V.K. Tritschler's Blog, page 7

Ye olde English and the modern word

There is a long list of words that Shakespeare created, and an even longer lists of words I commonly misspell on regular occasions. I was thinking today about how English has progressed, or perhaps regressed, as my Nanna would say. There was a time before the written word when stories were told in song and by words remembered and repeated, past down from person to person. Now, we have audio-books, the modern equivalent, to transcribe those stories we are now too busy to read by eye. My husband, a classic example, "read" H.G.Wells the other day whilst driving at work. And whilst, I appreciated that he chose a classic and was now freely able to converse on the content, I did wonder how much he would have listened had it been written in modern text talk? Would yolo and rofl have the same impact? Would he have commented on the excessive use of wtf instead of his concern at the repetition of transcended and 'ly' words? Somehow, I think there are challenges ahead for modern authors, but perhaps we could all take a leaf out of Shakespeare's book and simply make up some new ones. This month's authors: Magnus Stanke Magnus came to fiction writing relatively late in life, and via literary detours in song-writing, film scripts and film criticism. He was kind enough to reply to my questions on how he managed his craft. What is your favorite technique for creating suspense in your stories? I’m a big film buff so I'd like to use an old Alfred Hitchcock anecdote to answer this question. Imagine two people having a chat, sitting at a table. Suddenly a bomb goes off that was hidden under the table. You get the element of surprise once (BANG!) but no suspense. Now, imagine the same two people again, however this time the reader knows the bomb under the table will explode in 20 minutes. Now we have 20 minutes of suspense in which to root for them and fear for their lives. Will they find the bomb in time? Will it turn out to be a dud? Will they get up and leave before then?
In film as in writing, creating suspense is management of information. If the reader knows something bad is going to happen at a specific point, for instance because the narrator alludes to it ('It was the last time she had something to smile about for a long, long time' or 'From then on everything went haywire'; most classic of all 'He didn't know it then but he only had two days to live') then we get suspense. In my third novel 'Ungrounded' I've tried to use a slightly different approach. Ostensibly the narrator (and therefore the reader) doesn't have information that the protagonist doesn't have. Instead, the protagonist gets visions, flash-forwards, and I tried to create suspense that way, though it means that the reader might have to work a little harder. Will the visions come true? Will they come true partially? If so, when, and which part? How long have you been writing for, and what encouraged you to start? When I was 10 or 11 I wanted to become a Hollywood star (which wasn’t a particularly likely outcome for a boy in Germany). It’s not that I wasn’t flexible, though. I was happy enough to work my way up the ranks, start at the bottom, you see. So I got a few friends together to shoot a home-made Super 8 movie in our garden (called ‘The Monster from Sherwood’ ;) ). Trouble was, we didn't have a story to tell. So I knocked something together off the cuff. Little did I know then - for me a script was merely a means to an end – that the acting dream was a convoluted springboard in itself. That’s when I started to write. However, it took me another 30-odd years before I attempted to write prose, a novel. I'd never thought I would. Now, of course, I can't stop. I'm on number 4, and my latest might very well turn into a trilogy. Who is your best villain, and why do you like them? I'm not too keen on super villains per se, or superheroes, for that matter. The characters we root for and those we root against should have a bit of the former as well as the latter. Of course, you might say the stronger the villain, the bigger the suspense, but that again depends on the strength of the 'good guys'. 
For me, ambivalence is an important feature in a villain (or a hero). Somebody like Thomas Harris' 'Hannibal' jumps to mind, or Swearengen from the TV series 'Deadwood', and of course Tony Soprano. In 'Time Lies', my second book, the protagonist is a 'reluctant serial killer'. He kills people but you always understand why he does it... How do you plot out your stories, or do you prefer to free-write? Personally I couldn't free-write a novel. Haruki Murakami, one of my favourite authors does work like that (I believe), but then again he's a genius, and the free-wheeling quality suits his eerily narratives beautifully, though I have to be careful how I phrase this. I once got into trouble for suggesting that musicians can ‘get together to jam’ without putting due stress on the fact that I greatly admire and respect that ability, and that it takes a lot of hard work to be in that position. 
I certainly couldn’t do it. Instead, I spend a lot of time plotting before I write the first word of prose. The book I'm writing at the moment is mostly set in 1920s Germany so I had to do a lot of research to create a world that's credible, though fictional. It doesn't contradict history in a way where I'd lose the reader's suspension of disbelief. Magnus's favourite way of engaging with his readers is via his facebook page http://tinyurl.com/hkswsjb or via Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/gl8uayt Having said that, he's been most active on instagram lately, if only to share the amazing film posters from the Roaring 20's he's been unearthing in the process of his research for a new book. Check them out at https://www.instagram.com/magnusstanke/ I hope you can take a moment to support him by taking a look at his work, and I extend my thanks to Magnus for being interviewed! Amaranthine Poetry Dayal is a modern poet, and a great thinker. In a first for my blog, I got to ask lots of questions about his genre of poetry, and how he works with his art. Here is what he had to say: What inspires your poetry? Love, in all it's shapes and forms. But there's so much more to it. I think as we grow as an artist, you realise that there's something more to everything you've created. A couple years down to writing, I realised that everything I've written came from deep isolation within me, like it is me, in my books, telling the story or reciting the poems. And it's difficult sometimes, to realise where your original or unique asthetic comes from. Sometimes you know and understand it right away and sometimes it takes time. As a modern poet, what do you find is the most challenging component of your art? I believe writing or any kind of art is like a free fall because there's nothing holding you but you're only acting on the force of your creativity, which is empty, by the way. You start from scratch. You build something out of an empty space. The process is not the same everytime. And so that is the challenging part, to figure out how to outdo yourself in the sense like...... the process of writing, the internal process. I know that there's the drafts, compiling and stuff but how does it start from the within, that's still a mystery for me. What is your favourite line of poetry (either your own or another poet’s) and why? I have two favourite lines from different poets. First is "Stopping by the Woods on a  Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost. The final stanza of the poetry. I think it can touch anyone. "The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep." I think it sums up the entire piece really well. It means so much to me and depicts what life is in real, like we know how much we always want to live in the moment for it is beautiful and all but one has to keep going on and on in life, 'cause there's so much more in life than one rigid moment. My second favourite line is from Lord Byron's "When We Two Parted". The entire piece is about the disillusionment of a relationship and for such reasons, they are forced to part and leave each other. The line goes: "When we two parted In silence and tears, Half broken-hearted To sever for years," The phrase "in silence and tears" speaks volumes to me. It doesn't just mean in the literal sense, I believe it represents melancholy, like in terms that there was so much of heaviness and tension between them that it was just silence that accompanied their separation. How often do you write and what is your favourite place to do it? My writing process is weird. I cannot write something until and unless something really hits me in the head, so I basically write anywhere on my phone. I write it straight away on this app called "mirakee". It's like Instagram for poetry. But then again, it's not constant. Sometimes I end up writing 5-6 pieces in a day but then there are times when I'm not able to write anything at all for like a week or so. Dayal loves to engage with his readers. You can check out his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/amaranthinep... or via Twitter on https://twitter.com/u_rogue I hope you can take a moment to support him by contacting him, and I extend my thanks for being interviewed! This months book challenge - To win yourself a $10 Amazon gift card, this month I would like you to send in a review of a book you have read recently that you enjoyed. Each month our winner will have their review published in my next months blog and get the gift card information emailed to them. So send me your review - any book, any genre, let's see what you love to read! I wish to thank you for taking the time to read and engage with me! Happy reading everyone! VK Tritschler

The thin veil that is diversity

Interview with authors Sylvia Riess and Bill Greenwood

The thin veil that is diversity

I come from a family of travelers. Through our history we have migrated from one part of the world to another, and each generation has adapted and adopted to new locations as they went. Our family is the very meaning of diversity. I like to include my own travelling experiences into my writing, bringing forward knowledge of different locations and cultures. And I was wondering recently, if the world was to end and they recorded the different ethnicity, languages and cultures; would they list writers and authors in their own group? Would those with a talent for the written word, get their own label? Are we not, as the writers and recorders of life and all its potential, the very antitheses of a mere group, or do we still qualify? Since, our thoughts and words are the recorded truth for only one person. Our version of reality, or creation of illusion, is the lasting effect on mankind; but it is a singular record. One persons truth, if you will. But does that make us diverse or the same? I will leave you to ponder that. This month's authors: Sylvia Rieβ Sylvia is our first German author, and she kindly answered my questions about being a cross-cultural author. Thank you Sylvia! Do you find it difficult to write in both English and German? Do you translate them or write them in one language only? I don't translate the books myself. Eve if my translator always tells me, that my English is very good, I don't see it like that. English is not my mother language and restricts me to the vocabulary known to me and in style. I believe you can achieve quite a knowledge on a language over time, and you can improve, but I think you are never as virtuosic as in your own language. But doing the marketing in English is quite unused to me. So is this interview. I love English, the sound of it, yet I always feel like a stranger. When you are writing a story, how do you gather character ideas Character ideas just come to me. It is like going to bed and waking up in the middle of the night hearing to characters talk to each other, finding out about there likes and dislikes, character traits, friends, relations etc. Who do you feel is your most inspirational character, and why? In case of the "Song of a Falling Star" it was Dave. After I started the book anew after I discarded the first try, I could not figure out, how to make it special. There was something missing that connected the now-plot line with the four years ago- plot line. Throughout the novel we are introduced into many perspectives, following my protagonist on their way into a strange world, while they have to figure out a riddle and a crime, that took place in the human world years ago. Sounds a bit complicated and it is. It is built up like a labyrinth revealing only one part at a time. Dave is connected with both worlds and both timelines. Also he is not human and possesses a gift, which allows him to discover what had happened back then even if he wasn't present. While struggling to find a new start, it all came together, once Dave revealed himself in my head and after this it was just writing. Having now written several books, what did you wish you knew when you wrote your first book that you now know? Yesterday I think I would have answered differently, but by now I discovered, that not knowing how things work can be a blessing. It makes you unaware of what other people consider impossible and you just do it. For example: starting out as a new author with a book-series rather then a single book. If I had known things, or listened to people who told me, it's not gonna happen, the English version wouldn't exist. Sylvia's favorite way of engaging with her readers is via her website http://eruiwp.layeredmind.de/allgemei... I hope you can take a moment to support him by taking a look at his work, and I extend my Vielen Dank to Sylvia for being interviewed! Bill Greenwood Bill is a Canadian suspense and thriller author, but he is a man of many skills and has a long history of writing. Here is what he had to say about his art: Do you think that your experience in journalism helped to strengthen your writing? I'd have to say my days as a columnist were very instrumental in helping me tackle writing a novel (or three.)  It was an evolutionary process.  Initially, I was just a prolific writer of letters-to-the-editor. (Yes.  One of those.)  Eventually, I reached a point where I felt that I could contribute better work than some of the other local and national columnists.  So, I drafted three pieces, and submitted them to the managing editor with a proposal that I supply one a week.  This forced me to improve the caliber of my writing, and adjust my style.  At the time, the paper had a great on-line commenting board, which allowed me to engage my readership, both the critics and the allies.  (An aside- Eventually they moved from Disqus to a Facebook plug-in for that.  My personal observation is that the Facebook plug-in is a death blow to any comment board.  But, I digress.) One of the things I worked hard at was crafting a nifty turn of a phrase.  For my particular "brand", this was quite beneficial.  My run lasted 7 years, and 8 years on I still get the odd comment from customers and acquaintances (I sell industrial equipment in order to have money for nice things.  Like food.  And a home.) about how much they enjoyed my work.  But, I learned that the quality of one's work is vital, and I ran into a patch where the work was not up to par so they dropped my column.  It was the loss of that creative outlet that led me to decide to turn a plot outline, that had been rattling around in my head for decades, into a novel.  I knew going in how I wanted it structured, and I had a few key scenes well thought out.  I just had to make them fit the story, much like how you take a key point for an opinion column, and make the rest of the column fit around it. What process do you like to go through when you prepare a story? Well, my stories are plot-driven, and I try to build them around a plausible plot.  So, the first step is exactly that- The Plot.  By then, I will have a Main Event that occurs within the The Plot.  Then I have to tie the two together.  I spend a fair amount of time making sure that The Plot is reasonably plausible, and then trying to figure out which plot holes I will have to fill in order to keep it plausible.  For example, in Montrose County, it was important that Sabrina Murdoch was somewhat isolated as a human being, without her being a person who sought isolation.  I was able to draw upon the realities that many service personnel experience when they return from a war zone.  In her case, being forced to forced into a firefight as an Army Reserve Medic left indelible scars that were magnified by family break down when she returned from Iraq.  A good chunk of the book examines how the assassins she ends up confronting get into the USA.  Again, I tried to make that fit within a very plausible framework by invoking the cigarette smuggling that goes on between Canada and the US, and the illegal immigration along the southern border. Google Earth is also my friend in that regard.  It helped that my wife and I had actually driven through Montrose County, Colorado about a year before I had even thought about that book.  When I was looking for the right setting, I looked back at our journey across Colorado and into Utah, and realized that was the right place.  In Buffalo At The Gates, which is my most recent, I again used Google Earth as a plotting tool, and fashioned the plot around the US-North Korea tensions.  The whole thing is underscored by an important hard fact: the Fort Peck Dam on the Missouri River is a completely unique dam in its construction, and some engineers feel that it has a very dangerous flaw that, if exploited, could precipitate an economic and ecological disaster stretching from Montana to Mississippi.  In Buffalo At The Gates, the two main characters also spend a lot of time driving across the American West, and I tried to convey the size of the place by having them take three days to get from San Diego, California to Glasgow, Montana traveling at a pretty good speed.  Just as a lot of people don't grasp the size of Australia, even a lot of North Americans don't grasp the span of the Great Plains and the western states. So, to build the book, I had to build The Plot.  That was easy, as it was both derivative of a plot from a book I read almost 40 years ago, and my own original idea.  In the book I read years ago (I've searched but can't find the title or author), eco-terrorists cause the failure of the Mica Dam on the Columbia River in British Columbia, and the book follows the destruction as the rush of water crashes down the Columbia Valley.  I made the reason for the destruction of the Fort Peck plausible, and then tied it to The Main Event.  I had also wanted to give two characters that I created for Afghanistan and fleshed out in Montrose County a book of their own.  From there, I just hunt and peck at the keyboard and hope a good yarn materializes. What’s do you feel is your most inspirational character, and why? I think my most inspirational character is Marina Tverdovsky.  Marina plays a key role in my very first novel, Afghanistan.  Marina's life has been marked by betrayal and family dysfunction.  She was born and raised in the tail end of the days of Soviet rule in Russia.  Like many Russians of her generation, she was raised in a family that deferred family ties to the state.  The communists had a three-to-four generation run.  People were taught to subvert family loyalties to loyalty to the state and to the Party.  As a result, she had a sister that she was a stranger to, and was only beginning to have a normal relationship with her mother.  Her former husband was a philanderer, and she finally abandoned him.  Despite being intelligent and beautiful, love has not been kind to her.  But, she's a diligent investigator, and when her inquiry into corruption related to the theft and sale of Soviet arms leads her to a more unspeakable reality, she's forced to ally herself with people that her government tends to treat as enemies.  In doing so, she finds the possibility of love, and confronts that possibility head-on in a fashion that I think a lot of people like. Having now written several books, what did you wish you knew when you wrote your first book that you now know? What do I know now that I wish I knew then?  I'm not sure.  Not a lot really.  Maybe that success at writing would not come as easily as I'd hoped.  But then, maybe I wouldn't have written them, and I think I'd be the lesser if I hadn't. Bill loves to engage with his readers, just not really on social media. So if you want to get in touch and share ideas with him, you can check out his Goodreads page at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... I hope you can take a moment to support him by contacting him, and I extend my thanks for being interviewed! This months book challenge - To win yourself a $10 Amazon gift card, this month I would like you to send in a review of a book you have read recently that you enjoyed. Each month our winner will have their review published in my next months blog and get the gift card information emailed to them. So send me your review - any book, any genre, let's see what you love to read! I wish to thank you for taking the time to read and engage with me! Happy reading everyone! VK Tritschler

From the mouths of babes

For the past nearly two years, I have been the gatekeeper for a group of enthusiastic local youth writers. They are already surpassing me in efforts, having already published their own book ("The Fragmental Seven") and having submitted for several short story competitions. This year they are collaborating on a a script for a short film. Every week I sit in on their gatherings, absorb their enthusiasm, and reflect on how important it is for people to find others of their ilk. There is something in the freedom of speech and abandon to the pleasure of writing that I find entrancing. To watch and see how the next generation of authors is growing and developing ideas, forming bonds and creating what I hope will be writing skills and friendships that will last a lifetime. It gives me energy and focus on my own writing, and the encouragement to keep going. I hope that you all can spend a little time this year meeting with, and enjoying the company of, fellow writers. This month's authors: Ernie Briginshaw Ernie is a Canadian author with a range of books already under his belt, from the humorous to the gripping variety. He was kind enough to reply to my questions on how he managed his craft. As a prolific author, how long does it take you to write a book? I've now written five novels and one novella and my track record indicates I tend to produce one new book per year.  It normally takes me about three months to produce the first draft of the book and then I start the editing and re-writing stages. I like to use beta readers to help me determine what parts of the book need work.  For the first draft, I'm looking for feedback on the story.  What parts of the book did you like?  What parts did you hate?  What parts did you find confusing?  Or worst of all, what parts of the book did you find boring? There can be huge differences between the first and second draft.  Whole chapters and characters may be added or removed from the book.  Then I send out the second draft to different beta readers.  Since most of my books are mysteries, I think it's important that the beta readers not know how things turn out in the book because I want the various twists and turns in the plot to catch them by surprise, but also make perfect sense to them. For some reason, I tend to go you through six complete drafts before I'm satisfied with the result and ready to release it to the public. When you started your three book series, did you know from the beginning that you wanted a series or did it become one after you finished the first book? When I wrote my first book "Goliath", I thought it might be the only book I ever wrote.  The story had been kicking around in my head for about seven years before I decided to write it.  I had no idea whether anyone would be interested in reading it. However, the feedback I received from readers was quite encouraging.  Several readers congratulated me on how clever I was in leaving a few loose ends at the end and wanted to know when the sequel would be coming out.  A few readers even suggested plot lines for the second book. In reality, I'm not really that clever as I hadn't planned on writing a sequel.  I was a little surprised at how invested the readers became in some of the characters, but it led to me writing "The Second Shooter". When I finished writing the second book, I knew there would be a third book but I didn't know how many more there would be after that.  It was only as I was finishing the first draft of "The Third Option" that I realized that it would be the last book in the series. Who is your favorite hero/heroine from the characters you have created, and why? That's difficult to answer because it's like being asked to pick your favorite child.  You love them all. However, there were a couple of "minor" characters in my books who grew into major characters, much to my surprise. In "The Second Shooter", I introduced a new character named "Bronx" who I thought would be a temporary love interest for one of the main characters.  I was expecting her to be written out of the story within a few chapters.  However, I found Bronx to be such an interesting character that she grew on me as I wrote more and more.  To my surprise, she became one of the main characters in that book and also in "The Third Option". The other person who surprised me and grew into a major character was "Maria", from my book "The Legacy".  As an author, it is quite exciting when fictional characters take on personalities and become real people in your mind. What part of the writing process do you find the easiest, and what is the hardest? For me, the easiest and most interesting part of the writing process is creating the actual story.  I typically know how the story starts and how it ends, but the journey to get there is like exploring tunnels and seeing where they take you.  As you've probably guessed by now, I don't outline or story-board the entire book before I start.  Sometimes things happen in my books that surprise even me, and I'm the author. The hardest part for me is marketing my books.  Whenever I try to run sales or promotions, they usually result in negligible sales.  When I'm not running any events at all, I'll suddenly get sales and I have no idea why.  My best selling book is "The Back Nine" and I do practically no marketing for it at all. Ernie's s favorite way of engaging with his readers is via his author profile and links to his books on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/E.A.-Briginsha... Readers can also follow him on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/eabriginshaw or on Twitter at: /@EABriginshaw . He also has a blog on Goodreads at:  My Blog on Goodreads I hope you can take a moment to support him by taking a look at his work, and I extend my thanks to Ernie for being interviewed! Shari Sakurai Shari is another prolific author, but her genre and preference is paranormal, horror, science fiction and fantasy. With a vivid imagination she brings her characters and stories to life, and I was honored to have her reply to my questions: Given that you write in several genres, how hard (or easy) do you find it to swap between them when you start a new project? I find it quite easy really. I usually have several projects on the go at once and I swap between them to give myself some variety and it also helps if I get writer’s block as I can just switch to the other until it passes. What is the hardest part of the writing process for you? Probably the edits I have to make. I sometimes struggle with the sentimentality of keeping parts in that really don’t need to be. For example on my WIP I have included a lot of background/flashback scenes that will have to come out as I ended up with so much material, but I’m going to be sad when I actually have to edit it. Which location from your stories is your favorite and why? It would definitely be Kōfu, Japan. Due to my love of the music and culture, Japan is a country I feel emotionally close too and I love including Japanese characters, themes and settings in my works where I can. Who helps you in your writing process? I tend to go through most of my ideas with my sister. She’s been helping (and patiently listening!) for nearly fifteen years now! It always helps me to run through an outline of my novels with someone and she’s the person I feel most comfortable with hearing my outlines when they are in the draft stages. Shari prefers to contact her readers via Twitter and the link is here: https://twitter.com/ShariSakurai She also has provided links for her two latest books for you to check out at: Never Change: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KV1HH5R Perfect World: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LXPO5WA I hope you can take a moment to support her by joining her email list, and I extend my thanks to her for being interviewed! This months book challenge - To win yourself a $10 Amazon gift card, this month I would like you to send in a review of a book you have read recently that you enjoyed. Each month our winner will have their review published in my next months blog and get the gift card information emailed to them. So send me your review - any book, any genre, let's see what you love to read! I wish to thank you for taking the time to read and engage with me! Happy reading everyone! VK Tritschler

Sugar, Spice and all things Coffee related

Interview with authors Peter Martin and Didi Lawson

Sugar, spice and all things coffee related

As the weather starts to cool again, and autumn sets in, my morning cup of coffee becomes my both my go-to wake-up call and my warmth provider. I like to think that it makes my writing better, but it's probably more to do with my ability to be alert and see the glaring mistakes as I write them. But I was thinking about the trip from soil to hand that even the simplest bean had to endure to bring me this magical ability. From being planted, germinating, growing and seeding. To the day it gets plucked, packaged, dried, roasted, and packaged again and winds its way to my grocery store. And so many, many miles of travel and handling in-between. For each bean there is a story. An incident along the way that happened only to that particular batch or bean and was memorable. It would be fascinating to be able to interview one, and hear all about it. However since that's impossible, I will take another sip, and imagine what they might have said instead. This month's authors: Peter Martin Peter is a former Geologist from Derbyshire, England. His combined love of stamps and history lead him on the path of this first novel, and he was kind enough to share some of his insight with me. Given your background in geology and history, how much time do you spend on researching your characters or locations for books or do you prefer to use your imagination? Although a geologist by education, I actually worked for the last 25 years as a Corporate Health and Safety Manager for an international company. As for history, that has been an interest and hobby I have been able to indulge since I retired 4 years ago. As for research, I probably spent a good 60% of my time researching my last novel. It was based partly in Victorian-era Chesterfield, UK, my hometown and the Yorkshire Dales. The Dales are an area where I loved to hike and camp when I lived in the UK. I also use Google Earth to “visit and drive around” places with which I am not so familiar to help me describe what I see in my writing. The next book I am working involves travel to Roman Britain in the second half of the 3rd Century AD. I am lucky here as my editor, Ray Bonde, has a Masters in Forensic Archaeology and this period is her speciality, and will be picking her brains shamelessly. Still, I expect I will spend about 50% of my time doing research. For my characters I just use my imagination and give them characteristics I think may interest or amuse the readers. You write about time travel, what are your personal thoughts on the current scientific concepts? Some of Einstein's equations from the theory of general relativity may allow time travel into the past. (That theory basically discusses how huge objects distort space-time, which we feel as gravity.). A good article on the subject is https://www.space.com/40716-time-trav... but the bottom line is Time travel may be theoretically possible, but it is beyond our current technological capabilities. My books utilise the Novikov Self-Consistency Principle. It states, ‘if an event exists which would give rise to a paradox, or to any change to the past, then the probability of that event occurring is zero.’ So essentially the past cannot be changed, BUT, it does permit closed causal loops where an event has no external causes or effects since time isn’t really being altered, it’s just going round in circles. A premise I have made use of in my book. What is your own favourite genre and author to read, and why?
Science Fiction and some Fantasy novels. My favourite author is probably Eric Flint who wrote the 1632 series. I have read every one of the books. They are very well researched and some of that research is detailed at the end of the “Grantville Gazette” books. It was from reading these I realised the importance of solid documented research when writing of historical eras. I included a bibliography at the end of my book if any reader was interested in following up on that era. Another author is Anne McCaffrey who wrote the Pern Series. Why? Pure fantasy and escapism, but when I think about it, the ability of dragons to travel through time may have had something to do with it. There are 24 books in the series and I have only read 10, must remedy that soon. Peter's favorite way of engaging with his readers is his Facebook page or via email https://www.facebook.com/TP1000TheBis... I hope you can take a moment to support him by liking his page, and I extend my thanks to Peter for being interviewed! Didi Lawson As an historical romance author, Didi loves to dream of what might have been. With lavish locations and characters, Didi draws her readers back into the past and offers them rich slices of love, loss and times gone by. I had the pleasure of asking her about her own journey. What is your most vivid memory of writing, where were you, what were you writing about and how did it make you feel? I guess, as soon as I learned to write and mastered the art of putting words together, I came up with stories. I was in grade school in Germany. From an early age, my stories always involved a girl and a boy who liked each other. Every evening as I laid in bed before going to sleep,  I imagined scenarios of how they met, and what took place to make them like each other. Imagining my own world made me feel happy and in charge. Who is your favourite character, either your own or another authors, and why? Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice Anne of Green Gables Most of Georgette Heyer’s characters Any feisty but lovable heroine How do you get inspiration for your romantic liaisons? Watching movies Reading books Observing people Asking people about their romances When do you know that an idea is worthwhile writing? When I have an idea, I think about it, sometimes discuss it with friends, explore it some more, and when I think I have enough information or action arcs, I’ll go ahead and start writing. Didi's favorite way of engaging with her readers is via her website: https://www.didilawson.com/ I hope you can take a moment to support her by liking her page, and I extend my thanks to her for being interviewed! This months book challenge - To win yourself a $10 Amazon gift card, this month I would like you to send in a review of a book you have read recently that you enjoyed. Each month our winner will have their review published in my next months blog and get the gift card information emailed to them. So send me your review - any book, any genre, let's see what you love to read! I wish to thank you for taking the time to read and engage with me! Happy reading everyone! VK Tritschler

Becoming my own motivation

I joined the gym recently, and as part of the sign-up they offered me a free personal training so I could identify my goals and get some advice on how to plan for success. Upon reflection, it's something I thought I would include in my writing life, the setting of goals and the tick sheets of accomplishment. Because too often I am having small successes and these are making me a fitter, healthier author, but I do not see them; I only see the final weight on the scale. And as any trainer will tell you, the scale only tells you half the story. It tells you how many books you may have sold, read or handled, but it can not tell you the value you got from those transactions. It cannot tell you if you are working on the right areas, or where you might need to add some focus to get better results. So I am going to spend more time this year working on my goals, and talking with other professionals to trim down and tone up. Both in my writing and on my treadmill. This month's authors: Maricar Bangius Maricar is a spirited author with a love of fantasy and baking, not always in that order. With her love of writing and story telling she brought to live the tale of Jimmy and his friends in her first book, Otuna's Flute. I had the pleasure of asking her some questions about her writing. How do you get inspiration from the world around you and how does this influence your writing? People, nature, places - everything and anything, really. Just by observing them, I get ideas out of the blue and this feeling that I want to create something. What is your favourite character that you have created and what inspired you about them? I see myself in Jimmy White, the kid who loves to travel and go on adventures. I like Alvar too, he's brave and courageous, yet he also has flaws. Most of my characters are inspired by some people I know and their experiences. Who is your key supporter in your art, and how do they support you? My family, close friends and some people I've worked with. They pray for me, say positive things to me and appreciate my work and the effort I put into it. What process do you go through when you start a new project? I usually jot down all my plans and ideas. When I have everything I need that's when I'll start. If it's there, it's there. I don't force myself. It works for me that way. Maricar's s favorite way of engaging with his readers is by writing strong stories with unique plot twists. She loves to make her readers guess and crave more. You can find more contact information at: https://www.maricarbanguis.com I hope you can take a moment to support her by liking her page, and I extend my thanks to Maricar for being interviewed! D. Thrush D.Thrush is a New Yorker, with a love of writing and the exploration of family. friends love and life. She kindly gave me some insight into her writing by answering my questions below. When you start a new story, where do you like to get inspiration from? Inspiration can come from anywhere. A dream was part of the inspiration for my first book Guardian of the Light. Sesame Street inspired my book Fairy Tale Karma based on Cinderella. My mother told me to write The Daughter Claus, and a careless comment about a friend inspired Whims & Vices. Sometimes it's just a first line or crumb of an idea that comes to me. And, of course, my personal experiences flavor everything (in a variety of genres). Do you have any supporters or helpers in your writing process? My boyfriend, David is very supportive and I have a long-time friend, Lisa, who has always been a fan of my writing. (I named a character after her in The Daughter Claus.) But I mostly do everything myself and I’m always learning and sharing information with other writers. When you get stuck in an idea, how to you crack the writing block? Oh, writer’s block! I know it well. I get stuck a lot. You have to just power through it or take a break until your ideas catch up to your writing. Maybe you’re not writing the story that really grabs you and you need to work on one that does. It takes a great deal of persistence to write a book. Even if nobody buys it, it’s still a great accomplishment. But it is nice to know that readers are enjoying your book! What’s the last character you created, and what did you like or not like about them? I just started working on a new book so my newest character is still forming. I usually write female characters who aren’t confident but are stronger than they realize. Maybe I’m trying to tell myself something! But I don’t like when women don’t stand up for themselves and revolve around some guy. (Yes, I’ve been guilty.) So, I like to write protagonists who start out insecure or selfish or clueless and have to save themselves and eventually become stronger and wiser. D. Thrush gave up social media. (Gasp!). She prefers to connect with readers and other writers directly on Goodreads where it’s all about books. But her favorite way to connect with readers is through her email list. She really loves to have a “conversation” when they email. http://eepurl.com/cJlzmX I hope you can take a moment to support her by joining her email list, and I extend my thanks to her for being interviewed! This months book challenge - To win yourself a $10 Amazon gift card, this month I would like you to send in a review of a book you have read recently that you enjoyed. Each month our winner will have their review published in my next months blog and get the gift card information emailed to them. So send me your review - any book, any genre, let's see what you love to read! I wish to thank you for taking the time to read and engage with me! Happy reading everyone! VK Tritschler

Feeling Motivationally Challenged?

They say that it can take up to twenty one days to form a habit, and equally long to break one depending on the person. I have found that the opposite is true for me. Forming something is the easy part, keeping it formed it the hard bit. Like baking, sometimes you rise to the occasion only to find the longer to you stay in the oven, the lower the middle of your cake is. So I think, it's less about the forming of the habit, and more about the preparation that will determine the final outcome of your cake. Or book, as the case may be. So I have been busy preparing hard this year, learning new skills and reading lots of other authors. Because, sometimes, its also about finding a recipe that works for you. This month's authors: Kendall Bartels Kendall is a Romance author with a hankering for Austin and a fervor of good drama. What is your favourite part in the process of writing? I love the period between an idea being born, whether that’s a character or dialogue or just a mental image of a setting, and actually fleshing that out on the page. Of course, finishing the first draft comes with a great sense of catharsis, but that developmental period is such a romantic time. How do you get inspiration for your characters? A lot of my characters come from “what if” moments in my own my life, not that any of them are exactly autobiographical, but I’ve been in funny situations and thought “how would someone else react to this.” “How much drama could I soak up here?” And start there. If you could meet any author, who would you like to meet and why? Jane Austen!!! Primarily to apologize for making modern adaptions of her characters do such naughty things to each other! How has your experience in acting influenced your writing? Acting was all about reacting, inhabiting a character’s mind and figuring out their emotional truth, and writing is much the same! The best part of acting was learning about people and world-building—believing I was on a Victorian London street, believing these false situations—writing is using the same techniques but getting to make a lot more of the decisions! Josephine's favorite way of engaging with her readers is via bookstagram @bookish_always and Facebook @PrideandPassionBook. She also has a website kendallbartels.com where she updates her readers with blog posts! I hope you can take a moment to support her by liking her page, and I extend my thanks to her for being interviewed! Helen Allan Helen is a master of the imagination, and her books are alive with vivid characters and locations. I took a moment to catch up with her and find out some of her secrets. You are a prolific writer and author, what inspires you to write a story? I’m not sure what inspires me to write, I’ve always written, and I’ve been an avid reader from a very young age. I think mostly I have stories in my head that demand to be shared. As a child, I read voraciously and consumed anything I could get my hands on, which seemed mostly to be Mills and Boons and historical romances from my mum and grandmother. Later I discovered fantasy and science fiction – I still read widely and will generally give anything a try. My own writing seems to cross genre from fantasy to paranormal and science fiction – but the common thread is romance. I love a happy ending! Which character have you written about that you relate to the most and why? I think that like most authors there is a little bit of me in every one of the heroines I write. But if I had to narrow one down, I would say I am a bit sarcastic, and a bit of a swear-bear, so I probably relate to Freely the heroine of my Gypsy Blood trilogy. If you could give any advice to an aspiring writer, what would it be and why? My advice to any aspiring writer is to write what you love, don’t self-censor or follow the latest big thing. Also, connect with other authors and network. What was your proudest moment as an author? When I was a high school English teacher, I read the manuscript of my very first novel ‘Bilby’ to my year 8 class but did not reveal to them that I had written it. They were all 13, and many didn’t like reading, but when I asked after the first lesson if they wanted me to stop reading, none did. Every Friday I read to them for one hour. At the end of the year, I asked them to write a letter to the author telling ‘him or her’ the things they liked and didn’t like and ask any questions they had. The letters were wonderful, full of praise and beautiful pictures the children had drawn of the characters – I have kept them all. At the end of that year, I posted a personalised letter to their home addresses answering their questions and revealing my identity as the author. I moved to a different school the next year and never saw those kids again. Three years ago, I was attending a regional country show with my husband and daughter and a man came up to me and asked me if I was Mrs Allan. He was huge, hairy, scary and I reluctantly nodded. He said he wanted to tell me that he still remembered the book I had read him more than 15 years prior when he was a student of mine in first-year high school. He wanted me to know it was one of his favourite classes and favourite books and asked if I would mind if he gave me a hug. It was my proudest moment as an indie author. Helen's favorite way of engaging with her readers is via her newsletter; she writes two emails a month to tell readers what she's working on, offer giveaways and promotes other authors who have released books. Many of her readers email questions and comments, and she answers them all. People can sign up to her newsletter at www.helenallan.com. I hope you can take a moment to support her by liking her page, and I extend my thanks to her for being interviewed! This months book challenge - To win yourself a $10 Amazon gift card, this month I would like you to send in a review of a book you have read recently that you enjoyed. Each month our winner will have their review published in my next months blog and get the gift card information emailed to them. So send me your review - any book, any genre, let's see what you love to read! I wish to thank you for taking the time to read and engage with me! Happy reading everyone! VK Tritschler

The dichotomy of the seasons

While I write this it's hot outside. Hot enough to melt ice-creams in your hand, stick tar to your shoes and make animals pant and dribble. I call it the shorts and no-shoes season. But on my laptop I am reading an article about the cold-snap hitting American, and watching videos of snow in Europe. It is the time of year again when my imagination runs rife with the contrast of the worlds weather. One plane ride away a few hours either direction from me now, and I will need a snow jacket. So whatever end of the scale and either end of the world you sit, I hope this finds you safe and well, and maybe reading a good book. I am about to go and enjoy my next one with a cool drink on the deck. This month's author: Josephine Beintema Josephine is a Canadian author and blogger who has written several books and even offers a copy of a free short-story on her website. I had the pleasure of asking her some questions for you! When did you first start writing, and what sticks out about that period in your life? I started writing when I was a teenager. I had a really great mentor who assisted me in honing my craft at that time. Without her I would never would be the writer that I am today. Who is the strongest character you have even created and what did you like or dislike about them? I don't know about my strongest character, but I love to map of my main characters. I always know what they're going to do, however my secondary characters always surprise me! They are funny, and unexpected with their actions and conversation. I think sometimes they try and steal the scene. What has been the hardest part of being an author to date? For me the hardest part of being an author is showcasing it to others. Many women who become entrepreneurs have a hard time putting themselves out there. Having confidence in yourself and in your business, mine being writing, is something that can be hard for many women to do. So it's important that we own our talents, and that we Empower ourselves by claiming those talents. For me that means introducing myself as an author. What has been the high point of your writing so far? I love writing. I love being an author. Recently I was at a convention where there were eight hundred to a thousand women and I mentored. It was so exciting to know that there are so many women who are interested in furthering themselves in this craft. I absolutely adored meeting them and now that I've been writing for 20 years and now that I'm reading for Market I feel like I am qualified to give back to them. It was an amazing few days. Josephine's favorite way of engaging with her readers is via Facebook, where she shares her ideas and thoughts at https://www.facebook.com/josephinebei... I hope you can take a moment to support her by liking her page, and I extend my thanks to her for being interviewed! Next months author will be : Kendall Bartels, author of "Pride and Passion". This months book challenge - To win yourself a $10 Amazon gift card, this month I would like you to send in a review of a book you have read recently that you enjoyed. Each month our winner will have their review published in my next months blog and get the gift card information emailed to them. So send me your review - any book, any genre, let's see what you love to read! I wish to thank you for taking the time to read and engage with me! Happy reading everyone! VK Tritschler

January 2019 - A new year to share!

Unlike the rest of the world, I have not embraced writing a blog without considering the impact on the universe around me. Another voice and opinion screaming out into the darkness of the internet, clouding up public postings with my own vague and often shifting view on the world. However, in the light of the new year it also seems a good opportunity to share with you all some interesting information from some of the amazing authors that I have had the honor to meet, and maybe make some new friends along the way. After all, it should be said that writing is one of the few solitary pursuits done by those who hope to influence the world of others. This month's author: Diane Hester Diane is the award finalist author of "Run to Me" and has recently published her second novel "Hit and Run". Her writing is full of suspense, twists and turns and strong gritty characters. So it was time to find out what inspired her stories! Who is your favourite character you have ever created? I have a real soft spot for child characters and my favourite is 12-year-old Zachary Ballinger, one of the protagonists in my novel ‘Run To Me’. Zack is an orphan placed in an uncaring foster home and forced to look after his two younger foster brothers. When they witness a crime, all three are forced on the run where Zack must take charge and keep his younger brothers safe - a job he feels totally ill-equipped for! How was it to make the finals for Daphne du Maurier Award? It was a total surprise, and an absolutely thrill! Out of 25 finalists there was only one other debut author, and the category I was short-listed in included three U.S. best-selling authors - Allison Brennan, Hank Phillipi Ryan, and Gretchen Archer. Simply attending the award ceremony and meeting some of my biggest heroes inspired me for months! What are the highs and lows for being an author? Yes, the highs and lows of being an author can look like the U.S stock exchange sometimes! The biggest high I’ve had so far was when Random House accepted my novel, Run To Me. I’d been submitting my work for over ten years with no success and to finally be picked up by a major publisher was a thrill I will never forget! The second-biggest high came about a year after Run To Me was released, when a film producer contacted me wanting to make the book into a movie. Talk about exciting! We met several times and even got as far as discussing what actors we’d get to play the parts. But in the end the project was shelved, resulting in one of my all-time author lows. (Still, the project isn’t off the charts completely, so fingers crossed it might be revived!) Who would you define as your support system? I’ve been in a critiquing group with three other writers for the last twenty years and they have been a tremendous help to me. Each of us seems to have a different area of expertise such as grammar, adding drama and conflict, finding inconsistencies in the plot, etc. I also very much enjoy attending writing retreats where a group of friends spend a week at a remote seaside camp and do nothing but work on our respective stories. Mixing with people who have the same passion for writing that I do is very uplifting. If you could give advice to any upcoming writers, what would you say? Write for the love of it. If you love the process, you can weather all the ups and downs of being a professional author. Diane's favourite way of engaging with her readers is via Facebook, where she shares snippets of her love of nature and writing at https://www.facebook.com/Diane-Hester... I hope you can take a moment to support her by liking her page, and I extend my thanks to her for being my first author interviewed! Diane has graciously allowed readers of this blog to submit questions for the 48 hours from publishing, which she will respond to. So ask away! This months book challenge - To win yourself a $10 Amazon gift card, this month I would like you to send in a review of a book you have read recently that you enjoyed. Each month our winner will have their review published in my next months blog and get the gift card information emailed to them. I will select the review that best answers to the age old question of "What made you love that book?" And so, with that concluding my first blog/newsletter I wish to thank you for taking the time to read and engage with me! VK Tritschler