A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 100
August 28, 2019
A Day in the Life of… Lynda McKinney Lambert #Uniqueauthors #Visualartist #Wordsarepower
Meet Author and Visual Artist:
Lynda McKinney Lambert lives and works in the Village of Wurtemburg, in rural western Pennsylvania.
Please give us a brief outline of who you are.
I wear a variety of different hats. I use this word, hats, to describe an actual object, as well as a metaphor that portrays myself. It is a little thing – but important.
Today, I am working on P.R. for my latest poetry book, Star Signs: New and Selected Poems, just published on July 15.
Star Signs: New and Selected Poems showcases my professional career as a poet from the mid-80s and takes readers to the latest poems, written just before the book was published.
I give readers 54 poems in this collection.
2. You’re a writer and artist – how is this reflected in your typical day?
Now that I am retired from my international teaching career, my days are more flexible, even, unpredictable. I love it because I embrace randomness and chance in my life.
In my Writing Life:
I am often writing during the nights because I’ve never been one who sleeps much. I sleep in short periods of a couple of hours at a time. Typically, I am up working in my office between 2 and 5 am.
My days begin early because I have 2 dogs to take out – they like to be out by 6 or 7 am. It gets me moving, so that’s a good thing.
I do very little work after 5 pm. Evenings are my downtimes when I might watch some TV, or just listen to a book or relax. I like to sit and think – thinking takes a lot of time. You have to intend to think, and then set the time aside so you can actually do it.
In my Artist Life:
I make art only during the daytime. Because I have profound sight loss, I use an Acrobat CCTV – which is an electronic device that greatly enlarges my working area – it is a closed-circuit TV. My eyes are only able to work at this intensity in the mornings or afternoons. After that, they are too tired to work any longer. So, you won’t find me making art in the evening or night.
On the days I am making art, I like to focus only on that. I go to a place of “timelessness” in my studio and I am always unaware of the passing of the day while I am working.
Either way, my writing or art day begins after I’ve taken care of the dogs and cats. Bob will get up around 10 am, and he can take care of his own breakfast or whatever else he wants to do. We often begin to work outside in the summer months, or inside the house in cooler weather. In summertime, I tend my flower gardens. My husband takes care of the yard work.
Like everyone else, we have appointments and essential trips to different places for groceries or exercise or social communications. Typically, we go to the gym 3 mornings a week for weight resistance training or cardio workouts.
My THEMES:
Nature is a predominant theme in my writing and my mixed-media fiber art.
I observe the day, the season, and watch for changes. I listen to the sounds of life, changing weather, and all the little details and nuances that we experience at any given day or night. I am so conscious of changing seasons, the quick turning from one to the other almost like magic.
In my writing, I describe the natural elements in my world, and in my art, I use the natural elements such as water-worn river stones; gemstones & crystals from different locations in the entire world; fabrics, and found objects. I use the objects in the art, and in my writing, I also use them as metaphors or subject matter.
Other themes in my work:
*The passing of time
*Memory as in collective memory or place
*History – searching out the historical context of ideas
*Passage or Journey; a sacred Pilgrimage from one place to another
*No separation between sacred and secular
3. Do you work at another job?
My job is to be at work when the Muse arrives.
My responsibility is to arrive at work on time each day.
When I was working as a professor of fine arts and humanities, I had to fit my writing and art-making in-between my responsibilities at the college. I wrote my first book, Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage, from my journal jottings, drawings, and research that I did each summer. I taught a month-long course, “Drawing and Writing in Salzburg.” Whatever the students were working on that day, I was working right alongside them in the classroom or in the field. We met each morning at 8 am to begin our day. By 9 am we were often on a bus on our way to a location for that morning’s creative work. Our class ended at noon (Monday through Thursday), so this gave me afternoons and weekends that were free for me to pursue my personal work. I usually travelled to a different country each weekend, where I wrote in my journals and did photography and drawings.
As a professor, I had to squeeze my personal work in-between my heavy workload during the semesters. Not only was I working on my own art and writing projects, I was also actively exhibiting my art in galleries and museums all over the world. It took a great deal of discipline to be able to do this intensive work. So, I’ve always been a person who is focused and willing to put in the hours that it takes to be successful in what I am doing. Retirement just opened up the door wider for me to create even more work because it eliminated the rigid teaching schedule I lived with for many years.
4. How did you fit in a family or ‘real life’?
I married my husband Bob, when I was seventeen years old. He was twenty.
We celebrated our 58th wedding anniversary this year.
We have 5 children and my life was completely occupied with cooking meals, doing laundry daily; managing our home and the children’s activities and needs. We were active in their school and church life. My children were the center of my life and it was important that I was there to take care of our home, and all of them. My first commitment was to my family.
My heart’s desire, was that I wanted to go to college, and I wanted to be a teacher. That part of my life would not begin until I was forty-two years old, and the children were all in high school.
My academic career began at age forty-two, and I had a single focus. I intended to “go all the way” with education. I intended to earn not only a BFA in Painting, but I would pursue the terminal degree in fine art, which is an MFA. I intended to be a college professor. I actually earned the MA in English along the way, too. I had a passion for writing and making art – so this seemed like a good idea for me. From the beginning, I worked across disciplines. And, this eventually led me to my teaching position at Geneva College, a Reformed Presbyterian college in western Pennsylvania. Because of my dual degrees in fine art and English, I was hired to use my expertise in the Humanities at the college. This work is both challenging and educational as a life-long learner. I loved doing research in my fields.
I advised students:
“Don’t give yourself permission to do less than what you have a passion for doing.
Follow your passion and your abilities – you want to do work that makes you happy to get up each morning.
You want to do what you dreamed of doing.
Never make a plan for your life out of fear. Go for your highest purpose and you will get there.”
I also believe in excellence. This does not mean I think that perfectionism is to be admired. It is not an admirable trait but perfectionism is a liability. By the word, “Excellence,” I mean to be your best. Perform at the highest level you can, and do the best job you can possibly do. That is not perfectionism. It is holding on to your highest potential and working hard to make your dream, Plan A, your reality.
In 1976, I took my first class in painting. Soon, painting was at the heart of my creative life. It was pure magic.
With 5 children and a husband to take care of. I realized from the beginning that I had to be time conscious in order to live a creative life that was separate from family obligations. We have to have our personal identity, something that is ours alone to pursue. Our “do” is not our “who,” and I’ve always believed in my purpose in life – to create beauty and to keep memories alive for others.
5. Are you very organized?
This is a tricky question to answer.
At first, I thought, yes, I am very organized.
Then upon further reflection, I thought about how we live surrounded by chaos. It is our normal condition of being a human creation. We are finite creatures; we are flawed.
How we think about chaos matters –
I think it is better if we begin to think of mastering the chaos.
A plaque in my office reads:
“Nur kleine Geister brauchen Ordnung,
ein Genie beherrscht
Das Chaos.”
Translation:
“Only little spirits need order,
a genius mastered
The chaos.”
Links/samples/etc.
An Introduction to Lynda McKinney Lambert: https://www.lyndalambert.com/
My Books: https://llambert363.blog/lyndaslinks/
Lynda’s Media Kit: https://www.lyndalambert.com/media-kit/
“My Books” on my blog: https://www.lyndalambert.com/lyndas-books/
Listen to my poem, “To the Curator of Small Things,” in the Summer 2016 issue of Wordgathering. read by Melissa Cotter:
http://www.wordgathering.com/past_issues/issue43/poetry/lambert.html
LINK_ to my poem and voice recording of “Star Signs: in the December 2016 issue of Wordgathering – Read by Melissa Cotter:
http://www.wordgathering.com/past_issues/issue40/poetry/lambert.html
Lynda’s Authors Page- Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/author/lyndalambert
Lynda’s Official Authors Page: http://www.dldbooks.com/lyndalambert/
Smashwords – get my ebook: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lyndalambert
Link to Lynda’s author Site at DLD Books:
http://www.dldbooks.com/lyndalambert/
My Blogs:
Website & Blog: Lynda McKinney Lambert – Official Author’s Website
Scan-A-Blog – A quiet Place of Inspiration, Art, Nature, Literature
Below – Photo: “Lynda with Tamukeyama,” by Bob Lambert
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Photo of Lynda – wearing one of her original hand-knit jackets in ombre shades of blues and aqua.
She is also wearing a one-of-a-kind necklace of Swarovski crystals and gem stones. She designs knit clothing, talismans, jewelry, and wall works.
Lynda is seated in front of her Tamukeyama Tree in her Zen Mediation Garden. Photo by Bob Lambert.
August 27, 2019
Ancient Script of Lovecontu Audio Poem #Bookspotlight #Blogtour #Audio
Ancient Script of Lovecontu audio poem
by Kaitlynzq
Genre: Audio Poetry
An audio recording of a
poem as recorded within the story of Ancient Script of Lovecontu
audio poem, please select this link
https://kaitlynzq.com/blog/a-poem-from-inside-ancient-script-of-lovecontu-audio-poem
an audio that holds a
special extension of an integral stream
“…In her own voice, the author treats us to a whimsical, yet pleasing poem
that speaks on our emotional needs. The need and desire we all have
to feel loved, wanted, valued and not lonely…Kaitlynzq’s voice
caresses you deeper into her web with exquisite details of what our
heroine experiences…I found myself listening to this on repeat…”
by Kay with KayBee’s Bookshelf
Available at
kaitlynzq.com
kaitlynzq.boutique
Follow the tour HERE !
Link for the author’s blog & audio streams newsletter
http://eepurl.com/dN-AFj
To hear more about the author Kaitlynzq
https://soundcloud.com/kaitlynzq/about-kaitlynzq
Dirty Dozen Author Interview – Phyllis Staton Campbell #Uniqueauthors #Meetanauthor
Author name: Phyllis Staton Campbell
Please tell us a little about yourself. What makes you a #Uniqueauthor (or artist)?
I was born blind in Amherst County Virginia, the youngest of two sisters and a brother. We moved to Staunton, Virginia, when I was seven, where my sister and I attended the Virginia School for the blind. Reading has been an important part of my life, since I can remember. I sold my first short piece in the sixties, and have been writing professionally ever since. I have published six books, both in the traditional market place and self-published. In addition, I did a true-crime book, under contract to the family of the victim. My latest book is “Where Sheep May Safely Graze” inspirational. I’m currently working on a sequel.
Please answer 12 of the questions/discussion points below.
What first prompted you to publish your work? Writing is, hard work, if enjoyable. I felt that that effort should be put into something to share with others, and perhaps bring some tangible reward to me.
As a disabled author how do you overcome the extra challenges involved with producing your work? I faced many challenges in the beginning. There were no computers, no braille aware devices, permitting ease in proofreading. The first piece I sold was written with the slate and stylus, meaning that the braille dots had to be punched individually by hand. I lacked the money for a proofreader, meaning that I had to work very hard, first doing the work in braille, and then painstakingly typing it to send out for consideration. Today, I feel I have few challenges after that.
What have you found the most challenging part of the process? Do you think the publishing world is disability-friendly? Like most things that can be answered with both “yes” and “no”. Some publishers are friendly, some not. The real challenge there, is knowing which. Some will claim interest and then say they’ve taken on their quota for the year. Have they? Others such as Barbara Brett of Brett, will go beyond the last mile for the disabled writer.
What piece of advice do you wish you’d had when you started your publishing journey? The public taste in books varies greatly. Study the market carefully before submitting to be sure that you’re meeting the needs of that publication.
If you could have dinner with any literary character who would you choose, and what would you eat. Harry Potter, and we’d have pumpkin pasties.
How much research do you do for your work? What’s the wildest subject you’ve looked at? I write three columns, so I do a lot of research. Years ago I wrote a piece on vampires, not the interesting ones in popular literature, but the real thing. Well, those who believed themselves to be real, and acted accordingly.
How influential is storytelling to our culture? It has been influential to all cultures, but I feel it is perhaps less today, because of TV.
What’s the best advice you’ve received about writing/publishing? Study your market and be persistent.
If you could be any fantasy/mythical or legendary person/creature what would you be and why? A sphinx I like cats!
Which authors have influenced you the most? For my current series, Jan Karon, and Janice Holt Giles. For my early stumbling efforts, Lucy Montgomery, Gene Straton Porter. In other words, they’re tied to what I’m doing, and where I am in my writing journey.
What is your writing space like? My writing space was once a dining room with a door to the kitchen, and French doors on either side of the chimney, leading to the living room. My house is quite old, and when I sit quietly, I can feel the echo of all of those who have lived and died here.
Tell us about your latest piece? “Where sheep May Safely Graze” is the story of Pastor Jim, who was blinded serving in Iraq, and his wife, Amy. It tells of his struggle to adjust to his blindness, her struggle to adjust to her new role as his wife, and their struggle against the prejudice of the wealthy church where they both serve. They are further challenged when they go to serve in a rural town.
What’s your next writing adventure? I’m working on “Goin’ Home, a sequel to “Where Sheep May Safely Graze.
Is this the age of the e-book? Are bricks and mortar bookshops in decline? Brick and Mortar shops are definitely on the decline, witnessed by how many large chains have closed.
Are indie/self-published authors viewed with scepticism or wariness by readers? Why is this? Some people will always be wary of self-published authors, but this has changed drastically. One reason is those self-styled writers, who pay little attention to proofing and editing, and who, in many cases, have no real story to begin with.
What is your greatest success? To this point, my greatest writing success has been “Friendships in the Dark” published in hard cover, paperback, large-print in the US, and translated into Chinese, as well as publication in the British Isles, all by a traditional publisher.
How important is writing/art to you? Writing is a large part of my life.
August 24, 2019
A Day in The Life Of… #UniqueAuthor Phyllis Campbell #Meetanauthor #Authorpromo
A Day in the Life Of and Questions with Phyllis Cambell. Welcome.
Bio:
Phyllis Staton Campbell was born in Amherst County, in a small village similar to those featured in her books. She had two sisters and one brother, all of whom are now gone. She and her sister were educated at the Virginia School for the Blind. She has worked as a teacher of the blind, private music teacher, accompanist at a ballet academy, peer counsellor and youth transition specialist. She married Clarence (Chuck) Campbell, in 1967. She says it was a good marriage, lasting almost forty-six years. During his last months, she was his only caregiver except for a visit from a Hospice worker to take care of his bathing and shaving. She says the hardest thing she ever did was sign the Do Not Resuscitate order. She promised to walk with him to that final door we call death, and she has every idea that he will be there waiting on the other side of that door.
Are you writer, publisher or designer? Writer
Do you write primarily, fiction or nonfiction? Fiction
Do you restrict your work to a single genre? Yes
How long have you been writing? Since the 60s.
Are you self-published? Traditional published? Both
Thank you. Please tell us more.
If you write more than one genre, what are they, and why? I’m interested in a number of genre. What I write and when, depends on my mood. When I’m in the middle of a project, I often have to use self-discipline to keep from wanting to start a different project. No, I’ve never abandoned one project for another.
Are your characters, real people? No, but I think most writers slip in character traits even speech patterns of real people.
Do you ever become tired of a book, while working on it? Absolutely. After I’ve worked over several drafts and edits, I’ve often never wanted to see the thing again.
Have you as a blind person had an unpleasant experience with a publisher or agent. Explain. I once had an agent tell me that no publisher would even look at a book featuring a blind person.
If the answer to the question above is yes, how did you handle it? I ignored her. Even if I had insisted, and she had represented me, we would never have had a satisfactory relationship.
Do you use any special equipment to aide in your writing? I use a computer with screen reading software, and a braille device, The Braille-Note Touch, for proofreading.
When you submit your work to a publication, do you tell them that you’re blind? If characters in the book or short story are blind, I do to verify authenticity.
Does your environment or work experience ever feature in your writing? In what way? I have worked as a teacher, peer counsellor, and youth transition specialist. People with disabilities often feature in my writing, as do small towns and rural areas, environments I’ve lived in most of my life.
Do you use anything to set the mood for your writing? Yes, I often use music to create the atmosphere.
Have you ever become discouraged about your writing, and if the answer is yes, what did you do about it? All writers become discouraged, and some go through what might be called a dark time. I try to step back and think about what has discouraged me. Usually, it’s a rejection slip from somewhere that I had felt would give me an acceptance. In my case this usually passes in a day or two.
Do you work at another job? If so tell us about fitting in the writing/cover design/editing. I am a church organist. I have a schedule allowing time for practice and writing, varying sometimes if one needs more attention than the other.
Do you have a family? What do they think about your job? I do not have a family. When my husband was alive, he was very supportive. Do they assist you?
How do you fit in ‘real life’? Actually, my writing and my music are real life for me.
Do you have a particular process? No
Are you very organised? Yes, but not so organized that I can’t change when it becomes necessary or desirable.
What time do you get up/go to bed? My ideal day starts around six AM, and ends around ten PM when I read in bed, until I fall asleep.
Do you find it hard to fit everything in? Like most people some days things demand more time, but in general, I finish what I’d planned.
What is your ideal working environment? A quiet place with few interruptions.
What do you eat for breakfast? It varies, according to my schedule. If I’m in a hurry it’s something like a frozen English Muffin with a filling of egg and sausage. Otherwise the usual, eggs bacon etc.
Give us a brief rundown of your average day from getting up to going to bed. I wake around six, and make a cup of coffee with my Keurig in my upstairs bathroom, take the coffee back to bed to listen to the weather and news. Shortly before seven, I come down, and go through email, taking care of anything that requires attention. I get breakfast, following which, I work on my writing and any publicity. If it’s close to the time for my columns, I do research. Lunch. Practice at the organ, and braille music if necessary. Following this, I do chores such as laundry, straightening the kitchen, unloading and loading the dishwasher. I listen to music, and/or read.
Prepare dinner, following which I may visit with friends on the phone, visit with friends online etc. This, of course, for instance, I get my hair done to go out to lunch etc.
Would you recommend your chosen craft to those interested in doing it? I certainly would, but would urge them to understand that to become a professional they must learn disappointment and patience.
Check out Phyllis’s author page here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Phyllis-Campbell/e/B001KC40ZI
August 20, 2019
We are the #Uniqueauthors
I got chatting via a blog post to a lovely author (who will be featured soon) about the extra challenges disabled authors and artists have. Publishing and producing work is a steep learning curve – it’s not just the actual story-telling – and many writers have physical or social difficulties which make the world, and the craft of creation even more tricky. To an extent, writing is a great equaliser. If I read a story I know little about that particular author – except what I can find out from the internet or publicity. I would probably not be aware that an author was, for example, blind, or suffered from disabling social anxiety. Writing is freedom. Writing is a veil and a fort. Reading and writing give one the chance to experience – at least in the imagination – the most amazing experiences.
There are some of us – the creators of worlds and magic who fight that little bit harder and make that magic with a little bit more of our souls. We are #UniqueAuthors.
Read our stories, and take a thought that what might be relatively simple for you can be a mountain to someone else – attending an event when you are blind or in a wheelchair – parking, access to the venue, is it guide-dog friendly and the idiocy of some folks who are just thoughtless or wicked. Can you get your wheelchair into the venue? Will people come and talk to you when they see your wheelchair? Or BECAUSE of it? How much courage has it taken you to fight that anxiety to come here and speak to strangers?
Imagine giving a book signing when you suffer social anxiety, navigating the bewildering terms of service of sites like KDP – which are NOT user-friendly for those who have sight loss. 3 Networking – many disabled people find it hard to network, and networking is key to selling the books you’ve written.
I have, as some of you may know, anxiety and fibromyalgia. I work and I write – some days, most days I can’t do both as I am physically and mentally drained, fatigued, in pain or anxious. I tend to be a bit of a recluse. But writing, when I can, gives me power, that freedom to be who I damn well please, and do what I want.
My father is partially sighted and has struggled to read ‘regular’ books all his life, and his disability limited his life choices. Many people have no idea what it’s like to live with someone with a disability or to live with something that limits life choices, and one’s abilities to live everyday life. Yet we have our own power, our own fire. And by god do we use it. Even if sometimes it seems we are powerless.
“Words are containers for power, you choose what kind of power they carry.” Joyce Meyer.
We do not look for pity – many of us have had our fill. We look for our words and our crafts to soar with the rest, and then rise above. For we are the #Uniqueauthors and we will be heard, and our words will change your world.
#Uniqueauthors #Wordsarepower
Dirty Dozen Author Interview – David L. Faucheux #Authors #Meetanauthor #Uniqueauthors #Wordsarepower
Today we welcome author David Faucheux. One of #Uniqueauthors to be featured here.
Author name: David L. Faucheux
I have been an audiobook reviewer for Library Journal since 2006. Prior to that I submitted an article to Interface and guest-edited an issue of this publication put out by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies.
What first prompted you to publish your work? I was asked to review a book written by an acquaintance. Her book, Occupying Aging, was a journal; and while reading it, I came to the realization that this was something I could do myself.
What have you found the most challenging part of the process? I had to maintain the discipline of writing daily, of making sure to get something down at close of day. I knew I might expand on an entry later, but I tried never to skip a day’s writing.
What piece of advice do you wish you’d had when you started your publishing journey? I wish I had known more about using social media to create a fan base and a “following.” I had no idea that publishers seem to prefer to publish those who have a following and a platform.
If you could have dinner with any literary character who would you choose, and what would you eat. I would love to simply visit the world in such historical novels as American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt. The world of the 1890s offers a foretaste of modernity yet is just different enough to fascinate. Authors of interest to me are the nonfiction writers: Simon Winchester, Michael Lewis, and Bill Bryson. They write about topics that intrigue me including the year 1927, the Pacific Ocean, and financial brinksmanship.
What are your views on authors offering free books? Do you believe, as some do, that it demeans an author and his or her work? When used sparingly, free books can prime the pump. In the hands of the right reviewers, these free books (advanced reader copies), spread the word.
How do you deal with bad reviews? If they are honest, I try to learn from them; if simply vituperative, I ignore them.
What’s the best advice you’ve received about writing/publishing? Don’t give up.
If you could be any fantasy/mythical or legendary person/creature what would you be and why? I’d like to have been a student at a university studying magic such as portrayed in Laurie Forest’s The Black Witch.
Which authors have influenced you the most? I have enjoyed a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres. Writers of historic fiction intrigue me because they build worlds on the past. By the same token, science fiction and fantasy writers intrigue me because they must create worlds built on what-if and the future respectively. Imagination is paramount in these three genres. Nonfiction requires a different set of skills. The ability to describe, educate, and explain dominates nonfiction. I enjoy nonfiction such as David Traxel’s 1898: The Birth of the American Century because it describes the culture of a year. It attempts to recreate a world.
What is your writing space like? I write at a computer desk in my living room. I am the sole occupant of a small subsidized apartment.
Tell us about your latest piece? My latest book is an abridgement of Across Two Novembers: A Year in the Life of a Blind Bibliophile. I realized that my original book at 510 pages including 48 pages of bibliography might be much too long for the typical reader. I am given to understand that the attention span of the average American is short. I reduced the book by 55 percent. I am now working to have it produced as an audiobook. Audiobooks sell well or so I am told. Selections from Across Two Novembers: A Bibliographic Year should be out in the fall. Visit www.dldbooks.com/davidfaucheux/ to learn more.
Across Two Novembers on Amazon
What’s your next writing adventure? I plan to develop a podcast that expands on topics I explored in Across Two Novembers.
What is the last book you’ve read? I have read several books concurrently: David McCullough’s The pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West, Melissa Bowersock’s Finding Travis (a time-travel fantasy), and Alyssa B. Sheinmel’s A Danger to Herself and Others (a young adult novel.)
Is this the age of the e-book? Are bricks and mortar bookshops in decline? I suspect it’s the age of everything and whatever works for the reader.
With the influx of indie authors do you think this is the future of storytelling? Possibly, but it can be hard to be heard as an indie! Believe me, I have been there, and unless mechanisms exist to promote indie authors, good books may go by the wayside.
Is there a message in your books? I have written to bring readers into my world, a world many may not have thought much about. A world, that of a blind person in the early 21st century, that simply may not be on most readers’ radar.
How important is writing to you? Writing is a means to an end. I feel I have writing ability, but I am not sure I am that exotic creature known as a “writer,” a creature who must write day and night or suffer the pangs of withdrawal.
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August 7, 2019
Facebook online Indie Book Fair 3-17th August. #Indieauthors #Bookfair #Facebookevent
Check out this event below:
Online Book Fair from August 3rd to August 17th
https://www.facebook.com/events/382924649089175/?active_tab=discussion
Authors and Readers of all genres are welcome to our Book Fair Event August 3rd to August 17th.
Authors:
Please add your book links to the appropriate (or closest) genre posts any time during the event with short taglines.
Readers:
Pop in any time during the event to browse, buy books, and enjoy.
So many books!
August 6, 2019
Audiobook Narrator Interview – Emma Thorpe
*Name: Emma Thorpe
*Tell us a bit about yourself:
How did you become involved with audiobook narration and production? I was listening to an audiobook one day on my commute to work and I found myself wondering how you became an audiobook narrator, so I decided to search on the internet and find out for myself. I have always enjoyed reading (I read a lot to my two children) and I’ve been involved in amateur dramatics from a very young age (I was 8 when I first went on stage). Audiobook narration seemed to be a perfect way to combine my love of reading and performing. I took a free course with Krystal Wascher to learn about the process and just went for it. Within 5 minutes of submitting my first audition, I had an offer.
Is this your day job? I also run my own handmade jewellery business (Atlantic Rose), designing and making sterling silver jewellery.
Tell us about some of the titles you’ve narrated. Do you have a favourite amongst these? I’m still very new to the audiobook world (I only started back in March 2019), but I now have produced 10 titles. I have enjoyed narrating each one of them so it’s hard to pick a favourite, as I have a few. I loved narrating Ann Carroll’s adaptation of “The Children of Lir” as this is a story I would listen to my grandfather tell when I was little and coming from Northern Ireland, it is a story that is very close to my heart. I recently finished narrating a childrens’ trilogy- “Magical Chapters Trilogy” by Victoria Zigler, which I really loved. The characters were such a joy to read (Daisy the Dragon being my favourite) and Victoria was kind enough to allow me to determine the accents for each of the characters.
Do you have a preferred genre? I love narrating children’s books
Do you have a genre you do not produce? I tend to narrate books that I myself would be interested in reading
What are you working on at present/Just finished? I recently just finished narrating my first novel for adults – “December Girl” by Nicola Cassidy.
Tell us about your process for narrating? (Be as elaborate as you like.) I always start by reading the book cover to cover. If it’s a book with multiple characters, I’ll make notes on each, to help me ‘find their voice’. If no directive has been given by the author regarding a character’s accent, I’ll use this process to determine what their accent may be. Depending on how the book is written, I’ll either record the book, in sequence, chapter by chapter, or, as in the case of “December Girl” were each chapter focused on a different character, I’ll record all the chapters featuring one character first, then all the chapters featuring another character next and so on, until the book is recorded. I find narrating this way really helps me maintain a character’s ‘voice’.
What aspects do you find most enjoyable? Interpreting the characters and bringing them to life is my favourite part of narrating.
What do you find least enjoyable? Submitting the finished files. But only because it makes me feel as though I’m back at school and waiting for exam results 
August 3, 2019
Swift Six Character Interview – Teneyros – Chronicles of the Mages’ Guild/Here Be Magic Bundle #Magic #Characters #fantasy
Name Teneyros
Which book/world do you live in? Chronicles of the Mages’ Guild
Tell us about yourself: (Name, race/species, etc.) My name is Teneyros and I am a human wizard in the world and the Wilds.
I’m an adventurer – why should I recruit you to accompany me? I have text tattooed onto my body so I can ready-cast spells more easily. Rather than needing to scramble for a book to grab words to apply my Will to.
Tell us about your companions? How do they see you? It depends on who you ask. Other wizards think I’m too chatty and probably not serious enough. Possibly lacking in focus. But, my best friend Mac, she’s the Guild Master for the Mages’ Guild still keeps my company. Even though she thinks that I enjoy causing trouble. It’s not so much that I enjoy causing it, it’s more that I tend to find trouble around every corner whether or not I’m looking to cause it.
What’s your most heroic exploit to date? I’m not anyone’s hero.
What’s your greatest failure? I failed to become the Elder of Scrolls and in the process…well. I may or may not have cursed my brother William into a map.
Where do you think you’ll be in a decade? I have no clue. Doing something interesting, I hope.
Do you have a great love? (This could be a person/trait/item) I love my leather jacket. I spelled it so that it is linked to my apartment in London. Easy access to my books.
Link to Bundle
Chronicles of the Mages’ Guild:
The Guild Master’s Quest, Book 2
Shakespeare’s Curse, Short Story
About the author:
Karen C. Klein is a disabled non-binary writer who writes across speculative fiction sub-genres. She is the author of Torin’s Legacy, which is the first book in her series Chronicles of the Mages’ Guild. She also enjoys writing short fiction and novellas.
July 31, 2019
NN Light’s Book Heaven Binge-Worthy Book Festival – AUGUST #Books #Greatbooks #Giveaway #Summer
Calling all readers! Feed your book addiction with N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Binge-Worthy Book Festival. 43 books featured plus a chance to win one of the following:
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a Rafflecopter giveaway
1-30th August.
Winners are drawn on 1st Sept.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card
Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card
Enter to win a $25 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card
Enter to win a $15 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card
Enter to win a $10 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card
I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. My book, The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles, will be featured on August 29th. I even talk about the first binge-worthy book I read. You won’t want to miss it.
Bookmark this get-together and tell your friends:
https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/binge-worthy-book-festival
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