Eden Baylee's Blog, page 85
February 23, 2014
Music Monday says You’re So Vain
Over the next weeks, I’m featuring music to provide clues for my upcoming mystery novel.
These songs can hint at: Character, setting, mood, plot, and more.
“You’re So Vain” is a mysterious song. Who is Carly Simon singing about? The speculation has ranged from Warren Beatty to Mick Jagger to David Geffen and others. Rumour has it the subject was whispered backwards at the beginning of the song.
I love these little puzzles that keep people guessing. Don’t you? 
To recap, the clues so far were:
If you want to read other genres I write in: erotica/romance, flash fiction, and short stories with a twist, check out the selection.
Have a lovely week,
eden
Filed under: Musical Mondays
February 20, 2014
Read an Exchange with author @MWeidenbenner1
I love discovering new authors. When I put a call out for mystery/thriller writers to interview, Michelle answered the request, so here she is. In reading her responses, I discovered we had one odd thing in common. She loves oatmeal! I can’t think of many people who would say that. Let’s find out more about Michelle and her writing.
Michelle, welcome! Tell my readers how your best friend would describe you in 20 words or less.
Good question. I should ask. Hmm, I wonder if she would tell me the truth. I just texted her and here’s what she responded: attentive, caring, supportive, and positive. (Wow, thanks Cindy.) I’ll add these: sensitive to others, an empath, energetic, driven, and a multi-tasker (aka “flitterer.” Is that a word?).
Ha! I think you exceeded 20 words, but who’s counting? Are you a full time writer or do you have a day job?
I’m blessed to be able to write full time, but to me it’s not a job. It’s so fun! But sometimes it’s more difficult to stay focused on writing since I think I have so much time—or I think I do. If I don’t have a word count every day then I flounder.
I understand what you mean. Do you have any great extravagances?
Tennis two-three times a week, or whenever I feel like playing. It can get expensive.
No doubt, if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I wish I required less sleep, like four hours a night. There are so many stories to write that I never feel like I have enough time to tell them all. I need eight hours, and I typically get them. Lucky me!
Lucky indeed! Sleep is something I never get enough of. Is there a profession other than your own you would you like to try?
News reporter, but I would stutter. Or hem and haw. Or chew my lip on live TV. I didn’t say I’d be good at it, but it would be fun to try and meet lots of interesting and inspiring people!
Agree. What is one thing you want to do before you die?
Leave a letter or write a small book for each one of my kids and grandkids that will inspire them to believe in themselves, to help them reach their full potential. Oh, and secretly, I’d love to write a novel that would appear on the big screen some day. Hey, I believe in dreaming big.
And you should. Do you have any favorite curse words you’d like to share?
I probably say the S word more than any other. On the tennis court it’s, “Sit.” (I say that when my ball is flying out. It doesn’t help though.)
Ha! How about a personal motto you live by?
A person can do anything they set their minds to do. Perseverance, dedication, and being a consummate learner helps.
Great words to live by, so what do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
My books. It takes so much time to write and rewrite a novel that I’m shocked I actually finished so many. I get bored easily, so it amazes me that I stuck with each novel long enough to see them through. I never thought about being a novelist as a child. My parents used to tell me I wrote well, but I guess I never thought about actually writing for a living until about ten years ago. We’d adopted an orphan from Russia who was developmentally delayed, and I didn’t want to leave her at daycare, so I started taking classes on writing and pitching magazines. That gave me the opportunity to stay at home with my daughter and work on my writing too.
Sounds amazing, and a terrific balance of work and home life. On a less serious note, what makes you laugh, and I mean, REALLY laugh?
Myself, my girlfriends. Ellen, of course!
Fabulous. Let’s talk about your book, what is its genre? It’s a geocaching mystery and crime thriller.
Very interesting, and I had not heard of ‘geocaching’ before. Here’s a summary of the book along with its terrific book trailer.
Officer Brett Reed will do anything to gain custody of his five-year-old daughter, Quinn. But when a judge grants Brett’s drug-addicted ex-wife custody and slaps him with a protective order for losing his temper, he fears for Quinn’s safety. Who will protect her now?
When Quinn is found abandoned on the streets, the child is placed in a temporary foster home until Child Protective Services can complete an assessment. It should only take a few days.
But a lot can happen in a few days.
Especially when there’s a deranged psychopath on the loose, someone who’s attacking pedophiles, someone who wants to protect children like Quinn, and someone who’s planting body parts in geocaching sites.
Cache a Predator is a novel about a father’s love, justice, and the unhinged game of hide-the-cache.
Michelle, why would people want to read Cache a Predator?
To learn about geocaching, how child abuse affects victims, their families, and the community, and to be entertained. To see a vigilante’s approach to dealing with pedophiles. It’s a quick read.
And a difficult topic. What surprised you most about writing your book?
That I actually finished it and people loved it. Ha! As writers we’re so close to the story that it’s difficult to “see” the story the way some readers see it. When my family read it and loved it I smiled, but wasn’t too surprised because they’re supportive of everything I do. But when complete strangers read it and loved it I was surprised and thrilled!
That’s fantastic. What do you feel is the best way for someone to support your book, aside from buying it?
Tell a friend about it.
It’s amazing what word of mouth can do. Has the reception been good for your book?
Very positive. Lots of 5-star reviews and tons of readers learning about geocaching and what it is.
I love it. To conclude the interview, let’s do a fun lightning round.
Aside from people/pets, what is the ONE item you would save if your house was on fire? My computer!
Favorite place you’ve traveled to or would like to travel to? Rome
Name a food you can eat everyday. Oatmeal
Salty or sweet? Both
Cat or dog? Love them both.
The best gift you’ve ever received? My children, gifts from God.
Favorite season. Summer.
Name something you cannot go a day without. Writing.
What is your best advice for new writers? Don’t be in too big of a hurry to get published. Write and read every day, and when you feel like your novels are ready, ask a professional developmental editor his/her opinion. Save money to put into your business so you can present the best possible image of you as an author.
Thank you for connecting with me, Michelle. It’s been a pleasure learning more about you. Readers, please find out more about Michelle below.
Michelle is a fulltime employee of God’s kingdom, writing and encouraging writers every day. She’s often a sucker for emotional stories, her sensitive side fueling the passion for her character’s plights, often giving her the ability to show readers the “other” side of the story.
She grew up in the burbs of Detroit with five brothers. No sisters. Each time her mom brought the boy bundle home Michelle cried, certain her mom liked boys better than girls. But when her brothers pitched in with the cooking, cleaning, and babysitting—without drama, Michelle discovered having brothers wasn’t so bad. They even taught her how to take direct criticism without flinching, which might come in handy with book reviews.
Michelle is living her dream—writing every day and thanking God for the stories He puts in her path. When Michelle isn’t writing she’s winning ugly on the tennis court. She’s known as “Queen of the Rim Shots.” No joke. It’s ugly.
Her debut novel, Cache a Predator is a geocaching mystery and an Amazon bestseller in the thriller/crime category.
Scattered Links (initially titled Love is Just a Word) was the winner of the 2013 Aspiring Writers Competition, sponsored by Write on Con and The Reading Room.
Michelle blogs at Random Writing Rants where she teaches and encourages writers how to get published.
Links for Michelle
Amazon | Facebook | Goodreads | @Twitter @MWeidenbenner1
Blog | Google + | Pinterest | LinkedIn
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Filed under: Author & Artist Interviews
February 17, 2014
Wild World ~ A story for @RBwood’s Word Count Podcast
You can also hear me read this story on: Episode #37 of R.B. Wood’s “The Word Count” podcast.
The prompt for this podcast is “I was out for an early morning stroll when…” There was also a photograph by fellow writer, Matthew Munson that spurred the prompt. You can see it here.
* * * *
I walk briskly pulling my suitcase behind me when a clicking noise halts my steps. A shiver runs through me, the kind that lingers until you discover the source of the sound. I turn around and see no one. The empty street is dark and foggy. I lower the volume on my Sony Walkman, maybe it’s the faulty cassette inside. I breathe a bit easier.
Cat Stevens singing “Wild World” was my theme song while I traveled Asia and discovered the world he sung about. The lyrics rang in my ears …
“ … Oh baby, baby, it’s a wild world
I’ll always remember you like a child, girl …”
I was a child really, nineteen, uncultured, naïve.
I bought the tape at an outdoor market in Bali. The quality wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible, considering it was a knock-off. Besides, what could I expect for less than 1500 Rupiah—the equivalent of ten cents Canadian.
Now, here I was—six months later, leaving Rotterdam to fly back home. It’s February and it’s cold, and my skin still thirsts for the humidity of the tropics.
* * * *
I met Elise in Bali at an open market, which sold everything from scarves to kites to kitchenware. I was looking for music, and she was browsing for souvenirs on her last day before returning home.
We hit it off immediately. She was older then me, at least twenty years older, but that didn’t matter. I liked her candor, her experience, her accent. She was talented with languages, speaking five of them fluently, even though she said English was not her best. Before she left to catch her plane, she made me promise to visit her in Rotterdam if I stopped in Europe before returning home. I did promise her, though I had no intention of going to Europe.
How things changed.
I met a Dutch businessman shortly thereafter in Thailand, fell hard for him. He was married, but that didn’t stop me. The brief affair lasted less than two days, but I promised to meet him on the way home. Of course, I could not stay with him, so I thought of Elise, discovered Rotterdam wasn’t that far by train from Amsterdam. I could use her home as my base for seeing the sights and planning meetings with my Dutchman. It seemed a good idea, selfish as it was, but I didn’t have money for a hotel. I convinced myself Elise was happy to offer her home to me, and she was.
I didn’t know why at the time, now I do.
Today, I leave Elise because I cannot reciprocate her feelings. She made her intentions known by joining me in the shower the third night I stayed with her. It shocked me, not in the way it would if a man did it. It wasn’t fear or repulsion, but indifference. As much as I wanted to experience the wild world, it did not extend to my sexuality.
“But how do you know if you don’t try?” she asked me.
“I like you Elise, but I’m not attracted to you,” I said, in as reassuring a tone as I could, with both of us lying naked next to one another.
“You are so young, you know so little,” she said.
“I like men,” I said.
She stroked my face. “Then you must leave,” she said. “I cannot have you here anymore.”
I pleaded with my eyes. “May I at least stay until morning?”
“Yes, but I want you gone by the time I wake up.”
She left me without saying another word. A part of me almost wanted to change my mind … but no. I got up and checked the schedule for the earliest train heading into Amsterdam.
* * * *
I rewind the tape and start listening to “Wild World” again. I think about how nice it will be to see my family after traveling for almost two years. Mom will be surprised to see me, especially since she wasn’t expecting me for another two weeks.
I hear the rumble of my suitcase wheels as they roll over the cobblestones. I adjust my headphones and turn the volume up.
The hazy darkness of dawn makes it difficult to see the street names. I see none of the familiar markers from the last couple of days of walking in this neighborhood. Where was the coffee shop? I must have made a wrong turn. I stop to fumble in my backpack for a map. Maybe I can make my way to a well-lit area and get my bearings.
There’s that clicking sound again, only now it’s getting louder, more like clackety clack, clackety clack, clackety clack. I look down at my feet and realize I’m standing on tracks.
What?
Where am I?
The horn blows. I turn around and the bright light of the train blinds me.
“… Oh, baby, baby, it’s a wild world
It’s hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh, baby, baby, it’s a wild world
I’ll always remember you like a child, girl.”
Thank you for reading. ♥
Feel free to leave a comment or question. Feedback, whether good or bad is always welcome.
You can find more stories here, as well as in my book of flash fiction and poetry, Hot Flash.
~eden
Filed under: Short Stories & Poetry
February 16, 2014
Learn About my Writing Process
Happy Monday! My regular Music Monday post has been replaced by this blog meme and will return next week. “My Writing Process” is a blog tour which takes place every Monday. Here, you will discover an individual author’s writing process based on four simple questions.
I was invited by author Raymond Bolton, who posted his writing process last Monday. I’ve featured Raymond on my blog previously when he released his novel, Awakening.
Below are the questions and my answers:
What am I working on?
My very first novel. Wheee! I’ve written and published anthologies, novellas, short stories, and flash fiction up until now, so this full-length novel has been a real challenge. It’s also a different genre from what I primarily wrote before. I’m moving from erotica to mystery.
Double whammy, but hey, I love a challenge, or maybe I’m just mad.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I’ll be honest. I hate this question. As a writer who’s penned erotica, romance, thrillers, I’m all about the storytelling and I could give a rat’s ass about genre. Genre is an old dividing line for readers, with some stories categorized as plot-driven and others as character-driven. Mysteries are normally classified as plot-driven, along with thrillers, fantasy, science fiction, and romance. There’s a lot of judgment in this type of categorization, with the assumption that character-driven stories are more “literary,” and plot-driven “genre” stories are entertaining but not well written.
To this, I say, Bullocks! And I’m not even British.
It’s ridiculous to pit one against the other, and that’s why the argument of genre becomes tiresome for me.
I don’t write to fit my work into a genre. I’ve classified my upcoming book as a psychological mystery because there are complex characters and interplay between them. There is also a plot that moves them forward. There is no detective, but there is suspense. The end product has both conflict and growth. Whether you love the “Whodunnit” mystery or prefer the psychological interaction between characters, I think you’ll enjoy my book.
Why do I write what I do?
I’m not crazy about this question either (I’m beginning to wonder why I’m on this tour ). The best answer I can come up with is my writing is fuelled by interests outside of writing. Some of these things are: the human psyche; foreign destinations; music; culture; current events; travel; life and death; love; sex; life in general. Until now, I’ve written erotica because I had the stories, and I liked telling them. Sex is a provocative and universal subject.
Now, I have another story to tell. It’s not erotic. It’s mysterious. Can you tell I really don’t like being labeled?
How does my writing process work?
In previous interviews, I’ve said I don’t deconstruct my writing, and that’s the god’s honest truth, but there are a few things I do regularly which steep me in the discipline.
Writing everyday is important. Reading is important. Right now, I’m on a word count schedule because it’s important to know I’ve reached milestones in my book, but that’s as strict as I get. The internal pressure to finish my book is great, but I also know myself. As a full time writer, I can easily become obsessive and self-absorbed if I don’t have a balance in my life. For this reason, I pursue external endeavours that have little to do with writing.
One last tidbit, though I consider writing a serious business (and it should be if you want to earn a living from it), it needs to be fun. Here’s a piece of writing humour you might enjoy.
Next week, you can discover the writing process of three more authors. Visit their sites and see how amazing they are, then you’ll know why I chose them for this tour. I’ve included their Twitter handles too, so you can follow them now.
They will each post on Monday, February 24th to their individual sites, so watch for them!
Annetta Ribken ~ A professional editor of over ninety novels, Annetta Ribken has also been writing since a tender young age, when letters were chiseled on stone tablets, and is currently living and working just outside St. Louis with her evil feline overlord, a rescued shelter cat named Athena. Twitter: @netta50
Cameron Garriepy ~ Romance novelist, genre-crossing short story author and indie publisher. Twitter: @camerongarriepy
Victoria Dougherty ~ She comes from the ultimate Cold War family – daring escapes, backyard firing squads, Communist snitches, bowlfuls of goulash, gargoyles, spies, killers and dangerous pursuits, all part of her recent family history and explain why she writes Cold War thrillers. Twitter: @vicdougherty
My sincere thanks again to Ray for inviting me on this tour.
~eden
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Filed under: Author Promotions, Eden's Guest Blogs & Interviews, Revelations & Humor
February 14, 2014
I Dare to Wear Love to benefit AIDS research for @daretowearlove
Love is in the air.
It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m participating for the second year in a row in the Dare to Wear Love Challenge to raise money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
My challenge is to wear Canadian from today until the 21st, and post pictures of what I wear on my social networks.
The money I raise supports the inspiring transformation in sub-Saharan Africa to turn the tide of HIV & AIDS.
I set my initial goal at a modest $500, but with the help of some generous donors, I reached 80% of it in one day! Since I have one more week to raise money, I’ve doubled my target to $1000.
Why not? It’s for a wonderful cause, and I like stretch goals.
If you want to donate, visit my fundraising page or the icon on the upper left of my blog. You can see my progress from there too.
As always, thank you so much for your generosity.
If you are unable to donate, sharing about this cause would be greatly appreciated.
Follow me on Facebook and Twitter to see me wear Canadian until Feb 21st.
In the meantime, here’s a picture of me with something uniquely Canadian.
~ eden
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Learn more about:
Dare to Wear Love and The Stephen Lewis Foundation
Filed under: Important Announcements 
February 13, 2014
Happy Valentine’s Day ~ Save on my books via @selenablake and @indieauthorland
Well … I have more great news for you!
Here are two more sites where you can find my books along with others on sale.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I’m joining 11 fabulous authors to bring you some extra romance this Valentine’s Day.
Hit the button below and be taken to the individual authors’ sites. It’s time to save big!
Many thanks to author, Selena Blake for putting this promotion together!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
My two books are also featured on one of my favourite sites for indie authors – Indie Author Land. See all their wonderful deals by hitting the button below.
Enjoy Valentine’s Day by picking up a gift of books!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Filed under: Author Promotions, Promo of ebooks, freebies, Promo of Fall into Winter
February 12, 2014
Canadian Rhapsody ~ Read a guest blog by @nchardenet
Please welcome American turned Canadian, author Nicole Chardenet. I asked her to write about her experience of becoming a Canadian citizen, then I braced myself. You see, Nicole was interviewed in my author series last year, and her answers had me in stitches, as does her post here.
She pokes fun at everyone, and I mean, EVERYONE—Republicans, Canadians, the Irish, and more … so please … pour yourself a vodka or a beer and enjoy the musings of this very funny lady.
* * * *
CANADIAN RHAPSODY
~by Nicole Chardenet
Nicole at Pravda Vodka House, Toronto
When Canadians ask me why I moved from the US to Canada nine years ago, I tell them, “Better beer.”
If they’re Republicans I tell them, “Better healthcare and all the damn socialism.”
And then I tell them what we do all day is smoke pot and have gay sex. I love messing with Republicans! They’re so naïve.
“Why would you move to Canada from the US?” asked one early Canadian friend. “I’d move there in a heartbeat if I could, that’s where all the money is!”
Well, yeah, back in 2005 that might have been true…but nine years later I’m making a lot more money than I was in Connecticut and I’ve moved up the food chain professionally. And, the US has gone to @#$% since I left.
Truth is, I can no longer remember anymore why I moved. All I can tell you is it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Zombie American Tea Partier, Toronto Zombie Walk
While I watched the US banking system crash and burn like Charlie Sheen on a three-day coke bender, as I lived and worked in the country with the most stable banking system in the world (who knew?) it seemed one of the all-time greatest decisions ever made in the history of the world.
Now, when people ask me if I’ll ever go back I think, “Only if the US government outlaws the Republican Party and makes it legal for decent, intelligent Americans to feed them to rabid orcas.”
The whole thing really started when I read on a news site about a dozen years ago that Ireland wanted to become the Silicon Valley of Europe. They encouraged immigration by techies and investors, and since I was in a very bad place in my life personally, I decided to apply. Unfortunately, Ireland had extremely high standards for immigrants and also favoured EU members, so I never even filled out the application. My skills were too generalized for their high-and-mighty selves. I was so mad I didn’t speak to Ireland for years, until their whole economy went belly-up.
Nicole w/ her mom and dad at Centre Island, Toronto
Meanwhile, a longtime email friend near Toronto kept urging me to move here, enticing me with an offer to share his house if we split the bills. That sounded like an awesome deal, except for the part where I’d have to move to – Canada? Really? The True North strong and sleep-inducing? Whose flag was – what, I don’t know, a pot leaf or something? Whose history was – well, did they even have one? I mean, who knew anything about Canada? I’d visited relatives in Montreal when I was a kid but my buddy lived near Toronto. I’d been there once before, on a day trip with my family when I was in university. I remembered Toronto as clean, with a beer factory and decent-looking subsidized housing.
Nicole’s 1st year anniversary in Canada
I scheduled a reconnaissance trip, then had to reschedule because of the SARS crisis. When I became reasonably certain Toronto wouldn’t kill me, I discovered I liked it. Around this time, things started to get ugly in US politics with the American invasion of Iraq and then later the Iraqi prison scandals, and I began to feel uncomfortably like I’d better get the hell out of Dodge before the Republicans passed a law herding all liberals, homos, and evolution supporters into Jesus camps where we’d be subjected to Mao-style “re-education” efforts, except with more crosses and bigger guns and hair.
At Fan Expo pushing her 1st book, Young Republican, Yuppie Princess, 2011
Long story short, I filled out an application longer than a Rob Ford police report as Canada wanted to know absolutely everything about me including every single address at which I’d lived, ever, some information about my ex even though I’d made it clear he would NOT be joining me, and, of course, the requisite four rolled-up Tim Horton’s cups to prove that I did intend to become a Real True Loyal Canadian. (Fortunately we had Tim’s in Connecticut).
After that I had to visit the police station to get fingerprinted so I could schlep my grubby mitts off to the FBI so they could run a check on me to make sure I wasn’t a terrorist, fugitive, international jewel thief or close personal friend of Robert Mugabe. Later, I had to visit a special Canadian-approved doctor to make sure I wasn’t trying to sneak any expensive diseases into the country. Then I crossed my fingers and fervently hoped that Canada had way lower standards than Ireland.
It did, and my temporary visa arrived a little under a year and a half later. I stuffed everything in a U-Haul and crossed the border, which wasn’t nearly as nerve-wracking as I’d thought it would be, as they praised me on the penmanship of the most anal-retentive list of personal goods they’d ever seen, and I think I scored some extra points for having a French name. They didn’t even ask about the sword I brought nor did they want to see proof that my cat’s rabies shots were up-to-date. (Which just goes to show you the Glenn Beck-head and Faux Newsie critics of Canada’s spongey border are right – any old terrorist can cross with a tetanus-laden rusty weapon and a foaming, frothing housepet anytime they want! Fear us, O Canada!)
We’re proud to have you as one of our own, Nicole!
Once I was officially over and stamped I heaved a sigh of relief. The Republicans couldn’t get me anymore and I was turning my life around.
It hasn’t been a complete bed of poppies, of course, but I can honestly say the last nine years of my life have been the most stress-free since I was pre-school.
Thank you Canada, for being so good to me. And for Nanaimo bars. Canada’s greatest gift to Western civilization!
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Connect to Nicole
Tongue of Dog’s Breakfast Blog | Nicole’s Novels
Website | Twitter: @nchardenet | Facebook | Google+
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If you would like to be a guest blogger, please comment below and let me know. The goal is to highlight YOUR writing. Connect to me via any of my networks. Twitter and email are best.
While you’re at it, show Nicole some love in the comments, will ya? Isn’t she adorable?
Many thanks,
~ eden
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Filed under: Eden's Guest Bloggers
February 10, 2014
Valentine’s Day sale on my books ~ FALL INTO WINTER and HOT FLASH #99cents
Love is in the air, and there are many ways to show my ♥ for readers. This year, I’m discounting two of my books from today until the 17th.
Fall into Winter and Hot Flash ebooks are now only 99 cents each! A combined savings of over 75% !
If you’ve ever thought of buying my books, now is the time to do it. Read a sample, peruse the reviews, and see if they are to your liking.
I hope you pick up one or both books. Feedback, good or bad, in the form of an honest review is always appreciated but never mandatory. The most important thing is you enjoy the stories.
~ eden
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Amazon: US | UK | Canada ~ Smashwords
Fall into Winter is a provocative collection of four distinct, erotic novellas.
With locations in New York, Canada, Thailand, and Austria, four women will make choices that lead each of them on an unforgettable journey.
* * * *
Hot Flash contains flash fiction and poetry. Some are erotic, some not.
The themes of love, lust, adultery, and regret are told in different voices, sometimes with an irreverent sense of humour.
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Filed under: Promo of ebooks, freebies, Promo of Fall into Winter
February 9, 2014
Music Monday says Something with the Beatles
How timely that I’m featuring music to provide clues for my upcoming mystery novel, and it’s the Beatles’ 50-year anniversary to America.
It was Feb. 9, 1964 when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and made music history.
“Something” written by George Harrison (my favorite Beatle) is the only song he wrote while with the Beatles that topped the Hot 100 chart. It’s a beautiful song about the mysterious qualities of a woman that attract a man.
And we all know, there are so many things about a woman that can mystify a man.
To recap, the clues so far were:
If you want to read other genres I write in: erotica/romance, flash fiction, and short stories with a twist, check out the selection.
Have a lovely week,
eden
Filed under: Musical Mondays
February 6, 2014
Read an Exchange with Author Christoph Fischer (@cffbooks)
Christoph, welcome to Eden’s Exchange. You’re a generous author who conducts many interviews on your own site, which makes me especially happy to have you as the first author interviewed under my new format. I hope you have fun, and thanks for bringing a drink along too. 
Let’s find out a bit more about you …
Are you a full time writer or do you have a day job?
At the moment I am a full time writer but I have a family and other commitments and responsibilities that can without warning demand my full attention. It is a constant struggle. Being self-published there is always something that you could be doing to promote your book. My work is never done.
Promotion is never ending, and you are extremely diligent with it. Do you have a profession other than your own you’d like to try?
I would like to be a psychologist and work in dynamic group therapies, gestalt or family constellation therapies. I imagine you see a lot of personal breakthroughs and that is very appealing to me.
I studied psychology and agree it’s wonderful to know about the mind. Is there one thing you want to do before you die?
See New Zealand, Chile, the Galapagos Islands, Greenland, Alaska….
Travel, nice! How would your best friend describe you in 20 words or less?
Dog fanatic, book obsessed, neurotic, eccentric, adolescent minded recluse with a wild imagination and a good heart.
I love this picture with your dog. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would make myself relax more. I have too much restless energy and am interested in too many things to sit still as much as I probably should.
It sounds like you’re interested in many things. As for writing, where do you draw inspiration from?
My inspiration is drawn from real life and real people but a fair bit from my over-active imagination. With my historical fiction I had family stories, rumors and anecdotes as a basis which then met the given frame of historical data and events. Once the scene was set my characters and the plot dynamically developed a life of their own.
Is it important for you to know the title or ending of a book before you write it?
Not at all. I have to live the story together with my characters, which is why the stories often end differently than I had anticipated. The titles that I am most proud of came to me at a later stage of the writing when the underlying themes come out more clearly.
I’m the same way, titles are the last thing I come up with. Name a few of your favorite authors and books, and why you like them.
“Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts really got to me. The concept of guilt and redemption is handled very well, the idea of a spiritually led life and finding and redefining oneself is very appealing. I really cared for those characters.
“The Clay Lion” by Amalie Jahn is a wonderful story about a girl who travels in time to save her brother from dying. Time travel novels always try to be clever whereas in this case it is a legitimate tool to help the girl come to terms with death. It is a very sad but moving and inspirational story for younger readers that handles the difficult theme of dying extrememy well.
“The Barry Island Murders” by Andrew Peters is a very funny crime novel about a detective in the 1960s in Wales, long before CSI and DNA. The book is simply hilarious. I really like the writer’s style and sense of humour (esp. since I have a Welsh mother-in-law).
Great list! What are your favorite and least favorite parts of being a writer?
I love the escapism of writing and the creation of another world the most, but I also love when someone tells me they really liked my story.
The least favourite part is the marketing. I don’t like to force my books on people or assure people that they are good. I would prefer if the right people (who might enjoy it) found it by themselves.
Tell us about your typical writer’s day.
I love writing early in the morning. I walk the dogs when it is still dark and then sit down and feel still ahead of the rest of the world. By the time everyone else wakes up, I am already well into the story and can cope with disruptions of the ‘mundane’ life easier.
What is the genre of your latest book?
The Black Eagle Inn is Historical Fiction set in post war Germany.
What inspired you to write The Black Eagle Inn?
I wondered how people lived through the years after WW2 in Germany. How a new and legitimate government could form itself and how ordinary citizens learned to live with the collective shame. We know about the Nuremberg Trials and the Nazis on the run, but little of how it would affect the people. I wrote a family saga where this theme is part of the story, although the focus is more on the personal development of the characters.
How are you marketing it?
I am marketing it as historical fiction rather than a family saga because what happens to the family represents what happens to the country as a whole. It only just qualifies as historical fiction with its time frame so close to present day.
Great covers, and it follows the first two books in the series very nicely.
How has the reception been for The Black Eagle Inn?
Surprisingly well. I assumed without a raging war and that kind of drama going on it might be less interesting to my readers. Feedback suggests that the characters are well received.
What is the best way for someone to support your book, aside from buying it?
Reading it would help, then talk about it, review it, recommend it, vote for it on appropriate Goodreads Lists, buy it for others…
Are you working on another book now?
I have just finished another ‘final’ draft of “A TIME TO LET GO”, a contemporary novel set in the UK. It is the story of a family that has different ideas on how to deal with the mother’s Alzheimers. The daughter, a stewardess, goes through some emotional turmoil and returns home where she clashes with the father. It is a personal and emotional piece and I am very excited about it as it is the first story without the historical frame to hold up the timeline.
To end off the interview, let’s do a fun lightning round!
Aside from people/pets, what is the ONE item you would save if your house was on fire? Sadly my phone, kindle or i-pod
Ha! Not sad at all, mine would be my laptop.
Favorite season. Summer
The best gift you’ve ever received? A Hei-Matau fish hook pendant from my partner.
Name a food you can eat everyday. Currently vegetable smoothies and Haribo Fangtastic
Quite the combination!
Cat/dog/other pet? Dogs
Salty or sweet? Salty
Favorite style of music? Cheesy pop or dance
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Thank you, Christoph for sharing of yourself and your books. Below are all the links where Christoph can be found.
Latest Release: The Black Eagle Inn (Three Nations Trilogy Book 3)
The Black Eagle Inn is an old established Restaurant and Farm business in the sleepy Bavarian countryside outside of Heimkirchen. Childless Anna Hinterberger has fought hard to make it her own and keep it running through WWII. Religion and rivalry divide her family as one of her nephews, Markus has got her heart and another nephew, Lukas got her ear. Her husband Herbert is still missing and for the wider family life in post-war Germany also has some unexpected challenges in store.
Once again Fischer tells a family saga with war in the far background and weaves the political and religious into the personal. Being the third in the Three Nations Trilogy this book offers another perspective on war, its impact on people and the themes of nations and identity.
Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Trailer
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The Luck of the Weissensteiners (Three Nations Trilogy Book 1)
Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Trailer | B&N
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Sebastian (Three Nations Trilogy Book 2)
Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Trailer | B&N
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Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near the Austrian border, as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria. He moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few years he moved on to the UK where he is still resident today. ‘The Luck of The Weissensteiners’ was published in November 2012; ‘Sebastian’ in May 2013 and The Black Eagle Inn in October 2013. He has written several other novels which are in the later stages of editing and finalisation.
Facebook | Website | Blog | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page
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Filed under: Author & Artist Interviews
