Amy Rivers's Blog, page 13

#WhatsYourStory Featuring Sheala Henke

Sheala Dawn Henke has been telling herself stories with a full cast of imaginary characters running amuck in her head since her early childhood days growing up in her mother’s home daycare. Since then, she has discovered that the laughter and whimsy of childhood make great fodder for story. The movie reels and running dialogue that played through her head since childhood never seemed to accept a final encore, so she decided to start writing them down. Today she surrounds herself with a fountain of youthful energy as a full time elementary teacher. She and her husband, both native Coloradoans, tag team to raise their two adventurous boys in the town of their alma mater, where they attended university at Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colorado. Sheala has spent the last seven years working to complete her debut YA Cli-Fi trilogy, IDEA33-A Regeneration, IDEA33-A Revolution, and the third and final installment, IDEA33-A Resolution due out on Earth Day 2018. She also loves to write poetry, Young Adult Fiction and Middle Grade Fantasy as she continues to commit to the craft each day delighting in sharing her stories with the world.
There are times when moments in our life can transform us as writers, and honestly, for me to pinpoint on the map where this journey began would do the experience little justice. Primarily because along the journey, I’ve discovered that there is no certain call to any one destination when it came to my story as a writer.
I tend to be drawn to things of a symbolic nature, and I recently spent some time in the Outer Banks of North Carolina on a family vacation. We stayed right smack-dab in the heartland of history, near where The Wright Brothers took to the air on their first flight from the site on Kill Devil Hills.
Out there the wind blows like a passive resistance to the staging calm, and it was there that the light finally shined on what kind of writer I am and what kind of writer I could be. Between early morning runs on the boardwalk, dolphin watching ala kayak, and dining on the sweet succulence of tangy barbecue, one of the greatest take-always from my trip came to me while I watched my children fly a kite on our first night on the beach.
 
For me, writing is like flying a kite...
 
What I’ve realized over the last seven years is that like kite flying, writing is something of a chance endeavor. Each time I take to the air, there's some level of anticipation for what might be possible, or how high I can go depending on the risks I’m willing to take. The best part is that no matter what happens, I know I still hold the strings.
I love the feeling of control and the slack I might need to get the story up, to send it soaring. I find myself asking, will the conditions be just right? Will the wind cooperate? But more importantly, will this kite fly? 
Much in the way the kite flyer learns to read these conditions, we as writers mark our path, and in those moments the words seem to spill out directly from our souls onto the page. These are paths often charted for the very first time. It follows a trajectory we can’t always repeat.
In the same way, I see this flight of words akin to the flight of a kite, with its lofty approach, I see my words as fingerprints on a skyline flightpath that no one else can recreate, and I believe, as writers, we each have a kite of our own. The question is, when are we ready to fly it? 
 
If so, here are a few tips to help you keep to the air:
 
#1 Go with the Flow:
Much like the variables in which we aim to design our writing routines, a kite bound in flight by certain principles of physics. Flight itself is controlled by three main forces: lift, gravity, and drag, and although our writing process can most certainly, and often does seem to defy gravity, it begins with a common structure that can help us understand and learn to navigate. We don’t always get to control the winds that come, but we do get to decide what goes on the page.
 
#2 Pick your kite with care:
A larger part of flying a kite is choosing the right one to fly. This can apply to our writing endeavors as well. The genius begins in the choosing. Is it the right voice for me? Does the genre fit my storytelling lens and level of experience? Is the work an authentic part of myself that I’m able and willing to share with the world? And just like kites, as writers, we often fall flat on our noses too!
 
#3 Pay mind to the Lift Off- I like to think big picture on a grand scale. We plan, we plot, we dodge, we weave. With some projects, we might be more inclined to map out entire wind-scapes, and scout out the jet stream. Other times we enjoy the sharper edges, the cuts, the unexpected twists and turns in a spectacle of flying at our own risk, being drawn to the challenge? As an early stage writer, I often started with a short lead, a line within my comfort zone. A place to set my stride. Then, as I watched more seasoned flyers, streamers out, as they fielded the air in a more instinctual dance, I began to note the difference in their flight patterns. I aimed to fly side by side with them, taking notes from these wordsmith masters.
 
In any case, over the course of these past seven years, any way I flew it, I’ve learned to work through the snags and pay mind to the knots that might bar my flight. I’ll stay committed to learning, evolving as a writer. And as the shape of my design changes, I can be assured that each time I take to the page, I’ll fly higher than I ever imagined was possible. 
 
“Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.” ~Winston Churchill
 http://www.nationalkitemonth.org/how-to-fly-a-kite/
Here you can read an explanation of the Bernoulli Principle by Tal Streeter. For the “path of least resistance” taken by a kite in flight, see the excerpt from Measuring the Sky, Streeter’s work in progress. 
IDEA33- A Regeneration ​Heli Clame doesn't know it yet, but he stands in the wake of a critical change. Coming of age himself during a time of enhanced technology and decades lost to ecological devastation, he arrives on the grounds of IDEA33 to join two others, Terra Sial and Dous Cistern. Unaware that they all have special and undeveloped powers to offset a prophecy fortelling the end of time, they soon learn their unique origins and the purpose for why they were created. The balance of all life on earth rests on the strength of their unity. Only then will they have the power to initiate a Regeneration.

Her books are available on Amazon & on her website www.sdhenke.weebly.com & you can find Sheala Henke on; twitter (@HenkeSheala, facebook (AuthorSDHenke) & email idea33aregeneration@yahoo.com

Where to Buy IDEA33- A Regeneration Amazon

#WhatsYourStory Featuring Sheala Hanke

Sheala Dawn Henke has been telling herself stories with a full cast of imaginary characters running amuck in her head since her early childhood days growing up in her mother’s home daycare. Since then, she has discovered that the laughter and whimsy of childhood make great fodder for story. The movie reels and running dialogue that played through her head since childhood never seemed to accept a final encore, so she decided to start writing them down. Today she surrounds herself with a fountain of youthful energy as a full time elementary teacher. She and her husband, both native Coloradoans, tag team to raise their two adventurous boys in the town of their alma mater, where they attended university at Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colorado. Sheala has spent the last seven years working to complete her debut YA Cli-Fi trilogy, IDEA33-A Regeneration, IDEA33-A Revolution, and the third and final installment, IDEA33-A Resolution due out on Earth Day 2018. She also loves to write poetry, Young Adult Fiction and Middle Grade Fantasy as she continues to commit to the craft each day delighting in sharing her stories with the world.
There are times when moments in our life can transform us as writers, and honestly, for me to pinpoint on the map where this journey began would do the experience little justice. Primarily because along the journey, I’ve discovered that there is no certain call to any one destination when it came to my story as a writer.
I tend to be drawn to things of a symbolic nature, and I recently spent some time in the Outer Banks of North Carolina on a family vacation. We stayed right smack-dab in the heartland of history, near where The Wright Brothers took to the air on their first flight from the site on Kill Devil Hills.
Out there the wind blows like a passive resistance to the staging calm, and it was there that the light finally shined on what kind of writer I am and what kind of writer I could be. Between early morning runs on the boardwalk, dolphin watching ala kayak, and dining on the sweet succulence of tangy barbecue, one of the greatest take-always from my trip came to me while I watched my children fly a kite on our first night on the beach.
 
For me, writing is like flying a kite...
 
What I’ve realized over the last seven years is that like kite flying, writing is something of a chance endeavor. Each time I take to the air, there's some level of anticipation for what might be possible, or how high I can go depending on the risks I’m willing to take. The best part is that no matter what happens, I know I still hold the strings.
I love the feeling of control and the slack I might need to get the story up, to send it soaring. I find myself asking, will the conditions be just right? Will the wind cooperate? But more importantly, will this kite fly? 
Much in the way the kite flyer learns to read these conditions, we as writers mark our path, and in those moments the words seem to spill out directly from our souls onto the page. These are paths often charted for the very first time. It follows a trajectory we can’t always repeat.
In the same way, I see this flight of words akin to the flight of a kite, with its lofty approach, I see my words as fingerprints on a skyline flightpath that no one else can recreate, and I believe, as writers, we each have a kite of our own. The question is, when are we ready to fly it? 
If so, here are a few tips to help you keep to the air:
#1 Go with the Flow:
Much like the variables in which we aim to design our writing routines, a kite bound in flight by certain principles of physics. Flight itself is controlled by three main forces: lift, gravity, and drag, and although our writing process can most certainly, and often does seem to defy gravity, it begins with a common structure that can help us understand and learn to navigate. We don’t always get to control the winds that come, but we do get to decide what goes on the page.
 #2 Pick your kite with care:
A larger part of flying a kite is choosing the right one to fly. This can apply to our writing endeavors as well. The genius begins in the choosing. Is it the right voice for me? Does the genre fit my storytelling lens and level of experience? Is the work an authentic part of myself that I’m able and willing to share with the world? And just like kites, as writers, we often fall flat on our noses too!
 #3 Pay mind to the Lift Off- I like to think big picture on a grand scale. We plan, we plot, we dodge, we weave. With some projects, we might be more inclined to map out entire wind-scapes, and scout out the jet stream. Other times we enjoy the sharper edges, the cuts, the unexpected twists and turns in a spectacle of flying at our own risk, being drawn to the challenge? As an early stage writer, I often started with a short lead, a line within my comfort zone. A place to set my stride. Then, as I watched more seasoned flyers, streamers out, as they fielded the air in a more instinctual dance, I began to note the difference in their flight patterns. I aimed to fly side by side with them, taking notes from these wordsmith masters.
 In any case, over the course of these past seven years, any way I flew it, I’ve learned to work through the snags and pay mind to the knots that might bar my flight. I’ll stay committed to learning, evolving as a writer. And as the shape of my design changes, I can be assured that each time I take to the page, I’ll fly higher than I ever imagined was possible. 
 “Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.” ~Winston Churchill
 http://www.nationalkitemonth.org/how-to-fly-a-kite/
Here you can read an explanation of the Bernoulli Principle by Tal Streeter. For the “path of least resistance” taken by a kite in flight, see the excerpt from Measuring the Sky, Streeter’s work in progress. 
​IDEA33- A Regeneration  ​Heli Clame doesn't know it yet, but he stands in the wake of a critical change. Coming of age himself during a time of enhanced technology and decades lost to ecological devastation, he arrives on the grounds of IDEA33 to join two others, Terra Sial and Dous Cistern. Unaware that they all have special and undeveloped powers to offset a prophecy fortelling the end of time, they soon learn their unique origins and the purpose for why they were created. The balance of all life on earth rests on the strength of their unity. Only then will they have the power to initiate a Regeneration.

Sheala's books are available on Amazon & on her website www.sdhenke.weebly.com & you can find Sheala Henke on; twitter (@HenkeSheala, facebook (AuthorSDHenke) & email idea33aregeneration@yahoo.com

Where to Buy IDEA33- A Regeneration Amazon

#WhatsYourStory Featuring Sheena Perry

​Sheena Perry was born the summer of 1986 in Bakersfield, CA, but grew up in UT. At a young age she found joy playing “make believe” in the fields behind her home, taking care of various pets, and spending time with her family out on the lake fishing. She graduated from Snow College with an Associate of Science and majored in Fine Arts. Now she spends her time being a full time mom of three, supporting her husband in his career as a full time soldier in the military, and writing. Sheena has always had a creative mind and fun loving spirit. She started her first book, Apocalypse: Usifrim, in 2009 and finished it December of 2015. She hopes that her readers enjoy it as much as she enjoyed creating it. ​The first time I ever thought of truly writing a book, other than small stories for my mom for mother’s day, was when I was in the ninth grade. I wrote over 100 pages on a story. Sadly I quit the story because I was told I would never write a book. Thankfully those people didn’t have the last word.
In 2009, a year after my first son was born I had a crazy dream. When I woke I went about my day like normal. The next night I had the same exact dream. Morning came and I thought that was weird. The third night I had the same dream again. This time when I woke up I thought, “Okay, I get it now.” I wrote the dream down in all its detail. The next night the previous dream continued from where it left off. The next day I wrote the dream down, this continued for a whole week. Each night the dreams continued, and each day I would write them down. At the end of the week I had the epiphany that this is three books in a series called “Apocalypse”. I started writing the first of the three books using the notes I had taken as a map to guide me. I wish I could say I finished quickly and moved on to the second, that would be convenient, but life is hardly ever convenient. During the creation of Apocalypse: Usifrim I went through five computers, two total wipe outs/rewrites from the start, many lost chapters, and many lost corrections. It took me six years to write the first draft, since it has taken another year and a half to edit my book.
I knew the best things are plagued with setbacks, so I pressed on and am happy to announce my book is available for purchase now. Thanks to my horrid experience I am now blessed with advice for future authors. Some of which are; always save your work in various places (I now e-mail to several people, save to three flash drives, two hard drives, and two devices.),  when writing the first draft- Just Write- (My favorite position is laying on my tummy with my arms out in front on the keys typing what I see in my head. Yes there are errors galore, but it gets done.), get a great editor (Someone that works with you and does magic with your words.), check your copyright licenses on any images you use- including covers, and don’t listen to the nay-sayers (They will come in swarms and have every reason in the world for you to stop. I let them get to me in the ninth grade, and that was a grave mistake.)
If you find yourself losing steam in your writing, or second guessing writing at all, think about what motivates you. My motivations are easily my family (Kids, husband, parents, siblings, cousins, ect.) and my future. When I think of my future I like to look up pictures (I am very visual). I find pictures of cars, homes, vacations, property, toys for my kids, donations I can give, and anything that I would want for my family or myself. It may sound superficial, but I like to think if I get _____ done, I can have “that” someday.
All it takes is a little inspiration. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Mine comes from dreams. Ever since that first dream that haunted me for three days in 2009, I have come into a habit of writing my dreams down. Now I have many “stories” that came from dreams to choose from in the future.
I am hoping for a great success in my near future with my book Apocalypse: Usifrim. For now I am not counting my chickens, because they haven’t hatched, but I do have high hopes for this book and those that will come after.
One thing I am extremely grateful for was the opportunity to meet one of my favorite authors in the flesh at the SLC ComiCon. Jenni James is not only an amazing author of various best sellers, but she is one of the nicest people you could ever meet. She inspired me greatly with her writing because she had many children in her care, and a husband who was no longer in the picture and she was able to produce a new book every month. Her skills as a writer and charm in person make her someone I attribute much of my success to. I highly recommend her and her books to anyone and everyone.
​Apocalypse: Usifrim ​Claire, an orphan living at the Usifrim Academy, has spent her life preparing to bond her soul to a demon in order to fight for a safer world. She wasn’t prepared for Nero Kelldonis, a strong and sexy demon of the seventh sin, Lust. Claire’s moral foundation is shaken and her long-time crush boils over. All this, coupled with her fragile self-esteem, is wreaking havoc with her mission: save her home from utter destruction.
 
You can find Sheena Perry on; instragram (@perrysheena), twitter (AuthorMissPerry),  facebook (AuthorSheenaPerry), wattpad ( @AuthorMissPerry), and email (author.sheenaperry@gmail.com)
Where to Buy Apocalypse: Usifrim Amazon

#WhatsYourStory Featuring Stephanie Churchill

​​I grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, and after attending college in Iowa, moved to Washington, D.C. to work as an antitrust paralegal.  When my husband and I got married, I moved to the Minneapolis metro area and found work as a corporate paralegal.  While I enjoyed reading, writing was never anything that even crossed my mind.  I enjoyed reading, but writing?  That’s what authors did, and I wasn’t an author.
 
One day while on my lunch break, I visited the neighboring Barnes & Noble and happened upon a book by author Sharon Kay Penman.  I’d never heard of her before, but the book looked interesting, so I bought it.  Immediately I become a rabid fan of her work.
 
In 2007, when Facebook was very quickly becoming “a thing”, I discovered that Ms. Penman had fan club and that she happened to interact there frequently.  As a result of a casual comment she made about how writers generally don’t get detailed feedback from readers, I wrote her an embarrassingly long review of her latest book, Lionheart.  As a result of that review, she asked me what would become the most life-changing question: “Have you ever thought about writing?”  And The Scribe’s Daughter was born.
 
When I’m not writing or taxiing my two children to school or other activities, I’m likely walking Cozmo, our dog, or reading.  The rest of my time is spent trying to survive the murderous intentions of Minnesota’s weather. ​Like so many other authors, I never dreamed of being one; though in all honesty, the signs were always there if only I’d been paying attention.  As a child, I was a consummate daydreamer.  My happy place was most often found wandering my grandparents’ farm in rural Nebraska, dreaming up intricate stories in my head.  Writing in school came easily to me.  When I was in college, the professor of my required creative writing class continually called attention to my work as an example of what to do.  Despite all of this, it never occurred to me to actually write anything.  I thought knowing how to write well was no big deal.  Couldn’t everyone do it?  Didn’t everyone have movies running in their heads, with the only requirement for writing that you snatch those images and commit them to paper?
 
Fast forward into adulthood… While working as a paralegal in downtown Minneapolis, I rode the bus to and from work, an hour each way, every day, all week.  Needless to say, I inhaled books.  It was during these years that I discovered historical fiction novelist Sharon Kay Penman.  After several years of loving her books, social media became a “thing”, and I began to actively engage in her Facebook fan club -- and through that, with Ms. Penman herself.
 
In 2011, Ms. Penman published her book, Lionheart, her most recent addition to her growing list of books about the Plantagenet kings and queens of England.  As the result of a Facebook conversation in which she mentioned that authors rarely get detailed comments from readers about the specifics of why they love the books they read, I decided to do just that.  Consequently, I wrote her an embarrassingly long review (12 pages) of Lionheart.  After she recovered from her shock, we began to communicate regularly.  It was Ms. Penman herself who asked me the fated question, “Have you ever thought about writing?”  My favorite author became my own inspiration for writing.  And thus The Scribe’s Daughter was born.
 
I decided to tackle writing my first book from the first person perspective.  As someone who loves to daydream, and who has an inner monologue continually running in her head at any given moment in time, it seemed a natural method of writing a story.  For reasons still unknown to me, I immediately imagined that scene from the Disney movie Aladdin where Aladdin has just stolen an apple and is running away from the city guards, singing the song “One Jump”:
 
Gotta keep
One jump ahead of the breadline
One swing ahead of the sword
I steal only what I can't afford
 
I loved the idea of a feisty female heroine, so I re-imagined that scene from Aladdin, but this time with a character who would become Kassia.  She intrigued me so much that I kept writing, adding one more scene, and then another.  Her sarcasm and caustic wit grew on me, and I couldn’t stop writing.
 
Kassia’s story attempts to explore the idea that strength and resilience, self-worth or the inherent value of a person, is not determined by outward circumstance or external labels.  Kassia experiences then overcomes a great deal of trouble and trauma, but in the end, she finds out that she is stronger than she knew, that she is worthy to be loved.
 
I have an older sister, and more than once it has struck me how two sisters can share a childhood yet come away from it with differing perspectives on that childhood.  As such, I wanted to write a second book, telling Kassia’s sister’s story.  Originally I wanted to explore the idea of perception solely, but as events unfolded during the writing of Irisa’s tale, my purpose became less about perspective and more about personality.
 
The King’s Daughter follows Irisa, the sister whose fate is left in question early on in the first book.  Her internal development followed a similar path to Kassia’s but for different reasons.  Over the course of her tale, Irisa finds out that the truths alluded to in the first book are not all as they seem.  So here is a hint at the question of perspective that intrigued me early on.  As Irisa develops as a character, she discovers her own internal strength and self-worth like her sister, but her journey comes about in a way very different from her sister.  While many of life’s problems are similar for each person the world over, how a person approaches solving those problems varies greatly depending on one’s life experiences and personality.  This is definitely the case for Kassia and Irisa.
 
My next book will be a prequel about Irisa and Kassia’s mother, diving into the background of the sisters’ stories and how they ended up in the place they did.  While children certainly live lives of their own, their journey is begun by the path their parents have chosen, at least initially.  The third book will explore that fascinating topic.
 
The Scribe’s Daughter was released in 2015, and the sequel, The King’s Daughter, is available now for pre-order.   The King's Daughter
​In this gripping sequel to The Scribe's Daughter, a young woman finds herself unwittingly caught up in a maelstrom of power, intrigue, and shifting perceptions, where the line between ally and enemy is subtle, and the fragile facade of reality is easily broken. Irisa's parents are dead and her younger sister Kassia is away on a journey when the sisters’ mysterious customer returns, urging Irisa to leave with him before disaster strikes. Can she trust him to keep her safe? How much does he know about the fate of her father? Only a voyage across the Eastmor Ocean to the land of her ancestors will reveal the truth about her family’s disturbing past. Once there, Irisa steps into a future she has unknowingly been prepared for since childhood, but what she discovers is far more sinister than she could have ever imagined. Will she have the courage to claim her inheritance for her own?


​Website:
www.stephaniechurchillauthor.com
 
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/stephaniechurchill
 
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/WriterChurchill
​ Where to Buy The King's Daughter Amazon

#WhatsYourStory Featuring Vincent Formosa

 I’m 43, fond of animals, married, with the obligatory 2.4 children. I’ve always had a love of history and after a youth of computer games, D&D gaming, wargaming and art, historical fiction has become a neat fit to my interests. What I need to do now is really stick by my new years resolution and actually do 500 words or more per day. If I’d stuck to that, my third novels first draft would have been close to finished by now.


When I look back at my writing, the way it evolved was very much dependent on my own courage. Writing a bit of fan fiction about Farscape on a fan forum is one thing, striking out on your own, with your own characters and situations is another. I’ve read some stunning fan fiction over the years, but no one seems to do their own thing which is a shame. Even so, for all my independence, as my speciality is historical military fiction I’m surrounding myself with an established framework within which I can hang my narrative, I just look for the gaps where my story fits. Does that make me a bit of a coward? I’m not sure.
The good thing is that I usually have a very clear idea of how my story starts, how it ends and some key moments along the way, but I don’t subscribe to the idea of rigidly planning everything before I start to write. I have no doubt it creates extra work for me later, when I have to go back over and rejig something, but this flexibility allows the characters to breathe and develop more organically. Sometimes this allows things to go in an unexpected direction as the characters themselves dictate aspects of the story. The only downside to this loose planning is that the story expands exponentially. The flipside of this is that  when it comes time to edit and tighten things up, at least I have some material to choose and agonise over. Anything that doesn’t make the final cut is never wasted though, it goes into the ‘could use later pile’.
 
What I have learned from my next novel is not to leave the editing and polish for grammar to the very end. Proof reading 500+ pages for spelling mistakes etc is as exciting as watching 5 day test cricket. This time around, the latest novel is being polished in sections as I go and that will undoubtedly speed up the later editing process.
 
As to individual technique, I like to aim for a flowing text that scans well and does not bog the reader down in tons of description or technical information. I prefer to give their own imagination room to breathe when it comes to settings and characters. I paint in broad strokes and let them do the rest. I think this approach helps pull the reader in and engage their attention more.
 
One writer I would have loved to sit down and have a natter with was Elleston Trevor. He wrote across many genres and he’s most famous for ‘The Flight of the Phoenix’ but a book I read when very young was ‘Squadron Airborne’, a novel about an RAF fighter squadron during the height of the Battle of Britain. Its not long, but as I’ve grown up, I’ve come to appreciate it for its taught narrative, dense characters and subtle touches. If I can get some of that deftness of touch into my own work, I’ll be happy.
 
My recent novel was completed in December 2016 over the Christmas break. It follows the career of an RAF light bomber squadron from the beginning of World War II to the start of the Blitzkreig in May 1940. One of my proof readers said it reminded them of reading a Frederick E Smith novel. Considering that was the sort of style I was aiming for, I don’t think I did too badly. It was produced with technical input from the Blenheim Society based at Duxford in Cambridgeshire. For every copy sold, £1 is donated to help them keep the worlds only flying Bristol Blenheim bomber in the air. It is available as both a paperback or as an ebook on Amazon.
When I look back at my writing, the way it evolved was very much dependent on my own courage. Writing a bit of fan fiction about Farscape on a fan forum is one thing, striking out on your own, with your own characters and situations is another. I’ve read some stunning fan fiction over the years, but no one seems to do their own thing which is a shame. Even so, for all my independence, as my speciality is historical military fiction I’m surrounding myself with an established framework within which I can hang my narrative, I just look for the gaps where my story fits. Does that make me a bit of a coward? I’m not sure.
Run the Gauntlet  ​From September 1939 to the Blitzkrieg of May 1940, 'Run The Gauntlet' follows the adventures of an RAF light bomber squadron at the beginning of World War Two. Having traded in their Fairey Batttles for new Bristol Blenheims, Falcon Squadron are off to war. The CO, Wing Commander Winwright must overcome the lethargy of peacetime and mould his unit into an effective fighting force. Pilot Officer Chandler is the new arrival and the welcome has not been exactly friendly. The old hands view him with suspicion and he must survive friendly fire as well as enemy action to show them what he is capable of. On a routine training flight, Flying Officer Hagen catches a glimpse of the hell that is waiting for all of them if they let their guard down for a moment. Facing the battle hardened Luftwaffe, Falcon Squadron are about to discover that war is far from a game. Supporting the Blenheim Society. This novel has been written with technical input from members of the Blenheim Society based at Duxford. The worlds only flying Blenheim is owned, operated by Blenheim (Duxford) Ltd who are the trustees of the aircraft and she was restored to fly under the auspices of the Aircraft Restoration Company who provide the licence coverage. Operating such a rare aircraft is an expensive undertaking so £1 from every novel sold is donated to help keep this warbird in the air for future generations to enjoy.
​Check out Vincent on Facebook Where to Buy Run the Gauntlet  Amazon

#WhatsYourStory Featuring Monica Yoknis

Monica Yoknis is the author of Fear and Terror Stalk the Museum, the first novel in her Shamanic Mysteries Series. She also writes a detective serial for the e-zine Bunnyzine, as well as serving on the development team. Monica is a member of Northern Colorado Writers, and currently has two novels in the works. She writes, crochets, reads mystery novels and takes care of her rescue bunny.  I started my first novel in 8th grade. Back in 1994, the X-Files TV show was popular, and one of my personal favorites.  That show got me interested in mysteries and the paranormal, and turned me into a reader.  The inspiration for my novel came from a visit to the Field Museum of Natural History, in Chicago.  I had just learned about the man eating lions of Tsavo, and made a point to see their exhibit at the museum.  Standing in front of the diorama, my imagination took off, and an idea for an X-Files episode began taking form.  I started writing in an old spiral notebook, as soon as we got home.  Then high school interfered, X-Files “jumped the shark”, and the notebook got tucked away on a bookshelf somewhere.

Fast forward to 2015, and a move to a house on the plains.  During the chaos of packing, the notebook surfaced.  Just like with cleaning one's room, the brain looks desperately for a distraction from packing, so I stopped to read the two chapters I'd written twenty years before.  Several of my friends had been encouraging me to do something for NaNoWriMo, and I decided that the idea of the story was something I could work with.  I made sure to pack the notebook where I could find it again.  That November, using a TV tray for a computer desk, I wrote Fear and Terror Stalk the Museum, the first book in my Shamanic Mysteries series.  I got to 50,000 words about three days early.

After sending 100 queries, and getting 100 rejections, I decided to self publish.  I know myself well enough to know that I'm not a salesperson, so I had no expectations of “hitting it big”.  Even so, more have sold than I expected, and I have more than 50,000 words written of the next book in the series.  

I have one other writing project, a small e-magazine, called Bunnyzine.  The editor was looking for an on-going column, but didn't have the time to do it himself.  Obviously, it had to be rabbit-related, and the idea of a serial of short stories about my “Intrepid Bunsplorer Peaches” had been knocking around in my head for a while.  Then I watched the Castle episode, “The Blue Butterfly”.  My exploring bunny morphed into a trench coat-wearing Pet PI, Ears O'Fluffin.  His popularity has surprised me, and the idea for a novel-length story has received enough positive feedback that I'm preparing one for this year's NaNoWriMo.  

Inspiration for the next books in the Shamanic Mysteries series is coming from my own personal experiences with the paranormal.  Book Two, Evil Haunts the Canyon, was inspired by a string of ghost lights I saw along a canyon wall a few years ago.  Book Three will be set in a mine, and based partly on some encounters I've had on mine tours.  Ears O'Fluffin's cases are inspired by my experiences as a bunny parent.  A few ideas have also come from others in the Bunnyzine Development Team, including the idea for the novel.  

Motivation is difficult for me, I'll admit.  I live with a chronic pain disorder called Fibromyalgia.  Chronic Fatigue and debilitating migraines are weekly struggles for me, and make sitting in front of my computer, for any length of time, difficult.  Worse than the pain, though, is the mental fog that is common to people with Fibromyalgia.  I can have a great idea pop into my head, but by the time I've gotten sat down at the keyboard, the idea is gone.  The joke, “Wat r werds”, is a true daily struggle for me.  I hate to admit it, but the best motivator for me is a deadline.  I do fairly well getting the next part of Ears O'Fluffin written the day it's due.  Of course, that doesn't help with the novels.  Attempts to set my own deadlines never seem to work, since I'm the only one who knows about them.  Accountability to others is why NaNoWriMo works so well for me.

I confess that I really don't read authors, I read characters.  As of this writing, I can't say that I've ever read everything any given author has written.  Given that, I've never been too interested in meeting other authors.  There is one exception, Craig Johnson.  He was recommended to me by a literary agent, and very quickly became one of my favorite authors.  There's only one of his books that I have not yet read, and that's only because the local library never seems to have it checked in.  Mr Johnson was in Ft Collins on another book tour, last year, and I made a point to go hear him speak.  He writes his books in first person, and reading them has been a huge help for me in writing Ears O'Fluffin.

One of the most important lessons I've learned, this year is that I am a plot planner.  I have three months to get as much of my Ears O'Fluffin novel planned out as possible.  Oh good, a deadline!  I'd best get started on that....

Fear and Terror Stalk the Museum  Ghostly phenomena plague the lofty halls of the museum with the arrival of a mysterious ebony statue. A prominent pastor is found dismembered after a night alone in the museum. The local police are stumped as the bodies keep piling up.

Despite slaughtering 135 men, the spirits of two man-eating lions failed in their mission to stop the invasion of modern technology into the heart of the African continent. A hundred years later, a new sorcerer has claimed the power to command the spirits of the lions. He releases them into the museum that houses their mortal remains. Neither ghost hunters nor exorcists can muster the power to defeat the spectral lions. Finally, Artemis Lewis, a Native American shaman, takes a stand. ​


​
​Check out Monica's Website
Like Monica on Facebook
Follow Monica on Twitter
  Bunnyzine Archive (Ears O'Fluffin's first case begins in Volume 2, Issue 6)  Where to Buy Fear and Terror Stalk the Museum  Amazon

#WhatsYourStory Featuring Keith Guernsey

​Mr. Keith D. Guernsey is retired after a forty year career in sales and sales management with several fortune 500 companies. He currently lives on Lake Lanier with his wife Susan and four-footed son Harley.  Mr Guernsey spent a good portion of his youth playing sports, active in both football and hockey. In 1995 Keith was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor (called an Acoustic Neuroma) and he underwent a ten hour operation at the world-renowned Brigham and Women's hospital where it was successfully removed.  While recovering, he met and married Susan. Together they faced his next challenge. In 1997 his neuroma returned. He was to undergo yet another, more complex, operation which resulted in a complete cure, however side effects of this second more invasive procedure caused prolonged inactivity and led to severe weight gain of over 100 lbs.  Today Mr. Guernsey is very proud of the fact that he has been able to overcome his physical challenges, losing over one hundred and thirty five pounds, and has found the time to write two successful books (“Confessions of a Beantown Sports Junkie and “Fathers and Sons-Sports and Life”). He now enjoys a more active and rewarding lifestyle at age sixty five than at he did at twenty five!  His current interests include senior softball, he has recently been elected to the Board of Directors of ITN Lanier, he volunteers as a delivery driver for Meals-On-Wheels and works as a counselor for veterans who are looking to re-enter the work force.

 I was honored to have presented this “Self-Publishing Road Map to Success” at the Writer’s in the Wind group recently.
Self-Publishing   101
I have written my masterpiece...now what?


Interviews: http://www.peggyshope4u.com/saturdays-pick-keith-d-guernsey
Podcast: http://www.theauthorinsideyou.com
Books Signings: Riggy's Grill
Fund Raisers and Giveaways: Charity events (Jimmy Fund), Holidays, Business cards, 
Blog:  https://niume.com/profile/74183#!/posts Fathers and Sons, Sports and Life
​ "Fathers and Sons…" is a story of an uncommon love and devotion between fathers and sons. It is a story of my recovery from two rounds of life-threatening brain surgeries to play on three championship softball teams in two states. It includes a chapter on the most controversial sports topic of our time; Deflategate. It is also an ode to my late father Gordon, the greatest sports parent of all time!

Fathers and Sons Facebook page;
https://www.facebook.com/thegurns1/
Twitter=@thegurns
​
Where to Buy Fathers and Sons, Sports and Life Amazon Smashwords

#WhatsYourStory with Mark Stevens

​Mark Stevens is the author the Allison Coil Mystery Series—Antler Dust, Buried by the Roan, Trapline and Lake of Fire. The last three books were all finalists for the Colorado Book Award. Trapline won (2015). Stevens is Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2016 Writer of the Year. He is president of the Rocky Mountain chapter for Mystery Writers of America and serves on the national board. He also hosts a regular podcast for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Kirkus Reviews called Lake of Fire “irresistible” and Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire novels, said, “Mark Stevens writes like wildfire.” 
​If I could go back to the day I started writing fiction about thirty years ago:
I would have joined a writing group immediately, to share drafts, talk business, talk fiction, talk reading, talking writing, share ideas. Writing is solo sport. And it’s involved more teamwork than I would have ever imagined. I would have written more—not necessarily faster, but more. More isn’t always better, but it’s practice. By writing more, I think you’re training that part of your little old brain. Muscles like to work. Atrophy sucks. So, write more.I would have learned, early on, to omit the word ‘that’ from all prose. (I think ‘that’ works okay in dialogue.)I would have worried more about character. Character is key. The plot, yes, of course. But I’m convinced more and more it’s all about the character, whether antagonist or protagonist or, better yet, both. It’s the issues of the character that drive the action that create the plot. (Obvious, yeah. Maybe these are notes to myself.) If you have a good solid complex character with three dimensions and if that character needs something or wants something, you have the start of a plot. So write the character and write what that character desires (needs, wants) and then start throwing obstacles in his or her way. Final thought: by definition, great characters do something.I would have learned, early on, to omit the word ‘just.’ My candidate for most useless nothing unspecific blah bland filler word ever. But I still whip it out in the first draft and sprinkle around like confetti.I would have joined writing groups early on (see #1 above) and I would have leaned into every single opportunity to support those groups. I figured this out later on. I should have figured it out earlier. It’s not about hoping to “get something back” from others. It’s not about a transactional, deal-making kind of thing. It’s simply about being fully engaged, more thoroughly embedded in the community. (This idea isn’t original. I learned it from, yes, other writers.) And you know what else? Here’s what else: when you commit to doing something regularly for a writing community, you are indirectly making a pledge to yourself to write more and participate more. You’re taking it more seriously. That’s a good thing. Being more involved in writing groups has allowed me the chance to meet writers I admire, such as Ron Carlson, Stewart O’Nan, William Kent Krueger, Steve Hamilton, Lori Rader-Day, Ausma Zehanat Khan, Craig Johnson, Christine Carbo, James W. Ziskin, Reed Farrel Coleman, Megan Abbott … um, this list could go on and on.  And on.I would have spent more time imagining each scene before I wrote it. I would have spent more time trying to see the scene—the emotions and the action, everything. I think I spent too long seeing the words on the page, not enough imagining the “real” people (my characters) doing real things. Now, once I see the scene, even if that “scene” is only the next few minutes of my story, I write what I see. And hear. And feel.I would have gone to more book talks, author tour stops. I would have made this part of my routine, to take notes about how writers presented their work.I would have taken it all less seriously. Yes—less seriously. I know, a bit contradictory from #6 above. But what I mean is this: have you seen the flood of books out there? Go stand in a bookstore and marvel at the sheer volume of titles. So yes you need to care about your craft and write with your personal style and flourish, but it doesn’t have to be so, well, precious. You got a story? Tell it. Let it rip. Take some chances. Have some fun. Get that first draft down and then start the shaping and editing and re-writing. I would have … no, WAIT!In truth, I have no regrets. Yes, despite all the could-haves and should-haves, it’s all good. I came close to selling a couple of books more than a decade before I finally got published. I am so very glad, now, that they didn’t sell. At the time, I was crushed. Now, I’m glad those words didn’t see the light of day. I still had things to learn … and I still do to this day. Lake of Fire In Lake of Fire, the fourth book in the Allison Coil Mystery Series, a giant wildfire is roaring through Colorado’s Flat Tops Wilderness. The massive blaze is wiping out Allison Coil’s precious hunting grounds and the flames have set their sights on the beautiful ranch owned by her boyfriend’s family. Backwoods survivalist Devo finds a body in the blackened forest. The dead man turns out to be a reclusive environmentalist with an unorthodox idea for the battle against global warming. The dead man was no stranger to Allison or her longtime friend, Trudy Heath. Allison, with help from Glenwood Springs reporter Duncan Bloom, burrows into an underground world of haters who harbor a grim view of the world. Suddenly, Trudy goes missing. If Allison can stop the wicked haters, ordinary hell might not be punishment enough for where these particular agents of evil belong. 

Twitter @writerstevens
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllisonCoil/
​
Where to Buy Lake of Fire Amazon

#WhatsYourStory Featuring Bethany Turner

​Bethany Turner is the director of administration for Rock Springs Church in Southwest Colorado. A former VP/operations manager of a commercial bank and a three-time cancer survivor (all before she turned 35), Bethany knows that when God has plans for your life, it doesn't matter what anyone else has to say. Because of that, she's chosen to follow his call to write. She lives with her husband and their two sons in Colorado, where she writes for a new generation of readers who crave fiction that tackles the thorny issues of life with humor and insight.
I always think it's so cute when we hear about J.K. Rowling and her twelve Harry Potter rejections. It's absolutely shocking to think that twelve book industry professionals held that manuscript in their hands and decided readers would never get behind the boy who lived, and it's positively inspiring, as a writer, to know that even she had to wait, but it's also...cute.
 
I self-published my first books after receiving 74 rejections.
 
Less cute.
 
But do you know what else is cute? The fact that as I received those 74 rejections, I felt dismayed. Indignant, even. I'd love to sit down with Jo Rowling sometime (yes, she lets me call her Jo) and ask her how she felt. Was she indignant? Or had she been more realistic from the beginning? The thing is, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I had written a book which became a three-book series, all centered around a woman named Abigail Phelps. The story is Abigail's delusional memoir, tied together by commentary and investigation from her psychiatrist, and the books boast the unique characteristic that, apart from Abigail and her psychiatrist, almost all of the characters are actual, real-life celebrities. George Clooney is her best friend, JFK Jr. is her first love, Robert Redford is her mentor...and on and on. Many of the rejections I received stated that, basically, they were intrigued by the concept, but didn't know what to do with it.
 
Everybody seems to want something new and different, but not too new and different.
 
Like I said, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I am pretty sure that in the writing of those books and in my attempts to get published, I broke every rule known to man. I sent agents and editors query letters packed with every line that I now know they hate, but at that point, I hadn't done my homework. I convinced myself that I would get by on a unique idea, a strong voice, and George Clooney. (There are certainly movies which have gotten by on less!)
 
My career was in banking, not publishing, and those books had been written for fun, as a creative outlet, while I tried to survive in a career which had sucked most of the life out of me. But the unexpected happened. In the midst of the rejections and the overinflated ego having some of the air released, I discovered that I loved to write. I discovered that I was a writer.
 
I sure hadn't seen that coming.
 
My next book was written in about six weeks, with the newfound freedom of having left behind my solid, stable (though stressful and somewhat soul-crushing) job in bank management. Of course, with that newfound freedom came newfound challenges including, perhaps most notably, no real feasible way to keep paying the bills for long.
 
Once again, I had no idea what I was doing, but for the first time, that was a good thing. It was adventure. It was scary. It was exhilarating. It was a journey.
 
It was faith.
 
So, like I said, in about six weeks I had what is now called The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck, a Christian romantic comedy about a bestselling, rich, famous writer of steamy, provocative romance who must deal with the reality of who she has been and what she is known for when she decides to become a Christ-follower (and falls in love with her pastor). It's funny and features a relatable heroine and a swoon-worthy leading man, and more pop culture references than an issue of Tiger Beat magazine. (Do they still make Tiger Beat or did I just show my age?) I was fairly certain I was in for another long line of rejections, followed by eventual self-publishing. And that would have been okay. I was prepared for that. I was expecting that. I had learned so much, and I knew I wouldn't be crushed as I had been before. I had gained wisdom and experience and knowledge and...
 
I still didn't know anything.
 
I was accepted by a manuscript submission service, and thirteen days later, I was contacted by a major publishing house, requesting the full manuscript. The very next day after sending the manuscript, I was contacted again. My story had been read in one sitting, and it was going to the next step in the process. Over the next few months there were edits and revisions, proposals and pub boards. The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck will be published on October 3, 2017 by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
 
My contract was for the one book, and I have no idea if Revell or any other publisher will ever want anything else I ever write. I have one more manuscript complete, two others that are getting close, and finally I think I know better than to pretend I have any idea about what's going to happen with them. For me, it's all about faith. It's knowing that regardless of what happens (or doesn't), I am blessed. It's understanding that I can only do what I can do. And it's choosing to look back with fondness and learn as much as I can from the moments when I thought I was actually in control of any of it.
 
Wasn't that cute?
The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck Becoming a Christian is the best and worst thing that has ever happened to Sarah Hollenbeck. Best because, well, that's obvious. Worst because, up to this point, she's made her very comfortable living as a well-known, bestselling author of steamy romance novels that would leave the members of her new church blushing. Now Sarah is trying to reconcile her past with the future she's chosen. She's still under contract with her publisher and on the hook with her enormous fan base for the kind of book she's not sure she can write anymore. She's beginning to think that the church might frown on her tithing on royalties from a "scandalous" book. And the fact that she's falling in love with her pastor doesn't make things any easier.

With a powerful voice, penetrating insight, and plenty of wit, Bethany Turner explodes onto the scene with a debut that isn't afraid to deal with the thorny realities of living the Christian life.

Website: www.seebethanywrite.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/seebethanywrite
Twitter: www.twitter.com/seebethanywrite
Instagram: www.instagram.com/seebethanywrite
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7214754.Bethany_Turner
Subscribe to Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/b1OIuj
​
Where to Buy The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck Amazon Paperback Kindle iBooks Barnes & Noble

#Whats Your Story Featuring Cara Sue Achterberg

Cara Sue Achterberg is a novelist, blogger, dog rescuer, and mom who lives on a hillside farm in south central, PA. Her novels, I’m Not Her and Girls’ Weekend are national bestsellers, and her next novel, Practicing Normal, will be released June 6, 2017. For more information and links to her blogs, visit www.CaraWrites.com.
​Writing from the Heart
By Cara Sue Achterberg
My writing has always grown out of the state of my heart. As a child, I labored over the pages of my tiny pink diary pouring out my elementary school life. Later I filled journal after journal with angsty poetry and teenage longing. As an adult writing has always featured into my professional work, so when I decided to quit my paying job and stay home to raise my kids, of course I wrote about it. I blogged and wrote newspaper and magazine articles about raising kids, eating organic food, growing vegetables, keeping chickens, and living on our tiny hillside farm in south-central, Pennsylvania.
Eventually, though, I began writing about other worlds beyond my own. I discovered that brewing a huge cup of tea and sitting down at my laptop could be a portal to a much more interesting world than my own. For several years I wrote in secret, still pounding out the paying stories, but escaping every afternoon into my fiction. Finally, I pulled my husband aside and said, “I need to tell you something….,” confessing to the hours I had spent crafting a story about two women from different walks of life (an obese, high school dropout, single mother and a beautiful, self-absorbed, taking-everything-for-granted young adult) who swap lives. Lucky for me, he didn’t laugh. (He did tell me that when I first told him I needed to talk, he thought I was going to tell him I was having an affair- that’s how distracted I’d become by my fiction writing!)
The road from that moment to published book was long, messy, frustrating, embarrassing, and exhausting. But it happened. It was nothing like I expected, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. (Okay, maybe I would trade it for the life of an overnight NYT best-selling author – although I’m skeptical such a path exists.)
And now? My second kid is graduating (will have graduated when you read this!) and I’ve been filling my empty nest with rescue dogs. But I’m still escaping every afternoon. When I ran into a friend from my PTA and dance-lesson days, I told her that I had a new book coming out. She looked surprised and asked, “Another book? So, you’re really doing this book thing? It wasn’t just something you had to get out of your system?”
I assured her that it was for real. I’ve got plenty more stories to get out of my system. My stories, like my writing (and hopefully me!) are evolving. I’ve thought about that exchange ever since it happened. It’s not surprising she asked the question that she did. She’d seen me move from one obsession to another. My organic days included making my own yogurt and even butchering chickens (only once!). I’d sold Mary Kay, created beaded jewelry, pedaled organic spice mixes, started raising chickens, worked a national presidential campaign, plus several local races, and fostered rescue dogs. I have an all-in kind of personality so whatever my latest interest, I went after it with all my heart.
It’s not surprising this friend assumed I would move on to the next fling after my first book was published. But writing is different—I don’t just give it all my time; I give it all my heart. And more than that, I finally feel a teeny, tiny bit grown up. I think of that quote, often credited to Confucius – “If you choose a job you like, you’ll never work a day in your life.” That’s writing for me. It’s not work. It’s joy. All the time. Even the hard parts. Even the editing (which is the bulk of the work).
It may have taken me some time to get here, but I’m going nowhere. My first book was published when I was forty-eight and I’m only getting started. I can’t imagine a day when I ever have writing ‘out of my system.’ That said, I know that all the work I’ve done, the obsessions that drove my family mad, the weird passions that came and went, and the odd jobs I’ve done to pay the bills were steps to where I am now. All of it informs my writing. Without it I’m not sure I’d have so many stories to tell.
When you write from your heart, the well is endless. Our hearts are filled with stories. What’s yours?
Practicing Normal ​The houses in Pine Estates are beautiful McMansions filled with high-achieving parents, children on the fast track to top colleges, all of the comforts of modern living, and the best security systems money can buy. Welcome to normal upper-middle-class suburbia.
 
Meet the Turners. 17-year-old Jenna dyes her hair black and breaks into her neighbors’ homes, security systems be damned. Everett genuinely believes he loves his wife . . . he just loves having a continuing stream of mistresses more. JT is a genius kid with Asperger’s who moves from one obsession to the next. And Kate tries to manage her family and her mother (who lives down the street) while crafting the happy, normal life she’s always envisioned.
 
And now everything is changing for them. Jenna finds herself in a boy-next-door romance she never could have predicted. Everett’s secrets are beginning to unravel on him. JT is getting his first taste of success at navigating the world. And Kate is facing truths about her husband, her mother, and the father she never knew.
 
Life on Pine Road has never been more challenging for the Turners. That’s what happens when you’re practicing normal.
 
Combining her trademark combination of wit, insight, and tremendous empathy for her characters, Cara Sue Achterberg has written a novel that is at once familiar and startlingly fresh.
CaraWrites.com
Facebook.com/carasueachterberg
Twitter.com/caraachterberg
Instagram/carasueachterberg
Subscribe to Newsletter
​
Where to Buy Practicing Normal Amazon