Interview with Ayesha Shoulders

Hello! Today, I’m pleased to welcome Ayesha L. Shoulders, an author who loves to incorporate life messages in her contemporary fiction novels.

whenlovesknotenough

Mariah Langston has a life many women would envy. She has a great job, a nice house, a luxurious car, and a boyfriend who understands her every need, even when that need is to not get married…for the third time. When he breaks rule number one in their relationship and proposes out of the blue, Mariah must overcome her worst fears. Will she give marriage one more try or is love just knot enough to save her relationship with the man of her dreams?

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whenitstimetowa

Lies, Betrayal, and Secrets – Can friendship overcome all three?

Shellie Simone’s dream job as a Project Manager for an IT company turns into a nightmare when she finds herself the victim of sexual assault in the workplace. When she reports the perpetrator to Human Resources, the VP tries to stop her by bribing her with an increase in her salary. Shellie decides to confide in her friend Standra, who is having some serious problems of her own concerning a mutual friend. Three women will become involved in a whirlwind of major life events. Will their friendship survive the storm or is it Time to Walk Away?

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Hello Ayesha and welcome to my blog!

Hello Fros, thank you for the invitation.

Tell us a little about your writing journey. How did you become a writer?

I was inspired to write at a young age after reading series such as The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin and Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal. My love for reading an entertaining, attention-getting book—no matter the genre—definitely contributed to my wanting to publish my own work someday, which I’m happy has come true with two books now published. I self-published When it’s Time to Walk Away in May 2011, and When Love’s Knot Enough was published by French Press Bookworks in April 2015.

Any hobbies or interests that you enjoy in your spare time?

Lately, I would say sleep is on the top of the list. I know, I know… I can’t really use this one since it’s something we all have to do, but I love to take a long nap whenever possible to keep up with my ever growing to-do list. In addition, I enjoy serving in my church ministries and as the Vice President of the Northern Virginia Writers Club, shopping for unique and trendy shoes (yes, I’m a big time shoe lover), and spending time with my six-year-old son—I saved the best for last: I’m also a football mom!

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Oh your son is so cute!

Thank you, this photo was taken at a Halloween event, well, obviously! (*laughs*)

Delightful. Thank you for sharing this, Ayesha. Do you see yourself in any of your characters, or do any of them have traits you wish you had?

I see myself in my characters Shellie Simone and Eboni Gilliar from my first book, When it’s Time to Walk Away.

Shellie always put her friends’ wants, needs, and problems before her own. She was even blindsided when her best friend, Strandra Wilcom, from childhood tried to use her in a plot to steal their friend’s husband (you’ll have to grab the book to see what happens!). She never thought Standra would do that to her after being such a loyal friend from the beginning. I too encountered those same experiences with others, but as I have matured from life’s experiences, my thought process has changed.  I’ve transitioned into someone more like Eboni’s character. Eboni was the strong-willed character in my book. Yes, she faced challenges in her family, but she never allowed them to make her crumble. She also doesn’t give into other people’s insecurities. She knows who she is as a woman and remains true to those standards regardless of what she has to face. This is why I enjoyed creating Eboni’s character. I firmly believe my joy and inner peace do not come from people, so why should I allow them to steal it from me? I refuse to let that happen!

Good for you, I say! What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

Currently, I’m working on starting a new blog focused on Women, Love, and Romance. Readers can join my mailing list from my website to receive email notifications for new entries that I post.  I’m preparing to start posting next month in April.

Good luck, and I hope you get lots of followers! Which are your favorite authors, and what do you love about them?

I would say Emily Griffin. I remember the first time I read her book “baby proof.” I thought the storyline was so cute. I enjoyed the book so much that I couldn’t put it down. I also love the simplicity of her book covers and how her books focus on topics that readers can relate to and be entertained at the same time.

What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

I love to read Chick Lit when my schedule allows, but I’m not solely bound to this genre of fiction. I’ll read anything that has an intriguing storyline, great characters, and keeps me engaged. I met author Peter G. Pollak last year at a conference and decided to purchase his murder mystery, Making the Grade. I typically don’t read murder mysteries, but I decided to read the synopsis on the back of his book because I liked his book cover (book covers play a major part in me picking up a book to read more).  The synopsis sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try! I’m glad I did.

I recently started reading “Put a Ring on It” by author Beth Kendrick. This is my first time reading literature from this author.

Do you have any advice for other indie authors?

Learn as much as you can about the publishing industry. You have to look at being an author as a business and you’re the owner, whether you choose to self-publish or go the traditional route.  It will be your name on the line. This means having a basic understanding of the marketing, financial, sales, and networking elements that are involved in becoming an indie author.

When you take the time to build your brand and learn the ends and outs of the publishing business, you will know when something can be done when someone else says it can’t. Most importantly, never give up! When I first started appearing at book signing events, I was so excited. I didn’t care if I only sold one book (thankfully, I always walked away selling more than that); I always thought that was one more person who didn’t know about Ayesha Shoulders before who now does.

Just remember you’re not alone and there are other authors out there who understand the different challenges and victories you’ll encounter as an indie author. Consider joining a writers group and attending conferences as well. There’s a wealth of information available out there for you, but you won’t get it staying at home. If you can learn from another author what works and what doesn’t when marketing your book, then this will be a big time and money saver for you in the long run.

Sound advice, Ayesha, thank you. Tell us about your website/blog. What will readers find there?

Readers can find a host of information on my website. I provide access to a list of my books, up-to-date calendar events, posts from my blog, and testimonials from professional reviewers. I also have a Bio that visitors can read to learn about me as an author and a contact page where they can reach out to me. I love to hear from readers and other authors, so I do respond in a reasonable timeframe when I receive an inquiry.

Do you have any other photos to share today?

Yes, two more. I recently discovered my artistic side again at an art studio. I attended a class called Walk in Paris and painted the picture you can see here. In another life, I would have gone to art school instead of college for business and computers!

 

That looks fantastic, well done, Ayesha! Thank you for this interview and for the lovely photos you shared!

Thank you too, Fros, for the opportunity to present my work.

 

Author Ayesha L. Shoulders

Ayesha L. Shoulders is an ambitious woman who lives life to the fullest. She has a passion for writing jaw-dropping contemporary fiction that is relatable and sprinkled with a life message. Ayesha self-published her first novel, When it’s Time to Walk Away, in May 2011. Her second novel, When Love’s Knot Enough, was released by French Press Bookworks in April 2015. Ayesha loves to connect with readers on Facebook and Twitter. She can also be contacted at her website.

Ayesha’s Amazon page

Ayesha’s website

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ayeshashoulders

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ayeshashoulders

Women's fiction sprinkled with life messages by @ayeshashoulders #ASMSG #booklovers Click To Tweet
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Interview with Doug Cooper, author of the Crystal series

Today I am thrilled to welcome Doug Cooper, scifi author of the riveting Crystal series. Check out these stunning covers and stick around to meet the scientist behind the novels!

Crystal Deception-ebook

Criss lives in a special kind of prison. He can see and hear everything around the world. Yet a mesh restrains his reach and keeps him cooperative. His creator, Dr. Jessica Tallette, believes his special abilities offer great promise for humanity. But she fears the consequences of freeing him, because Criss, a sentient artificial intelligence with the intellect of a thousand humans, is too powerful to control…

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Crystal Conquest - Ebook

Crystal Conquest, book II in the Crystal Series, builds on the exciting storyline and characters you first met in Crystal Deception. While Crystal Conquest stands on its own as a great read, book I, Crystal Deception, delivers a solid story foundation and is the recommended starting point for new readers.

Aliens fire the first shots in their invasion of Earth, and that’s when Criss realizes he’s outmatched. He spent years preparing for this moment, working with his human leadership to develop weapons and refine strategies. Created with the thinking and reasoning ability of a thousand people, Criss never expected the invaders to arrive with an artificial intelligence that dwarfed his capabilities, nor did he expect to be the target of their vengeance…

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Crystal Horizon - Ebook

This prequel takes place five years before the time of Crystal Deception, where we meet Cheryl as a captain of a military space cruiser and Sid as a covert warrior for the Defense Specialists Agency. We learn in Crystal Deception that Sid and Cheryl have a shared history and, in particular, a romantic relationship that has somehow gone awry. In this prequel, we join them on the day they first meet and we experience that history with them…

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Hello Doug and welcome to my blog!

Thank you, Effrosyni! This is quite a thrill.

What have you been up to? Tell us about your latest project.

I am now finishing Crystal Rebellion, the third full-length scifi-suspense book of Crystal series, and I am very excited. I love the story, think it’s my best work yet, and am anxious to learn if my fans and new readers agree.

The first two books, Crystal Deception and Crystal Conquest, established the characters and defined their world—Earth in the not-to-distant future with aliens at our door and AI helping with our defense.

This new book is different because it introduces our heroes as an established and functioning team rather than one in the process of self-discovery. I’ve written the story as a stand-alone book so new readers can start with it and enjoy the fun.

The setting is on Mars, and the bad guys are three AI crystals left behind after the last alien invasion of our solar system. The story contains all the grand elements of the Crystal series tradition—aliens, spies, artificial intelligence, romance, and battles in space!

Our heroes struggle to save the world and soon realize they need to save themselves. I’ll leave it at that as I don’t want to reveal any spoilers. I invite everyone to give the book a read when it is released in August, 2016, and enjoy the ride!

Sounds like a riveting read, Doug. What other work and writing have you done?

I am professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Connecticut.  I also am founder of Control Station, Inc., a software and services technology company. These are both exciting endeavors and consume the bulk of my day.

In these professional roles, I have authored or co-authored more than 80 scholarly publications, including technical journal articles, conference papers, and a textbook. All that writing gave me the basics I have been building upon for my creative work. It also has given me lots of practice presenting science and technology concepts in a manner accessible to a broad audience, and this is something I draw upon in writing my books.

What inspired you to take up the life of a writer?

I was looking for a new creative outlet in my life and started chasing a handful of ideas. I storyboarded a series of webcasts to go with my online textbook (www.controlguru.com), I outlined intellectual property ideas for a new technology company, and I tapped away at my keyboard writing a science fiction novel. Within months, my writing morphed into a passion and I dropped my other projects to give myself more time for it. I’ve been at it for about four years and my writing time remains a most treasured part of my day.

For the Crystal series, my goal is to write books that I would enjoy reading. My preference is fast-paced, action-adventure stories with great characters, a space tech theme, and a plot line with surprises.  I leave it to readers to tell me if I succeeded in that goal.

How do you get ideas for your characters? Do you model them after people you know?

None of my characters model a particular person. Rather, they all are a collection of traits and habits that I have observed in people, through reading, or from movies.  I write in a rotating point of view (POV) style where the reader spends time with each of the central characters, sometimes in different story lines that eventually merge as the plot develops. It’s great fun to sit down and “be” a character for a few days, observing events, drawing conclusions, and responding appropriately as that portion of the story unfolds.

I would describe my process for developing a character as much like building a jigsaw puzzle. I enjoy being at a particular point in an adventure, with characters deployed here and there, all with histories and in certain situations, and now I must move the story forward in a plausible and entertaining fashion. And in doing so, each character must behave in a manner consistent with their personality.

Which authors influenced you and what do you love about them?

As a kid, I discovered Tom Swift, Jr., a young adult science fiction series. In different books, Tom builds a flying lab, a jet submarine, a giant robot, a rocket ship—I was in heaven. During my teens I gobbled science fiction, reading authors like Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, and Bradbury. I started mixing in fantasy authors, ranging from Tolkien to Piers Anthony to Zelazny.  Now, too often I find myself reading best sellers, because that’s what’s available in airports when I travel.

Many among the authors I’ve interviewed have a pet as a writing companion. Do you have one?

BaileyCooper

Yes, I do! My wife got a kitten about six months ago—Bailey Cooper. He gets up with me every morning and hangs out in his perch, watching me type. That is, until he gets bored. Then he works hard to distract me. 🙂

Oh, he is so beautiful! And I have a cat too, I know what you mean! Do you have any advice for new authors?

Write every day and have fun doing it. Writing is art, and so there will be people who like what you do and those who don’t. So like any art form, do it for yourself. Write what brings you joy and satisfaction, and you will produce the best work you are able to.

One way to practice is to write pieces and then stick them in a drawer. An alternative is to write things that will help society. Your neighborhood library, museum, senior center, or shelter all have access to grant opportunities and would benefit from a talented individual willing to help them write one. It’s hard work. It’s only creative to the extent you can spin the circumstances of the organization you are supporting to the requirements of the granting agency. But I know that anyone who writes a dozen grant applications will be judged a dozen times. It’s frustrating work, but like practicing your scales on an instrument, this sort of activity strengthens writing skills.

Great advice, thank you Doug. Is there a message in your novel that you hope readers will grasp?

My highest priority is to entertain. The educator in me reveals himself, though, because my next priority is to teach. I spread those pieces out so (hopefully) no one notices. But I enjoy weaving tidbits about science and technology into the stories.

For example, in a scene in Crystal Conquest, a character is in space looking back at Earth, marveling that the atmosphere responsible for protecting and nourishing all life appears as a thin layer—a wisp of gas—circling the planet. The scene continues with him wondering how that meager film can feel so thick and boundless when standing on Earth and looking up at the sky.

So, perhaps next time readers see a picture of Earth taken from space, they might take a moment to consider if “meager film” is an accurate descriptor of the atmosphere that protects us. If they agree and this is a new observation to them, perhaps it will inform their future thoughts and actions about how to treat that wisp of gas.

In the books, you can find a science-filled sentence or two about AI inference engines, orbital mechanics, automatic control systems, cloaking devices, and lots more, all buried in the stories so you don’t even know!

Why did you choose to become an indie author rather than follow the traditional publishing route?

I chose the indie route for a number of reasons: I’m anxious to get new works out to readers in a timely fashion; I want to maintain long-term control over the work, and I am excited by the entrepreneurial challenge.  Self-publishing has all aspects of the small business enterprise, including product creation, branding and marketing, finance, project management, and intellectual property concerns. I love exploring ways to pull those levers to advance my writing career.

Well, Doug, this has been a real pleasure. Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you, Effrosyni, for this opportunity to talk about my work.

 

DougJCooper

As a child, Doug stood on a Florida beach and watched an Apollo spacecraft climb the sky on its mission to the moon. He was thrilled at the sight of the pillar of flames pushing the rocket upward. And then the thunderous roar washed over him, shaking his body and soul. The excitement of the moon landing inspired Doug to pursue a career in technology. He studied Chemical Engineering in college and now works as a professor and entrepreneur when he is not writing. His passions include telling inventive tales, mentoring driven individuals, and everything sci-tech.

In the books of the Crystal series, Doug swirls his creative imagination with his life experiences to craft science fiction action-adventure stories with engaging characters and plot lines with surprises. He lives in Connecticut with his wonderful wife and with pictures of his son, who is off somewhere in the world creating adventures of his own.

Visit Doug’s Amazon page

Visit Doug’s website

Twitter: https://twitter.com/crystalseries

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Crystalseries

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7269127.Doug_J_Cooper

 

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Two ways your Amazon affiliate links could get you in trouble

frustrated

As serendipity would have it, I picked up not one but two golden nuggets this week related to Amazon affiliate links, which I felt compelled to share here. Trust me, they are small and insignificant things that you’re probably unaware of, but could get you in trouble unless you take remedial action at once.

Obviously, this post is mostly of interest to those who are Amazon affiliates. That is to say, people who embed affiliate tags in their links to Amazon products (in order to gain a small commission from any purchases incurred). Still, even if you are not an Amazon affiliate, the information may still be of use to you if you’re an author so you can warn your reviewers. Stick with me and it’ll all soon make sense.

GOLDEN NUGGET NUMBER 1

You’ve all heard that Amazon deletes reviews (sometimes hundreds in one go!) of people that they suspect know the authors personally. In my post, How to not lose your reviews on Amazon, I discuss some of the ways Amazon finds out when a reviewer and an author know each other. Also, in this post by Gwendolyn Kiste, you will be shown clearly how Amazon sees who knows whom via the use of Super URLs that many authors share without knowing the risks.

Now, to the nitty-gritty of this post – this tip has been shared recently in my writer’s group, eNovel Authors at Work:

Amazon now deletes the reviews of those who use affiliate links to connect to a book on Amazon from a book review post (on a site or blog).

Think about it: You’ve read a book, you post your review on Amazon (so far so good), and then you blog the review on your site but you don’t just link up to the book on Amazon, you add your affiliate tag to the link. Bam! Wham! You just gave yourself a financial benefit from your review! Big mistake… As you know, the Amazon TOS forbids reviewers to receive payment. And yes, you guessed it, Amazon considers the addition of your affiliate tag as payment, even if no purchase is ever made!

We can all continue to blog our reviews, of course, but, without using affiliate tags in the review posts.

GOLDEN NUGGET NUMBER 2

There I was yesterday, browsing through my timeline on Twitter, no care in the world, when this post by Meron Bareket on Social Quant drew my attention like a magnet: “7 Ways Using Twitter Can Leave You in Need of a Lawyer”. Seeing that I use Twitter heavily, I couldn’t ignore that! I am always careful not to step on any toes, especially where plagiarism or image copyright infringement are concerned. This means I breezed through the article, feeling quite safe, until I got to number 3: “Failing to Disclose Affiliate Links/Paid Endorsements”. I’d never heard of The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) before. I live in Greece and don’t even know if, being a Greek citizen, I am within their scope of supervision, but being as careful and law-abiding as I am, my immediate decision was to comply anyway. Read the whole article, it’s well worth your time! I made sure to amend all my automated tweets so I can disclose the use of affiliate links. Phew! Another bullet dodged as I roam the obscure paths of Cyberspace! Thank you Meron Bareket!

I know the title of this post refers to two ways… but having discovered the aforementioned tidbits this week my apprehension hit the red part of the scale. I felt compelled to research further and stumbled upon this terrific article by Al-Amin Kabir on Marketever. It lists the various ways Amazon could ban you as an affiliate for using your tags in ways you’re not supposed to. I mean, who would have thought you could get banned for using them on email for example? Phew! More bullets dodged there.

And with that, I’ll let you go. Hope this helps, folks!

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Interview with L. Donsky-Levine

Today I’m pleased to present to you L. Donsky-Levine, another fabulous author from my writer’s group, eNovel Authors at Work.

thebadgirlldl

Survival in the animal world is a simple concept. Survival in the human world is not.

1971. Riley Madison is always looking over her shoulder. And always running. From poverty, from abuse, from a childhood snuffed out by a junkie mother, and a violent past marginally kept at bay. This twenty-two-year-old New Yorker lives in her less than perfect world where her only friend is a cat, and when not self-medicating with Twinkies, Oreos and cigarettes, she works at a Times Square sex emporium servicing anyone who can pay. Not because she wants to. But because she has to if she aims to stay one step ahead of the dangerous underworld that sees her as nothing more than prey. Prey whose internal armor is about to be tested in ways she never imagined when her life once again spirals out of control.

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Charcoal Flower

Painted by L. Donsky-Levine

Hello Lauren and welcome to my blog!

Hi Fros, it’s great to be here.

I understand that The Bad Girl is your literary debut?

Yes. Like many other folks who’ve dreamed about writing that great novel, life required me elsewhere. So, I guess I’m what some might call a late boomer (*smiles*). It’s taken me a lifetime to get here, but thrilled that I finally made it.

Well, we are too. And, I see, based upon the reviews, that the subject matter is pretty intense. Can I ask what was your inspiration for it?

I can’t say that this exploration into humanity’s darker side where all those social issues we don’t like to talk about roam free, evolved out of any sort of inspiration. As a victim of sexual molestation, as a little girl, as a woman grappling with the shame, the stigma, and the anger I felt toward people and their reality blinders, I knew one day I would write about it, I just didn’t know when. And the strange thing was, I was in the middle of writing a completely different book when the idea of it came back with such full force, and I knew this had to come before all else.

So now that you’ve accomplished that, what’s new, project-wise, on the horizon for L. Donsky-Levine?

I’m actually working on two projects. The first is the book I’d started before The Bad Girl. It’s a tale of somewhat more epical proportion that fuses together all those magical things I personally look for when I want to get lost in between the pages of a truly wonderful book: time travel, history, adventure, sex and romance. Oh yeah, gotta have the love factor in there because whatever the problem, whatever the question, the answer will always be the same. Love. Without that . . . what else is there?

So true.

And the second project I’m working on is actually a book club tour. Or should I say “a personal challenge” which I’ve titled: The Bad Girl Book Club Tour. Reading Across America. Fifty States. Fifty Weeks. I’m hoping, as the title indicates, to travel to every state within a year’s time. Now aside from a smattering of states here and there, the majority of my trip will obviously be done, virtually. Which is cool because I belonged to a virtual book club where we all met online and it was such incredible fun. So if there’s anyone out there who belongs to a club in the US or has a friend or relative that they know belongs to one, and they don’t mind doing a little arm-twisting, well then . . . I’d love to hear from you!

Sounds like you definitely have your hands full. But happily. Which leads me to wonder with all that you’re doing, is there anything in particular you like to do to get the creative juice flowing?

There are two definites that never fail me when I sometimes find myself staring at a blank screen. Reading a great book and baking something super delicious. The book (especially if it’s a good one) gets those mental electrodes pumping while the fussing about the kitchen relaxes me. I’ve been baking for a long time. My mother was/is a super baker, so naturally like most little girls we want to emulate our mothers. I was probably around five when I made my first batch of cookies. Chocolate chip. Nothing ever tasted so good as those cookies, warm and gooey right out of the oven with a tall glass of cold milk. Oh yes, yum!

Now that you’ve got my mouth watering, Lauren, I understand you have quite a diverse background. So if you could choose another profession, what would it be?

It’s true. Over the years, I’ve worn a plethora of professional hats. I’ve been a chef, an insurance agent, an Executive Assistant, a clothing designer, a Restaurant General Manager, a sales rep, a concierge, a freelance writer, a nanny, a driver, and probably a whole heck of a lot more things I just can’t remember at the moment. But the one profession that I never did achieve and dreamed about from the time I was a little girl, was being an archaeologist. But since I was not the best of students and I’d discovered archaeologists earned very little, I chucked that idea real quick. However, the dream never left me. And so now, even though I’ll never be able to put on my Indiana Jones hat (not in public anyway), I have the next best thing that will make all that possible for me: a pen.

I understand that in addition to now writing full-time, you’re also a hands-on grandmother; you paint and you’re a FEMA Reservist, too. That sounds like a lot.

Yes, now that you say it that way, it does. But it somehow works. And given the fact I’m the world’s greatest juggler, doesn’t hurt any. I love spending time with my granddaughter; she’s the love of my life. Painting, for me, is like breathing. And as far as my work with FEMA, I can think of no other honor than being of service to my country men and women when they need a helping hand the most.

What would you say you enjoy the most as an indie author that you imagine you wouldn’t if you were traditionally published? And if you had a choice would you still go indie?

As many of us know all too well, being an indie author requires a lot of hard, hard work. That and a never-ending capacity to wear so many different hats when all we really want to do is just write and leave all that other business to someone else. We’re writers and that’s our first priority. But ultimately we’re in the catbird seat. We get to control our own destiny, and I love that. And somehow, I can’t help but imagine going traditional would change things. Would bite into my freedom to work at my own pace, to write perhaps what I want, how I want, when I want. And if you’re asking me, knowing that, given a choice, would I still go indie? Well, I don’t know. Perhaps if the contract offered a whole heap of zeros in there . . . I just might!

Speaking of authors… Do you have any favorites you’d like to share? And if so, what do you love about them?

Oh gee, there are so many that I love and admire. But if I had to narrow down the field I’d have to say: Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon and Tess Gerritsen. Anne Rice was/is an original. She brought us tales of sophisticated and sexy vampires long before anyone else. And talk about a powerful sex scene, wow, this lady has that down pat.

Same for Diana Gabaldon. I love the way she drew me into the Outlander series. Slam, bam, thank you ma’am! Everything about each book, is unique. And so well written that when I wasn’t reading about the characters, I was thinking about them.

Tess Gerritsen though is in a different arena. The mystery/thriller genre that requires a deft hand and sharp mind to keep the plot reeling and the pages turning. She has all those qualities and more. She’s one of those writers I read everything she puts out. I love her writing. It’s clean and cracker-jack crisp. Something I continuously aspire to.

What would you consider the biggest life lesson you’ve learned the hard way?

That nothing lasts forever. Life happens in a blink. One minute we can have it all, or what seems like the happiest of situations, and then without even realizing it, it’s gone. I’ve experienced what many people experience. The loss of a great job, the loss of a marriage, the loss of someone dear. And for me that was my sister. I can’t say that my every waking thought has been filled with regret: things I wished I’d said to her, things I wished I’d done differently. But they’re there. Like a needling reminder to call my children and tell them I love them, or to hug my parents . . . while I still can.

I appreciate you sharing that with us, Lauren, and if I might ask you one last question, how would you like to be remembered?

black and whites

Oh, that’s easy! I want to be remembered as that sassy New York girl who loved black and white cookies, and finally made good. And for those folks out there who don’t know what black and white cookies are . . . like the state tree or state flower, it’s New York’s state cookie.

Thank you, Lauren. It’s been wonderful to have you here today.

Thank you too, Fros, for the invitation.

 

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Donsky-Levine was born and raised in New York and where according to her mother, she was writing before she even walked, telling those stories with a twig in the dirt. But it would take a lifetime and the raising of a family before that career as storyteller would come to fruition. In her trademark witty and wise fashion, she crafts stories crossing all genres, all emotional landscapes of the heart about characters dealing with all the things life could possibly throw their way. The Bad Girl is her debut novella. She currently lives with her family in South Florida.

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Interview with Suzi Stembridge

Today, I’m thrilled to welcome Suzi Stembridge, another British author who fell in love with Greece. As you know, I love discovering authors who write about my country so it’s my pleasure to present Suzi’s work to you today:

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The GREEK LETTERS quartet is part of a series charting the fortunes and adventures of Rosalind, her ancestors, her partners and offspring and their family and friends, over two centuries, entitled “Jigsaw.”

In 1827 Samuel Carr leaves his home in Didsbury in Cheshire. This mild-mannered young man is completely oblivious that his spontaneous decision to travel to Greece, fighting for its independence, will have a huge effect on his descendants. His travels take him to the scene of the Battle of Trafalgar near Cadiz and on to witness the Battle of Navarino in the Peloponnese; scenes he never imagined in his wildest dreams – and the dreams of this sensitive young man are wild…

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theglassclass

Set in Calderdale in West Yorkshire, Snowdonia in Wales, Athens and the island of Spetses in Greece. Death (murder or accidental?) stalks the middle-aged friends as they struggle to cope with their party life in the late nineteen-seventies. Failing marriages, affairs, intrigue and possibly alcoholism seem determined to undermine their pursuit of happiness and their careers in journalism and textiles. As they struggle to resolve their problems it is the discovery of a family tree which holds the secret to an astonishing denouement…

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castahoroscope

Rosalind Peters, known as Roz, is an air-stewardess in the early 1960’s; in the days when they were called air-hostesses. With a one hour induction, a training flight to Paris and an afternoon swotting from her manual, she is embarking on her first flight at night and she is solely responsible for thirty-six passengers on a Viking aircraft. The chief pilot of the small Yorkshire-based charter airline is her captain and in these days of fledgling package holidays her passengers are businessmen going to Hamburg to play hockey. It doesn’t take long for the sardonic captain, ex RAF and Berlin airlift, and seeming to the youthful Roz as middle-aged and corpulent, to size up the rooky learner…

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Image from the book “GREEK PICTURES drawn with pen and pencil by J.P. Mahaffy M.A., D.D.” and published by The Religious Tract Society in London 1890.

Hello Suzi and welcome to my blog!

Hello, Fros! Thank you for inviting me!

What has inspired you to write JIGSAW?

Jigsaw comprises of two series: each of four books, which combine as Jigsaw to make one very long family historical novel. In 2003 we were running our tour operation company “Filoxenia” and the travel agency “Greco-file” and I broke my foot. I couldn’t get to the office. All over the house were remnants of half-finished novels, frustrating me because I longed to write. A computer wiz (these were early days) gave me an old-fashioned scanner. I took the enforced rest, with my leg up, to scan in (painstakingly) old typed sheets and sheets typed and corrected in pen – amazingly the scanner even had a go at the written words but jumbled up the typed words! I was off. Fantastic! These jottings seem to fit a time from the 1960s to the present and then once I retired a year later I added the GREEK LETTERS QUARTET: a 19th  & 20th century prequel taking up the ancestors of the original protagonist Rosalind in CAST A HOROSCOPE & THE GLASS CLASS.

What other writing have you done? Anything else published?

I have always been writing, scribblings as a pre-school child, school magazines, book reviews for newspapers and travel articles. Someday, I told myself, I would have the opportunity to write novels.

I hear you’re supporting a charity at the moment via your book sales?

Yes, at least till March 31st I’ll be donating a percentage of my proceeds to the Calderdale Flood Relief Fund. The devastating floods in our area of West Yorkshire have wiped out homes and businesses – including our independent bookshop in Hebden Bridge.

It must be horrible for everyone, and so kind of you to do this. Which are your favorite authors, and what do you love about them?

I keep coming back to FROM THE HOLY MOUNTAIN by William Dalrymple. I loved this book before Syria imploded. Now it is priceless, with William’s beautiful descriptive writing taking the reader through the middle east to a Syria which was so fascinating I longed to visit it. Being a woman I am enthralled by Mount Athos, and that this begets the title of William’s book only highlights the poignancy of the present situation. Patrick Leigh Fermor, for example, is another writer influenced by Mount Athos and the Byzantium and I adore all Paddy’s other books which have influenced my own choice of locations. It was Prospero’s Cell by Lawrence Durrell which instilled a love of Corfu where we had our honeymoon in 1965 and where we explored the whole island (only dirt roads in those days). Naturally it is the scene for my psychological thriller, written under a pen name, the pen-name of my protagonist, Rosalind.

What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

I just love books: 19th century novels, travel books, novels by contemporary writers such as Ian McEwen and Edna O’Brien. I am currently reading her The Little Red Chairs, absolutely beautiful but shocking in its sexual abuse scene. I love biographies or novels based on real historical events. I have had enormous pleasure from the many diverse books in A Good Greek Read, all very interesting and surprising in their content; from Daphne Kapsali to yourself, from Kathryn Gauci to T.E. Taylor. My bedside pile of books to re-read includes War & Peace and The Forsyte Saga, which shows the power of the BBC to influence one’s reading, but I think The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides will win!

Your reading pile sounds wonderful, and thank you for the mention. Are there any sites or writing tools that you find useful and wish to recommend?

I have just found Grammarly, even the basic free tool is very useful.

Funny you should say that; I discovered it yesterday! I love the Grammarly add on for Microsoft Office in particular. It is a wonderful free tool for checking manuscripts! Tell us about your website/blog, Suzi. What will readers find there?

My website www.greco-file.com is unusual. When we sold our business, “Filoxenia”, and retired, I didn’t want to lose touch with all the clients – mostly huge philhellenes –and so I continued to give free advice on where to travel within Greece. Twelve years on I suppose I still could but now it acts as a site to display the synopsis of the eight novels and a place for photographs of Greece.

If you could choose another profession, what would that be?

My head teacher wanted me to go on to University but my father was adamant that he would not pay (girls did not do that back in those days) and he was sure I would waste his money and just get married! She told him cuttingly, “Then she will just have to be a librarian or a researcher.” In both she might have been right, but I did get a degree with the Open University in my early 40s, of which I am extremely proud, which led to me setting up my own travel business to Greece called Filoxenia. This satisfied both the urge for traveling and for writing, with the creation of lavish brochures about the landscapes of coastal and mountain Greece. I thought I had created my dream job but to be honest I still just wanted to write history and fiction.

What are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?

I am grateful, beyond measure, for family life, a small house in the country with more acreage than is usual on which to walk, preferably with a springer spaniel, the chance to travel . . . and apart from a quick trip across the pond in my youth this has mainly been round Europe. The travel business took my husband and me (we have been married fifty years!) to many countries in Europe and the Middle East and then all over Greece, the Peloponnese, Epirus, Thessaly, Macedonia and to unusual islands discovering remote locations for our clients. All these travels were building up primary source material for when I came to write and I am grateful for all the primary & secondary source material I had in family papers and my inherited library! We were lucky enough to build – and sell – a house in the Peloponnese with the most inspirational views and to make so many good friends in Greece. I think I am most grateful for the gift of literature and painting. I love to read, and in particular to write and to paint and for the good health to do all these things. All this led to inspiration for the novels, particularly the GREEK LETTERS QUARTET and of course, CAST A HOROSCOPE – the story of a rooky air-hostess in the early 1960s, which I was – but the book is not autobiographical.

You were a hostess, you say?

Yes, I flew for a tiny company out of Southend airport in Essex, and it was huge fun! The airline was called Tradair and the pilots were a bunch of demobbed RAF fresh from the Berlin Airlift – yes, that long ago! We flew to Athens, Rhodes, Crete, and also to the Middle East – Beirut, Cairo and Jerusalem, or anywhere in the Med.

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Wow! And how pretty you look in this picture! Thank you for sharing this, Suzi. What do you consider is the unique feature of your work?

I suppose more than anything it is the fact that the books interlink over time: the young philhellene traveling to Greece in 1827 arrives as the last naval battle fought with sailing ships to end the Greek War of Independence at Navarino is raging. In my opinion this is one of the most important events in modern history. The Philhellene’s adventures and those of his companions are played out against his growing dynasty. Eventually it is his great-great-granddaughter and her offspring and friends who inhabit the later books. I am proud that these novels begin in the early 19th century but come to a conclusion at a time the world is changing hugely. It is not just the uncertainties created by 9.11, space exploration, climate change, ISIS, North Korea; it is the huge advances of technology and medical science which will herald a new age and perhaps end of the values which have held sway over the last two hundred years. It was ever thus but we do seem to be not just at the end of a chapter, but an epoch.

Have you brought any other photos to show us today?

Yes, four photos from my travels around Greece, namely from Nafplio, Meteora, and two from the Peloponese.

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing, and for being here with us today. It’s been a pleasure.

It’s been a pleasure for me too, thank you very much, Fros!

Suzi Stembridge was born in rural Yorkshire, UK, where she still lives in a small farmhouse on the Pennine Hills. She was educated in North Wales and the settings in some of her books reflect this and her Yorkshire heritage. However, it is Greece which influenced her most, which she first visited as a trainee air-hostess and to where she returned frequently throughout her life. She founded and ran three businesses – Girl Friday, Filoxenia, a specialist Greek Tour operator, and Greco-file. She is married with adult children. She has spent the last 10 years writing the series JIGSAW, unashamedly with a Greek bias.

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FREE & BARGAIN BOOKS – FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26

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Spotlight: Creatus by Carmen De Sousa

 

Book 1 in the Creatus Series is FREE today!

creatus

Derrick is one of the creatus, created beings who have lived on the earth for more than four thousand years. Many questions surround the origin of these sentient beings who are stronger than humans, eat differently, and live longer. But they were created just as we were, maybe even before us. It is from them we obtain our fairy tales–and our nightmares. They are the reason we believe in superheroes–and monsters. Because . . . they exist.

In the past, they kept the human race safe from an anonymous distance. But now, Derrick must come out of the darkness to save a woman he has no business loving, even if doing so may threaten his entire race. The Creatus Series is not your normal paranormal story . . . it’s a realistic romantic mystery based on the myths you’ve heard your entire life. Prepare to believe . . .

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Interview with Susan Tarr

Hello peeps! I’m thrilled to host today fellow member of eNovel Authors at Work, Susan Tarr. Susan’s books will intrigue you, and she’s brought loads of pictures to show, some of them old ones related to her book, Phenomena, inspired by a real story.

 

TWITTER Phenomena

As a child I knew Malcolm, who was then a young man. Dad often invited him home for meals. Malcolm was one of the ‘lost children’ forgotten or abandoned by their families. We followed his story from childhood to adulthood as best we could even after he was eventually discharged back into the community. When considering the tragedy and abuse of Malcolm’s wasted earlier years, it is a story of immeasurable sadness. Yet he ultimately rose above it all, and with admirable strength, courage and innate resilience, was finally able to free ‘the regular boy within’ as he had always wanted. I was raised within the community of the Seacliff Mental Hospital village so it was difficult to know where fiction ended and the greater truth took over…

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Miranda bay for twitter

Miranda, a quirky, strong-minded and lovable young woman, splurges her inheritance on the old Miranda Bay Sanatorium in the sub-tropical Bay of Islands, New Zealand, simply because it bears her name. She knows little about running a business and depends heavily on loyal cousin Pansy’s expertise. In her frantic drive for success Miranda hires a motley crew to get cracking on the property. Hamilton, her lascivious financial advisor, seizes the opportunity to undermine her. But now with paying guests expected, she must make some serious decisions.
So the guests trickle in – hardly the sophisticates Miranda has envisaged. At the brink of despair, she experiences deepening depression and manic behavior…

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Twitter When the rollercoaster stops (Small)

Bethany, recently returned from Europe, seeks medical advice for a stomach upset. Because of her mixed parentage, she has inherited a specific gene, which has made her a candidate for colorectal cancer. She challenges her diagnosis; she is too young for this kind of condition and she has too much life to live. And so she sets off on a whole new journey of discovery, taking her eclectic group of friends with her.

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Jack's Cover Pic KDP Cover Final

I’m Jack. I’m a real pedigree dog, and I’ve got real papers to prove it. My parents have abandoned me into boarding kennels in the Far North of New Zealand, while they travel the world. I’m not at all happy about that. However, I shall do my best to maintain my dignity while getting on with the job. Among these unruly and noisy mutts, I intend to remain aloof and guarded. And as for that black cat with the skinny tail and missing eye, there’s no way she’s getting anywhere near me. At all! And I’ll keep a diary so when my parents return they can read how absolutely miserable I have been all these months. Yes, I shall keep a diary…

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Hello Susan and welcome to my blog!

Hi Frossie, thank you for the invitation!

What has inspired you to write PHENOMENA – The Lost and Forgotten Children?

Since I worked at various psychiatric hospitals in New Zealand, the inspiration for writing about historic mental health from the perspective of a young boy came about. The boy in the story (once he’d grown into a man) visited our home often as we were growing up. Dad would bring him home for meals so he became a small part of our family.

Do you see yourself in any of your characters, or do any of them have traits you wish you had?

When writing my books, I am barely below the surface. I guess to read my work is to know me. Or at least a large part of how my mind operates. Oh! And I see myself in pretty much every Sandra Bullock movie. I can guess what she will do next and how she will probably fail spectacularly. (*laughs*)

I love Sandra Bullock! I expect you had good vibes about her role in Gravity! What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

I love a good book of historic fiction. I’m fortunate to be reading Jana Petken’s latest work, prior to publication. She’s my favorite author.

Do you have any advice for other indie authors?

Never ask family and friends what they think of your WIP. My husband seems to think that gives him authority to wield a red pen. And family and friends want to preserve their relationship with you, at any cost.

Choose an editor once you have rewritten and edited your work until you are heartily sick of it. And then follow up with a proofreader. A proofreader is vital.

Great advice, Susan. Choose a male and a female character from your book and tell us which actor and actress you’d cast to play them in a film adaptation.

PHENOMENA would need Forrest Whittaker.

MIRANDA BAY & When the ROLLER COASTER Stops would have Sandra Bullock. Perfect casting.

Sandra again! Now I want to read your books more than ever (*giggles*) What were your most and least favorite subjects in school?

Human Biology and English were my favorites. I always wanted to be a missionary doctor. Math, I cannot do!

Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?

‘Wuthering Heights’ sticks in my mind for the wrong reason. It was required high school reading. It bored me witless. But then I discovered that same book in my personal library a few years back. I read and wondered at the brilliance behind such a story, and the writing. I laugh at the amazing growth in my reading taste and my understanding of others’ writing.

What are your five favorite books, and why?

Of Mice and Men. Well, Steinbeck is Steinbeck, after all. The simplicity of his writing wraps itself around you.

Geek Love. I accidentally discovered this Katherine Dunn work. Brilliant, crazy, demented writing. Where on earth does this woman get her weird ideas from?

An Angel at My Table. Janet Frame was an inmate at SEACLIFF Mental Hospital, which is where my work PHENOMENA the Lost and Forgotten Children is set. I get her! I get her scenery descriptions. Especially since I was raised in the Seacliff village, here in New Zealand.

God Knows. Joseph Heller’s take on King David and his court. Hilarious.

The Rain Queen. Katherine Scholes. I was married and raised my little family in Kenya, so reading this book and loving it just made sense.

In most of my reading, I am exploring our fragile mind and seeing things from a whole new perspective. That’s what grabs me; the frailty of our human condition. But I love a good humorous story too.

What is the greatest joy of writing for you?

I love my thoughts. I love the way my brain thinks. My writing generally crosses the genre, and happily so. I make my characters quirky, lovable and over the top in some cases. When they come alive they take me down paths I had never imagined. That’s when I let go and simply follow them. I form an emotional connection with them. Because I have several books on the go at any one time, I can direct whatever emotion I may be experiencing at that time into a specific work. You know that time in real life conflict when you say, after the event, ‘If only I’d said…’? Well, this is my chance to say exactly what I would have said given that chance.

I know exactly what you mean! Tell us, is it true you used to run a kennel with your husband?

Yes, that’s right. It also included a cattery, and we exported specialty cats to Europe, South Africa and USA. I would give injections to the dogs and cats, if required, nurse them back to good health, or sit with them when they faded away. We also rehabilitated animals from car accidents with physio and exercising and groomed show dogs or mutts. Anything animal/poultry was never too hard for us to master.

Wow! It must have been really rewarding for you both…

Oh yes, a glorious period in our lives.

You’ve brought photos!

Yes! These are the boarding kennels. You can also see our grapes growing over the fencing. There were 14 large kennels inside, and 4 large runs outdoors. The settings were all very park-like.

The cattery is the gorgeous wee house. Completed in color steel and with ranch sliders. Like a granny flat.

Wonderful! Is this your house in the last picture?

Not the one I live in now, but the one we lived in at the time.

I love it, so near the water. Looks absolutely enchanting. Thank you so much for sharing these photos with us, Susan, and for being here with us today. It’s been a real pleasure!

Thank you for inviting me, Frossie. I had a wonderful time!

 

Author Pic Susan Tarr

I grew up way down south in New Zealand. Otago was very cold in the winter, with ice formed over puddles. We used to break those on our way to school. We lived near the old Seacliff Mental Hospital, and we shared our little primary school with patients from there. I worked at various psychiatric hospitals in New Zealand before sailing to Kenya, East Africa, in a 28ft yacht. From Kenya I wrote letters home to Mum and Dad that eventually turned into stories. And from there my love of writing, travel and tourism came into being.

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