Brenda's books and blog

Guest post by Rosalind Smith-Nazilli a British Expat writer living & writing in Turkey

2012-02-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

Rosalind Smith-Nazilli author of Author of - FOURTEEN flashes of fiction

I write short stories and flash fiction, all day and every day. Currently I have two anthologies in the pipeline and also something much more challenging. I am lucky enough to live by the sea in Turkey with my husband Mehmet, and a crazy puppy, Ayda, who only recently joined our family. I shall be taking the plunge into self puplishing very soon and will be looking for a lot of guidance..

Check her out at:
http://rosiesmith-nazilliwrites.blogspot.com/

Rosalind writes: For a good many years I lived awonderfully full life, worked in a profession I loved (nursing), andraised an incredibly intelligent son.

Then one day he vanished from my lifeand started building his own. University, and as a single mother Iwas suddenly part of the empty nest crowd.

Something was happening to me and Ididn't know what. During a very important promotion interview Isuddenly lost the power of speech and within two weeks of that daygot the call to tell me that someone I loved with all my heart hadpassed away.

Several other things occurred aroundthis time which led me to plummet into a deep depression.

And then my best friend saved my life. She arrived at my home with tickets for a one week holiday in Turkey.

I refused point blank to go saying Ihad heard it was a horrid and dirty country and that it was the lastthing I needed. But she persisted and four days before my fortiethbirthday I found myself on a plane headed for Alanya.

We arrived in the middle of the nightin September, and as we walked out of the airport the stifling heatknocked me for six.

Well that was the start of the rest ofmy life. I fell in love and made as many trips over as I couldafford. I travelled everywhere, stayed in big cities and mountainvillages. I had come home.

When my son eventually married I madethe decision to up sticks, sell everything I owned and move outproperly.

It took a while to establish myself ina new life and I moved around considerably until I discovered theidyllic little fishing town of Eski Foça. Just over an hour outsideof the city of Izmir, two small harbours form a back to front S shapeon the Aegean coast.

Life is quiet here. It is not apulsating tourist resort although we do have many very nice hotels. The majority of visitors are Turks from the cities and the holidayseason here is really only four months long where as along theMediterranean coast it is upwards of seven.

Since moving here I have met andmarried my husband and carved out a near perfect existence.

Winter is cold, beyond belief and EskiFoça becomes a ghost town with many houses and apartments shutteredup as the owners return to their city homes. But it is a small priceto pay for the dazzling scenery and the magnificent places on hand tovisit.

I have always been a writer but sincesettling here I have been able to dedicate the time and effort to itthat I have always dreamed of and to be honest, it is only thanks tothe internet and social networking that I am able to make a livingthis way.

Far removed from the days when I usedto bang away on an old typewriter and send stuff out via snail mail. I have managed to produce my first ebook via kindle and start tobuild a name for myself. A long way still to go but it would neverhave happened had I not moved to Turkey.

There are one or two other Englishpeople living her but I am not great at interaction and prefer togive my time to my craft. My husband works long hours so I am freeto write, walk the dog and in the summer spend long hours gardeningor at the beach.

My Turkish is far from fluent but Iknow enough to function on a daily basis and can even manage tohaggle at the pazar (the huge weekly fruit and veg market).

I cook a lot of Turkish food now andgreatly prefer the healthy options that are available. A whole lotbetter than a frozen lasagne for one.

All in all despite the reservations offamily and close friends it was the best decision I have ever made. There have been difficulties along the way of course, and somenightmare situations but on the whole I wouldn't change a thing.

Guest post with Sheana Ochoa

2012-02-17T09:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Sheana Ochoa, author of Stella Adler Life in Art
Check out Sheena's fascinating blog at http://stellaadleralifeinart.wordpress.com/

Sheana writes: I always wanted to be a famous actress. Every year I would watch the Oscars with a special notebook and record who won what for which category. I thought I was doing something important for posterity (not realizing there were archivist paid to accurately collect this data). It made me feel that I was a part of that world, that world of magic: the movies. Growing up I would create skits to perform for whatever older sibling happened to be home. At sleepovers with girlfriends I would create an entire world based on the television detective series “Moonlighting,” in which we had to investigate and solve the mystery of whodunit. In 6^th grade as my teacher was passing out the play we were going to perform, I was counting which character had the most lines and raised my hand for that role when she called out the name. In junior high I enrolled in drama class, but by then I had discovered a new love, poetry. I began identifying myself as a writer.

Stella Adler wanted to be a famous actress too. Only she was born into a family of actors and put on the stage as soon as she could walk and it was her destiny to perform. Like me, she also thought acting was magic: it gave her the self-esteem and approval she didn’t receive at home. School did that for me and I effectively earned straight A’s and scholarships to college.

When I entered graduate school, I needed a job to supplement my expenses. I answered an ad to manage the office at a vocational school. I knew school. This was my territory and I wanted the job badly. I didn’t know who Stella Adler was when I went into the interview, nor that the school was for acting.

Walking into the theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, I was transported into film’s golden age. The building itself had been a nightclub for movie stars in its heyday where Charlie Chaplin drank in the speakeasy and Greta Garbo danced on the outdoor patio. Poster sized pictures of Stella’s family performing in the Yiddish Theatre lined the walls along with publicity photos of Stella when she was working on Broadway and glamour shots from the one film she starred in, “Love on Toast.”

I was in New York, where Stella was born and where she considered home, when I got the call that I got the job.

At first my fascination, like Stella’s, was for her father, Jacob Adler. I read his memoir that his granddaughter had written. I identified with the family, a pack of gypsies, as one member of the family referred to them. I felt the same in my family: we were all so closely bound by my father and even if we argued, the bond could never be severed. I identified with the patriarchal hold Jacob had over his children, the same as my father. I was fascinated with the immigrant story and how Jacob could not act in Odessa where he was from because the Yiddish Theatre was banned. My father was never an actor (not professionally at least), but he came from a family of immigrants and that legacy somehow carries over in the DNA. After I’d learned all there was to know about Jacob, I wanted to know more about Stella.

Every day while managing the school, I’d learn a lot about her. All the teachers and the director, Irene Gilbert, had studied with Stella. Everyone had stories and they would imitate her and there’d always be a delicious punch line. Who was this woman, I thought, that so many people adored her? I could still feel her presence even though she had died six years prior to my arrival. The most interesting part was that Irene, to whom Stella had bequeathed her west coast school, had dedicated her life to Stella. I kept the books. Every month I had to juggle Irene’s personal credit cards in order to pay the rent and the teachers’ salaries. I speculated whether Irene and Stella had been lovers. I mean who mortgages their house for someone in order to sustain their legacy? At 28, my understanding of relationships was nascent. Truth was, Stella was the mother Irene never had. Irene’s own parents had been run over by a New York taxicab when she was four. I admired that loyalty. I understood Irene’s loss because I too felt I had lost my parents at a young age and I knew the hole it created in the heart. Much of what propelled me to keep writing Stella’s biography was an unconscious pact I had with Irene to keep Stella’s legacy alive, to give Stella due credit for her contribution to modern day acting.

So I began researching Stella, which took me back to New York. I loved the feeling of achievement as I uncovered more and more information about Stella throughout the city whether I was walking through the Lower East Side or combing the archives at the Oral History collection at Columbia or trekking out to Mount Carmel cemetery where the pack of gypsies are interred and where a tall statue of an eagle over Jacob’s grave still resides over them all.

The more I uncovered, the more I understood how important Stella’s life story is. I didn’t understand why her biography hadn’t already been written . . . until I met the family. At first her nieces and grandchildren welcomed me, but there was an air of reticence in these interviews. When I first met her daughter I was welcomed as well, but she offered me nothing personal except for what she did not say. Like Stella, and for that matter, like me, Ellen Adler had been neglected by parents who were too busy working to raise and nurture their children. I met Ellen two more times throughout the years. The last time she told me she could not share letters her mother had written to her because she intended on using them in her own memoir. Afterward, I visited her daughter who told me that Ellen had been told to say that to me by Stella’s stepdaughter who may have her own designs on writing Stella’s biography. The family politics and personalities would keep most biographers away.

And so my research continued. Stella was born in 1901 and died in 1991 so I had the entire 20^th century to investigate. I waited two years for Stella’s FBI file to arrive after I applied through the Freedom of Information Act. Once Ellen finally donated Stella’s papers to the University of Texas at Austin (after she had promised to first let me go through them and then reneged), I had to wait another two years for them to be inventoried and opened to the public. Even today, with the book written, I feel I could study Stella’s life for another 10 years and still not be finished.

At Austin among numerous boxes and recordings of Stella’s classes, there are two oversized albums. Each page has several letters and cards from students thanking Stella for changing their life. Ellen had put these albums together, and I knew there were many more letters. I even had some of my own that people I had interviewed let me photocopy.

This is the thing: I did not spend the last twelve years researching Stella’s life because we both wanted to be famous movie stars or because we both felt neglected by our parents or because we were both teachers or because we both had been raised with an immigrant mentality. I was and still am drawn to Stella because as any of her students would say, she didn’t just teach acting. Stella wanted her students to go out into the world as independent actors, not dependent upon her or any teacher or director (or parent). In order to do this, she taught them to know themselves. She taught her students how to dissect a character and uncover the root of the human condition. Students had to understand themselves if they wanted to truthfully interpret a character. Stella taught them to observe their behavior and thoughts as well as the actions of others. The common person does not go around examining the very visceral and ethereal nature of man. That is the job of the philosopher. And so, what students and what I get from Stella is a spiritual training, how to be in the moment, how to be truthful through art, how to overcome adversity and still keep your soul intact, or at least how to strive for those things, which was what Stella seemed to do naturally and what made her so fascinating.

In the end, I wrote the biography as diligently as I used to record all of the Oscar winners when I was a little girl. I understood then that these “performances” were not just interpretations of stories. They were art, something to be respected and written down. Likewise, Stella’s story is an indispensible chapter in the annals of an ancient and life-affirming profession: to interpret story on stage or on the screen. By writing Stella’s story, I have become the chronicler of the evolution of modern day acting, the most influential and beloved art form.

Guest Post by Romance Author Shilpa Mudiganti

2012-02-13T10:53:00.000-08:00

Book Title: Always You
Author: Shilpa Mudiganti
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing
Publication Date: March 6th 2012
Format: eBook, Paperback, Kindle

Lifewithout a romance novel!

Haveyou thought about a world without books? Especially without romance books? Ishudder when I think about it! Can anything be more horrible?

Ican imagine myself dragging through the days and nights wishing for thatunreal, impractical and totally impossibly handsome man waiting for me in a beautiful,again impossible places but to what avail? I know I can do nothing but justimagine it.

Butwith books? Well, with books, I can see them happening!

In my favorite romance books, someone (readthe blessed writer!) has wrapped my favorite dream over a delicious candy andsprinkled it with some hotter, sweet nothings that I craved for but never knewand gifted it to me. That is pretty much what romance novels mean to me.

Theyare those dreams that are silly yet essential for our spirits to move on inlife. We don’t realize their importance till they are missing from our lives.Let’s be honest and think about how many times we have turned to a romance novelwhen we were going through a rough patch? I remember guzzling down piles ofromance novels when I was away from my then boyfriend and now husband. It gaveme solace and hope that all things romantic would come to me too. Pretty soon. Andyou know what? It did!

So,when life is in dumps, a romance novel might just be the happy drink one islooking for! Therefore, when I wrote the story of Lyla and Alex, I poured ineverything that makes the book a happy reading journey worth taking.

Lylaand Alex have issues too. But they have their happy moments too. And in thosemoments, they find the strength to love, forgive, heal and move on. And to mycredit, I also sprinkled with heavy doses of hot romance that satisfies some ofour secret cravings too! Wink

Iloved my journey with my debut romance novella “Always You”. And I couldn’thave written it without the constant presence of romance novels to cheer me,love me and most of all, to give me the dreams that I never dared to dream!

Ihope if you ever pick up “Always You” to read, you would enjoy it as much as Idid writing it!

Thankyou Brenda for having me on your blog today and let me share my love forromance novels. Much appreciated.

Author Bio

Shilpa Mudiganti Mirza grew up making up stories in her head. Starting with innocent babbling, genre of her stories changed with lessons growing up teaches us all. She thought life would be all about her stories until she completed her technical degree. Security of an IT job lured her leaving her stories to continue brew up in her head. Yet soon she had to fall in step with what fate had planned for her and she penned her first romance novella, Always You to be published by Inkspell Publishing. There has been no looking back since then. Juggling her day job as an IT geek, she has penned down her pet project, an exciting fantasy story of lions and wolves which, to her utter delight, is going to see the light of the day early next year. She says you would fall in love with her wonderful hero and heroine.
When she has time to breathe, she spends time blogging, connecting with her readers and spending time with her loving husband. She lives at Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. You can connect with her at:
Website | Twitter | Facebook

And if you have time to spare, she would be delighted to have you on her blog.

Hazardous Parenting - ebook

2012-01-30T09:25:00.000-08:00

My newest ebook - Recovery from Hazardous Parenting - is now available at Smashwords.http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=brenda+mccreight For those who don't know me or read my other blogs - in my non-writing life I'm a therapist specializing in behaviour disorders and this book is written for parents who have raised a child or children with extreme behaviour disorders and who now need some help in the recovery process. My other non fiction self help books have been about helping parents to raise their children and one book was for adopted children to understand how their lives got to where they are. This one is for the parents to help themselves create the next phase in their lives.

I hope you will take a look at it - and my other books as well.

Have your best day possible.

All jazzed up...about Adobe InDesign

2012-01-19T11:10:00.000-08:00

I mentioned before that I'm taking a certificate course in Technical Writing - part of my quest to transition from full time therapist who writes on the side to full time writer. I have a large family to support so no opportunity to write or market enough to make my a living off my books immediately- so this is a means for me to at least write for a living - even if its for others.

Anyway - part of my course includes learning about In Design. WOW - love it!!!!

I'm the type of person who only learns the tech that I need to use to do my work so In Design, while likely something you all know about - is new to me. I can't believe how much it can do and wish I'd known about it a long time ago.

My new quest with ID is to find out if I can put video of me talking to my readers (yes, I really do have some people who read my fiction and way more who read my non-fiction). What a great thing to be able to do. Don't know if Smashwords or Kindle can publish with that in the content, but as I re-do my non-fiction to sell from my web sites I can at least embed the video in those version.

I love getting all jazzed about new things - hasn't happened in a while so I'm loving it today.

Have any of you done this with ID? I would love to know how you've used it.

If so inclined - please check out my other sites - here and here.

11 Most Unhelpful Self-Help Books by Jennifer Lynch

2012-01-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

This article is a re-print with the permission of the author Jennifer Lynch- the original can be found at this link

There are some things you just shouldn't teach yourself from a book: open-heart surgery, how to kiss, ways to become less shy. Reading up on these skills wouldn't help you learn and would probably just be embarrassing or dangerous. Self-help books make some readers feel like they can learn to do anything, from fixing their cars to changing their lives, and while there might be dozens of books that really provide useful information, many just aren't helpful. Check out what not to buy before you head to the bookstore to improve yourself.

WINNING LOTTO/LOTTERY FOR EVERYDAY PLAYERS BY PROFESSOR JONES
There are several disturbing aspects of this book. First, it's for the type of human who will not only throw away money on lottery tickets, but also shell out cash for a book on how to win the lottery rather than on making money through hard work. Secondly, the author either doesn't provide a first name or his first name is Professor, neither of which makes him seem very credible. The lottery is random and tested for biases with statistical devices. When you see a well-known statistician or mathematician writing about how to win the lottery, then you might be spending your money well.
MORE JOY: AN ADVANCED GUIDE TO SOLO SEX BY HAROLD LITTEN
This read takes the idea of self help a little too far. A sequel to his first book, The Joy of Solo Sex, More Joyis for the advanced practitioner. The author delves into techniques and taboos, but most of us would probably prefer we leave that kind of information to the imagination. If you do end up buying this book, you'd be better off buying it new than used.
HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOUBY GREG BEHRENDT
This famous book (and the terrible movie that followed) isn't full of the worst advice. Some of it's pretty good — but it also gives you the same solutions that all your friends have been offering you for months. If you're the kind of girl that will go out and buy a self-help book to figure out what a guy is thinking, you're probably the kind of girl who has been fixating on this dude and complaining to your friends about him non-stop for weeks. Instead of wasting your money on the book, just listen to the free advice your friends have been giving you: move on.
THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK BY TIMOTHY FERRISS
Who wouldn't love to quit working the traditional 40-hours-a-week job while still getting rich and doing whatever they wanted? It sounds too good to be true, and it pretty much is. Most readers admit that the first half of the book is motivational, if not a bit boastful on the part of the author, but after that, Ferriss offers very weak ideas to make your laziest dreams come true. He says you should outsource your responsibilities, like research for work and making appointments, to a virtual assistant abroad and then start your own business. Running a business seems like it would be the opposite of slacking off, doesn't it?
365 WAYS TO LIVE HAPPY BY MEERA LESTER
There's something to be said about choosing to be happy each day and finding ways to keep your daily life upbeat, but unless you're recovering from a brain injury, this book won't reveal anything you don't already know. You'll get some of the same inspirational drivel about following your dreams that you've heard throughout your life, but you'll also read some tips for happiness that make it seem like the author just ran out of ideas. "Avoid exposure to toxic chemicals" and "Call the police when you have witnessed a crime" don't seem like bits of advice that are going to change your outlook on life today.
I USED TO MISS HIM…BUT MY AIM IS IMPROVING BY ALISON JAMES
Most books probably coddle you and build you up after a breakup. "You're better off without him." "You're an independent woman." "He's not worth it." This book, though, seems to communicate something else entirely: "You're better off with him in pain." "You're a stalker." "He's worth the time it takes to put a hex on someone." I Used To Miss Him sincerely presents revenge and voodoo dolls as viable options for healing after a breakup. If you take this kind of advice, you're probably going to experience a lot of breakups in your lifetime.
WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? BY SPENCER JOHNSON
People gobbled this book up when it came out in 1998 and for years after. It's written as a goofy parable about some mice and some Thumbelina-sized people who live in a maze and love cheese. The cheese represents basically anything in life that's important to you, and the message is clear and simple: things change so get used to it. Don't waste your time on a book that can be summed up in a fortune cookie.
HOW TO GET OVER THAT BITCH AND GROW BALLS THEY CAN'T RESIST BY CLARK ANTHONY
The advice in this book from a nine-year veteran male escort will make you believe that if this guy (who calls himself the Game Doctor) can publish a book, you can too. It's complete with a middle-school vocabulary and made-up statistics about the author's expertise and relationships. The idea behind the book is that women are vulnerable to masculinity so a man who learns to tame and control women can have whatever he wants. Anyone who reads this, though, should keep in mind that the Game Doctor gleaned this wisdom as he was being paid to go out with women. Those probably aren't the kind of ladies you're after.
DOGSENSE: 99 RELATIONSHIP TIPS FROM YOUR CANINE COMPANION BY CARLA GENENDER AND AMY HILL
Trust us, guys. When it comes to winning over a woman, you shouldn't take lessons from something that drools all over the place, chews on her shoes, and poops under the bed. Man's best friend definitely has some positive qualities, but every problem in a human relationship can't be solved with fierce loyalty and a belly rub. The photos of the dogs are cute enough, but don't expect this book to change your life.
THE SECRET BY RHONDA BYRNE
Of course everyone wants to be in on a secret, especially when that secret promises to ensure you wealth, health, and whatever your heart desires. The problem with this one is that it's a bunch of New Age mumbo-jumbo — some people really believe in it, while most of the population rolls their eyes. The book is based on the Law of Attraction: positive thoughts attract positive outcomes while negative thoughts attract negative outcomes. The author pushes it as far as to say that poverty and disasters are the results of negativity. Science has proven that staying upbeat has health and life benefits, but it hasn't quite found that guaranteed link between positivity and everything you've ever wanted.
101 WAYS TO TELL YOUR SWEETHEART "I LOVE YOU" BY VICKI LANSKY
There's no shame in wanting to spice things up or remind your loved one why they're special to you. The best way to do this, though, probably isn't through these 101 tips that sound like they were written by a lovesick teenage girl. Some of the ideas are nice romantic gestures, but you can tell the author started to run out of material. For example, one of the suggestions is "Shampoo your loved one's hair. Ummmm. And use a hairbrush to groom long hair." Another: "Write the word love using a 'heart' where the letter O goes. You can also dot your 'i's using a 'heart.'" This works best if you're trying to woo an eighth grader.

A new turn in my writing...

2012-01-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

I've still got a couple more e books to put up on Kindle - one fiction and one non-fiction, then my back list is done and I can get onto finishing part two of the Lost Fury Chronicles. In the meantime, I've also started a two year certificate course in Technical Writing.

That was a hard decision to make. It means no more courses in my field (therapist with an interpersonal neurobiology bent) because I can't afford both in terms of time or money. However, I enrolled in the tech writing course because I decided that in many ways ----writing is writing ----and I want to write.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to make my living as a fiction writer - to see my books selling at a rate that can support my large family would be - well, you know what would be like because you probably have the same dream. I'm also realistic - I believe my books are good, but I don't have marketing skills nor do I have the time to devote to achieve even average marketing. I read that there are only 15 ebook authors who are making their full living at writing. I don't know how many traditional authors there are, but that's another thing I don't have time for - the getting an agent then waiting while s/he finds a publisher, then waiting for acceptance, then waiting till the book fits their publishing line up.

Maybe that's something you have been successful at - I have with my past non-fiction, but not with fiction. Actually, a traditional and long established publisher did sign a contract for the first in my Lost Fury Chronicles, but then they went out of business!!! Yup, that was a disappointment.

Back to the point - I want to make my living for the next 15 years as a writer so I have to broaden my idea of what that looks like and right now, that looks like someone who can take on contracts as a technical writer. There are many avenues with that - the ones that most appeal to me include creating manuals and article writing, but I assume that will change as I get into the course and learn more about income streams. So, I look forward to the first of my courses and hiking up the learning curve.

Have your best day possible.

Guest post by Majanka Verstraete

2011-12-26T12:31:00.000-08:00

First of all, I would like to thank Brenda for letting me post this guest post on her blog. So, I’ve written a supernatural horror novel. Two, actually. The first one, The Blood That Defines Us, dealt with family and the cruel things family can do to each other. It dealt with loss, tragedy, the feeling of being forgotten, abuse, confinement and prisons built by misplaced love. It also dealt with guilt, and how the mistakes of our ancestors can affect us, even today.

My second novel, Mirror, Mirror, deals with guilt as well, but another form of guilt. It focuses on those of us who are unable to deal with our guilt, which they hide away in the darkest corners of their mind because they can’t cope with it. Additionally, Mirror, Mirror talks about friendship, and about how important friendship truly is, and how messed up it can get when something goes wrong. But it also deals with letting go, forgiving yourself and moving on. On the other hand, there is also a strong theme of vengeance going on in my second novel.

I write supernatural horror novels because I enjoy writing them. But I don’t just write about ghosts, mirrors, hauntings, demons, curses and the likes. Contrary to what some people believe horror is all about, in my opinion, horror focuses on people. More even, it focuses on people at their worst. When we are being threatened by invisible opponents, when we are being banished out of our own home, when we are being terrorized by forces of the supernatural. And that's why I enjoy writing horror so much. Because it looks at humanity in general, and one single human (or a group of humans) in particular, and judges us by how we behave at our worst. Some go crazy, others try to run, and some of us are brave enough to stay and fight.

If I were to write a story about a house being haunted for no particular reason, by a ghost of whom we know absolutely nothing, I wouldn’t enjoy that story myself. I want to know reasons. I want to know the deep, dark secrets that caused spirits to be stuck on this plane, unable to move on. I want to know how they behave and interact with us, humans. And when the reason of the haunting lies in the evil of humanity, I find that all the scarier.

For me, blood and gore movies don’t cut it. I laugh at them. Saw doesn’t even make me remotely scared, nor does Texas Chainsaw Massacre or From Dusk Till Dawn. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t be scared if I were in such a situation myself, but I don’t consider that terrifying. What I do find terrifying is the more subtle kind of horror, gothic horror if you want, that drips into the story from page one, but by the time you very well realize it, it’s already too late. Take the movie The Others with Nicole Kidman for example. Although you might not exactly be terrified by the ending of it, I certainly felt uneasy. Why? Because it told a story. A story about suffering, regret and guilt. And those are the kind of stories that make us both uneasy and scared, but intrigue us beyond belief.

What do you think makes a good horror story? Should it focus on the horror only, or should it provide a backstory as well? What elements do you think are necessary to make something really scary? Do you believe in ghosts or hauntings? If so, do you think guilt and regret might be a possible factor to keep spirits glued to this plane? Please let me know.

Synopsis ------Genre: Supernatural Horror, Thriller, Young Adult

Piper is nearly as obsessed with antiquities and century-old houses as her mother is. It's no surprise that she immediately falls in love with the old mirror she discovers on the attic of their new home. Despite the warnings of her best friend Alison, who senses something isn't quite right about Piper's newest discovery, she puts the mirror in her bedroom.

Tormented by nightmares and haunted by eerie voices in the middle of the night, Piper realizes she has made a terrible mistake. But is it really the fault of that antique mirror, or is her imagination playing tricks on her? Maybe the truth is even more terrifying...

You can find the book cover as a separate file included in this email.

Author Bio

Majanka Verstraete is a twenty-one year old female from Belgium. She’s currently studying law at university. Her greatest passions in life are writing and reading. She especially enjoys writing books in the young adult genre, ranging from young adult horror novels to epic fantasy and paranormal romance. She has currently published two books, The Blood That Defines Us and Mirror, Mirror. She’s working on a collection of horror short stories, The Thirteenth Hour, which is due for release on June 1^st 2012. Her current writing project is a paranormal romance series under the working title “The Angel of Death Series”. Volume one will be entitled “Soul Thief”.

Important Links

Author website:

http://writings.eternalised.net/

Buy Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/Mirror-ebook/dp/B0060O7AP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324462386&sr=8-1

Buy EPUB from Lulu:

http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/mirror-mirror/18490911

Buy Paperback:

http://www.lulu.com/product/pocketboek/mirror-mirror-%28print%29/18495969

Buy Mirror, Mirror from Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/99771

Guest post by

2011-12-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

Anna's website is http://www.annapatraticio.blogspot.com and her publisher's site is http://www.imajinbooks.com

THE WONDERS OF RESEARCH
by Anna Patricio

My debut novel 'Asenath' is about the wife of Joseph of the coat of many colours. Many people do not know about Asenath, for she is mentioned only in passing. So when I wrote my book, I was at great ease to take as many liberties as possible.In fact, all we are told about Asenath is that she was a priest's daughter who married Joseph after he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams. So in filling the gaps before and after that event, I stretched my
imagination to no end.

I did, however, write the novel in such a way that her life was intertwined with Joseph's even before he became a ruler. In doing this, I stayed close to the Genesis account. However, there are other accounts of Joseph outside the Bible which I had previously come across, and which I thought to draw from as well, as they seemed
pretty interesting. Some of these tales even centre on Asenath, which astonished me seeing as she is so obscured in Genesis.

Such a tale would be 'Joseph and Asenath,' which apparently dates to 1st century Alexandria. The background of this story is that some early rabbis didn't think it feasible for one of the patriarchs to marry a pagan priestess, and thus wove a story which had Asenath convert to Joseph's faith. This is a rather fantastical tale - indeed
nearly like a fantasy - as it involves Asenath seeing an angel who ooks like Joseph as well as some bees which feed her "sacred" honey, thus marking her conversion. Because this seems to be the most famous tale of Asenath, I wanted to give a nod to it in my novel but wasn't sure how. When going through the final draft with my editor, she suggested that in a garden scene with butterflies, I replace the butterflies with the bees. I really
liked the butterflies, as they were beautiful not to mention butterflies are my second favourite animal after dogs. But I also thought it would be cool to acknowledge the 'Joseph and Asenath' story, plus I like the way my editor wove it in. So I wholeheartedly agreed.

There is also a part in the novel in which, during a banquet at Potiphar's house, a female guest is so entranced by Joseph's good looks that she accidentally cuts her hands instead of her fruit. This was derived from one of the Islamic accounts of Joseph - if I recall correctly, it is even in the Quran (there are many poems and songs
recalling this event as well). As we know, Potiphar's wife sought Joseph. In the Islamic tales, her
friends, upon hearing of her desire for her steward, mock her for it. So one day, Mrs Potiphar holds a banquet and orchestrates things in such a way that Joseph will enter the room for everyone to see him - and to see the "torture" she has been going through, of wanting something she cannot have. She then serves her friends fruits, along with knives to peel the fruit. When Joseph appears, her friends are so caught up in his good
looks, they slice their hands instead of the fruits! Mrs Potiphar then says, "This is what I've had to endure every day!"

Also, the name which I used for Potiphar's wife - Zalikha - is a variant of the Islamic stories' "Zuleika."

I also took liberties with Asenath's parentage as well. It's probably best I don't elaborate here, though this has already been echoed in some reviews of my novel. But I got the idea from a Jewish folktale which has Asenath as Dinah's daughter. Again, some folks didn't likethe idea of Joseph marrying a pagan, so they rewrote Asenath's life in such a way that she was secretly a Hebrew. In this story, Asenath was born as a result of the unfortunate events of Dinah at Shechem. Dinah's brothers then abandoned the infant Asenath in the wilderness, where she was rescued by an eagle and taken to Egypt. Many years later, Joseph would recognise his "niece" from a special medallion she wore, inscripted with Hebrew letters.

I did not realise that there were so many interesting stories of Joseph out there. But I am glad I came across them, especially as they greatly aided me in the writing of 'Asenath.'

SYNOPSIS OF 'ASENATH:'

Two Destinies...One Journey of Love

In a humble fishing village on the shores of the Nile lives Asenath, a fisherman's daughter who has everything she could want. Until her perfect world is shattered.

When a warring jungle tribe ransacks the village and kidnaps her, separating her from her parents, she is forced to live as a slave. And she begins a journey that will culminate in the meeting of a handsome and kind steward named Joseph.

Like her, Joseph was taken away from his home, and it is in him that Asenath comes to find solace…and love. But just as they are beginning to form a bond, Joseph is betrayed by his master’s wife and thrown into prison.

Is Asenath doomed to a lifetime of losing everything and everyone she loves?

AUTHOR BIO:

Anna Patricio is a lover of ancient history, with a particular interest in Egypt, Israel, Greece, and Rome. She is also intrigued by the Ancient Near East, though she has not delved too much into it but hopes to one day.

She undertook formal studies in Ancient History at Macquarie University. She focused mostly on Egyptology and Jewish-Christian Studies, alongside a couple of Greco-Roman units, and one on Archaeology. Though she knew there were very limited job openings forancient history graduates, she pursued her degree anyway as it was
something she had always been passionate about.

Then, about a year after her graduation, the idea to tackle historical fiction appeared in her head, and she began happily pounding away on her laptop. ASENATH is her first novel.

Recently, she traveled to Lower Egypt (specifically Cairo and the Sinai), Israel, and Jordan. She plans to return to Egypt soon, and see more of it. In the past, she has also been to Athens and Rome.

Anna is currently working on a second novel, which still takes place
in Ancient Egypt, but hundreds of years after ASENATH.

Trying to be a writer...

2011-11-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

Trying to transition into a full time writer is the hardest thing in my world (well, other than watching my mom decline with Alzheimers, or one of my sons struggle with addictions, or another of my sons deal with bullying, and so on and so on) - I know that life is so much harder for almost everyone else. At least I have a career I love and we all eat every day and we all have warmth and shelter and good times. Okay, so I've got it, and I'm truly, truly grateful. Yet I still crab away because I can't earn my living the way I want. Now that I've admitted to my pettiness I'll just get on with this post.

I applied for an interesting writing job with a law related company that's expanding into other areas, it wasn't going to be full time but it would be a step in the right direction. I didn't get it but I did get short listed so that was something. I also applied for a part time curriculum writing job and since I've taught at college and the subjects were in my areas of specialty (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and autism) but I haven't heard anything back in a long time so I guess I didn't even get short listed on that one. Both of these were online and telecommute and that would have thrilled me.

In the meantime, I've put up another ebook (non fiction) on Smashwords and Kindle and I have a lesbian mystery - or actually, it's a mystery with a lesbian main character - that I will have in ebook form soon. And, then another non fiction coming down the pike and then, hopefully, I'll finish the second of a three book fantasy series. So, I'm writing, and that makes me happy. Why can't it be enough? Why do I need to do this writing thing full time? Do you feel like your not doing what you should be doing when you're not writing? Am I alone in this weirdness?

Oh well, that's hardly the greatest question in life, is it.

Have your best day possible.

Author spotlight on KD MCCRITE

2011-11-07T15:20:00.000-08:00

The Confessions of April Grace: In Front of God and Everybody

Softcover

By KD McCrite

If God wanted April Grace to be kind to her neighbors, He should have made them nicer!

Growing up in the country is never easy, but it sure is funny—especially if you happen to have a sister obsessed with being glamorous, a grandma just discovering make-up, hippie friends who never shower, and brand new neighbors from the city who test everyone’s patience. From disastrous dye jobs to forced apologies and elderly date tagalongs, you’ll laugh ‘til you cry as you read the Confessions of April Grace!

Here are just a couple of April's thoughts: On her sister, Myra Sue: "How anyone can be that dumb and still be able to eat with a fork is beyond me." On senior citizen lovebirds: "What if they started smooching right at the table in front of God and everybody?"

In spite of all the loony characters in her life, April Grace is able to learn from her parents as they share the love of God—to even the craziest of characters! Buy the book here and check out KD's web site here.

My newest book...

2011-10-31T10:38:00.000-07:00

Check out my newest ebook -Family Matters: How To Strengthen Your Family (Without Paying for Therapy or Changing Your Lives). For those of you who don't know me as a non-fiction writer - I'm a long time therapist and have written other self help books regarding behavior disorders. This one is for families who are not dealing with major behavioral problems but would like to strengthen their family ties and ensure their children grow up knowing the strength and power of a close family. You can download this ebook for free till the end of November at Smashwords using coupon V9R5W. The book will also be available on Kindle. Anyone interested in reviewing the book?
Have your best day possible.

Guest post by Susan Helen Gottfried

2011-10-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

Susan's bio: the author worked in the music industry while earning two degrees in Creative Writing. She left the music industry to devote herself full time to writing. Her fascinating blog can be found at http://www.westofmars.com

When I realized that absolutely nothing couldconvince Trevor Wolff to stop being the lead character in my first four books, Ihad to take a step back and look at this rock star who had flung himself intomy imagination, fully formed and raring to go. I was shocked to discover what acomplex, multi-dimensional man he is. After all, he's a bass player. Thecliches for bass players are nothinglike the man Trevor turned out to be.

On the surface, he's perfect for us girlswho love Bad Boys. Trevor is a king of Bad Boys, flagrantly flaunting everyrule he can get away with. Trevor pushes every single envelope he can find, andhe gets away with it almost every time.

Yeah, I know. Part of being a really good BadBoy is breaking the rules.

So let me be more specific: it's the WAY inwhich Trevor does it that sets him apart.

Trevor Wolff and the phrase Carpe Diem are pretty synonymous.Trevor's all about embracing life, milking it for all it's worth. He's one ofthose people who's too busy living to repeat the famous phrase about how lifeis meant to be used up, sliding into home plate all beaten and bloody butscreaming WAHOO all the way. You know the phrase, I'm sure. Trevor embodies it.

This gets interesting when you considerwhere Trevor comes from. He should benothing more than trailer trash, abused by his father to the point where escapemeant more than ending the beatings -- it came down to life or death (probablynot in the way you're thinking). Trevor shouldbe bitter, angry, and caught in the cycle of abuse.

Instead, he's happy-go-lucky. Carefree,even.

This is because he's resilient, our TrevorWolff. Good thing, too, considering what comes at him during Trevor's Song.

Without meaning to, I wound up creating acharacter more complex and real than some real-life people I've met. Trevorcan't take the easy way out. Ever. And so instead of sinking into despair anddoom and turning himself from a Bad Boy into a Dark, Brooding Hero, he becomessomething else. Flip. Brutally honest. And, underneath the insecurity andattitude, sensitive and happy.

Okay, maybe that happy part is a stretch.Trevor likes to be grumpy. It's partof the Trevor Wolff persona. But underneath hides a very complex person,someone who -- I'm told, because I'm entirely too close to judge -- transcendsthe stereotype of a Bad Boy and becomes something entirely his own.

Finding my darkness...

2011-10-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

I continue to watch Breaking Bad from my writer's perspective and with increasing awe. The point I'm belaboring with myself, and with my 19 year old son, is how do the writers (and actors) manage to keep us entranced with a bunch of people who are rotten to the core? There are no truly decent people in this show - even the *good guys* have some pretty serious flaws. Generally, it's easier to be captivated by characters for whom there can be some redemption and who experience feelings that the reader, or viewer, can attach or relate to.

I don't know about you, but I sure can't find anyone I can relate to. I know I'm not perfect, and I don't pretend to know how low I could sink if I was desperate enough - but I'm not in that place so I can't relate at the moment. I also don't typically like shows about crime or drugs. I never watched the Sopranos because criminals just don't interest me - and I hate shows about drugs or addictions and high risk life styles (I'm the mom of 14 so really, is there anything riskier than that?). So, what keeps me racing to the tv for each new episode.

My son, who has spent the last 3 years just communicating with me through grunts, has recently rediscovered his verbal skills and his articulated opinion is that it's the relationships that pull us in. He finds the complex dynamics between Walter and Jesse fascinating, as well as the relationship between Walter and the man who is going to kill him. Yup, I can see that, but for me, I know I should be turned off the show by the rest of the story.

I've written in a previous blog about how impressed I am by the lack of limits in this show. The writers are fearless in where they will take the viewer, and perhaps that's what I'm getting out of this . Maybe I can learn to break past my own boundaries in writing and find some darker places within my creativity and within myself. Don't get me wrong, some of my stories go to some pretty intense and emotionally scary places, still, it just might be that I can go further, and darker, than I have so far. Time to find the door to my own dark places.....

Have your best day possible.

2011-10-03T15:40:00.000-07:00

http://www.amazon.com/Sanity-Foster-Adoptive-Parenting-ebook/dp/B005QNR5DQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=digita

This is the latest book by Claudia Fletcher - co-written by Matthew W. Hoffman. Claudia is an adoptive mom of 12 who also wrote these two books. Claudia and her husband, Bart, also have 3rd Degree Parenting which they describe as :The mission of 3rd Degree Parenting is to utilize the written and spoken word of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to encourage, educate and strengthen parents of children with special needs, professionals working with these children, and the general public. Our hope is that our words might aid in the efforts of others like ourselves who are seeking to change the world . . .one life at a time.

Today's guest blogger is Stephen Brayton

2011-09-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

Distractions: by Stephen Brayton

I’ve been a member of several writers’critique groups over the years and I’ve come to realize a major factor in eachgroup’s downfall has been the lack of writers. This may seem quite logical, butit’s true for any group. Knitters, martial artists, foreign language studies,puzzlers…if you are a part of a group and aren’t involved in the activity, thegroup suffers. Add in a few more people and the group collapses, becomes lessfun, or has less worth for those who are serious.

When I first started attending a critiquegroup, there were about 15-20 or more who showed every week. I had heard manymore used to attend. Why the dropout rate? Probably it started with somethinglike this. “Sally, do you have anything to read tonight?” “No, I’ve been toobusy this last week to write.” “Okay, but we really want you to read.” “I’lltry to have something next week.”

Well, as Yoda once said, “Do or do not do.There is no try.” You’re either writing or you’re not. So, the attendancedropped. By the time I stopped attending my first critique group, we were downto a core of about four or five with maybe two of us reading per week. It was awaste of my time to read for others who weren’t writing. I worked hard to havesomething every week, either a short story or another chapter from the ongoingbook. I ceased going to the meetings not because I stopped writing, but becauseothers did. I wasn’t going to go to a meeting where two or three people readand the rest of the time we just chatted. Plus, I didn’t feel those who weren’twriting, who weren’t keeping up with improving their craft, had justificationto critique my material.

So, is it lack of interest or distractionsthat keep people from writing? Television, radio, Internet, phone, mail, email,kids, pets, spouse, something interesting out the window…all are part of alarge group of distractions. I’m not perfect; my attention wanders at times.Much of my writing is done at a facility where people could come in at anymoment. They’re distracting. I understand distractions and I’m willing to let afew excuses go by. When they become consistent, however, then I know the personreally isn’t serious about writing.

In a recent interview I mentioned my idealplace to write. I likened it to a deserted island with no phone, no TV, noradio, no Internet, no people, with enough food and water to sustain me until Ifelt like rejoining society. Serious writers will make time to write, or willset aside a portion of the day or week and tell the rest of the world to leavethem alone until a certain period has ended. Behind a closed door, with the TV,internet, and cell phone turned off. If the radio is on when I’m writing, it’stuned to a classical music station.

Don’t let your writing be a distraction toyour writing. What I mean is, don’t stop after every sentence or chapter to goback and edit or change things. So many times in those critique groups I heardchapter one from a few people over and over. They took home our comments, did arewrite, then came back, took home more comments and did another rewrite. Thecycle continued. We never heard chapter two. Soon, they either gave up ordecided the particular story wasn’t working out, so they switched to a newstory and brought in a new chapter one.

Another example of a writing distraction istoo much preparation. I realize every person has his or her individual writingstyle. Outlines that may take eight months to picking up a pen and starting inon something without a direction. Whatever works for you, do it. However, ifyou are a type who sets up character profiles and setting profiles, don’t getbogged down in the minutiae. There must be a time when you start writing thefirst sentence.

One more example. Finish a story. RecentlyI have found myself falling into the trap of starting one story, gettingpartially completed, then jumping to another story, then a third, and I discoveredI wasn’t completing a project. When I realized my problem, I stopped jumpingaround and set myself a goal to finish a particular story by the end of theyear with at least one or two rewrites.

I’m not sure how long I took to complete“Beta.” I do know I did a few rewrites, character tinkering, scene additions,etc. Meanwhile, I was writing other stories. However, I never forgot I stillhad a completed story to ‘finish’ in the sense of polishing it up even morewith each submission rejection. I’ve worked long hard on this book and evenwhen correcting edits, still found it emotionally stimulating. I’m glad Ipersevered, and didn’t allow distractions to keep me from my goal.

Let your writing be your distraction fromeverything else, not the other way around.

Excerpt from Stephen's new book - The weather was warm for November and Mom said

they both needed a day of play. After a Happy Mealat McDonald's, they drove to the park where shewandered around the new wooden playground. She bounced fromone swing to another, plunged down the slides, ranthrough the obstacle course, and teetered back and forth on thecolorful

animals mounted on giant springs. Mom sat on a bench reading a book. Half way up a wall of tires, she realized Mom had disappeared. At first, she didn't notice the bigman. He wore a zippered black jacket, black jeans, and hisarms and legs bulged huge. His mean face was covered with alot of

bumps and scars. Before she could scream, the man grabbed her and held a cloth over her mouth. Whenshe breathed, she smelled something sweet and sickly.She tried to cough, but instead fell asleep.When she awoke, she found herself in a spaciousroom,with bright lights, a camera, a pile of clothing ona chair, and a box filled with toys and other strange lookingitems.

Moving...instead of writing...

2011-09-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

I've been figuratively pounding away at the neurons that house my writing capacity because they just aren't working very well lately - too focused on my real life at the moment. This weekend I'm doing the last of the packing up of my household of 6 kids + spouse + two dogs for our move back into town and a suburban lifestyle next week. It's going to be an adjustment as we learn to live on less than 5 acres, and we learn to keep our noise level down. The kids won't be able to run off their energy and their angst and use their imaginations to build forts in the forest, nor will I be able to go hang out with my chickens when I'm too crabby to be decent company for humans. I'll miss sitting at my desk and looking at the eagles swoop around the tree tops of my *backyard*, and I'll miss the privilege of not being able to see any other houses when I look out of my window.

There are many benefits to this move - including more time for writing (once I get those non-compliant writing neurons working again) and on occasion I'll have a few moments for sitting on the patio and staring at the sky which is something I consider to be a highly important activity. I won't miss the constant work on the property, or the constant driving to get kids here and there, or trying to dig ourselves out of the property during our one or two snowfalls of the year.

It's always the same, isn't it. You gain a bit and you lose a bit. Well friends, have your best day possible.

Interview with Mary A Berger author of A Trip to the Water's Edge

2011-09-17T05:26:00.000-07:00

Book synopsis:

Take a couple of fun-loving gals who witness a murder, add to that a food poisoning problem, throw in some fun with an aerobics class and a laughable attempt to "cook from a real recipe," and you have the makings for another hilarious adventure with Mattie Mitchell in A Trip to the Water's Edge, the sequel to the equally comical novel, The Trouble with Mattie, the first in the Mattie Mitchell Mystery Series.

About the author:

A native of Michigan, where she earned her arts degree, Mary A. Berger is an author whose writing has appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, Lady's Circle, and Today's Family, as well as in various small press publications and her local newspaper, the Times News.

She currently occupies her time with the Friends of Henderson County Public Library, The Michigan Club, her homeowners association, her pottery, and her church. Married 52 years, Mary has two daughters, four grandchildren, and two "greats."

Book available for purchase through Amazon.com.

Interview Q & A:

When did you first feel the urge to write?

I probably knew writing would be a part of my future, when I’d dash off six- or seven-page letters to my cousins. The problem was, I rarely heard back from them. They may have thought that if they didn’t respond, I might stop sending such long-winded letters. In grade school, I once “wrote” a book for a class assignment. My teacher praised my efforts. She might have influenced me greatly, when she told me—in front of the whole class—that I should become a writer. That’s pretty heady stuff for a fourth-grader to hear.

What finally got you started in actually writing a book?

The gift (to myself) of a laptop computer was a stepping stone on my road to writing, or I should say rewriting, a book. Actually, I had composed The Trouble with Mattie some time ago but was unable to find a publisher. So my Mattie book sat in a box in my closet for years. After retyping and updating the entire book manuscript on my new computer, I felt in my heart that I had something important to say, not earthshaking, but important to me. So I entered the world of electronic self-publishing, and here I am.

What do you bring from your life that adds to your writing?

Being a “people watcher” has always been a habit of mine, and it’s possible that’s had some influence in describing my characters. Years ago, my husband and I would visit the airport, the mall, or other places where folks gathered. We’d pick up ice cream cones and sit back watching people come and go, while we’d work on our ice cream. Little did I realize how much of that experience got tucked into my memory bank.

On another note, my family consisted of twenty aunts and uncles, plus 26 cousins, and an English grandfather. “Grampy” would prop my sister and me on his lap and astound us with his stories of working in Australia and Africa, and of the people and their songs. Again, watching and observing my own family members became a learning experience in itself. It’s amazing—and fortunate, in my case—how much of our childhood gets locked into our brain, especially on the creative side.

Do you use external supports in writing? such as a writing program or an ongoing editor?

For my books, I have ongoing editors who help make “repairs” on some of the things I’ve botched up. Not only are they supportive, they’re encouraging as well. Editing newsletters has helped my writing experience, too. In addition, I have participated in creative writing groups in Ohio, Michigan, and here in North Carolina. Currently, I’m a member of The Read on Western North Carolina and the North Carolina Writers’ Network.

Is there a theme that runs through your writing?

Humor appears in nearly everything I write. My one attempt at writing serious fiction turned out sounding like the world’s worst soap opera. So I decided to stick to humorous writing. I try to use a humorous approach to “doing the right thing.” In my Mattie’s Mysteries books, I try to put my main character, Mattie, in places where she gets into all kinds of comical situations, and trouble, in her effort to do the right thing.

One of the offshoots of writing funny is that we can sometimes make ourselves laugh at our own humor. And that’s a positive.

What writers have influenced you?

Garrison Keillor is one of my favorite writers of humor. I can pick up Lake Wobegon Days and be in stitches in two minutes. Janet Evanovich’s books are another favorite, not so much for content but for style. I also admire subtle humor, such as that found in John Grisham’s The Testament.

How has your writing evolved over time?

I’d like to think my writing has gotten funnier. But I would imagine that’s what most humor writers (and probably comedians) hope for themselves. I do feel that my writing has gotten more crisp, more tight. When people tell me they laughed out loud while reading my books, well, that says a lot. `

How do you promote your books?

My blog site, mattiesmysteries.blogspot.com, is my main contact with the writing world. I also make myself available for readings/discussions at our library and its branches, book clubs, private organizations, etc. This year, I participated in our area’s BookFest, where I sold books and made a couple of contacts not only with editors but with other authors, as well. Of course, my business cards and bookmarks are always with me to distribute wherever I can. Word of mouth is another important way to spread the word about my books. It also helps to have 26 cousins who are willing to help!

How do you promote your web site?

I use a blog site, which is promoted by my editors through other book blogs and internet book search sites.

2011-09-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Atlanta on business for a week but that means flying for hours and eating alone in hotels = reading time for me!!! I have two books to take care of my reading needs and I'll be reviewing them later. I chose books that are out of my comfort zone for reading. I wanted to activate my neurons but also I need some literary pushes right now. I find that I have to drag out each word to fill the pages in the book I'm currently writing (which is the sequel to the first Lost Fury Chronicles). That particular book wrote so easily - I felt like I was channeling it. The sequel is coming out word by word by word, and each comes out so unwillingly it feels like it has to ripped out of my brain.

I've never had this happen with my writing before. It doesn't feel like writer's block, at least not in the way that I experience it. For me, writer's block is about not knowing where the plot is going next and that's not the case here. I like the book and I like where it's going. I know how it ends and how it gets to that end so it's not like I've gotten lost in the plot. I know the characters very well and they have live an active life in my head, but ooohhhhh it's not nice working with them right now.

Anyway, I hope that reading something different from my norm will promote some change in this problem area. If not, it's back to dragging each word out ... no one said writing was easy.. did they?

The Little Stranger

2011-09-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Stranger-Sarah-Waters/dp/B004JU1RWM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315431557&sr=1-1

I was already a fan of the author and so Ieagerly anticipated this book. I found it had many of the same elements Ialready loved about Waters' writing - she creates interesting and evocativescenarios, and she is highly skilled at presenting complicated relationships.In this book, the main characters are struggling with the immensesocio/economic changes that occurred in England after the Second World War andthey try to isolate themselves from the externally forced transitions bybecoming emotionally alienated from each other and from society in general.They manage to create an isolated little world in which each of them has adefined place and space, and it's a world which the first person narrator isdesperate to join. Still, trauma, mental illness, death, and the paranormal allmeld to create a tension that can't last, and their world begins tocrumble.

The story gripped me and I was fully engaged withthe characters, however, I wasn't happy with the ending of this book. I foundit to be a real disappointment, but in thinking about it, I realized that Ialso couldn't see how it could have ended any differently. I think myunhappiness came from how well Waters had engaged me in her characters lives,rather than from anything to do with the story. I wanted them to have ahappy, or even mediocre, outcome to this time in their lives, but that justcouldn't be.

I highly recommend this book, but don't read it ata time when you need cheering up

Reviewing from the shallow end...

2011-09-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

I've been honing my review skills by posting reviews on Amazon.com. I thought that if I reviewed books or movies that already have 1500 reviews then my lack of experience wouldn't be noticed and I don't have to worry about having a negative impact on something that deserves better. I also thought I had some skills in this area, because, you see, a few years ago I taught a university course on critical thinking. I had loved those courses when I was in graduate and post graduate schools so I expected to be in my element teaching it. Of course, it didn't turn out like that - the students were all first year and they were still struggling with the academic structure required and the content of the course was the least of their worries. Oh well, as they say, if you want to learn something, teach it - especially teach it to people who don't want to learn it.

So, I felt I had a more than adequate base to apply critical thinking to literature and movies, but as I do more of this, I find it's not helping me at all. Why, because I have been reviewing books that I'm reading for pleasure, not to broaden my knowledge base (although historical lit provides that) and I don't really want to apply a critical analysis thought process to methods of light entertainment.

I also wonder, when I'm doing a review, what the review reader wants to know. Does she want to know if I liked the plot? Does he want to know if the characters were realistic? Does she care more about the genre than the storyline? Does he rely on the synopsis to know if he's interested?

I was especially struck with this when I was reviewing The Book Thief. That's my favorite book in the universe. I read and re-read many lines simply to enjoy the wording, and to re-experience the feelings they evoked in me. Well, do review readers care that I can be enraptured by words?

Arrrgh... am I thinking this to death? That isn't my way - I'm a light thinker (embarrassing but true)...and I like to tread in the shallow end of life. Yet, with reviewing, I'm getting myself all twisted into knots. I guess I'll just keep doing Amazon reviews for a while - maybe even start reviewing products like pencil sharpeners ( do they even make those anymore?) till I feel some confidence.

Well friends, have your best day possible.

2011-08-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

The Host by Stephenie Meyer published in 2008

The Earth has been taken over by parasitic creatures whose species goes from planet to planet, inhabiting different life forms. When one of the more experienced aliens is inserted into a human, she finds that this one isn’t about to be taken over without a fight. The host body, Melanie, is desperate to get back to her hunky boyfriend and her younger brother, and she soon convinces the alien, named the Wanderer, to leave life with her own species and take off on a life threatening journey to find the few surviving humans.

After getting lost in the desert for days, and then finally being found by Melanie’s uncle and reuniting with Melanie’s lost love, the alien must find a way to convince the humans that she has truly left her wayward, invading species behind and wants learn to function as part of the human community.

I found this first part of this book very hard to stick with - the alien is too easily convinced to throw away her entire life and alienate (no pun intended) herself from her species. And, since most of the human males she meets have a tendency to beat her up, threaten to kill her, and starve her, it’s hard to understand why she doesn’t take off again. If I had been able to access another book, I don’t think I would have stuck with this - but I was camping and had nothing else to read so I kept reading and I’m glad I did.

The first person narrative is engaging and works well for this plot. Myers is a skilled writer who kept me reading once I decided to just “ride along” with the shaky early set up. The Wanderer talks about the other life forms she has invaded/inhabited and for all of us who enjoy alien lit, these are fascinating and fun. The love story is a bit complicated but also fun and the end finishes this story and also leaves enough for a sequel.

The last two thirds of the book are worth reading and it’s worth spending your time with this book.

Am I a reviewer or am I a bitchy whiner...?

2011-08-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

I know that's an odd title for a blog post, but it is what I'm asking myself today. I just finished reading Fragile by Lisa Unger. She's a top selling mystery writer and, sure enough, she can keep you turning the pages. This book begins with a missing teen who may have run away or who may have been abducted. This sets the town on edge and brings up the past for several of it's long time residents, all of whom have fought their own memories of a teen who went missing, and was found dead, during adolescent years. The heroine of the story is a psychologist, the mom of the missing teens boyfriend - and that's where I lose it with this book.

You see, I'm a therapist, with a successful practice for almost 3 decades. And, this leading character, Maggie, is just not okay in that role. The author claims to have interviewed and relied on a therapist, but I can't imagine what his or her credentials were, or how he or she felt about the consulting after reading the book. The author has Maggie breaking boundaries, or having none at all (she's pleased she has a cell phone so her clients can call her day or night, weekday or weekend - I don't think so honey), and she refers to one of her clients as "the neurotic" - aside from being insulting -it's also not a diagnosis nor the way any therapist would think of a client. And, when it comes to trauma treatment, Maggie has all the therapeutic skills of my 9 year old daughter.

Yes, I know this is a fiction and we all take liberties to support the narrative and move the story along- but an accurate portrayal of a therapeutic practitioner would have allowed for the same thing - and it wouldn't have been so, so wrong. As a therapist I was annoyed that the writer didn't respect my profession enough to get it even halfway right. And, I'm sure there are few police out there who are equally irritated because even I could see that the liberties with that profession were rife.

So - who has the problem - me or Lisa Unger? Am I just being bitchy to want to have my profession portrayed within the boundaries of reality? Or am I right in believing an author should respect her readers by ensuring at least some degree of accuracy in how he or she portrays the professions of the characters? Will I read another of her books - I don't know. There are lots of good mystery writers out there and most others do a better job of presenting their character's professions - I'll likely go with them.

Reading influences...

2011-08-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

On one of the writers' pages I participate in (yes, I get how bad that grammar is) - the question was asked - do you read books that are in the same genre in which you write? For me, the answer is no - I write in several genres - YA, fantasy, mystery, short story, and non fiction. What I read is normally dictated by what is available at the airport because the only time I have to read is on business trips and I buy something to get me through the trip. I know some people fear plane travel because they worry they might crash - not me, I fear plane travel because I worry I'll trapped on a plane for several hours with a book I don't like.

I know that if I planned ahead then the books I bought would be very different - it seems that all the books at the airports I frequent are in the top 20 best sellers and are either about vampires or serial killers. I don't really like either, but since I can only choose one, I go for the serial killers. If I planned ahead and bought a book at real book store, it would more likely be something historical - more likely set in Asia or in WW2.

I devored Amy Tan's early books and I recently read the fictionalized account of Pearl Buck's early life in China by Anchee Chin and loved that. Of course, my all time favorite book is The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak - I don't expect to ever again read anything that innovative and well written. I also recently read Drood by Dan Simmons. That stunned me because I hadn't realized that a writer could take such bizarre liberties when writing a fiction about a person who actually lived. I don't like what Simmons did, but it was a good read and again, very innovative.

I expect to start reviewing books very soon and I'll be using a Kindle for that. The Kindle will free me from airport book store choices and it will be interesting (to me) to see what tweaks my interest.

Do you read in your genre?

An interview with Jacob Jones...

2011-08-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

Synopsis of The Septavalent Stone by Jacob Jones

When did you first feel the urge to write?

I don't really remember at what age but I know I had the urge to write after I first read Prince Caspian in the Narnia series.

What finally got you started in actually writing a book?

I was bored, and a little depressed. I find that my best ideas comes when I am feeling a strong emotion, doesn't always have to be a good one though.

What do you bring from your life that adds to your writing?

Not much. My medical life maybe as is evidenced in my book since my characters go to a medicomagical school.

Do you use external supports in writing? such as a writing program or an ongoing editor?

I use an ongoing editor yes. I read a lot of blogs on writing. Chuck sambuchino's blog is Blogbible.

Is there a theme that runs through your writing?

I think that we all have a choice, family is more important and that at times lying can be justified.

What writers have influenced you?

Steve Barlow and Steve skidmore authors of the TALES OF THE DARK FOREST SERIES, Chimaamanda Adichie, a Nigerian writer of Half Of A Yellow Sun and The Thing Around Your Neck, and Jk Rowlin. I think of all the books I've read, these writers have that ability to write in an easy and readable way, a quality that I always try to copy, don't know if I have achieved that yet, my readers would decide that.

How has your writing evolved over time?

A lot. Before my writing used to be choppy, and discontinuous, I think it has gotten way matured and it's getting better. In fact I practice daily on my blog, I am currently writing a funny fiction about a girl, AVGUSTA VLADIMIROVNA THE TEENAGE WEREBITCH in which a girl tells her story of how she became a female werewolf. It's interesting because she reveals her love relationships with popular characters of other authors. Currently in my last post she is looking for an excuse to break up with Harry Potter just so she can go out with Percy Jackson because she thinks gods are hotter than wizards, but Percy on the other hand is kind of interested in Katniss of the HUNGER GAMES series.

So yeah, a few years ago I wouldn't have tried this, so I think this counts as evolution.

How do you promote your books?

I promote it on my blog, with my funny fan fiction writing above, and by doing guest posts. I have a fan page, a twitter and a blog.

Blogger: http://theseven-piecestone.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jacobolisajones

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/JO-Jones/185381468163807

How do you promote your web site?

I try to visit other websites, comment and ask for intervviews and all. I try to be available as always.

The title of my new release is THE SEPTAVALENT STONE. I am going to give you a list of fictional and real reasons why you should go and buy this book: But first, a few insight into the book…

The Septavalent stone is a young adult novel set in two countries, Nigeria and Ukraine. It's about a boy called Andrew, who has a mother who is paranoid about almost everything including her brother Uncle Jeffery, and who is also not as normal as other mothers can be. Andrew gains admission into a medical school in Ukraine, but on getting there, he discovers it's not just a medical school, it's actually a school where apart from human beings, ghosts are treated, magical beasts and a couple of other paranormals stuffs. As the story unfolds, Andrew discovers new secrets about his family and himself, he also discovers a cousin he never knew existed, ad realizes that his mother is not all about cooking utensils and aprons but that in fact there is more to her paranoia and lies than meets the eyes.

I am going to end this post by listing several fictional and real reasons why you should get this book:

You should get a copy of THE SEPTAVALENT STONE because it was given an excellent review by HEATHER'S OPINION ON ALL THINGS BOOK RELATED'S blog.

You should get a copy of THE SEPTAVALENT STONE because it'll keep you busy and preoccupied until the highly anticipated (by me) UNWANTEDS novel by Lisa Mcmann becomes available on the 30th of August.

You should get a copy of THE SEPTAVALENT STONE because JK Rowlin read it and offered me the HARRY POTTER franchise in exchange for it but I was too drunk and stupid to accept it, but when I was sober a few days later, she was no longer interested. Infact when I pleaded with her that I was foolish and stupid she hauled a complete Harry Potter box set at me, and I have the big lump to prove it.

You should get a copy of THE SEPTAVALENT STONE because several times, Stephanie Meyer has asked me to give Edward Cullen, Jacob Black and Alice something, special and preferential treatment whenever they come to my medicomagical school for check up and treatment. I cannot release their medical report, what I can say however is that Edward suffers from a disease called dis-bling-bling-ism. Apparently he is losing his sparkle. While Alice has Bling-bling-itis she is becoming too sparkly, even at night and Jacob is becoming too fat even in his werewolf state.

You should get a copy of THE SEPTAVALENT STONE because of these keywords... ACTION, MYSTERY, SUSPENSE, INTRIGUE, FAMILY, RACISM, MAGIC, ELDER, BATTLE, CADAVRES, MAGICAL STAFF, MEDICOMAGICAL SCHOOL.

My life changing blog ...or not...

2011-08-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

I read the book that I've got advertized on my side panel - the one by John Locke - how he sold millions of books in mere days. I put it there as a resource for others, not to make my own million through affiliate sales. Anyway, one of the things he says to do is to write a blog that will change your life - and attract tons of attention. He did this by writing a blog about how he was influenced by a major sports guy he had never met and I've never heard of, and he wrote another about Michael J Fox. Really, the blogs weren't all that inspiring to me, but I guess they were to others because they attracted thousands to his blog and to his twitter account and these readers started buying his books by the gazillions.

Okay, that's a great idea, except, if I could think of a life changing blog that would sell my books by the millions I would have already written it!! How can I know ahead of time what is going to be life changing? I can't even write a blog that is moment changing - let alone one that results in my becoming a top selling author. So far I don't even think I've been inspiring to others and no one is buying my books because of anything I've written.

I've thought about writing a blog that is about how some famous person has inspired me, like John did.. But I tend to have aytpical inspirations, such as Mustafa Ataturk and Edith Cavell. Trust me, when I put their names in my tags section they are not going to set the twitter world afire!

Okay, I guess I'll just have to hope that I can indeed make my own millions through the coat tail affiliate sales of John Locke. In the meantime, I'll try to find inspiration in someone more popular and twitter worthy. Paris Hilton? Pippa Middleton?

Have your best day possible.

Seasonal challenges...

2011-08-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

Summer is not my creative season. Too many of my children around and too much to do in the garden,not too mention a full caseload and no time off. I find that I get anxious and tense when the days pass by and nothing gets written. So, I'm trying to find ways to utilize my *off* season by working out plot problems in the sequel I'm writing to Cleah.

My writing style is to simply write each word and scene in sequence - and then re-write the following day (or month) and add more. I start with knowing the main characters and the over all plot - but I don't do the outline or lay out the chapters - my mind just doesn't work that way. I wrote my thesis and my dissertation the same way. I know, too, how the book will end, but my goodness, that leaves a whole lot in between.

Right now I'm trying to figure out what the evil doer in my Cleah sequel looks like. I know it's something black and not fully solid - but my mind goes blank after that. I also don't know how I'm going to kill it - I guess that will come after I determine what it's made of and what it looks like. So, I drive my car or fill in my insomniac nights with thoughts of evil black things. No wonder I don't sleep!

Well, I hope your writing days are flowing smoothly - have your best day possible.

Why can't I write a sex scene...?

2011-07-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

I have a new mystery almost ready to put on Smashwords. What's the hold up? Well, there is a place in the narrative that requires some sex between the heroine and her love interest. I feel it's integral to the story - when I read it without that part, it just doesn't leave the characters well enough bonded. I'm not talking pages of graphic sex - I'm just talking about a couple of paragraphs. I don't even want to get very deep into the sex - even some blouse opening and a bit of kissing and touching would be fine - but I can't seem to write it!

I bet your first thought is that this is reflection of my own problems. Well, actually, sex is not something that gives me problems on a personal level - I'm quite happy with my own sexuality and as a therapist of many years I've certainly overcome any inhibitions I've ever had in talking about sex; and, I've taken training in helping others deal with their sexuality - this just isn't an area that is a problem in my life - so why can't I deal with it in my writing?

I posted last time about trying to push my own boundaries in writing and I guess this is one of them. I look at my capacity to write other forms of story - I can write violent scenes very well - I can get graphic with battle scenes as well as with one on one murders. The words come easily and the narrative flows. If I can write violence - which I abhor on most levels - why can't I write mild sex scenes? I know I can't and won't write graphic sex scenes that are there simply for the sex - there are plenty of others who do that and who do it well - but it's not what I want to put out into the universe and it's not necessary to the story development of this book. But, even the most inhibited and restricted parts of myself have no problem with what I want to write - I just can't do it well.

Am I alone in this? Have any of you had to overcome this type of block in your writing? I'm eager to get this book up and selling - I think it's a great read - so I'll take all the suggestions you have.

Remember - have your best day possible!

Fearless writing...

2011-07-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

I began watching Breaking Bad as a means of spending some time with one of my teen age sons. I wasn't trying for quality time - no point in going for that at his age - just any time at all will do for now. If I want to be in the same room with him it's either do some gaming - which will never happen in this lifetime - or watch television. To be clear, Breaking Bad isn't my type of show - I don't mind the violence but I'm not interested in the drug trade or personal corruption; but, I was hooked on the first episode and I have continued to be a dedicated viewer even when my son isn't around.

So, during commercials there is no hope of meaningful conversation with my son who is still at a stage where he only has two responses to me - he either grunts something that is meant to convey an entire conversation or he totally ignores me - that leaves me with no choice but to think. And, I think often about why I'm so into this show. Sure, it's great acting and incredible writing but there are lots of shows - okay, not lots - but other shows with those factors, such that Throne show and the Tudors, and I couldn't stick with them even though I was more inclined toward their themes and eras.

I think that part of what intrigues me with Breaking Bad is that the writers are totally fearless. I don't know where they will go next. Nothing is sacred and nothing is absolute. The wife of the main character has lost her moral compass this last season and is now as skilled at corruption as her morally bereft ex husband (who, by the way, is sinking deeper and deeper into his own previously untapped sociopathic behaviors).

And I believe that's it for me - I see in the writing a boldness that is hesitant in me. I have certainly written some graphic violence in my fiction - I've got a short story about rape, and there are scenes of graphic violence in Cleah; and, Good Enough is about a topic (teen porn) that most don't venture into when writing for the YA audience - so I'm not doing a pretty little linguistic dance around my topics - but I know I haven't explored the outer realms of where my characters can go nor have I broken my own internal boundaries in what I've written ... so far.

Well, I'm halfway through the sequel to The Lost Fury Chronicles, so I've got some genuine opportunities to push my own envelope. Can I do it? What do you think?

Interview with author Wayne Zurl

2011-07-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

A NEW PROSPECT

A full-length Sam Jenkins Novel.

Published in trade paperback format.

Biography of Wayne Zurl:

Shortly after World War Two I was born in Brooklyn, New York. Although I never wanted to leave a community with such an efficient trolley system, I had little to say in my parents’ decision to pick up and move to Long Island where I grew up.

Like most American males of the baby-boomer generation, I spent my adolescence wanting to be a cowboy, soldier, or policeman. All that was, of course, based on movies and later television. The Vietnam War accounted for my time as a soldier. After returning to the US and separating from active duty, the New York State Employment Service told me I possessed no marketable civilian skills. So, I became a cop. That was as close to military life as I could find. Now that I’m retired from the police department, I still like the cowboy idea.

I live in the picturesque foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains with my wife, Barbara.

When did you first feel the *call* to writing?

Prior to the ""call"" of writing fiction whispering in my ear, the necessity of writing was thrust upon me in a few professional ways. Initially, the Army, from time to time, demanded the assorted narrative reports that make a military organization go around.

After I separated from active duty in the waning days of the southeast Asian war, I found myself without gainful employment. So, after my $104 weekly unemployment benefits ran out, I took a job with a private investigator who shall remain nameless, but everyone in the Long Island town where he kept his office called him Tiptoe Tannenbaum. That job also required written reports to satisfy a client's need to know they got what they paid for.

Then as my check book floundered around the lower triple digits and I grew tired of peeping through keyholes, I was appointed as a police officer to the Suffolk County Police Department, one of the largest law enforcement agencies in New York and the nation. There, throughout my twenty years, writing was a necessity.

The one commonality of those jobs manifested itself in the thought that oftentimes people who would read my reports had never or would never meet me face to face. My written word represented my initial approach to people, some of whom, could impact on my future. I figured, write well and take advantage of the halo effect.

The call to fiction came in the summer of 2006 when I read Robert B. Parker's novel NIGHT PASSAGE. Parker's protagonist, Jesse Stone, was an ex-LAPD detective who took a job as chief in a small Massachusetts town. I liked the book and the premise. I said, ""If Parker can do it, so can I. I've got more experience with police work than he does. I was a cop and he wasn't."" I decided to write about an ex-New York detective who retired to Tennessee and landed a job as chief in the fictional city of Prospect. Coincidentally, when I retired we moved to the same area.

What finally got you started on writing a book?

For ten years I had been writing non-fiction magazine articles and was lucky enough to convince a few publishers to print twenty-six of them. But, my attention span for research into Colonial American warfare and the fiction of James Fenimore Cooper deflated. That left me in need of a creative outlet. I decided on trying to write fiction for publication because manuscripts were easier to store than model airplanes or oil paintings.

What do you bring from your life that adds to your writing?

I spent most of my police career as an investigator or supervisor in an investigation section. At times my unit numbered more than twice that of the thirteen officers Sam Jenkins leads at Prospect PD. I had a good basis to look back on for material. Twenty years in a crowded area and busy police department provides oodles of interesting war stories. I embellish them, fictionalize everything and transplant them from New York to Tennessee. Occasionally, I toss in an appropriate reference to Jenkins' time in the military. These stories are not autobiographical, but the protagonist and I share many things in common.

Do you use external supports in writing? such as a writing program or an ongoing editor?

While I was writing A NEW PROSPECT, I hired an editor/book doctor to help me get a grip on what the publishing world wanted to see in a modern police mystery. He taught me a lot. I also spoke to a manuscript consultant who taught me things like reader psychology and demographics--almost sensitivity training for writers. He was a big help, too.

Somewhere along the line, I attended a few sessions of a sit-down writer's workshop. I did learn how to write a world-class, one-page query letter, but basically I looked at that as nothing more than group therapy for people half my age. I didn't learn fast enough. I quit.

Then I tied up with an on-line writer's workshop. I learned LOTS there. Through peer group critique, I gained many good ideas that I've used in many of the things I've written. We all helped each other. I acknowledged all the people who stuck with me through every chapter of A NEW PROSPECT on its third page. Smart people and good friends.

A word of caution to anyone thinking of enrolling in an on-line workshop. You need a thick skin. Some of your peers take advantage of the anonymity afforded by computer contact and do nothing to develop a bedside manner. Thankfully they fade away quickly, but they do leave their mark.

Is there a theme that runs through your writing?

I suppose the underlying theme running through each Sam Jenkins story is that he's a dinosaur. He began his police career at the tail end of the wild and woolly days and now he's into the age of computerized law enforcement. He's more like one of his old-west heroes than someone you might see on an episode of CSI Tennessee. He generally gets things done the old-fashioned way.

And he's obsessed with doing the right thing--no matter how often he bumps heads with one of the local politicians--and that's often.

What writers have influenced you?

I only began reading a lot of cop fiction after I retired. Prior to that, I read whatever Joe Wambaugh published because he has been a cop and he wrote it as it really happens. Not everything was a major organized crime case or involved an international drug cartel.

Then I discovered James Lee Burke. I believe he's one of the masters of descriptive prose. His ability to make a reader SEE a place or a person is extraordinary--poetic even.

I also mentioned Robert B. Parker. From him I learned to minimize everything. Tell my story in the fewest possible words. Arrive late and leave early. I like that style.

And then there's that other guy from Long Island who writes mysteries, Nelson DeMille. I may question the liberties he takes in some of his stories, but I shouldn't argue with success. I'm thinking specifically of his blockbuster, PLUM ISLAND. In the story, a NY City detective out on disability leave and a single Suffolk County homicide investigator do all the work on a high profile double murder at a restricted government research facility off the east end of Long Island. Coincidentally, my wife worked for the deputy director of Plum Island and I spent twenty years with the agency responsible for investigating those murders. In reality at least one team of detectives would have worked out of a mobile command center, been supervised by a team sergeant, and visited constantly by the section commander. But through out all his books, Nelson has his protagonist's (Detective John Corey) language and personality down pat. DeMille comes up with an endless supply of quality smart-ass dialogue--that's reality.

How has your writing evolved over time?

When I began writing fiction I thought too much in a linear fashion. I did what cops do. I wrote almost like a police report. I gave too much detail and spent too much time on minutia--things important if I might end up in court, but more than the average reader needed or wanted to know. I've worked on trimming down my stories, suggesting things a reader can figure out on their own, and adapting more of a slam-bam method of presentation. I try to keep from waxing poetic over a sunset in the Smokies.

How do you promote your books?

Writing is fun. All the post-publication marketing and promotion is too much like work. I thought once my novel was published I could do book signings and schmooze the shop patrons, talk to book discussion groups (usually all women), smile and act personable for half an hour before autographing the books and collecting the cash. I never envisioned getting involved with the social and electronic media things like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and all the other dot-com jazz I once never knew nor cared about.

But all that is a fact of life for a writer. And I learned what to do. I plug ahead daily and hope it makes a difference in royalties. My publisher supports me greatly, but recently I hired a publicist to take me on a two month virtual book tour. So far it's been interesting--and lots of work--many hours of work--if it's done right. And there is no sense cutting corners if you want to sell books. I write up interviews, arrange for books to be sent to the reviewers, write guest blogs, and I even participated in a computer chat party for an hour one night. I've been in gun fights with a slower pace than that one.

When the tour is over, I'll see how much impact it had on sales.

How do you promote your web site?

While querying publishers, I learned many will not consider accepting a submission from a writer without evidence of a professionally constructed website and a marketing plan. My local computer whiz made sure my website comes up quickly on the search engines when someone looks for me by name or title, references The Smoky Mountains, Tennessee police stories, and all the other tags that fit nicely around the Sam Jenkins stories.

Years ago a real estate broker told me, ""You have to get your name out there."" He constantly borrowed pens from people and kept theirs and substituted his personalized advertisement pens. He owned the most successful agency on the north fork of Long Island. I'm certainly not going to go around stealing pens, but each time I sign off an email, I include www.waynezurlbooks.net. There is no place for modesty in our world of shameless self=promotion. I put business cards all over and always ""drop"" my link where I can.

"What was that website, Wayne?"

"Glad you asked, Brenda. It's www.waynezurlbooks.net, the one where you can learn all about how A NEW PROSPECT was named best mystery at the 2011 Indie Book Awards.

Synopsis of A NEW PROSPECT:

Sam Jenkins never thought about being a fish out of water during the twenty years he spent solving crimes in New York. But things change, and after retiring to Tennessee, he gets that feeling. Jenkins becomes a cop again and is thrown headlong into a murder investigation and a steaming kettle of fish, down-home style.

The victim, Cecil Lovejoy, couldn’t have deserved it more. His death was the inexorable result of years misspent and appears to be no great loss, except the prime suspect is Sam’s personal friend.

Jenkins’ abilities are attacked when Lovejoy’s influential widow urges politicians to reassign the case to state investigators.

Feeling like “a pork chop at a bar mitzvah” in his new workplace, Sam suspects something isn’t kosher when the family tries to force him out of the picture.

In true Jenkins style, Sam turns common police practice on its ear to insure an innocent man doesn’t fall prey to an imperfect system and the guilty party receives appropriate justice.

A NEW PROSPECT takes the reader through a New South resolutely clinging to its past and traditional way of keeping family business strictly within the family.

2011-07-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

Interview with author Judy Serrano - check out her latest book Brother Number 3 at Amazon.

Here's a synopsis of her super book - Coming in third place was something that was all too familiar to Hector Montiago. As his strength and grounding personality pushes him into first place with the woman he loves, lines are crossed and sides are chosen. In the second book of the series, Brother Number Three depicts family ties in a light unequal to any other. Lilly tells the story of how the brothers unite in the effort to recover her missing son, as blood becomes both the indestructible bond that holds them together and the opposing force that pushes them apart. They fight temptation, while the enemies of the Montiago cartel unleash their wrath, only to discover that the true danger lies within.

Tell us about your latest release.

The second book of the Easter’s Lilly Series is called "Brother Number Three." It is a romantic suspense and was released June 16^th this year. It is a book about Hector Montiago who is the third born in a family of four brothers. As his strength and grounding personality pushes him into first place with the woman he loves, lines are crossed and sides are chosen.

In this second book of the series, Brother Number Three depicts family ties in a light unequal to any other. Lilly tells the story of how the brothers unite in the effort to recover her missing son, as blood becomes both the indestructible bond that holds them together and the opposing force that pushes them apart. Read on as they fight temptation while the enemies of the Montiago cartel unleash their wrath, only to discover that the true danger lies within.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am the mother of four boys and have been happily married for 15 years. Although I am originally from New York, my family and I currently reside in Texas. I am a substitute teacher during the school year and full time writer during the summer. I carry my flash drive with me everywhere I go, just in case I find myself alone with a computer. (Don’t tell my husband).

When did you first start thinking of yourself as a writer?

When I was young, I wrote songs, poetry and even novels. I’d say I was about 12 years old when I started. But I was also a singer and pursued that career path instead. As an adult I went back to college and I suppose my imagination got re-stimulated. I started writing novels one right after the other, non-stop. I decided to try to publish one and to my surprise a publisher told me he wanted the book. Now, I think of myself as a writer.

Have you taken any formal training in writing?

When I went back to college I was an English major. I took a few writing classes and of course some very interesting literature classes. I think learning about other people’s writing is very important to the process of developing your own style. My writing classes were my most fun and I must admit that I coasted through them. It’s like telling a child that they have to take a gaming class in order to graduate. I was more than happy to take as many writing classes as they'd let me.

What do you bring from your life that adds to your writing?

Sometimes I secretly weave in some of my personal experiences. They are hidden very well and I must admit that no one would notice unless they knew me very well. I do use a lot of emotion in my writing; things that I know I have felt or still feel and I think that comes across when reading my novels.

Do you use external supports in writing? Such as a writing program or an ongoing editor?

I belong to a few writers’ groups on-line. I find them through my social networks. They can be very supportive and encouraging. Writing tends to be a very solitary profession and having people who do what you do and understand what you are going through, is very helpful.

Is there a theme that runs through your writing?

So far I’m writing a series, so the theme is certainly all about the Mafia and the families that organized crime touches. But if we were talking about a style issue, I would say that I write in the first person. Personally, I prefer books written that way and it comes too naturally for me to change that. In my humble opinion I think It makes it a more personal read when the story is told from the protagonist’s viewpoint.

Who are your favorite authors?

My favorite authors are Nora Roberts and Stephanie Tyler. I love the classy way that Nora presents her romance and the thrill Stephanie exuberates all through her novels. I also like how both writers use strong male characters susceptible to a certain amount of vulnerability.

How has your writing evolved over time?

I’ve learned a few basic rules about the mechanics of the trade, which is fortunately unavoidable. I also think I have learned to develop my characters more deeply and have been told that the page-turner aspect of my writing is even more prominent as my books move farther through the series.

How do you promote your books?

Promoting the books is the hardest part after finding a publisher. I do book signings, I use social networks, I pass out flyers and I have a web site and blog set up for people who have any interest in my novels or me. We have found that passing out first chapters has been the most effective marketing tool. We discovered this during a reading I was doing at the Dallas Library. After I had finished reading the first chapter of Easter’s Lilly, my book started to sell. Now we simply carry them around with us and give them out to people we meet. It was my husband’s idea and I am thankful for his input.

How do you promote your web site or blog?

My website is printed on almost everything we hand out. The blog I promote through social networking. I try to tap into subjects that might be of interest to the people who follow my blog and then I advertise the subject of discussion on my social networks.

People can follow Judy

on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/AuthorJSerrano

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Easters-Lilly-by-Judy-Serrano/106636956074771?ref=ts

Her website is http://www.JudySerrano.com.

Categories...

2011-07-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of having a cover done for a short story, actually more of a novella, in ebook form that I'm going to add to my list of books but will mainly selling from my other blog and web site. The thing that's interesting about this for me is that while I fret and worry and experienced intolerable angst over trying to market and sell my other books, I'm not worried about this one. I'm not worried, in part, because I have a built in audience in the people who attend my professional workshops and know me as a therapist. They read my other blog, or go to my other web site, and the book will sell - it won't pay my mortgage because it's geared for a small target audience, but it will move itself along.

What hit me as weird in my thinking on this is - why isn't pushing this book up the Amazon ranks as important to me as it is with the others? I mean hey, it's well written and it's a really good story. I've come to realize that I have categories in my head about my books - some are in the I want this to be the next big seller category, some are in the I just want enough read so that I know the characters are shared with others category, some are in the I'm happy as long as they trickle out to the targeted readers category.

I put as much work and thought and energy into each of the books, so maybe I need to give myself and my books more respect and plug them all equally. I don't know - maybe I'm doing all that I can as it is. However, I intend to keep this rolling around in my brain and let my neurons work on it for a while and see if any change comes about.

Have your best day possible!

Author interview with Joseph Rinaldo about his book A Spy at Home

2011-07-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

An interview with author Joseph Rinaldo - about his book A Spy at Home

Check out his web site

SYNOPSIS:

A retired CIA operative comes to believe he wasted his professional life not only promoting questionable American policies, but missing life with his family. To ease the pain he diverts millions that the CIA expected him to use funding a coup attempt that would establish a pro-American government in an African country. Seeing the coup would fail, Garrison decides to save the money for himself. You, the reader, can decide if he's a villain with evil intent, a hero with altruistic motives, or a regular guy sick of working for peanuts in a dangerous environment.

Back at home he and his wife look forward to their golden years being luxuriously comfortable and opulently relaxed. Unfortunately, after his wife dies in a tragic accident, he must learn all that she knew about caring for Noah, their mentally retarded son. After a life of planning for contingencies, the former spy must deal with the possibility that he may die before his son. Who will care for the son when the dad spent a life out of the

country and now has no one to lean on?

Bio

By day I work as Credit and Financial Manager for a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning distributor. When I first started writing, I thought being a numbers guy would make me an oddity as an author. That’s proved to be wrong. The more people I meet in this industry, the more I run across accountants and CFOs. Apparently, creativity infects a variety of people. Of course, I have the same dream as other writers. I hope my book sells a million copies and becomes a smash hit movie. Selling ebooks isn’t the get-rich-quick
scheme I thought it was before being published. It’s been a lot of work.

When did you first know that you wanted to write a book?

The actual impetus for me to begin writing came while I was reading Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks. When I got to the part where he received a million-dollar advance, I thought, “Holy cow! He’s a good writer, but I know I can do this, too.” I’ve been writing since that day in 2004.

Eight years prior to reading about the million-dollar advance, I had only considered writing once in my life. Living alone, I hand wrote a page that I later read to my girlfriend, who is now my wife. She said the characters didn’t really tell the story, and that she heard me reciting rather than the voice of the main character. I wadded up the sheet of paper and threw it away. I never forgot what she said and believe I have corrected those mistakes in A Spy At Home.

What made you finally decide to start the actual writing process?

The first book was the hardest to actually begin typing. I kept asking my wife, “Is this a good idea for a book?” Picture Dan Brown asking you, “An albino man goes around the world for conservative Catholics defending their beliefs as he tortures himself. Is that a good idea?” My point is, one sentence to describe a book that hasn’t been written probably won’t sound all that interesting no matter how many millions of copies the novel eventually sells. After I started writing, I found it hard to quit. Now I’ve written nine books.

Have you taken any formal training in writing?

Nope, never. Sometimes I think a reader can tell when someone has had formal training. The plots come across like a mathematical equation. The protagonist mentions three times that he hates listening to the Rolling Stones and later finds himself stuck in a car between two kidnappers with “Brown Sugar” playing repeatedly on a CD player. You usually see that coming when it has been overly set up by the author. The stories that keep you guessing have red herrings that fit with the main storyline. Those are the kind of plots I like to follow. The reader might have to work a little more by paying close attention, but I think it’s worth it.

What do you bring from your life that adds to your writing?

A Spy At Home recounts the life of a CIA operative, which means I cannot answer any questions about a career as a spy that I may or may not have had. Generally, I think of the characters in my books as being completely separate people. The characters don’t interact with me, let alone stem from me. At least that’s how it is in my mind. None of my characters are based on a person I know. They are combinations of traits from many people, and some imaginary traits are thrown in to keep my friends from recognizing themselves. Just kidding; the characters live in my head, and I write down what they say and do. Hopefully this doesn’t sound too bizarre.

Do you use external supports in writing? such as a writing program or an ongoing editor?

I am the world’s worst speller! Without the F7 key in Word, none of my books would have an error-free sentence. Releasing books on Amazon has forced me to use a professional editor. This can be quite expensive, so we (my wife and I) shopped around a long time before settling on someone. Also, paying a portion up front is only fair to the editor, but paying anything to someone you don’t know can be scary for the writer. Anyone wishing to know who I used can email me through my website. I’ll have to check with him before providing his name. Using an editor has REALLY helped me grow as a writer. He shed a whole new light on my soon-to-be-released Hazardous Choices. Writing a book, you know what you mean, but the English language leaves plenty of room for a variety of interpretations. A professional editor will help focus the words on what you actually mean without detracting from your creativity. Editing is not an easy job.

Is there a theme that runs through your writing?

Good heavens, I hope not! All of my books having the same theme sounds horrifically boring to me. A few of my books involve characters looking for a better life, but another has a man who thinks he’s crazy because his dreams seem so real, and another has a young man who infiltrates a Mormon sect looking for child predators. Having one theme isn’t me. I don’t think I could write a sequel. Well, maybe if my main character was a boy named Harry Potter.

Who are your favorite authors?

This might seem odd, but I can’t remember who wrote which books. Grissom’s and Clancy’s books usually stick with me because each of their books has the same theme. Sharp Objects was a book I read and loved; however, my wife has to remind me who wrote it every time I mention it. I like to read. The stories stick with me, but the names of the authors don’t.

How has your writing evolved over time?

I feel like my characters have more personality, and my plots have improved a great deal. Having one section flow into the next has taken a great of work. Making the sections flow is an editing process item for me. When I am writing a book, I don’t worry a whole lot about that; maybe I should.

The endings of my books have gotten better over time. A Spy At Home is the latest book I’ve written, and I am very pleased with the ending.

How do you promote your books?

We use the internet almost exclusively; my wife spends a great deal of time posting information and blurbs on Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites such as Goodreads, Bookspy, Authors Den, FriendFeed, LinkedIn, Library Thing, Shelfari, Orkut, Tumblr, Twitter, StumbleUpon, on my blog, my website, and any other sites that will allow us to put the word out there about A SPY AT HOME.

How do you promote your web site or blog?

We put links to them on all the sites listed above, and I try to add a new post to my blog at least once a week. I find that the more controversial the post, the better response I get from it. I have links to both my website and my blog everywhere on social networking sites.

Author Book Tour: "Her Dear and Loving Husband" by Meredith Allard

2011-07-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

James Wentworth has a secret. By night, he’s a mild-mannered professor at Salem State College in Massachusetts. He lives quietly, making few ties anywhere. One night his private world is turned upside down when he meets Sarah Alexander, a dead ringer for his wife, Elizabeth. Though it has been years since Elizabeth’s death, James cannot bring himself to move on.

Sarah also has a secret. She is haunted by nightmares, and every night she is awakened by visions of hangings, being arrested, and dying in jail–scenes from the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. As James comes to terms with his feelings for Sarah, he must also dodge accusations from a reporter desperate to prove that James is not who, or what, he seems to be. With the help of their friends, witches Jennifer and Olivia, James and Sarah piece their stories together and discover a mystery that may bind them in ways they never imagined. Will James make the ultimate sacrifice to prevent a new hunt from bringing hysteria to Salem again?

Author Bio

Meredith Allard received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from California State University, Northridge. She is the author of Her Dear & Loving Husband (Copperfield Press, 2011), a paranormal love story set around the Salem Witch Trials. She is the executive editor of the award-winning literary journal The Copperfield Review, named one of the top markets for new writers by Writer’s Digest. Her work has appeared in journals such as The Northridge Review, Wild Mind, The Maxwell Digest, Moondance, Muse Apprentice Guild, The Paumanok Review, CarbLite, Writers Weekly, and ViewsHound, where her article won the Silver Medal Prize. She has taught writing to students aged 10 to 60, and she has taught creative writing and writing historical fiction at Learning Tree University and UNLV. Meredith has been the featured guest speaker at the Los Angeles Civil War Round Table and the Civil Warriors Round Table. She has also interviewed such notable authors as John Jakes, Jean M. Auel, and Jeff Shaara. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

You can find Meredith Allard on Facebook and Twitter (@copperfield101). She welcomes e-mail at meredithallard(at)aol(dot)com.

Important Links

Meredith Allard’s website:

http://meredithallard.com/

Buy HDLH from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Her-Dear-Loving-Husband-ebook/dp/B004UVQOBO/ref=sr_1_1/191-1528738-2256535?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1304477668&sr=1-1

Buy HDLH from Lulu:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/meredith101

Buy HDLH from Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/49588

Meredith Allard on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Meredith-Allard/100000069807223

Meredith Allard on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/#!/copperfield101

Video Trailer HDLH:

http://meredithallard.com/2011/05/05/video-trailer-for-her-dear-loving-husband/

When did you first feel the *call* to writing?

When I was in the sixth grade, I was asked to write the class graduation play, and in my 12-year-old mind that meant I was a writer. As I continued through school, teachers often told me I was a good writer, and then in high school a teacher suggested I choose a career in writing such as journalism. It only took one journalism class for me to realize that that type of writing wasn’t my thing, but I still loved to write. Finally, when I was in college it occurred to me that I should start taking these crazy story ideas I had floating around inside my head and write them down. That was when I started writing seriously because I realized I had stories to tell.

What finally got you started on writing a book?

Originally, my plan was to become a screenwriter in Hollywood. In college I took a number of film classes, including screenwriting classes, and I worked as a script analyst for a few production companies. After I finished college and I had time for my own writing, I began writing screenplays, but I realized it wasn’t satisfying enough. One night I started watching The Civil War documentary by Ken Burns on PBS and that was the germ for my first historical novel. After that, my focus was on writing books.

What do you bring from your life that adds to your writing?

I’ve been a lifelong reader, so I bring a love of words. I was an English major in college, so I was able to study great literature for a few years. Like any other writer, bits and pieces from my own life pop up in my fiction—events, characters, plot ideas often have their beginnings in things that have happened to me. Mainly, I bring my love of writing. Writing is a hard, solitary activity and yet I still do it because I love it.

Do you use external supports in writing? Such as a writing program or an ongoing editor?

I have used professional critiques to help me find the flaws in my stories that I wasn’t able to spot myself. I have both taken and taught classes for writers. I think finding other writers to meet with is essential because writing is such a solitary activity and it helps to have a support system of others who love what you love.

Is there a theme that runs through your writing?

I don’t think there’s a single theme. I tend to write about whatever subject fascinates me at the moment, and the theme tends grow out of the subject. I do have a genre that runs through my writing, and that’s historical fiction. Almost everything I have ever written is historical in nature. Even Her Dear & Loving Husband, which I didn’t intend to be a historical novel, became at least partially so after I decided to set it in Salem, Massachusetts and include elements of the Salem Witch Trials as part of the story.

What writers have influenced you?

Charles Dickens, Toni Morrison, Walt Whitman. I could go on, but those are the most important three.

How has your writing evolved over time?

It has become tighter and more concise. When I’m writing fiction, I have what I call my “no extra word” rule. I like to say what I have to say in as few words as possible, which is very different from when I started and I thought sentences had to be long and flowy to be well written.

How do you promote your books?

I do what I can to get word out there. I use Facebook and Twitter, and I have a webpage. I’m also starting this blog tour, which is a fun process. I’m enjoying doing the interviews and the guest posts. I’ve found some nice bloggers who have posted reviews about the book. The reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, and I’m grateful.

How do you promote your web site?

Pretty much the same way I promote the book. I find I can promote the book and the website at the same time because I can send readers to my website to find information about the book.

2011-07-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

My guest interview today is with author CV Smith who wrote Nettie Parker's Backyard.

Synopsis

Ask anyone who knows Nettie Parker and they’ll say that she’s an amazing, mystical woman…what else would you call someone who receivessupernatural signs sent just to them? And being able to live longer than anyone else? That alone is pretty amazing! Nettie’s been through many hardships in her life, and she’s learned first-hand that prejudice can be a multi-headed dragon. But her courage and determination show others that differences in skin color or in physical abilities don’t matter. In fact, as Nettie and her fighter-pilot husband both get caught up in World War II, survival becomes what matters most—not just for them, but also for the eight Jewish refugee children she comes to care for. Now Nettie faces her toughest struggle yet: uncovering the mystery of her supernatural signs and the purpose of her unusually long life. Do the strange statues that suddenly appear in her backyard point to any clues? Halley, Nettie’s young friend, plays detective as she re-visits Nettie’s past, a journey that takes the reader from South Carolina to England and back again. Can Halley put all the pieces together and solve the puzzle?

Nettie Parker’s Backyard is a work of historical fiction. The book holds the readers’ interest with just the right amount of mystery and magic, also weaving important lessons against bullying and intolerance toward race, religion and the physically challenged into the story. The novel has wide appeal and contains something with which every 4^th-6^th grader can identify.

The Barnes and Noble link http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/nettie-parkers-backyard

What finally got you started on writing a book? The idea for Nettie Parker's Backyardcame to me in a very vivid dream, and whereas most of my dreams go unremembered, this one was definitely unique. Its powerful detail and message ended with a revelation that has affected my own personal beliefs, further compelling me to write the book. My research took me down some fascinating avenues as I discovered such things as the Gullah language in the Sea Islands, the Kindertransport, sand fly fever, and the role African-American soldiers played in WWII. Nettie's character was based on that of my granddaughters; thus, some of her best virtues are those of trust, love, and friendship.

Is there a theme that runs through your writing? Yes, the underlying, yet very powerful themes directed to children are those of anti-bullying, anti-prejudice and tolerance toward all. I have been a teacher and para-educator for over 30 years, most of which were spent in classrooms where students were just beginning to think for themselves and about themselves. The book is written for ages 9-12, the time when youth questions everything. Adolescence is starting and many children feel insecure about themselves, their relationships with peers, or even their own families and homelife. These insecurities manifest themselves in various behaviors; some children withdraw into themselves, while some overcompensate for their fears by bullying others. I have witnessed that when bullying begins, even if innocently meant with only an off-handed word or two, prejudice often follows not far behind. I wrote this novel hoping to illustrate to children that bullying and intolerance toward race, religion, or the physically challenged have no place in our world. Certainly, with tools such as the internet, facebook, twitter, etc., the world is becoming smaller in many ways, and so the ill-effects of prejudice are felt even more strongly today than in the past. We must all learn to accept one another and celebrate our differences, rather than let them separate us. I further believe that more must be done to inhibit bullying; not doing so only enables the passing of prejudice from one generation to the next.

What writers influenced you? Well, my two very favorite books are The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Kingsolver uses magnificent adjectives to describe Africa, and Roy’s style of writing, which begins with scores of unrelated points, later all coming together in the climax of the story, was inventively unique.

How has your writing evolved over time? Of course, as you grow and mature, your writing also grows and matures. Over the years you learn to write things differently and in new ways from how you wrote them previously. How you use words, terms and vocabulary, and how you express your ideas and concepts find alternate routes with the same goal: stimulating the mind of your reader so that they challenge themselves to think and reach deeper within themselves.

You are a professional and a writer. How do you manage to find the time for both of these time consuming aspects of your life? It’s very difficult and a real challenge. My husband has become a “writer’s widower” in this, my second launch of Nettie Parker’s Backyard.

How do you promote your books? Since my ultimate goal is conventional publication with a “brick and mortar firm”, I am doing everything I can to promote my WWII historical-fiction-mystery for children. I blog, twitter, facebook, do author chats at schools and libraries, canvas book stores, do book signings, interviews, radio spots, and in general, just research every contact I can.

How do you promote your blog? My book has a webpage rather than a blog, which has a synopsis, more about myself, and readers’ reviews, one of them being a 5 star review from Amazon’s own Grady Harp, rated 4^th on Amazon’s List of Top 10 Reviewers. The direct link to my webpage is: http://mysite.verizon.net/ressbmks/

Please add anything else you think would interest the readers. I hope everyone will visit my website and purchase my ebook or paperback to read with a child that they love in their lives. I think it contains something with which each 4^th-7^th grader (and adult) can identify. I think it provides a great moral compass, while at the same time is a comprehensive history lesson and a supernatural mystery all rolled into one!

My new world...and new connections...

2011-07-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

I've written another blog (related to my professional field) for several years. Through that blog I've developed cyber friendships that have become very important to me. I hadn't expected that to happen with this blog because the topic seemed to me to be so much less personal and my target readers aren't bound together by the same type of intense emotional experiences as the readers in my other blog - at least that's what I thought. Wrongo!

Yes indeed, I was totally wrong about that. I've only had this blog going a little while and already I've become acquainted with other writers who are equally intense about their writing and their pursuit of a readership and are ready to help and share with each other; and, even better, I can sense some real relationships forming. I can't help but wonder how could I think that other writers wouldn't experience their craft as an intensely emotional experience?

Okay - I have an idea about how I missed that - I think part of it was that writing has always been something I've done in isolation. True, we all write alone - or least as alone as we can get so that we focus while we create. However, for me, the alone-ness also meant no one with whom I could talk with about it and no one with whom I could share my widening interests ie reviewing and no one else who.....whatever. Its not that I don't have support here in my world - I have lots - but support isn't the same as sharing the passion and the drive.

I have tried joining real live writer's groups in the past - but I have a large family and their needs preclude me doing anything other than work outside of family life so when time constraints made me choose what I was going to do - well, of course, the children won.

Now I'm here and I'm learning and I'm finding new interests in writing. I'm making connections and friends and I look forward every day to seeing who has commented on the site or emailed me. So - thank you for broadening my world and taking the time to connect with me as we travel this writing road together.

Have your best day possible.

Becoming a reviewer...and hostile reviewers

2011-07-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

I've always thought of myself as someone who writes, not someone who reviews. However, lately I've been more and more interested in the craft of reviewing so I'm taking some training in that area and hope to start reviewing books by the end of this summer.

I know I'm inexperienced in this area and now I see that I am also naive - because I had never thought of reviews as something likely to foment much controversy except when authors disagree with a negative review. However, the other day I stumbled on an article about a noted reviewer who was being publicly lambasted for challenging the trend in YA toward the negative and the dark. That would be the dystopian worlds, the dead/living, the novels about cutting and other forms of self injurious behaviours. The reviewer was concerned that these are becoming the standard in YA books and she felt that while they have a place, they are taking over too much of the reading audience. She saw this as a trend in adult literature as well but was more concerned about the lack of other forms of stories being published for the YA audience and the impressionist stage of teens who may be harmed by the influence these stories create.

Those who disagreed with her were attacking, hostile, and angry - this surprised me since this was all between professional reviewers - I had expected more room for discussion and alternative viewpoints. I know I come at this from the perspective of a mom and a psychotherapist - both roles make me concerned with the pressures on teens today and what they incorporate into their own lives from the stories they read and the movies they watch and both roles have trained me to focus on conflict resolution and allowing for the opinions of others (except, of course, when they disagree with me!). Okay, so I don't live up to this myself all the time, but I try.

I don't have a well thought out perspective on this literary conflict but I will be thinking of it as I begin reviewing books. How has this trend impacted you as a writer or reviewer?

2011-06-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about my chosen topics and genres. I know I'm not writing things that are going to be top sellers because they aren't what people are reading at the moment and while I believe I'm a good writer and I write readable and enjoyable books, I don't believe my stories are going to be the next Harry Potter or Twilight in terms of originality and scope. My fantasy isn't dystopian or filled with vampires (although my sequel to Cleah has some really hideous Dark things that kill people and devour souls), and I don't write romance because it just doesn't call to me, and my YA mystery is edgy to some degree but the herione isn't popular or trendy. I also don't write cozies or adult murder mysteries. My short stories are each different, but they are about surviving despite the odds and they don't always have the nicest of lead characters.

So, I can't help but ask myself this question: "Hey Brenda, if you want to write books that sell, why don't you pick topics that people are reading?" Well, I have to reply to myself "I don't really know." I do know that the stories that pop into my head just seem to arrive without warning. One day they aren't there and the next day they are. My short stories felt like I was channeling, as did the first Cleah (this second book is much more work - no invisible winged muse sitting on my shoulder and channeling the words to me on this one). I wrote the YA with the topic of a foster child as the heroine because of the kind of work I do - I wanted foster children to have a character in a book who was like them - there aren't many out there.

I also know that if you pick a topic to be on the band wagon you have to write quickly because that wagon passes by before you can blink - or in the case of us struggling writers - faster than you can get an agent and a book deal. That means that if I picked a YA fantasy of dystopian worlds or vampires that trend would be gone by the time my book saw print. I also know that I am limited by my own reality - I am who I am and I want to tell my stories, not alternate versions of others.

I'm not saying that the reason I'm not a best seller is because I write the wrong story line and that those of you who are more successful are just riding a trend - I truly don't mean that - but I do believe that for myself - a good writer but not a Charles Dickens or an Emily Bronte or JK Rowling in terms of innovation and scope - I just sometimes wonder if I shouldn't be more attentive to the current reading habits of my prospective target audience.

Well, I don't have an answer for myself. What about you?

2011-06-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

I have four fiction books -one not up on Kindle yet- in four different genres. I intend to write sequels to the Cleah Chronicles and to the Shay James Mystery, and I'd like to finish a mystery I started a few years ago about a coroner (I was a coroner for three years - my favorite job I've ever had). I realize, however, that successful writers aka writers who actually make a living at writing - tend to stick to one genre and get known in that. They build a following and create a niche for themselves. Why don't I do that? Do you?

I don't do it because I have different stories floating around in my head and I want to tell them all. I guess they will be stuck there for some time to come because I don't have any writing time in my day - and don't tell me to get up at 5 a.m. to write because I already get up then to do other stuff that's necessary in my day. Anyway, I'm currently 1/3 of the way through the next Cleah book and I feel a strong need to finish that. It feels like the characters are taking up space in my brain and I need the room. Does that sound too weird to you? Do you ever feel like that? No, it isn't any form of psychosis - I know they aren't real - but the neurons they inhabit have energy and flow and exist in time and space even if that space is my grey matter.

Well, maybe I should just buckle down and do it!!!

Have your best day possible!

Self identification...

2011-06-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

I continue to think, when I have time to think, about what it means to self identify as a writer. the Merriam Webster online dictionary defines a writer as:

Definition of WRITER

: one that writes: asa : authorb : one who writes stock options

See writer defined for English-language learners »

See writer defined for kids »

and author as

¹au·thor

noun \ˈȯ-thər\

a : one that originates or creates : source <software authors> <film authors> <the author of this crime>b capitalized : god 1

: the writer of a literary work (as a book)

I guess I fit the definitions - I've written self help books in my professional field and I've written, and continue to write, fiction. I love to write - or, maybe I don't love to write as much as I feel discomforted when I'm not writing. I guess that means I need to write, likely because of some twists and turns in my neural pathways that formed in utero or through my early childhood experiences. Who knows and who cares?

It's easier to self identify as other characters in my life. I called myself a mom as soon as I had a child. I didn't think I had to have a certain number of children to qualify for the title although I went on to have 13 more. I called myself as a therapist as soon as I had the degrees and training to acquire the licensing and professional qualifications to do so. I didn't wait till I had a particular number of clients and I didn't wait till I determined if I was any good at it.

Yet, I hesitate to call myself a writer, or an author, and I don't know why. In some part of my mind I have the weird belief that I can't take on that title until I make my living at it - or at least the majority of my living. Where did that idea come from? Again, who knows and who cares, it's just there.

I also question why I need to call myself anything - okay, I know that one - it's because I'm a practical type who likes labels and categories and diagnoses and so forth. And it's because writing is what I want to do and a writer, whatever that means and however I become one in my own mind, is what I want to be.

This picture is of Charlotte Bronte - author of my favourite book - Jane Eyre - against all odds she self identified as a writer.

Do you call yourself a writer? When did you accept that as a means of self identification?

I am a writer.... I think....

2011-06-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was doing a lot of running around - felt like the proverbial headless chicken - as I try to get my house and acreage ready to sell. I had lots of short trips in the car and so lots of time for thinking short thoughts- and what went through my worn out and overly stressed neuronal pathways was a real awareness that I don't actually seem to consider any writing I do as real writing unless it's on a novel.

I'm 1/3 of the way through the second book of the Cleah: The Lost Fury Chronicles but there simply isn't time in my overbooked days to work on it. So, I have a perspective that I'm not writing and I get myself all tied up in knots over that. However, in the later afternoon yesterday I was on one of my trips to pick up some bark mulch to improve the looks of a garden area and it hit me that I have to stop being so elitist with myself and accept that I have other writing platforms and the words I contribute there really do count as writing. For example, I'm a parenting expert at an ezine and I write two articles a month for them. I do a couple of other sites like that as well, and I have another blog.

Of course, that doesn't give life to the stories that live in my head - but it's still writing. I need to keep repeating that to myself and entrench the concept in my neural fibres. I am a writer, I am a writer, I am a writer, I am a writer - nope - not there yet but I'll keeping working on it.

Interview with Australian author and blogger - Jayne Fordham

2011-06-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

My guest today is Jayne Fordham. Jayne is an Australian writer and psychologist who has just released her YA fantasy romance - A Season of Transformation. She is also a freelance writer specializing in health, lifestyle, and travel. On her blog The Australian Bookshelf - she promotes the Australian book and publishing industry as well as highlighting well established and upcoming Australian authors - Jayne doesn't limit herself to Australia - she enjoys books from Irish, American and English authors as well.

http://www.amazon.com/A-Season-Of-Transformation-ebook/dp/B004X2HNBA

What finally got you started on writing a book?

Years and years of reading! During my first couple of years at University I didn’t read very much because I was studying and then finally I really got back into it. I remember finishing a book one day and thinking, I could write a book. I loved to write as a child and just threw myself back into it. After testing out a couple of genres and writing short stories, I had some ideas come to mind and A Season Of Transformation just came alive.

Is there a theme that runs through your writing?

Definitely romance. It is unlikely that a story (unless it is outstanding) will hold my attention unless it has a hint of romance whether it is the main storyline or a sub-plot. In recent years, my writing seems to have taken on the fantasy, paranormal and scifi elements which have opened up many exciting areas to explore.

What writers influenced you?

I have such an eclectic reading style that it would be difficult to pinpoint specific writers that influence me. Those that stand out for me are Jane Austen and various Australian authors whom I respect such as Monica McInerney, John Marsden and Maureen McCarthy.

How has your writing evolved over time?

Well I hope that it has improved over time! I am not a ‘trained writer,’ I am a professional and so almost everything I have learnt about writing has been self-taught. I have also undergone short writing workshops and for my novel A Season Of Transformation I also sought the help of a mentor and manuscript assessor which provided me with invaluable feedback to improve my writing style. I am working on an adult fantasy, scifi novel at the moment and I can already see how my writing has changed since writing the YA novel.

You are a professional and a writer. How do you manage to find the time for both of these time consuming aspects of your life?

This is definitely the hardest part! I work full-time as a psychologist and then I come home at the end of the day, spend up to an hour writing and another hour responding to emails, blogging and networking. Most of my weekends are taken up doing this. When I get the chance I also do some freelance writing on the side, but I haven’t been able to do this lately because of my schedule. Although book promotion, marketing and networking can be hard work at times, I don’t see writing that way. It can be difficult for me to get into a routine where I do write regularly, but when I do I find it very rewarding. I guess it is a form of ‘self-care’ for me as a professional but it comes with many other benefits. I hope that one day I will be able to find a better balance and spend more time writing, perhaps drop hours in my professional role.

How do you promote your books?

I use various social networking platforms, but I have found the best way to promote my book is to enlist reviewers and have them promote it for me on their blogs- that way I reach plenty more readers. To do this I organised a two month long book blog tour (currently running) by contacting over 20 bloggers who have agreed to do reviews, giveaways, interviews and/ or guest posts during the tour. This has been very time consuming but I hope it will pay off in the long run with more and more people being exposed to my book.

How do you promote your blog?

Well I have definitely gotten on the social marketing bandwagon! I promote my blog via Twitter Facebook, Goodreads & Bookblogs.

Please add anything else you think would interest the readers including pictures of you.

Thank you for having me Brenda; it has been so nice talking with another writer who has a similar professional background. It is lovely to see that we writers come from various backgrounds and walks of life.

Brenda's books and blog

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