Joyce T. Strand's Blog, page 16

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Simone Pond, Author

Simone Pond, Author
THE MAINFRAME
3rd Book in New Agenda SeriesSimone Pond writes dystopian novels to let out her "dark side." Her latest novel, THE MAINFRAME, is the third book in her New Agenda series. The first book in the series, THE CITY CENTER, was the recipient of a gold medal award from Readers' Favorite. Reviewers say her series represent “a very different dystopia” and “unpredictable” and “unexpected.”
Pond lives in Los Angeles with her husband. She has written a guide on how to hit the Amazon Kindle Top 100 and blogs at Simone Says. She is currently working on a book of short stories that tell about the event that caused the entire series of books.

Q: Why do you choose to write dystopian novels? What inspired you to write the series, and specifically your newest novel THE MAINFRAME?
Simone Pond: I have a dark side that needed to come out and writing is my favorite outlet. I got the idea for THE CITY CENTER when I was talking to my husband about cities in the future. I said, “What if in the future people lived inside giant city centers that they thought were safe havens, but they were actually prisons?” And he said, “Now that’s a good idea for a story. Have you seen Logan’s Run?” The seed was planted for my first book and the series just took off. For my newest novel, THE MAINFRAME, I thought it’d be fun to see what my main character, Ava, would do if she had a rebellious daughter and how they’d end up having to work together to fight the bad guy, Chief Morray.
Q: Reviewers of the first two books in The New Agenda Series tout the books as “a different dystopia” and “a very different dystopia,” an “unpredictable page turner” and “unexpected.” What makes your series different and unpredictable from typical dystopian fiction—if there is a “typical”?
Simone Pond: I jump around in time (over three hundred years), so the story doesn’t just follow one main character in a series of chronological events. There’s three hundred years of history that I’m working with, as well as virtual realities. There’s an entire universe to create several story threads. I have to find unique ways to tie everything together.
Q: How do you make your series “gripping?”
Simone Pond: I drop hints for the reader to pick up so they can start figuring out what’s going to happen next.
Q: Reviewers also tout your “memorable villain.” What makes a good villain? Do you believe that you need an effective villain in order to have a hero, i.e., do you need a Chief Morray to create an Ava Rhodes?
Simone Pond:  I think we all have a dark side and for me what makes a good villain is someone you can sympathize with on some level, but also want to take down. Without Chief Morray pushing Ava, she would’ve remained stagnant. He forces her to challenge herself and grow throughout the series. He’s actually my favorite character, which is why I loved writing THE NEW AGENDA because it’s about his youth and what turned him to the dark side.
Q:  Did you write The New Agenda Series to entertain or also to deliver a message? I noticed that several reviewers found your books “thought provoking.”
Simone Pond: There’s underlying social commentary threaded throughout the book series, as well as spiritual themes. I take it to the extreme so that my characters suffer the consequences of a future that has gone wrong. In a sense I’m saying, “Hey do you all see what’s happening around us? We are being controlled and manipulated and our freedom is slowly being taken away from us under the guise of protection. Where do you go for your strength? Who do you serve?”
Q: How do you draw readers to engage in your stories given that they are set in the future? What makes them credible? How important is believability?
Simone Pond: I make sure my characters are relatable and have the same weaknesses and strengths, passions and desires all humans have. I think knowing your character down to his or her core is the most important thing. It’s not how they react to the story plot, but why.
Q: Why do you write a “series” of books rather than unrelated standalone novels?
Simone Pond:Originally, I was just going to write THE CITY CENTER, but in the middle of that draft I had the idea about going back three hundred years to Chief Morray’s teen years (probably because of my love for S.E. Hinton). So I wrote THE NEW AGENDA. While I was writing that, the idea for THE MAINFRAME came to me.
Q: How helpful is setting to telling your stories?
Simone Pond:Setting is huge for my stories. The city centers are prisons made to look like utopias. The Outside represents freedom. These settings are integral layers that add to the theme of each novel.
Q: What’s next?
Simone Pond: I’m currently working on a book of short stories about the Repatterning, which is the man-made apocalypse that set the entire book series into motion. I might continue with another book in the series. I’m waiting to hear back from my main characters.
Q: Tell us about Simone Pond. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Simone Pond: When I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing . . . But to help pay my bills I freelance in advertising as a project manager. Other things I do? I start each day with a workout because it clears my head. I love having tea with close friends, taking walks with my dog, and hanging out with my husband. I love going to church, helping out friends and encouraging other writers.
About Simone Pond
As a young girl, Simone Pond loved writing in her journal and making up stories, but after reading S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, everything changed. Amazed that a woman could write so convincingly from a teenage boy's perspective, Pond became determined to become a writer as well.
In 2013, Pond released THE CITY CENTER, the first book in her dystopian fiction series. A fast-paced tale of love and adventure that will appeal to young adults and seasoned readers alike. The second book in the series, The New Agenda, was published in May of 2014. THE CITY CENTER and THE NEW AGENDA are best sellers in Amazon's post-apocalyptic science fiction category, and THE CITY CENTER was the recipient of a gold medal award from Readers' Favorite.

The third book in the series, THE MAINFRAME, has just been released.

Pond currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their Boston Terrier. Learn more about her and her writing at Simone Says...
Book III: THE MAINFRAME
THE MAINFRAME is the third book in the New Agenda series. Book three picks up in the year 2345, seventeen years after the disappearance of former city center leader, Chief Morray. There has been peace among the West Coast regions for years, but in Ojai Village there is very little peace between Ava and her sixteen-year old daughter Grace. Both have different ideas about what it takes to maintain independence. Ava spends hours inside the mainframe searching for Morray, while Grace focuses on the art of combat. Grace’s dream is to get accepted into the Silicon Valley Academy and become a soldier like her father General Joseph Strader. During tryouts for the academy Grace comes across some digital footprints inside the mainframe, convincing Ava that Morray has returned to seek revenge and reclaim control. When Ava goes missing, Grace assembles a motley crew of cadets to go on a search and rescue mission up north in Seattle to save her mother and take down Morray. Grace soon learns that independence comes at a price.
Excerpt
THE MAINFRAME Ava awoke from a deep sleep, feeling groggy and half drugged. Her temples throbbed and each cell dragged through her body. She didn’t remember going to bed, or falling asleep. She especially didn’t recall putting on a delicate nightgown of soft satin. She usually slept in a tank top. She sat up and looked around the room to get her bearings. Nothing made sense. Not the enormous king-size bed or the overstuffed feather comforters, or the chiffon canopy hanging over her head. She got out of bed and looked around the room to figure out where she was. Massive crystal chandeliers dangled from the vaulted ceilings. The room was far too opulent to be inside the academy. No, she thought, these chambers are fit for a queen. And she had been here before. A long time ago. A very long time ago. She went over to the windows and peered out to the vast green forest of trees that stretched across the Los Angeles basin all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
“Impossible,” she whispered, leaning against the glass to keep from collapsing.
This was the same room at the Royal Palace where Morray had held her prisoner sixteen years ago. She stood by these same windows just before she made her speech and just before Joseph’s men stormed the Arena and took down Morray. The walls shifted to gray, and the edges of the room closed in on her. She staggered over to the white lounger to sit down and catch her breath. How could she be sitting in a place that no longer existed? Years ago, the New Democracy had demolished the palace. She wondered if she were having a lucid dream or a very pronounced hallucination. It was too real to be a dream––the intoxicating scent of jasmine, the cold marble floor under her bare feet, and the taste of bile in her throat––but the room defied all logic. This had to be an outright lie. It had to be. There was only one explanation and one man who could concoct such a convincing falsehood . . . Morray.
THE CITY CENTER
Gold Medal Winner in Dystopian Fiction - Readers' Favorite Awards.

The year is 2328. City Center dwellers gossip about the upcoming celebratory Graduation Day. They anticipate the gaudy grandeur of the Successors vying for a spot in the Royal Court. Most of the citizens are rooting for the captivating and talented young Ava Rhodes to become the next Queen.

Ava cares little about the competition or the title: she’d prefer to watch a virtual sunset or walk barefoot in the Garden sector. A week prior to Graduation Day she encounters Joseph, a rebel from the Outside, and discovers her utopian home is actually a prison and breeding facility aimed at designing the perfect human. She escapes with Joseph to the Outside world, sending the City Center’s leader, Chief Morray, into an obsessive pursuit for his property. On the Outside, Ava must decide if she'll keep running, or go back and save her people from destruction.
BOOK II: THE NEW AGENDA
For certain, society was disintegrating: humans were self-destructive and wildly uncontrolled. But young William Morray had hoped, as an idealistic teenager, that his father’s acclaimed Repatterning Program––a precursor to the brilliant New Agenda––could manage the upheaval and get society back on track.
They said it was for the greater good: out of chaos comes order and from the ashes the phoenix will rise. They said the Repatterning was a positive event, but like most advertising, it was a lie.
William’s wish had always been to work with his father and win his approval. However, when he is sent away to a remote underground safety shelter in Denver, William is awakened to the grisly truth that the Repatterning is a mass genocide. And worse: his father, the New Agenda leader, is the spearhead of this horrifying plan to eradicate all cities, homes and people outside of the Elite citizenship. William decides to team up with an underground rebel alliance to end the Repatterning and save what’s left of civilization.

Links
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CHECK IT OUT: Cover Reveal for CHASING CLARITY by Sylvia Stein, Author

Welcome back Sylvia Stein who today is sharing the cover for her new novel CHASING CLARITY.
Author Sylvia Stein began her path to writing when she joined the Writer’s Group on LinkedIn 750 in 2012. 
She continued her journey by creating short stories, which were published in the Giant tales Anthology series. 
While obtaining her Masters degree at Southern New Hampshire University online author Stein built a solid foundation with her colleagues who encouraged her to continue on her writing. That’s when Closure was born. 
CLOSURE was published this past July 2014.    Now author Stein is working hard to bring you her latest YA novel entitled CHASING CLARITY.  This novel will be out in February 2015.     
 “This will be another one of many books I hope to bring you.”
About CHASING CLARITY
What happens when you lose the love of your life and are left to pick up the pieces? Mia Gerard is about to find out.
Mia has just lost Leo Dancy, her best friend and soul mate. His absence seems unbearable, but suddenly, an opportunity that she can’t turn down arises. She’s offered a teaching position in The New York Dance Academy of Performing Arts. At first, she’s overwhelmed, still dealing with the loss of Leo. But eventually, she allows herself to heal when she meets Henry Watson, a painter with aspirations of having his own exhibit one day, or does she?
As Mia and Henry become closer, Henry develops feelings for Mia, but she’s still unable to love. When Henry can’t have what he wants, he decides to move back to London with his agent and friend, Trina Michaels. Mia may lose him forever, and she’s faced with having the clarity to chase after Henry or let him walk away. Which will she choose?
CHASING CLARITY will be released in February 2015.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Deborah Garner, Author

Deborah Garner writes “cozy” mysteries set in intriguing locations that focus on the puzzle part of a mystery. In her newest book, CRANBERRY BLUFF, her protagonist meets a group of interesting characters at her inherited bed and breakfast place in Northern California. Reviewers say, "accelerating situations are both funny and alarming" and "I finished the book wanting more." 

Originally from California, Garner and her family—including her two dogs (Corgi mix and Siberian Husky)—travel between California and Wyoming. When she can find time, she likes hiking and taking photos. She writes travel books and enjoys exploring unknown roads and hidden places.


Q: Your newest mystery, CRANBERRY BLUFF, features a protagonist different from that of your first two mysteries. What caused you to forsake Paige? How did you conceive of the story? Does Molly Elliott resemble Paige? Or is she a unique new heroine?
Deborah Garner: Paige is quite busy right now, wrapped up in trouble (of course!)  As for CRANBERRY  BLUFF, I am always motivated by location.  I set the story in a bed and breakfast and then created the back story of the bank robbery as a reason for Molly to be there.  It made sense that guests would be the connection between the inn and Molly’s past.  I don’t see Molly as resembling Paige, who is more assertive, stubborn and persistent.  Molly is more of an anchor for the story, a focal point for the guests’ activities and hidden motives.
Q: You have described CRANBERRY BLUFF as a cozy mystery. I know we’ve discussed this in a previous interview, but it seems an intriguing topic for us mystery readers. What are the attributes of a “cozy” mystery versus other types of mysteries?
Deborah Garner: I’m laughing as I type this answer, because I know you’re aware I take some flack over my cozy mystery definition from those who feel a cozy mystery musthave a murder.  And mine don’t.  (At least so far…) But I see the term “cozy” as referring to the attributes of the story itself.  Mine generally involve an amateur, female sleuth, set in a small town location, with a puzzle (mystery) of some sort to solve, written without extreme language, explicit scenes or violence.  This type of story makes for a “cozy” read.  Die-hard thriller fans won’t like this type of book because there’s no heavy-duty action, blood or gore.  Avid romance fans won’t enjoy the lack of juicy details.  But the reader who loves to curl up in a chair with a soft afghan and cup of tea for a little escape?  That reader wants this type of tale.
Q: How helpful was the setting on the California coast to telling your story? Did it add to the mystery?
Deborah Garner: It will come as no surprise to readers who know the Northern California coast well that the fictional town of Cranberry Bluff is loosely based on a favorite town of mine, Mendocino.  I’ve loved the coastal town since I first visited decades ago.  I’ve spent dozens of vacations there, enjoying walks on the bluff, shopping little boutiques and dining in quaint cafes.  I do think there’s a feeling of mystery to the town.  Anyone who takes a nighttime stroll along its streets will feel it.  If that doesn’t work, just ask Jessica Fletcher ;)  One of those walks will take a mystery buff right past her “Cabot Cove” home.
Q: The description of the characters at the bed and breakfast in CRANBERRY BLUFF reminds me of an Agatha Christie mystery. Do you agree? How did you conceive of the plot?
Deborah Garner: I think a good mystery needs to have multiple characters.  The reader wants to have the challenge of figuring out which character is really behind the plot.  In writing CRANBERRY BLUFF I toyed with different motives that might bring each guest to the bed and breakfast.  The plot developed from there.  It may be of interest to readers that I had absolutely no clue how the bank robbery was pulled off until the book was almost finished.
Q: What makes us care about Molly and your characters at the bed and breakfast? How do you make your characters “engaging” and/or “mysterious?”
Deborah Garner: We care about Molly because she has fallen into trouble through no fault of her own, something we don’t like to see happen to an innocent person.  Many people can relate to the experience of being wronged in some way.  As for characters, they need to be unique in order to be engaging.  Each guest at Cranberry Cottage Bed and Breakfast has odd quirks and specific personality traits.  In this particular story, each character has both an exterior and interior layer, which adds to the mystery for the reader.  By observing and bringing those layers together, the reader is led to each guest’s hidden motive for being at the inn.
Q: What do you consider to be the most important elements of a mystery?
Deborah Garner: Take one puzzle, something intriguing for thQ: How important is a cover to communicating the “feel” of a book?
Deborah Garner: I think it’s crucial.  Contrary to the cliché, I’ve always judged books by their covers.  Right or wrong, it’s what readers do.  Colors set a mood, one that a prospective reader enjoys feeling.  Image implies place.  Is it a place the reader wants to go?  If it’s a successful cover, the answer is yes.  Even font gives clues to the elements inside the story.
Q: What’s next? Will we be reading about Paige again? Will there be another Molly Elliott book?
Deborah Garner: Paige should be out of hibernation in late May of 2015.  She’s quite busy as we speak, about half-way through unraveling strange happenings in a small southwestern town.  As for Molly Elliott, it’s likely she’ll just continue her newly-acquired quiet life in Cranberry Cove.  However, Sadie Kramer, one of the characters from Cranberry Bluff, is looking to take readers on a wild ride by next Christmas.  I dare say she has quite a “flair for mystery” and her first sip of trouble will most likely take her to California’s wine country.
Q: Tell us something about Deborah Garner. What are you currently reading? What’s next on your list? What is your favorite movie? Do you have any hobbies?
Deborah Garner: I hate to admit it, but I’m between books right now, mainly because I’m juggling long-distance driving, the Cranberry Bluff book release and two partially finished manuscripts.  But I have a TBR stack that is screaming at me for attention, which includes a delicious stack of mysteries from the recent Bouchercon event, a copy of yournew book, Hilltop Sunset, and The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier, which I picked up recently in California’s wine country when I was *ahem* doing some research for Sadie.  Favorite movie?  Tough one, but I like light, romantic comedies.  I’ll say While You Were Sleeping, with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman.  Hobbies?  Yes, in my almost non-existent spare time, I love photography and hiking with our two rescues, Thunder, a corgi mix, and Powder, a Siberian husky.
About Deborah Garner
Deborah Garner is an accomplished travel writer with a passion for back roads and secret hideaways. Born and raised in California, she studied in France before returning to the U.S. to attend UCLA. After stints in graduate school and teaching, she attempted to clone herself for decades by founding and running a dance and performing arts center, designing and manufacturing clothing and accessories, and tackling both spreadsheets and display racks for corporate retail management. Her passions include photography, hiking and animal rescue. She speaks five languages, some substantially better than others. She now divides her time between California and Wyoming, dragging one human and two canines along whenever possible.
About CRANBERRY BLUFF
Molly Elliott's quiet life in Tallahassee, Florida, is disrupted when routine errands land her in the wrong place at the wrong time: the middle of a bank robbery. Accused and cleared of the crime, she flees both media attention and mysterious, threatening notes, to move across the country to Cranberry Cove, where she has inherited her Aunt Maggie's bed and breakfast on the Northern California coast. Her new beginning is peaceful - that is, until five guests show up at the inn for a weekend, each with a hidden agenda.

Mix together one blushing honeymoon couple, one flamboyant boutique owner, a deadpan traveling salesman, and a charmingly handsome novelist, and there’s more than scones cooking at Cranberry Cottage Bed and Breakfast. As true motives become apparent, will Molly's past come back to haunt her or will she finally be able to leave it behind?
About THE MOONGLOW CAFÉ
New York reporter Paige MacKenzie has a hidden motive when she heads to the small town of Timberton, Montana. Assigned to research the area's unique Yogo sapphires for the Manhattan Post, she hopes to reconnect romantically with handsome cowboy Jake Norris. The local gem gallery offers the material needed for the article, but the discovery of an old diary, hidden inside the wall of a historic hotel, soon sends her on a detour into the underworld of art and deception. 

Each of the town's residents holds a key to untangling more than one long-buried secret, from the hippie chick owner of a new age café to the mute homeless man in the town park. As the worlds of western art and sapphire mining collide, Paige finds herself juggling research, romance and danger. With stolen sapphires and shady characters thrown into the mix, will Paige escape the consequences of her own curiosity?
About ABOVE THE BRIDGE
When Paige MacKenzie arrives in Jackson Hole, her only goal is to complete a simple newspaper assignment about the Old West. However, it's not long before her instincts tell her there's more than a basic story to be found in the popular, northwestern Wyoming mountain area. A chance encounter with attractive cowboy Jake Norris soon has Paige chasing a legend of buried treasure, passed down through generations. 

From the torn edge of a water-damaged map to the mysterious glow of an antler arch, Paige will follow clues high into the mountainous terrain and deep into Jackson's history. Side-stepping a few shady characters who are also searching for the same hidden reward, she will have to decide who is trustworthy and who is not.

Links
Purchase Links

CRANBERRY BLUFFAmazonLink for Kindle Edition
THE MOONGLOW CAFÉAmazonLink for Kindle Edition
ABOVE THE BRIDGEAmazonLink for Kindle Edition
Author Links

Facebook Website Amazon Goodreads 
Twitter: @paigeandjake

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Rachelle Ayala, Author

Rachelle Ayala, Author
CLAIMING CARLOSAsian American author Rachelle Ayala recently published the second book in her Sanchez Sisters Series, a new romance titled CLAIMING CARLOS, described by one reviewer as a book with “Humor, food, hot cook, smoking hot passion... And quite the plot twists.” Ayala says she basically just likes to write a “good story,” and creates her characters to “feel real.” She believes that humor and her characters' natural good-will contribute to their likeability.
In addition to writing and publishing more than a dozen fiction or non-fiction books, Ayala is a leader in the writing world. She started an online writing group, Romance in a Month, and is actively engaged in other writing groups, including the California Writer’s Club and the World Literary Café.  She currently lives in California where she continues to write both fiction and non-fiction books and novellas.

Don't miss the opportunity to enter a giveaway at end of this interview.
Q: You’ve written romances set in a variety of times and locations. What inspired you to create the Sanchez Sisters and specifically your most recent contemporary romance CLAIMING CARLOS?
Rachelle Ayala: The Sánchez Sisters Series started with TAMING ROMEO, a book I was inspired to write by a group of Filipino authors who wanted to write a contemporary “steamy” romance. Since I love Filipino food, I decided to write a romance that centered around a Filipino restaurant. Choco and Carlos are characters in the first book, and it seemed natural to do the second book with them. Carlos is the chef, and Choco is the head waitress as well as assistant manager. I had a lot of fun with recipe disasters and pranks being played in the restaurant setting, as well as the introduction of a new character, Johnny Dee, the flashy restaurant consultant who tries to shake things up a bit.
Q: Reviewers tout CLAIMING CARLOS as a “refreshing story” and mentioned the “soul and hope that flowed throughout this storyline.” They were pleased to have read it. How did you create this sense of well-being?”
Rachelle Ayala: It’s really hard for me to describe, because when I’m in the writing process I just write and the characters speak and create their stories. I think the sense of well-being comes from the close family and the way the characters really care about each other.
When my characters care about other people, their natural goodness and vitality comes out. A character can be flawed and have problems, but when they show concern for others, this makes them sympathetic and someone readers want to follow.
Q: Reviewers also enjoyed your “incredible” characters and said, “You find yourself not just cheering them on in reaching their goals, but you rejoice in their successes, and ultimately have your heart ripped out when their world falls apart.” What makes an “incredible” character? How do you engage your readers to care about your characters?
Rachelle Ayala: Readers care about characters who feel real. One of the ways to engage readers is through your character’s voice. In Choco’s case, I think it’s her self-deprecating humor, her insecurities, and her bossiness of being the eldest sister that gives her the spunk she has to carry the day. Plus, she is the eldest, but the shortest, so she’s kind of like that miniature Chihuahua who has to prove herself by acting tough. She yaps louder than her bite, because she’s really a powder puff inside.
As for creating “incredible” characters, I don’t create my characters in advance. I find filling out “character sheets” dull and boring. Instead, I discover them while writing. I wrote CLAIMING CARLOS during the first Romance In A Month class I was holding in May-June 2014. One of the daily exercises we did as a group was to answer a daily question about our characters. It was a lot of fun to answer the question and in the process discover something about them. We also shared the answers to our questions with the group and talked about them as if they were real people. I think writing in this group and sharing about our characters made them more unique and “incredible.” I’ve since published the 366 Daily Questions in a ebook called “366 Ways to Know Your Character.” I think answering random questions makes your characters more well-rounded because there is the element of the unexpected.
Q: Several reviewers also mentioned that the “story kept me on my toes.” How helpful is suspense to telling a good romance story?
Rachelle Ayala: Ha, ha, the suspense usually happens because I, the writer, don’t even know how something is going to turn out. I write without planning and am prone to changing my mind in the middle of the story. It’s obvious when I’m writing a mystery or romantic suspense, as there are culprits and clues, however even in a romance there are opportunities for suspense. In CLAIMING CARLOS, we have someone sabotaging the restaurant as well as “what” does Miranda have over Choco’s father? There’s also a big bomb in there, but I won’t give it away because it would spoil the fun. I should add that the answer to that big one was actually not known even to my beta draft. In my beta draft I gave a different answer than the ultimate story. It took some rewriting to iron all of that up.
Q: Did you intend to deliver a message with your story? One reviewer was pleased to learn about the Philippines and its background. Was it your intent to educate readers? Or, were you just trying to tell a good story?
Rachelle Ayala: The message or theme always comes up during revision. When I first start to write the story, I’m going for entertainment. Therefore you’ll find quite a few slapstick or what I think are funny scenes. For example, the dumpster plays a role in CLAIMING CARLOS as well as TAMING ROMEO. The cooking disasters, the food fights, and the restaurant toilet mishaps are all meant for fun. So, I’m mainly telling a good story.
Later on, maybe I can think about a theme, or maybe not. I’m not exactly sure what it is. Second chances? Or maybe recognizing what you have in front of you instead of reaching for what’s not there? I think I’ll let my readers decide what they learned from the story, and I’m always happy when I hear what someone got out of the story.
Q: How relevant is the concept of heroes and villains to your story? What makes an effective villain?
Rachelle Ayala: I do use villains, even in a light-hearted romance. The villain doesn’t have to be someone who is a criminal or an obvious bad guy. It can simply be a person whose goals are opposite to that of the hero. I enjoy writing “villains” primarily because I remember that no one believes he or she is a villain. They feel they are the heroes of their story. It just happens that their story opposes the story of the protagonist. So they end up in the villain role. I usually like to make my villains memorable by being quirky and slightly unhinged. I go for colorful, flamboyant, or plain annoying. I don’t like flat all-bad villains, and therefore even a villain has redeeming qualities. I think a complex villain with good traits makes things more interesting.
Q: I notice that you were a software engineer in your career. What turned you to become a writer of romance novels?
Rachelle Ayala: Since my first book, MICHAL'S WINDOW, was about one of the greatest romances in history, I naturally continued to write romance. I’m not really sure how I turned to writing romance. I just know that I’ve always been a daydreamer and made up stories about people around me in my mind instead of paying attention at meetings.
Q: How useful is humor to telling your stories or developing your characters?
Rachelle Ayala: I’m always giggling or laughing when thinking up humorous scenes, so I believe it is very important. It’s a lot of fun to make up minor characters just to have something funny happen. For one, it makes the characters more likeable. People like seeing a character with a sense of humor. The other benefit is that I get lots of laughs as I’m revising or proofreading. Humor keeps me from being bored.
Q:  What’s next?
Rachelle Ayala: This year was a watershed year for me. In 2012 and 2013, I averaged two novels a year. However in 2014 I’ve already written 4 novels, 3 novellas, 2 non-fiction books, and am in two multi-author boxed sets.
I credit this explosion to an awesome group of writing friends that I interact with almost daily in my Romance In A Month class. I will continue to write with this group of fine authors as I not only find myself more productive while writing in a group, but also am happier with my writing and having more fun.
Q: Tell us about Rachelle Ayala. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Rachelle Ayala: I enjoy visiting with friends and going places. Of course these days, every experience could turn into research for writing, or end up in a scene, so I’m never “not writing.” I even dream about my characters while sleeping.
Everything I read about or observe in my daily life is grist for “what-if” questions. As I mentioned before, I daydream about people and situations. Not everything makes it to a story, but you’ll be surprised what does. I’m always learning new things and therefore everything I do is “research” for my writing.
Thanks Joyce, for having me talk to your readers.
About Rachelle Ayala
Rachelle Ayala is a bestselling Asian American author of dramatic romantic suspense and humorous, sexy contemporary romances. Her heroines are feisty and her heroes hot. She writes emotionally challenging stories but believes in the power of love and hope. Rachelle is the founder of an online writing group, Romance in a Month, an active member of the California Writer's Club, Fremont Chapter, and a volunteer for the World Literary Cafe. She is a very happy woman and lives in California with her husband. She has won awards in multicultural and historical romance.
About CLAIMING CARLOS: Book #2 of Sanchez Sisters series
Choco Sanchez is stuck in a rut. She's never hit a softball and has been friends forever with Carlos Lopez, the head cook at her family's Filipino restaurant. When flashy restaurant consultant Johnny Dee hits her with a pitch, she falls head over heels and gets a makeover

Carlos Lopez is not about to lose one for the home team. Johnny launches a full scale change on the menu, and Carlos sends him straight into the dumpster. Claiming Choco's heart proves more difficult. But never underestimate a man who can cook hot, spicy, and steamy, and we ain't talking just food.
Excerpt
“Stop.” Miranda waves a spatula and blocks our way. “No members of the wait staff allowed in the kitchen.”“I need another order of vegan spring rolls. No meat!” Sarah yells.“She stole my gluten-free bangus.” Susie pushes her way past Miranda, who bounces against the door to the cold room, opening it.“Out, out of the kitchen.” Miranda sticks a finger in Susie’s chest. Big mistake.Susie’s nostrils flare and her piercings dance. “Out of my way.”With a hefty push, she shoves Miranda who stumbles back into the cold room. Her arms windmilling, she falls in between the sides of raw pork belly hanging up to dry.“Ai ya!” Miranda slaps at the pork bellies and pulls on a trussed whole duck for balance, right when a wooden tray of balut, fertilized duck eggs with the intact embryo, falls and splatters over her. The slime and partially formed embryos ooze down her hair and face.Everyone except Johnny bursts out laughing. I whip out my cell phone and snap as many pictures as I can before Johnny blocks my view to help his mother.Out of nowhere, Carlos appears, and he gives Johnny a kick on the back of his tight leopard printed butt, sending him sprawling against the skewered suckling pigs. They tumble like dominoes, knocking Johnny on top of his balut-covered mother.Carlos picks up a tray of the Vietnamese style transparently wrapped no-fry spring rolls and flings the contents into the cold room all over Johnny and Miranda. “Vegan spring rolls is off the menu.”
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Author LinksWebsite Blog Facebook TwitterGoodreads Selected Other Books by Rachelle AyalaFor a complete selection, go to http://www.rachelleayala.com/p/bio-an...
Taming Romeo, SánchezSisters Book #1  -  Evie Sanchez is recovering from heartbreak when she runs into Romeo Garcia, the boy she left behind. Now a movie star, Romeo reignites her love with romance and skillful lovemaking. But is the fantasy real or revenge?
Broken Build, Chancefor Love Series #1 — Dave and Jen must thwart a killer while rescuing a victim from their past. Love blossoms, but Jen is suspected of being an accomplice of the kidnapper who ruined Dave’s life.

Hidden Under Her Heart, Chance for Love Series #2 —a heartfelt love story mixed with controversy over difficult decisions.

Knowing Vera, Chancefor Love Series #3 Every woman needs a Zach by her side, and Vera Custodio is one lucky girl, if only she can solve the mystery of their families’ past.  
Michal’sWindow (A Novel: King David’s First Wife) – a powerful and emotional journey as lived through the eyes of Princess Michal, King David’s first wife.
Whole Latte Love (Contemporary Romance)  -  A career oriented young woman has no time for distractions—especially the sexy, guitar-playing barista she rooms with. But how can she resist his hot looks, lattes, and heart for the homeless? Set in Berkeley, California, this opposites-attract romance mixes bluesy rock music, hot, steamy love scenes, and financial shenanigans.
A Father forChristmas – (Holiday Romance)   Single mother Kelly Kennedy can’t afford lavish gifts for her four-year-old daughter, Bree. Homeless veteran Tyler Manning doesn’t believe he deserves a Merry Christmas. When Bree asks Santa for a father and picks Tyler, both Tyler and Kelly must believe in the power of love to give Bree her best Christmas ever.







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WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Olive Oil Producer Bill Schweitzer

Bill Schweitzer, VP of Operations
Ramona Olive Oil Corporation Bill Schweitzer, VP of Operations for Ramona Olive Oil Corporation, joins us today to answer questions about the characteristics of outstanding olive oil. Schweitzer stresses the importance of locally-produced olive oil and tells us how olive oil should taste, defines “extra virgin olive oil,” and offers tips on how to select the best olive oil. 
Schweitzer is one of the founders of the Ramona Olive Oil Corporation that uses locally grown olives to produce their olive oil in Ramona, California, available throughout the Ramona area and for shipping. For more information on Schweitzer, his company, and Ramona Gold Olive Oil, check out the article, “A New Oil Boom? Ramona Gold Leads the Way in Local Olive Oil Production” in Edible San Diego; or the company’s web page at: http://www.ramonagold.com

Q: What should I taste in olive oil?
Bill Schweitzer:Olive oil should taste like olives. It should be fresh, herbaceous, lively and a bit peppery.  The flavors might mimic an artichoke or green, fresh cut grass. It should be pleasant and distinctive. Olive oil should never be bland. It should never have “off odors.” It should never have flavors of mustiness, rancidness or “old” anything.
Q: What does it mean for olive oil to be “extra virgin?”
Bill Schweitzer:The definition of “extra virgin olive oil” is simply, oil which has NO flavor or odor flaws and has the correct, very low, percentage of broken molecules called “free fatty acids.”
Q: How do you create extra virgin olive oil?
Bill Schweitzer:Olive oil is a strong anti-oxidant. It preserves itself in the bottle. Olives, on the other hand, are like any other fruit. Once they are picked they are subject to bruising, heat, light and air. The oil should be pressed from the fruit within 24 hours of picking. If not, the oil may pick up the flavors of the slowly fermenting fruit. Olive oil is at its absolute best the moment it comes out of the press.
Q: So, if a bottle of olive oil says it’s “extra virgin” that’s the best kind to buy?
Bill Schweitzer:  No. Fifty years ago it was hard to find olive oil at any place other than the local Italian market. Today, the shelves are full of "olive oil" choices. They come from all over the world, and many of them say "extra virgin” in large and cleverly formatted ways. The truth of the matter, according to Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller, most of the supermarket oil you can buy may have passed by an olive tree in Southern Italy while traveling from the chemical factory to a tanker ship. It's likely that the base oil was some cheaply available nut oil, chemically modified with a little olive flavor added with actual olive oil or another method. Consumer Reports did a study of numerous readily available brands and found few that could rightfully be called “Extra Virgin Olive Oil." The product in local restaurants is probably even less likely to be anything but bulk oil bought from a large importer.
Q: How do I know which olive oil to buy?
Bill Schweitzer:Here are a few tips:
(1) Look for a “pressed by” or “produced on” date. That date should be reasonable: November or December within 12 to 18 months for northern hemisphere sources and May or June for Australian oil.
(2) Look for a clear and unambiguous indication that the olives were grown by the same people who pressed the oil and put it in the bottle. “Estate grown” is usually a good clue. “Organic” is less important as a growing method, but may indicate that the trees are controlled by the bottler.
(3) If there is a choice between clear glass, dark glass or a tin container, always go for the oil that has seen the least light. Ultraviolet light is not good for those healthy molecules in the oil. The tin or dark glass make it harder to see the golden product, but they show that the producer has respect for the oil.
(4) Avoid any that says “produced in Italy” or “bottled in Italy” without the date and estate reference mentioned above. If it is actually olive oil, it still has taken too long to get from grove, to the mill, to the tanker ship, to the Italian bottler, back to a cargo ship, across the ocean through the distribution process and to that grocery shelf in front of you.
Q: What do you consider to be the most important characteristic of good olive oil?
Bill Schweitzer:  Olive oil is best from someplace local. It has traveled less, it has been processed less and it has been lovingly produced by someone who knows where the trees are growing. California is emerging as a fine producer of quality oil. From north to south, from coast to desert, there are small producers who are selling quality oil in the exact flavor profile you’re looking for.  Early harvest sharp, late harvest smooth, Tuscan style, French style, whatever…someone in California is doing it and they are putting the details on their label. And here in California we are fortunate to have a significant and organized olive oil industry that is willing to put its stamp of approval on our product.  The “California Olive Oil Council (COOC)” is dedicated to improving the quality of locally grown oil, educating consumers about the importance of that quality and stamping a certificate on oil that meets those high standards.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Rose Dunphy, Author and Cook

Novelist Rose Dunphy, an Italian by birth, responded to her fans’ request to bring her family’s recipes for sumptuous Italian dishes to her readers. She published her new cookbook THE SCENT of ITALIAN COOKING with recipes handed down from her grandmother, mother, and other family members and also produced by her own experimenting. Reviewers praise her use of photos to demonstrate her kitchen and the foods, and claim “As I turn the pages of this beautiful book I can ‘smell’ the aroma of Rose Marie’s recipes.”
In addition to her cookbook, Dunphy published her most recent novel in both English, ORANGE PEELS and COBBLESTONES and Italian CIOTTOLI e BUCCE D'ARANCIA, and has also been published in many magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Newsday. She has a new novel on the “back burner” and plans to get to it soon!
Q: You first wrote ORANGE PEELS and COBBLESTONES, a novel described as a “coming of age love story.” What made you decide to create a cookbook, THE SCENT of ITALIAN COOKING?
Rose Dunphy: Food plays a role in the relationship Marietta, the protagonist in ORANGE PEELS and COBBLESTONES, has with her mother once they reunite.  Readers of the novel have written telling me how much they enjoyed that aspect of the book and did I have more recipes and could I put them in a book or in my next novel?  My family and friends know how much I love to cook.  When they found out that readers wanted recipes, they pushed hard for a cookbook.  So I spent most of the summer writing down the recipes I knew by heart and those handed down to me by my mother, grandmother and other Italian relatives living in Italy.  Included in the cookbook are an Introduction, How to Shop for Foods (a request by male relatives new to cooking) and colorful photos of meals alongside the recipe, as well as photos of my mother, cousins and the Italian landscape.  
Q: What makes your recipes “Italian?” How would you characterize Italian cooking? Is it just pasta, garlic, and tomato sauce?
Rose Dunphy: It’s much more than that.  Italian cooking means using only the freshest ingredients possible, especially vegetables.  In fact, many Italians I know grow their own tomatoes, string beans, peppers, eggplant and herbs in summer gardens.  It’s simple cooking in that you would use vegetables, meats, fish and herbs in their most natural state and blend the flavors to produce the most delectable tastes, aromas and colors our senses can enjoy.  Yes, pasta is a consistent part of the Italian meal, but each pasta, especially if it’s fresh, has its own distinctive flavor due to its shape and the type of sauce put over it, whether it’s tomato sauce with or without meat, pesto, oil and garlic, béchamel or Alfredo sauce.
Q: What are your top 3 to 5 tips to guide us on how to cook Italian?
Rose Dunphy:1.     Buy the freshest ingredients possible and cook them within a day or two. 2.     Use extra virgin olive oil in all your cooking instead of butter for better health.3.     Cook vegetables together, blending and enhancing flavor and nutrition, for example, broccoli and carrots, zucchini and string beans.  The natural sweetness of one complements the other.4.     Use fresh herbs and don’t be afraid to mix those in many recipes, for example, sage leaves, a sprig of rosemary, chives, parsley, basil, oregano, whatever you like.  Be creative.  The final flavor will astound you.5.     For pastas and bread, the flavor of fresh can’t be beat.  If you don’t have time to make pasta or bread yourself, today you can buy fresh pasta or freshly baked bread in most supermarkets.
Q: What do you consider a satisfying, superlative Italian dinner?
Rose Dunphy: One made simply with fresh vegetables as a side, some meat or fish for the entrée, a pasta dish at the beginning of the meal and, at the end, a Romaine or other green salad with basil and arugula that’s dressed with salt, oil and balsamic vinegar.  A cup of espresso with one or two biscotti clinches the final act. 
Q: How do you test your recipes? (I’d like to volunteer, if you still need any help.) What was the best and worst comment you’ve received from any of your “testers?”
Rose Dunphy: I use the taste test.  I taste the finished product and my husband tastes it, too.  If we agree, I know the recipe is a “wow!”  When an entrée or dessert has not come out as expected, both my husband and I are not afraid to say it.  But I am its worst critic.  I go back and try to ascertain what went wrong or what I could have done differently and note it so I don’t make the same mistake again.
I’ll never forget the time I made Talapia in the oven.  Because the colors are similar and I was probably distracted, I inadvertently added cinnamon instead of paprika to the fish.  While it was baking, I detected a sweet scent I wasn’t used to in cooking fish.  When I opened the oven, I realized my mistake.  I tried to rub it off, but it wasn’t easy as the fish was already cooked.  We tried to eat it, but it was not enjoyable.  “It’s terrible,” my husband and I both finally said.   I rose from the dinner table and pulled out two more pieces of Talapia from the freezer and paid more attention to how I dressed them.
Q: Where/how did you get your recipes? Did you do much research?
Rose Dunphy: My recipes have come from my mother, grandmother and other Italian relatives living in Italy.  They’ve been handed down from one generation to another for many years.  I’ve also gotten some from my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, friends and newspapers from which I’ve tweaked them to create my own versions.  My research involved asking my relatives for their recipes that I did not have and confirmation of what I did have.  Also, some of my recipes have evolved over the years.  I like to think they’ve improved due to my creativity to try different combinations of ingredients.
Q: What did you find the most difficult about writing a cookbook?
Rose Dunphy:Following the format of listing the ingredients and steps in an organized fashion to make it easiest on the reader was a challenge as was making sure that I didn’t omit an ingredient or step.
Q: Which was more fun writing – your novel or the cookbook?
Rose Dunphy: The novel was much more creative and, perhaps, more fulfilling.  But both books were work.  The fun comes at the end, when I finish.  It also comes when I speak about my books at author talks in libraries, schools, book stores, etc. and people come up to me and say, “I loved your book.  It really spoke to me because…”  Or, “I made your shrimp recipe last night and it came out delicious.  And it was so easy.”
Q: What’s next? Will you be writing another novel?
Rose Dunphy:  Of course.  One is already on a back burner ready to be lit.  But I have to finish editing someone else’s novel first, which I’m hoping to complete in a month.
Q:  Tell us something about Rose Dunphy. What do you like to do when you’re not writing or cooking?
Rose Dunphy: I love to read, go for walks, exercise at the gym and do some traveling, especially to see my family in Italy.
About Rose Marie Calicchio Dunphy
Rose Marie Calicchio Dunphy was born in Italy and educated in Italy and New York. Having spent her childhood years in her native country, she knows the Italian culture, language and culinary arts from both sides of the Atlantic. A New York State licensed science teacher, writer, lecturer and experienced cook, the author has written a number of books: ORANGE PEELS and COBBLESTONES, a novel; CIOTTOLI e BUCCE D'ARANCIA, the Italian translation of the novel; THAT FIRST BITE-CHANCE or CHOICE, non-fiction about eating disorders with co-author Mary Sullivan, r.c.; THE SCENT of ITALIAN COOKING, a book of recipes gleaned from generations of Italian women and men that delight everyone's nostrils and palates. In addition, the author has been published in THE NEW YORK TIMES, NEWSDAY, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, THE EAST HAMPTON STAR, and in numerous magazines across the country.
About THE SCENT of ITALIAN COOKING
THE SCENT of ITALIAN COOKING is a cookbook of Italian and Italian-American recipes passed down to the author from her grandmother, mother and other Italian relatives in Italy that delight everyone's nostrils and palates. It also includes recipes the author created on her own by experimenting with different foods and flavors to create in her home and hopefully in yours the wonderful scent of Italian cooking. The recipes are easy to understand and to use. The author wishes to display a love of cooking that she hopes is contagious. The book contains many photos of foods and Italian scenery as well as how to shop for foods, a Table of Contents and an index for quick access of recipes.
Excerpt
FROM ROSE MARIE’S INTRODUCTION
“The best memories I have of my childhood are walking into my grandmother’s kitchen.  It was like entering heaven.  All my senses were stirred and I became alive.”  For many of us, our senses were stirred and we became alive when we entered our mother’s or grandmother’s kitchens.  The aroma of food cooking on the stove or baking in the oven intoxicated us, overwhelming us with joy and building a tradition of lasting memories of the people who loved us.  For me it also includes the kitchens of my Italian relatives in Italy.  Every time I visit my aunts, uncles and cousins, or they visit me, it’s in the kitchen where we congregate.  In the kitchen our minds, mouths and eyes feast on the most delicious food and drink that the earth can provide and our human hands can prepare. It is where we are family, where we become one.I want to continue this tradition for my children and grandchildren and for others who wish it – to stir their senses, for them to become alive, not just at holiday times but every day or as many days of the year as possible.  For this reason, I am collating my family’s favorite recipes into this cookbook so they can live on not only in our kitchens, but also in our hearts and souls and senses and in those of our children.    Pesto Sauce
You can buy pesto sauce, but it won’t taste like the kind that’s home-made.  And it’s so easy to do especially if you grow basil in your garden outside or indoors in a pot.  You can also buy a bunch of fresh basil at the store any time of year. You can put parsley in the mix by using one cup of basil and one cup of parsley, if you prefer. 
Tip: If you double the recipe or make more, you can freeze what you don’t use by pouring several spoonsful (serving for one or two) onto a piece of waxed paper, fold closed and cover with aluminum foil.  Place on a flat cookie sheet and put in freezer.  Once frozen, place packages in a freezer bag, label and date and put back in freezer for future use. 
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh basil ½ cup olive oil 2 tbsp. pine nuts 1/3 cup grated cheese 3 chopped garlic cloves or more if you like it more garlicky.
Directions:1.     Wash basil and parsley, if using it, under running water.  Dry with paper toweling.  Cut off any thick stems.2.     Place oil, half of basil, pine nuts and garlic in blender or food processor and blend.  Add remaining basil and blend to a fine texture.  Puree.3.     Add cheese and blend quickly.  Puree.  Yields one cup ready to serve or freeze for a future time.  
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WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Crissi Langwell, Author

Crissi Langwell, Author
THE ROAD TO HOPEReviewers describe Crissi Langwell’s books as “those books that have a story that stay with you weeks later.” In her most recent novel, THE ROAD TO HOPE, Langwell’s “believable and real” characters turn grief into hope, in a way that reviewers say “hooked them right from the start.” She also has published two other novels, a book of essays, and a book of poetry.
Langwell sets her books in Sonoma County, California where she lives with her blended family, and says, “Family is what I know, and what we can all relate to.” In 2015 she plans to release a series of more “lighthearted” projects that mix magic with desserts. In addition to writing books, Langwell works for her local newspaper and is editor for her regional writing club newsletter.



Q: Your newest book THE ROAD TO HOPE has been described as turning “grief and affliction” into “beauty that exists when hope prevails.” Why did you write this story? How did you conceive it? Where did it come from?
Crissi Langwell: 12 years ago, I lost my third child to stillbirth. It was such a shocking loss, one I don’t think anyone could be prepared for. There isn’t much that hurts more than to lose your child. For years, this loss defined me. However, with time, I was able to heal. But because of that loss, I’m forever changed.
Fast forward a couple more years, and I witnessed a toddler fall from a Trader Joe’s shopping cart headfirst onto the floor. He ended up being okay, but something about the whole scene stuck with me. Everyone was watching the mother but not helping. And she was just sitting in the middle of the store, soothing her screaming child. It was this event that became the first scene of my book, and the whole story evolved into a love letter to myself and to anyone else who has gone through hardship or trauma.
Q: As in your previous books, reviewers of THE ROAD TO HOPE tout it as “an amazing story. Hooked right from the start” and “I was absolutely RIVETED!” How do you make your story “riveting?” What pulls your readers in and won’t let them go?
Crissi Langwell: I try to keep the boring parts out. ;-) Really, I do my best to keep the story moving forward at all times. Each action that happens, you can bet that it will lead to something pivotal a few scenes later.  And I write about real life, the kinds of things we all are thinking or feeling, even if they’re not the kind of stuff we’ll admit out loud. I try to be authentic when I write.
Q: Reviewers say that you have “a gift for creating believable and real characters.” What makes “real” characters? Why do readers believe them?
Crissi Langwell: I love writing about people and how they affect each other. I draw from real experiences, but I also let the characters tell the story, not me. When I begin writing a novel, I always have a loose plan in place. But as soon as I get to know the characters better, they take over and throw my plans out. I think that’s why readers find my characters believable, because I do my best not to interrupt the story that’s taking place.
Q: Family seems important to you throughout all of your writing—fiction, non-fiction, reporting. What is it about the family that inspires you to write about it?
Crissi Langwell: I started my family a little younger than most, with my first daughter born when I was 20. I got married and divorced in my 20s, raised my kids as a single mother, and I’m now happily married into a blended family. I’ve experienced all sorts of different types of families – from my intact and totally normal family when I grew up, my chaotic family in my 20s, and now in a family of all different personalities under one roof. Family is my life! I was even the family columnist for my local newspaper for a time. So when it came to writing books, I couldn’t think of anything more I wanted to write about. Family is what I know, and what we can all relate to.
Q: Did you write THE ROAD TO HOPE to entertain readers, to deliver a message, and/or to educate? To inspire?
Crissi Langwell: It could be a little of all three. I love writing about the underdogs, and THE ROAD TO HOPE is no different. In this book, I touched on themes of homelessness, poverty, teen pregnancy, and child loss. I offered points of view that many would be too uncomfortable to get close to in real life. But I offered insight as to how easily these situations could happen to anyone. It’s my hope that someone who reads my book will be able to walk away with a new way to look at life.
Q: How relevant is the concept of villains and heroes to your stories?
Crissi Langwell: The concept of villains and heroes is not only relevant, but it can also be a muddy concept as well. Sometimes the heroes can be villains. Sometimes the villains can be heroes. In my novels, I’ve written about bad guys/girls who are cruel, have caused bad things to happen, say mean things, are rude or dismissive… But there’s always a backstory. WHY are they mean? Why do they hurt people around them? I do my best to answer these questions. Sometimes the villains in my stories end up being readers’ favorites, because their bad side is also their human side.
Q: How helpful is setting to telling your stories? Could they occur at any time in any place?
Crissi Langwell: One little secret I have is that I like to place my characters in the same place I live – Sonoma County. There are a few books out there that have used Sonoma County (which is north of San Francisco) as their setting, and it’s always a treat to come across my home in a book. I imagine one day I’ll write a book that doesn’t take place here at all. But so far, every one of my stories is set in a nearby town. It’s also helpful to be describing a scene, and be able to completely envision it because it’s based off a real place, even if just loosely. As for the timing, so far all my books take place in the present. I haven’t done any serious writing that takes place in the past or future. But it’s not out of the question.
Q: Er, just to let you know, my next mystery, Hilltop Sunset, is set in Sonoma County. I love it there.
Q: You have also written poetry. When do you prefer writing poetry over prose?
Crissi Langwell: I always prefer prose over poetry. Poetry is hard! But for a time, it served as a way to loosen my pen in preparation for writing a novel. It helped teach me to dive into description and draw the reader into the scene I was painting. Much of my poetry was written years ago during a very confusing time in my life. I never even meant for it to go public! But when all was said and done, I realized that what I wrote wasn’t half bad. My book of poetry, Everything I Am Not Saying, is not one that I publicize a ton, but it is one of my proudest (and most personal) achievements.
Q: What’s next?
Crissi Langwell: After writing three novels that dealt with deep and heavy themes, I am now exploring something more lighthearted. I’m preparing to release a series of 4 books in 2015 that mixes magic with desserts. The first book is titled Come Here, Cupcake,and is about a woman who discovers she has the magical ability to infuse her baking with her feelings. As you can imagine, this leads to some very sticky situations.
Q: Tell us about Crissi Langwell. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Crissi Langwell: I read. A lot. I also can be found at the baseball field or golf course cheering on my son, teaching my daughter to drive (Lord help us all), or just hanging with the family at home. I’m the newsletter editor for my regional writing club, Redwood Writers, I work full-time for the local newspaper, I volunteer for my church, and I help with the year-round planning for the summer camp the kids and I attend every year. I guess you can say I like to stay busy!
About Crissi Langwell
Crissi Langwell is the author of three fiction novels, a book of poetry, and a collection of true stories about single parenting. She lives in Northern California with her husband and blended family of three kids, a whiny cat, and a ridiculous teenage dog.
About THE ROAD TO HOPE
Jill is a woman who just lost her son. Maddie is a teen mother who has been rejected by her parents. Both are sent reeling at the tragic spin life has taken. And both are on a crash course for changing each other’s lives. This is the story of two mothers, the trauma they experience, and how life’s twists and turns can have an impact on who they think they are, who they’re bound to become, and the lives they touch in between.Amazon: bit.ly/road2hopebook
Excerpt
Chapter One ~ The Point of ImpactThere was no stopping it. In one moment, Toby had been standing in the front of the small shopping cart, grinning at his mom as she filled a bag with green beans. In the next, the cart tipped forward against his weight, sending him head-first toward the checkered linoleum in the middle of Hal’s Market. The look of terror on her toddler’s face was etched in Jill’s mind as she saw him tumble from the cart, falling just far enough away that she knew she’d never reach him in time. But in the eternity that lay in those few seconds, she made a valiant effort, throwing her arms forward to catch nothing but air.
Toby’s forehead hit the slick floor first, the rest of his body crumpling down into his neck, then careening over his body like a rag doll. Jill reached him and, despite everything she had ever learned about not moving accident victims, she turned him over to see if he was okay. She would never forget the look in his eyes. Tearless, they reached into her, grabbing at her guilt with a firm hold while raking over her worst fears. Then they lost all recognition.
“Toby,” she breathed. His olive eyes were fixed on the ceiling, the blank expression frozen on his face. But then his body relaxed into a deep and shuddering breath, followed by a scream of pain and terror. His cries were a sweet sound to Jill’s ears. She scooped her son up and held him tight against her chest.
Jill avoided the stares from the small crowd forming around her and Toby. She could feel the weight of their judgment, their unspoken thoughts screaming at her. How could she? What kind of mother lets that happen? She doesn’t deserve a child. Jill held her sobbing son to her chest, rocking him next to the green beans and zucchini while trying to pretend the growing crowd didn’t exist. The two of them sat until his screams subsided into hiccupped breathing. Then Toby lay his curly blonde head against her shoulder, playing with a lock of her chestnut hair as he breathed into her sweater. Jill couldn’t help but see the irony in this—her injured toddler finding safety in the very person who had let him fall.

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WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Kelly Crigger, Author and Curmudgeon

Kelly Crigger, Curmudgeon and Author
CURMUDGEONISM: A SURLY MAN’S GUIDE TO MIDLIFE Kelly Crigger is a self-avowed curmudgeon, and he’s used his knowledge to write a guide for others to follow. As one reviewer said, “The world needs a great big dose of reality, and this work here is exactly where it starts.” Crigger started to write “life lessons” for his children, but his journal evolved into CURMUDGEONISM: A SURLY MAN’S GUIDE TO MIDLIFE.
Crigger continues to enjoy writing and is now co-authoring a book “I Am Haunted” and has four other novels underway. He likes spending time with his family, and appreciates the days he gets to spend with them.
Q: What inspired you to write CURMUDGEONISM: A SURLY MAN’S GUIDE TO MIDLIFE? Why did you write it?
Kelly Crigger: I went through a dark period in 2013 where I lost my father and my business and was kinda pissed at the world and people in general. When you own a business you see the worst in people. They all want to take advantage of you or lie to your face and it really jaded me. At the time I’d been writing down life lessons for my kids and was planning to put them into a book for them. So I just got drunk one night and took all those lessons and rewrote them with a “fuck you world” attitude and 8 weeks later the book was done. Once I got started I couldn’t stop myself.
Q: When did you comprehend the significance of curmudgeonism?
Kelly Crigger: About a year after retiring from the Army I was lost and really wasn’t sure who I was anymore. I was used to a life of selfless service where everyone helps and trusts each other and landed in a world of backstabbing, lying assholes. I figured there were probably a lot of midlife men like me struggling with their place in life and wrote this for them.
Q: How helpful is humor to recognizing and coping with curmudgeonism?
Kelly Crigger: Very. My book comes across as angry (and it is) but it’s also laced with humor…if you can recognize it. John Cleese said it best – “Humor is best when it’s mean spirited.” I took that to heart.
Q: You offer advice on “how to cope” with this “midlife tailspin.” Is this advice based on your own discovery of Curmudgeonism? Or did you research scientific or medical authorities?
Kelly Crigger: My own tailspin that I am only just barely coming out of. You have to remember that men are wired to provide (at least the ones who give a shit are). When anything threatens our ability to bring home the bacon, put a roof over our family’s heads, or pay for braces, we freak out just a little and dedicate our energies to bringing the world back into balance by ensuring we provide now and in the future. 
Q: One of the reviewers of CURMUDGEONISM says, “this book is about one thing above all else: reality.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
Kelly Crigger: Of course I agree. I dedicated part of the book to those namby pamby souls who turn a blind eye to reality and try to wish it away. Men go to war, immigrants are here, drugs are everywhere. To encase yourself in a cocoon of denial is stupid and doesn’t help solve any of these problems.
Q: Do you believe that your insight into curmudgeonism applies to men worldwide? Or is it more pertinent to men in the US and developed countries?
Kelly Crigger: I’d like to think it’s applicable to men everywhere, but I’m willing to bet there are cultural differences that would make men in different countries look at me like an idiot. Islam doesn’t treat women like we do, so I’m sure my views on the opposite sex would not go over well with them.
Q: What are the top three to five tips you might offer to curmudgeons?
Kelly Crigger: 1. Live and let live, meaning when you encounter morons just give them a wide berth and be comfortable in knowing they’re morons and you’re not. 2. When you cannot avoid encountering a moron, let him have it. Prove he’s a moron not to be an asshole, but to help him recognize that he’s a moron and you’re only trying to help reduce his moronism.3. Never apologize for being a curmudgeon.
Q: Did you learn anything when writing CURMUDGEONISM?
Kelly Crigger: I write angry subjects better when I drink.
Q: What’s next? Any novels in your future or do you prefer non-fiction?
Kelly Crigger: I’m co-writing a book with Zak Bagans called I Am Haunted that comes out in February. It’s on Amazon now. After that I’ll be working on novels. I have 4 in various stages of production.
Q: Tell us about Kelly Crigger. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Kelly Crigger: Drink and hate everything. Just kidding. I love to write and be with my family. I’m kind of a hermit. My job is Chemical and Biological Defense, but for the most part I’m just sitting in my house with my family as much as possible because I know these days are limited. The kids will move out eventually and if they’re like me they’ll never look back.
About Kelly Crigger
Kelly Crigger is an angry troll who lives under a bridge, eats goats that wander past, and throws their bones into the canyon of despair.
About CURMUDGEONISM: A SURLY MAN’S GUIDE TO MIDLIFE
Discovering who you are is not just for teenagers. Midlife men must also rediscover the world around them while struggling with their own impending mortality and legacy, especially those who change careers and lifestyles.
Middle-aged men like me are under siege, beset on all sides by personal ambition, internal expectations, familial pressure, disillusionment, uncertainty, and legacy. It’s a constant battle to balance the needs of the self and the needs of others and a struggle to discover which ones really take priority. Some win this battle and some tragically lose.
Curmudgeonism is a state of mind, unwavering, unapologetic, and uninterested in what people think. We are the proverbial old dog that can’t be taught new tricks because we know the old tricks are tried and true. We have firm beliefs that can’t be shaken. Free trade is good. True leaders are rare. Happiness is a luxury. Golf is a waste of time and we don’t have enough years left to be unproductive. We don’t apologize for our views because we’ve spent half a lifetime developing them. Theory and idealism sounds good in school but only until it becomes cost prohibitive and the real world determines ground truth. Curmudgeons are uncaring about what people think and have low expectations on the world because it’s done little more than disappoint us. We’re middle aged and tired of looking, acting, feeling the way people want us to, so we’re breaking out and being who we were meant to be; irascible curs who make the world a better place through brutal honesty. We see this as our duty and take it seriously.
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CHECK IT OUT: Character Jillian Hillcrest Introduces New Protagonist and Cover of Mystery HILLTOP SUNSET

Character Jillian Hillcrest solves mysteries written by yours truly, Joyce T. Strand. When she’s not sleuthing, publicist Jillian promotes her company. She joins us today to introduce a new protagonist, Brynn Bancroft, and the cover of her premier mystery, HILLTOP SUNSET: A BRYNN BANCROFT MYSTERY scheduled for launch Nov. 12, 2014.
by Jillian Hillcrest 
Character from the Jillian Hillcrest Mysteries
I am so excited to introduce Brynn Bancroft as the latest protagonist for Joyce T. Strand’s mysteries. My fans will recall that in the Jillian Hillcrest Mystery series, Brynn was my boss. She served as Chief Financial Officer of Harmonia Therapeutics in Silicon Valley, California. Unfortunately, Brynn—a shapely blonde with a MENSA IQ—had an affair with the CEO of the company. The CEO’s wife figured out that the two were involved and asked Brynn to leave the company, which she agreed to do.
In the meantime, Brynn’s husband, Liam grew tired of waiting for Brynn to commit to their relationship after 14 years of marriage and asked for a divorce--even though he was aware of her upbringing in an abusive family. At the same time, he solicited her assistance in developing his new winery in Sonoma County, Calif.
Much like me in my series, Brynn, too, attracts mystery and murders as she grows to enjoy life at her ex-husband’s Hilltop Sunset Winery. 
Oh, and by the way, I do appear now and again in the Brynn Bancroft mysteries. I’m just not the star!


HILLTOP SUNSET, a mystery set in wine country pitting financial exec—my boss—Brynn Bancroft against a determined stalker, a troubled love interest, and career clashes. Like all Joyce T. Strand mysteries, HILLTOP SUNSET is drawn from a real California case.
Brynn learns that a former employee who beat her nearly to death has returned to stalk her and me, Jillian Hillcrest, also a former victim.  Recently divorced, Brynn turns to a new love interest only to encounter additional unwelcome issues. Meanwhile, I notice that short-timer Brynn, who has resigned from her Silicon Valley company, becomes bored fulfilling her remaining responsibilities there. She seems to prefer supporting the launch of her ex-husband’s new hilltop winery while waiting to move to her next position.
Between our stalker and her new love interest, Brynn faces a series of life-threatening events—some of which I share.
Brynn says, “I welcome readers to watch how I transition from Chief Financial Officer to winemaker amid confrontation with a stalker, murders, and a new love interest.”
You won’t want to miss Brynn’s premier mystery. Watch for it! If you doubt me, you can

Read an excerpt here
Publication date for HILLTOP SUNSET is November 12, 2014. It will be available in e-book and paperback on Amazon and e-book on Nook.
Watch for blog tours and giveaways.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Sylvia Stein, Author

Sylvia Stein, Author
CLOSURESylvia Stein brings us her first novella, CLOSURE, reviewed as “a story about monsters, but not the monsters of typical horror books, these monsters (alcohol and cancer) are reality.” Stein says that she pulled her story partially out of her own childhood and she tells it to inspire readers to hope. Her villain is alcohol, coupled to death and child abuse.
Stein currently lives with her husband and three children. She loves to speak Spanish, and when she’s not writing, to spend time with her family. She has published several short stories, and is currently working on her second novel, “Chasing Clarity.”
Q: What inspired you to write a book about child abuse? Why did you write CLOSURE?
Sylvia Stein: I began writing CLOSURE not as a book about child abuse but to tell a story of a young girl who grows up into a woman and is left with the lingering abuse of her past due to her father.   This book was not only to show the affect of child abuse but also to show how the loss of her mother affects Sara and her father Garrison and how it leads them both into trying to find their way back and if it is even a possibility for them.
 Q:  Reviewers tout how real your characters are in CLOSURE. How did you achieve this? Were you able to draw on any actual people?
Sylvia Stein: I am pleased with the Reviews.  I am also happy that the readers have connected with CLOSURE and have found the characters so real.   The main reasons are because I based them off many of those people I knew back home.  These characters of Sara and Garrison are based on them and their experiences and I added the alcoholism because that affected my parents and ultimately ended their marriage, which affected all of us.  It was a bit of what we went through; the only difference was that my father got help eventually and he was never abusive to any of us but for my mother enough was enough. Luckily they were able to become friends and then after getting sober my father lived a happy life with all of us.  He loved all of us, and we all built a great relationship and then sadly in 2005 he passed away. 
Q: A story about death, alcoholism, and child abuse could be depressing. Where do you make CLOSURE compelling and inviting to read?
Sylvia Stein: Yes, CLOSUREtackles death, alcoholism and child abuse but I tell the story in a way that the reader is able to follow not only Sara’s Journey but also find out a bit more about Garrison’s as well.   The way I make it compelling and inviting is to have written it with all the emotion that lets the reader not only follow the story but ultimately lets them reach their own empathy for the characters. 
Q: How do you create the emotional response felt by many reviewers of CLOSURE?
Sylvia Stein:  As I said CLOSURE is close to my heart because I have known others that have dealt with these issues.   I also added my own struggles within my family in regards to how I felt when someone you love is caught up within the monster that is alcohol and what it does to the entire family.   This is why I believe reviewers are responding in the same way.
Q: How accurate are the attributes of alcoholism and child abuse? Did you need to do research for credibility?
Sylvia Stein: The attributes of alcoholism are accurate because I did the research and I made sure all of it was compelling within the story. 
Q: Does the concept of hero vs. villain apply to CLOSURE? If so, who do you consider to be the villain? What attributes contribute to creating an effective villain?
Sylvia Stein: No, for me I do not think I would classify any of the characters as villains.  I would say the villain is alcohol and that is the monster.  Then there is the sadness that is Cancer. However, I do see heroes in the story; for example, Sara’s Aunt Valerie and her Uncle Kyle, Dr. Baker, the AA for Garrison and all the nurses of the Hospice.  And let’s not forget in the end Sara and Garrison became heroes in their own right. 
Q: Did you write CLOSURE to entertain readers, to educate them, to deliver a message, to inspire?
Sylvia Stein: I wrote CLOSURE to deliver a message and to inspire their emotions and to ultimately create the faith to hold on to hope.
Q: How relevant or supportive to telling your story was the setting? Could CLOSURE have occurred anywhere at any time?
Sylvia Stein: For the setting I focused on cities that I am familiar with.  I think they could have occurred anywhere. 
Q: What’s next?
Sylvia Stein: Well, right now I am working on my second novel called, “Chasing Clarity” which I began writing for my first National Novel Month last November 2013.  It should be out in December and I am also taking my online classes for my Master’s of Creative Writing and English with a concentration in Fiction; I will be graduating next August. 
Q: Tell us about Sylvia Stein. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Sylvia Stein: I love speaking Spanish.  I was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas to my parents Catarina and Ramon Olivares.  They immigrated from Mexico along with their parents and they provided a better life for all of us.  When I am not writing I love to spend time with my family.  My three children and my husband are my everything. I love having a fun night of being mom and going out to a nice dinner with all of them.  I also love to attend church because my faith is everything too.
About Sylvia Stein
Author Sylvia Stein began her path to writing when she joined the Writer’s Group on Linked in 750 in 2012.  She continued her journey by creating short stories, which were published in the Giant tales Anthology series.
While obtaining her Masters degree at Southern New Hampshire University online, author Stein built a solid foundation with her colleagues who encouraged her to continue her writing. That’s when CLOSURE was born.
With the help of her editor CLOSURE grew from a short story to a full novella that Author Stein is excited to share.  CLOSURE is her debut book as a solo writer.   To quote author Stein,  “ This is the first of many to come.”
About CLOSURE
After years of abuse, Sara’s aunt visits. She recognizes the abuse and removes Sara. The frail girl begins the delicate journey of finding herself, while struggling to leave her father and the monster behind.
Despite the emotional and mental scars she carried, Sara manages to start a new life. She is finally happy.
A phone call changes everything.
Will Sara continue her new life? Can she face the monster, or will she find closure?Excerpt
Chapter 2
In the dark corner of a room, Sara James waited until the monster fell asleep.
Who was the monster?
Garrison James, her father.
It amazed her how much had changed in the few short months since her mother, Lila left. It felt as if it happened over night.
At first, he seemed absent. Then the yelling, drinking, and angry glares erupted whenever she entered the same room as him. Soon, he began calling her names. When she thought things could not get worse, the real abuse began.
He’s not my dad!He’s a monster!
Heavy footsteps tromped towards the room. She gulped in jagged breaths and looked to the ceiling while blinking rapidly. A feeble attempt to control her tears.When hiding from the monster found her, she would replay what she did wrong and how he caught her the time before.
Don’t cry, she reminded herself, that’s how he finds you.
She looked around the once lively home for a sweet reminder of better times. There was a time when the house was surrounded by a beautiful garden. Her and her mother would walk hand in hand and choose which flowers to bring inside. Now, the windows were closed, and the vase that usually held flowers sat empty. No matter where she looked, there was no sign of happiness or life.
The house had become a vessel of sorrow and pain.
Mommy, think of her.
She closed her eyes and forced images of her favorite memories. A brief smile appeared as thoughts reverted her to one of the many times when her mother taught her how to bake cookies.
“Oh, Momma, I miss you,” she whispered.
The memory of her mother distracted Sara from the harsh reality. However, nearly as quick as the memories arrived, they dissipated, and before she knew it, the monster began lashing out.
“Sara! Sara! Where are you?” he screamed.
Realizing she had made noise. Sara covered her mouth and began internally praying.
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