daughter. When a series of events gives Anne a chance for happiness, she takes it and achieves her dreams, but at what cost? Will she attain the life of happiness that she dreamed of? Which choices are the best ones to make?
Here's where readers can find my book on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E...
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
When I wrote "Anne," I wanted to combine historical fiction, old England, and a story that told the world about the importance of loving one another and not taking anything for granted.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
My favorite historical fiction author is Lynn Austin. I love her writing and her books. I also like Charles Dickens.
5) What's your next writing project?
I'm not sure; right now I'm just focusing on promoting "Anne." But if my readers desire me to, I may write a sequel to "Anne" in the future.
Hey Vincent,"Thanks for having me."
1) What is your name and bio?
"Ow. That hurts. I though we were friends? Ok. Brian J. Walters. As you know, I was a Standup Comic for over 8 years. I spread the joys of humor from the midwest of the United States to the east, south, and west. A lot of my routine was just plain silly, but I did like to slide in the occasional,thought provoking pun from time to time and then sprinkle it with just the right amount of sarcasm.
I also scribed sitcom scripts, short stories, and a book. Unfortunately, none of my amazing words of wonder ever made it to the screen or shelves.
After a move to LA, I fell out of entertainment and into the world of business management. It was interesting and exciting and all in all a good experience, but now it's time to write!"
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
"But we named it together. Showbiz has sure made you aloof. Ok. The Chaise. Strong Women, Romance, Surprises, and more."
"Oh you want the whole thing."
Bridgette needs to know. Her husband, Theo, is in Africa trying to better the world, but what if he does not make it back? She has not spoken to him in two days. Her obsession for her husband teeters on paranoia and it all starts to spin out of control. The present melts with the passions of the past and all she can do is take comfort in the security of her one constant: The Chaise."
"Oh yeah. Right now it's available on B&N and IBooks. Amazon and others should be right around the corner."
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
"I wish I had some brilliant answer for that. It just pops into my head. I start to day drift and then next thing you know, I'm typing away."
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
"I really haven't a read a lot in a long while. I started with Kurt Vonnegut and last I read was Christopher Moore. Never read a Romance story, but apparently I think about them a bit."
5) What's your next writing project?
"My next project is a novel that has been in the making for quite sometime. It's a Fiction/Drama, but a bit more Romance floating into this one as well."
"And thanks to you Vincent. It was fun."
Q: What is our name and bio?Harold Titus. Born in New York State, raised in Southern California, I graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in history. I taught intermediate school English and American history for 31 years in Orinda, California. I coached many of my school’s boys and girls sports teams. I retired in 1991. My wife and I live in Florence, on the central Oregon coast.
Q: What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
"Crossing the River" brings to life General Thomas Gage’s failed attempt April 19, 1775, to seize and destroy military stores stockpiled at Concord by Massachusetts’s Provincial Congress. Characters of high and ordinary station confront their worst fears. Illustrating the internal conflicts, hubris, stupidity, viciousness, valor, resiliency, and empathy of many of the day’s participants, "Crossing the River" is both a study of man experiencing intense conflict and the resultant aspects of high-risk decision-taking, for which the novel’s title is a metaphor.
http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-River-...
Q: Where do you come up with your ideas?
Perilous situations in American history that force individuals to make difficult decisions is subject matter that interests me. Does a character chose to live safely -- settling for what is permitted -- or does he strive to push through what his society, religion, or culture imposes?
Q: What books/authors do you like to read?
I especially enjoy historical fiction. In that genre I would include Winston Graham, A. B. Guthrie Jr., Wallace Stegner, Betty Smith, and Jessamyn West.
Q: What's your next writing project?
I am alternately writing and researching a novel about the Algonquian natives at and near Roanoke Island (North Carolina) and English colonizers during the time period 1583-1586. My focus will be on the Algonquians.
Learn much more about what interests me on my blog site: http://authorharoldtitus.blogspot.com.
1) I am Joe Cosentino. I have acted on stage and screen with stars like Bruce Willis, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, Rosie O'Donnell, and Jason Robards. PAPER DOLL is my first novel. 2) PAPER DOLL
Jana Lane was America’s most famous child star until she was attacked on the studio lot at eighteen years old. Now a thirty-eight-year-old beauty and mother of two living in a mansion in picturesque Hudson Valley, New York, Jana’s flashbacks from her past turn into murder attempts in her present.
The local suspects include Jana’s down-on-his-luck husband with a dislike for living off the fruits of his wife’s young labor, Jana’s sister and male friend (who both have eyes for Jana’s husband), Jana’s show business father, her deranged loyal fan, and Jana's young Guy Friday who covets her fame and shares an uncanny resemblance to Jana.
Forced to summon up the lost courage she had as a child, Jana visits the California movie studio she once called home. This sends her on a whirlwind of visits with former and current movie studio personnel. It also leads to a romance with the son of her old producer—Rocco Cavoto—the devilishly handsome filmmaker who is planning Jana’s comeback both professionally and personally. With Rocco’s help, Jana uncovers a web of secrets about everyone she loves, including the person who destroyed her past and threatens to snuff out her future.
- Amazon –
http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Doll-Jana...
3) As an actor I meet numerous interesting and eccentric people who spur unique and captivating storylines in my overactive imagination.
4) I just finished the ninth and last TALES OF THE CITY BOOK (Tales of Anna Madgrigal) by Armistread Maupin. I've read every book and short story by Agatha Christie. Greg Herrin, Laura Levine, and G.A. McKevett are also favorite authors.
5) Dreamspinner Press is publishing my humorous and touching romance novella, AN INFATUATION, in February. I am currently working on a new humorous/mystery/romance series set in the world of college academia. As a department head/professor at a college upstate New York, I have many interesting stories.
1) What is your name and bio? Ella Emersonbio: Ella Emerson lives in Florida with her husband and three wonderful children. When she isn't writing you can find her watching movies or playing games with her children. She loves to read, write, and eat pizza. She was raised a military brat, and has seen her fair share of the world. She loves using her own experiences and turning them into lovely romantic tales.
In high school she discovered her love for reading, and even had one of her poems published in a national magazine. She continues to read, write, review and hopefully she can become an inspiration to her own children, as well as others.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it? Sky Watcher
synopsis:
Meet Allison Singleton, Single, alone. Her husband had left her after years of marriage, and she is destined to be alone for the rest of her life. At 35, she is afraid to hop back into the dating scene, as she knows there aren’t too many options at her age. She has labeled men her age into two categories: Taken, being the first. Everything left over, being the second. The second group is, the men who are so dreadful no woman has snagged them up yet. This is her dating pool.
That is until she meets the hot lawyer, Gavin McDermott, on a blind date. Who may just be what she is looking for. He offers her a job she never expects, and she accepts to try new things. It is here she discovers, herself, how to be happy and maybe love.
Amazon B&N
3) Where do you come up with your ideas? Daydreams, and imagination. I also like to people watch.
4) What books/authors do you like to read? I love the classics. I also love any type of romance story.
5) What's your next writing project? The Vanilla Bet About Trace Weston who loses a bet and has to have a Vanilla relationship with "Vanilla Vanessa", this story will be in the genre of erotic suspense.
1) My name is Joan C. Curtis. I've published four business books and in November will release my first mystery/novel. I'm a communications coach/consultant. As a native Southerner, I have set my books in the South. My writing has received a number of awards including first place in a national competition which enabled me to publish a story in Reader's Digest.2) The Clock Strikes Midnight is a mystery/suspense novel set in Decatur Georgia (near Atlanta). It is the story of two sisters whose early life was fraught with death, abuse and neglect. The younger sister returns home after 20 years in order to avenge the mysterious death of her mother. The Clock Strikes Midnight is a race against time in a quest for revenge and atonement. This is a story about hate, love and forgiveness.
The book is scheduled for release on November 25. Readers can enjoy the first two chapters by coming to my website http://www.joanccurtis.com. They will be able to find the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, my publisher's store (MuseItUp Publishing) and all the online sites.
3) My ideas come from my subconscious experiences. Sometimes real remembered experiences turn into scenes. But, for the most part the ideas and the twists and turns come from my imagination.
4) I love to read many books and authors. I read in the mystery/suspense genre. I also read other books that might be labelled woman's fiction--Colette, Lee Smith, Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey. I love Collene McCullough's First Man in Rome series. I love character driven books. I love all of Abraham Verghese's books. I could list many others I loved, such as, The Kite Runner, Atonement, Dovekeepers,
5) I'm working on an amateur sleuth mystery series and hope to release the first book in that series next year.
Denise wrote: "1) What is your name and bio?My original name is Denise Baer, a native of the South Side of Chicago, but now my last name has changed to Haschka along with my location to Germany. I do not write ..."
Dear Denise
Please let me know if you are looking for reviewers. I would love to try out your thriller books
Regards
Devi
1) What is your name and bio? Tristesse Geneveive (I use my first and middle name as my pen name) Other than writing I am a photographer. These are more than just hobbies for me, they are my passions. I love music and art of most forms.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
From Dirt To Gold: A Journey Through Darkness To Light
It is a poetry book with a sort of story line. Poems of my darkest days, and tragic love. Followed by poems of my passage into light, and finding true love. It is an inspirational read for anyone who has or is going through a dark time, or for anyone who just loves poetry.
http://www.amazon.com/From-Dirt-To-Go...
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
My poetry and writing comes from my soul. Sometimes I write a sentence or two and can't find the right words go with it, so I leave it sit until I come back to it later and I am able finish it. Other times words just flow effortlessly.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
I love reading spiritual, self-help, and non-fiction books.
5) What's your next writing project?
Not sure yet. I have started a children's book, but I don't know when I will get to finishing it.
1) My name is Caroline Gebbie and I write extreme horror. My books are occult thrillers but unless you like a good helping of blood and gore you had best steer clear.I love to write and read and can think of nothing better than losing yourself in a story.
2)This is my first novel https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
It is a fast paced tale of survival when a girls parents are murdered she must use all her courage to find out who is the killer and to stay alive till her birthday, or else become the pawn in a game of immortality.
I have two other s published and hope to get three more out by Christmas S**t best get my finger out now and get writing.
3) Ideas come to me from everywhere, I find it hard to stop them and always have more than I can write. My last novel Daddy Won't Kill You came from walking past my rocking chair in the garden one day, it looked so creepy bathed in late evening sunshine that I just wondered what would happen if it was possessed by people who had died in it - Yes I know I have a strange mind.
4) I love Matt Shaw, Jeff Menapace, Shaun Hutson, James Herbert The Rats is my favorite book every - hmm think I must re-read it.
5) I've just finished a book which is a joint project with my husband. Reflections of Death is a book about one man who invites evil into his life, he must find his courage to save his friends. After that I'm writing a book about a girl who is abused and her abusers start to die in horrific circumstances, who is doing it?
As you can see I have a dark mind but I would love to connect here on goodreads.
1) What is your name and bio?My name is Alexandra Butcher, also writing as A.L Butcher. I’m a fantasy author from beautiful Great Britain. When I’m not writing I love to read, watch movies, natural history and history programmes, research history and hang about on various social media sites.
My blog is www.libraryoferana.wordpress.com
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles
The Shining Citadel
And the short story collection Tales of Erana: Myths and Legends
There are also several anthologies with other authors including the charity sci-fi and fantasy Bellator
The free anthologies Spectacular Tales and Wyrd Worlds, and the heroic fantasy anthology Nine Heroes: Tales of Heroic Fantasy.
My novels are available on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, I-Books, Kobo (Canada) and in print. Tales of Erana is also available in Audio.
The Anthologies are available on all the above.
The novels are set in the world of Erana, a dark fantasy world where magic is illegal and elves are enslaved. They are tales of magic, mayhem, the quest for freedom and truth and also love. They are adult, there are...sensual scenes and adult themes, such as slavery, abuse, intrigue and 'adult' relationships.:)
Tales of Erana is a collection of short stories set in the same world.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
Usually at inconvenient moments, like when I am too busy to write them down, or I am in the bath! Often ideas spawn other ideas, so a short story becomes a novel, or a second short story grows from it. I see inspiration everywhere.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
I read fantasy, classics, history, historical fiction, sci-fi, and crime/mystery books more often than not. I’m currently reading Inconvenient People: Lunacy, Liberty and the Mad-Doctors in Victorian England, Poisons and Poisoners: An Encyclopedia of Homicidal Poisoningsand Poets in Hell or Sir Edric's Templeis next on my list. Favourite authors include, Gaston Leroux, Alexandre Dumas, Terry Pratchett, JRR Tolkien, Janet Morris, Ellis Peters, Colin Wilson, HG Wells, Frank Herbert, Richard Adams, J.D Hallowell, Homer, John Van Der Kist.
5) What's your next writing project?
I’ve just finished the first draft of book III of my series, so I am waiting for the beta readers to do their thing before I read through again. I’m also writing a short horror story for the forthcoming Indie Collaboration Horror Anthology and a couple of short fantasy and fantasy erotica tales for another project. I’m also submitting some poetry to an anthology. I usually have several projects on the go. I'm hoping to find time to complete an online course about Roman History as well.
Hello,1) What is your name and bio?
~ Rob Queen, or if you want total haughtiness borne of a British air, Robert Worthington Queen. I do need a "The Third" or "The VII" to elevate my birth name to that higher level of utter atrocity, but I make do.
I just crossed the USA with the wife to relocate in Olympia, WA, where I will continue the day job of teaching ESL. It's amazing what kinds of details you can steal from my students' international background to use in my fiction.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
~ The Twelve Cataclysms Book I - Protasis is available as both ebook and soft-cover via Amazon.com. The Goodreads link is below
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Never rob a Magi’s tower unless you’re willing to face the consequences.
Vie knows the job’s dangerous: the Apocryptein is the most secure tower in the city of Reservwyresport. Then again, the thief possesses a little magic of her own, and the payoff seems worth the risk.
Lord Sesellebach tel Haphenasis, warden of the Apocryptein, is not a forgiving man. Finding a short, skinny woman looting his tower, the Magi’s reaction is predictably volatile—and a volatile mage is a destructive mage, even if he should know better.
Thief and Magi survive their encounter, but the Apocryptein isn’t so lucky. The tower lies in ruins, its destruction releasing twelve unimaginably powerful beings into the world. Left loose, the Twelve Cataclysms will lay waste to the world. Someone’s got to stop them, and the ruling Magi feels it’s only just that the task should fall to those who released them.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
~ The short answer is "everywhere." You never know when some strange, incidental thing will be necessary for a project later on.
For the Twelve Cataclysms, it all started as a dream. I woke up in the middle of the night, shaking, and asking myself "How can I make that happen?" After some thought, I came up with an opening that would hook even the most skeptical readers of Fantasy, and after a marathon session of work, got the rough draft done.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
~ Don't tell anyone, but I'm a major comic book nerd. But when I'm not ogling amazing art done to the words and ideas of brilliant writers, I'm likely enjoying anything that has deep characters, compelling storylines, and excellent details with just the right kind of conflict to keep me turning the pages.
5) What's your next writing project?
~ This is an excellent question. I am undecided at this point. Part of me wants to just jump right into Book II of the Twelve Cataclysms, but part of me would really like to go back, clean up some past work and see if I can make any of it work.
Feel free to message me, or check out The Twelve Cataclysms, or ask me anything. Hope to see you around!
a fascinating read... a philosophical romance set in a dystopian future not far from our own... intelligent, challenging and provocative too...The Mark of ManOwen H. Lewis see http://themarkofman.blogspot.co.uk for the latest interview!
1) What is your name and bio?I'm Lela E. Buis. I was born in East Tennessee but lived most of my life in Florida. I worked at Kennedy Space Center for 15 years, but now am back in East Tennessee. I have one part time dog and three part time cats.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
Competitive Fauna: A Collection of Short Stories went live 10/16/14 as an e-book on Amazon. This is a collection of fantasy and science fiction short stories featuring women who love women. These stories vary from the sensual to erotic, and include characters who face life's problems with strength and intelligence. Includes violence and sexual situations.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
Hm. Sometimes they're sparked by other books or media. Sometimes they just appear. For short stories, sometimes I cruise for ideas.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
Barbara Hambly, S.J. Parris, Patricia Briggs.
5) What's your next writing project?
I'm working on novels. I have one under consideration at Tor and have some other ideas in work. Watch for them soon!
1) My name is Thomas Whaley. I have been an elementary school teacher for the last 16 years. I am the father of two young, energetic boys and live on L.I. with my husband.2)My book title is Leaving Montana.
SYNOPSIS: Saying that Benjamin Sean Quinn had “anger issues” was an understatement. For those who knew him for the shortest amount of time, his life was in order: He was physically fit, had a great job which provided him a house in the suburbs and the material things he desired, a loving, monogamous relationship, two happy, healthy daughters and an established circle of friends. In all accounts, his life seemed perfect. But to those who knew him the longest, they knew he was an idle grenade, waiting for someone to pull the pin.
For decades, Ben did his best to conquer his demons; to suppress the anger he accumulated towards his parents, Carmella and Sean, throughout their tumultuous marriage. Ben was their only child; forced to witness and experience things that most adults couldn’t even try to handle. He could not escape them or the anger, and no matter how hard he tried, as he matured, it became a part of him. Ben strived to end the toxic cycle and avoid adopting their pattern as part of his own life. By the time he reached his early thirties, he finally seemed to have it all under control.
Then Ben’s father told him a “secret”. One left in Montana when he and Carmella were stationed there forty years earlier. It would exhume the painful memories and suppressed anger that Ben had been avoiding for years and force him to relive his past in order to face his future.
Today Benjamin Sean Quinn boards a plane to Billings, Montana. It was time to face the secret head on and let go of the anger that silently ruled his life. It would be the boldest move he ever made, ultimately changing his life and the lives of those around him.
It debuted in August of 2014 and is getting great reviews! http://www.amazon.com/Leaving-Montana...
3) Leaving Montanais literary fiction based on true family saga, so most of the story line were things I experienced from early childhood through my adult years. However, I have written many children's books that my students and sons have inspired me to write. My ideas just come out of nowhere....One minute I am cooking dinner, the next I am at the computer!
4) I love David Sedaris and authors similar to him! He is sitty, sarcastic, and straight up honest. I like that in a writer - especially since so many writer's can cover up their own demons with their creativity.
5) I am currently three chapters into my psychological thriller.
1) What is your name and bio? My name is Alexi Lawless. BIO: Alexi LAWLESS has been a closeted writer for thirty-odd years—from way back when she was banging out stories on a Commodore 64 to her years writing the corporate strategies for some of the largest companies in the world. But it was two years ago, laid up after foot surgery, that she started to seriously consider whether it was time to come out as the novelist she’d always wanted to be.
Armed with a laptop and an around-the-world ticket, she quit the corporate scene and set out to see if her passion for writing was more than a pipe-dream. Less than a year later, Alexi’s debuting her first published novel, Complicated Creatures: Part One, with the second book due out this summer. And while you may catch her sipping a drink in Miami Beach, you’re more likely to find her indulging her nomadic tendencies somewhere in Latin America or Southeast Asia.
Interested in following Alexi? You can stalk her here at: AlexiLAWLESS.com.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
Complicated Creatures
Complicated Creatures: Part Two in a Romantic Suspense Series
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
I took what I liked most about male leads in some of my favorite stories and turned the whole thing on its head. I started thinking, “What if James Bond were a woman? What if she was the head of the multinational corporation? What if she led a team of commandos from all over the world--what would that be like?”
And as I considered all the possibilities, she became crystal clear in my mind. I saw a modern Pallas Athena with true grit, style and the kind of savvy we admire but rarely see in female characters in a romance genre. Samantha’s no wilting flower, and she doesn’t want for much, so that makes for an intriguing question--what kind of man can get a woman like that? And would she even let him?
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
I’ve always been a fan of Anne Rice’s heroines. Whether it was Merrick, of the Mayfair witches or Lisa, the whip-wielding dominatrix of Exit to Eden, I liked that her female leads have distinct personalities, their own individual agendas and motivations and while they were flawed characters or had clear issues to work through, they were often smart, self-reliant and gutsy.
From more recent work, I really thoroughly enjoyed Olivia Kaspen’s character in Tarryn Fisher’s The Opportunist and Thief. She slices like a knife but still manages to be so vulnerable, it’s easy to relate to her, even if when you’re horrified by her decisions.
5) What's your next writing project?
A YA novel and of course, Complicated Creatures Part Three
1) What is your name and bio?
Carolann Camillo. From childhood, words captivated Carolann Camillo. She would write plays, collect props, take all the parts and direct the action. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, appearing as an extra in films and a couple of way off-off Broadway productions. She is a co-author of "Southern Star". Her historical romance, "Moonlit Desire", was published by Camel Press on March 16, 2012. Her contemporary romance "The Very Thought Of You" from Crimson Romance was released on November 19, 2012. Her new romantic suspense novel "Forever Mine", is due to be published by Resplendence Publishing on September 24, 2014. A member of the Writers Of America, she has won the Foster City International Writing Contest and was a finalist in the Windy City Romance Writers Contest. Carolann graduated from St. John’s University and lives with her college professor husband in the San Francisco Bay Area.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
Forever Mine. When up-and-coming fashion designer, Allie Nash, becomes the target of a serial killer responsible for a string of West Coast murders, Detective Ben Sutter and his partner are charged with protecting her. Evidence confirms the killer, accompanied by one of Allie’s former neighbors, is heading her way. But Allie, a semi-finalist in a prestigious fashion contest, stubbornly refuses to vacate her San Francisco home as she needs access to all her equipment if she hopes to have her designs ready in time for the competition.
Ben and his partner reluctantly agree to take shifts staying with Allie, as long as she plays her part and continues the telephone conversations she’s inadvertently been drawn into with the killer, a man she knows only as Dave. However, the danger escalates when Dave claims another victim on his way to San Francisco, leaving his trademark heart imprinted with FOREVER MINE on the woman’s body.
Terrified of encountering the psychopath, Allie turns increasingly toward Ben Sutter for strength and assurance. For his part, Ben has sworn off women in the wake of a toxic breakup. Still, he finds himself drawn to the attractive young woman he’s tasked to protect. On the night of the competition, the detectives have all the angles covered.
Or so they think. Readers can find my e-book on amazon.com, Allromanceebooks.com, barnesandnoble.com, bookstrand.com and resplendencepublishing.com
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
The idea for Forever Mine just popped into my head. A young woman peers through her window at a car she's seen parked on her street three times. Suspicious, she calls the police. The guys in the car
are detectives staking out her house because she's the intended victim of a serial killer . The idea for The Very Thought of You came from reading articles in the San Francisco Chronicle about the serious housing squeeze in the City. For Moonlit Desire, I wanted to write a book that takes place during the French and Indian Wars because I always loved the book The Last of the Mohicans. For Southern Star, my co-author on that one cruised the Bahamas on a yacht, and so we built a story around the islands.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
I like Sandra Brown and Catherine Coulter for romantic suspense and Michael Connelly for his detective Harry Bosch and the incredible cases he's given to solve. I also like the works of Philippa Gregory because I love English history. I also love non-fiction and am presently reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Harrowing WWII experience.
5) What's your next writing project?
My next writing project is an historical romance that takes place in England at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. It features a young woman who has no wish to marry. However, circumstances demand that she must, and so she proposes marriage to a man who has no desire for a wife. He accepts, for his own reasons, and complications ensue.
1) What is your name and bio? I write under the name P.S. Winn I have 18 books indie published since I began this 2 years ago. I live in Montana after spending 30 years in Utah and some time in Idaho.2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it? "Mystic Valley" begins a year after Matt Compton died after spending time in Mystic Valley which sets next to McClain Army base. A place known for its secret operations. Matt's brother Tony and his friends Scott and Brandi spent a week in Mystic Valley trying to find some answers. Something happened while they were there, something none of them can remember. Now they are going to break in and find some answers. What they find is a lot of conspiracy and and secret projects. Now they have to find a way out alive. Find it @ http://www.amazon.com/Mystic-Valley-P...
3) Where do you come up with your ideas? Mostly dreams, but also from everyday life. I like my fiction to have a lot of fact.
4) What books/authors do you like to read? Just about everything. My favorite author will always be Stephen King, but there are so many great books and authors out there.
5) What's your next writing project? For the NaNoWriting event I am writing a murder, mystery "The New Moon killer" about a serial killer. One whose identity I hope will be quite a shock.
1) What is your name and bio?John Rachel, biodegradable.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
The Man Who Loved Too Much - Book 1: Archipelago
It’s the first of a trilogy, both whimsical without being frivolous and intense without being melodramatic. Mostly, it’s good fun!
Poor Billy Green! When he was just turning four, his father tried to throw him in the trash. He was a smart kid but that just seemed to create enemies. His mom did everything to protect him. But this was Detroit, armpit of the wasteland! Catholic school didn’t help much, except the time he got his first kiss from an atheist nun. Home life was dismal. Was his father capable of anything but drinking beer and farting? And what was with that neighbor who made puppets and tried to molest Billy? Golly! Detroit was sucking the life out of him. At such a young age! Then adolescence swirled around him. Like water in a toilet bowl. High school was a B movie. Only without a plot. So finally he did something about it. Billy ran away … to college. Cornell University. That was a good move for sure! He studied hard, lost his virginity, met the love of his life. Things were definitely looking up! What could possibly go wrong? Isn’t that what we always ask?
Amazon Kindle - amzn.to/1tyIRiw
Apple iBook - bit.ly/1ycltFD
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
First, I turn on the fan. Then I usually realize I forgot to take out the garbage. So I do that. Of course, now I see there's all sorts of gunk in the bottom of the garbage container from the tomatoes that went bad and the mushrooms that turned to slime. So I have to clean up that mess.
Finally, I sit down to write. Oops! Forgot to check my FB account. Whoa! 87 new notices. People loved that video I posted of a kitten chasing a rhinoceros. Hmm. Bad news. It looks like over 30 people deleted me as a friend. What did I do? Could it have been the blog I wrote about Mitt Romney being a pedophile?
I'm exhausted. Writing sure takes it out of me.
I decide I need a nap. I'll get 20 winks, wake up fresh, ready to really roll!
I try to sleep. But they are slaughtering a yak next door, beating it to death with garden rakes. You'd think they could come up with a more humane way to kill the thing. Jeeeeez!
I take a sip of wine from a newly opened bottle to try to relax. I decide to just finish the whole thing off.
The next few hours are a blank. I wake up in the bathtub. I'm hugging a bag of fertilizer. The doorbell is ringing.
I run to see who it is. Ah! The post man. My new Fiction Writing software has arrived. Excellent! This could be the shot in the arm my career needs.
I spend the rest of the day trying to install the program. My Windows laptop keeps giving me error messages.
'The library catalog file clutter_register.ini is missing. Please reinstall operating system.'
After five hours of this, I am famished!
I head down to the drive-thru window for Octopus Rainbow Glad Luck. It's Chinese fast food. They refuse to serve me because I'm on a bicycle. I go inside. Everything is in Chinese. I order something by pointing. They bring me monkey entrails on a croissant. Not very appetizing.
This would be a total waste of time, except thinking ahead, I brought my computer. Munching away, keeping the blood and grease from dripping into my keyboard, I begin ...
"Once upon a time, there was a large tree in the middle of an island. A boy of eleven years old leaned against it. A stranger approached him from behind. The boy turned. The man was wearing a 'Mitt Romney for President' button."
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
Vonnegut, Robbins, Kosinski, Lem, Keyes, Irving
5) What's your next writing project?
Currently in development is a new novel set in Japan, another in Africa, and a creative non-fiction work, allegedly an account of my extensive travels, but more likely the product of the voices in my head which have plagued me since puberty. Is that a unicorn sitting on my couch?
1) What is your name and bio?My name is Pen. I am a native Georgian living in the Atlanta area. I am staff to one feline. I have been writing since the age of ten and currently have 20 titles in print and e-book format.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
Nero's Fiddle
Every day millions of people use their cars, cell phones, and computers.
They commute to work by bus or train.
Hospitals run efficiently. Food is delivered round the clock.
Imagine all of that . . . gone.
June 23, 2017: The United States is crippled by an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack, leaving every citizen in the dark, helpless and alone. It will happen again. Every thirty days another country will be attacked until the entire world is plunged into darkness.
Captain Beverly Mossberg is assigned the task of reaching Washington, DC to assassinate the terrorist before he strikes again. She doesn’t count on being accompanied by her two children, Michael, age 9 and Jazmine, age 12. Not to mention Sedona Armstrong, a complete stranger, is determined to join the party.
They traverse a now lawless land, scrounging for food and water, blowing up propane gas tanks, narrowly avoiding being raped and being held prisoners in a cannibal commune – a possible side-effect of massive disaster-related incidents.
Upon arriving in DC, Bev learns that she has been misled – again. Only this time, she has the weight of saving the world on her shoulders.
Nero's Fiddle is available on Amazon, Amazon Kindle and Smashwords.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
Everywhere. Books, movies, a news byte: there is no limit to ideas in today's world. The smallest detail can trip my imagination into overdrive.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
I love James Rollins' Sigma Force series. I also enjoy Dean Koontz, Lindsay Buroker, Judy Mercer and a host of other authors.
5) What's your next writing project?
A Science Fiction series set on another planet.
1) What is your name and bio?David S Reynolds. I live in Tucson Arizona with my lovely wife, a crazy dog, and a demanding cat.
I split my time between teaching GED classes, taking photos, flying model airplanes, writing short stories, and riding my motorcycles around southern Arizona.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
My latest short story is Aware.
An accident in space has left Navigation Specialist Jenkins alone on a ship that is dying. She is almost certain that the initial malfunction was caused by a robot, proving in her mind that all robots are useless. Jenkins finds this conviction challenged by Repair Bot 3, the last of three bots that is struggling with becoming aware. The two advisories must find a way to understand each other and work as a team in order for both to survive.
You can get at Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
and Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O84I4CA
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
Anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes I want to explore an idea or theme or I have a line I want to use.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
Anything. I'll even read shop manuals for fun.
5) What's your next writing project?
I'm not sure yet. I have a few ideas banging around in my head. Two ideas that I would like to develop are The Barbie Killers, a story about a group of soccer moms that take down an evil fashion designer, and Slave in Heaven, the back story of Satan's fall from grace.
Hi Vincent. Thank you for this opportunity.1) What is your name and bio?
My name is Pen. I'm a native Georgian still living in Atlanta, GA where I play staff to one feline. I have a couple of blogs: http://www.mytuppence.weebly.com where I spout off about almost anything and http://www.penspen.wordpress.com where I focus primarily on writing and books.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
Nero's Fiddle is the title of my latest endeavor. A thumbnail synopsis: When the United States is crippled by an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack, it is up to Captain Beverly Mossberg to get to Washington, DC on foot to assassinate the terrorist before he strikes again.
Nero's Fiddle has her own website complete with character bios: http://bit.ly/1yYsNH2
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
Everywhere and everything. News items pique my interest, everyday occurrences. I got the idea for Nero's Fiddle from listening to the audiobook One Second After by William Forschten. Once I began researching EMP and discovered it is a real threat, my imagination soared. My vision of an EMP attack has women as the heroes.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
I enjoy James Rollins' Sigma Force novels, Lindsay Buroker's Emperor's Edge series, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Judy Mercer, Edgar Allan Poe, Bette Lee Crosby, Darcia Helle, Doug J. Cooper and too many others to list.
5) What's your next writing project?
I am currently working on a science fiction series set on another planet.
1) What is your name and bio?My Author name is J. L. Clayton. I live in a small town in AR, working at the local post office, delivering mail every day with a smile. :) My husband, Robert, and I have a 15-year-old daughter, Shyla. I was inspired by the Twilight series to write A Spark of Magic: Chosen Saga Book One, my first novel. I self-published it in April of this year. I just now released my second book in the Saga: A Blaze of Magic.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
A Spark of Magic (Chosen Saga, #1)
Magic is stirring up lust, romance, danger—and revealing long-hidden truths.
Charlize, aka Charlie, is moving yet again, to a new city, a new school…new everything. Her family is always moving, but this time, it doesn’t seem so bad! Charlie is turning sixteen, finally making friends, and crushing on some seriously hot guys. Plus, said hot guys’ feelings seem to be mutual… This is the happiest Charlie has been in a very long time. But she does have a little problem.
Charlie is having bizarre, dark, eerie dreams, and she knows deep down that the feelings these dreams provoke, which seem to consume her, cannot be normal. There is a sexy male voice invading her dreams, and now it seems it is invading her waking hours too. The voice is compelling, hauntingly mesmerizing, and overwhelmingly beautiful. Charlie doesn’t care if this dream voice is good or bad; she just knows she wants to hear more.
Now, Charlie is on a journey to discover who and what she really is, and to uncover the reason her family moves so frequently. Charlie knows this is going to be one crazy, fun ride. But something big is about to happen, and it will end up changing what she believed was real and what truly is…
A Blaze of Magic (Chosen Saga, #2)
New world. New friends. New dangers. New sexy guys!
The second installment of the Chosen Saga…
Charlie’s back and hotter than ever… Literally! This time she’s going up in flames.
Finally learning the crazy, insane truth was one thing, but crossing over into a supernatural world was something not even Charlie could fathom. In a world of magic, beauty and danger, the unthinkable has happened. She has been captured and held prisoner by a mad person out for all their powers. There isn’t much time left before she’s hooked up to “the machine”! And she isn’t the only one.
Willing to do whatever it takes to get herself and the others out safely-even if that means trusting a sexy stranger-which could condemn her soul. But Charlie will fight with everything she has to see her family, friends, Tru and Jace before she falls prey to this power-hungry psycho.
With her newfound powers, escape should be a walk in the park. But Charlie soon finds its more like a crawl through quicksand. The stakes are high and times running out. Will Charlie ever see her family again? Is the guy in her dreams a savior or executioner? She doesn’t have time to question, only to choose.
Both book are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, paper back and eBook!
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
I have all kinds of crazy things running around in my mind, so there is where these wonderful books came from... My crazy mind!
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
Oh there are so many, I love all books, from: Kiera Cass, Sarah Dessen, Chloe Neill Rachel Vincent, Kim Harrison, Richelle Mead. The list is endless. I find new books I love every day!
5) What's your next writing project?
Right now I am working on my 3rd book in my Chosen Saga: A Ghost of Magic (Chosen Saga, #3)
1) What is your name and bio?Here I am!
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
Here it is!
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
I write 2-5 hours per day, 7 days per week.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
Thoreau, Seneca, humor, religion, and anything on the film industry.
5) What's your next writing project?
I'm completely focused on my current book. My publisher is currently giving away 3 first edition signed hardcover copies.
Here's the giveaway link:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
And here's a shiny picture of the cover. :-)
1) What is your name and bio?My name is BJ Bourg and I'm currently the chief investigator for a Louisiana district attorney's office. I've worked over 24 years in law enforcement and served in various capacities, such as a patrol officer, detective, police academy instructor, SWAT operator and sniper leader). As a writer, I've had over 185 stories, articles and fillers published in dozens of venues, including national magazines such as Woman's World, Boys' Life, and Law and Order.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
JAMES 516 is the title of my book.
A hostage situation at a Louisiana bank turns deadly when Police Sniper London Carter is forced to “take the shot”. After the dust settles, the hostage taker is down, but so is Captain Anthony Landry—shot through the left eye. When more officers are later slain, it becomes apparent a killer sniper is on the loose. Lieutenant Bethany Riggs investigates the case with London, and pressure mounts as they sift through evidence, lies, and feelings for each other in their quest to stop the deadly sniper.
JAMES 516 can be purchased through the publisher, Amber Quill Press (www.amberquill.com), Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo Books.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas?
All kinds of places. I came up with JAMES 516 by "what-iffing" a tragic situation. I can't say what that situation is, because it would give away a crucial part of the story. What I will say, though, is that an incident eerily similar to the idea for this book happened last year and it made national news. I wrote the book in 2010 and when this incident happened, it definitely raised my eyebrow.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
When I was a kid I read every Louis L'Amour book I could get my hands on. Currently, I enjoy reading CJ Box's novels.
5) What's your next writing project?
A few: the next post for my Righting Crime Fiction blog, polish an article for a police magazine, and begin working out the details for another novel featuring Brandon Berger, the main protagonist in my upcoming novel from Five Star titled HOLLOW CRIB.
Goodreads Authors/Readers
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Hello everyone. My name is Patricia W. Fischer and I'm a former pediatric/adult trauma nurse who decided she liked writing a whole lot more than night shifts in the ER (although it's made for amazing story material). I'm a work at home mom of four and have degrees in nursing and journalism. Ever since the 4th grade, when I wrote a script about the Loch Ness Monster from the monster's POV, I've been hooked on writing. In 2012 my first book, a romantic comedy Weighting for Mr. Right was published by Soul Mate Publishing. In October 2013, I published my book Deep in My Heart (Romantic suspense), the first in a new series called Tuscany, Texas based in the Texas Hill Country. I've got 4 more in that series and 4 to follow Weighting for Mr. Right.
2) What is your book title, synopsis, and where can readers find it?
Weighting for Mr. Right--After making a disastrous spectacle of herself at the altar, overweight brainiac Megan Sayla only wants to save face by changing the direction of her life, but doesn’t expect to make a wrong turn and end up in a men’s bathroom stall.
As she tries to gather her thoughts to make her escape, she’s befriended by a stranger, Jacob Dante, whose unexpected chivalrous behavior ends up giving her words of comfort, wisdom, and the strength to move forward.
Along with her new friendship with Jacob and her overachieving cousin, Sam, by her side, Megan inches her way to a better life, mind, and body. Despite her positive progress, she finds that familiar obstacles make her journey almost impossible to complete and former allies attempt to derail her success.
With Jacob’s encouragement, Megan continues forward, but as she pushes toward her goals, the journey becomes more complicated and Megan begins to question her own motivation. Should she simply return to the life and fiancé she had before to make others happy? Or can she believe in herself enough to finish what she started?
Deep in My Heart--Dr. Jocelyn Promise had no long-term plans to stay in Tuscany, Texas, but she saved the daughter of Caleb Davis, her high school crush, and became a hero. Will she allow herself to fall for him again?
Widower and Air Force Veteran, Caleb Davis, never wanted to fall in love again... until he saw Jocelyn. Now someone from his past has arrived to even a score.
Can he protect his family, Jocelyn, and his heart?
Things are about to get interesting in Tuscany, Texas.
Both can be found on Amazon, Kobo, and BN.
3) Where do you come up with your ideas? It really depends. I have a rather active imagination and after 10 years working as a trauma nurse, I have so much material in my head, I don't think I could write all the stories. Plus, I worked my way through school as a waitress, bank teller, video store clerk, and bartender to material galore.
4) What books/authors do you like to read?
Truly, it depends. I love, love, love a good romance. Sabrina Jeffries, Renee Bernard, Joni Hahn, Jolene Navarro, Desiree Holt, Jo-Ann Power are just a few. I've read plenty of classics (Iliad, Odessy, Madame Bovary, No Exit, Don Quixote, etc) and biographies, which I always enjoy. Travel books are a lot of fun, but I'm not a fan of horror. I read Misery by Stephen King and that book scared the crap out of me. It was brilliantly written and I've read everything non-fiction Stephen King has written, but I just can't get into his fiction books. They terrify me.
5) What's your next writing project?
Right now, I'm working on the sequel to Weighting for Mr. Right called The Weighting Room and four sequels to the Tuscany, Texas series. I'm planning on launching a series of shorts in February set in the speed dating world. I've also pitched a light paranormal NA book and hope to get a nibble on that soon.
Thanks for reading!