Stuart Aken's Blog, page 333

Stuart's Word Spot: Baal

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Stuart's Word Spot is divorced from other posts in this blog and produced in response to a request from a follower to provide just such a service.
Baal: noun – a Canaanite deity, usually, but not always, in the form of a calf. Associated with storms and rain, initially, he was later a vegetation god involved with fertility. Latterly, Baal has been associated with idolatry.'Whether you worship Baal or some other divine being, you are probably bowing down to a myth initially designed to explain the inexplicable.'

Aquill Relle - online magazine

The online magazine, Aquill Relle, has featured one of my blog posts. The link for the title of this post takes you there.  To visit the magazine itself, please follow this link. http://www.aquillrelle.com/magazine.htm#sec1 
This magazine will be of particular interest to poets. Have a look and see what you think.

Stuart's Word Spot: Abandon

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Stuart's Word Spot is divorced from other posts in this blog and produced in response to a request from a follower to provide just such a service.
Abandon: noun – freedom from conventional ties: verb – relinquish control, desert, give up.'The children of flower power, in wild abandon, often discarded their clothes along with conventional attitudes.' 'Sharon stifled a cry of despair when she was forced to abandon her half-eaten chocolate dessert as the train was about to leave.'

Author Interview with Sylvia L. Ramsey

Writing has always been a passion for Sylvia L Ramsey. She began writing news and feature articles for a small town newspaper in Southeast Missouri at the age of nine. Because of the nurturing and encouragement by the news editor, she developed a love of writing and a need to write.

By the time she was working on her graduate degree, several of her poems, short stories and feature articles had been published. Since then, over a hundred of her short stories and poems have found their way into literary magazines. She has been a featured poet in several literary journals over the years. Later, her writing extended into the realm of research in the field of Human Communication and her work has been published in journals such as The Arkansas Speech Association Journal, and The Speech Teachers Association of Missouri Journal.

Poetry has always been a very special and personal experience for Sylvia whether she is writing her own, or reading works of another poet. She feels that writing poetry over the years has provided her with insight and understanding of how to navigate the many peaks and valleys that are traveled along life's pathway. She was especially delighted after her book of poetry, Pulse Points of a Woman's World, was published, and was nominated for the Georgia 41st. Annual Author of the Year Award.

Growing up in a rural area of Missouri and being the child of a father born in 1898, she feels that her interpretation of life spans several generations. This influence can be recognized in both her poetry and her short stories. She has experienced life at many levels. One of her most prized possessions is a personal letter, written to her by Rosemary A. Thurber, giving her permission to adapt her father's short story "The Last Clock" to be used for Readers Theatre.

She is presently a Communications professor and the Academic Resource Center Coordinator at GMC Community College in Martinez, GA. She describes herself as a determined scrapper who will wrench all the very best from life that she is capable of conquering. Her philosophy of life is reflected in her poems, "Armor For Survival" and "A Tired Vagabond."
More about the author can be found on her website or on the authors den website.

She is a 16yr. survivor of bladder cancer, and looks at the experience as another learning peak in life. She is very much aware that even though this is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, it is very much underserved. She serves as the Vice-President of the American Bladder Cancer Society because she knows how important it is to provide support to those who have experienced this cancer, and how important it is to create more awareness around the world. That is why all of her royalties go to the American Bladder Cancer Society.  If you want to buy her books, please do so via their website,  www.bladdercancersupport.org or her own, as that way all money raised goes to the charity.
Where do your ideas for stories come from?
The ideas for stories all come from my life experiences and knowledge I have gained along the way.  The book, An Underground Jewell, spawned from a short story that was written about a Christmas Eve in the distant future when life on earth had changed drastically.  That story was written in 1989.  The idea to create a novel originated because I let imagination loose to wonder about the possibilities of this story. I first began by creating a character who would write the story, and the reason why she wrote it.  At that point, I began to develop other characters and a plot.  I finally began writing the book.  At one point, I had to stop writing because my husband became very ill, and I became his caregiver.  At the same time, I was diagnosed with T3 bladder cancer.  To add to the delay, my computer crashed and I had to start over.  I was lucky that I had part of it printed out.  After my husband died, I began writing again.  Finally, 20 years later, it was finished and published. 
I am currently working on two books; one is a collection of short stories that may be titled, Squirrel Tales and Other Stories.  The other book is a fantasy book that is a more adult story that was more or less spawned by the children's book.

What is your most recent published book?

Merchild Land is a newly released children's picture book by Sylvia L. Ramsey.  It is a perfect bedtime book for small ones that is illustrated with soft pastel illustrations of the ocean, seabed, beach, and merchildren.   They explore the sea, clean the seabed, gather shells to put on the beach for children to find, and when evening comes they sail on moonbeams in the sky to visit magical places while they dream.

How did the book originate?

Sylvia explains how the idea for this book originated, "In my earlier years of teaching, my eldest granddaughter rode to her school with me, and she always wanted me to tell her stories about mermaids.  Later, I wrote a poem about childhood and mermaids (which I have included in the back of the book), and that was the beginning of the book.  I wrote it for my granddaughter, who is now grown, but I wanted her to have something to share with her children.  The color scheme is related to my childhood, and a book that I had as a child that has been kept and cherished over the years.  My wish is that this book will be one that some other children will want to keep and cherish."

What experiences have you had since the book was published?

Recently, I visited the Cancer Center at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA,  and I discovered that several of my children's books had been placed in the children's section of the center.  What an honor!  Maybe, for just a few moments when the book is read to them, they will escape the nightmare in which they live.

Do you have any other published books?

She has two other books published.  One is a book of poetry, Pulse Points of a Woman's World, that evolved over the years.  Many of the poems in the book had previously been published in literary magazines.  The book is divided into four-sections which are:  Youth, Love, Reality, and Wisdom. The poems in the book are illustrated. 
One reader said, "I didn't know quite what to expect, but the title called to me, and I answered. Being an older woman, I was not sure I wanted to surrender myself to poetry that might expose emotions long hidden from myself and my world. I dared to enter into the author's world, and it was as if I had entered a time capsule of my own life. Cautiously, I proceeded only to find old tears still flowed, laughter rang out from hidden caverns of my memories, and once again, I shared the merriment of happy days spent long ago. Ms. Ramsey's poetry enticed me down avenues long deserted, and once again, they throbbed with life. Each line flowed like a life-giving river refreshing memories and giving them a burst of life for a fleeting moment. I want to thank the author of this poetic collection for taking me where I had not dared to go on my own. Nor would I have been able to stir these ashes without her gifted pen. Thank you for this nostalgia. For indeed emotions that die when we forget, come to life when we remember. Thank you for helping me remember beauty and sorrow that I had forgotten. I hope many woman will find and dare to read this treasure that you, Sylvia Ramsey, have put into our 'woman's world'."
The other book, An Underground Jewell, is espionage, mystery novel set in a possible
near- future.  The story revolves around the power of language and how it can change the way a society thinks and acts.  One reader's review said:  "An excellent read for all. Though a fiction it smacks with a lot of truth of what the future may bring. As one reads, it becomes rather apparent that this could all happen, and the last page says it all. I enjoyed reading and had a hard time putting it down. Hooray for the new writer on the block.
The story is set in the near future when man is living as much underground as above.  All things are controlled by a central computer system.  There is no such thing as "printed" material, it is all digital.  The main character in the story, Elizabeth Jewell a sage and well-known author, finds herself caught up in a plot of intrigue.  She decides to become her own sleuth to clear herself of all accusations, and in the process discovers there are multitudes of mysteries to solve.
One reader said, "I just read a newly release book, An Underground Jewell by Sylvia L. Ramsey. I found this book on Amazon. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down until I finished. It is an espionage novel set in the near future. The plot kept me intrigued, there were other mysteries along the way to be solved, and the main character was fascinating. I recommend this as a good read for anyone who likes mystery, espionage or even just a good novel. I usually read Clive Clustler(adventure, Michael Connely (Detective stories), and John Gardner(spy),WEB Griffith( War and Spy).This novel also reflects what William Lutz, a Professor of English at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, talks about in his book, New Doublespeak: Why No One Knows What Anyone's Saying Anymore. The novel takes this current trend to manipulate language, and projects it into a future that provides a scenario where a group of terrorists realize that they can use language as a weapon to take control of our nation."
Another reader said, "This is an excellent book. It would interest people from 13-100 years of age. Although it is fiction, so much of it could actually happen. Considering all the problems within our governing bodies, it could be happening right now! I would recommend this book to anybody."

Merchild Land and other books authored by her are also available at:
http://www.amazon.com/Sylvia-L-Ramsey/e/B002BMJ5NI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sylvia-L-Ramsey/e/B002BMJ5NI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=BOOK&WRD=sylvia+ramsey&box=sylvia%20ramsey&pos=-1&ugrp=1

Thank you very much Stuart. One thing I didn't add is that I am also a public speaker, and have a list of topics that I can present.  Of course, one of my favorites is on bladder cancer.  I have a great presentation with a slide show on How to Derail Your Presentation with Power Point.  I presented it at the National College Learning Center Association conference this past October, and everyone loved it. 
Before my first book was published, I set up my website, www.sylvialramsey.com , and a message board so people who needed to find information or support on bladder cancer could at least find me.  There was so little at that time.  Through the message board, I met Cynthia Kinsella and Karen Green. My dream had always been to establish a bladder cancer foundation, to create awareness of bladder cancer, provide information to newly diagnosed and caregivers, and a place where survivors could meet and give support to each other.  I did not have the money to create a 501k non profit, because of my husband's illness, and my cancer.  However, these two ladies shared the same vision.  Cynthia did have money to launch the foundation.  I contributed as I could, I have always given my royalties to support bladder cancer.  At the college where I teach, the students organized an advocacy group, and have had bake sales plus other things to help create and continue to support the American Bladder Cancer Society.  We have several members who live in Europe.  I am the Vice-President of this organization.  You can find us at www.bladdercancersupport.org.  I must say it is a dream come true, and I want to keep the dream alive for all.

The Time Traveller's Wife, Reviewed.

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Occasionally, though by no means often, I finish a book and think, 'I wish I'd written that!'  Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveller's Wife is one such book. As a major movie has been adapted from the novel, it came with the baggage of exaggerated claims from the movie industry publicity machines. But I have not seen the film and was, in fact, initially introduced to the novel via that excellent readers' website, Goodreads. I was interested from the opening paragraph, intrigued by the end of the first chapter, mildly concerned it might be too long somewhere around the middle, revived very shortly afterwards, and then compelled to read to the end. The story is different, clever, fascinating, well-told and satisfying. I will give no clues (most are in the title) to those who have neither read the book nor seen the film) but simply suggest you read this book.The characters are wonderfully drawn; real people who live extraordinary lives against a landscape which is superbly described. The relationships are crafted with empathy and understanding so that I read on an emotional roller-coaster (if you'll forgive the slip into cliché). Rarely do I come across a book in which all the elements are good. In this one, I discovered them to be as near to perfect as you can hope for.And, rather sneakily (though in line with the need for authors and publishers to promote their wares in this world of too many books) the publishers have included a taster of this writer's next book, Her Perfect Symmetry, and this has now been added to my 'to read' list. But, unfortunately, it will have to wait until I have re-acquainted myself with the set texts my daughter is studying for her upcoming A level exams, as that is time sensitive.As for The Time Traveller's Wife, I hope I've made it clear I not only enjoyed this book but admire the writer's craft and artistry. If anyone reading this has both read the book and seen the film, I'd appreciate your comments so I can decide whether the film is worth viewing. I recommend the book without qualification.

Website Updated

For some time, I've been unable to get into my website to bring it up to date. The host changed server and I lost my password to make changes. Then a really minor technical glitch prevented further work from me. However, that's all sorted now.
Please have a look http://www.stuartaken.co.uk/index.php and see if any of the new stuff is of interest/use to you as either reader or writer. As always, I'd appreciate any comments, suggestions, criticisms so I can improve my site for my readers.
There are new links to a number of sites, some new story availability, and some different books. Enjoy.

What's Your Favourite Genre, And Why?

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The thorny subject of genre is contentious for writers, but readers generally have a more positive attitude, since it helps them decide which books they might like to read.I asked the question, What does genre mean? in a previous blog, so I won't go back into that one (though you may revisit and comment on that as you wish). Here, I'm more interested to know which particular genre gets your vote and why this is the case. Of course, many of you will like variety, and I'd love to hear from you on this. Is there a particular genre that definitely gets your 'no' vote? It's an odd fact that a lot of writers don't read the sort of books they actually write, though many do, of course. I tend not to read crime fiction, largely because I often find it depressing. But, having said that, I've read some very good crime novels, so I don't completely ignore it. My own favourites include, literary, science fiction, fantasy, romance (not the Mills & Boon type), and good quality thrillers. But, in fact, I read a great deal of fiction and non-fiction in many different genres, ( a quick glance at my listed books on the Goodreads site will illustrate my wide tastes) so I suppose I'm not a typical reader. Or am I? You tell me.Just as a quick aside, here: if you're a reader, you might like Goodreads as a site which gives reviews on all sorts of books from a huge variety of readers.

Win an iPad: the Launch of the Laina Turner iPhone app and blog tour !

The Laina Turner iPhone app lets fans, read about the author, find where she's appearing, read the blog, see video clips, and more.
The iPhone app gives Laina a platform for promoting and selling books, publicizing appearances, streaming podcasts or other content, and creating a brand.
As a Laina Turner iPhone app user you can get 25% off on any of her books for the month of January. In addition, once you purchase a book or books you'll be entered into a draw for an iPad. Bottom of FormNot ready for a book purchase? You can also be entered to win by participating in the blog tour. See lainaturner.com for more details
Who am I?  It kind of depends on the day. I am a human compendium of unrelated things. I used to think I was just weird, had shiny ball syndrome and couldn't focus, scattered, you name it. Then I decided it was OK to be all over the place as long as each avenue I wanted to explore had meaning and purpose or was fun. So I embrace the fact I am a college professor (Go Capella), a writer of fiction and non-fiction,
promoter of other authors, human resource professional, business consultant, and all around interesting person (according to my closest friends). 
Stilettos and Scoundrels released March 2010 Presley Thurman, a sassy, thirty-something red-head, was looking to reinvent herself. She didn't allow the fact she was recently fired to bother her - she was ready to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. Not looking back on corporate America, Presley decided to follow her dream. When her friend Trevor offered her a job with his online magazine to interview public figures, she jumped at the chance.However, the new job turned into something unexpected when the U.S. Senator she was slated to write about was murdered - in her home town! Presley was able to discover the Senator's wife, Helen, had been having an affair… with her best friend's boyfriend! Did Helen kill the Senator? Or was it the Senator's  love of gambling that got him killed? And what was Cooper's secret tie to the mob boss Garrison Palazzo?
Presley was betting her favorite pair of Manolo's she will find the killer… but would time run out?

But It's my Business, released June 2010 A necessary business owners' field guide to avoiding the common pitfalls of owning and running a business, this book is filled with real stories relevant to any business owner. But It's My Business takes a practical, upbeat and candid look at why, as a business owner, you need to follow some rules but others are made to be broken. It also discusses how to get the biggest bang for your buck in areas such as your employees, your online presence, creating a brand, and leveraging your finances.





Chiczofrenia – Being Fabulous is a Skill, released late fall 2010 Many of us women drive ourselves crazy, intentionally, by trying to be all we can be. I firmly believe we can have it all. A great relationship, be a great mom, keep a good house, be a career woman, follow our dreams, work out and eat right. But somewhere while trying to accomplish all this we tend to go a little nuts. Some more than others and some longer than others. I used to think I was normal. Being a woman is difficult and is a constant journey and evolution of self discovery. It is not always an easy journey and through the process you realize everyone has their own issues. This book looks at a journey of self discovery on what happens when the women you are and the women you want to be doesn't always match.
Chiczofrenic Social site for women As a strong woman who embraces your own kind of crazy, we're inviting you to join Chiczofrenic movement at www.chiczofrenic.com. There will be "specialty chics" working in a channel: Writing blogs / updates on their channel, encouraging other women to embrace the craziness of their lives. Offering advice and tips and insight to how you deal with your craziness in order to help others and make others feel part of a sisterhood. 

This Blog Reviews Indie Authors.

No, not this one! (I'm deliberately picky about my reviews, as I have limited reading time) But Podpeep does offer this service, and for free.
They lay down strict rules for any review and you ignore these at your peril. Visit them at http://podpeep.blogspot.com/ and seek out the post from 6 January 2010 - Thoughts on Reveiwing to Start the New Year. Read this first and then decide whether it's for you before you inundate them with unsuitable material. These are busy people and we do them no service by ignoring their requirements.
If you're a reader, this is an excellent resource for finding independently published books and I recommend it.

Author Interview With Wayne Gerard Trotman

Wayne Gerard Trotman is a British writer, filmmaker, artist, photographer, composer and producer of electronic music. Born in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Trotman immigrated to England in 1984, where he lives with his wife and two young sons.A martial arts enthusiast, he wrote and directed 'Ashes to Ashes', Britain's first martial arts feature-film. He has a cosmopolitan and multi-cultural approach to all his artistic work, which has received recognition internationally. His epic science-fiction novel, 'Veterans of the Psychic Wars', is the first of a proposed 'Psychic Wars' series.
Tell us about 'Veterans of the Psychic Wars'.
'Veterans of the Psychic Wars' is an epic science fiction story that takes the reader from London, England, to a distant galaxy known as the Cosmic Sea. There, Baron Seti Aljyk has instigated a Second Psychic War by seizing Najura, the last of the ancient swords of power, and usurping the imperial throne from Sakara Rey, the True Emperor.Protagonist Roman Doyle emigrated from Trinidad to England. He is a happily married, twenty-five-year-old schoolteacher, anticipating becoming a father. What Roman does not know, is that he is really Armon Sakara, heir apparent of the True Emperor. That is, until he encounters Chi-Ro Jin, a Veteran of the Psychic Wars.Chi-Ro's mission is to return Roman to the True Emperor, but Roman believes that Chi-Ro is crazy. When Roman's wife, Soraya, is abducted by the Baron's assassins, Roman is forced to make the epic journey to the Cosmic Sea. However he does not go alone. He is joined by his shamira Chi-Ro, Nuri Nemsys a beautiful secret agent, Anah Sadaka the mysterious captain of the Starglider Sanura and Roman's friend, Zachary Silverman, a quantum physicist.With his dormant psychic and astral abilities awakened by an alien drug and pursued by the Baron's assassins, Roman, his friend, and the Veterans of the Psychic Wars face evil and danger in uncharted space and on alien worlds. Roman must overcome his fears, master the martial art of Hatari Ikou, and learn the secrets of astral projection, in order to rescue his wife, retrieve the sword of power, and bring the Psychic Wars to an end.
How did you come to write this particular book?
The inspiration for this book came from a conversation I had with my mother when I was quite young. I was nine or ten years old when I complained that I felt that I didn't belong.            I said, "I think I'm an alien."            My mother replied, "Yes, you're an alien."We both laughed and the conversation moved to other things, but I always thought about what she said. I didn't actually believe I was alien (at least I would never admit to that publicly) but I started thinking: what if a young man grew up believing he was a normal human being, only to find out one day that he was actually an alien from another galaxy? Wouldn't that explain his feelings of alienation? Wouldn't that make an interesting story?
If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?
I love all the characters. It was a joy watching them all develop over the years (yes years). But my favourite character is Chi-Ro Jin, the Veteran of the Psychic Wars. Chi-Ro is the mentor who delivers Roman's call to adventure. The trait I admire most in him is his unshakeable loyalty. His no-nonsense logic is also a source of amusement.   Where and when is your novel set and why did you make these specific choices?
Veterans of the Psychic Wars begins in present-day England – the ordinary world. After a call to adventure, the main characters travel to a distant galaxy – a special world of advanced technology, psychics and hidden dangers. My aim was to use contemporary UFO sightings and conspiracy theories as a means of preparing the reader for the fantastic occurrences later on in the story. Many people find it difficult to relate to science fiction because it is set in an imagined future. I think people could relate to the struggle some of the characters have accepting shape-shifters, psychics, clones and androids.
How can people buy your book?
'Veterans of the Psychic Wars' is currently available on Amazon's Kindle both in the US and the UK. Other eBook formats are available from Smashwords. The paperback edition is due for a January 2011 release and will be available from most outlets.
What qualities make a successful writer?
I believe that passion, determination, dedication, attention to detail, intelligence, flair and talent are all required for success.
Beginning writers make many mistakes; what do you think is the most harmful?
A lack of research; it is one of the easiest ways to identify a novice. Poor research can rob written work of any credibility.
To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?
Perfection is elusive; nevertheless I believe that a writer who deliberately ignores spelling and grammar is being disrespectful to readers. I generally cringe when I find grammar and spelling mistakes. I have a nagging insecurity about writing poor grammar and therefore I am constantly trying to improve.
How much revision of your MS do you do before you send it off?
In the case of 'Veterans of the Psychic Wars' - as much as humanly possible. It's an on-going process up until the manuscript is finally sent off. I am never completely satisfied. There is always an opportunity for improvement. I feel it is worthwhile to put a book down, without reading it, for at least a couple months before doing a final revision. It's amazing what you might discover if you do.
To what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?
To a certain extent it is quite useful. We live in a world of impatience. Unless we are happy to write as a hobby, a novel is a product, which we hope to sell to customers. Customers usually have a very clear idea of what they want. Genres are meant to match a book, or any other artistic expression, with the expectations of customers. It's not perfect, but it's better than trying to define artistic work without any reference to genre.
How do you know where to begin any given story?
My stories tend to start just before the mundane becomes the extraordinary. In the case of 'Veterans of the Psychic Wars', Roman is on his way to withdraw cash from a cashpoint/ATM machine when something unexpected occurs.

What sort of displacement activities keep you from actually writing?
Sleep. I can only go two days without any sleep. I have two young boys, so I tend to do most of my writing between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM, when it's quiet. Family commitments, networking, marketing, other creative activities and life in general all bite into writing time. Nobody ever said it would be easy.
Is presentation of the MS as important as most agents and publishers suggest?
Yes. Agents and publishers tend to look for ways of separating professional writers from novices. Presentation is one of these ways.
How long does it normally take you to write a piece?
It varies depending on how much research is required. I did a lot of research for 'Veterans of the Psychic Wars' and, as a result, it took me over three years to write.
Who or what inspires you?
Everyone and everything can inspire me. Photographers and painters tend to be very observant. I generally notice everything. I get a lot of great ideas for dialogue just listening to shoppers in the supermarket.
Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?
Some people seem more predisposed to storytelling than others; but even these gifted people tend to hone their skills through practice, dedication and education.
What single piece of advice would you give to writers still hoping to be published?
Do not give up.
What are you writing now?
Another science fiction novel; this time it is set in Trinidad and Tobago and aimed at a young adult audience.
Do you have a website or a blog that readers can visit?
Several:
My Official Website.
My Facebook page.
My Smashwords page.
Follow me on Twitter.
Where do you write?
In my study/studio.
Thank you Stuart, for granting me the opportunity to share my thoughts.