Dorothy Thompson's Blog, page 42

Literarily Speaking Presents This is Your Life with Lisa April Robbins!

This is Your Life! is Literarily Speaking's newest feature. Here we spotlight different authors to find out who they really are. Where were they born? What's their family life like? What did they play with as a child? All these things mold them into the talented authors they are today. Today's guest is Lisa April Smith, author of the mystery suspense novel, Exceeding Expectations . Enjoy!

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Thank you so much for this interview, Lisa. Can we begin by telling us a...

Interview with Jill Muehrcke + 'Waking Up Happy' Giveaway!

Oh don't we would all love to wake up happy?  That's the title of the book that my guest today has written AND is giving away!  It brings me great pleasure to welcome Jill Muehrcke and if you'd like to win a copy of her book, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  Good luck!

Juliana (Jill) Muehrcke is the award-winning author of many books and articles. Founder and editor of the international magazine Nonprofit World (snpo.org), she has studied at the University of Colorado...

When did all this book marketing insanity start? After or before we realize it's do or die?

I read an interesting blog post today at Author U which is a really nifty little site that I'd never seen before.  Judith Briles wrote an interesting piece titled "Stop the Book Insanity…Or Why I Don't Want to Market My book."  She echoes the frustrations of many authors and that's why virtual book tour companies and online book promotion sites such as Pump Up Your Book came into the scene.  Not plugging, just sayin'.

Judith makes good points in this article for sure.  The...

AuthorVid: Medical Thriller Author Rudy Mazzocchi Talks to Literarily Speaking

We have a treat for you today. Today is our eighth edition of AuthorVids! So what is an Author Vid? An AuthorVid is where we send questions to an author or and they answer them in a video or they choose to chat about their book instead. Today's guest author is Rudy Mazzocchi, author of the medical thriller, Equity of Evil. Please check out his website and book information following the video. And don't forget to follow Rudy on his virtual book tour here!

And now I'm happy to...

Interview with 'Plant Teacher' Caroline Alethia + GIVEAWAY!

We have another wonderful guest with us today!  Caroline Alethia is here and she's giving away a copy of her fabulous book, Plant Teacher!  Fill out the Rafflecopter thingee below to win!

Caroline is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in newspapers, magazines, on radio and in web outlets. Her words have reached audiences on six continents. She lived in Bolivia and was a witness to many of the events described in Plant Teacher.

You can visit her website at a

The Story Behind Cemetery Club by JG Faherty

The inspiration for Cemetery Club came from that most unlikeliest of places: my own backyard. Well, not quite the backyard, but pretty close. A couple of miles from my house is an abandoned sanitarium, a place where from the 1930s until the 1990s families would drop off mentally handicapped children and adults, the ones who were so seriously debilitated that home health care wasn't an option, either for monetary or medical reasons. As a child, you'd walk or drive by and see...

The Story Behind 'Dark is the Sky' by Jessica Chambers

The Story Behind the Book is Literarily Speaking's newest feature. Here we find out either the inspiration behind authors' books or how they got published. Today's guest is Jessica Chambers, author of the literary novel, Dark Is The Sky.

Many of my stories start with an idea, a question that cries out to be answered. What would happen if…? How would this affect…? Who would stand to lose most from…? Dark is the Sky, however, began with a single character, that of the wild...

Humor Fiction Author Kenny Scudero: 'It's All About Luck in this Dog Eat Dog Publishing World'

As anyone will tell you, I'm a big fan of self-publishing and self-published authors who take the bull by the horns and prove they have the chutzpa to publish a book themselves.  That's why it brings me great pleasure to bring you awonderful guest post on the subject of self-publishing from Kenny Scudero, author of the humor fiction novel, Comfortably Awkward.

It's All About Luck in this Dog Eat Dog Publishing World

By Kenny Scudero

So you wrote a 75,000 word manuscript and...

Interview with 'The Milestone Tapes' Ashley Mackler-Paternostro + Kindle Gift Basked Giveaway!

Have I got a treat for you.   Ashley Mackler-Paternostro is touring with us April and May and not only are we introduced to a fantastic new literary fiction novel and a talented an oh-so-gifted author, but she is giving away a beautiful gift basket including a Kindle!  Woot!  The information is below on how to sign up for this and the drawing will end on one minute after midnight on May 26.  Get your votes in soon!

Ashley Mackler-Paternostro was born in Naperville, Illinois...

AuthorVid: Humorous Fiction Author Kenny Scudero Talks to Literarily Speaking

We have a treat for you today. Today is our seventh edition of AuthorVids! So what is an Author Vid? An AuthorVid is where we send questions to an author or and they answer them in a video or they choose to chat about their book instead. Today's guest author is Kenny Scudero, author of the wonderful humorous fiction novel, Comfortably Awkward. Please check out his website and book information following the video. And don't forget to follow Kenny on his virtual book tour April ...