Alex Austin

Alex Austin’s fiction has been published in numerous literary magazines, including Caffeine, Bachy, Beyond Baroque, UCLA’s Westwinds and Cal Arts Black Clock. He is the author of the critically acclaimed novel The Perfume Factory, a coming-of-age novel set on the Jersey Shore, which was published in 2006.

Shelagh: Please tell everyone a little about yourself, Alex.

Alex: I was born in New Jersey and grew up on the Jersey Shore. I moved to California in the 1970s, graduated from UCLA, and settled permanently in the Los Angeles area. I’ve been a writer and editor for numerous magazines. Most of my time and energy over the last 20 years has gone into novels and plays. In 2000, My play The Amazing Brenda Strider won a Backstage West Critic’s Pick and The Maddy Award for Playwriting. In 2002, my play Mimosa was the featured play in Wordsmiths Playwrights Festival, presented by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. Mimosa is published by Playscripts Inc. My newest play Dupe has had several productions, including one starring Ray Wise (currently the Devil on Reaper) and is currently in the running for a spot in Playfest at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. The Perfume Factory, a coming-of-age novel set on the Jersey Shore, was published in early 2006. It was a Kirkus Recommended and received a 2008 Writer’s Digest’s Honorable Mention in Mainstream Fiction. The Red Album of Asbury Park, sequel to The Perfume Factory, was published by Virtual Bookworm in November 2009, and has received numerous excellent reviews.

Shelagh: When did you begin writing and in what genre(s)?

Alex: In my twenties, I read Vonnegut’s Mother’s Night and was hooked. I read everything Vonnegut wrote. I’d scribbled a few things before that, but now I saw a form of writing that I wanted to emulate: black, ironic and satirical, but still humane. So I started writing satire and parody, skewering what I thought needed to be skewered.

Shelagh: When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

Alex: When I started writing, my goals were to satirize the military-industrial complex, corporate values, politics and organized religion, the usual suspects. Other targets were the inanities of human behavior, particularly self-righteousness. The biggest goal was to get published. The message was go left.

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book. Is it part of a series or stand-alone?

Alex: The Red Album of Asbury Park Remixed is the Sequel to The Perfume Factory in which Sam Nesbitt, 17, tries to escape a dead-end town and a sadistic father. The Red Album jumps forward to the late Sixties and Asbury Park, a once high-flying resort that is now rent with drugs, crime and racial tension. Against that backdrop (from which Springsteen emerged)Sam returns from war and its horrors. He’s a guitarist with plenty of talent and he wants to make something of himself. In his review of the book, Ken Wohlrob wrote, “He [Sam] has the goods as a guitarist and harbors dreams of that hit album that will get him the hell out of New Jersey. Except the music is too much of an escape. It’s a pipe dream that bursts whenever confronted by all the obstacles surrounding Sam. Instead of bringing glory, Sam’s efforts become an endless series of letdowns—bad gigs, continuous debt, medical mishaps, band breakups, missed opportunities—that far outweigh those nights where everything goes right. If he’s not a hero, he’s the only guy in town who hasn’t given up even if he’s the only one who knows it’s worthless to even try.” That’s a great synopsis of the book. I couldn’t write a better one.

Shelagh: How do you develop characters and setting?

Alex: With all major characters, I fill out a form that takes them from the cradle to the grave. So I know them quite well as they enter the story. As the story unfolds, they will no doubt change in response to other characters and events, but at least I know who is changing. With some minor characters, I’m content with two-dimensions. Setting is extremely important to me. In The Perfume Factory, I wanted the main character and setting to be inextricable. Sam was his town. Port Beach was the fictional counterpart of Union Beach, the town I grew up in and which I knew to the degree that Sam had to know. The memories of youth are indelible and I drew from those memories to create the setting. The Red Album was different. I had spent a couple of years in Asbury, but I did not know the place intimately. A big part of the story was this once fabled resort coming apart as a new brand of rock music was rising. So I wanted the reader to see Asbury and to know its history. I wanted the Giant Swan boat in there, the dark rides, Tillie, the Palace Amusements, the Casino. There was something of myth in all that stuff. I had toyed with the idea of creating a fictional counterpart to Asbury so that I could have some leeway with the descriptions, but once I settled on it really being Asbury Park, I had to get it right. Living in California that meant endless research, talking to people Back East, and eventually going back to Asbury to walk the boardwalk, look for old haunts, record what was left and imagine what was gone.

Shelagh: Who is the most unusual/most likeable character?

Alex: In The Red Album, the most unusual is Tillie, a face on a wall. In the novel I describe him as, “The painted man with the doffed bowler had a queer haircut, something like Alfalfa of the Little Rascals, or as if he’d cut his hair to make it look like a mustache. His eyes were bright, his nose was broad and his smile went from ear to ear, filled to capacity with one set of long fat teeth. His lips were fiery red and delicate. He wore a high collar, the kind men had worn a half-century ago. He was a spooky fuck, and he was looking at me.” In the book, Tillie springs to life. Likeable would be Sam’s ex girlfriend Julie, who loves Sam and understands where be wants to be, but ultimately cannot go along for the ride.

Shelagh: Do you have a specific writing style or preferred POV?

Alex: I wrote the two novels in the first person and did not allow the narrator to distance himself chronologically from the time or circumstances of his character. In The Perfume Factory, Sam thinks as a seventeen year old. In The Red Album Sam thinks as a 22-24 year old. There are first person novels in which the narrator will view his younger self through an older self. That technique is a common convention of first person stories, but it’s not my style.

Shelagh: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Alex: Someone said that all friction is autobiographical to a greater or lesser degree. I concur….

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Alex: “I have just finished reading a great little novel, The Perfume Factory by Alex Austin. It is a dark and gritty coming-of-age story set in the 60’s…. His young characters are fascinating. Their naïve invincibility, their teenage wants and fears bring them to life.” —Laura Rae Amos, Blogcritics

“It is simply an amazing work of fiction… a smart look inside the topsy-turvy world of the rock and roll lifestyle and the futility, hope, danger, love and mystery of survival in general. The Red Album Of Asbury Park Remixed is a book you won’t be able to put down.”—John Pfeiffer, Aquarian Magazine

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Alex: I’m currently working a contemporary novel set in Los Angeles. I’m switching to the third person for this one. The main character is a middle-aged writer/teacher trying futilely to bring closure to a tragedy for which he was responsible, and suddenly confronted with events that force him to see the tragedy in a totally different light.

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Alex: For the month of February, Librarything.com is having an ongoing in depth discussion with me about my work. The URL for the discussion is http://www.librarything.com/topic/82398 I also post info on Goodreads and Facebook. The books are available everywhere online. The Red Album of Asbury Park Remixed is the only version of the book that I want read. If it doesn’t say “Remixed” on the cover, don’t get it.

Deborah McCarragher

Deborah  McCarragher’s love of the Holy scripture and bible study are evident in her poetry and literary works. Her primary goal is to share her personal testimony with others while bringing hope and practical help through her books.

Shelagh: Please tell everyone a bit about your self, Deborah.

Deborah: I grew up in a military family and left home at age eighteen to marry my first husband.  I divorced four years later and returned to Florida to start my life over, and remarried in 1982 to my present husband.  I am a small business owner of over twenty years, and enjoy creative writing and bible study in my spare time.  I enjoy using my spiritual gifts of encouragement and teaching in my home church.   My husband and I have one married son in the US military and we reside in north Florida.

Shelagh: When did you begin writing and in what genre(s)?

Deborah: I first enjoyed creative writing in high school, but wrote my current book, Mission Possible, in l989.  It is a non-fiction Christian women’s book dealing with marriage.

Shelagh: When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish?

Deborah: Writing my first book was more of a labor of love and wasn’t pre-planned.  It was inspired by God, and my primary goal is to share my personal testimony with others while bringing hope and practical help through my book.

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book.

Deborah: I am a first-time author of the book Mission Possible.  It was written for women who struggle with spiritually uneven marriages, and is about my quest to reach my husband for Christ.

Shelagh: What’s the hook for the book?

Deborah: Author tackles delicate subject in marraige.  Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to stand in the gap for your mate’s soul.

Shelagh: Do you have a specific writing style or preferred POV?

Deborah: Mission Possible was written from the first person perspective as it is my personal testimony.

Shelagh: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Deborah: My background and upbringing played absolutely no part in my book, Mission Possible, as I didn’t become a Christian until age thirty-five.

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Deborah: If you are a Christian woman striving to introduce your husband to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior, you will truly love and embrace the inspiration and hope found in this book. Unlike other books with religious themes, “Mission Possible” is a clear road map leading to an everlasting peace within your home.  Right from the first paragraph, Deborah’s experience and passion will capture your undivided attention. Again and again, she presents her faith and conviction in the Scriptures with a pace that’s quick and always fresh. The heart filled passion and desire for her husband to find and establish a relationship with our Lord and Savior is virtually on every page.   (Reviewed By: Brian Knight)

Shelagh: What kinds of reactions has the book generated thus far?

Deborah: I have had great reaction to my little book.  Some women love it because it is not lengthy, and they can read it quickly - yet refer back to it over & over again.  One woman emailed me a testimony that she was nearly ready to leave her husband, but after reading the book, felt that God was leading her to give her marriage another try.  That was very humbling and gratifying for me.  I just want to help women see that there is an alternative to being miserable in your marriage.

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Deborah: I am currently working on another non-fiction Christian book titled “Trees of the Bible – A Spiritual Journey”.  It discusses some of the more popular trees in scripture and their spiritual significance.  It features the Hebrew name and scientific classification.  You can view a sample on my website on the “Something New in the Wings” tab.

Shelagh: How can our readers learn more about you and contact you directly?

Deborah: They can visit my website at www.Godmissionpossible.com or email me at deb@alabasterboxpublishing.com

They can also visit my Blog page at www.Godmissionpossible.blogspot.com.

My book is available on my website at www.Godmissionpossible.com or at www.Amazon.com , as well as several other online retailers.

I have my book available as a trade paperback, audio book on CD, downloadable MP-3 format, and as an E-Book.

Jess C. Scott

Jess C. Scott is primarily a writer/novelist/poet. In mid-2009, Jess decided to publish her first two books herself, after realizing those works weren’t exactly commercially categorizable. Her third novel is a more mainstream project.

Shelagh: Hi Jess, please tell us a little about yourself.

Jess: Writer. Artist. Dreamer. Doer. Twenty-three.

Shelagh: When did the writing bug bite, and in what genre(s)?

Jess: Before I turned five … I think it started with adventure. Crossed over into erotica when I turned eighteen. I write in several genres (young adult fiction, paranormal romance, GLBT, new media), but I’d lump most of it under “contemporary fiction.”

Shelagh: When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

Jess: I derive a great amount of satisfaction and meaning from the writing process. Readers are free to deduce/interpret my work(s) however they wish

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book. Series or stand-alone?

Jess: My debut blog/IM novel was/is a stand-alone. I have some other projects that are currently in-the-works.

Shelagh: What’s the hook for the book?

Jess: EyeLeash captures self-discovery in the 2000s, and showcases the colorful, intricate drama in two youths’ relentless search for themselves — and what’s really in their hearts.

Shelagh: How do you develop characters? Setting?

Jess: I drift into their world, so much so that the realm of imagination can often be more real than what’s actually defined as “reality,” heh.

Shelagh: Who is the most unusual character?

Jess: Thus far, I’d perhaps consider Lucius Young to be unusual (an incubus that features in my second book, 4:Play — a short story collection).

Shelagh: Do you have specific techniques to help you maintain the course of the plot?

Jess: I plot and plan beforehand, to keep me focused.

Shelagh: Do you have a specific writing style?

Jess: It depends on the character(s) and the story.

Shelagh: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Jess: There tends to be a multicultural aspect to most of my writing. I grew up in Singapore, a cosmopolitan and racially diverse city-state.

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Jess: Review Excerpt of EyeLeash: “…Jade is not infuriatingly self-deprecating the way Bella Swan (main character from Twilight) is, among many other differences. She’s got confidence, and it’s refreshing to read a book about a girl who actually thinks she’s got a good body. I think that’s so important.” — unlikelyaristotle on LibraryThing

Review Excerpt of Wicked Lovely (from 4:Play): “I was surprised that I ended up liking “Wicked Lovely”. Not too into the whole incest thing, especially in brother-sister relationships. (I have a brother myself, so thinking about that sort of theme is generally something I don’t indulge in.) But it worked in this story. I can only think of one other instance in which a brother-sister relationship didn’t bother me (Angel Sanctuary series). The fact that they were brother and sister is overshadowed by their sheer desire to be with one another, that that other person is the only person for them. That made the story for me.” — The Basement Crew

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Jess: I am currently working on two (separate) young adult novels. They’re more mainstream than my first two books. I’m also in my last year of college, so my to-do list’s pretty full usually…

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Jess: www.jesscscott.com
www.facebook.com/jesscscott
www.twitter.com/jesscscott

Tara Newlands

Tara Newlands has been fascinated by books all her life and is amazed by their ability to transform worlds. She is contributing writer to a well known paranormal research site and a contributing writer for Night Owl Romance.

Shelagh: Hi Tara, please tell everyone a little about yourself.

Tara: I’m a native of Arizona currently residing in the United Kingdom. I enjoy creating new and different worlds for my readers. I’m an avid yogi and love spending time with my hubby and two young children.

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book. Is it part of a series or stand-alone?

Tara: My upcoming release with Whispers publishing entitled Nirvana is a stand-alone novella.  The story, which is an interracial romance, features a psychic with electrokintic powers, a sexy London cop and a few Indian demi-gods or two.  It’s releasing as an ebook on February 19, 2010 and with be available at Fictionwise, Mobipocket, the Whispers website and All Romance ebooks.

Shelagh: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Tara: These past few years have really allowed me to explore my desire to write.  I’ve travelled to Scotland, lived in Mexico and currently live in England.  All these places and people have taught me a lot about myself.  In each of my stories, I try to bring in the insights I’ve learned from the people and places around me to make better strange  – if not interesting – stories.

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Tara: I think the most interesting review was for my bestselling Urban Fantasy novel with Red Rose publishing – The Dream King.  Here’s a bit of what Tiffany at You Gotta Read reviews had to say about it:

“A good plot, believable characters, and a very creative magical world, all served to gradually draw me deeper into the story… I was thoroughly impressed and looking forward to the sequel.”

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Tara: I’m currently working on the follow up to The Dream King which is entitled Dawnbringer.  As well as working on a new paranormal romance set in Scotland.

Shelagh: When did you begin writing, and in what genre(s)?

Tara: I first got the itch to write during high school.  My English teacher was impressed by a short poetry book I put together and she thought I should try to pursue writing farther.  When I moved to England a few years ago, I found myself wanting to write again.  I had enough free time to do so and I’ve also been interested in paranormal happenings.  So, the two feelings just seemed to go together, and then The Dream King was born.

Shelagh: How do you develop characters?

Tara: I’m afraid I don’t follow a set routine to develop characters.  I like to allow my characters to speak to me in strange ways: listening to music, people chatting on the street, a word on a page.

Shelagh: Who is the most unusual character?

Tara: I’d say in my current work, Nirvana, the appearance of Lord Shiva would be my most unusual character, but he just seemed to have so much to say that I had to include him.

Shelagh: Do you write paranormal romance only or non-fiction as well?

Tara: I’ve contributed articles on yoga to a popular paranormal website and it’s were I do research on subjects that interest me.

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Tara: Readers can contact me at www.freewebs.com/taranewlands, www.facebook.com/taranewlands and www.myspace.com/taranewlands

To learn more about my stories and books, readers can visit www.redrosepublishing.com and www.whispershome.com

Shelagh: Thank you for joining us today, Tara.

Tara: Thank you, Shelagh, for spending time discussing my work!

Frank Fiore

Frank Fiore is a best selling author of over 50,000 copies of his non-fiction books that include: Launching Your Yahoo! Business,  Succeeding at Your Yahoo! Business, Write a Business Plan in No Time, The 2005 Online Shopping Directory for Dummies, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting an Online Business, eMarketing Strategies (translated into other languages), Successful Affiliate Marketing for Merchants , TechTV’s Starting an Online Business and Dr. Livingston’s Online Shopping Safari Guidebook

Shelagh: Please tell us a little about yourself, Frank.

Frank: I live in Paradise Valley, AZ., with my son and wife of 30 years. I have a B.A. in Liberal Arts and General Systems Theory from Stockton State College and a Master Degree in Education at the University of Phoenix. During my college years, I started, wrote and edited the New Times newspaper which is now a multi-state operation.

My writing experience includes guest columns on social commentary and future trends published in the Arizona Republic and the Tribune papers in the metro Phoenix area. Through my writings, I explain in a simplified manner, complex issues and trends.

My interests in future patterns and trends range over many years and many projects. I co-wrote the Terran Project, a self-published book on community futures design processes, and worked as a researcher for Alvin Toffler on a series of high school texts on the future. I’ve designed and taught courses and seminars on the future of society, technology and business and was appointed by the Mayor of Phoenix to serve on the Phoenix Futures Forum as co-chairperson and served on several vital committees.

I’ve also written a book titled To Christopher that, under the guise of a book to my young son, leads the reader through social commentary, personal experience and entertaining teaching stories on a thoughtful journey through the challenges and opportunities that face the next generation.

Shelagh: When did you begin writing, and in what genre(s)?

Frank: To tell youth truth, way back in High School. I wrote the first few chapters of my first novel. I completed a novel many years later in college but never pursued publishing it. Over the last 10 years I wrote a dozen or so non-fiction books but my love was always to be a novelist.

Shelagh: When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

Frank: I think almost every novelist has a back-story to tell. What motivates them to write a book or perhaps a moral or lesson to get across to the reader. My message in CyberKill is one of ‘unintended consequences’.

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book. Series or stand-alone?

Frank: CyberKill is my first book of fiction.

A brilliant programmer, Travis Cole, inadvertently creates “Dorian,” an artificial intelligence that lives on the Internet. After Cole attempts to terminate his creation, Dorian stalks his young daughter through cyberspace in an attempt to reach Cole to seek revenge.

When cyber-terrorism events threaten the United States, they turn out to stem from the forsaken and bitter Dorian.

In the final conflict, Dorian seeks to kill his creator – even if it has to destroy all of humanity to do it.

The geographic locations, government and military installations and organizations, information warfare scenarios, artificial intelligence, robots, and the information and communications technology in this book all exist.

As for SIRUS, pieces of the technology are either in existence or in the research and development stage. According to the Department of Defense, it doesn’t exist.

The Fars News Agency of Iran reported otherwise.

Shelagh: What’s the hook for the book?

Frank: A twist on the Frankenstein myth. The Frankenstein – the Artificial Intelligent piece of software – stalks his young daughter through cyberspace. It asks the question: “How far would an Artificial Intelligence go for revenge?”

Shelagh: How do you develop characters?

Frank: I do a detailed outline of the book before I write it. Characters are developed to drive the plot. So plot comes first then I create characters and motivate them to drive the plot.

Shelagh: Who is the most unusual/most likeable character?

Frank: I like Dallas. He’s a techno-nerd – a thorn in the side of the establishment. Like me.

Shelagh: Do you have a specific writing style? Preferred POV?

Frank: I write in thrid person.

Shelagh: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Frank: Well, my background is in the computer industry so CyberKill was easy to write as far as technology is concerned. My main character reflects me. Intellectual. Not any kind of James Bond sort even though my books are thrillers. He uses his wits to get out of trouble. A driven person but into short cuts.

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Frank: “DO YOU WANT TO EXECUTE? Y/N”

With the stroke of the ‘yes’ button Travis Cole’s life, the life of his daughter, his friends and everyone on the planet hangs in the balance. Thinking he deleted all of his artificial intelligent (AI) agents Travis begins a new life. What he is unaware of is…he forgot one.

Dorian, the leader of the Digitari Brotherhood and forsaken AI, unleashes multiple cyber-terrorist attacks on the United States with one true target in mind – Travis Cole. As each of the attacks from the bitter and forsaken AI fail Travis gets closer to realizing the truth of the nightmare his life has become. Dorian will stop at nothing to have its revenge against the man who tried to terminate him, even if that means destroying mankind to do it.

“Cyberkill” is a sci-fi thrill ride with fast pace action and gripping realism.

It is clearly evident that Author Frank Fiore went to great lengths researching the technology, locations, and government agencies when writing “Cyberkill” which lends to the believability of the story. But Fiore goes beyond that by developing rich and interesting characters, tense drama and moments of mirth. It is easy to connect with Travis as he tries to save the day but what is amazing about Fiore’s writing style is his ability to deliver the motivations for Dorian in a way that readers can both understand and sympathize with.
By weaving together current events, the Internet, real scenarios, action and suspense “Cyberkill” instills enough paranoia to make the reader wonder as they frantically turn the pages to find out what happens next.

Those who read Science Fiction will love “Cyberkill” but make no mistake anyone who uses a computer will enjoy this thriller. This story of revenge and survival will stay in your mind long after you finish reading it. “Cyberkill” is a must read.

The Internet will never be the same after you read…”Cyberkill.”

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Frank: I am currently working on a new three book character series called The Chronicles of Jeremy Nash. The Chronicles of Jeremy Nash is a new thriller series about a noted debunker and skeptic of conspiracy theories, urban legends and myths. Jeremy Nash is pressed into pursuing them by threats to himself, family and reputation. The Chronicles of Jeremy Nash capitalizes on the continuing interest of the reading public in conspiracy theories, unsolved mysteries, urban myths, New Age beliefs and paranormal events. I also feeds the growing appetite of the public for ‘puzzle stories’ in the vein of National Treasure and Indiana Jones with a little of the X-Files thrown in. The formula of the chronicles consists of a conspiracy theory, unsolved mystery, urban myth, New Age belief or paranormal practice that Nash is forced to pursue; combined with an underlying real world event, organization or persons that is somehow connected to what he is pursuing. This provides the thriller aspect of the stories. The web site is www.jeremynashonline.com

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Frank: Where to find Frank Fiore online:
Website: http://www.frankfiore.com
Twitter: followthenovel
Facebook: Facebook profile

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/frank-fiore/0/189/b86

Where to buy in print:
http://www.booklocker.com/books/4078.html

Linda Rettstatt

Linda Rettstatt is an award-winning author of women’s fiction and contemporary romance. Linda’s short stories have garnered recognition and awards from Writer’s Digest and Pennwriters, Inc. Her writing has been compared to that of Nicholas Sparks and Elizabeth Berg.

Shelagh: Hi Linda, please tell everyone a little bit about yourself.

Linda: My very first writing gig was reviewing community theater productions for my hometown newspaper in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. I was an advertising clerk, but got the reviewing task because, frankly, no one on the news staff wanted it. But seeing my name in the by line was a thrill. I had wanted to become a writer after high school, but had no sense of direction and very little self-confidence. After years of working in music and social work, I rediscovered my passion for writing. I now have six novels published, with two more contracted for publication in this coming year. And I have an agent who is handling my one contemporary romance novel. I now reside in Southaven, Mississippi (where I get homesick every October until the first snow flies in Pennsylvania). I’m the owner and moderator of The Women’s Fiction Writers Exchange, an online critique group of women writers from across the United States and Canada.

Shelagh: When did you first begin to write, and in what genre(s)?

Linda: I fell in love with the written word early in life when my grandfather would read to me—until I was old enough to read right back. In high school, I wrote poetry and, later, song lyrics and music. But the dream to write novels never died. I sat down one January day in 2004 and decided to see if I could write a novel. I had fallen in love with women’s fiction, the books of Elizabeth Berg in particular. My first novel, And the Truth Will Set You Free, was completed in five months, published two years later and then finaled for an EPIC e-book award in 2008.

Shelagh: When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

Linda: When I started writing, my only goal was to see if I could write a complete novel that would hopefully be worth reading. I now have six published with two more under contract. <shrugs> Guess I can.

On my website, I say of my own writing, “I write for women—stories of strength, love, humor, and hope.” I want to write characters with whom my readers can relate. I want my stories to give women laughter, tears, a sense of not being alone, and the permission to be themselves.

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book. Is it part of a series or stand-alone?

Linda: My latest book, Next Time I’m Gonna Dance, was released on January 2 by Champagne Books. It is the story of 44-year-old Emmie Steele who is facing her second diagnosis of breast cancer in two years. Adding insult to injury, her husband left while she was getting treatment following her first mastectomy. She draws on the support of her family and her four best girfriends—fearless women who will stand beside, push, pull, and carry Emmie through this nightmare. As Emmie ponders second and, hopefully, third chances, she realizes her one unusual regret: she never learned to dance. Learning to dance becomes a metaphor for Emmie as she undergoes surgery, treatment, and healing, and as she finds new love.

Shelagh: What’s the hook for the book?

Linda: Next Time I’m Gonna Dance deals with the issue of breast cancer. As you can imagine, the story carries with it a great deal of tension. The book opens as follows:

Emmie Steele paced across the doctor’s waiting room. She resisted the urge to place a hand over her left breast and prod, to prove there was no need to worry.
“Mrs. Steele?”
At the sound of her name, Emmie jumped. “Yes.”
“Dr. Gibson’s ready for you.”

Shelagh: How do you develop characters and setting?

Linda: What I admire about some of the writers I enjoy reading (Elizabeth Berg, Kris Radish, Lisa Scottoline) is that their characters seems like real people—women I’d like to sit down with and have a cup of coffee. That’s my goal in developing characters. I’d like my readers to feel the same way. As for setting, five of my six published books have some connection to the Pittsburgh, PA region where I grew up. But I’ve also taken some of my characters on jaunts to other parts of the country. I’m not fond of research, but I do enjoy researching other cities and states if I’ve not yet visited them. I actually wrote one book partially set on Mackinac Island, Michigan, then went there to see if I was right about the island. I can attest to the accuracy of their Visitor’s Bureau guide.

Shelagh: Who’s the most unusual/most likeable character?

Linda: I think the most unusual and likeable character I’ve created is that of Grandma Carmela, aka Sophialoren (all one word), in Finding Hope (2008, Wings ePress). She’s 80 going on 18, but with the wisdom and freedom that her age has afforded her.

Shelagh: Do you have specific techniques to help you maintain the course of the plot?

Linda: I’m pretty much a pantser, not a plotter. I’ve found that writing a brief summary of the story and character bios helps me stay on track. But, truthfully, I often don’t know the entire plot until I’m well into the story. I let my character lead me. After all, it’s her story I’m telling.

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Linda: I loved this review from Manic Readers for Finding Hope (which has finaled for a 2010 EPIC e-book award).

Manic Readers Review
www.manicreaders.com
Reviewer: Valkyrie’s Lady

Finding Hope
by Linda Rettstatt

Wings ePress
www.wings-press.com

What do you do when you’re tired of lying to the boss’ wife, tired of being the taxi service, gourmet chef and personal valet for your entire family? You quit! That is exactly what Janet DeMarco does – she quits her job with her husband’s brother (gives herself a month’s severance pay, too), she posts cleaning, laundry and cooking class schedules for the household and expects results. That’s the calm part.

Janet decides her new life needs a new name. She becomes Hope. Hope becomes a blonde, goes walking in the park, meets new and unique people and discovers that her mother-in-law isn’t near as foreboding as Hope/Janet once thought. Her grandma-in-law is a wonderful gal, thin, Italian, up for anything. When Hope shows her how to use her new laptop; Carmela immediately puts in “Bad Boy,” looking for a horse. That isn’t what she gets, believe me!

Finding Hope is one of the best books I’ve read this year. The scenarios of the family dealing with revolt from Mom, the renaming plan goes much farther than just Janet/Hope—all of it is just wonderful. Not only will you find Hope, you will also find Joy and Sofialoren. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a warm, funny story to pass a wintery afternoon with—you’ll love it!

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Linda: I’m in the rewriting phase of a novel titled Unconditional. It’s an exploration of unconditional love and the ways life events test us. And I’m finishing a work titled Act of Contrition about a young widow who lost her husband and son in a tragic car crash and now must find a way to live with her guilt over having survived. She retreats to the home where her grandparents raised her on the coast of Maine and comes face to face with the man she walked away from eight years earlier, but whom she has never stopped loving.

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Linda: My books are available at Wings ePress www.wings-press.com and at Champagne Books  www.champagnebooks.com

Excerpts, reviews and links can be found on my website:  www.lindarettstatt.com where readers can also send a message to be added to my quarterly e-newsletter mailing list. And you can check out my blog at www.lindarettstatt-author.blogspot.com

Shelagh: Thank you for joining us today, Linda.

Linda: Thanks so much for having me here today. And for all the readers here, I’ll echo Emmie’s wish: “I hope you dance, for whatever that means in your life.”

Shane Joseph

Shane Joseph began writing as a teenager living in Sri Lanka and has never stopped. From an early surge of short stories and radio play scripts, to humorous corporate skits, travelogues, case studies and technical papers, then novels, more short stories and essays, he continues to pursue the three pages-a-day maxim and keeps writer’s block at bay.

Shelagh: Hi Shane, please tell everyone a bit about yourself.

Shane: I’m a graduate of the Humber School for Writers in Toronto. My first novel Redemption in Paradise was published in 2004. My collection of short stories Fringe Dwellers was published in 2008, and my “dystopian novel of hope,” After the Flood, was released in November 2009. My short fiction has appeared in Existere literary magazine, in several Canadian anthologies and e-zines, and in literary journals in India and Sri Lanka. My work has also been accepted for publication in the USA and the UK in 2010. I live with my wife Sarah in the lakeside town of Cobourg, Ontario, where I work as a consultant, play guitar in a rock band, write, and scoot off annually to visit one country for every year of my life.

Shelagh: When did the writing bug bite, and in what genre(s)?

Shane: The writing bug bit during my teens when I joined a writers’ workshop focused on producing plays and short stories for radio. I was (and still am) interested in the eternal human drama. Raised as a minority community member in my native Sri Lanka, having lived as an expatriate in the Middle East, and finally as an immigrant in Canada, I am a perennial fringe dweller, as I call myself. I like to explore themes of marginalization and second chances. I do not write genre fiction.

Shelagh: When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

Shane: Oh, as a teenager, I wanted to be the next Hemingway. I thought that writers could live in exotic locales and mail manuscript periodically to their publishers and earn untold riches, while enjoying wine, women and song. I quickly sobered up when I realized that in writing, while “luck is the product of hard work,” reward is contingent on luck as well. In fact, I quit writing at 23 because I had no more life experiences left to record and had to earn a living in the business world because I was far off from becoming Papa Hem. When my material needs had been more or less accommodated, I picked up the craft again in my mid-forties, with only one goal: I was not going to give up writing this time, whether I got to live like Hemingway or not. By then I had gained many life experiences, and the need to write had risen to the level of a compulsion. It was time to record my experiences and observations as fiction, along themes that I wanted to explore.  The message in my books is: “giving up is not an option.”

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book. Is it part of a series or stand-alone?

Shane: It’s a stand-alone novel titled After the Flood and takes place in North America between the years 2012 and 2047. It’s my only work of speculative fiction to date and was difficult to write as I had to invent a whole new world and not slump into the “tell not show” syndrome. I wanted to explore the implications of a global geological meltdown and how mankind would govern itself in this altered world. Would we screw it up once more due to that hard-coded genetic trait DESIRE, and its evil twin GREED?

Shelagh: What’s the hook for the book?

Shane: I guess it is the premise of the novel, that Fundamentalism can take place in our own backyard given the right conditions. We tend to look at other countries for extremists, but our own pre-occupations with extreme forms of Capitalism and Socialism, when under threat, can also turn us Westerners into Fundamentalists.

Shelagh: How do you develop characters and setting?

Shane: Characters come alive while I am writing my first draft, which is a rambling journey for me, to capture the story and the messages inherent in it. I constantly go back and modify characters as I see them evolve during that initial draft.  I chose a principal setting  ( e.g. North America, Sri Lanka, Toronto etc.) for my story before writing the first draft, but then the individual scenes within the overall setting may change in the re-writes as I flush out the story. I may go back and change the setting of a particular scene in my next draft if I don’t like where it is taking place or if it does not enhance the mood, character or message that I am trying to communicate.

Shelagh: Who is the most remarkable character?

Shane: I guess Samson Arthurs, the patriarch in After the Flood, is my most remarkable character. He is a survivor of the cataclysm, is deeply religious, he is a builder and a tireless helper to those in need. Yet his marriage breaks down for lack of attention to the family side of his life. He is attracted to a younger, married woman and gets himself embroiled in a scandal that brings about the near collapse of his beloved state of Tolemac (which read backwards is Camelot!)

Shelagh: Do you have specific techniques to help you maintain the course of the plot?

Shane: I have a beginning, middle, and end to my plot when I start out, and a loose outline of what I want each character to achieve in the end. Other than that, I just go where the story takes me in the first draft. The outline helps me if I stray too far off, but it also does not cramp my creativity.

Shelagh: Do you have a specific writing style? Preferred POV?

Shane: I have written in most POVs. I am told that my strongest suite is Limited Third Person. I find Second Person the hardest to write in. I have also combined First Person and Limited Third Person in some of my novels.

Shelagh: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Shane: Having being born and raised as a Burgher (European settlers in the colony) of Sri Lanka, and having spent many years in Dubai as an expatriate, over 20 years in Canada as an immigrant, and never really belonging to the literati of this country, I have always been the outsider trying to break in. I find this a preferred perspective for a writer, of being the perennial observer.  My principal characters are also somewhat off centre as a result, trying to get to base but having to struggle for it.

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Shane: Here is an excerpt from a recent review by Ben Antao, a Toronto-based novelist, on my novel After the Flood :

Shane Joseph engages the reader not only by his knowledge of the Old Testament but also by his insights into man-woman relationships and his flair in handling the problem of the other man/the other woman, the secret longing for carnality as revealed in the character of Delia. To quote:

Delia was dressed in a body-hugging, sleeveless T-shirt and pants, and her red hair was pulled back over her head and tied in a knot at the back. David felt the blood rush to his head again.

“I’m sorry to hear about your mother, David.” Sincerity shone through her sensuality.

The author maintains a good balance between telling the story and showing it through dialogue and action. This novel would make a fine movie, as entertaining as the book

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Shane: I have four completed manuscripts (two novels and two collections of linked stories) waiting to find a publisher. But I am not in a hurry any more. I need to find an agent who can represent my work well. Therefore, you could say that the first part of my current project is to find that agent. The next part of the project is to complete the first draft of a new novel, set in a small town by one of the Great Lakes in North America. It’s replete with corporate and personal greed, changing demographics as the older established population age and give way to immigrants, the alienation of youth, the melding of cultures, and the tensions that come out of all those developments.

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Shane: Please visit my website at www.shanejoseph.com – all the information you need on me will be there.

Shelagh: Thanks for joining us today, Shane.

Shane: Thank you for featuring me on your guest blog.

Lorin Lee Cary

Lorin Lee Cary PhD spends the majority of the year by the idyllic sea and pines of the seaside arts colony Cambria, nestled on California’s central coast.

Trained and published as an historian specializing in US labor and social history, Lorin’s longstanding love of historical and telling detail suffuses all of his work – whether as a novelist, crafter of wry short stories or keen observer of local color, seen in his lush photos.

Shelagh: Hi Lorin, please tell everyone a bit about yourself.

Lorin: After a career in university teaching U.S. labor and social history, I turned to fiction. The tipping point was a short stint as a researcher for a company developing a computer game based on Dante’s Inferno. I hired to provided “historical context material,” although this was rather far from the American colonial and US materials with which I’d worked. The head of the outfit liked the way I wrote and suggested I prepare the first draft; I did and found the freedom of creating my own cause and effect relationships liberating.

Shelagh: When did the writing bug bite, and in what genre(s)?

Lorin: I’d written various articles and essays and co-authored two historical books, and never before considered writing fiction. Now I did and when we moved to Cambria, CA I found there an active writing colony with a critique group that long active with numerous published authors.

This was in 1994 and the only goal in fiction I had at the time was to have fun, and to get my stories published. I learned fiction in the Cambria group.

Shelagh: When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

Lorin: THE CUSTER CONSPIRACY features a diary written by someone who served with General George Armstrong Custer between roughly 1861 and 1876, from the Civil War to Custer’s Last Stand. This diary is found on the battlefield by Indians and kept secret for decades. When it surfaces and ends up in the hands of Walter Reeves, an academic who wants to publish it, two groups swing into action. Native American activists seek to hide the fact that some of their ancestors collaborated with Custer. (Telling you how would spoil the story, and the attached humor.) A group of Custer worshiping militia members, meanwhile, understand that the diary undercuts their hero’s image. Ultimately the two group collide with Walter, the academic, near the site of Custer’s demise.

Shelagh: What’s the hook for the book?

Lorin: The hook for the book is the diary, which is in itself a character. It appears in excerpts scattered throughout the text as Walter tries to determine it’s authenticity.

Shelagh: How do you develop characters and setting?

Lorin: I like to develop characters by both their dialogue and their actions, usually presenting them in close third person. In this novel there are several point-of-view characters, and that permits me to round out the developing conflict from several sides. Setting is there as each character sees it or experiences it, in general.

Shelagh: Who is the most likable/unusual character?

Lorin: Most of the folks who’ve read THE CUSTER CONSPIRACY consider Walter Reeves the most likable character. He’s the academic, somewhat quirky in his choice of research projects (the politics of Michael Lorinson’s gender and the election of 2000, eg), not totally a stereotypical absent-minded sort but sometimes headed in that direction.

There are several other unusual characters. An undergraduate who has difficulty choosing a major; a militia leader with deep set eyes who dresses in red, white and blue outfits; a militia man who misuses words (chloroform for chlorophyll); a tiny department chairman whose feet do not touch the floor when he is sitting down.

Shelagh: Do you have specific techniques to help you maintain the course of the plot?

Lorin: The story seemed to unroll itself as time progressed, most days. When I had a good sense of where I was going, it helped to stop knowing where I’d start the next day. If I wasn’t sure, I’d read over what I’d written and then plunge on.

Shelagh: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Lorin: My academic background (close to 30 years teaching) is a major influence. It is tempered as well by what might be called “the Cary gene.” That is a tendency to engage in odd-ball, quirky humor. It pops out in my writing and often in the types of photographs I sometimes take: aside from landscapes, abstracts and clouds, I love to come across the odd sign which, for instance, declares that there is to be “No Trespassing After 6 PM.”

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Lorin: I’ve yet to see a full blown review (although I’m told reviewers have requested and received the book), but the blurbs on my book have been nice. I especially like this one : “Prepare to laugh. The Custer Conspiracy takes the reader on a wild ride, mixing the true history of George Armstrong Custer’s career with ironic, tongue-in-cheek fiction. Cary, a former professor of history, displays his grasp of historical research, his story-telling skills—and his dry and quirky sense of humor. Inventive, intriguing, and very funny.” It’s from Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of 14 novels including, Pay It Forward Becoming Chloe, Love in the Present Tense, Chasing Windmills, and When I Found You.

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Lorin: I’m working on several projects: A second novel in which the same academic confronts a university president using campus computers for illicit purposes (red light doesn’t quite say it, but…); a short story about a fellow who wants to kill his boss, among other reasons because she has false teeth that are loose and hence her words are cloaked in whistles; a story about nameless “ids” which long ago sought to shape human development and which ultimately found the going a bit rough…

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Lorin: The best place to check out some more about me is at www.lorinleecary.com

Shelagh: Thank you for joining us today, Lorin.

Lorin: Thanks so much, Shelagh, for the opportunity to share all this with you and the group.

Nancy Kaiser

Nancy Kaiser has spent most of her life caring for and about animals, espe­cially horses. Nancy acts as a spiritual liaison for animals and their people, and lives the belief that: we are all teachers; we are all students.

Shelagh: Hi Nancy, please tell everyone a little about yourself.

Nancy: I live in the healing Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina surrounded by my family of two Labs and a horse. I operate “Just Ask” Communications, a practice devoted to healing the human-animal bond through enhanced communication and understanding. My abilities in telepathic animal communication and healing emerged while managing my husband’s equine hospital and our breeding farm in central NJ for 27 years. I’m committed to bridging the chasm that has developed between species while increasing respect for all our relations. I’m the author of Letting Go: An Ordinary Woman’s Extraordinary Journey of Healing & Transformation and can be contacted at www.NancyKaiserAnimalCommunicator.com.

Shelagh: When did the writing bug bite, and in what genre(s)?

Nancy: Letting Go: An Ordinary Woman’s Extraordinary Journey of Healing & Transformation is a memoir, which I began writing in September 05 and published in June 08.

Shelagh: When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish?

Nancy: I began writing, in journal form, as a way to understand how I got to where I was; living alone 600 miles from everyone I knew without a job or home. I’d been clueless, so I needed to figure out what happened and why. I also needed an outlet for the grief, anger, fear and sense of loss I was engulfed in. Writing allowed my heart to unburden itself. I didn’t start with the idea of a book, but instead a journal to help me learn, let go, and move forward.

I lost both my parents in 2000 within 3 months of each other, which is when my struggles with letting go began. In May 04, I let go of my beautiful farm in central NJ, which was my home for 27 years when my husband retired. We relocated to the mountains of North Carolina and began building our dream, retirement home on 54 acres that we bought in July 01.

Six weeks into construction of the house, my lesson in letting go intensified when my husband confessed one evening, “I never wanted this house. I never wanted to be here. This is all your dream and I feel like I’m just along for the ride.” At which point, my heart stopped. Over the next week, it became apparent we were separating and divorcing. Our 29-year relationship was over.

Encouraging friends convinced me to turn it into a book. They felt my story needed to be shared. Over time, it had taken on a life of its own. I began to realize that, while the details were unique to me, the lessons I was learning were universal. So, I made the commitment to publish my writing in order to help people learn from my experiences and hopefully shorten their own time in what I call the Abyss and the Tunnel.

Shelagh: Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

Nancy: Letting Go will help readers evaluate their own personal traumas if they’re ready. Within my lessons, they will find their own lessons. By seeing how I overcome my challenges, they will begin to confront their own. I show them very unique as well as very mundane places to look for help.

Letting Go offers messages of hope, encouragement and belief in Self. Hope in knowing that they will survive and return to being the happy person that they were before the rug was pulled out from under them. Belief that what is happening to them is truly in their highest good even though it seems like heresy to believe that. Everything always happens for a reason, and the universe always brings us exactly what we need. Might not be what we want, but it’s always what we need.

Encouragement from the fact that I am leading a happy, fulfilling life after having been brought to my knees by the most difficult thing I’ve ever experienced. Five years ago, in my darkest moments, I considered leaving this life experience. If I can transform from the darkness of my Abyss to the wonderful life I’m experiencing now, anyone can. I want everyone to know that it is imperative that they put themselves first and trust that their soul knows what its doing even if their conscious mind doesn’t. I want to be a beacon of encouragement and hope for all who find themselves without faith, hope, understanding and/or belief in Self.

I bought a little plate just before my first Christmas alone that says, “Sometimes on the way to a dream you get lost and find a better one.” I’d read it every day trying to believe it could be true. I’m living that better dream now, and I’d like to help others find their better dream as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book. Series or stand-alone?

Nancy: I’m starting a series of books about being an animal communicator and healer; pretty amazing since I’m educated in pharmacy. I only practiced for a few years before marrying and leaving pharmacy to run our horse farm. It’s been quite a journey for the left-brained pharmacist turned right-brained animal communicator, healer and author. Only when we utilize both hemispheres of our brain will we realize our soul’s full potential.

Shelagh: What’s the hook for the book?

Nancy: The hook will be the unique and amazing experiences I’ve shared with my personal animals, my client’s animals, equine patients of my ex-husband’s, as well as those that lived on our farm or were admitted to our hospital.

The lessons I’ve learned from a lifetime spent working with and caring for animals will take more than one book to recount. Letting Go needed to be written first in order for me to return to the woman I was before moving to the mountains.

The animal book(s) are something I’ve always known I’d write one day. The animals have so much that needs to be shared with people. Many have chosen me to be their voice, and I’m honored to share their wisdom with the human world.

Shelagh: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Nancy: My writing flows from my heart onto the computer screen. Whenever my mind gets in the way, I end up deleting it. I’ve spent most of my life on a horse farm, so I’m an outdoor gal who loves to spend time in Nature. I’m very connected to where I live. My connection to Nature, the animals and the land are a huge part of who I am. All of these contribute to me being balanced and centered, which I feel is reflected in my writing.

When I’m communicating with an animal, I hear and feel. I’m an empathetic healer, so I possess an extremely acute sense of feeling. I write about what I see, hear, feel and intuit. Everything that is part of my environment contributes to the experiences that I have. All is incorporated into what I write, because it is part of who I am. Anyone who has read Letting Go knows I write honestly, which is the only way I know how to live.

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve even had.

Nancy: I have been blessed with so many wonderful reviews from readers that it’s hard to pick just one. I am so grateful to my readers for sharing with me how Letting Go has contributed to their healing. Here’s a few:

The most inspirational book I’ve read since The Power of Now!

I found this book to be so eloquently written and inspirational that I had a hard time putting it down. I could not believe all the heart breaks one person could take and still come through it all with flying colors. I am awestruck by Nancy’s communica­tion skills and challenge anyone who reads this book not to agree with me. Letting Go is also so much easier to read and comprehend than other inspirational books… her writing makes you feel so at ease, like you are feeling her pain and learning these lessons right by her side. I congratulate Nancy for finding her calling, committing to it and bringing so much happiness and serenity to people and animals in need. It probably made a huge impact on her recovering from such sadness. Kudos Nancy!

I found Nancy’s story compelling and meaningful and she captured my attention from the start. Vividly written in the heat of swirling emotions, her writing reflects the turmoil she is experiencing in her life after a stunning betrayal and turn of events. Through it, she reveals a Truth for anyone who reads this book – that from the most traumatic and heart wrenching moments in life can come healing and repair but it takes extremely hard internal work, brutal honesty about one’s self (“how did I/my psyche or soul contribute to this situation?”), the fortitude to not run away from challenges, and an openness to receiving insight from unexpected – and maybe unseen – sources. Nancy has done all that, and reading her book, I found that I could experience her metamorphosis from a traumatized, agitated, and deeply saddened girl into a peaceful, joyful, and calm adult. It’s a good read!

I found this book the most empowering story I have ever read. For anyone that is struggling with trying to get out from under, this is a gift. Nancy has a way of being able to put feelings on the written page so that you can identify and use them to help you along the way. Her story may not be your story, but the insight gained from her struggles will definitely give you many “light bulb moments.”

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Nancy: Well, the first of the animal books. I contribute a weekly column, Animal Insights, on Thursdays to Petsense.com at www.petsense.blogspot.com. I have a print article, Life Lesson From Labradors, which is awaiting publication in Animal Wellness Magazine. I have several internet radio interviews scheduled in the next couple of months too.

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Nancy: My website, www.NancyKaiserAnimalCommunicator.com, has everything about me, my work with the animals and Letting Go. You can read testimonials about my work, reviews of Letting Go, as well as the first chapter. Personalized print copies of Letting Go can be ordered securely through my Website or digital copies are available from Smashwords.com or Amazon’s Kindle store.

The “Resources” button offers links to previous radio interviews and published articles, and the “Appearances” button displays my schedule of upcoming radio interviews and book signings.

Shelagh: Thanks for joining us today, Nancy.

Nancy: Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.

Matthew Ball

Today’s guest is children’s author, Matthew Ball.

Shelagh: Please give us a brief bio.

Matthew: I’m a former attorney, a children’s book author and founding editor of William Joseph K Publications, and a blues & boogie woogie performing artist under the stage name of The Boogie Woogie Kid

Shelagh: When did the writing bug bite?

Matthew: I’ve been writing short prose therapeutically for years, but never with any specific intent or direction before.

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book.

Matthew: My latest book is a children’s book about friendship and teasing called Minnie & Melvira.

Shelagh: What’s the hook for the book?

Matthew: The book contains a life lesson about choosing friends. It was also a collaboration with my father Larry Ball who is a 22 year veteran of the auto-worker industry, recently laid off with the economic downturn.

Shelagh: How do you develop your ideas?

Matthew: I have an idea or concept that I share with the illustrator, who then offers their thoughts, and the end product is a combination of visions.

Shelagh: Who is the most likable character?

Matthew: The caterpillar from my book The Worm & The Caterpillar because he is the indomitable optimist against the voice of the cynic.

Shelagh: Do you have a specific writing style?

Matthew: My writing style I would describe as a whimsical rhyme, I’m always, however, trying convey within my writing a meaningful message about life.

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Matthew: I’m writing another children’s book called The Adventures of Fred d Fly.

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Matthew: Folks can always find out what I’m doing next through our website: www.williamjkpub.com

Shelagh: Thanks for joining us today, Matthew.

Matthew: Thank you.