Down to the Core

Books Everywhere!

2012-01-13T01:35:00.000-07:00

Last year, my books weren’t a large focus for me. However, I my spare moments planning out the books I have swirling around in my mind, but I didn’t actually get to do much writing or taking action. I was able to participate in a wonderful event at my local zoo – Summer Safari Nights. I hope to be able to do the same this upcoming summer. And other events as well.
This year, I have a lot in the works as far as new novels go. Besides for the anthologies, you haven’t seen anything from me since 2009, which has been way too long. But this year, we’re looking at the release of Howl. It will be released exclusively on March 12th and I’ll be signing off the first copies at the Tucson Festival of Books.
Howl is part of what has kept me so busy! After I begin this semester at college, there’s no doubt I’ll be busier, so I’m attempting to get this thing as ready as I can get it before then.
Also, here’s something I haven’t mentioned in awhile – The Jewel of Onsolot, the first book in my Artifact Series, I’ve just been assigned an editor and will be working on getting this gem (pun intended) out, hopefully by the end of this year.
Both of these novels are different from anything you’ve read from me before. A Gift from Above was a bit of a young-adult, contemporary, fictional, novel-ish…thing.
The Artifact Series is a fantasy about witches and wizards and… pretty much every single magical element I’ve ever heard of – dragons, unicorns, vampires, ghosts – you name it, it’s in there.
Howl is a paranormal… fantasy… thing… it focuses on werewolves – and only werewolves – and it’s my first novel that has a bit more romance than any of my other novels. The romance has a bit of a written-in-the-stars vibe, so those who are into that type of thing, should look out for it.
Okay, I’m done taking up your time! Get back to work!

It’s a New Year!

2012-01-10T00:07:00.001-07:00

Hello readers,

This blog post is long overdue. Every time I’ve sat down to write the post, something else has captured my attention. And after you read this post, you’ll have a good idea of what has captured my attention. This is going to be a longer blog post, so grab your cup of coffee or tea and settle down – it’ll be worth it!

First, over my holiday break, I was able to finally get my YouTube channel started. I actually have two tutorials posted, and some other random videos on there. I’m really looking for input about what you’d like to see me do on the channel next. So either head over to my channel or post in the comments with suggestions.

I’m working on getting some of my cover songs uploaded and do some new tutorials as well. My goal for the new year, is to just try a wide variety of everything… Within reason!

I’m getting ready to upload the final video in a series of my own painting DIY thing that I decided to film with my brother. So, go check that out.

Now, here’s the part where I stop talking about me, and start talking about stuff that you can do that I’ve put together. A big event that is going on right now is the “Happy” New Year Challenge. You can get all of the details on the page, but the basic idea is I’m challenging everyone to post something online that is “Happy” and positive every day for a month.

For every participant who completes the challenge, I will be donating $1 to the American Heart Association. And I’m also bribing participants with prizes too. Also, if you’re participating or not – you can sign up for the official daily newsletter. It only goes until the 15th of February, and it’s chock full of happiness – and also short – so you aren’t bothered to read a long email. Every day, it features a “happiness” tip – like hanging out in the sun, and playing with charities and other things that I do that make me happy. As well as daily song suggestions and a quote of the day.

Finally, today my eCourse launched – How to Create Indepth Characters - If you’re a fellow writer, trying to get inspiration to start a story, or just interested in improving your writing skills, check out my course. The first 10 people to enter the code – CHARACTER – get in free, after that it’s $5. So get over there and check it out!

There’s a bit more babbling I have to do about my writings and some great stuff coming up in the future, but I’ll save that post for later this week.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T01:03:00.001-07:00

So, in honor of New Years, I’m sitting down and writing a quick blog post. It’s probably crazy of me, but I did actually make some resolutions before the clock struck twelve. This year, instead of making a resolution to lose X pounds, I’ve gone for something a little bit easier.

First – and most importantly – I’m not going to make a resolution to do anything that I wouldn’t normally do, instead, for everything I shall do, I shall do it with the utmost passion and to the best of my ability. Whatever I do, I shall do it my best – and then some. It shall be a year of over-the-top performance.

Second, I shall explore hobbies. Because after this holiday break, I’ve realized that I really need to find some hobbies. I need something to do in my off-work hours besides work.

These past few weeks, I’ve been completely lost trying to do something – anything – that didn’t have something to do with work. Very difficult since apparently all of my hobbies are my work.

So, I shall be testing out new hobbies. Going to start with dancing, see if I can get into that… Take some YouTube lessons… Have a hobby that you enjoy? I want to hear about it.

In light of the New Year, I’ve put together a challenge for you all based on my observances. I think it’s a great idea, and I’m even bribing you all to do it – for every successful participant, I’m donating 1 (one) dollar to the American Heart Association. So, head over here to check it out, and get your friends to join in - http://hcpaye.webs.com/partypage.htm

I have so much going on right now, and will be doing a post in the next few days attempting to cover it all. For now, I’ll end it here.

Recommended New Years song – Good Life, by OneRepublic

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T14:14:00.001-07:00

I soon realized that I couldn’t possibly fit all of the things that I’m thankful for into 140 characters, so I decided to post here. *stretches* Ah, plenty of space…
So, to make it more epic, I’m going to put it in poetry form… To make it interesting, I’m putting it into Acrostic poetry form. For those of you who don’t know what an acrostic poem is, it is basically a poem that spells out a word with each letter in a line. For instance, my poem is going to be Thankful, the first line is going to start with the letter T, the next line H, the line after, A, ect. Yay! Okay, here goes.

Thankful

Thankful for the parents

Having them there for me.

And also for the presents

Next month, I’ll find them under the tree.

Kindness in my life, I’m thankful for

Forward moving is what I’ve been given

Ultimately for blowing all these doors.

Lastly, for keeping me goal driven.

Of course, this isn’t all that I’m thankful for, but this poem covers the main things that I am the most thankful for. On a side note, I’d also like to include a list of the ten things that I am thankful for:

1. My parents

2. My opportunities

3. My family

4. My friends (literally all of them, even my crazy, stalker friends)

5. My fans

6. Music

7. My voice

8. Paint

9. That seven eight nine… (I’m sorry, I had to!)

10. That cheesecake that wants me to eat it…

What are you thankful for? Leave a comment below and let me know!

There really isn’t anything to be ungrateful for, at the least, the annoying stuff provides emotions you wouldn’t feel without it. Be grateful for that.

Mother Nature

2011-11-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

Hello readers! It’s starting to finally feel like autumn over here in Arizona. I’ve heard the weather is changing in many areas - whether it be turning into a frosty winter or a nice, hot summer - the weather is definitely changing.

Just in time for this spectacular weather, Renee Sherkness brings you her second book, The Day Mother Nature Decided to Paint Her House. This fascinating tale for young readers features classical characters such as Mother Nature herself, and Father Time. It teaches - in a subtle way – about all of the different seasons while captivating readers with a thought-provoking story.

I pulled Renee Sherkness away from her wonderful writing long enough to ask her a few questions:

Heather: When did you first realize you wanted to start writing for publication?

Renee: First thank you, Heather, for allowing me to be interviewed on your blog. I greatly appreciate all you have done to help make my books come to fruition!

Heather: Thank you for allowing me the honor of helping you with your great books!

Renee: As an educator I always saw a need for children’s stories to be educational, fun and also informative while sparking an interest in our world. My view is that society has put our environment on the back burner for quite a while and wanting to do something to raise awareness to the connection we all share with nature was the main reason I began to write. My grandchildren and my husband were somewhat inspirational in my decision to publish my writings. They enjoyed my writings and encouraged me through the joy I saw in them from reading my stories. This encouraged me to begin the journey of publishing to share my message of connecting ‘with care’ to our world with others.

Heather: It’s amazing how an idea can turn into something great! How do you deal with writer’s block?

Renee: Good question. I’ve learned not to fight the writer’s block I sometimes have but embrace it as a message to slow down, walk away from my writing for a bit and take a break. Unfortunately by doing this I also have had times when I have had to embrace when the inspiration to write as well even at times that were less than convenient.. like 1:00 am in the morning!!

Heather: I can relate to that. When inspiration happens, you’ve gotta embrace it! What do you usually do while writing?

Renee: I try to put myself in my characters shoes. I think about what my characters would say, how I want them to be perceived in my story and I also try to stay focused on my message I am trying to convey. Also sipping coffee and water while writing helps.

Heather: Ah, having a drink sure does refresh the mind! What do you use to write with (i.e. keyboard, pen, pencil)?

Renee: When I first started to write I’d use a pen and notebook. But as I began to write more I opted for a keyboard to write my stories. But I still jot down ideas as they come to me with a pen and notebook I carry all the time - especially on my walks in the park.

Heather: One thing is for sure, you just can’t carry your keyboard around absolutely everywhere. What if they outlawed writing?

Renee: My passion would be stilled and I think I would have to find some other way to get my stories out there.

Heather: What is your favorite character (of your books)?

Renee: That is a hard question because when I am writing a story the character in that story becomes my favorite at that time!

If I had to choose I would say he would be Winston in my next book coming out Winston The Whale And The Blanket Of Darkness. He has an inner strength in him I admire.

Heather: Winston sounds like an epic character! Who is your hero?

Renee: Such a thought provoking question! A tough one to answer.. I think when we are little it is so much easier to name our heroes. I am sure my Grandson would quickly state “Buzz Light year” when asked with no hesitation. Yet as we get older it is a little harder to identify. I think we all have heroism in us and display it when needed. Look at the after math of 911 and the everyday heroes who helped strangers in horrific circumstances. Most of these people would not be identified as heroes in normal circumstances. Yet they were heroes when tested. So who can say who is or isn’t a hero? For me I guess I see heroism happen every day in the young and the old in simple ways. My daughter has come through some daunting challenges as she was growing into womanhood and I’ve watched her maneuver through each obstacle, overcome them and not let them engulf her. I say she has shown heroism in a way to me. My husband has often times been my hero with an encouraging word even when he didn’t even know he was doing it! My parents, my friends all have been heroes at one time or another. But I think I have come to the conclusion that to find a hero in my life I will always need to look “up” to a higher power and hope he allows the hero in all of us to be revealed when called upon.

Heather: Very thought provoking answer! Where did you find the inspiration to write The Day Mother Nature Decided to Paint Her House?

Renee: I have to take an excerpt from my book’s dedication to answer that question:

From The Day Mother Nature Decided to Paint Her House:

Dedication

During rush hour, I was driving my granddaughter, Kyla, back home from a movie

(Where the Wild Things Are) we had just seen.

As you can imagine, my five-year-old granddaughter was not happy

with the traffic delay we were facing, and neither was I, for that matter.

Since it was fall, I tried passing the time by pointing out the different colors of the leaves.

Then my granddaughter asked me, “Nana, how do the leaves change their colors?”

And that’s how this story came to life!

Therefore I dedicate this story to my granddaughter, Kyla, and my grandson, Chase, for all the questions I have answered and for those they will continue to ask, which constantly remind me how magical life can be.

Heather: It is wonderful what can inspire! Do you have any books in the works?

Renee: Yes I do:

Coming in the spring 2012: Winston The Whale And The Blanket Of Darkness

It tells the tale of Winston, a humpback whale and the perils he must face because of the pollution contaminating his home.

Other stories I hope to publish in the future include: Malachi. The Caterpillar Who Was Always Late about the monarch butterflies and their journey and one little butterfly’s lesson learned from slowing down and enjoying life.

Xzavier and China. A Story Of Care And Cooperation about two very different creatures learning to exist and get along with care and cooperation.

Book already released: Stories That Come Alive Through Yoga a fun instructional book on yoga and practicing yoga through fun kid friendly stories for children, families and yoga instructors.

All stories are from the Nurturing Nature Collection: connecting “with care” to our world. These books are a collection of fun, educational and entertaining stories that teach ways to create a healthier “us” and a healthier” world”.

All stories include a summary filled with educational information on the stories topic as well as a glossary and educational resources and web sites to educate and help our environment.

They can be purchased in print and e book on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Borders.com, and apple I pad. Visit web site for more information: http://reneesherkness.webs.com/

Heather: Thank you for allowing me the honor of interviewing you, Renee! I know I look forward to watching your stories come to life and put on bookshelves!

Readers! It’s prime time for holiday shopping (or soon will be… I know I’ve all ready started my Christmas shopping), and if you have a young reader, check out Renee’s website and consider grabbing a copy of her books. They make great gifts!

NaNo is a Go

2011-10-22T22:27:00.001-07:00

Hello readers! I feel like a zombie - just in time for Halloween too. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m going to be… unless I can find a fake wound so I can be a vampire victim, so I’m still between costume ideas. Still, I’ll be one of the two. But this is all absolutely and completely irrelevant!

So, I have a lot of things in the works, I’m setting up online classes, getting ready for a big Halloween party, and two big things are going on this November.

First, is NaNoWriMo (if you haven’t heard of it, click it). I wasn’t sure that I was going to have time to participate this year because of school and work, but I’ve decided to give it a go. Hopefully with a few cheerleaders (I’m adopting NaNo cheerleaders, by the way) I’ll be able to pull through to get my 50,000 words.

What am I going to write this year? Well, I’m cheating - a bit - because I’m not starting a book from the beginning, I’m going to be continuing two novels that I started a few years ago. One is a genuine NaNo novel that I started last year Howl, and the other is the second book in The Artifact Series. Both require about 25k more words to be called complete, give or take. So it seems kind of perfect to do… okay, you can flog me now for not starting entirely fresh this year.

Oho, and you’ll also be able to read Howl and keep up with my progress on Smashwords, I’ll be uploading what I write everyday for your viewing pleasure (and to hopefully cheer me on, because I’ll need it)!

The other thing that is going on in November is Adopt an Indie Month. I’m an indie, and I’m still waiting to be adopted.

*Presses nose against window and looks awfully adorable*

From what I hear, those who adopt an indie have the chance to win a big, professional, blog makeover. So, if you’re interested, you could adopt me… I don’t chew rugs or shoes and I’m housetrained.

For this last bit of info, I wanted to let you all know that I just updated my Facebook author page – http://www.facebook.com/HCPaye – if you want to keep up with me (and cheer me on for NaNo) this is the place to do it.

This really isn’t a big deal, you’re just opening up a can of worms and turning it into Texas. (Howl quote)

A Few Formatting Basics

2011-09-29T18:40:00.001-07:00

Hola readers!

I just finished my school work (for the most part) for this week and now am able to do my work while I listen to Christina Grimmie’s new album (links for her work is at the end of this post).

Before I get to my work, I decided to drop in and give you all a short lesson in book formatting, which doesn’t just apply to book formatters but writers as well.

So, when you’re writing a fictional story, here’s some simple things to remember:

Don’t use Bold! I mean, ever. Don’t. Use. It. When you want to convey something with power, we don’t use bold. It’s annoying. We use exclamation points and italics. No bold.
Don’t use ALL CAPS! Don’t do it. I have seen this used – rarely – in some books – but only single words, NEVER FULL SENTENCES or PHRASES. ONE word only, if you MUST.
When indenting your paragraphs, don’t use tabs and don’t use the space bar! You will enrage your formatter. If you don’t know how to set the indent spacing on your word processor (i.e. Microsoft Word, Word Perfect), then don’t use indents at all. Just double space your paragraphs. It’s so much easier than having to go through and remove all of the tabs (by hand!) or spaces. So either learn how to indent your paragraphs (if you don’t know how and you want to learn, you can message/email/contact me and I’ll give you a hand) or just don’t indent.

What I just did above… don’t do it. That’s why I did it. I’m hoping you’re the learn-from-others’-mistakes type of person.
The difference between formatting fiction and nonfiction is that the rules that I mentioned above, don’t necessarily apply to nonfiction:

You can use bold. You should use it sparingly still. I mean, if you can’t convey your message powerfully without the help of bold, italics, or underlining and all that, then you should be rewriting that message, not covering it up. Can you use bold in nonfiction? Yes.
You can underline words. Again, use it sparingly. Only when you really need it. I once formatted a nonfiction book where each numbered paragraph started like this one. With the underlines. It was scary and I couldn’t actually focus on what I was reading.
The ALL CAPS rule for nonfiction is the same for nonfiction. It isn’t exactly a good idea, but you can let one slide rarely. By rarely I mean, once per 500 page novel.
If you are using Bold, Italics, AND Underline in one article or chapter – you seriously need to reconsider. Take out everything you can. Replace it with the classic exclamation point when you want to make – well – a point.

Right now, I’m reading a great nonfiction book for my theatre class: Theatre Arts: Fundamental Theory & Practice by Frank Pickard. There are some severe formatting issues with it… I mean some things that really bugged me. But one thing that is extremely right in the book is the *lack* of bold italic and underline usage. It has more of a continuous read feel to it.
There’s some bold and plenty of italics, but everything that I’ve just discussed in this blog post is very right in that book. So, take a peek at that if you want an example of how to do it right.

(Who the heck is Christina Grimmie? Latest YouTube singing sensation, her new album was released last June.)

If all the world were to form one human, he would be perfect, because there is at least one thing that each person does perfectly.

What a Weekend!

2011-09-26T22:46:00.001-07:00

So, for all of you who haven’t heard (meaning those of you who aren’t following me on Twitter or Facebook or anywhere else), this week my laptop died… last week my flash drive disappeared. So, that would conclude everything that I’ve ever saved anything to… nice.
Last night, I had a big adventure going out at midnight to Walmart to get me a laptop. Walmart was out of laptops, so I had to drive all the way across town – where I did get the last one of this kind in stock. It was a three hour endeavor, but it was successful.
Oh yeah, I got a kick out of the clerks in both stores. The first clerk at the first store says to my mom: “I understand how kids are.” Insinuating me. It’s a little more than a back-to-school, I’m-being-picky-and-annoying thing. But okay. The next clerk says to me: “Now that you have this, go home, take a nap, and then you can open this up and check it out.” It was a little weird, I hadn’t been spoken to in quite awhile like that. But it’s refreshing to be treated like my age for once.
Anyways, I am attempting to install all my programs. I have a bit of an M.I.A Microsoft Office issue. So, I’ll be having to get me that and get it installed. Until then, I’ll be doing my work that requires that on the “Main” computer, which will be a pain and will slightly slow me down. It’s so much easier having everything in one place (yes, I’m spoiled).
On the bright side, there is hope that I will be able to retrieve all my info off my laptop. So, all is not lost… entirely… just massive portions of it.
The point of the post? Oh, yeah, there are a few. First: I’ll be a little bit slow in getting my work out (Sorry!). Second: Sometimes backing up your flash drive to your computer isn’t the safest option. Pretty much everything I have left is what I posted online. Third: My Twitter followers, Facebook stalkers, and blog subscribers (you) are really great and epic people and I love them!

Computers eat lives.

New Book Covers

2011-09-24T23:17:00.002-07:00

Hello readers!

So today - one of my only days off (of school. School is the new work now, haven't you heard?) - I got back to work, and discovered that I really, absolutely love my work. I'm only able to do it on Saturday and Monday now, and I really miss it. Being a graphic designer is amazing, and I can't imagine having any other job... well, that's not entirely true. But the point is, it's an job. And, way easier than school... kills less brain cells than school.

Oh, anyways, on to the point! Today, I finished a new book cover for Elysabeth Eldering's first young adult mystery novel, Finally Home. It's scheduled for release this October. So be on the look out for that - it will be in both eBook format (for you fellow techies) and print.

Anyways, that is the latest and greatest book cover... over there... above this paragraph... Thoughts on it?

So, about two weeks ago, I finished another gem. Water by Terra Harmony. It's the first book in a series of five. It was supposed to be released as an eBook on the 17th of September, but I don't actually have the links for that - sorry!

I am working on more covers, and will be posting them as soon as they're completed.

Another note: I'm starting to get into the whole YouTube thing, and will be posting some videos on there in the near future. So, remember to subscribe - http://youtube.com/kittynadem - and like my blog, I'll be posting random things. Just whatever I'm into at the time.

Remember to stay creative!

Monsters of Fantasy

2011-09-17T16:04:00.001-07:00

Recently, I've been getting into the books about zombies. I haven't actually read any zombie books yet, but they're definitely grabbing my interest, and as soon as I clear out my reading list a bit, I'll be reading one of these things... of course, I'll probably give myself nightmares, but it sounds fun anyways. I hear Amanda Hocking has some zombie books, maybe I'll read those (I'm open to suggestions, so feel free to do some shameless promotion in the comments section if you're a zombie author).
This isn't the point of the post, so don't get lost. This just got me thinking about the other monsters of the fantasy genre. You know the ones I'm talking about, the ones that are so popular that they can pretty much be in their own category - vampires, werewolves, zombies, shape shifters, etc.
Obviously, vampires are the most popular, but what do you think will be next for this evermore popular fantasy genre? Maybe paranormal romances with ghosts? Or a more extreme lochness monster trilogy?

But those are my ideas. I want to know what you think. What monster of fantasy will be next to rise to popularity?

Zombies aren't THAT different from vampires. I mean, they were both human, and now they're dead and have an uncontrollable hunger.

The newest song on my playlist and what's playing in my ears right now is Colbie Caillat's "Brighter Than the Sun".

So Now, Apparently, I'm Destined to be a Millionaire

2011-09-08T00:33:00.004-07:00

I thought it was about time I'd update you on why I haven't been posting to my blog so often. Now that I have broadband - amazing, I know - I thought I'd be posting to my blog more often; however, I also just started my first semester of college... some... few weeks ago. I don't recall how many. My brain is a little bit mushy.

So what have I been doing, while you have been awaiting my next post (I mean, assuming you were waiting for my next post...)? I have been embedding another language into my brain, learning what's under the hood of a computer (everything still looks like green and lines and boxes to me with the occasional shiny thing), and learning what being a leader means (and the possibility of big event planning).

Which takes up an insane amount of time. A little more than I was expecting, but I'm really enjoying every bit of it. And no, it's not just because my class took a vote today on how long it would take for me to become a millionaire. Last time I checked, I wasn't a superhero. I can recall, off hand, over 30 people who do more than I do.

What started all this? I mentioned that I'm an author. Oh, the common misconceptions. As a reminder to people, I'd like to point out that most authors aren't celebrities.

Anyways, over the next few weeks, I'll still be getting familiarized with my classes. Still, I'll be attempting to make regular blog posts, hopefully, at least, one a week. So stay subscribed and be on the lookout for more soon!

For those interested in the "Millionaire" poll results, the majority voted by the time I'm 20. A few votes for by the time I'm 18. And one vote for by the end of the semester.

Taco Bell

2011-08-13T01:09:00.000-07:00

It took a lot of effort on my part to not write the title of this blog post in all caps with many, many repeated letters followed by many, many exclamation points. Why? I'm a Taco Bell obsessive. That's why. I admit my problem.

My family is glad the nearest Taco Bell is 25 miles away (times like these, I hate my small town). If I lived closer, I'd have myself a fourth meal every night. Never. Ever. Ask me what I want to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever. Never. I may bust your ear drums. I may highly annoy you. You may even wish real life had a "Block" button. Since I first stepped foot into a Taco Bell, I never have suggested anything else for any meal.

When I pass by a Taco Bell in the car (when I'm not driving), I feel compelled to break through the glass or strangle the driver. Kind of like a rabid vampire visiting a blood drive. Or Alice Bonham in Flutter (My Blood Approves Series), when she takes a visit to the JFK airport. And it's not fair that there's a Taco Bell on every corner, but none near my house.

For this reason, I believe that Taco Bell should deliver. But they don't. And despite the pleas I've seen from other Taco Bell obsessives on Twitter, they are still a walk-in only restaurant. But that's okay. I still love Taco Bell, and I have this theory, that one day Amazon will actually sell Taco Bell's Beefy 5-layer Burritos, and I will be able to choose 2-day shipping at the checkout. Hey, it could happen!

I could go on forever, and to be honest, this blog post is really quite pointless compared to a lot of posts I've done in the past. So, I'm reigning myself in. I'm stopping here, and just going to casually mention that I just created my very first ringtone, and... I'm sure you can guess it's theme.

The Insane Taco Bell ringtone will soon be available for download free at - http://www.phonezoo.com/ringtone/234083415/insane-taco-bell-heather-paye.htm

And you can listen to it on my Tumblr page here - http://kittynadem.tumblr.com/post/8859023190/insanetacobell

Also pending a YouTube version of this ringtone - with video.

Signing off for tonight. May your obsessions run deep!

Old Things

2011-07-31T22:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever walked through a swapmeet or yard sale and noticed things from way back when, or other unidentifiable objects that are obviously not from your time?

Recently, I've noticed quite a few old things cross my path lately. For one, an old coffee maker, which - get this - has no buttons! This amused me to no end, and still does. I've no idea how old it actually is, I'm guessing it may be a 1960-80 model, but it still works quite well. I couldn't figure out how to make it work, but I've seen it in action. It has a switch on it, and a little mini-clock to set the timer.

Today, I noticed wall clocks, and I realized oddly, that there are a lot of inventions created in the 1900s that we don't really need anymore. Who needs wall clocks to tell the time when we have cell phones constantly at our side with the correct time? The same with digital clocks. It seems every piece of electronic device now has a clock, and I don't remember the last time I had to search around just to find out what time it was.

Rendering clocks, unnecessary.

I was watching my brother shread cheese today as well, and something about that made it seem incredibly old fashioned. Cheese is preshreaded now. We but it in bags, not blocks... well, unless you enjoy slaving away in the kitchen. I almost rendered blocks of cheese unnecessary, then I thought of my favored encheladas and marked that off my list of "Too Old". Shreaders/graters could be made invalid though, as we have all those nifty electronic gadgets to shread and gunk for us. So I added them to the list.

I had a laugh about those old dial-phones earlier with a friend of mine. Here's my post from Facebook - "Oh no, don't start on the old phones! I look at my shiny, touchscreen phone now and can't even begin to comtemplate how slow texting would be on one of them dial things!" Who, in the 1930s, would have thought there would be a such thing as a "Smartphone"?

How about the days when a TV was a TV, no HD (High Definition) or SD (Standard Definition) labling? SD TVs - and the SD movies that rode in with them are on the "Too Old" list.

Cameras that have film in them - like the kind my grandmother still uses (how amazed she must have been when she found out it was a waterproof camera!) - has also been added to my list. We use digital cameras now...

What's next? I'm quite eager to get rid of snail mail. The world isn't quite ready for that yet, but we recieve all our letters from family and friends, our bills, everything really, via email - for free nonetheless. I'll be happy to get rid of this form of communication from the castle ages. Get rid of the USPS blue boxes on the street corners. It's weird.

No books in print. This does bring a touch of sadness to me. But this is something that definitely will happen, and is fast approaching. It is in the interest to the environment - and saves on the bookshelf space issues as well. eReaders are here, and they're not leaving, the creation from B.C. is - print books.

What is ready to go now?

What can't you wait to see go extinct in the future?

Beat the Heat with a Baseball Bat

2011-06-24T23:53:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Arizona, if there's one thing I know, it's how cruel and unusual the desert can be. Right now, the summer is getting into full swing - and not just in the southwest.

So, pretty much everyone I talk to claims that the humidity kills 'back east' and is nothing compared to AZ's heat - even my father who was born and raised back there. And yes, admittedly, we are lucky 80% of the year with horribly dry weather, which makes frying more of a possibility than melting. BUT! With monsoon season approaching in little over a week, I do feel the need to clear up that it isn't this way for the other 20% of the year. I'm talking about an average of 109 degree temperatures plus enough humidity to melt a turtle.

I did some research a few hours ago, and did find that the average humidity percentage for Arizona is 56% - that's the average for the whole year. So, it isn't quite 70% humidity or even 60% as I previously guessed, but it's probably more than most people would think.

But let's combine those infamous 112 degree temperatures with that 56% humidity.

Now how about that 'back east' weather? Their average temperature in summer is 80 degrees. Their average humidity percentage is 80%.
So, by looking at the statistics, both pretty much average out to being equally horrid and filled with a bunch of ick. The difference is 30 degrees more or 30% more humidity.

Now, the question is which is worse? What you can handle?

The heat or the humidity?

*Note: My vote is to move to Alaska during summer seasons... btw... so I'm like... Switzerland.

Do You Use Morals?

2011-06-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

Do You Use Morals?

By Stephen Tremp

Do you use morals, ethics, and social matters in your stories that manifest in a lesson learned at the conclusion?

This is a topic I love to discuss. As a writer, I think it is vital to weave into the plot concepts of morals and ethics that challenge the characters to do things they normally would not do. They will need to somehow find a way to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. The result will be some kind of lesson learned. Many great authors and poets do this, some to a larger degree than others. Often (not always, example is the movie Se7en) we witness good triumphing over evil. However, a suspense thriller or a fantasy adventure should incorporate more than merely a battle of good vs. evil, where good ultimately triumphs in the end. Yawn.

There are a plethora of issues a writer can use, such as economic, ethical, human, legal, moral, religious, rights, and social matters that can question the core values of your character(s). These can be fantastic opportunities to introduce conflict, and conflict is necessary to drive the plot forward.

Question: as we address one or more of these matters, do we subtly incorporate some kind of lesson or question our present value system? And if so, what happens when we approach the end of our story? Do you tend to forget about your threaded morals and ethics, or are there consequences to your characters’ actions? Think back on what they did, conspired, and manipulated. What did they sow? Will they reap the whirlwind? If not, then you may be making your ending anti-climatic. It could be boring. Predictable (the worse scenario). Nothing special.

I note everything my bad guys think, say, and do. Ultimately, they will have to pay for their sins. They will need to be held accountable for their actions, either in this life or the next (think the ending of the movie Ghost where the bad guys are killed and their souls drug off to hell by dark evil spirits). So think about what you weave into your writings. Will they manifest at the end of your story in the form of judgment? If not, then what good is introducing morals and ethics in the first place?

Question: Do you use morals and ethics to achieve a lesson learned? Do you think about the consequences for your characters actions at the conclusion? Do you mete out justice and judgment, such as a guilty verdict in a court of law, the bad guy being killed by a cop, or the antagonist ending up dead and ultimately in a place of eternal torment?

Or do you feel lessons learned are too preachy and the lines of ethics and morals are too blurred to come to definitive conclusions? Or perhaps life’s not fair, so why try to tie a nice pretty red ribbon around the ending.

Stephen Tremp is author of the action thriller Breakthrough. You can visit Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs.

To-Do List Apps for the Busy Party Person

2011-06-17T21:38:00.001-07:00

So, when I updated my iPod Touch, many of my apps went missing. The two main apps I used - Songbook and iProcrastinate - disappeared and it was quite tragic. Just ask my Twitter followers. They were there through my turmoiled tweets (is turmoiled a word?), they know.

Anyways, thankfully, I had recorded most of my songs in Songbook or had written them down before I thought it was a brilliant idea to put them all in an app without backing them up. But, I would have gone absolutely insane without my precious to-do list app. Turns out, the creator of iProcrastinate got too busy to update it. *sigh*

So, I had to go searching for a new app to keep track of my ever-changing tasks. I'm not too picky when it comes to apps, but I needed something to get the job done.

What was I looking for? First, it had to have scheduling capabilities (AKA that feature where you know when your tasks have to be finished by).

Second, it had to have "Badging" capabilities, which was quite important so I can see how many tasks I have to see how busy I am and exactly how much more I can take on without having a breakdown. *Bigsmile*

Finally, I wanted an app that screams at me when something is overdue (Which I didn't realize was a requirement until quite recently). Not literally screaming at me, but I wanted something that would turn red and be all exclamation-point-like when a task was overdue - or at least something similar.

So, where did I start? Like all info I need - I started on Bing (which is losing it's high status in my book due to their "pop-up-crazy-user-reward-ad-things" that keep popping up everytime I try to search something). I searched for the most popular to-do list apps and found that the most popular free to-do list app was DoBot ToDos.

The name, DoBot ToDos sounded epic. At first glance, I could see it's simplicity - easy on the eyes, plain, and very iPod-like. There was the feature of adding several lists, which was fine (often this feature gets in my way, since I only need one list). Inside the lists, there were sorting options and view options, but no other options, which bugged me a bit. It had the swipe-to-delete feature that I loved for quick deletion as well as a check-mark-for-completion thing that I never bothered figuring out to use.

This app said "Overdue" when tasks were past due, but it kept the blue text color for the dates no matter what. Which was okay. I may have been able to live with it... BUT! Then I realized... no badging. Which also would have been fine if it told me how many tasks I had on the inside of the app... which it didn't. So this app was marked off my list. Very nice - but not right for me.

I rated it 3.5 stars.

Next, I took a look at To Do. At first glance, the app had a "watered down, washed out" feel to it with it's light gray app color against white. Then, going inside the app, I was even more disappointed to find the same "washed out" tone throughout the entire thing with dark-gray task bars and light gray dates against an even lighter gray background. To say the least, it was painful on my eyes and didn't make for an easy-to-glance at to-do list. I really had a hard time seeing the dates. But, it had the basic features - scheduling and even badging.

I was preparing for my one week vacation, so I decided this app would be good enough until I returned. I inputted all of my tasks into this app, but I hadn't realized how crucial a good to-do list app was when vacations were involved. I scheduled everything around vacation and came back from my vacation to a big mess. I knew I had 11 tasks, I just didn't realize 7 of them were overdue! Turns out, this app has absoultely nothing that says when a task is overdue. It just had the date on it... date and time, which is a nice feature, but not good enough at all.

It has different colors for different priorities, which I appreciated, and even notes capabilities. But that definitely didn't make the cut for me. Not only was it ugly visually, it harmed my schedule - I just thank God my tasks were flexible. I couldn't use this task manager unless I checked it carefully everyday - wasting time rather than saving it.

I gave this one 2.0 stars

(Yes, part of it was from a vendetta I have against it for harming my schedule).

Recently, I took the search to iTunes for myself, tired of searching for suggestions. I was hoping for a free app (like iProcrastinate), but I was willing to pay a few dollars (NOT TEN! I don't care how fancy your app is. I'd rather visit Taco Bell with my family). Right away, I found a few nice apps.

I downloaded SeizeTheDay - a very nice little app that was instantly appealing to my eyes, gifted with both simplicity and style. I had a fondness for the organization system even though it was a bit more than I actually needed. There were plenty of settings, and I liked that. There was even a search feature - another bonus. From the homepage, you could easily add a task without having to navigate to the list you wanted to put it on. It had focuses for the tasks you wanted to do today, the upcoming tasks, and even a folder for those you don't want to put a due date on. At the same time, there was an option to view all of these tasks in one easy folder.

It did have badging. There was also a calendar view of the tasks - which was a neat feature that was neat even though I'd probably never use it. There was a reminder option (optional) - which I never had, but it sounded amusing. For each task you add, there was a set of advanced options, which including adding a note as well as tags. It gathered the tasks that were due on that day - and overdue ones in the "Today" folder. Which was nice, but it still didn't actually say that the task was past due. Which made me put this one down almost right away.

I gave it 3.5 stars.

Then I came across this fine little app titled Errands. I think I was in love with it before it even downloaded, and I knew that was what I'd been looking for. Sure enough, it had badging - but not just badging, it had badging options! Who would have known? When I exit the app, it leads me back to the same screen I was at when I left. There are several folder/screens, All Tasks, Focus, Unassigned, Work, Home, and Errands. All of my tasks are unassigned as I said before, I don't need folders - just all of them to be gathered in one place. The only thing that would have made this app better would be the option to add or delete these extra folders, or to rename them.

Anyways, it was quite userfriendly and easy to use. It had a bunch of extra features, but what I liked most about it is how flexible the app it. It had the features I needed and extra features I probably wouldn't use - but everything had options.

There are quite a few different view options: a condensed view, and a calendar view. You can add pictures to your tasks, you can add scheduling, alarms, due dates as well as due times. You can add notes. There are a variety of ways to delete or "mark-as-complete" your tasks, by touching a blue check box, by swiping and deleting, or by touching the "edit" button at the bottom of the screen.

This app had features that most paid apps had - I'm talking about the expensive $10 apps that I refused to look at after I saw the price. Still, the "Past due" didn't jump out at me like I was hoping. Didn't change color, but it did get astricks before and after the date when it does get overdue. But with all of the alerts and the features, I'll have it alert me before it does get past due. All ready it's helping me catch up.

OH! And! Another feature, which I loved was being able to schedule reoccuring tasks - which I do have.

What really won me over was the ability to customize not only the color of the text, but the font type too!

So, this is a very flexible app. So flexible that I would say it would suit your needs whatever they are. If you're a busy person, this app probably has the features you need - and the option to veto or completely ignore features you don't.

I'm giving this one 4.5 stars.

Almost perfect, but could use a few tweaks. Way better than DoBot ToDos.

A Touch of This, a Sprinkle of That...

2011-05-04T14:47:00.001-07:00

... Has gone into the creation of The Old Man Anthology, which will be realeased in only a few weeks.

For those of you living in a social hole, the Old Man Anthology is a creation for Father's Day inspired by the Mother's Day anthology, For You, From Me. It is - quite frankly - what it says it is: an anthology for your old man. A creation to hold the attention of your old man on Father's Day.

So, the book cover is in place. Me and my editor are going over the entries a final time, and after that, I'll be formatting the book and it will be ready to go. So, the release date set is May 25th. Watch my blog for future updates!

Want to reserve your copy signed by H.C.Paye? Contact the_jewelonsolot@msn.com with 'Reserve' in the subject line.

Author, Reviewer, Superhero in Disguise - Mayra Calvani

2011-03-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

Today, on my blog, I'm posting to announce that it is officially Mayra Calvani day. So, I'll spare you my babbling, and just say - I have a bunch of goodies from her today for your reading pleasure... (okay, I lied, I am going to babble) See, Mayra Calvani is a superhero in disguise, she has something no other author has. She has...

The Ten Commandments of Book Reviewing

By Mayra Calvani

1. Thou shall have no other gods before the reader.

The review is not about the author, nor the publisher, and especially, not about you, the reviewer. Reviews are all about the reader. Don’t try to impress with pompous words in an attempt to glorify yourself or appear scholarly. Give readers simplicity and clarity. They’ll appreciate it. If they want verbose and fancy, they can read Shakespeare.
2. Thou shall not lie.

Honesty is what defines your trade. Without it, you’re nothing but sell copy. When you give facile praise or sugar-coat a book, sooner or later readers will take you for what you are: a phony. Furthermore, if you give facile praise to a poorly written book, you are perpetuating a bad writer's career, lowering the chances that a good writer may be published instead.

3. Thou shall not offend the author.

Just as honesty is important, so is tact. There’s no need to be harsh or mean. A tactfully written, well-meant negative review should offer the author insight into what is wrong with the book. Instead of saying, “This is a terrible novel!” say, “This book didn’t work for me for the following reasons…”

4. Thou shall not eat the evaluation.

Some fledgling reviewers write a long blurb of the book and leave out the evaluation. The evaluation is the most important part of a review. A summary of the plot is not an evaluation. Saying, “I really liked this book” is not an evaluation. The evaluation tells the reader what is good and bad about the book, and whether or not it is worth buying.

5. Thou shall not reveal spoilers.

Nobody likes to be told the ending of a movie before having watched it. The same thing is valid for a book. If you give spoilers in your review, not only do you lessen the reader’s reading experience but you also risk being sued by the publisher or author.

6. Thou shall honor grammar, syntax and punctuation.

Don’t be one of those reviewers who are more in love with the idea of seeing their name online than making sure their reviews are well written and thorough. Your reviews may hang around on the internet for years to come and will reflect on your level as a writer. Run a spell check, edit, revise and polish your review as if you were posting a short story. Get a good book on grammar and punctuation, take an online course or listen regularly to podcasts such as The Grammar Girl (http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com).

7. Thou shall honor deadlines.

If you join a review site where the turnaround for reviews is 3 weeks, then you should respect that agreement. If you promise the author to have the review ready in two months, you should honor this too. Be honest and straight forward from the beginning. If you’re so busy your turnaround is six months, make sure to let the person know. If for any reasons you cannot meet the deadline, contact the person and let him know. It’s your responsibility to maintain a doable schedule.

8. Thou shall not be prejudiced against thy neighbor.

Don't assume that a self-published or small press book is poorly written. Give it a fair chance and let it speak for itself. Likewise, never assume a book published by a major NY house has to be good. You'd be surprised by the high quality of some small press books by unknown authors as opposed to those written by big name authors whose titles are often in the bestseller lists. In general, most subsidy books are mediocre, but there are always exceptions. If you've had bad experiences with subsidy books, then don't request them nor accept them for review. If you decide to review one, though, don't be biased and give it a fair chance.

9. Thou shall not become an RC addict

RC stands for Review Copy. Requesting RCs can get out of control. In fact, it can become addictive. You should be realistic about how many books you can review. If you don’t, pretty soon you’ll be drowning in more RCs that you can handle. When this happens, reading and reviewing can change from a fun, pleasurable experience into a stressful one. If you’re feeling frazzled because you have a tower of books waiting to be reviewed, learn to say NO when someone approaches you for a review and stop requesting RCs for a while. Unless you’re being paid as a staff reviewer for a newspaper or magazine, reviewing shouldn’t get in the way of your daily life.

10. Thou shall not steal.

Remember that the books you request are being sent to you in exchange for a review. Requesting review copies and not writing the reviews is, in one word: stealing. You'd be surprised at the number of 'reviewers' who, after having requested several books, suddenly 'disappear.' These people are not legitimate; they're crooks, plain and simple. If you have a valid reason for not reviewing a book, let the review site editor, author, publisher or publicist know.

The same goes for piracy. Do not risk being fined for posting a full ebook you have received on any site whether for free downloads or resale. This is theft and the law is quite specific. When you receive an ebook it is meant to give you the right to read it only, but it does not imply that you have the right to rob the author of future sales by your actions. This labels you as a thief. Using electronic transmission is only another way to send a book, like getting one in the mail which would not give you the right to reprint it for sale or distribution.

Integrity is part of the code of honor of a legitimate reviewer.

© Copyright 2011 Mayra Calvani.

Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. Her nonfiction work, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing was a ForeWord Best Book of the Year Award winner. She’s had over 300 stories, articles, interviews and reviews published. She reviews for SimplySharly.com and is co-editor of Voice in the Dark Ezine. She also offers book reviewing workshops online. Visit her website at www.MayraCalvani.com. For her children’s books, visit www.MayrasSecretBookcase.com. You can find Voice in the Dark at http://voice-in-the-dark.com/.

See? Told you she's a superhero. This article proves it. Now, I've read her book The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing and I'm proud to post my review - which, I must admit, I was a little nervous to write since if I didn't get it right I would be in big trouble since I just finished reading a book that shows you exactly how to write a professional review. Anyways, here it is:

The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing

By Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards
Twilight Times Books
ISBN: 1-933353-22-8
Copyright 2008
Paperback, 190 Pages, $16.95
Non-Fiction/Reference/Writing

Do you lack reviewing skills, but love to let others know what you think? Are you a seasoned reviewer, but would like a quick refresher and trusty reference? Inside, you’ll find how to write a review for many different kinds of books and articles, how to start your own review website, how to avoid over-criticizing or sugarcoating your reviews, and everything in between.
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be the number one reviewer on Amazon, for instance,” Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards writes, “But if your reviews become ‘generic’ and begin to sound the same, then maybe you should pause and consider the following: what is more important—quantity or quality?”
The authors clearly show you what to avoid and what to aim for with actual examples of what the reviews should look like. There are plenty of explanations to keep you out of the dark, and even shows you the difference between reviews, press releases, book reports, and critiques. Everything on the subject is simplified and well-explained in this 190 page book. Great for those who are entirely new to “professional” reviewing. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by H.C.Paye

And there you have it. So, since it's Mayra Calvani day, go to her website - http://www.mayracalvani.com/ - and find out a little more about her. See what she's done... what she's created... whom she's saved.

*shuts down computer*

I've done research. I'm telling you, she's a superhero.

*walks out of room*

You know I'm right.

*flicks off light*

A New Book Cover

2011-02-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

I got busy and got a new book cover out today! This one is for the anthology I'm putting together for this upcoming Father's Day titled Old Man Anthology. I'll be accepting entries until March 31st at 11:59PM MST. If you're interested in getting your story/ies in the anthology, head on over to the website and click "details" it'll tell you all you need to know!

Here's the cover:

Want me to do a cover for you? I charge wonderfully low rates - http://hpayedesigns.yolasite.com/

Are You a Mother Hen?

2011-02-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

Today, I have some great reading material for those aspiring writers, coming straight from the wonderful VS Grenier. She has an important lesson to get across - and it's quick, so listen hard and listen good.

Heather: VS, take it away!

VS: Today I went for a mile walk around my neighborhood with my son and dog, Taz. We were doing well until Taz decided he could not walk anymore and started chewing at his leash. At first I did what any dog owner would do . . . I chocked up the leash and started encouraging Taz to keep walking. At about the half way point, Taz sat down and refused to take another step. Now, I could have done what most don trainers tell you to do . . . pull the dog along and make him walk. But I didn’t. I went right into mother hen mood. I picked up my dog and began to carry him the remaining half mile to our house.
After I got home, I sat down at my computer and posted about our walk on Facebook. Then I turned to my WIPs. The ones I have been working on for a little over a year now. Then it hit me. I am treating my WIPs like my dog!
Okay, so you are wondering how in the world are my WIPs like my dog. Well, they both give me comfort, but that’s not what I’m talking about. No, what I am talking about is how once my WIPs get too tired, unsure of themselves, or lose their way, I pick them up and carry them around in my mind. I make up excuses as to why they are not ready to be sent out. Just like the excuse, I gave on Facebook about my dog needing to lay off the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
What I realized today is I am afraid to let my WIPs go. I am afraid their not ready for an editor, publisher, or agent’s eyes to look them over. Does it mean my WIPs are not ready to be sent out? Maybe, but most likely not. In truth, many writers do this. They work on a manuscript trying to perfect it. Trying to make it the best manuscript ever written, but the fact is . . . you will never see that day! Why?
Because all manuscripts will be a WIP until they are published. This means they will go through many more revisions, edits, and rewrites before a publisher will put them on the printing press. It means once you’ve had your manuscript critiqued, proofread, revised, critiqued again, revised some more . . . you need to find the right time to send it out into the world. To let your baby fly with its own wings. You may get some rejections and some may even be helpful to help you prefect your WIP a bit more. But if you do not set your manuscript down and let it walk on its own feet, it will never be strong enough to walk the whole mile to publication.
So stop being a mother hen. Let your manuscripts leave your arms and take flight! Or in the case of my dog, Taz . . . walk.

Want to learn more about VS Grenier? This is her second visit to my blog (you can't keep the good stuff away for long) so you can check out my previous posts on her, or you can visit her blog The Writing Mama.

Contine your writing discoveries with

Mari Taylor and Marvin Wilson tomorrow.

J.M.Levi is Doing Great Things

2011-01-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

J.M. and I got busy with the creation of her very first book trailer (first one I've created. More power to the author if she trusts me with such valuable things) for her very first novel MoonZeLent.

MoonZeLent is scheduled to hit stores this summer. It is a vampire novel with a classic feel. I really haven't read anything like it before that puts the perspective on a person who is entirely new to the whole vampirism scheme, but he finds himself becoming one.

Now, take a look at the trailer!

Find out more about MoonZeLent by clicking here.

For all ye newbies, you can find out more about me here and here. Just drop me an email if you want me to make you a trailer.

Great Stories from a Bram Stoker Nominated Author

2010-11-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

Jeremy C. Shipp is the Bram Stoker nominated author of Cursed, Vacation, and Sheep and Wolves. His shorter tales have appeared or are forthcoming in over 50 publications, in the likes of Cemetery Dance, ChiZine, Apex Magazine, Withersin, and Shroud Magazine. Jeremy enjoys living in Southern California in a moderately haunted Victorian farmhouse called Rose Cottage. He lives there with his wife, Lisa, a couple of pygmy tigers, and a legion of yard gnomes. The gnomes like him. The clowns living in his attic - not so much. Feel free to visit his online home and follow him on Twitter.

Today, we're checking out the latest and greatest collection of his short stories 'Fungus of the Heart'.

Heather: Hello Jeremy, thank you for doing this interview with me. It’s such an honor to host you on my blog! Let’s start off with your basic question: What made you start writing?

Jeremy: Thank you for the interview! When I was 13, I just remember thinking, “I like books. I should write one.” And so I did, and I’ve been writing about a book a year ever since. I have to thank my parents for instilling in me a love for storytelling. They read to me all the time.

Heather: What does your writing schedule look like?

Jeremy: I try to write at least a couple hours every day. I usually write in the evening, when the attic clowns are napping. That way, they won’t interrupt me by throwing moldy pies at me face or squirting rubber chicken tears at me using their fake flowers.

Heather: Which short story in Fungus of the Heart was the easiest for you to write?

Jeremy: “Boy in the Cabinet” was probably easier, because I was already so familiar with that character. My family often plays a game where we make up little stories and share them with each other. My stories almost always feature the Boy in the Cabinet, as well as a character called That Old Meatball. Perhaps I’ll write a tale about That Old Meatball next.

Heather: Which character in Fungus of the Heart is your favorite and why?

Jeremy: I’m quite fond of Soapy from “Monkey Boy and the Monsters.” I’m a big fan of anthropomorphic bars of soap in general, and Soapy is particularly cute with his appetite for carnage and his deep thoughts.

Heather: Do you have any works that will be sprouting in the future?

Jeremy: I’m writing a middle grade fantasy novel as well as a new horror story collection. I’m also constructing a yard gnome-style hut made entirely out of sporks and spambled eggs.

Heather: Any advice for those aspiring writers?

Jeremy: Eat copious amounts of peanut butter. If you’re allergic to peanut butter, almond butter will work. If you’re allergic to peanut and almond butter, magic beans will do the trick. Also, read and write every day. Don’t let rejections get you down. Follow submission guidelines.

Heather: What is a source of inspiration for you?

Jeremy: Horrible things that happen in the world. Beautiful things that happen in the world. My family, my friends, strangers, ghosts, monsters.

Heather: Who is/are your favorite writer/s?

Jeremy: I love Haruki Murakami, Lois Lowry, Amy Tan, Arundhati Roy, Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell, John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Heather: Anything else you want to add?

Jeremy: Here are some free stories: http://jeremycshipp.com/onlinestories.htm

And here’s a big salamander: http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2008/01/080124132336-large.jpg

Heather: Thank you again for letting me host you on my blog, Jeremy!

2010-11-13T00:41:00.001-07:00

I think it would be awesome if they made a Sibling's Day where siblings celebrate their siblings.

There are just way too many siblings out there fighting with each other over what ever reasons and if you think about it, there really isn't anything bringing the siblings together after they move away from home.

Like Mother's Day and Father's Day, it's a reason to celebrate that special connection - and if nothing else, it's a reason to call each other and get reconnected. The same with Grandparent's Day.

In this day and age, it's so easy to lose touch with the people you're not around everyday. And there's so many ways to stay in touch too. A holiday is like a yearly reminder.

Yep. It's my midnight rantings!

All Ready To Go?

2010-11-09T13:03:00.001-07:00

Here's a great post for all of those participating in NaNoWriMo ( http://www.nanowrimo.org/ ) this year, for those who all ready have finished a novel, or will finish one soon. The all-important question that no one can seem to answer without difficulty - what to do with that novel after it's written, revised and ready to go.

Pretty much, when it comes to publishing there are three different kinds of publishing. Traditional, Self-publishing, and Vanity Presses. You have to decide what's best for your book, but I'll break down each type of publishing for you, so you can better understand what these are all about.

          Traditional - This is the kind of publisher you all probably have heard about. You send them your work, they look it over, and if they think the material will do well in the current market, and the editing is up to par, then they will accept it, and publish it.

They'll take care of hiring editors, layout designers, and artists for your book. There is still editing to do even after you submit your work though, and you'll have to work on the editing with one of their editors even after it's accepted - but that doesn't mean not to edit your work before you send it in, if there are too many errors, they'll reject your work anyways. You still have to do most of the marketing and promotion for your book, with any route you go. Traditional Publishing is free, these types of publishers take a chance on you and your book hoping it'll do well in the market. The only thing you might have to pay for is books - providing they aren't eBooks.

          Self-Publishing - This is where you are in complete control of your work. You do everything - editing, layout, cover design, illustrations, proofreading, marketing, and promotion - or hire someone to do it for you. If you do your research, this can be quite rewarding and a great opportunity. But it can be overwhelming if you've never been through the publishing process before. There is some money involved in this one depending on if you do all of the work yourself. You'll also foot the bill for all of the books you buy as well, since in self-publishing you are the publisher - but at the same token, you get keep all of your revenue.

          Vanity Press - I have never been through a Vanity Press before, but my work has been accepted at one. They are pretty much the same as a Traditional Publisher, but the author piches in for the funds to get the book published. Which is why some people say Vanity Presses are a rip-off.

Examples of the different kinds of publishers are listed below:

Traditional - Wild Child Publishing, Wild Rose Press, 4RV Publishing
Self-Publishing - CreateSpace, LuLu
Vanity Press - Tate Publishing

Happy publishing!

Carolyn Howard-Johnson vists!

2010-11-08T02:00:00.000-07:00

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
(3rd person from the left)
accepting an award.

         Today, I'm featuring a skilled promotion, editing, and writing guru who makes my skills look like baby-talk. So, let's see a little bit more about what Carolyn does from her mouth. Yep, I'll stop gibbering now.

         As a college freshman, Carolyn Howard-Johnson was the youngest person ever hired as a staff writer for the Salt Lake Tribune--"A Great Pulitzer Prize Winning Newspaper"--where she wrote features for the society page and a column under the name of Debra Paige.
         Later, in New York, she was an editorial assistant at Good Housekeeping Magazine. She also handled accounts for fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert who instituted the first Ten Best Dressed List, where she wrote releases for celebrity designers of the time including Pauline Trigere, Rudy Gernreich and Christian Dior. She was also a consultant for the Oak Park Press in the Chicago area.
         Her nonfiction and humor have been seen in national magazines and her fiction and poetry appear regularly in anthologies and review journals. She has been a columnist for The Pasadena Star News and is now a columnist for Home Décor Buyer, a trade magazine, and Myshelf.com and others. She writes movie and theatre reviews for The Glendale News-Press.
         She studied at the University of Utah, graduated from USC and has done postgraduate work in writing at UCLA. She also studied writing at Cambridge University, United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University in Prague.
          The author’s first novel, This Is The Place, and her book of creative nonfiction are award-winners. She also wrote a screenplay, The Killing Ground. Her book The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't was named USA Book News' Best Professional Book of 2004 and won Book Publicists of southern California's Irwin award.

          The second book in the HowToDoItFrugally series is The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success which also won a USA Book News Best Book nod. It is also the winner of Reader Views Literary Award and a finalist in the New Generation Indie Best Book Awards. Her marketing campaign for that book took top honors for marketing.

         Howard-Johnson’s stories have appeared in anthologies like: Pass/Fail, edited by Rose A. O. Kleidon, PhD; Calliope’s Mousepad in review journals like California State University at Stanislaus's Penumbra and the Mochila Review.

        She was honored as Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award by California Legislature members, Carol Liu, Dario Frommer and Jack Scott. She is the recipient of her community's Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance. She was honored by her city's Character and Ethics committee for promoting tolerance with her writing and was named to Pasadena Weekly's list of 14 women of "San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen".

          Born and raised in Utah, Howard-Johnson raised her own family in sunny Southern California.

-----------------

Now, here are some links to get to know more about this wonderful person. And if you're a NaNoWriMo participant this year, you might want to grab a copy of her Frugal Editor, so when Nation Novel Editing Month (December) comes around, you'll be ready to edit each and every one of those 50,000 words!

BLOGS FOCUSED ON WRITING AND RELATED TOPICS

http://www.SharingWithWriters.blogspot.com

          Sharing with Writers is a blog on all things publishing with an emphasis on book promotion. It was named to Writer's Digest 101 Best Website list.

http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/

          The New Book Review is a great way for readers, authors, reviewers and publicists to get more mileage out of a great review. Guidelines for submitting (and recycling) good reviews are in the left column. Scroll down a bit. It's free.

http://www.SizzlingBookFairBooths.blogspot.com

          The Sizzling Book Fair Booths is a blog where participants in in my HowToDoItFrugally cooperative fair booths exchange ideas that make a ho-hum booth into a sizzling success. We keep it open so all authors can learn from our successes and mmmm...challenges.

http://www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com/

          This is the Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. It covers everything that has anything to do with editing from grammar to formatting. The question and answer format encourages you to get the answers you need.

OFF THE SUBJECT OF WRITING--MOSTLY

www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com

          My creative writing is mostly inspired by the need for tolerance--nay, acceptance--on this planet. War Peace Tolerance also includes resources so that people can--no matter what they think of our wars--support our troops.

Also check out Carolyn's Website where you can see what other kinds of books she has written. She's also on Twitter!

Follow the blog tour - Marvin Wilson is hosting Margaret Fieland!

Interview with Nancy Famolari

2010-10-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

Come check out Nancy Famolari, she's the author of this mystery novel Murder in Montbleu. If that looks good, you have to check out her other books too, and her websites, and her blogs, and you have to follow her updates!!!

Website: http://sites.google.com/site/nancyfamolari/

My Space: http://www.myspace.com/nancyfamolari/
Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/friends/
Blogs: http://nancygfamolari.blogspot.com/
            http://nancyfamolari.wordpress.com/

But, if you're like me and have dial-up, just stick around here and check out this awesome new interview Nancy did with me:

     Heather: It’s so wonderful to have you on my blog! So the latest from your writer’s den is Murder in Montbleu. Can you tell us a little about where you got the inspiration to write this story?
     Nancy: I love mysteries, so I wanted to write a mystery. This was my first attempt. I chose a small town setting in Northeastern Pennsylvania much like Montbleu because I live in a town like that, and it made location easier to write about. The town has many gracious Victorian houses, but there are a few anomalies. My first idea for the story came from an anomaly, a fieldstone contemporary set among all the Victorians. Then I thought about a wife obsessing about her husband having an affair. She might drive by the house where her rival lived. What if she saw his car race down the driveway? That was the start of the story. Once I had the house it just came to me. Although it made the location easy to write about, I have to say none of my friends and neighbors have quite the exciting life the characters have (at least I don't think so!).

     Heather: How long did it take you to weave this carefully constructed tale?

     Nancy: I wrote Murder in Montbleu in a month during Nanowrimo. I love Nanowrimo. It keeps me focused. However, that's the easy part. Whoever said, writing is rewriting, was absolutely right. It took me about four months and several tries to get the book to where I was happy with it.

     Heather: Was it hard to tie up all the loose ends to such a complex story?

     Nancy: Tying up loose ends is always hard. In mysteries you have to be particularly vigilant. Mystery readers read very carefully because they're looking for clues. Even the last time I went through the manuscript (and I'd been through it at least 20 times), I found details that had to be made just right to keep all threads together.

     Heather: What was your favorite chapter?

     Nancy: My favorite chapter is Chapter Nine. Chess Devon, Deputy Police Chief, interviews Miss Hattie Pershing. Hattie lives across the street from the house in which the murder was committed. She's a busy body, always looking out her front window to see what the neighbors are doing. She's also very old, never married, and talks constantly. I loved writing about Miss Hattie and Chess' frustration with getting her to answer direct questions.

     Heather: For all of those aspiring writers out there, what advice would you give them?

     Nancy: Apply your seat to the chair and learn your craft. Writing is great fun, particularly in the creation stage where you get to meet your characters and work out the plot. However, making the story work takes a lot of rewriting and rethinking. Having been through the process several times, I've gotten very fond of the polishing phase, but, it takes a lot of time sitting at the typewriter and checking facts.

     Heather: Thank you, again, for being my guest on Down to the Core!

     Nancy: Thanks for having me, Heather. You ask very good questions. I had fun answering them.

Look out tomorrow readers,

author Kathy Stemke will be visiting

The Old Silly

Howl in time for Hooooooowwwlloween!

2010-10-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

Fall is certainly in the air! And so is my newest novel Howl, which is still in progess. It's mostly all in the first draft stage still, but I got busy awhile ago and designed the book cover, which I'm super excited to post here.

So let me know what you think about it. Along with it, I'm posting a short summary and my cute little attackable sentence thing. If you want to read quite a long excerpt you can go to http://inkpop.com/projects/3511/howl/ I have quite a few chapters up there so I can get some feedback on it. Anyways, here it is:

It's not a curse, it's a disease. Hyperglyocious, A.K.A the process of turning into a werewolf; and I'll have that disease forever.

Stolen from home by her newest classmate, Halle Feltcher learns what she believed to be a legend is fact. The worst part is she finds herself caught up in the spin, bitten by a werewolf, and there is nothing she can do to change that. Werewolves and humans collide both searching the same common goal: peace - what they don't know is which side is disturbing the harmony.

Meet Dianne Sagan!

2010-09-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

Today on Down to the Core, we have a wonderful guest. She is the dazzling author of Shelter from the Storm and The Fisherman’s Wife.

Dianne Sagan was raised in Texas and is now a full-time ghostwriter and author. Her credits include 35+ editorials for the Amarillo Globe News, a regional newspaper, in addition to short stories and articles published on the internet. Dianne’s works in progress include a flash fiction book with five other women writers, Women’s Bible studies, a series of suspense novels, and Christian fiction. Dianne is working on a line of eBooks. She is active in her church. Her activities there include teaching Women’s Bible studies, teaching Adult Sunday School, and choir. She served as a volunteer for five years with the Sharing Hope Ministry, a prison ministry to incarcerated women. She has also been a Small Group leader. Besides being a full-time writer, Dianne and her husband Greg own a business consulting firm, Sagan & Associates. She is a partner and seminar facilitator. She loves speaking to writer’s groups and women’s groups. Her background includes working in the private sector, small business, academia, non-profits, adult and youth training, and speaking. A member of Panhandle Professional Writers, she can be contacted through her website – Dianne Sagan, Writer – http://dgsagan.tripod.com.

Heather: Even I must say: very impressive! Let’s start off with the basic question, how did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Dianne: I always loved reading and hearing stories. You know how it is - every family has at least one storyteller, and I was the one in my family from the time I was about five. I didn’t really think about being a writer until I was in high school. We had great English teachers at my school, and they taught us how to plan and write essays. I loved that. Later, when I was a young mother, I started writing stories for my children. The first one was a Christmas story about a tree too fat to get through the door of the house.

Heather: I like the sound of that Christmas story. Has your experience in college helped your writing career?

Dianne: I believe it has helped immensely. I have a broad background of American and world history to draw on from my undergraduate work, and I also learned the art of research. That is really valuable to a writer. My Communications degree involved a lot of writing, and my professors encouraged me to write articles and explore other avenues of expression. And as is true with most graduate degrees, I learned a lot about statistics, probabilities, and the scientific method, so when I write I can include a feeling for what constitutes a “likely” event and what doesn’t. The Communications degree I earned also included a lot of behavioral studies, and that gave me important insights into what people really do in real situations.

Heather: That sounds very helpful indeed. So, kids, go to school – lol! When do you usually write?

Dianne: I’m pretty organic. I do a lot of writing in my head before it ever hits the paper. Then it’s almost like filling a pitcher and needing to pour it out. It just flows. I’m learning how to augment that “unstructured” process with loose outlines and overviews, but even those are only working tools and can change with the message and the deadline. When I’m writing fiction, the story and characters almost take on a life of their own. Whether I’m writing fiction or nonfiction I like to get all my research done first and then start writing.

I write every day - except Sundays. That’s my day for church and family. My best time for writing is from about 11:00AM to 3:00PM. But I guess I’m a living example of the idea “writers write because they have to.” It seems I always have something going on in my head, either consciously or subconsciously, that demands expression, and sometimes it pops up “paper-ready” at really odd times - like the middle of the night. Fortunately my husband understands!

Heather: Hey, whenever creativity strikes. You never know if it could be the idea that sparked that bestseller, right? So, how about those Op-Ed pieces for the Amarillo Globe-News?

Dianne: I started writing Op-Ed pieces in August of 2001 as a member of a group of six local editorial contributors called The Amarillo Voices. We wrote in a weekly rotation, so my column appeared every sixth Thursday. Two years ago, the paper discontinued that group and asked if I would continue to write as a guest op/ed contributor. I began submitting pieces periodically throughout the year until just recently. I’ve been so busy with other writing projects that I haven’t submitted anything for the past few months – but I sure have ideas to write about!

Heather: That is wonderful; hopefully you’ll be able to start contributing again soon. You’ve recently sold the rights to one of your stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul. Can you tell us about this experience? Why do you enjoy submitting to anthologies?

Dianne: I’m a visual and tactile learner. When I’m driving down the highway and I see an old, deserted farmhouse in a state of collapse, a story pops into my head. I begin to imagine who might have lived there, what kind of a life they might have had, and what might have happened to them. Another farmhouse, another story. So short stories are a part of life for me. I had several ideas for stories about my children and personal experiences that I was looking for outlets to send them to. A friend of mine in a writing group suggested I think about anthologies. I went on-line and looked for the ones I knew about and Googled for others.

I looked through the prospective titles and deadlines on the Chicken Soup for the Soul website. I made a list of them and put due dates on my writing calendar. I only choose topics about which I know I have experiences that might entertain or help others. I make a list of those story ideas and work on them between projects or as a break from writing books.

The thing I enjoy most about writing for anthologies is that I can feel accomplishment for a shorter piece of work, and that encourages me to keep going on longer projects.

Heather: Very true, anthologies are fun. Now, about your ghostwriting, what kind of genres do you write in? How did all of that come about?

Dianne: A writer-acquaintance of mine who is a member of Panhandle Professional Writers was doing ghostwriting and started getting so much work that she put out a call for freelance editors and ghostwriters. I talked to her about it and decided to give it a try, and I discovered that I not only enjoyed the process but that I also had some talent for it. The books I’m writing at this time are nonfiction “business success and leadership” books concerning issues of human performance, which happens to align neatly with the consulting that my husband and I do. My clients are entrepreneurs, dentists, corporate executives, speakers, men and women in a wide array of professions. I would love to expand into ghostwriting Christian nonfiction.

Heather: That sounds wonderful. So you mentioned that you enjoy attending writer’s conferences, what is your most memorable experience?

Dianne: My most memorable experience was pitching my novel to Rodney Morris, who is now at NavPress. At the time, he was the Senior Fiction Acquisitions Editor for Multnomah Publishing in Sisters, Oregon. (Multnomah is one of the big houses for Christian Fiction.) After my fifteen minute pitch he asked me for a book proposal. I sent it to him, and it made it all the way to the Editorial Committee before it was turned down. I got some good feedback and encouragement from them, though, along with the pleasure of seeing my first novel get so far beyond the “slush pile.”

Heather: That is very neat, thank you for being the guest on my blog today, Dianne, it was a pleasure to get to know more about you.

To find out more about Dianne Sagan and her books check out these awesome links:

Shelter from the Storm trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOtgAi4w6pU

Shelter from the Storm available through - http://dgsagan.tripod.com/id7.html

Dianne Sagan's blog - http://www.diannesagan.wordpress.com/

Find Dianne on Author's Den! - http://www.authorsden.com/diannesagan

60th Blog Post + See What I'm Up to Online

2010-08-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's my 60th blog post already! How exciting. I'll have to have a party when I reach 100 blog posts. All of you who have blogs are probably looking at this like "The girl is absolutely batty!" - lol - I'm a bored person, what do you expect?

Anyways, I've been quite busy in my adventures and I've decided to take a bit of time to let everyone know where I am and what I'm doing. First of all, offline, I'm working on a few books, namely Howl and The Cloak of Erason (the second installment in my series of nine).

The Cloak of Erason hasn't been featured online except on bitesizeedits.com which is only in random sentence snippets. So, I'm not going to count that. It probably won't be featured online - sorry.

Howl has already made it's appearance on bitesizeedits.com, it is currently on writing.com and inkpop.com, I'll post the direct links to those at the end of this post.

The Jewel of Onsolot - my kinda finished novel, and the first in the Aritifact Series - is my baby and has already be featured online. It is currently being prepared for publication, don't have any information on the release date as of yet.

Alright, I'm going to attempt to not make this too legnthy, so I'll run a quick list of all of the social network sites you can find me on.

FaceBook - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=1840847747 (you need to friend me to see my profile, mention in the notes you read my blog post so I know you're not a spammer).

Twitter - http://twitter.com/kittynadem (this is somewhat my complaint department, but I do post quite amusing things as well. More amusing than complaining).

MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/kittynadem

LinkedIn - I'm on there somewhere, but I'm still a newbie, so I haven't figured out how to post my profile yet. You can search for me on there though.

Howl on InkPop - http://inkpop.com/projects/3511/howl/

I'm not going to post the one on writing.com because the formatting is off on that one.

These are all of the ones that I frequent most often, so feel free to friend me, follow me, or review my work. And don't forget to follow my blog if you aren't already. If you don't follow, don't forget to stop back in on the 9th of September, I'll be hosting author Dianne Sagan.

Thanks for reading!

The New Book Covers for the JGDS Series

2010-08-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Elysabeth Eldering, the author of the Junior Geography Detective Squad, and I (the new illustrator and cover design artist for the series) have been hard at work with four of her latest books, all to be realeased for sale this year. It's an honor to be a part of this wonderful series. Below are the covers of the books, so you can see what I've been up to these past few months.

Here is the cover for State of Successes, the 4th book in the JGDS series and the next book to be released for that.

This is the cover for State of Heights - my favorite so far - this is book #5 in the series.

This is Passport Across America, an awesome activity booklet to go along with the JGDS series.

Here's Train of Clues, the first book in the JGDS series.

The next book, State of Nature, is in production and the book cover should be released soon - as soon as it is, I'll be sure to post it on my blog so you all can check it out. If you want to know more about, or keep up to date with the series, go to http://jgdsseries.blogspot.com/ or http://junior-geography-detective-squad.weebly.com/ There you can find more information on where to purchase these books and see what Ms Eldering is up to.

Meet Morgan Faere

2010-07-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Morgan Faere, she is a wonderful diamond-in-the-rough I found. She is an inspiring young fiction writer with big dreams for the future. Lucky enough, she agreed to do an interview with me. So go read the results below and get to know more about this brilliant author I found!

Heather: How long have you been writing?

Morgan: My whole life.
Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Morgan: Dreams.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Morgan: Usually it's the urge. My muse is tempermental though. So sometimes I make sure I make myself write. After a little bit the muse comes back to me purring.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Morgan: Oh....that's hard to say. I don't know. Really. I love Tamora Pierce, Scott Westerfield, Robin Cook, James Rollins, Dick Francis, and many others. Those are my top 5 I'd say.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Morgan: Yes. I write. Or listen to music, like always

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Morgan: Follow your passion. If you're passionate about writing, go for it. But don't try to write like someone else. Use your own voice.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Morgan: I don't invent them. They're already there. They tell me their stories and I write those stories.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Morgan: I do. I have a list of questions from a good writing site which I use sometimes. My records are in my head or on scrap paper half the time though.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Morgan: Mhm. I do feel this way. I think it's good that their stories are being recorded.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Morgan: I have quite a few things in the works. I have two or three books and I'm thinking of doing a collection of poems I've written. Nothing planned with publishers or anything but...yeahh.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Morgan: That's hard.....one neat thing I know is I can vibrate my eyes. Lol. I can also relax people to the point that they are basically drugged. Not really, but it has the same effects as a sedative.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Morgan: Writing is a joy in itself. Finding just the right words....

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Morgan: Mhm

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Morgan: Noise. I am not good for working in silence. I always have some music playing or I'm in a noisy room. Or I'm listening to nature.

Heather: What makes you put your characters in the settings that you do?

Morgan: Like I said, they're already there.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Morgan: Keyboard is faster, but I like my pencil.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Morgan: Trying to get published will probably be the hardest. I always have a hard time showing my work to people. I'm genuinly afraid they'll think it's horrid. Every time.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

Morgan: Write? Lol.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Morgan: There was no "decision". It's always been there.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

Morgan: A little of both. I put experiences in writing a lot. But I need imagination to see my characters and places.

Bonus Questions -

I like the colors of: darkness

The sky is most beautiful when it’s: sunset

My favorite feature of a computer is: dunno

I think inventors should invent a/an: thermasuit

Thing I love most in the world is: Boyfriend

Thing I hate most in the world is: Step-mother

My favorite type of electronic device is: MP3

My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: Castles

My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: Cell

The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: Mirrors

To read some of Morgan's work and to find out more about her, head over to her blog - http://storytimeneverends.wordpress.com/

A Special Treat!

2010-07-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

Da, da, da! Here's a special treat for all of you - finally! A very special, never-before-seen excerpt of the new novel by J.M.Levi MoonZeLent. Hope you all enjoy - oh, yeah, and to those who read and comment, they will receive a free copy of my eBook A Gift From Above (eBooks will be sent on July 24th). So, if you need some last minute summer reads... get to reading below, and get to commenting! 5 copies will be given away, so you have a good chance of winning. Ready... set... GO!

A certain routine set in my days along with rules I followed strictly. My daytime hours consisted of my classes and avoiding too much light, and the night hours became longer with the laboratory, among other things. I looked forward to Thursdays where I could feed. Happy that winter months neared since the days grew shorter and the nights longer, I prepared my new wardrobe glad the clothes covered me up and no excuses needed to be made for covering way up this time of year. Without sunlight, my skin grew pale and powdery.

~~~~~~

          I rarely saw Professor Truitt these days. His actions grew guarded and stranger than ever with each passing day, even Zee notice his odd behavior. The man never talked or had time for any one, not even his own students or his classes. Zeria told me that her father set up a makeshift laboratory in the basement of his home where he locked himself in for hours at a time. In fact, one day I went to the lab, flipped on the computer, and found all of the files pertaining to #302 and vampires deleted. I managed to find some journals the professor forgot about, and lately those files had become my main focus.

          At the request of the professor, I had taken over the laboratory monitoring every day, even weekends—adding more hours to my earnings. This Saturday the evening came quickly and the trek across campus arrived at a rapid pace. I took the responsibility in a serious manner and enforced the rules the way the professor wanted me to. Even though the man became eccentric in his actions, he held the key to my existence and figured the answers forthcoming. While leaving the doorway into the laboratory, an eerie premonition of impending doom loomed over my being for a moment, which I dismissed as gas or something realistic.

          The dim room lit only by a single, flickering computer monitor gave way to the unrelenting grinding of the wheels in the mice cages.

          I sat hunched over Professor Truitt’s composition notes trying to focus on the written scribbles. As I rubbed my eyes from the strain into the palms of my soft, unlabored hand, the semi-catatonic state from too much reading caused me to almost fall into a deep sleep.

          "Brinng, Brinng," the phone broke the midnight silence.

          I jumped to attention, almost falling to the floor and catching my frame on one smarting knee.

          "Jesus!" I shouted, grabbing for the receiver.

          "No, Jesus has nothing to do with this call," an unknown voice mumbled.

          "Who is this?" I questioned as I tried to recognize the almost familiar sound.

          "I am the voice of all that opens up from the pits of Hell," the voice continued as I rubbed the injured knee now paining and throbbing.

          The hairs stood up on the back of my spine, somehow the voice seemed to convey the truest form of evil. At this point in the game almost nothing surprised me, I regained my composure, and dismissed the caller as a fraternity prank. "Okay, guys, very funny..." continued, "Now..."

          The brash voice interrupted the upper-hand I thought I possessed. "This is no joke," the voice continued, "Tell Professor Truitt he better cease or he will erupt his own demise."

          "What the H--" I began as the telephone clicked silent.

          The oddest thing in the lab that night is every single mouse stood silent for a time. No grinding of the wheels, no chewing, and no scratching at the bottom of the cages. My instincts told me a presence beckoned in this room, a form beyond my wildest comprehensions. As I thought a shadowy figured stood before me in the darkness, the mass disappeared into gray.

          I turned about quickly, expecting a shadow to jump out and grab me. As I returned the receiver to its proper cradle, I noticed something odd. The phone cord was not plugged into the wall. In fact, the cord missed the part that plugged into the outlet altogether.

          That was not the only strange thing that happened to me in the past weeks. Even though I tried to go on and keep to my new routine, things had a way of happening. My determination to keep going and the drive of the unknown kept me focused. Although I might have dwelled on these things more in the old days—before vampires, the business at hand and finding a cure for what I had seemed none important to anything else, evil or not.

~~~~~

MoonZeLent will be released for sale summer 2011. You can follow the author on Twitter and you can check out more on J.M.Levi's website.

Meet Author J.M.Levi!

2010-07-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

          The wait for the next vampire novel is not over yet, but it's certainly in the horizon. Meet this fabulous author whom has spun up a creative tale. J.M.Levi grew up in the state of Arizona. The love of writing was fostered by J.M.'s parents’ who read and worked crossword puzzles daily; J.M.'s father encouraged at an early age to keep a journal. Creating a first love of poetry followed by short stories - “Little steps lead to big accomplishments” thus J.M.'s first novel ‘MoonZeLent’ was created. Learn more about this special new author in the interview below.

     Heather: How long have you been writing?

     J.M.: I have been writing my entire life. I have written poetry for almost my entire life since I was able to form words with penned ink. Only within the last few years I started pushing myself to write down the stories or plots I so often formed in my mind with no outlet.

     Heather: Who is your favorite author?

     J.M.: Francis Patton Statham, because she combines history with entertainment creating a phenomenal novel.

     Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

     J.M.: Never give up, anything you write is worth finishing, and edit, edit, edit.

     Heather: How do you invent your characters?

     J.M.: My characters are pieces of me that I bring out and mold into something greater than I could ever imagine.

     Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

     J.M.: Yes, with MoonZeLent nearing completion, my imagination is turning to the next endeavor – Moon Phases of the Vampire Clan.

     Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

     J.M.: Success comes from within. Every single one of us has the innate potential to fulfill our thoughts. Pick a goal, and keep reaching towards it – big or little steps, you are still moving forward.

     Heather: What ws your favorite part about writing MoonZeLent?

     J.M.: My favorite part about MoonZeLent was the ride and transformation of the scenes and characters. The twists and turns seemed out of my control at times – like a great, thrilling roller coaster ride.

     Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

     J.M.: I would say that music has inspired me. While not directly, music is part of my life, the music I listen to has helped mold who I am – every thing from an Irish limerick or lullaby, to classical or even a rap some to name a few. I like to experience the sounds I can.

     Heather: Who is your favorite character in MoonZeLent?

     J.M.: I love all of my characters, they are my comrades. Besides the main characters, a few of my favorites would be: Levi, who I find strong, mysterious, and warrior-like, Guillermo, who breathes a fresh, southwestern air into the story, and last, but not least, Sinclair, who represents the dark, worldly, vampire of yesteryear.

     Heather: What inspired you to write about vampires?

     J.M.: That’s a good question. Everyone seems to be vampire crazy these days, and I have two teenager daughters that are no different. Having purchased every book about vampires they could possibly want, I found the two devoured the pages chanting for more. Faced with the decision of what to write, I chose vampires figuring there are others out there hungering for more blood.

     Heather: What was your favorite idea that you put into MoonZeLent?

     J.M.: My favorite idea that I put into MoonZeLent would be the use of a blood back for willing donors to feed the vampires in a non-violent manner.

     Heather: Tell us a little bit about your journey writing MoonZeLent.

     J.M.: MoonZeLent began as a challenge to write a novel in one month. After the light bulb came over my head for the title, the story plot began to fall into place. With each added character came a new adventure, twist, or turn in the story. I had couple days where I felt stagnant and wondered if I would complete my goal, but I hung in there nd soon a new portion of the book would just pour out – many times faster than I could write.

     Heather: Keyboard or pen?

     J.M.: Both. Keyboard flows if you know what you are writing about. Sometimes pen is more convenient for the times when you have a sudden idea or burst of words you need to get out before you forget.

     Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

     J.M.: I think the hardest part about being an author is gaining respect and getting noticed. Without your book being read and enjoyed, there is no purpose for writing. I also have a fear of typos – I can not stand the thought of my book going out for the world to read with an error.

     Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

     J.M.: I have four children. Need I say more? I write, I potty train, I write, I tutor algebra, I write, I cook. I juggle a baby bottle in one hand and a notebook in the other.

     Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decision to become an author?

     J.M.: My daughter is a published author – she is my inspiration and my hero. She has always considered herself a writer.
     Heather: What was the biggest obstacle you faced while writing MoonZeLent?

     J.M.: The biggest obstacle I faced while writing MoonZeLent was the fear that no one would enjoy my words. I often wondered if my book would be good enough to stand with all the others.
     Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book; do you think experience writes a book or imagination?
     J.M.: I think that imagination writes a book and experience can be referred to as “know how” and “know how” can be gained in a variety of ways.

                     Super Questions:

1. I like the colors of: Cool, calm, blues.

2. The sky is most beautiful when it’s: setting—the southern sunsets or the sun setting over the ocean.

3. My favorite feature of a computer is: Undo.

4. I think inventors should invent a: program that edits for you.

5. Thing I love most in the world is: My children.

6. Things I hate most in the world are: Judgmental people.

7. My favorite type of electronic device is: laptop—duh!

8. My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: Words

9. My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: internet/windows.

10. The oddest thing you have ever written on: restaurant napkin.

     Thank you for doing this interview J.M., it was a real pleasure. And for all of you readers who are dying to check out more about this new vampire tale, stop by here tomorrow for a real treat - a very special excerpt of MoonZeLent.

Look for MoonZeLent in stores Summer 2011

Can't wait that long? Here's where you can find out more about J.M.Levi and her thrilling new novel:

http://jmlevi.webs.com/

Follow J.M. on Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/midnightindigo

Update

2010-06-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

Sending out a quick note to all of my follwers not to panic, I'll be updating the design of my blog for these next few days. I do appreciate feedback on how the new design is coming along, so feel free to comment!

Meet Christina!

2010-06-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

Today, I have a very special guest on my blog - Christina! She is an avid writer who provides a fresh look in the writing world. So, without further ado, I give you a quite interesting interview!

Heather: So, let's start out with getting to know a little bit more about you as a writer. How long have you been writing?

Christina: I wrote my first poem for my english class in school when I was 13 years old. After that I didn't write anything for about two years. I have been writing frequently since the last 7 years.
Heather: Wow, I'm impressed! What styles do you write in? (i.e. poetry, short stories, novels, etc.)

Christina: I write poetry most of the time though I did try my hand at writing short stories. I plan to write a novel in the future.

Heather: That is wonderful! Hopefully the plans for that novel follow through easily. How do you invent your characters?

Christina: It required me to invent characters for the few short stories I wrote. I guess the characters just came to my mind through my daily experiences with other people, the movies, and the advertisements. There is so much to stimulate our mind in today's world. I get ideas from anywhere and everywhere.

Heather: Yes, this world is quite inspirational. Has music ever inspired your writing?

Christina: Oh yes, it certainly has. I have written so many poems on nature and I hear music in the birds' chirping too. In fact, I even wrote a short story based on a song by Shakira.

Heather: That sounds like a great read to me. So when you're writing down these clever quips, do you use/prefer keyboard or pen?

Christina: Well, that's a difficult question. Earlier, it was the pen. Now-a-days, I would rather go for the keyboard.

Heather: It's definitely a difficult choice! What do you usually do while writing?

Christina: Well, nothing at all. The words just keep pouring and I struggle to write each one down. Umm, yeah, sometimes I listen to music while writing but mostly, I prefer silence.

Heather: Uninterrupted silence is certainly a good tool for writing! What are your plans for your writings?

Christina: (laughs) I have had many plans in the past. But I guess not being a full time writer makes things difficult. I plan to write a novel someday and to be better at writing short stories.

Heather: That is a great plan for the future, to better yourself at writing - yes, we always have something to learn! Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think it's experience that writes a book or imagination?

Christina: I think it's a little bit of both. If you don't have the imagination, the experience may sound dull, and without experience, you can't be fair to your imagination.

Heather: Very good points there, I couldn't have said it better myself! What is the biggest obstacle you have faced so far in writing?

Christina: Detailing. I struggle so hard to put details in my work. That's why I face problems with short stories. I need to elaborate and show everything. I guess I have to work really hard at it.

Heather: Details are hard to put into words, I certainly have to agree on that one. What do you believe the biggest obstacle will be in your future?

Christina: Time. There's so much to do. I want to write so much more than I do but can't simply because I don't have the time.

Heather: Time is always a killer. I have the same problem. If only we could combine two days into one, it would help - haha! What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Christina: Finding readers. *smiles* Though I love to write for myself, there's that one bit that craves for appreciation, for fame. Some part of me wants the readers to FEEL my writing.
Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Christina: There are so many. I love Paulo Coelho. He is a master at weaving beautiful stories. I love Jane Austen (she wrote amazing books), Leo Tolstoy (loved 'Anna Karenina'), Shidney Sheldon and the list never ends. *smiles* Frankly, I haven't read much poetry by famous authors. I just read poetry by other unknown authors at various websites.

Heather: Jane Austen was defintely a great writer. What do you do apart from writing?

Christina: I am a trainee psychologist. With five years of psychology behind me, it's just a matter of two more, before I can call myself a clinical psychologist. I guess that's why my poems travel into the deep, I like to observe and analyze.

Heather: That is very wonderful, Christina, you must have worked quite hard to get where you are today. Thank you for stopping by and doing an interview with me, it was very pleasant and interesting getting to know more about you and your writings.

How to Write a Good Query Letter

2010-05-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

Query letters are important if you're going to even think about sending your work anywhere, be it novel or other. Writing a query letter is actually quite easy, you may be surprised.

I've been around the web and have seen many different ways and different guides to writing a query letter. So anyways, here's the basic layout along with all of the information you'll need to include.

Name (not pen name)
Address

Email Address
Phone number

Title of work (in parenthesis state genre/s)

In the first paragraph give a brief summary of what the book is about. Be clever, because this is the first sample and idea of your book that agent or publisher will be reading. This would make it the hardest part of the query letter that you are writing.

In this next paragraph you are going to include the following information: Target audience (Young Adult, Middle Grade, Adult, etc.), note if the book will be made into a series, and if so list a brief synopsis (2 - 3 sentences at most) of entire series, list the legnth of the book (how many words is it?).

Note if you'll be needed an illustrator or not.

In the next paragraph include a bit about your background in writing, list anything that qualifies you to be writing, any experience, etc. You may not have much to put here, so just do the best with what you have.

Next, note what your marketing and promotion plan is. If you don't have a marketing plan yet, then you shouldn't be writing a query letter so soon in the game anyways. We'll be going more into marketing plans later.

Now this is your brief closing sentence, I usually put something here like "thank you for your time and consideration" be creaive, and be "professionally sweet".

Then you'll put Sincerely,

Your Name

TA-DA! You've just written an awesome query letter! It all should be able to fit on your basic 8 x 10 piece of paper, keep that in mind.

Alright, so after you write your query letter, make you you edit and re-edit it, that is very important. If it has errors in it, it may just be rejected just like that, because errors are a sign of laziness. It's just one page, so make sure you edit it very well. Also, be sure to read the submission guidelines, you may have to add or remove sections depending on the publisher/agent, but usually this query letter works for everything.

After you've finished it's always comforting to get a second opinion, so feel free to send it to me, and I'll be happy to critique it and let you know what I think about it.

Meet Kevin McNamee!

2010-04-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Kevin McNamee a writer and poet living in Yonkers, NY. He primarily writes for the children’s market. His work has appeared in Beyond Centauri and he has several children’s picture books being published by Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. His first book, “If I Could Be Anything” is available at www.amazon.com, or ask your local bookstore. Look for other titles by Kevin including The Sister Exchange, The Soggy Town of Hilltop, Lightning Strikes, Papa’s Suns, and more.
When Kevin isn’t writing, he spends his time playing hide and seek, at the insistence of his five year old daughter, and at his day job, at the insistence of his wife. When time permits, Kevin also enjoys fossil hunting, home-brewing beer, and gardening. He is currently engaged in an epic battle against roving gangs of crazed squirrels who are digging up everything in sight. Kevin notes that the squirrels are winning.

     Now, onto the interview!

     Heather: What three words do you think describe you as a human being?
     Kevin: Inquisitive, open minded.

     Heather: How do you think others would describe you?

   Kevin: That depends on who you ask ;-)
     Heather: Please tell us what you are most passionate about outside of writing.
     Kevin: Outside of writing, I would say that I’m the most passionate about my family.

     Heather: Do you have any pets? If so, introduce us to them.

     Kevin: I don’t have any pets now, but over the years I’ve had … cats, dogs, bunnies, hamsters, gerbils, mice, parakeets, cockatiels, and a waterbug named Boris that I shared a motel room with once. I refused to squash Boris because the motel was so run down that I figured he was paying rent. Plus, Boris was about the size of a large dog and I thought that hitting him with anything would just make him angry.

     Heather: What is your most precious memory?

     Kevin: Recently, I came home from work and I was completely exhausted. My five year old daughter wanted me to play our usual games, tag, hide and seek, and some other game of her own creation which involves me chasing her while she’s wearing a plastic firefighter’s helmet and carrying a beach ball. But I was tired and really wanted no part of it. But my daughter was insistent and I found myself losing patience and I yelled at her. She climbed up on the couch, threw her arms around me and said, “I love you Daddy. Now you can be so happy.” I melted.
     Heather: What is your most embarrassing memory?

     Kevin: My most precious memory and my most embarrassing memory are the same, when I think of how selfish I was being.

     Heather: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing with your life?

     Kevin: Right now, I still have a day job. Unfortunately, writing hasn’t been my means to self-sufficiency yet. I’m still trying to find that balance between work/family/writing/everything else. It’s a challenging juggling act, but so far, I’ve been able to keep all the balls in the air.

     Heather: Can you describe the time you realized you were indeed a “real” writer?

     Kevin: Somewhere along the way, I stopped doubting my ability. A rejection of my manuscript ceased to be a rejection of myself. A rejection letter became an opportunity to send my manuscript somewhere else. Comments and criticism became opportunities to strengthen my story, revise something unworkable, or something to ignore altogether if it didn’t fit with my vision of the story. I was able to refer to myself as a writer without feeling self conscious and … oh yeah, someone was willing to pay me for what I wrote.

     Heather: What is going on with your writing these days?

     Kevin: Right now, I have several stories in various stages of completion, one story that has been finalized and critiqued and needs a final revision, and a few that are finished and have been sent out to various publishers.

     Heather: What are your future goals for your writing?

     Kevin: I’ve been focusing primarily on picture books and I would like to branch out to middle readers and Young Adult novels. I have two middle readers in various stages of completion.
     Heather: Can you describe a typical writing day for you?

     Kevin: There’s no such thing as a typical writing day for me. I try to do something writing related every day. But what I’m doing may vary. Sometimes I’m writing new material, sometimes I’m revising, sometimes I’m critiquing, sometimes I’m researching, sometimes I’m promoting. Due to the demands on my time, I’ve needed to adopt the philosophy of doing what I can, when I can.

     Heather: Why do you write?

     Kevin: I first started writing in the second grade. I wrote a poem that was displayed outside the classroom and I liked seeing my poem and my name in public like that. I found that I took to writing naturally. Growing up, I was a constant daydreamer and would construct stories in my head all the time. Eventually, I started writing them down. Throughout my teenage years and throughout adulthood I always felt compelled to write. Although there were many, many times that I put creative writing on the back burner, I found that I was still writing at my day job; memos, procedures, proposals, requests, and I was receiving recognition for it. I realized that writing had been a constant in my life, but I wasn’t writing what I wanted to write. Now I make sure that I write what I want as well.

     Heather: What writer most inspires you? Why?
     Kevin: I would say that the writers that I meet both online and in person inspire me the most. They all share the same passion and dedication as I do. They understand the struggles and sacrifices involved in being a writer.

     Heather: How do you define your writing?

     Kevin: I discovered writing for children by accident. I was watching my nieces fight and it gave me an idea for a sibling rivalry story. I thought it would be fun to write, and it was. There was no looking back.
     Heather: In one sentence—what do you want people to say about your writing in fifty years?
     Kevin: “Mommy/Daddy, read that again!”

     Heather: Is there a place where readers can reach you?

     Kevin: Readers can always email me from my website, blog or from this LINK , I’d love to hear from you.

To find out more about Kevin, visit his website at http://www.kevinmcnamee.com/ or visit his blog at http://www.kevinmcnameechildrensauthor.blogspot.com/

Meet Lea Schizas!

2010-03-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

      Meet Lea Schizas! She's an author, editor, founder of several awardwinning websites and eZines. A short trip to Ms. Schizas's website - http://www.leaschizas.com/ - will show you all you need to know. She has something for everyone in terms of writing, books like Bubba & Giganto: Odds Against Them, Doorman's Creek, The Carpathian Shadows: Volume One, and her newest children's book I Don't Want A Haircut (coming soon) are of these are great examples of the different age groups she writes in. There are also many other titles she has co-authored, so be on the lookout for those.

     In her own words, this is what Lea has to say about her writing career: "Although I feel as old as the Acropolis at times, I started writing way back in my mom's womb, where I mistook the umbilical cord for some cool writing implement. Guess we all have to start at some place so why not at the very beginning, right?

     I am referred as 'Mother Hen' and funny enough, it's not from my five kids but from writers in my writing groups. I have a tendency of 'mothering, scolding, pushing' many writers back on track when they feel they've lost their writing path. So Mother Hen isn't such a bad name after all. I know my kids have referred to me with a bit more color let's say.

     I write in various genres but seem to go back to the Young Adult target group. This age group is so full of spunk and dare you just never know what the characters will do next and that is why I love to write and have a teen as my main character. Also, it keeps me young.

     Some of my favorite authors are: Stephen King, Nora Roberts, Robert Ludlum, J. K. Rowling

     Tune in to my Writing Jungle blog and catch up with my writing career, step by step goal plan on how a mother of five got to the stage she's at right now."

    To learn more about Lea stop by one of her many websites, most are listed on her main website - http://www.leaschizas.com
Thanks for reading!

Meet Karen Cioffi!

2010-02-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

Today, Karen Cioffi will be visiting my blog! She's the talented author of "Day's End Lullaby" a wonderful children's book, perfect for a younger's bedtime story. Karen offers us a helpful atricle on the importance of getting Critique help:
Critiques are Essential

By Karen Cioffi

As a co-moderator of a children's writing critique group and a reviewer for BookPleasures.com, and Muse Book Reviews, it's easy to tell which authors haven't bothered to have their work critiqued or edited.

Since I come across this writing no-no fairly often, any advice I give, or if I'm writing articles or another e-book about writing, I always include the importance of belonging to a critique group. Even experienced authors depend on the unique perspective and extra eyes that each critique member provides.

The critique group can catch a number of potential problems in your manuscript:

1. Grammatical errors
2. Holes in your story
3. Unclear sentences, paragraphs, or dialogue
4. Lapses in the forward movement of the story
5. Overuse of a particular word, adjectives and adverbs
6. Unnecessary words that need to be eliminated to help tighten the story

The list goes on and on. And, there are many more potential problems to be watched out for when writing for children. It's near impossible for even an experienced writer to catch all his or her own errors.

Your critique partners will also provide suggestions and guidance. Note here, it is up to you whether to heed those suggestion and comments, but if all the members of your group suggest you rewrite a particular sentence for clarity, hopefully a light will go off and you'll pay attention.

Along with having those extras sets of eyes to help you along, you will begin to see your own writing improve. You will soon be able to find your own errors and those of others much quicker. This will help you become a better and more confident writer.

Now, while the critique group does not take the place of an editor, they do help you get to the point where you think you're ready for submission. At this point, it is always advisable to seek an editor to catch what you and your critique group missed. And, believe me, there will be something in your manuscript that wasn't picked up on.

When looking into joining a critique group, be sure the group you join has both new and experienced writers. The experienced writers will help you hone your craft just through their critiques of your work.

Karen’s Sites

http://karenandrobyn.blogspot.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com
http://karencioffi.com
http://nothingventurednothinggained.org
http://daysendlullaby.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/KarenCV

Karen’s Books:

Writing, Publishing, and Marketing – You Can Do It!
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/writing-publishing-and-marketing---you-can-do-it-2nd-edition/8218845

The Self-Publisher’s Guide
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/the-self-publishers-guide-2nd-edition/7893477

Day’s End Lullaby
http://www.amazon.com/Days-End-Lullaby-Karen-Cioffi/dp/1419691570/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1220900352&sr=11-1

Meet Gayle Trent!

2010-01-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

Today, Gayle Trent joins me on my blog; she is the accomplished author of the Daphne Martin Cake Decorating Mystery Series. Here’s a little bit more about her -

Gayle Trent is a full-time author. She is currently at work on a new cozy mystery series involving her hobby, cake decorating. The series features Daphne Martin, a 40-year-old divorcee who has begun the second phase of her life with a new home and a new business venture—Daphne’s Delectable Cakes. Gayle lives in Bristol, Virginia with her husband, daughter and son.

Gayle previously worked in the accounting and legal fields, and her last such job was as secretary to a Deputy Commissioner in the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission. Though she enjoyed the work, it was a long daily commute and she felt she wasn’t spending enough time with her family. Now she writes while her children are at school; and thanks to a crock pot and a bread machine, can often have dinner ready when everyone gets home.

“I think it’s important to be here for my children…to take part in school functions and to be an active part of their lives,” Gayle says. “I can certainly sympathize with moms who work outside the home—been there, done that—but I would encourage everyone to make time to visit their children’s schools, to have lunch with them [at school] occasionally, to get a feel for who their friends are…little things like that.”

Gayle loves to hear from readers who can contact her via e-mail at gd830@hotmail.com or via one of her Web sites: http://www.gayletrent.com or http://gayle24202.tripod.com. If you share an interest in cake decorating, please visit Daphne’s Web site, available via click-through from either of Gayle’s sites or at http://www.gayle24202.tripod.com/id9.html.

Heather: Tell us about Dead Pan.

Gayle: Dead Pan is the second book in the Daphne Martin Cake Decorating Mystery Series. When the book opens, a police officer is questioning Daphne about a cake she took to the Brea Ridge Pharmaceutical Company Christmas party. Many people at the party got sick, but most recovered after being treated with a vaccine manufactured by the company. Only one, Fred Duncan, went into a coma and died. Coincidence? Or did somebody have it in for Fred?

Heather: What would you like to overhear people saying about your book?

Gayle: "I laughed so hard when--" A local book club selected Murder Takes the Cake as one of their books; and when I attended the meeting, I was delighted to hear that they thought this or that part was funny. I also love it when people say, "I never guessed ______ was the villain." Also, there was a review where a woman said she loved the main character's relationships with various members of her family--that they were beautifully or realistically drawn. I felt like, "Oooh, she got it!" Actually, I'll take anything that's not negative. :-)

Heather: What inspired you to write Dead Pan?

Gayle: I was reading an article in Wired magazine about clinical drug tests. I did some further investigation, and I came across some fascinating stuff.

Heather: What do you advise new writers to do?

Gayle: Read the genre they're interested in writing. For instance, when my agent pitched my first three chapters of the embroidery mystery to the editor, the editor said she liked it but didn't love it. I needed to revise it to make her love it in order for her to buy the book. I asked my agent who the editor had published recently. With two names in hand, I went to the bookstore and bought two books. I read them and found they were more descriptive than my own books. I went back, added more description and gave the heroine a bit more spunk, and the book sold. Sometimes you have to be flexible.

Heather: Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

Gayle: 1) There is a feral cat who comes to visit us on holidays. We’re pretty sure he belongs to somebody because he’s always well fed. We think we’re his “other family.” We first realized his penchant for visiting on holidays when he came and cried at our door on Mother’s Day. He came back for Memorial Day and Father’s Day, and so on. Sometimes he’ll drop by for a visit, and we have to check the calendar to see what holiday it is.

2) I have an adorable cartoon Debbie Ridpath Ohi did of me with a cake (for “Murder Takes the Cake”) when her blog InkyGirl hosted me on my blog tour. The cartoon is framed and hanging above my desk. I figure I’ll never look that good in a picture again!

3)I once got to interview the famous criminalist Dr. Henry Lee via telephone for an article which appeared in Law and Order Magazine.

Heather: Favorite quote

Gayle: “It’s not enough to stare up the steps. You must step up the stairs.” – Vance Havner

Heather: Do you have any funny writing stories to share?

Gayle: I once tried to "write" using my laptop's voice recognition feature while baking brownies and peeling potatoes. Great multi-tasking, right? BUT, there is a drawback to using voice technology gadgets when you have a Southern drawl. Although, the exercise helped me get unblocked and continue on through the chapter I was struggling with, the computer misunderstood most of what I said. AND, to add insult to injury, when I read back over what it said and laughed, the computer translated that as “a a a a a a a a.”

Heather: What exactly is a cozy mystery?

Gayle: Cozy mysteries usually take place in a small community and involve a relatively small number of people. The reader knows that someone within the intimate group will turn out to be the killer. Think Desperate Housewives with one of the cast turning out to be the killer as opposed to Criminal Minds or CSI. Cozy mysteries also feature an amateur sleuth as opposed to a professional detective, and the heroine has an interesting profession or hobby.

Thank you for joining us Gayle! I hope all of you readers learned a special thing or two about Gayle!

Meet Deborah Raney!

2009-12-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Deborah Raney author of A Vow to Cherish. She is at work on her nineteenth novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the highly acclaimed World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Her newest books, the Clayburn Novels, are from Howard/Simon & Schuster. She and her husband, Ken Raney, have four children and enjoy small- town life in Kansas.

I got the chance to interview Deborah, so here are the results -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Deborah: I grew up on a farm in Kansas, the oldest of five kids. After I married, I was privileged to be a stay-at-home mom of four kids, but as our kids grew, I soon realized that if I did my job as a mom right, I'd soon put myself out of a job. I'm very grateful God has given me this next thing to do. Being a novelist has been a dream come true.

Heather: How long have you been writing?

Deborah: I wrote the prologue of my first novel on New Year's Day 1994. That book was published in 1996 and I've been writing ever since.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Deborah: My desire to stay home with our youngest--a "bonus" baby--meant that I needed to find a way to make money from home so I could help put our older kids through college. Writing proved to provide exactly the amount of extra income we needed, and it's doing so still, as that bonus baby just left for college.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Deborah: Now that I'm always writing on deadline, I don't have the luxury of writing only when I feel like it. But I do vary the times of day I write, depending on what else is going on during a particular week. But for the most part, my word count is met sometime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., but during the final month or two before a deadline, I often go back to my desk in the evening, or get up early to write in the morning.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Deborah: I can't name just one. But some of my favorites are Angela Hunt, Roxanne Henke, James Scott Bell, Tamera Alexander, Robin Lee Hatcher, BJ Hoff, Liz Curtis Higgs...the list goes on and on!

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Deborah: I've had times when the words weren't flowing, but when you're on deadline, you simply have to push through, even if it's not your best writing. There's always a chance to go back and edit, and then rewrite after I get my substantive edits. Some of the things that help me push through: going for a walk, reading someone else's work, brainstorming ideas with writer friends or my husband, and PRAYING!

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Deborah: Don't be in a hurry! It takes time to learn to write, and then to perfect your writing. Many writers I know have written 4 or 5 complete novels before they finally wrote one that was publishable. Concert pianists and brain surgeons don't perform the first day they set out to be a concert pianist or a brain surgeon. They perfect their skill and craft, and then, after years of practice, they are finally ready to perform. It's no different for writers.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Deborah: When I first plop my characters into my stories, they are quite one-dimensional. But as the story happens to them, they begin to take shape and come to life. It's hard to explain, but they develop slowly, over the course of writing the story, and then when I write "the end" I go back and "plump" them up and deepen their characterization.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Deborah: I'm working on the second book in my new Hanover Falls Novels series from Howard/Simon & Schuster. The first book is finished and will be released in May. The titles are Almost Forever, Forever After, and After All.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Deborah: Like most authors, my favorite part is writing "the end." But next to that (and this is NOT most authors' favorite part) I love editing. It's during the editing stage that I know my book is becoming the very best it can be, with the input of professional editors who know what it takes to make a story really sing. A novelist gets so very close to her own story, that she can't be objective. An editor adds that objectivity and can make all the difference in the world.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Deborah: Often! I write to music most of the time, and I find it very inspiring. It's fun to choose certain kinds of music depending on the scene I'm working on. Movie soundtracks are particularly good to write by, as long as the songs are all instrumentals.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Deborah: I used to have very nice penmanship, but after using the computer extensively for so many years, I can barely write by hand in a way that I can read myself, let alone have others be able to decipher it! So keyboard. Always!

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Deborah: The very hardest thing is disciplining myself to keep my seat in the seat and just DO IT! Too many distractions! The second hardest thing is getting critical reviews. Nearly every author has gotten at least one scathing review, and there's some comfort in that--and in knowing that my writing is not going to suit every reader's taste--but it still hurts when a reviewer has bad things to say about the book that I poured my life into for almost a year! Published writers have to grow thick skins, but I'm not sure I'll ever get past being hurt by bad reviews.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it's experience that writes a book or imagination?

Deborah: A little of both. I certainly couldn't have written the kind of books I write when I was twenty, or even thirty. Imagination is necessary and wonderful, but if you haven't lived through some of the major passages of life--falling in love, marriage, giving birth, raising children, experiencing the death of a loved one, sending a child off to school--it's difficult to write those things authentically. That said, being well-read can make up for a lot of life not lived. And I have known some very young writers who somehow managed to capture the essence of life's passages they had yet to experience. So I would never say never.

I like the colors of: peaches
The sky is most beautiful when it''s: sunset
My favorite feature of a computer is: email
I think inventors should invent a/an: self-mopping-floor
Thing I love most in the world is: family
Things I hate most in the world is: sin
My favorite type of electronic device is: cellphone
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: icecream! (I know it's two words, but I'm making it one!)
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: headphones
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: Kleenex

To check out Deborah Raney's books and to learn more about her, head on over to her website - http://www.deborahraney.com/

Meet Dallas Woodburn!

2009-11-30T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Dallas Woodburn, she is the author of There's a Huge Pimple on my Nose! and 3AM a collection of short stories. I got the wonderful chance of interviewing Dallas and here are the results:

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Dallas: I am the author of two short story collections and a forthcoming novel, represented by Foundry Literary + Media in New York City. I have written more than 80 articles for publications including Family Circle, Writer’s Digest, The Writer, CO-ED, Motherwords, Health & Home, and The Los Angeles Times; I am also a staff writer for the websites GradtoGreat.com and TweenParent.com. My short fiction has been published in the literary journals Cicada, Monkeybicycle, Palaver, flashquake, and The Hudson Valley Literary Magazine. I graduated from the University of Southern California in May 2009 with a B.A. in Creative Writing and Entrepreneurship, and I also studied Creative Writing for a semester at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. My website is www.writeonbooks.org and I frequently update my blog with writing tips and announcements: http://dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com/.

Heather: How long have you been writing?

Dallas: It’s funny, but looking back it’s difficult for me to remember a time before I loved to write! I learned to read when I was four years old, and I gobbled up books. Like many kids, I made up stories; I was compelled to write my stories down. I think this was largely due to the fact that my dad is a writer. Every night, my parents would read me bedtime stories, and every morning I would come downstairs and see my dad writing. As a result, I was very aware that someone had written the books I so loved to read. And I decided that I wanted to be someone who writes books for other people to enjoy.
My dad is my biggest fan and is the first person who reads my work – his feedback and encouragement are invaluable. I remember when I was little, he would let me type out stories on his computer once he had filed his column for the day – how special that was! I am incredibly blessed that my parents and teachers were so encouraging of my love of writing from a very young age. Also, when I was in the first and second grade I was lucky to have an amazing teacher, Diane Sather, who encouraged my love for writing. I remember she had me read one of my stories to the class. I got such a burst of joy from sharing what I had written with others. It never crossed my mind to just write for myself.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Dallas: I published my first book, There’s a Huge Pimple on My Nose, when I was in fifth grade. Pimple is proof that with a lot of hard work, a lot of perseverance – and, yes, a lot of support, too – a small idea can snowball into something bigger than you ever dreamed. My snowball began as a snowflake when I applied for and received a $50 grant from my elementary school to write, publish and sell a collection of my short stories and poems -- but I think here's what set my proposal apart: I would use the profits to repay my grant, so the school could offer an extra one the following year. My first printing, done at a Kinkos copy shop, was modest: twenty-five staple-bound forty-page books. Actually, they were more like thick pamphlets, but no matter – to me, they were books, my books, the most beautiful books I had ever laid eyes upon. J.K. Rowling wasn’t more proud of her first Harry Potter hardcover edition.
My fellow students and teachers, bless them, acted as if Pimple was at the top of the New York Times Best-Seller List. The first twenty-five copies promptly sold in a couple of days. Can you imagine what a turbo-boost this was to a fifth-grader’s self-esteem? I was pursuing my dream, but I wasn’t pursuing it alone – my family and friends and teachers were right there with me. So I went back to Kinkos, ordered twenty-five more books – and soon sold all those as well. After three more trips to Kinkos, where the workers now knew me by name, I searched out a publishing business and ordered a few hundred glossy-covered, glue-bound, professional-looking Pimples. My little forty-page dream evolved from a snowball into a blizzard, with newspaper and radio interviews; appearances at literacy events all around California; even a “Dallas Woodburn Day” at the Santa Barbara Book Fair. I still have to pinch myself, but Pimple has sold more than 2,200 copies and I repaid two school grants.
Looking back, I was fortunate to dive into this career at such an early age because I wasn't afraid or self-conscious about my writing. I think as we get older, we tend to lose that child-like pride and confidence in ourselves and our work. I published my first book when I was in fifth grade. I wasn't afraid of rejection, so I sent my book out to anyone and everyone I thought might read it. Sure, I didn't hear back from a lot of them. But I did score reviews in The Los Angeles Times, Girls' Life Magazine, Cosmo Girl Magazine, and others. Many terrific doors were opened for me because I wasn't afraid to hear the word "no."

Heather: You’ve created an organization called Write On! For Literacy. What does that entail?

Dallas: In a recent national assessment conducted by the National Literacy Institute (NLI) of fourth-grade students, 13% reported never reading for fun on their own; an additional 16% only read for fun once a month. I think this is a travesty. Reading has brought me so much excitement, confidence and has opened so many doors for me, including a tremendous college education and a career that I love.
Writing and reading have given me so much fulfillment and self-confidence, and opportunities that I never would have been given otherwise – like traveling to New York to be a guest on The CBS Early Show when I was writing a column for Family Circle magazine. I feel other kids should be exposed to writing and reading as well, to encourage their self-confidence and self-expression. When I published my first book, There’s a Huge Pimple On My Nose, in fifth grade, the teachers in my elementary school asked me to talk to their classes, and then I spoke to other classes throughout the school district. I still enjoy talking to kids about writing. At the beginning of my talk, I ask the kids if any of them are interested in writing, and usually a few shy hands raise. In contrast, at the end of my talk when I ask the same question, a lot more hands raise. The students told me they didn’t know that kids could be writers. They thought they had to wait until they were adults.
I started "Write On! For Literacy" in 2001 to encourage kids to discover joy, confidence, a means of self-expression and connection to others through reading and writing. My website www.writeonbooks.org features writing contests, book reviews, fun writing prompts, and more. I also hold an annual Holiday Book Drive to collect and distribute new books to disadvantaged kids -- more than 10,000 books have been donated to date.

Heather: If one of our readers wants to sponsor a local holiday book drive for your organization, what should he or she do?

Dallas: That would be wonderful! Write On! would love for you to start a Holiday Book Drive chapter in your area! It can be as large or small of an effort as you have the time and energy for. Many chapter leaders begin book drives by inviting friends and relatives to get involved, and then broaden their efforts to area schools, churches and community groups. I have found in my own efforts that often people in the community want to get involved with literacy endeavors, but aren't sure how -- when they hear about the Holiday Book Drive, they are very excited to help out.
If you are interested in starting a Holiday Book Drive chapter, please e-mail me at dallaswoodburn@aol.com and I will add you to our chapter list. I can also send you flyers to help spread the word and get the ball rolling!

Heather: What was your main goal when you started your website, www.writeonbooks.org?

Dallas: With my website I wanted to create a place where young writers can go to find resources and inspiration, as well as connect with other young writers. I started the site to coincide with my latest endeavor, which is starting a publishing company, Write On! Books, that publishes anthologies of stories, poems and essays written by young writers for young audiences. The goal is to give young people a much-needed outlet for expression and connection, while also hopefully inspiring a love of reading in youth. As a young writer, sometimes it can be hard to get people to take you seriously and get editors to even read your work. I believe that young people have a voice and opinions and a life perspective that just as important as the voice of adults. Moreover, there are so many books for young people that are written by adults – but who knows what its like to be a kid better than a kid herself? I am eager to read submissions from young writers -- they can e-mail me at dallaswoodburn@aol.com or visit my website www.writeonbooks.org for more information.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Dallas: I try to write every single day – I am most productive and happy when I have an established routine. Even if I don’t feel like writing, I tell myself to write for just fifteen or twenty minutes, and usually by the end of that time I am in the groove and write for longer. My goal is to write 1,000 words every day. I am a night owl, so it is not unusual to find me at my computer writing after midnight, when the world is quiet and I am alone with my thoughts.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Dallas: Oh, I have too many favorite authors to count! I love Harper Lee, J.D. Salinger, and F. Scott Fiztgerald. I also adore Lorrie Moore and Salman Rushdie. Aimee Bender is not only a fantastic writer, she is also a phenomenal teacher – I was lucky enough to have her as a Creative Writing professor at the University of Southern California, where she helped me take risks and grow enormously as a writer.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Dallas: One of the best things for me to do when I am facing writer’s block is to step back from the story and get away from the computer a bit. I love to go volunteer at schools and teach writing activities to kids. This is one of my favorite activities – it gives me great joy and fulfillment. Whenever I am feeling discouraged or creatively drained, going to schools and speaking to students inevitably recharges my batteries and gets me excited about writing again. So much energy and enthusiasm! It’s contagious!
I also frequently post tips for busting through writer’s block on my blog, http://dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com/.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Dallas: Write every day, read as much as you can, and enjoy the process! As John Wooden says, “The journey is better than the inn.” In addition, publishing my books has taught me not to be afraid to take risks, and to take the initiative when you have an idea and make it happen yourself rather than letting fear and doubt make you wait. Because, why wait? Take small steps towards your dreams, and small steps can snowball into amazingly big opportunities!

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Dallas: Usually my characters start with a kernel of a personal experience or emotion that I am going through, and then pretty quickly this spins away from me and becomes a character separate from myself. Even if the eventual story is going to be written in third person, I usually like to write at least a couple pages in first person from the character’s perspective to get a sense of his or her voice. I don’t censor myself during this process – I just let the words flow freely and see what voice develops for the character. Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?
The best characters become real for me. The main character in my first novel is incredibly vivid and really guided the story, especially at the end. The story is written in first person, and a really neat thing happened – it started to feel like she was guiding the story and I was just writing what she was telling me.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Dallas: Yes, lots! I have started to write another novel, which I’m in the early exciting stages of – writing and waiting to see where the story will lead me. I'm also a staff writer for the websites GradtoGreat.com, TweenParent.com, and Listen magazine, a publication that encourages kids to make smart choices and stay away from drugs and alcohol. I’m having fun working on play scripts and submitting them to festivals. I’m also the coordinator for the Young Writers Program of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference – I really enjoy interacting with other young writers, and I hope to expand the Young Writers Program and continue to be involved with the conference for many years to come. What would you say is the neatest thing you know?
I am continually impressed and inspired by the resilience, beauty, and generosity in people. Also, by the human ability to change and grow and thrive despite adversity and setbacks.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Dallas: Sometimes the actual process of writing can be tedious and difficult, but I love the satisfaction of having written. And I love being able to share what I’ve written with others, and to hear from people who have read my work and been touched or inspired by something I have written. I believe writing can connect people and foster understanding, and that is what I hope to do in my career.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Dallas: I like a little bit of background noise, whether it is music on my computer or the quiet hum of conversations around me at a coffee shop.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Dallas: I used to be strictly a keyboard girl, but lately I’ve been writing freehand in big spiral notebooks in coffeeshops. I’ve found writing with pen and paper makes me feel less inhibited and more creative. In the evening, I go home and transcribe everything from my notebook to the computer, and do my first round of editing as I type things in. The process is working well for me right now.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Dallas: Rejection is something that ever author has to deal with. As a writer, I joke that I could wallpaper all four of my bedroom walls with all the rejection letters I have received from editors! The important thing is not to take it personally. For whatever reason, you or your writing just wasn’t a right fit for that publication at this specific time. That doesn’t mean that they won’t love the next piece you send to them! When I get a rejection letter, I first read the comments to see if there is any advice I can glean or ways I can improve for next time. Then, I submit my story or essay or article somewhere else. It took me more than a year to find my literary agent. A year of rejection, rejection, rejection – until finally, I found my perfect match. My agent understands my writing and has faith in my career. I just had to have the patience and perseverance to find her!

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Dallas: Writing is my passion – I feel most alive when I am writing and sharing my writing with others. I can’t imagine what I would be doing if I were not pursuing a career as an author! I also feel very blessed that my parents are incredibly supportive and encouraging of my dreams.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

Dallas: I think it’s a combination of both. I definitely think you are never too young to be a writer. As a child, I wrote stories based on things I was dealing with and thinking about at the time – everything from pimples to race issues to magical stuffed animals coming to life. I think the book is incredibly relatable to kids because I was a kid myself when I was writing it – that said, many adults enjoy it, too.
In my fiction writing, I tend to combine experience and imagination by taking a setting I know well or an experience that happened to me, and fictionalizing it. I imagine how a situation could have unfolded differently, and write about it. The first article I had published was for Justine magazine, a publication for teens, and it was a true-life account about how I was “sweet sixteen” and had never been kissed. The editors loved my honest voice and the piece resonated with a lot of readers. I have always tried to see my young age as an advantage in my writing, rather than a disadvantage, because it allows me to write about things like teen issues with a great deal of authenticity. As a teen writing for a teen publication, I wrote an article that I would want to read!
I would encourage other writers to put themselves in this mindset – what insights and lessons does your particular background and experiences give you? How can you use these traits as an advantage in your writing life?

1. I like the colors of: Ireland
2. The sky is most beautiful when it’s: Dusk
3. My favorite feature of a computer is the: Keyboard
4. I think inventors should invent a/an: Invisibility Cloak
5. Thing I love most in the world is: My Family
6. Things I hate most in the world is: Violence
7. My favorite type of electronic device is: My Laptop
8. My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: Pencil
9. My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: Beatles Music
10. The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: The John Lennon Wall in Prague (also the coolest thing!).

Meet April Star!

2009-11-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet April Star certainly the star author of The Last Resort a mystery novel. April and I put together an interview for you fancy readers, so scroll down and enjoy:

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

April: Married for 38 years, no children, 3 Maltese "babies." We traveled for 16 years in an RV and I have worked in the RV industry for 18 years. I'm also a columnist for the local paper with my RV column, RV Rendezvous.

Heather: How long have you been writing?

April: Ever since I realized the magic of pencil to paper.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

April: Knowing I could make money doing something I loved.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

April: Early morning, before work, and weekends.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

April: Far too many to name just one.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

April: No. I believe the term "writer's block" is just an excuse to be lazy and not write.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

April: WRITE EVERY DAY NO MATTER WHAT!

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

April: Composites of people I meet.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

April: I primarily keep notes of character traits and psychological profiles.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

April: Yes, I do feel this way. Many times my character's take over the story and go in a whole new direction than I had planned for them! I think it's a magnificent and magical feeling. It's when I know for sure that the writing is good.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

April: Yes, my new Paradise by the Sea Mystery series.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

April: The RV lifestyle and what why campers are such a unique and fun group of people.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

April: The campground settings.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

April: Yes, many times music or a song has inspired scenes.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

April: For me it HAS to be quiet with just soft music in the background.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

April: Having lived the setting and known many personalities in this type of setting.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

April: 50-50.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

April: The solitude and feeling that no one out there even knows you exist (until you've written as much as Nora Roberts.)

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

April: I step into another whole new world.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

April: The craft chose me. It is something I have always felt compelled to do.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it's experience that writes a book or imagination?

April: Imagination and Inspiration mixed with experience is what makes a good book.

I like the colors of: Green
The sky is most beautiful when it's: Streaked
My favorite feature of a computer is: Enter
Thing I love most in the world is: Living
Things I hate most in the world is: Pain
My favorite type of electronic device is: Keyboard
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: Fashion
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: Peace

You can read more about April Star and her books by following this link - http://www.authoraprilstar.com/

Meet Eve LaPlante!

2009-11-24T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Eve LaPlante the spectacular author of The Salem Witch Judge: The Life and Repentance of Samuel Sewall this historical novel is certianly one worth reading and reading again! Anyways, here's what came of the interview -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Eve: I'm a New Englander who writes narrative nonfiction. I started out teaching High School writing, soon began writing for magazines, and have now published three nonfiction books. The first was about a brain disorder that alters personality. The other two were biographies of early Americans who were my ancestors: Anne Hutchinson, the colonial heretic, and the repentant witch judge Samuel Sewall.

Heather: How Long Have You Been Writing?

Eve: About twenty-five years.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Eve: I needed a job, so began to try to sell my work.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Eve: It's best to have a set time. Now I write while my kids are at school, roughly long mornings. That's the time I have.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Eve: E.B. White. I've written stories about visiting his former house, in Maine, which was a kind of pilgrimage for me.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Eve: Every day. I just lower my standards and make myself write.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Eve: Stick to it, ignore (and expect) negative responses, and be optimistic.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Eve: I write nonfiction, so I don't invent them, but I try to bring the tools of fiction to my writing nevertheless, finding telling details about the real people I'm describing, so they come alive.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Eve: I'm working on a book about Louisa May Alcott and her mother.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Eve: I like this quote by J. Robert Oppenheimer: "Style is the deference that action pays to uncertainty."

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Eve: With the latest book, SALEM WITCH JUDGE, it was sharing with readers the human side of the Salem Witch Judge -- such as his insecurities, his embarrassment at social slights, and his touching descriptions of his children's illnesses and misbehavior.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Eve: Yes, and in my latest book there is actual music -- the notes and words of ten psalms that Judge Sewall sang during actual scenes that occur in the book.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Eve: Quiet is best.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

Eve: With settings, as with characters, I try to find telling details that will make the story come alive -- smells, colors, sounds, etc.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Eve: Both, depending on the situation. When I'm doing research in the field, outside, I like to have a little spiral notebook and a pen in my pocket.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Eve: The salary.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

Eve: Sometimes I lose track of time. That's always a good sign.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Eve: It just seemed to be the thing I was drawn to do.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it's experience that writes a book or imagination?

Eve: I think living life is also helpful in being a reader. I've just read JANE EYRE at 50, and it's so much better now than it was when I was 19. As for writing, I'm not sure if the same thing is true. I think a writer has to be able to imagine the experience of her subjects, many of whom are quite different from her, not just in age and life experience but also in temperament. Given that we cannot change our temperaments, writers may not need to have lived all the lives of their characters in order to write about them.

The sky is most beautiful when it's: full
My favorite feature of a computer is: speed
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: raspberry
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: cd player
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: napkin

Check out more about Eve here - http://www.evelaplante.com/

Meet Heather Barbieri!

2009-11-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Heather Barbieri, the wonderful author of Snow in July (Soho), an IndieNext Pick, Library Journal Notable First Novel, and Glamour Magazine Riveting Read, praised by Jacquelyn Mitchard and Gail Tsukiyama, among others; and The Lace Makers of Glenmara, (Harper), an IndieNext Pick, Parade Magazine Editor's Pick, and More Magazine Summer Reading Selection, praised by Joanne Harris and Margot Livesey. She lives in Seattle with her husband and three children.

To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

H.C.: How Long Have You Been Writing?

Heather: I've been writing in one form or another since I was a child. (My parents have a photo of me "reading" the newspaper at 18 months old.) I was a journalist before I returned to writing short fiction and shifted to novels, eventually publishing my first book, Snow in July (Soho), an Irish-American family drama set in Butte, Montana, and second, The Lace Makers of Glenmara (Harper).

H.C.: What started you writing for publication?

Heather: A keen interest in the written word and a desire to tell stories, inherited from my Irish-American relatives, who sat around and told colorful stories at every family gathering.

H.C.: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Heather: Generally in the morning, so as not to let distractions get in the way, though I'll jot down thoughts whenever they occur to me.

H.C.: Who is your favorite author?

Heather: That's a tough one. There are so many! Here's a small sample: Joan Silber, James Salter, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Edna O'Brien, William Trevor . . . .

H.C.: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Heather: Lots of long walks, patience, and just trying to write through it.

H.C.: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Heather: Embrace the process, keep trying, and don't lose heart.

H.C.: How do you invent your characters?

Heather: I go for long walks or runs and generally the characters begin to "talk" to me, with actual lines of dialogue that usually find their way into the manuscript.

H.C.: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Heather: I don't make as much use of dossiers as much as I might, perhaps because I usually hear the characters' voices first, then fill in the details later.

H.C.: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Heather: I hope they do-for my readers' sake.

H.C.: Do you have anything in the works?

Heather: Yes, I'm at work on a third novel, but it's in the early stages, so I'm not quite ready to talk about it yet.

H.C.: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Heather: Bringing the landscape of Western Ireland to life and getting to know my characters.

H.C.: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Heather: Sometimes playing the piano gets the creative juices flowing and certain songs can set the mood, depending upon what I'm working on.

H.C.: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Heather: I prefer quiet.

H.C.: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

Heather: The Lace Makers of Glenmara was inspired by a trip to Western Ireland, my own Irish-American background (my ancestors left Counties Tipperary and Donegal after the Famine and worked in the mines of Butte, Montana, which had one of the largest Gaelic-speaking populations outside Ireland at the turn of the century), and a brief mention in the NY Times Magazine fashion supplement about a Polish village priest who threatened some of his parishioners with excommunication for making lace undies.

H.C.: Keyboard or pen?

Heather: Depends on my mood-and how fast and neatly I need to write.

H.C.: What do you usually do while writing?

Heather: Just try to stay focused.

H.C.: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Heather: A lifelong love of books and compulsion to write.

H.C.: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it's experience that writes a book or imagination?

Heather: A combination of the two.

I like the colors of: jade, blue, plum and red.

The sky is most beautiful at: sunrise and sunset.

What are some of your hidden talents/party tricks? I can wiggle both ears, screech like a chimpanzee, and Russian dance (Cossack-style).

Are you a dog or cat person? Both. There's a tabby, Webster, in my first novel and a black lab, Fergus, in my second. Currently, we have a cat who thinks she's a dog.

Thing I love most in the world is: my family.

Things I hate most in the world is: injustice.

My favorite possessions are: old family photos and shells, stones, and other found treasures from our travels. I like the process of discovery.

My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: the bicycle

What is your favorite place? There are many, including the view of Paris at night from atop the ferris wheel at the Jardins des Tuillieries; hiking between the villages in Cinque Terre in Northern Italy; the Strand of Inch in Western Ireland; my dad's hometown, Butte, Montana, for the family memories and its Capra-like old town; Point Reyes, CA; and our own backyard/garden.

The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) No piece of paper is safe-dry cleaning receipts, library hold slips, post-its, napkins, etc., are all fair game.

If you would like to learn more about Heather and her books, you can head on over to http://www.heatherbarbieri.com/

Meet Tom Grace!

2009-11-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Tom Grace the wonderful author of the bestselling novel Bird of Prey along with many other novels including his most recent release The Secret Cardinal. I got the chance of interviewing Tom, and during the process I was convinced that he was some type of super-human author, but when he said he liked to write in silence, I realized he was indeed human. Anyways, here are the results -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Tom: I was born and raised in Michigan, where I reside with my wife and five children. Professionally, I am an architect in private practice, and the focus of most of my work has been high technology research facilities. I have run in several marathons and enjoy scuba diving and the martial arts. As a child, my primary forms of entertainment were reading and drawings, and to have woven these interests into a profession is something that continues to amaze me.

Heather: How long have you been writing?

Tom: I've been writing for fun since I was a teenager. I wrote for and was an editor on my high school yearbook and newspaper. In college, I focussed on architecture but received a nudge from a professor who was so impressed with a paper I'd written in grad school that he said I could have a career in architectural writing if I wanted it. That planted the seed in my head that I could actually get paid to write.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Tom: Its second nature for an architect to think of a project as an activity that lasts months or years, so I'm very long-term goal oriented. When planing out the things I wanted to accomplish in life, I listed "Write a novel" just to see if I could hold a coherent thought in something longer than a term paper. The opportunity to take on this goal arose in the early 1990s when, over a year's worth of lunch hours, I wrote the first draft of debut thriller Spyder Web. In writing that 300,000 word slab of prose, I discovered that writing thrillers is very entertaining. At this point, I was still writing for my own amusement and few people knew about this hobby of mine. After a few major edits, one of which involved a sex change for a major character, I let my father and brothers read that version of the book. The response I received was: "I've paid money for books worse than this," which is high praise in my family. That's what got me thinking that perhaps I could get my book published. I sold Spyder Web in 1997 and have been writing professionally ever since.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Tom: I primarily write at night, and with my children's activities becoming more complicated, that pushes late into the night. I still noodle out ideas at lunch and whenever I can spare a few moments on the computer.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Tom: Mark Twain holds a special place in my library, if I have to pick one. There are many authors whose skill with the language I greatly admire.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Tom: I don't believe in writer's block. I never get it. My problem is turning it off.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Tom: I have one college level english course in my background. What I know about crafting a story, I learned from the masters. I heartily recommend that any aspiring writer read everything they can get their hands on. Some writers are great with dialog, others with setting or mood. In my own mind, I'd read enough thrillers that my brain reached critical mass and I believed I could actually write a novel. Had I know it would be so much fun, I would have started sooner.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Tom: When creating the plot, I begin to see what types of people I need to make the story work. I base my characters on experience--people I know or aspects of characters I've encountered in other books.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc., of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Tom: I do keep cheat sheets on my characters, just to keep the details straight in my head. It's embarrassing to have your copy editor remark that so-and-so was a blond in chapter 2 and a red-head in chapter 38.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Tom: The hero and heroine of my novels are based on my wife and me, so there is some level of reality at work here. Thriller writers often project something of themselves onto their protagonists, and I admit to a bit of Walter Mitty syndrome. My characters don't tell me things, but I know them well enough that I can tell when a bit of dialog or an action seems out of character for them.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Tom: I'm working on a few ideas.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Tom: That when children are born, they look all gray and lifeless, but then they take those first breaths and their skin glows with life. I've seen this happen five times and it just amazes me.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Tom: Seeing how different the finished story is from the original concept. I love the happy accidents, those little nuances you discover along the way that make the story better than you imagined.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Tom: I wouldn't say inspired, but I do listed to music when I'm writing. Always instrumental, because I can't have words flying around when I'm writing. The soundtrack to Henry V was very motivating in writing The Secret Cardinal.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Tom: I prefer the quiet when I'm writing. I can have noise when I'm plotting or storyboarding, but I need the quiet for prose.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

Tom: The story determines where my characters end up. My last book, The Secret Cardinal deals with the real conflict between China and the Vatican, so my characters spend a lot of time in China and Rome.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Tom: Both. I sketch scenes and write notes longhand (legal pads and sketch books). My manuscripts are all on my computer.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Tom: Getting paid. Budgeting is very tricky if you don't know when a paycheck will. Or if a paycheck won't come. I've been fortunate to have sold foreign rights to all of my novels. It's not a lot of money, but neat to see my books in Bulgarian or Spanish. About 16 months after El Cardenal (the Spanish edition of The Secret Cardinal) was published I received an email from a reader looking for a Spanish language version of my book. I did a quick Google search to find a link for the guy and discovered the El Cardenal was on AP's best seller list for Venezuela and Uruguay. I did a little more digging and learned that my novel had been #1 in Venezuela for over 70 weeks and had been in Uruguay's top ten for 16 weeks. A few weeks ago, El Cardenal hit it's 100th week in Venezuela's top ten, and I have not received a dime in royalties. Venezuela is notorious for book piracy and it appears that my novel was bootlegged early on and even exported to other Latin American countries. On the plus side, thanks to AP's reports, I can officially say that I am an international #1 best selling author.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

Tom: I write, research, and storyboard. It's an iterative process. My first draft is nothing but keystrokes with no editing or spell check. I try to get this fleshed out quickly to keep the pace of the story moving. It's in the second a third passes that I take the rough diamond and polish it into a gem.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Tom: Opportunity met desire. I knew that I wanted to write a book someday when I had the time, and the time suddenly appeared.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that its experience that writes a book or imagination?

Tom: Experience is nice, and imagination is absolutely critical. I don't write what I know, but what I can research, so I get some of my experience vicariously from people who've actually done what I'm writing about. I do try to see the locale I use in my books, and actually managed to reach the North Pole as part of a science team while doing research for my third novel (Twisted Web). Don't let a lack of experience deter you from a great story idea, just go out and talk to the people who do what you want to write about. Most people are thrilled to talk about what they do. I once communicated with the Russian flight controllers who deorbitted the Mir space station, which was very helpful is writing Bird of Prey. Research is experience.

I like the colors of: dawn.
The sky is most beautiful when it's: summer.
My favorite feature of a computer is: speed.
Thing I love most in the world is: lasagna.
Thing I hate most in the world is: asparagus.
My favorite type of electronic device is: massager
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: telescope.
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: internet.
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: eggshell.

If you would like to learn more about Tom Grace you can drop by his website - http://www.tomgrace.net

Meet Patty Kilson!

2009-11-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Patty Kilson the great author of the children's book Song of the Raven about life and death in the Alaskan wilderness.

To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Heather: How long have you been writing?

Patty: I have been writing since I was a senior in High School and took a "Writing for Children" class. Since then I took an additional class at the college level and a few workshops.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Patty: I had written three children's stories (one as the result of my class in high school) and wanted to know if they were good enough for publication. I sent one of them out several times but received nothing but generic rejection letters. At the time I didn't understand about researching for the most likely publisher and I doubt my proposal letter was as strong as I could have made it.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Patty: I must confess that I only write when I get the urge. I am not a very committed writer. I go in spurts and will write every day for weeks, then stop for months. I often find that my artwork takes over my creative side for long stretches of time.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Patty: That changes as I read new books. Right now I really like J K Rowling because I love the Harry Potter series.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Patty: Yes I've had writer's block. In the past I've just kept writing sentences, kind of like brainstorming, until something comes to me. I've also stepped back from the writing and instead worked on something else like chapter structures, plot, or research.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Patty: Keep trying. And get the honest opinions of your family, friends, co-workers, etc. I've found that although my mom loves everything I do, my sisters will be more honest and give me constructive criticism. I also paid for an editor to look at the first chapter of the book I'm currently working on. She gave me lots of suggestions such as how to make my writing more concise and how to avoid repetitive wording.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Patty: I haven't written any fiction so have not yet created characters. So far I have one Children's book published and have a factual story about my life living aboard a sailboat when I was in my teens currently at my publishers, waiting for the go ahead.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Patty: I can only answer this from a reader's viewpoint. The characters I've seen others create are very much real to me. I've even found myself wondering what happens to them after the book is over. I'd like to be able to create characters like that!

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Patty: Yes. I've written a book about my life onboard the sailboat 'Carina'. I lived on the boat for three years with my parents and sisters. It is at the publisher's right now.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Patty: I know what it's like to be perfectly happy in life. I've been through difficult times, but overall I love life.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Patty: My favorite part about writing this book was reminiscing with my sisters and parents and researching the places we had visited. I gained such a historical prospective after my studies.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Patty: No, I'm not really a music person. I do have favorite music, but it's not something I listen to while writing. Although I did listen to a little reggae to get me in the mood for portions of my book about living in the Caribbean.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Patty: I prefer silence. I need to concentrate on sentance structure, flow of the words, and proper grammar.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Patty: Mostly keyboard but I carry a notebook when I'm writing so that I can jot down sentences, phrases and words that just seem to fit what I'm looking for. Then I review it later when I actually sit down at the computer.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Patty: I dislike book signings. For me that is difficult. I have a hard time "selling" my story. If people are interested I'm more than happy to discuss it with them, but I don't like to be pushy and shove my book into their hands.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

Patty: Drink tea or soda. I might also have a snack like popcorn sitting to the side. I often sit back and ponder sentences and words to see how they fit into my story.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Patty: I have always wanted to do something that puts my name in print, whether it be artwork or writing. I enjoy both. I wanted to do something that would outlive me. My grandkids can take my book to school and say, "My grandma wrote this book."

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it's experience that writes a book or imagination?

Patty: I think it's a combination of both. I have always been advised to write about what you know. The more you travel and live life, the more you will have to write about.

I like the colors of: autumn.

The sky is most beautiful when it's: wispy.
My favorite feature of a computer is: spellcheck.
Thing I love most in the world is: nature.
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: computers!

If you want to learn more about Patty, you can check out her blog here - http://pakartalaska.blogspot.com/

Meet M.J.Allaire

2009-11-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet M.J. Allaire, the wonderful author of the fantasy novel Dragon's Blood, also the author of quite a few other novels featured in the picture to the left. I got the wonderful chance of interviewing this author, and here's what transpired -

To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Heather: How long have you been writing?

M.J.: Since 2005

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

M.J.: My friend Kate and I were swapping emails back and forth one day, and after one particular email she wrote back, “I love your writing - you should think about writing a book.” I’ve always loved English and reading, but never thought about being an author until I received that email from Kate…

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

M.J.: I work a fulltime job, have spent the past few years raising three teenagers on my own, and write whenever I can. I don’t have a set time to write because if I put myself on a schedule, I’m bound to be disappointed when I don’t stick to it. So I write whenever I can – in the mornings before work (rarely), or after I get home in the evenings. Or on the weekends of course, if and when I can find the time…

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

M.J.: Stephen King is a biggie – I love the Dark Tower series. I’ve recently started reading Dean Koontz again though, with an author’s eye and not just a reader, and I’ve found that I really like his writing style.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

M.J.: Sometimes I do – like the past few months when trying to start book four in my YA fantasy series, the Denicalis Dragon Chronicles. I knew what I wanted the story to be about, but was having a hard time starting it. It finally took a weekend away to a remote cabin in New Hampshire where I was really away from the hubbub of life to get the story started – and away it goes J

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

M.J.: 1) If you really want to be an author, know from the get-go that it will NOT be easy. If you’re serious about taking the plunge, you’ll likely have to work harder at being an author than you’ve ever worked at anything else before. But also know that anything worth having doesn’t come easy, and just keep putting one foot forward as you head down that path; 2) Figure out who your market will be for your book, and market to them in any way you can think of; and 3) Don’t let anyone say you can’t do it – believe in yourself and never give up!

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

M.J.: In my YA series, I decided to use my three children and my daughter’s best friend as the main characters, which is really interesting. Just imagine being in the middle of a series where you literally know all the characters, and deciding you want to kill one of them off to make the story better. Which character would YOU choose? (Note, in book four, one of my main characters dies …)

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters. Do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

M.J: I do keep notes on all sorts of things pertaining to my series, not just about the characters. I love that I’m writing a series, but it makes it more challenging four years after the fact to remember if I said Tonia had blue eyes or brown, etc...

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real. Do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

M.J.: I absolutely feel that my characters are real, but this is because the four main characters are based on my three children and my daughter’s best friend. Many of the characters in the series are from someone or something in my life. Take Ragoo for instance, the yarnie cat in The Prisoner (book two in the series). He is based on my cat in real life, whose name happens to be Ragu. He was found in a dumpster with spaghetti sauce on his head and was turned into the Humane Society when he was found (true story) – which is where we adopted him from.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

M.J.: I’m currently working on book four in my series, to be titled Dragon’s Breath, and hope to have it live sometime in April, 2010! And for the record, my literary wheels are already spinning with ideas for book five …

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

M.J.: The absolute neatest thing that I know is that I finally know what I want to do for the rest of my life. I’m in my early 40’s and it took me this long to figure it out – and I’m not stopping until I’m doing book tours and going to schools full time!

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

M.J.: Getting lost in the story, even though I know it’s not real, and having an elementary or middle school student come up to me and say, “Your books are awesome!”

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

M.J.: I wouldn’t say it inspires my writing, but when I was writing my latest book, a memoir about my life as a military dependent, I got into listening to Ludovico Einaudi, which totally caught me off guard because I would have bet my life’s savings less than a year ago (and all the years prior) that you wouldn’t ever catch me listening to classical music, but Ludovico’s piano playing is mesmerizing!!

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

M.J.: I like listening to either nature sounds (frogs, owls, birds, running water) or Ludovico – if there’s a TV, radio, or any kind of conversation in the room I have a hard time concentrating.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

M.J.: I wanted my characters to be in a place where I would love to find myself, which ended up putting them with nature (in the woods) and then exploring a cave. Eventually they wound up in an entirely different world with dragons and magic, which I think would be kind of cool if it was possible to see something like that in real life.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

M.J.: Definitely keyboard (I can type almost 95 words per minute on a good day) – I do tend to use a pen to scribble notes on napkins (which I’m lucky if I can find later on when I need them) at least a few times a week though.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

M.J.: The marketing aspect of it – hands down. If you want to write a book, say, for your mother – you write it and give it to her, that’s fine, you’re done. But writing for a wider audience (in my case young adults), you have to think of ways to get your work out there. I visit schools and libraries and sell books at local fairs or craft fairs every chance I get. Little by little my name and the books are getting “out there”, and if I have my way, they’ll continue to do so. A lot of my friends and family can’t understand why or how I do what I do, but I do it because I’m determined (and maybe a little bit crazy) to make a difference. JK Rowling did a wonderful thing with Harry Potter, getting both young and not-so-young people to read (and keep reading), and I want nothing more than to have that same effect on readers.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

M.J.: Listen to Ludovico, with my laptop on my lap, and occasionally find myself interrupted when Ragu wants to curl up on my lap, too.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

M.J.: When Kate suggested I write a book I was about to go through a divorce and decided sure, why not? My oldest son likes dragons and was my reader, so I decided to write “a book” for him. I got a little sidetracked along the way and now am on book four (of at least five in the series). I had no idea I would find my own destiny when I started writing, and I’ve thanked Kate many times for believing in me before I believed in myself.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book. Do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

M.J.: I don’t necessarily think that experience writes a book, but I do believe it makes it easier to write once you’ve got some life experiences under your belt. For those who may be young and lacking in some of life’s experiences, they have the benefit of a much fresher (and younger) imagination.

1. I like the color: purple.
2. The sky is most beautiful when it’s: waking.
3. My favorite feature of a computer is: convenience.
4. I think inventors should invent a/an: mind-recorder.
5. Thing I love most in the world is: wildlife.
6. Things I hate most in the world is: death.
7. My favorite type of electronic device is: i-pod.
8. My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: nature.
9. My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: electricity.
10. The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: tree.

Meet Katie Hines!

2009-11-16T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Katie Hines she is the brave author of the urban fantasy novel Guardian. I got the chance to interview Katie, and here's what came of it -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Katie: With our last child headed off to college this year, I find my days mostly free (apart from regular cleaning and all) to write and follow other pursuits. My husband and I will have been married 24 years on the 24th of this month. How cool is that? I don't have a college degree (one class short), but was a dual English and psychology major.
My number one love is reading, but as a family, we have been involved in a lot of tent camping (many rainy nights), and play a lot of board games. I am now a grandma, which is cool, and we're looking forward to the birth of our second grandchild.

Heather: How long have you been writing?

Katie: On the one hand, I've been writing since 8th grade, when I wrote a short story of my English class. I wrote and published several poems while I was a senior in high school. Then, with the arrival of children, and home schooling, I didn't write again until I was in my 40s. At that time, I took some diaries I wrote during a time of angst while in my early 20s, and fashioned them into a memoir. It was truly awful, and after a couple of rejections, I took the time to educate myself through a number of excellent resources on the internet. I have since written for a couple of newspapers and have a book under contract.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Katie: It never occurred to me to write without an aim for publication.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Katie: I don't very often "get the urge." I try to clear out emails and make responses, visiting blogs, etc., before I write. it usually takes me a couple of hours to do that, then I am free to write.depending on what family things I need to do. As much as I love to write, my family comes first.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Katie: Terry Brooks, a wonderful fantasy writer.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Katie: In retrospect, I have, but more in the line of getting stuck plot-wise. When that happens, I sit down and brainstorm with my husband. This usually works quite well, and I get past the spot. I have to admit that I take brainstorming breaks several times during the course of my writing.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Katie: I think one of the most important thing an aspiring author can do is to join a critique group. My manuscript was advanced and polished to the degree it was because of my critique group.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Katie: I know that a lot of people don't do this, but I create my characters, give them a background, a conflict, personality quirks. The story requires certain characters: a good guy, a villain (usually more than one), and supporting characters in between. I'm always trying to make sure that my characters are not flat, but have living, vibrant personalities.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Katie: Definitely keep records. I create not only physical characteristics and their families, but I also find if I create problems that each person faces, their strengths and weaknesses, then all of those things contribute to what they do, think and say, throughout the course of the novel.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Katie: Well, I fall in love with the my characters, or hate, as the case may be. Of course, it is always interesting to see them take on a life of their own, and dictate some of the plot. The ending of the book is always kinda sad because I want to keep "living" with my characters, and have their adventures in life continue. But I always know they're not real in the way that I or my family is.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Katie: I do. I am writing another middle grade urban fantasy, as well as 3-4 chapter books, and a young adult novel. Am currently concentrating on the middle grade story.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Katie: That I have a family and they are center in my life.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Katie: Getting the rough draft finished. Sometimes, it's like pulling teeth to get that rough draft out, but I really like editing.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Katie: No. If there is music going on in the house, I block it so I can concentrate wholly on my writing.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Katie: I have the tv on in the background so that I can keep tabs on what's going on, but only have it going on in a section of my mind. Every now and then, I tune in to see if I've missed something, but most of the time I forget it's on, and continue to write.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

Katie: Because I write urban fantasy, or in the case of the chapter books, I always start with family and their happenings, and go on from there.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Katie: Both, but mostly keyboard. I create my characters on paper.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Katie: Marketing and promoting.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

Katie: I do a ton of research before I begin to write. I cannot tell you how important that is for my stories. I've found that reading that I've done while researching my stories end up being in the story in one fashion or another. it certainly adds depth to my stories.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Katie: Well, I've "always" known I would write books, it was a matter of getting to it. Like I said, my first 'real' writing was penning the memoir based on my life in my 20s. At that point, I thought it was "easy" to write a book, and hadn't a clue to what I was doing. I remember talking to another writer, and him asking me if my manuscript was in proper format. Proper format? Slug line.what's that! And so forth. Despite those things, I've concentrated on learning more about writing and got excited when I had a "real" book to write.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it's experience that writes a book or imagination?

Katie: Gotta be a combination of both. I think it is difficult to create characters with depth and meaning and purpose without knowing about other people and what makes them tick. Imagination fuels the story in which the characters find themselves.

I like the colors of: purple and rich blue
The sky is most beautiful when it's: cloudy
My favorite feature of a computer is: keyboard
I think inventors should invent a/an: better voice recognition system for the computer
Thing I love most in the world is: my friends and family
Things I hate most in the world is: war, famine, lack
My favorite type of electronic device is: I don't' like electronic devices!
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: I don't know since I didn't live during that time. Was the cotton gin created by then?
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: computers & the internet
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: a piece of wood when I was outdoors and a moment of inspiration came that I simply had to write down.

You can find out more about Katie Hines by heading over to her website - http://www.katiehines.com/ .

Meet Shirley Parenteau!

2009-11-15T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Shirley Parenteau the great author of the new book Bears on Chairs, a wonderful childrens book. I had the opportunity of interviewing Shirley, and here's what came of it -

To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Heather: How Long Have You Been Writing?

Shirley: I feel I’ve been writing forever. My mother wrote feature stories for newspapers. I enjoyed reading her writer’s magazines and followed in her footsteps, first with magazine articles, then books. Currently, I’m writing picture books with a counting One Frog Sang sold to Candlewick Press in 2007 (reprinted in book club and audio versions by Scholastic in 2008) and a rhymed preschool-age picture book Bears on Chairs also with Candlewick Press published just this past August.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Shirley: That’s like asking what started me eating chocolate! There is a hunger for writing that I can’t resist. If I’m not writing, I feel that something is missing. I’m fascinated with the way putting words together can evoke scenes and hopefully, emotion.

My first published article was on traveling with a baby after driving across the country with my husband and then six-month-old son in a VW bug in the days before disposable diapers were common. I received an acceptance letter for the article on the same day as I received an acceptance for a very short story sent to a puzzle magazine…and I was hooked! Writing has been in my blood ever since.

I wrote a lot of articles for travel magazines while we tent-, trailer- and boat-camped with our three children. Then we bought seven acres and all the buildings of a nearly 100-year-old farm. The boat went into the barn—permanently as it turned out—and I began writing a humorous newspaper column about restoring the house and raising animals. While experimenting with and researching natural dyes, I found an article that inspired my first children’s book. I loved writing books which last a lot longer than newspaper or magazine articles and never looked back. Since then, I’ve written several children’s books and women’s novels.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Shirley: I try to write every day, but life and bookkeeping for our family sheet metal business take time away. Even when I’m not actually at the computer, stories are constantly working out in the back of my mind.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Shirley: There are so many! I love Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum and for years, I’ve been in love with Martha Grimes’ detective, Richard Jury. I also love Elizabeth Peters’ fearless Egyptologist, Amelia Peabody. There are too many others to list. Reading has always been my favorite pastime.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Shirley: I’ve never had the emotional inability to write—knock on wood. If a story refuses to move forward, it’s usually because somewhere pages back I let it head in the wrong direction. I need to go back and find that spot and redirect the story to get it moving again.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Shirley: Patience and a tough skin. One of the hardest things for me is to put a finished story aside for awhile. I always think it’s ready when I’ve finished the first draft and can’t wait to send it off. But after a cooling down period, I usually see parts that don’t quite work or that can be made better. With picture books, especially, every word must be right. I’d rather find a problem while it’s still in my computer than send a revision after agent or editor has spent time on the story.

The tough skin is needed because rejection and criticism are so much a part of writing. We have to get past taking it personally and realize it’s the story that is being criticized, not the writer.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Shirley: For me, characters evolve as the story develops. I envy and admire writers who fully develop each character before beginning their story. It’s the characters we remember, after all, even more than the plot.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Shirley: My life is full of notes: grocery lists, ideas, quotes…but I can’t make extensive character sheets. When I try, I lose interest in both character and story.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Shirley: They’re not real? Actually, it’s wonderful and surprising when a character comes to life and insists on behaving in a way I hadn’t consciously planned. Sometimes a line of dialogue will surprise me or make me laugh and I wonder, “Where did that come from?” Of course, when a character comes to life, it’s because the writer is really into that character, so much so that it takes on its own life. But you have to keep control of the story, whatever—they—may want to do. (smiling)

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Shirley: Always. Currently, my heart is with a young adult fantasy set in an imaginary Aladdin’s lamp setting. And I’m working on a new picture book.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Shirley: What it’s like to soar in a hot air balloon over my own home and fields. I was lucky enough to win a ride in a balloon called Rainbow that lifted off from a nearby park. The same luck was working to send us over my home. I was amazed that I felt no sense of motion. The ground seemed to fall away, then slowly pass beneath us, as if the balloon stood still in the air.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Shirley: A favorite part in any book is when I know something is needed and seemingly out of the blue, an answer comes to mind—a gift from the muse. My original text for Bears on Chairs began with a bear on a chair. My editor suggested opening with just the chairs, like a stage set where something is about to happen. Since the book is rhymed with every line ending in a rhyme for bears, I was at a loss. Then a complete stanza dropped into my mind saying exactly what I needed to say.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Shirley: Since music can be very emotional, I feel that it should, but have never experimented with listening to music while writing.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?
Quiet is nice but I’m used to writing while tuning out noise.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

Shirley: For the young adult novel I’m writing, the plot idea decided the setting. I learned of a way of foreseeing the future I’d never heard of before and wanted to develop a character who uses it. In my mind, the idea called for an ancient desert setting in a time of wizards and magic. Bears on Chairs evolved from an incident in a bookstore where my then-three-year-old granddaughter was placing stuffed animals on child-size chairs. I wondered, what if there were more bears than chairs? The book sprang from that.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Shirley: I love the ease of composing and editing on a keyboard, but I print a hard copy for revising. Words on paper seem to give me a fresh view of the work.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Shirley: Rejection of a project I’ve put my heart into. One Frog Sang was rejected by several publishers, all with very nice letters saying they liked the book but already had counting books on their lists. When the book found a home with Candlewick Press, I was delighted. Cynthia Jabar, the artist Candlewick selected, placed my text into gorgeous paintings. For my new primary age book, Bears on Chairs, Candlewick selected David Walker, an artist who created wonderfully cuddly, toddler-like bears.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

Shirley: I usually get my daughter’s opinion of an early draft. She’s my best and harshest critic. Even when I wince from her comments, I see how they improve the story. I may not feel her exact comment works, but she gives me a fresh approach where there is a problem. I also count on advice from a longtime writing group and from a critique partner, both through email and in monthly meetings. Writing can be a lonely business. Feedback helps!

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

Shirley: I think it’s both. My older sister once comforted me in a difficult situation by saying, “Everything is grist for the writer’s mill.” Those words have lived with me for a long time. But imagination is needed to turn the actual experience into a story that comes alive for the reader. Recently, my granddaughter of the bookstore bears, now age six, gave me a wonderful line that is the theme for the picture book I’m working on now. I’m lucky to have six granddaughters, four under the age of eight. I find that listening to them and seeing how their world has changed even since my own children were young can inspire fresh ideas for today’s readers. Of course, some things never change, like the need to share inspired by the bookstore bears.

I like the colors of: oceans
The sky is most beautiful when it’s: stormy
My favorite feature of a computer is: communication
I think inventors should invent a: teleporter
Thing I love most in the world is: family
Things I hate most in the world is: anger
My favorite type of electronic device is: computer
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: kite
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: E-mail
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: mushroom

Shirley's books are avaible on amazon.com and many other places too!

Meet E.D.Bowman!

2009-11-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Meet E.D.Bowman, she is the author of two book series, and three stand alone novels (Read below to find out more about those). I got to interview E.D.Bowman, and here's the results -

Start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Heather: How Long Have You Been Writing?

E.D.: I have been writing for over thirty years. I started writing endings to movies I went to. If I didn't like the way it ended and decided I'd rather it ended differently than the way it was written, I'd rewrite the ending when I got home. I especially didn't like sad endings or ones that gave me nightmares.

Heather: what started you writing for publication?

E.D.: I suppose I have been from the beginning without really thinking about it, but the more I submerged myself into my writing, the more my co-workers thought I should write for publication. There came a moment in time when I agreed with them.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

E.D.: I generally wrote after dinner, when the dishes were done, the kids were in bed, and my husband was busy reading or studying. And I would write until the wee hours of the morning, and at work during lunch or whenever I found a few moments to put my thoughts down on paper. Now, since I am no longer working I write every day, at any and all times.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

E.D.: I have several favorite authors, I can't begin to name them all, but to mention a few there are: Thomas B. Costain, Nelson DeMille, Catherine Coulter, Trisha Fitzgerald-Petri, Nikki Leigh and many others.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

E.D.: So far, I can honestly answer no to that question. But I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

E.D.: Never give up. Believe in yourself. Don't take rejection to heart. Not everyone likes the same stories. Persistence and talent will win out…eventually.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

E.D.: My characters are a composite of a lot of people I've known and met. And even strangers I might see in a train, on the beach or in a shopping mall.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your cahracters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

E.D.: Yes, as a matter of fact I have a character chart that I fill in before I create a character depending on the story I am writing. I also note what I think my characters would like, dislike, or how they would act, and it seems that as I continue to write, the characters take on a life of their own.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

E.D.: Actually, I would have to agree with that. As I have said, characters take on a life of their own, and in time, write the story themselves. They become as real as any human you can touch. Once you've written the last chapter to your book, your characters stay with you. And you may discover that you start talking about them as if they are your children…which in a way they are.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

E.D.: I just completed a non-fiction book for my brother that is a private biography of what he went through in World War II. Before that, it was a project my husband had been working on that I finally convinced him to publish. As of now, I have a few thoughts about a mystery novel…at least I think that's what it will be…but who knows for sure.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

E.D.: That I never stop learning new things.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

E.D.: Watching the words come alive as I wrote them and the way the characters react to a given situation.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

E.D.: Not really, I like listening to music when I write as long as it is background music and not intrusive.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

E.D.: It doesn't really matter, when I am writing, I don't hear or see anything but what is being written on the screen. I am completely involved in what I am doing, and as my husband says, nothing gets through except a knock on the head. (Just kidding).

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

E.D.: It would have to be the story. You can't just put characters in places they don't belong. When I'm writing about space, naturally my characters have to be astronauts or aliens and other worlds. However, in a paranormal or mystery story, if it had nothing to do with space it wouldn't be practical to put an astronaut or an alien in the story if they were not involved in it. That's not to say that an alien couldn't be in a mystery novel…now could it? Hmmm might be something in that.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

E.D.: I started writing with a pencil because it was easier to erase when the story seemed to be going the wrong way. I took me a long time to even consider a computer. But once I did, I couldn't believe how wonderful it was. It seemed as if the story was writing itself. So I'd have to say now…keyboard.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

E.D.: Getting someone to believe in you and in your work…and marketing your work once your book is published.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

E.D.: Concentrate on my writing and usually have a glass of water beside me.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

E.D.: I believe I mentioned why before. But there were other reasons. I loved to read, still do. As a child stricken with Rheumatic Fever, books were my only escape from my world of isolation. Then, too, when we were growing up my Father used to read to us every night from books he took from his bookshelf. The more he read, the more interested I became in the written word. So, if anyone was an influence in my becoming an author, it would have to be my Father, who loved the written word as much as I do.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

E.D.: Both. Imagination plays a bigger part in writing fiction. Experience seems to work more with non-fiction books than with fiction. When writing non-fiction you have to be careful that what you right is true. On the other hand, with fiction you can let your imagination run free and conjure up all sorts of strange and wonderful places and subjects that come to mind.

I like the colors of: skies
The sky is most beautiful when it’s: setting
My favorite feature of a computer is: keyboard
I think inventors should invent a/an: cure-all
Thing I love most in the world is: husband
Things I hate most in the world is: tyrants
My favorite type of electronic device is: computer
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: books
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: books
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is a: rock

Elena's books are available on Amazon.com in both Kindle, and Print editions and on Barnes and Noble in E-book format. Included in her published novels are two series: The Sarah's Landing Series, comprising of four books: Contact, The Telepaths of Theon, The Barbarians and Genesis. The Legacy Series comprising of three novels: The House on the Bluff, The Gatekeeper's, Realm and Adams Point. Time-Rift, The Odyssey and The Imposter are all stand alone novels.

For Reviews and excerpts of Elena's books visit her website at:
http://elenadb.home.comcast.net/

Meet R.L.Sloan!

2009-11-12T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet R.L.Sloan the blissful author of Embellish, a delightly fantasy novel about a young girl with a gloomy past and a future full of vampires, voodoo, and passion.

I was lucky enough to catch R.L. for a moment to get a quick interview with her, and here's what came of it -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

R.L.: Hello, I'm R. L. Sloan, author of the paranormal vampire romance novel Embellish. I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor, Anger Resolution therapist, a wife, a mom, and Oatmeal and Raisin cookie monster.

Heather: How long have you been writing?

R.L.: I've been off and on over the years writing skits. Within the last year, I recently sat down and committed myself to finishing Embellish.

Heather: what started you writing for publication?

R.L.: As humans, we are usually motivated after there is some life altering event in our lives. That life altering event for me was the passing of my father. So I decided to find something that would keep me busy and focused. I was able to complete my novel, and I feel that it would have been something my dad would have been proud of.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

R.L.:Whenever the urge hits me, I will sit down and write. If that urge hits me when I'm away from my computer, I have a handy little purse-sized notebook to jot down thoughts as I go through the day.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

R.L.: One of my favorite authors is P. C. Cast. I like the way she keeps all of her characters real. It makes you think you actually know someone like them.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

R.L.: I have experienced writers block, but luckily it has never lasted over a week. When this happens, I try to give myself some kind of adventure or experience that would shake me up, like riding a roller coaster, meditating, or exercising, or watching a program in a foreign language and imagining what the characters are saying.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

R.L.: I would recommend to aspiring authors to live their life to the fullest and write about any and everything that they can, good or bad.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

R.L.: I invent characters that are the opposite of what people expect for them to be. In other words, if a character is good then he or she will be good in everything they do or say. If the character is bad, he or she will be bad or evil to the extreme without remorse. For good characters, I try to give them characteristics that would make them worthy of Heaven. For bad characters I give them traits or actions that would send them straight to Hell.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your cahracters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

R.L.: I keep mental tabs on my characters yes. The things I usually make note of are their physical and mental health. If they are criminals they usually stick to their criminal elements of their personalities.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

R.L.: Indeed I do feel my characters are real. In fact, before I sit down to write I will tell my husband, "Well honey, it's time to go and visit with Solis and Nacio (Heroine and Vampire in Embellish) or with the Treemounts (villains). Once I have a "mental visit" with them, then I'm able to continue writing the story.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

R.L: I'm currently working on Embellish II: Justice Served. This story picks up right where readers left off. People that have read Embellish keep prompting me to hurry up and finish. They want to read the galley copy when it's ready.
A portion of Embellish was done as a stage production and it was awesome. Several actors enjoyed portraying the characters on stage.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

R.L.: The neatest thing I know is that when you fall down, the only way you can go is up. When you know this, it helps you stay focused and keep your eye on what's important.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

R.L: The favorite part of writing Embellish was giving the readers twists and turns in a plot that they totally did not expect. I also enjoyed creating characters that were diverse, had accents, and each had some special aspect to bring to the text.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

R.L.: Yes indeed! Music has inspired my writing! I am a HUGE Smooth Jazz fan. I love Boney James (Jazz Saxophonist). During book signings my theme music is his song "The Total Experience". If I ever get a chance to meet him, I want him to play it for me at a book signing, so if you know him tell him I said whenever he can get to San Antonio, Texas I'll be the first in line with that request.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

R.L.: I can write anywhere as long as no one is asking me questions, "Where are my socks? Have you seen my glasses? What are we eating? Can I go skating? What's wrong with your hair? Can you come and pick me up?" That sort of thing.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

R.L.: I put my characters in San Antonio, Texas because it is truly a romantic city. Anyone can fall in love or have an intimate moment along the San Antonio Riverwalk. The city truly holds a lot of our country's history, and for those that have come here, they know exactly what I mean.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

R.L.: I absolutely have to have a keyboard. There is no way I could write a book with my "Chicken Scrawl" and then expect for someone to decipher it. No way.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

R.L.: The hardest thing about being an author is not knowing whether or not your fans will like everything you write. It's a chance you have to take as an author.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

R.L.: If I'm listening to music when I write and my favorite song is playing I usually break out in a dance during the chorus of the song.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

R.L.: I mentioned earlier, my father passed away, but also I really wanted to see if I could actually write a book. After I accomplished this goal, I looked back and thought "Okay, I realize not everyone can make the commitment to do this." Publishing a novel gives me a whole new respect for authors.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

R.L.: I truly believe experience is the foundation for your imagination to build up on for you to write a book. I know it works like that for me.

I like the colors of: Diamonds
The sky is most beautiful when it’s: Dark
My favorite feature of a computer is: Shift
I think inventors should invent a/an: Robot
Thing I love most in the world is: Freedom
Things I hate most in the world is: Racism
My favorite type of electronic device is: MP3
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: Soap
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: Plumbing
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: Leg

If you would like to read more about R.L.Sloan or check out Embellish you can head on over to Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/Embellish-R-L-Sloan/dp/1432740334 - R.L. is also on Facebook and Myspace!

Meet Gregory A. Wilson!

2009-11-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Gregory A. Wilson, he is the author of the wonderful fantasy novel "The Third Sign", about a young boy who fleas from his city when an unexpected attack occurs. I got the wonderful chance of interviewing this author, and here's what came of it -

To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Heather: How Long Have You Been Writing?

Gregory: In general terms I've been writing since about the age of nine or ten, over twenty-five years ago now (gulp)--but started doing my first "serious" writing when I was a senior in high school, about seventeen years old. At the time I wrote plays and a few short stories, along with a poem or two. I didn't start thinking about writing novels until I had gotten my Masters degree in the mid-nineties.

Heather: what started you writing for publication?

Gregory: I've always been interested in drama and in college I wrote a number of plays and screenplays and submitted them to various national contests--I took honorable mention in two such contests, which was as close (at the time) as I had gotten to publication. My first actual publication was on the academic side, an article on the court masque in 2001 (when I was in graduate school getting my doctorate), and I had to publish academic work for career reasons. I began writing creative work out of a desire to get away from academic subjects for a while, and found I enjoyed it a great deal…and wanted to go further with it.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Gregory: I've tried various ways to create set times to write, and I have gotten more disciplined over the years…but I still haven't found the "one time" to write yet. Still trying, though, as I think it would help make my writing more efficient.
Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Gregory: A tie: J.R.R. Tolkien, who wrote the books that captured my imagination as a child and kept it as an adult, and William Shakespeare, who is--well, who is simply the best, in drama or any other literary form.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Gregory: Not on creative work, though early in my career I had a lot of false starts on novels--which was a sign that I hadn't figured out my creative process yet, nor how to create a compelling story. I confess to sometimes having nothing to say on my blog, and so I've learned to post an entry there only if I really think it matters (usually a little more than once a week) rather than just trying to force it.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Gregory: Whoo. One, read a lot. Two, write even more. Three, listen to others as well as yourself. Four, be persistent. Five, be confident. Six, be humble. And seventh--and most important--be patient, with the process and yourself. It will serve you well in this business.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Gregory: That really depends. In some cases the story dictates the characters; in others I get the idea for a character first, from someone I meet or read about (or sometimes the opposite of that person) or combinations of people I meet, and the plot flows from their interactions with others. But the key is to get to know and understand real people; it makes creating realistic characters, even in fantastic worlds, a much easier proposition.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Gregory: Usually not, though in some of my work I'll jot down a couple of notes about a character as part of my general outline, especially in my epic fantasy material where there are more people to keep track of.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Gregory: Yes, I'd say this is true--they certainly have to seem real, and react realistically. More important, they need to speak to me with a clear voice--the clearer the voice, the more real the character. If they're not clear, I need to work on or ditch the character altogether.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Gregory: My second book ICARUS is out on submission, and I'm working on a third, entitled GRAYSHADE. Each book is part of a separate series, and all are different kinds (or subgenres) of fantasy.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Gregory: That there are so many things I still don't!

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Gregory: The feeling that I was getting the chance to share my private world publicly. Having people tell me they enjoyed the experience made it that much better.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Gregory: Sure--and I write lyrics for my band THE ROAD (a progressive rock band which you can find at http://www.thebandtheroad.com/... I'm also the lead singer and trumpet player), so I've always felt there was a close connection between music and writing. I often imagine music in a scene I'm working on.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Gregory: Kind of both, strangely--I like listening to things while writing, but I must admit I write most efficiently when I don't have any distractions. So I usually try a little of both, which isn't the most clear-cut way of doing things, but it's mine.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

Gregory: Depends on the book--in THE THIRD SIGN, the story (set in a nation on a mythical planet) dictated the characters who populated it to a degree. On the other hand, in my book ICARUS I imagined the two main characters well before I imagined the world in which they would operate, and GRAYSHADE is somewhere in the middle between those two points.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Gregory: Keyboard, thank God. You'd have no shot of reading what I wrote if I did it with a pen.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Gregory: The time factor--finding time to write and the length of time it takes for things to happen in the process. You have to be very, very patient at every stage of the game, and although I am pretty patient I must admit it got very hard at times to maintain it.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Gregory: I always loved to read, and always prided myself on my ability to communicate…writing was a natural outgrowth of those two things. When I wrote my academic book and realized I could stick out a long project, it paved the way for THE THIRD SIGN--and that in turn made it easier to write ICARUS. I still enjoy the process of communication and being able to talk with readers about their connection with my work and having the chance to do so regularly was one of the big factors in my becoming an author.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

Gregory: A combination. Experience can give a story an air of assured certainty, but it can also misjudge things. Imagination is critical for anything good you're going to develop, in writing class or otherwise.

I like the colors of autumn.
The sky is most beautiful when it’s open.
My favorite feature of a computer is access.
I think inventors should invent a/an time machine.
Thing I love most in the world is my wife and daughter.
Thing I hate most in the world is intolerance.
My favorite type of electronic device is a computer.
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900 a book.
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960 a computer.

Here's one of many excellent reviews for "The Third Sign" -

Find more reviews and even read an excerpt of Gregory's debut novel "The Third Sign" here.

Also, head on over to http://www.gregoryawilson.com/ to learn more about him!

Meet K.G.Cummings!

2009-11-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet K.G.Cummings, the striking author of The Wind Whispers War and many other novels. She provided a very interesting interview below, so read on to learn more -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

How long have you been writing?

K.G.: The first thing I remember writing was when I was 3 or 4. I knew how to write my name and how to write my sister's name. Shhh... don't tell mom... I took a bobbi pin and scratched my sister's name on the side of my parents chest of drawers!

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

K.G.: My daughter wrote a short story, and it touched me so deeply that I wrote a continuation of it as the mother of her main character . I wrote as if the mother was writing in her diary

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

K.G.: I'm fortunate enough to be able to write whenever I feel inspired. I'm not disciplined at all. Some days I don't write a word, then others I've been known to write 30 pages.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

K.G.: Sidney Sheldon! In my opinion he deserves the title he earned, the Master Storyteller.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

K.G.: I can't say that I have ever had writers block, but there have been times I pondered for days about the possibilities with twists and turns that a particular story could take.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

K.G.: Know your subject. Nothing loses an audience faster than reading empty words from an author that doesn't have a good grasp of what they are talking about.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

K.G.: Sometimes they are loosely based on real people, then they evolve into what is needed to make a story come together.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

K.G.: I don't always give detailed physical descriptions. When I was a young adult reader, I liked to envision myself as one character, or another. If the character was too well defined, I had a harder time relating to the story. Hope that makes sense!

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

K.G.: Oh, most definitely! Sadly, I had a wonderful 17 year old young man that was killed. Even though I wrote the story, I mourned his demise for days. I still miss him, but life isn't always fair and we have to learn to adjust.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

K.G.: Yes, my sixth novel is at the publisher now. I'm also writing a series of short stories based on characters that were teenagers in the mid 1950s.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

K.G.: The neatest thing I know is that bad things don't last forever.

Heather: What is your favorite part about writing?

K.G.: To escape into a world where I have full control.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

K.G.: I like music, but it has never inspired anything creative in me.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

K.G.: I prefer silence where I can "hear" the characters voices in conversation. If a story is screaming to be told, nothing will distract me even if the TV is on, the neighbors are mowing, the dog's barking, the parrot is squawking- nothing stops it!

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

K.G.: That goes back to writing about what I know. The characters are in the era I grew up in, or just a few years older because I always wanted to be one of the "big kids".

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

K.G.: Keyboard! Been on computers since 1968

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

K.G.: Having to interrupt the creative process to promote what I've already written.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

K.G.: I constantly think about what will happen next. I've always thought things through. If I do this how will it affect that? What will be the final effect if all these different things factor in a situation? Think, think, think... that's all I do when writing.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

K.G.: I was down and out broke. I didn't have any money for entertainment, and couldn't afford cable TV. I invented a life that was a lot happier than what I was living and made characters that truly loved each other.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

K.G.: A combination of both. Experience if one is writing about situations that could happen in real life, and imagination if it's about walking on rainbows to the far side of the moon!

I like the colors of: rainbows.
The sky is most beautiful when it’s: blue.
My favorite feature of a computer is: delete.
I think inventors should invent a/an: time-machine.
Thing I love most in the world is: God.
Things I hate most in the world is: cheaters.
My favorite type of electronic device is: computer.
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: books.
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: Laptop.
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: dresser.

Meet Gayle Wigglesworth!

2009-11-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Gayle Wigglesworth, the endowed author of the Claire Gilliber Mysteries! Gayle has been writting for neigh on 50 years and has many accomplishments to be proud of.

To find out more about Gayle, read on -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

How long have you been writing?

Gayle: Since I was a child, more than fifty years

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Gayle: I always envisioned myself as a published author so it was just a matter of getting there.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Gayle: I write almost everyday and usually between the hours of 9 – 5, unless the muse is with me then it can be earlier and stretch into the night hours.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Gayle: I don’t have one favorite I have lots, I like Charlaine Harris’ Lily Bard Series, Margaret Maron’s Sigrid Harold Series, Dick Francis’ early books before he had a co-author and many others such as Radine Trees Nehring and Alexander McCall Smith..

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Gayle: I have my moments, sometime hours and days where I don’t know where I’m going with a plot or scene. I just keep working at it and working at it until I get something down on paper. Once it’s down I can keep going back until I get it where I like it. Sometimes that means I throw away that first solution and have something entirely different. I don’t give into a “writers block,” I just write something.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Gayle: Just keep working at it.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Gayle: I think about them and think about them. I write down character studies for the main characters. Sometimes I model them on people I’ve known or pieces of various people. I have to know how they think and why they do what they do. Sometimes I write pages of back story which never get used in the book, but help me know who they are and how they would react in certain circumstances.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Gayle: I do the character studies at the beginning before I use a character. For my series I have a running character list that I transfer to every folder when I start a new book in that series. I list all characters and who they are, names of any places, animals and pertinent dates that I want to make sure I keep straight. This list keeps me from making stupid mistakes and is very helpful when I want to use a person from an earlier book.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Gayle: Characters do become real. Not only do I feel Claire Gulliver, my protagonist, is real and a close friend, my entire family thinks she is real and talks about her as if she is a member of our family.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Gayle: I am completing the 6th Claire Gulliver Mystery and working on a new series I’m calling Glenda at Large.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Gayle: That there is a solution for every problem; you just have to find it. And if you keep at it you will eventually succeed.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Gayle: Watching the story unfolding. As fun as it is to read a book it’s many times more fun to write it and see where the story is going.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Gayle: Never noticed, I usually forget to turn it on.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Gayle: I block out other things so don’t notice. I do like the window in my office which looks into a tree’s branches which I sometimes stare into.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

Gayle: I usually put them in the world as I see it and places where I’ve been. That makes it much easier to describe the setting so that readers feel like they’re there too.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Gayle: Definitely keyboard. I thank God for the delete key.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Gayle: The business part of managing, promoting and selling your books.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

Gayle: Write, and sometimes pause to think.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Gayle: The company I moved to Texas to work for got sold and they decided to close that facility and merge it with one in another state. I was faced with finding another position at another company and decided just to retire early and get my book published. Given my previous experience with finding a publisher, that was a gutsy plan, but it worked.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

Gayle: Both. Imagination makes up the stories, situations and solutions, but experience is what allows the writers to describe the stories in a manner which makes them believable to the reader.

I like the colors of: jewels
The sky is most beautiful when it’s: sunset
My favorite feature of a computer is: delete
Thing I love most in the world is: life
Things I hate most in the world is: suffering
My favorite type of electronic device is: computer
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: babies

My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: laptop

The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: the beach

Learn more about Gayle at http://www.gaylewigglesworth.com/

Meet Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt!

2009-11-08T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt the clever author of the children's book "You Think It's Easy Being the Toothfairy" about a tooth fairy with a big attitude. Plus many other children's books.

I was quite excited when Sheri agreed to do the interview with me, and here's came of it -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Sheri: My background includes stints in public relations and meeting planning. As an author, I've published nine children's books (two more on the way), and helped to co-write/edit three books for adults, including a Ripley's book, a book of essays about turning sixty, and a NASCAR track guide. My first picture book, You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy, has sold 15,000 copies since its August 2007 publication. For more info, check out my websites: http://www.bell-rehwoldt.com/ and www. 4Kids.Bell-Rehwoldt.com. You can also find me on Jacketflap.com and PolkaDotBanner.com.

Heather: How Long Have You Been Writing?

Sheri: I've been a freelance writer for about 10 years. I started out with newspapers and magazines, but made the leap to books when I decided I wanted to see my books on a public library shelf. I *Love* public libraries. I hope they're always funded and highly regarded by the community.

Heather: what started you writing for publication?

Sheri: I wanted to get pregnant and be able to work from home. I figured writing was one way to have a fulfilling home-based career. Looking back, I think, "WERE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND???!!!" As you know, authors don't make a lot of money. So go this route only if you can't imagine doing anything else with your life. Otherwise, keep the big-bucks job with great insurance benefits (hard for self-employed writers to obtain without going bankrupt).

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Sheri: If you write only when you have the urge, you will get very little writing done!

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Sheri: Egad, I couldn't offer up just one. But I love Deborah Wiles (Love, Ruby Lavender), and picture book author Eileen Spinelli.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Sheri: You plunk yourself in your chair and tell yourself to write about "X." Maybe it's a mother-daughter scene. Or maybe it's a wino talking to a cat. Doesn't matter. But you set the timer and you write dialogue until it goes off. After warming yourself up like that, writing comes a lot easier.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Sheri: Don't show your drafts to relatives or friends. Their comments will skew your reality of your manuscript. Get thyself to writer's conferences instead, taking advantage of one-on-one reviews with editors. Trust what they say a MILLION times over what your mom says.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Sheri: Beats me. They show up on their own. Sometimes looking at photos of kids in magazines helps. Right now I've got a photo of an adorable little girl tacked to my wall. She's maybe seven, and smothered in her mom's makeup. The aqua eye shadow and bright lipstick are what first jump out at you, but then you're drawn to the trust and joy in her huge brown eyes. I want to hug her so bad! So maybe she'll appear in one of my future books. ;-)

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Sheri: Some authors are meticulous in building the back-story for each of their characters. I do that to a certain extent, but I don't go crazy. I mean, I don't think about the color of their underwear.... oh, wait, that brings back a great memory! My grandmother once bought me underwear with the days of the week embroidered on them. For a while I faithful keep to the days of the week...but you know how it goes, laundry starts disappearing on its journey from the hamper to the dryer. Hmmm....I'll have to use that in a story! HA!

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Sheri: I think the characters you love become real. The weirdest thing is to hear a character talking inside your head. You kinda feel like you should check yourself into a funny farm!

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Sheri: A novel based on my dysfunctional childhood. (I had an evil twin sister. Need I say more? HA!)

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Sheri: I know the secret to life. ;-)

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Sheri: Not really. But it's great for getting you in a certain mood. If I need to write a sad or sappy scene, I definitely put on something melancholy. And for happy scenes, you can't beat going with some of the big band classics!

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Sheri: I listen to instrumental music when I write. I love the Japanese pianist Keiko Matsui. It's soulful and calm and engaging, but it doesn't bring mental images to mind. It's like white noise, if you know what I mean.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Sheri: I don't write by hand, mostly because I have trouble reading my own writing. HA! But I use a Wacom tablet/pen, rather than a mouse. I *love* it. Best thing in the world for wrist-weary mouse users, trust me. The pen also lets you sign contracts electronically, which is huge benefit.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Sheri: That publishing has become such a profit game. I'm irked that traditional publishers have, for the most part, sold out. They'll put out a bio by some wacko female politician, but not a riveting book by a "regular" person who has helped to make the world a better place. And I fault publishers for publishing too many books each year. How in the heck do they expect authors to make a living when there's so much competition and "noise" in the marketplace? Especially when they're only willing to throw marketing dollars at that book by the wacko celebrity?! Authors must wear many hats today: writer, editor, publicist, speaker, blogger, etc., etc.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

Sheri: Knit? Just kidding. Kind of a silly question, don't you think? ;-)

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Sheri: One day I opened my big mouth and said, "I'm going to write five books." Then I actually had to do it, so I wouldn't call myself a liar. HA!

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

Sheri: I think if you have a fabulous imagination, you've got real-life experience beat. Because most readers want to read about something fantastical.

1. I like the colors of: Flowers
2. The sky is most beautiful when it’s: Sunset
3. My favorite feature of a computer is: "save".
4. I think inventors should invent a: Teleporter
5. Thing I love most in the world is: Joy
6. Thing I hate most in the world is: Selfishness
7. My favorite type of electronic device is: Quiet
8. My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: Clothing!
9. My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: Email
10. The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: Lemon

Learn more about Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt by following these links -

http://www.linkedin.com/in/sbrehwoldt
http://www.bell-rehwoldt.com/
http://sherionwriting.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/BellRehwoldt

Meet Mark Coggins!

2009-11-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Mark Coggins, the powerfully accomplished author of the crime mystery August Riordan Series.

Mark has been writing since the age of 19, and has an immense amount of accomplishments. Read below to learn more about Mark -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Mark: I grew up in New Mexico and Arizona and come out to California to go to college. I stayed after I graduated and began working in the software industry in Northern California. I’ve worked for bigger companies like Netscape and Hewlett-Packard, and smaller start-ups as well. I still manage software engineers as my “day job.”

Heather: How long have you been writing?

Mark: I started writing in college and completed the first story featuring my series character as undergraduate at the ripe old age of 19. It was eventually published in 1986, but I didn’t start writing novels featuring the character until the mid-90s.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Mark: I was inspired by a class I took from Tobias Wolff in college where he introduced me to the writing of Raymond Chandler. I tell a little bit about the story in an interview I did for the Stanford Alumni Magazine here.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Mark: Since I work a day job full time, I have to squeeze in the writing in the mornings before I go to work and over the weekend.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Mark: My favorite author is still Raymond Chandler, but I read many people in and out of crime fiction.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Mark: Once I had a draft of a novel where I was struggling during the revision process to introduce more complexity into the plot—I just felt the book read too linearly. The thing that broke the ice for me was to rewrite the book as a screenplay. I got some good hints about how to add what I needed from a screenplay writing instructor, and then translated the plot points back into a novel. The screenplay was never very good, but the novel was much improved by the process.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Mark: I think some advice that Donna Levin, one of my writing instructors, gives is very helpful. She points out the importance of rewriting and says that you should do as many rewrites as you can stand—and then do one more.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Mark: I’m often inspired traits or personalities of real people I meet or know—but usually draw one “seed” characteristic from real individuals and embellish from there. None of my characters are meant to be full portrayals of real folks.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Mark: I know writers who do that as well, but I’ve never felt the need to go quite that deep in documenting the fictional back stories of the people that populate my books. Occasionally, I do need to double-check facts about my series characters from other novels to make sure I stay consistent. I’m afraid I’m not organized enough to keep the information in notes, though. I always end up thumbing through the old books to pull the details.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Mark: I certainly try to put myself in the heads of my characters to figure out their motivations ought to be in particular situations. They are real to the extent that I try to make their behavior internally consistent with my vision of them.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Mark: I have a novel that will be released in November called The Big Wake-Up, and in March of 2010 I will have a short story in an anthology of chess fiction called Masters of Technique. I’m just starting to noodle on the plot of my next book. I’m think it will include my series protagonist, August Riordan, but I don’t intend him to be the main character this time around.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Mark: How to work a view camera, a dying art.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Mark: Coming up with the high level plot: the main conflict and the resolution.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Mark: Riordan is a private detective and a journeyman jazz-bassist, so music figures in the plots of several of my books.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Mark: I can have some level of ambient noise in the background, but I can’t write while listening to music or in a very loud environment.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

Mark: I admire the “big city” detective novels of Hammett and Chandler and enjoy providing details about real world San Francisco environs.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Mark: I’ve always written on a keyboard—and that extends to using a typewriter before there were personal computers.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Mark: It’s a tough business to be in do to the declining interest in reading. That makes it harder to attract an audience and requires authors to do more and more marketing.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

Mark: I just sit in my office in front of my computer. Here’s an annotated photograph of my workspace.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Mark: As I mentioned, it pretty much all goes back to the class I took from Wolff.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

Mark: My mother would be among their number. When I told her I wanted to be a novelist in college, she replied, “But you haven’t done anything.”

I don’t think a deep well of life experience is required to write. If you have the talent and passion, you can learn to spin a good yarn. Experience (and practice) in writing are more important than decades and decades of living.

I like the colors of: green and blue
The sky is most beautiful when it’s: early morning.
My favorite feature of a computer is: the scroll wheel on the mouse.
I think inventors should invent a: cure for colds.
Thing I love most in the world is: London.
Things I hate most in the world: are chiggers.
My favorite type of electronic device is a: digital camera.
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: is wine.
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: is a PC.
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.): is a portion of someone else’s anatomy.

Go to:

http://www.markcoggins.com/ to learn more about Mark Coggins and his many writings.