Olga Núñez Miret's Blog: Author Translator Olga, page 132
December 7, 2012
Autora Invitada: Vanessa Wester
No voy a intentar presentar a Vanessa que ella se explica muy bien y nos cuenta como llegó a autopublicarse (y sin necesitar traducción).
Mi Viaje Hacia Publicación
Por Vanessa Wester
Cuando era una niña devoré cuentos de la compañía Ladybirds. Mi favorito era probablemente Rapunsel. La idea de que un príncipe trepara a lo más alto de una torre usando su cabello, para salvarla de la malvada bruja – ¡que fantástico! Entonces descubrí el mundo de Enid Blyton, con hadas, duendes y animales parlantes. Mi papá ama los libros y no tenía nada mejor que hacer que llevarme a la tienda de libros o librería local. Rara vez compré libros nuevos (¡eran demasiado caros!) pero me encantaba tocarlos y tenerlos en mis manos. Y sabía que podía ahorrar o tal vez conseguir uno para un cumpleaños o Navidad. Los libros eran cosas especiales, atesoraba cualquiera que poseía.
Cuando me convertí en la bibliotecaria escolar aproveché la oportunidad para buscar nuevos tesoros. Nancy Drew fue mi siguiente obsesión. Después leí todo tipo de libros hasta que Agatha Christie entró en escena. Yo miraba la serie en la TV, pero también leí todos sus libros y hasta compre su autobiografía. Mi sueño era ser la próxima Agatha.
Fue cuando comencé G.C.S.E. (14 años) que empecé a pensar que yo no tenía un futuro de escritora. Trabajaba duro, me encantaba explorar mi creatividad, pero nunca me pareció que obtenía notas altas. Me fue muy bien en el examen final, pero mi confianza en mí misma sufrió. Me concentré en las Ciencias y me olvidé de mi sueño de ser una escritora.
Salto de casi veinte años…
Después de siete años como ama de casa encontré mi amor por los libros otra vez. Después de pasar muchos años vegetando frente al televisor viendo cosas descerebradas y aburridas. Claro, desarrollé obsesiones por series de TV que me encantaron y han inspirado algunos de mis escritos. Heartbreak High, Roswell, Buffy y Héroes son algunas de las muchas series que me obsesionaron con los años. Pasé por diferentes fases sobre mi lectura. Tengo que admitir que encontré a Leon Uris convincente.
Y un día, mientras dormía mi bebé número tres, estaba cambiando canales y me encontré con el final de Crepúsculo. Me encantó la banda sonora, y parecía interesante. Un par de semanas más tarde vi Luna Nueva, lo compré, y mi nariz no dejó el libro hasta que lo terminé. Me llenó de alegría saber que también podía leer Eclipse y Breaking Dawn. Me había enamorado. Más tarde compré Crepúsculo, que se convirtió en mi favorito de la serie. ¡ Fue sólo después de que me enamorara de The Twilight Saga, que me dí cuenta de que existían los fans! Sentí que pertenecía a un club. Las mamás leyendo Crepúsculo en sus coches y yo compartíamos una sonrisa, y rápidamente nos hicimos amigas.
Cuando compré el DVD de Crepúsculo y vi la entrevista con Stephanie Meyer, tuve mi momento bombilla. También era una madre educada que se dedicaba a estar en casa con un celebro desesperado por pensar y tenía tiempo en mis manos mientras mi bebe dormía o mi esposo estaba trabajando. Quería intentar escribir una novela. La pregunta era: ¿podría?
Le contesté un par de meses más tarde, cuando terminé mi primera novela romántica, entonces sólo 67.000 palabras. Lo compartí con unas amigas y les gustó. Me animaron a seguir. Tengo que admitir que les debo mucho a mis amigos. La escritura era tosca y no muy buena realmente. Pero, lo que les gustó y lo que parecía que yo tenía era un ‘don’ para crear una historia rápidamente. Me pierdo fácilmente…
Ya empecé ha pensar cómo podría publicarlo. Compré el Manual de escritores y artistas. Empecé a buscar agentes y editores, y envié algunas cartas. Esto me hace reír ahora. Obviamente, me enriaron cartas de rechazo. Me puedo imaginar a ellos echándolo en el montón de manuscritos rechazados: “otro que se cree escritor.”
La modifiqué algo y después compartí mi historia en Booksie e hice amigas y amigos, pero fue cuando me uní a ‘The Word Cloud‘ que tuve la idea para HYBRID cuando realmente comencé a crecer como escritora. Publiqué algunos extractos, obtuve respuestas excelentes – positivas con consejos y análisis fantásticos. Y empecé a remodelar. Ese año edité HYBRID a fondo y comenzé a trabajar en COMPLICATIONS, los dos primeros libros de la trilogía de la evolución (que entonces iba a ser una serie). Empecé otras historias por diversión; la mayoría de ellas siguen sin terminar.
Entonces intenté contactar a algunos agentes de nuevo en diciembre de 2011, ambas respuestas en enero de 2012 fueron rechazos pero con comentarios positivos sobree la escritura. Se tomaron la molestia de poner mi nombre en la parte superior de la carta y comentaron sobre la novela – progreso! Fue entonces cuando pensé… ¿por qué gastar sellos intentando encontrar un agente que posiblemente tenga acceso a un editor? Seguí las entradas del blog de David Gaughran con interés y decidí explorar la ruta de auto-publicación.
En marzo de 2012, publiqué HYBRID en Smashwords. Sólo vendí a familiares y amigos pero fue muy útil, me ayudó a encontrar los errores y editar más. Luego me tomé unos meses para publicar en Amazon y luego me di cuenta que tenía que promocionarme e intentar vender mis libros. Así, descubrí Twitter, comencé un blog, me volví más activa en Facebook y me apunté ha un curso de escritores en York.
Después de eso, el cielo es el límite. Todos mis blogs hablan de mi viaje. Desde unas primeras semillas, a conocer a nuevos autores, discutir libros que he leído, incluso de publicar libros de historias cortas para recaudar fondos para caridad. Nunca me he divertido tanto. Es más fácil dirigirte a mi blog que intentar resumir las historias que siguieron.
Vanessa Wester’s Blog
http:// vanessawesterwriter.blogspot.co.uk/
A Reader’s Perspective
http://www.vanessawester.blogspot.co.uk/
The Evolution Trilogy
http://theevolutiontrilogy.blogspot.co.uk/
Short Stories Group
http://www.shortstoriesgroup.blogspot.co.uk/
Diary of the Festival of Writing, York, 2012
http://festivalofwriting2012.blogspot.co.uk/
Echad un vistazo y seguirme en Twitter @vanessa_wester, siempre me apetece charlar cuando estoy conectada. Todo lo que puedo os puedo aconsejar es que sigáis vuestro sueño y estéis preparados para trabajar duro. Lo he hecho todo. He diseñado mis propios cubiertas, formateado mi propio trabajo, editado y corregido mi obra (con la ayuda de algunos lectores de beta increíble y queridos amigos), cortado y reescrito escenas y me he dedicado a la comercialización de mis libros.
De momento, estoy viviendo el sueño. He recibido comentarios increíbles, por lo que estoy muy agradecida. Pero, soy realista. Para ser un escritor conocido se necesita escribir, exponer tu obra y conectar. Los lectores serán los que decidan si vas a ser el próximo “bestseller” – nadie más.
Personalmente, quiero volver a escribir y dedicar menos tiempo a la edición y comercialización. Algún día, encontraré el equilibrio adecuado. Sólo han pasado menos de tres años desde que mi viaje comenzó, no puedo esperar milagros…pero bueno, se acerca la Navidad – ¡siempre puedo pedir un deseo de Navidad!
Espero que todos tengan una Navidad fantástica y que usen mi historia como ejemplo… todo es posible cuando pones tu mente a trabajar.
Gracias por leer y gracias Olga por acogerme,
VANESSA WESTER
Autora de HYBRID & COMPLICATONS (The Evolution Trilogy), FIRST DATE (A Short Story), y cuentos e historias cortas incluídas dentro de OUT OF DARKNESS & A FESTIVE FEAST.
Enlaces:
HYBRID (THE EVOLUTION TRILOGY)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hybrid-The-Evolution-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0081EV8Z8/ref=cm_rdp_product
COMPLICATIONS (THE EVOLUTION TRILOGY)
FIRST DATE (A NOVELETTE)
A FESTIVE FEAST (SEASONAL SHORT STOIRIES)
OUT OF DARKNESS (SEASONAL SHORT STORIES)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-of-Darkness-ebook/dp/B009RYCBA2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1351082889&sr=8-2
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Y como siempre ANUNCIOS. La semana que viene otra vez tendremos dos autoras invitadas. El martes, mi gran amiga Susana Araujo me ha prestado dos de sus poemas para que los presente (en Inglés y Portugués). No intentaré traducirlos, pero espero que los disfruten. Y el viernes…Ya se lo diré el Martes, no sean impacientes!
Y mi otro anuncio es que si la tecnología está de mi lado este fin de semana publicaré 3 historias (novellas) en versión electrónica (Inglés sólo de momento) que pertenecen todas a la misma serie (Escapando Psiquiatría) y que tienen como protagonista una psiquiatra/escritora, Mary.
Y mientras tanto, sólo recordarles mi novela: El hombre que nunca existió
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TWEGC8
Gracias por leerlo y gracias a Vanessa.
Related articles
Author Interview: Vanessa Wester (mikelambson.com)
Guest author Vanessa Wester
By Vanessa Wester
When I was a little girl I devoured Ladybird tales. My favourite was probably Rapunsel. The thought of being saved from the wicked witch by a Prince who climbed up a tower using her hair – how cool was that? Then I discovered the world of Enid Blyton, with fairies, goblins, and talking animals. My Dad loves books and he had nothing better to do than to take me along to the library or local bookstore. I rarely bought new books (they were too expensive!) but I loved to hold them in my hands. And I knew I could save up or perhaps get one for a Birthday or Christmas. Books were special things, I treasured any I owned.
When I became school librarian at eleven I embraced the job and used the opportunity to hunt for new gems. Nancy Drew was my next obsession. After that I read all sorts until Agatha Christie came on the scene. I used to watch the TV series, but I also read all her books and even bought her autobiography. My dream was to be the next Agatha.
It was when I started G.C.S.E.’s (aged 14) that I started to think I was no good at writing. I worked hard, I loved to explore my creativity, but I just never seemed to get the high grades. I did very well in the end but my confidence was knocked. I focused on the sciences and forgot my dream of becoming a writer.
Roll on nearly twenty years…
After seven years as a stay at home mum I had become a voracious reader. I had rediscovered my passion for books after spending many years vegetating in front of the TV watching brainless and uninspiring stuff. Of course, I did develop a few TV series obsessions which I loved and have gone on the inspire some of my writing. Heartbreak High, Roswell, Buffy and Heroes are some of the many series I became obsessed with over the years. I had gone through different phases over what I read. I have to admit I found Leon Uris compelling.
And then one day, whilst baby number three slept, I was flicking channels and I came across the ending of Twilight on Sky. I loved the soundtrack, and it looked interesting. A couple of weeks later I saw New Moon on the shelves of the bookstore so I bought it and though nothing of it. Of course, my nose would not leave the book until I finished it. I was overjoyed to see that I could also read Eclipse and order Breaking Dawn. I had fallen in love with a new author. I subsequently bought Twilight, which happens to be my favourite of the series. It was only after I fell in love with The Twilight Saga, that I realised how many others had too. I felt like I belonged to a club. The mums reading Twilight in their cars and I shared knowing looks, and we quickly became friends.
When I bought the Twilight DVD, and watched the interview of Stephanie Meyer, I had my light bulb moment. I was also an educated stay at home mum with a brain that was desperate to think and I had time on my hands whilst little one slept or my husband was away. I wanted to try to write a novel. The question was, could I?
I answered that a couple of months later, when I completed my first romantic novel, then only 67,000 words. I shared it with a few friends and they liked it, and encouraged me to continue. I have to admit I owe a lot to those friends. The writing was raw and not very good actually. But, what they liked and what I seemed to have a ‘gift’ for was the ability to think up a story quickly. I get lost way too easily…
I polished it a bit and thought I’d see how I could publish it. I bought the Artists’ & Writers Handbook, searched for agents and publishers and sent off some letters. This makes me laugh now. Obviously, I got rejection letters. There must have been a lot of eye rolling going on when they read my efforts. I can imagine them chucking it into the rejection pile – “another wanna be.”
I shared my story on Booksie and made friends, but it was when I joined the ‘The Word Cloud’ that I had the idea for Hybrid and I really started to grow as a writer. I posted some extracts, got excellent feedback – positive with fantastic advice. And I started to graft. In that year I edited Hybrid a lot, and started work on Complications, the first two books in The Evolution Trilogy (which was then going to be a series). I started other stories too for fun; most of them are waiting to be completed.
Then I tried some agents again in December 2011, both replies in January 2012 were rejections but they were positive about the writing. They actually bothered to put my name on the top of the letter and commented on the novel – progress! It was then that I thought…why waste postage on trying to find an agent that may be able to get a publisher? I followed David Gaughran’s blog posts with interest and decided to explore the self published route.
In March 2012, I published Hybrid on Smashwords. I only sold to family and friends but it was very helpful – it helped me find the errors and edit further. It then took a few months to publish on Amazon and then I realised I had to market. So, I joined Twitter, started a blog, became more active on Facebook, and signed up to a Writers Course in York.
After that, the sky is the limit. All of my blog’s chart the journey’s I have taken. From the first seeds of writing, to meeting new authors, to discussing books I have read, to going on to publish books of short stories to raise money for charity. I have never had so much fun. It is easier to direct you to my blog’s then to rehash my subsequent stories.
Vanessa Wester’s Blog
http://vanessawesterwriter.blogspot.co.uk/
A Reader’s Perspective
http://www.vanessawester.blogspot.co.uk/
The Evolution Trilogy
http://theevolutiontrilogy.blogspot.co.uk/
Short Stories Group
http://www.shortstoriesgroup.blogspot.co.uk/
Diary of the Festival of Writing, York, 2012
http://festivalofwriting2012.blogspot.co.uk/
Have a look and follow me on Twitter @vanessa_wester, I am always eager to chat when I’m around. All I can say is follow your dream and be prepared to work hard. I have done it all. I have designed my own covers, formatted my own work, edited & proofread my work (with the help of some amazing beta readers & cherished friends), cut and reworked scenes, and marketed. At the moment, I am living the dream. I have received amazing reviews, for which I am very grateful. But, I am a realist. To be a known writer you need to write, you need to get your work out there, and connect with the readers. The readers decide if you are going to be the next bestseller – no-one else.
Personally, I want to get back to writing and spend less time on marketing and editing. Someday, I’ll find the right balance. It has only been less than three years since my journey began, I can’t expect miracles…then again, Christmas is coming up – I can make a Christmas wish!
Hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and use my story as an example…anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
Thank you for reading & thank you Olga for hosting me,
VANESSA WESTER
Author of HYBRID & COMPLICATIONS (The Evolution Trilogy), FIRST DATE (A Short Story), and Short stories included within OUT OF DARKNESS & A FESTIVE FEAST.
Links:
HYBRID (THE EVOLUTION TRILOGY)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hybrid-The-Evolution-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0081EV8Z8/ref=cm_rdp_product
COMPLICATIONS (THE EVOLUTION TRILOGY)
FIRST DATE (A NOVELETTE)
A FESTIVE FEAST (SEASONAL SHORT STOIRIES)
OUT OF DARKNESS (SEASONAL SHORT STORIES)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-of-Darkness-ebook/dp/B009RYCBA2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1351082889&sr=8-2
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As usual, I have some ANNOUNCEMENTS. Next week I have two guest authors. On Tuesday my friend Susana Araujo will be sharing one of her poems with us (both in Portuguese and English, technology allowing). On Friday….I’ll tell you on Tuesday, don’t be impatient!
The other announcement is that, again technology permitting, I’ll be publishing three e-novellas (all linked by the same character, Mary, a psychiatrist/writer) this weekend. I’ll confirm and give you more information about them, but in the meantime, a reminder of my novel ‘The Man Who Never Was’.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TWRT22
Thanks for reading!
Related articles
Author Interview: Vanessa Wester (mikelambson.com)
A Festive Feast! (joannegphillips.wordpress.com)
December 4, 2012
Autora Invitada Jodie Pierce
Como les prometí la semana pasada, esta semana tenemos DOS autoras invitada. Hoy, Jodie Pierce nos ofrece una entrevista sincera y fascinante que nos da información privilegiada sobre sus métodos de escritura y su personalidad creativa.
Y el viernes, tendremos de invitada a Vanesa Wester. Y les puedo garantizar que tampoco tendrá desperdicio.
Y ahora les dejo con Jodie que también nos habla de vampiros….
Entrevista con Jodie Pierce
Tengo el gran honor de tener como autora invitada a Jodie Pierce. Si os gusta el género paranormal, no os perdáis ‘The Vampire Queen’ (La reina de los vampiros). Y ahora, os dejo con Jodie que nos hablará de su obra y de muchas otras cosas fascinantes.
Dime algo sobre ti: Tengo 37 años y vivo con mi marido en Cleveland, Ohio. Siempre me han fascinado los vampiros, desde que era niña pero no empecé a escribir sobre ellos hasta que un día leí el libro de Anne Rice. Yo era una estudiante de intercambio en Brasil y leeréis algo sobre ello en mis historias. Me gusta informarme sobre lugares, comida, ropa, etc para darle más realidad a mis historias. He publicado ocho libros hasta ahora.
¿Qué género de libros escribes? Paranormal.
¿Qué tipo de libros lees? Paranormal.
Dinos algo sobre tu última novela. The Vampire Queen una vez más está al mando de sus sujetos aunque esta vez es una escuela para los niños ‘diferentes’ de Escocia. Una escuela llena de vampiros, brujas, brujos, elfos y hadas, que es odiada y temida por todos los estudiantes. Un nuevo grupo de brujas y brujos aparecen a las puertas de la escuela y causan todo tipo de problemas. Vampiros y brujas se llevan a matar y muy pocos creen que la escuela pueda sobrevivir. La Reina se reúne con un antiguo amante pero ¿a qué precio? Un nuevo amante y uno de sus previos amantes se unen para intentar destronar a la Reina. ¿Lo conseguirán? ¿Seguirá la Reina con su terrorífico dominio sobre la escuela? ¿Funcionarán los encantos y hechizos y cambiarán la historia? Todo será rebelado al final.
¿Dónde se puede comprar tu libro? www.amazon.com & www.barnesandnoble.com
¿Qué te hizo apasionarte por los libros y el arte de una buena historia? A mis padres siempre les ha gustado la lectura. Mi madre era bibliotecaria y mi padre leía al menos un libro al día así que yo empecé a leer en mi etapa formativa y me encantó.
¿Hay algún libro en particular que haya afectado o cambiado tu vida de manera radical? No recuerdo exactamente qué libro pero fue una de las novelas de Anne Rice. Christine Feehan me introdujo al aspecto erótico.
¿Cuál fue la semilla de tu inspiración para tu último libro? Ya había escrito los libros 1 & 2 y decidí que quería completar una trilogía. Decidí atar algunos de los cabos que habían quedado sueltos en los primeros dos libros y la idea para el tercero me llegó en un sueño.
¿Cuál ha sido tu mejor momento como escritora? El día en que recibí el primer correo electrónico diciéndome que querían publicar mi primera historia.
¿Quién es tu ídolo como autor? ¡Anne Rice!
¿Te reconoces a ti misma en alguno de tus personajes? No, pero introduzco a gente a mi alrededor en mis personajes.
¿Crees que tu sueño se ha convertido en realidad o queda todavía mucho por hacer? Siempre queda mucho por hacer. ¡Más que escribir!
¿Dónde escribes? Yo escribo sentada en mi silla reclinable con mi ordenador en la falda. La mesa junto a mi silla está cubierta de papeles, notas y envoltorios de Luna bar (chocolate).
¿Qué haces cuando no estás escribiendo? Disfruto viendo la televisión con mi marido, yendo a tomar un café o comiendo fuera, visitando a mis padres.
¿Cuáles son los atributos más importantes para mantenerse cuerdo como escritor? Ser persistente, pero la mayoría de escritores y artistas no están cuerdos.
¿Hubo un instante cuando te diste cuenta de que serías escritora? Siempre lo supe desde el instituto. Me encantaba escribir ya entonces.
¿Qué consejo le daría a los que aspiran a ser escritores? Sigue intentándolo. Sigue tus sueños. Sólo fracasas si abandonas.
¿Cuál es tu personaje favorito en tu última novela? Mi personaje favorito es la protagonista, La Reina Vampira. Al principio es una mujer joven y asustada que tiene que descubrir de nuevo todo lo que sabía sobre si misma. Después de conseguir eso, se convierte en una mujer atrevida, seductora, impulsiva, a veces arrogante y petulante pero sin compasión y determinada a resumir su reinado sobre la raza de vampiros.
¿Son importantes los nombres de los personajes en tu novela? ¿Cómo y por qué? Escojo los nombres de un libro gigante de nombres de bebés que tengo o en el Internet a través de páginas con nombres de bebés. Normalmente pienso en una letra para el nombre y entonces busco por ejemplo, todas las ‘t’s y selecciono un nombre empezando con esa letra que reúna las principales características de ese personaje. Lo hace más divertido para mí y aunque nadie sepa mi ‘diabólico plan de nombres’ me divierte.
¿El viajar juega algún papel en la escritura de tus libros? Bueno, no exactamente si nos referimos a viajar personalmente a los escenarios pero estudio todos los escenarios y sitios que aparecen en mis libros. También me gusta estudiar detalles sobre los lugares, comida, ropas, costumbres, etc. Me ayuda a aprender cosas nuevas y hace la lectura más interesante en mi opinión.
¿Qué te produce más satisfacción al escribir? Me gusta la posibilidad que me ofrece de expresar mi creatividad. Mucho de lo que escribo viene de mis sueños. Sueño un concepto central y luego tengo otros sueños sobre varias escenas que ocurren en el libro. A menudo me despierto a las 4 de la mañana y tengo que escribir. También estoy acostada en la cama antes de quedarme dormida pensando y se me ocurren muy buenas ideas así que siempre tengo lápiz y papel junto a la cama. A veces mi marido me da una gran idea para una historia y yo la desarrollo. Eso es lo que pasó con la historia en la que estoy trabajando ahora. A veces me quedo estancada en el medio pero luego la compuerta se abre y ¡cuidado, apartense!
¿Qué piensan tu pareja y tu familia sobre tu carrera de escritora?
Bueno, esto es algo delicado e intentaré no ofender a nadie, pero tengo que ser sincera. Mi marido es my mayor apoyo. Como he dicho, me da ideas, lee mis libros, los compra (me anima a comprar libros de otros autores que necesito para alimentar el cerebro hambriento de los lectores), etc. Me dice todo el tiempo que está muy orgulloso de mí y me recuerda cuando estoy baja de moral como de lejos he llegado en mi camino para convertirme en escritora. Por el contrario, mis padres (a los que estoy muy unida) no parecen darle ninguna importancia. No han leído nunca ninguna de mis historias (y leen mucho, a veces 4 libros por semana). Mi madre dice que es porque son sobre vampiros y a ella no le gusta ese género. Mi padre me dice que está orgulloso de mí pero no deja de quejarse porque no me he hecho millonaria con mis libros. Es frustrante. Los quiero pero no me apoyan. Me siento perdida con ellos y no saco a relucir el tema mucho estos días.
Dinos cuál es tu restaurante favorito.
A mi marido y a mí nos interesa mucho la comida y la cocina. Vemos todos los programas de cocinar y de alimentos. Nos encanta probar nuevas cosas, sitios, comidas, etc. En uno de los programas de cocina hablaran sobre usar médula ósea. A mí ya me costaba comer carne directamente del hueso así que esto me dio mucho asco. Dije que ‘nunca’ lo probaría. Pues fuimos a comer a un restaurante aclamado por la crítica, Lolita de Michael Simon y estaba en el menú. Mi marido lo pidió y yo seguía siendo bastante escéptica pero me convenció para que lo probara. Tengo que reconocer que no era tan malo como había pensado, y de hecho estaba bueno. No lo comería cada día y es algo a lo que hay que acostumbrarse pero estaba bueno.
¿Quién es tu autor/a favorito?
Mi autor favorito es también la mujer que me inspiró a escribir sobre vampiros. Yo estaba escribiendo novelas románticas, aburrida a muerte con ellas y sin inspiración. A mí me han fascinado los vampiros desde que era pequeña pero no fue hasta que leí uno de los libros de Anne Rice que decidí que debería escribir sobre esos vampiros a los que quería tanto hacía tanto tiempo. Con respecto a mis libro eróticos, Christine Feehan fue mi inspiración adicional después de leer la serie Sleeping Beauty (La Bella Durmiente) de Anne Rice. Los libros de Ms. Feehan son fantásticos y guiaron mi imaginación a lugares de los que nunca creí podría escribir.
¿Tienes una expresión favorita? ¿Cuál es? “A menudo pinto auto-retratos porque yo soy la que me conozco mejor.”-Frida Kahlo. Me recuerda que tengo que mirar hacia mi interior porque de ahí es donde viene todo en mi vida.
¿Y después de este libro? Ya tengo otra historia en la que estoy trabajando. De momento se llama ‘The Forsaken One’ (‘El abandonado’)
Si quieren saber más sobre mi o ponerse en contacto conmigo:
Website: thevampirequeen1@weebly.com
Blog: www.thevampirequeen1.blogspot.com
2nd Blog: www.jodiepierceauthor.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jodie.pierce.14 y www.facebook.com/authors.authority que comparto con mi favorita amiga/autora, Deborah Palumbo (Lean al primera entrevista en mi Segundo blog para saber más sobre ella).
www.groups.yahoo.com/groups/Sink_Your_Fangs_In
www.goodreads.com/user/show/5216941-jodie-pierce
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Y antes de dejarles, un par de cosas. La semana que viene también tendremos a dos autoras invitadas. Les prometo que será de lo más especial.
Y por supuesto, no les puedo dejar sin recordarles que mi libro ‘El hombre que nunca existió’ está a la venta en versión electrónica.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TWEGC8
Y como novedad, les daré el enlace para mi página de autora en Goodreads. Si todavía no son miembros de Goodreads y les gusta leer, ¿ a qué están esperando? Es una página de web maravillosa para descubrir libros de géneros diversos, lectores con intereses similares, conocer a sus autores favoritos, participar en eventos y hacer amigos. ¡Anímense!
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6562510.Olga_N_ez_Miret
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Mae Clair’s Wizards with Words: Jodie Pierce (maeclair.net)
Guest author Jodie Pierce
As promised last week, this week we have TWO guest authors talking about themselves, life as writers, and their books. The first one is Jodie Pierce who has been kind enough to accept my invitation and offers us an illuminating and open account of her life experience and how this formed her as a writer. As I mentioned last week, there is continuity as she also has been writing about vampires.
And now, over to you, Jodie:
Tell me a bit about yourself: I am 37 and live with my hubby in Cleveland, Ohio. I have had a fascination with vampires since I was a child but didn’t start writing about then until I read an Anne Rice book one day. I was an exchange student in Brasil so you will find some of that in my stories. I enjoy research so many places, foods, clothes, etc are true in my stories. I currently have eight books published.
What type of genre do you write? Paranormal.
What genre to you personally read? Paranormal.
Tell me about your latest? The Vampire Queen is once again ruling her subjects only this time it is a school for the ‘different’ children in Scotland. A school full of vampires, witches, warlocks, elves and fairies, one that is feared and hated by all who attend. A new group of witches and warlocks show up to her gates and cause all kinds of havoc within the school. Vampires and witches are at odds and only a few can see the survival of the school. An ancient lover and the Queen are reunited but at what costs? A new, as well as an old lover unite to attempt to take the Queen off her throne. Will it work? Will the Queen maintain her horrendous rule over the students? Can the spells woven work and change history? All will be told in the end.
Where is your book available? www.amazon.com & www.barnesandnoble.com
What sparked your passion for books and the art of a good story? My parents always read. Mom was a Librarian and Dad read at least a book a day so I started reading while being grounded and loved it.
Is there a particular book that changed or affected your life in a big way? I can’t remember the exact book but it was an Anne Rice book. Christine Feehan lead me into my erotic side too.
What was the seed of inspiration for your latest book? I already had books 1 & 2 and decided I wanted to be able to say I had a trilogy. I decided to close up some things from the first two books and the idea for the book came to me in a dream.
What has been your best moment as a writer? The day I got that email that said they wanted to publish my first story.
Who is your author idol? Anne Rice!
Do you see yourself in any of your characters? No but I write other people around me into my characters.
Do you feel like your dream has come true or is there much more to do? There’s always more to do. More to write…LOL!
What does your workspace look like? I work, sitting on my recliner with my computer on my lap. My table next to my chair is loaded with papers, notes and Luna bar wrappers.
What do you do when you’re not writing? I enjoy watching tv with hubby, getting coffee or a bite to eat out, spend time with my parents.
What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer? Persistence but most writers/artists aren’t sane.
Did you have a moment when you realized you were meant to be a writer? I just always knew since middle school. I loved to write even then.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors? Keep trying. Go for your dreams. You only fail if you give up.
Who would be your favorite character in your current release?
My favorite character is the main character, The Vampire Queen. She is at first a scared young woman who has to relearn everything about herself that she once knew. After that, she becomes sassy, seductive, impulsive, sometimes arrogant, petulant yet ruthless and looking to resume her reign in the vampire race.
Are the names of the characters in your novels important? How and why?
I pick all my names from a giant baby book I have or from online baby name sites. I usually think of a letter for the name and then search say all the ‘t’s and look for a name with a meaning of the main characteristic of that character. It makes it more fun for me and though no one knows my ‘evil name plot’ it amuses me.
Does travel play in the writing of your books? Well, not exactly travel in as far as my personal travelling to locations but I research all of my locations. I like to do research so I look up everything from places, food, clothes, etc. It helps me learn about new places and makes the reading more interesting in my opinion.
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
I like the creative outlet that it gives me. Much of my writing comes from dreams I have. I dream a concept and then have other dreams about various sequences within the book. I often wake up at 4am and have to write. I also lay in bed before falling asleep just dwelling on it and come up with some great ideas so I have a pen and paper next to the bed for that. Sometimes, hubby gives me a great concept for a story and then I just run away with it. That’s the case for the story I’m working on now. Sometimes I get stuck in the middle but then when the floodgates open, look out! LOL! J
What does your significant other and family think of your writing career?
Well, this is a tricky one without offending others but I have to be honest. My hubby is my biggest supporter. Like I said, he gives me ideas, reads my books, buys them (encourages me to buy others’ books I need to feed my starving readers brain), etc. He tells me all the time how proud of me he is and reminds me when I’m down how far I’ve come in reaching my goal to be a writer. On the flip side, my parents (which I’m very close to) don’t really seem to care. They have never read any of my stories (and they read a lot-sometimes 4 books a week). My mother claims it’s because they are about vampires and she’s not into that genre. My dad has said he’s proud of me but gives me crap about not making millions on them. It’s frustrating. I love them but they don’t support me, I feel so I’m at a loss with them and don’t bring it up much anymore.
Tell us about your favorite restaurant.
My hubby and I seem to be foodies. We watch all the cooking and food shows. We love to try new things, places, food, etc. On the cooking shows, they spoke about using bone marrow. I already have a hard time with eating food off a bone so it grossed me out. I said I’d ‘never’ eat it. Well, we went to a critically acclaimed chef’s restaurant, Lolita by Michael Simon and it was on the menu. He ordered it and I was still skeptical but he talked me into trying it. I have to say, it wasn’t as bad as I thought and it was actually pretty good. I wouldn’t eat it every day and it is an acquired taste but it was good.
Who is your favorite author?
My favorite author is also the woman who inspired me to write about vampires. I was writing romance, bored to death with it and uninspired. I have had a fascination with vampires since I was a child but it wasn’t until I read an Anne Rice book that I decided I should write about these vampires that I’d grown to love so much over the years. As far as my erotic books, Christine Feehan was my additional inspiration after reading Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty series. Ms. Feehan’s books were amazing and took my imagination to places I had never thought I’d be able to put out on paper.
Do you have a favorite quote, quip, or saying? What is it?
“I often paint self-portraits for it is I that knows myself the best”-Freida Kahlo
It reminds me to look inward at myself as that’s where everything in my life comes from.
After this book, what is next? I already have a story I’m working on, temporarily called The Forsaken One.
Website: thevampirequeen1@weebly.com
Blog: www.thevampirequeen1.blogspot.com
2nd Blog: www.jodiepierceauthor.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jodie.pierce.14 and www.facebook.com/authors.authority which I co manage with my favorite author friend, Deborah Palumbo (check her out on my 2nd blog as the first interview).
www.groups.yahoo.com/groups/Sink_Your_Fangs_In
www.goodreads.com/user/show/5216941-jodie-pierce
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jodie-pierce/25/357/b22
Twitter: @vampiregds
http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/thevampirequeen
https://www.facebook.com/jodie.pierce.14
*********************************************************************
And of course, a couple of other things: Friday, the 7th December we have as guest author, Vanessa Wester. Again this is a cracking account of how he became a writer that all of you should enjoy.
Next week I have a couple more interesting guests. But more about that on Friday.
Just remind you of my book, The Man Who Never Was
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TWRT22
And I have an author page in Goodreads. If anybody is not yet in Goodreads, don’t waste a minute. It’s a wonderful site were you can share your love for all kinds of books, set yourself writing challenges, get to meet some of your favourite authors and be invited to great events. Don’t miss it!
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Related articles
Why I write the “Anne Rice Examiner” page (examiner.com)
Anne Rice and the Movies – A wish list (examiner.com)
November 30, 2012
Autora invitada Deborah Palumbo nos habla de su obra, en particular ‘The Undeparted’
Hola a todos: Estoy encantada de presentarles a mi amiga y escritora genial Deborah Palumbo como invitada a mi blog. Espero que ustedes estén tan excitados como yo por esta oportunidad de conocer algo más sobre su obra, y yo además le tengo que agradecer que me tuviera de invitara en su propio blog. Si les interesa conocer a nuevos escritores, su blog es el sitio ideal y les recomiendo que lo sigan. ¡Yo lo hago!
Y ahora, sin más demora, les dejo con Deborah.
SOBRE LA AUTORA 
Primero, quiero decirles que estoy muy contenta de estar aquí.
Soy una autora y de ficción y publico mis propias obras ahora pero empecé cuando era muy joven, desde los 7 años hasta que tuve 18 escribía poemas a Dios, pero siempre quise escribir novelas; era algo innato. Ese sueño sin embargo, no se cumplió hasta que desgraciadamente me enfermé con una enfermedad debilitante, y como resultado, tengo ahora 9 novelas publicadas con Amazon y muchas esperando en el archivador a que les quite el polvo.
Cuento historias en varios géneros, disponibles en versión electrónica y de papel: Paranormal…mezclado con misterio y romance, histórica, y misterio y crimen…ya saben…quién fue el culpable, con detectives frustrados que siempre están a la caza de algún asesino. El elemento que tienen en común es que todas tienen como elemento central el misterio.
También colaboré en un guion con actor/escritor Jordan Rhodes. Disfruté la experiencia inmensamente, pero sigo prefiriendo escribir novelas.
OK, así que ahora que nos hemos quitado de encima mi humilde biografía, estamos listos para meternos en el meollo de la cuestión.
Así que aquí estamos a punto de discutir mi serie de vampiros The Undeparted (Los que no partieron) y en particular el libro 3 The Banished One (El desterrado) Sí, ya he terminado el libro 3 lo que quiere decir que me tienen que prometer que se abalanzarán hacia Amazon y comprarán los 3 libros y se quedarán enganchados con la serie paranormal misterio/romance y con los personaje, Quentin, el padre de todos los vampiros que está en transición emocional, la bella y una vez mortal Cassandra, la mano derecha de Quentin desde los 1200s, el malo y sexi Christian, y el vicioso y diabólico Lucius.
Si eres miembro de Prime, mis libros te saldrán gratis, y si no, los libros en versión
Guest author Deborah Palumbo talks about her writing journey and the Undeparted
Hi all: I’m very pleased to introduce my friend and extremely talented writer Deborah Palumbo as a guest in my blog. I’m exhilarated for this opportunity and she was kind enough to have me featured in her own blog. If you are keen on being introduced to new writers, her blog is the place and I’d advise you to follow it. I do!
And now, without further ado I leave you with Deborah!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
First of all, I want to say I’m really glad to be here!
I’m a self-pubbed fiction author now but I began as a young gal who from age 7 through 18 wrote poems for God, but I always wanted to write novels; it was something innate. That dream however, didn’t happen until I was unfortunately stricken with a debilitating illness; as a result, I have 9 novels published on Amazon and many more are sitting in my file waiting to be dusted off!
I spin yarns in several genres, available as ebooks and paperback: Paranormal…laced with mystery and romance, historical, and mystery/crime…you know who dunnit with frustrated detectives who are hot on the trail of some killer. The one element they all have in common is they are all mystery based.
I also co wrote a screenplay with actor/writer Jordan Rhodes. I loved the experience immensely, but writing novels is still much preferred.
Okay so now that we’ve gotten my humble bio out of the way, we’re ready for the meat and potatoes.
So, here we are about to discuss my vampire series The Undeparted and in particular book 3 The Banished One. Yeah, I’ve already finished book 3 which means you have to promise me you’ll rush to Amazon and buy all 3 books and get caught up on the paranormal mystery/romance series and the characters, Quentin, the father of all vampires who is in an emotional transition, the beautiful and once mortal Cassandra, Quentin’s sidekick since the 1200′s the sexy and mean spirited Christian, and the vicious and evil Lucius.
If you’re a prime member, my books are free to you, otherwise, the
November 27, 2012
Estefie habla de ‘El hombre que nunca existió. Mi novela 5.
Hoy, Estefie, la hermana de Jesús, responde preguntas de su familia, sobre él y las aventuras de toda la familia en ‘El hombre que nunca existió.’ En lugar de escribir nos ha enviado un audio post.
Aquí está. Espero que les guste.
El hombre que nunca existió (audio blog 5)
Enlace a El hombre que nunca existió
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TWEGC8
Y un video de mi libro. Usen el enlace de arriba si desean conectar directamente con la página de Amazon.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/qvUitFG2D20
Aqui hay una página sobre mi libro en Ask David donde pueden dejar críticas y comentarios (que se los agradeceré mucho, especialmente si son Buenos): The Man Who Never Was Gracias!
Y un importante anuncio. Mi gran amiga y escritora de mucho talento, Deborah Palumbo, aparecerá este viernes, 30 de Noviembre, para hablarnos de su más reciente novela en la serie ‘The Undeparted’. Estoy segura de que les encantará. No se lo pierdan!
Stephie talks about ‘The Man Who Never Was’. My Novel. Post
Today it’s Stephie’s turn to talk about her brother Jesús and his adventures in The Man Who Never Was. She’s decided to send us a recording instead.
Here it goes. I hope you enjoy it!
The Man Who Never Was. Blog (audio post 5)
If you’re interested in what you’ve heard, here is more information:
The Man Who Never Was
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TWRT22
And in Spanish: El hombre que nunca existió
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TWEGC8
If you want to watch the book trailer, here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/qvUitFG2D20
Check this great review page The Man Who Never Was Don’t forget to leave your reviews and comments. Thank you!
And now, a very important ANNOUNCEMENT. I’m extremely happy to tell you that this Friday, 30th November, my friend and great writer Deborah Palumbo will be my guest and will talk about her writing and her newest novel in the series of The Undeparted. Miss it at your peril!
November 23, 2012
John Smith talks about ‘Ethan Justice: Origins’
Today I have the pleasure to lend my blog to UK author Simon Jenner. He has sent me an interview with John Smith the protagonist of ‘Ethan Justice: Origins’.
Interview with John Smith, star and hero of ‘Ethan Justice: Origins’ by Simon Jenner.
Thanksgiving is upon us once again when the people of America and Canada… well… give thanks. In Simon Jenner’s book ‘Ethan Justice: Origins’, you get dealt a pretty rough time by the author. What, if anything, do you give thanks for?
That is a very good question. It is hard to imagine that I have much to give the author thanks for, especially given that he pulls me from a perfectly comfortable (if boring) existence into a dark world of secret police, psychos and pimps. One day I’m happily living off my rich family’s charity and the next I’m facing a trained killer and an angry pimp armed with only a toothbrush. What sort of person would do that to you?
I guess that what I’m most thankful for is being introduced to the delectable Savannah Jones. In my past life I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get close to such a beautiful woman and even if I had I would never have had the nerve to talk to her. Most people don’t see past Savannah’s looks because she comes over a little naïve, but underneath she’s the smartest and bravest woman I’ve ever met. Our first meeting doesn’t go too well. I’m shocked to find out that she’s a prostitute, but that’s a whole other story. I’m a bit naïve myself at the start of the book, but as the author throws us deeper and deeper into trouble, Savannah and I soon learn to survive in a world of killers and scum, and experience comes thick and fast.
Thankfully, Mr Jenner gave me the skills and a resolute stubbornness, often mistaken for bravery by others, to cope in most of the situations that he throws at me. One of the best skills is my ability to mimic accents and that alone helps Savannah and I out of more than one sticky situation. I love that the book doesn’t always have to be about the guns and the fighting and that he gives me the ability to think on my feet. I’m not one-dimensional and I’ve got brains. I certainly give thanks to the author for that.
He also gave Savannah and I a great supporting cast of characters who provide us with the adventure to end all adventures. The book has got it all in terms of action and plot, but what really makes it tick is that each character is different and, love them or hate them, you can’t ignore them. Good or bad, they’ve all got depth and they make it easy for me to shine in front of Savannah. Did I mention how gorgeous she is?
All right, Mr Jenner, so you did me a favour. It’s true what they all said. I was a waste of space, but did you have to put me through all that just to show me the error of my ways? On second thoughts, don’t bother answering. Knowing him, he’ll take it out on me in the sequel planned for early next year. He’s got a sick mind and I don’t want to take any chances.
I can truly tell you the novel is fabulous and I had a great time reading it. For more information see:
Links to Simon Jenner’s pages and books:
My website: http://simonjenner.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SimonJennerAuthor?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonrjenner
Link to Ethan Justice: Origins: http://www.amazon.com/Ethan-Justice-Origins-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0087S6AA6
Simon’s talents are not limited to adult fiction. He has also sent me information about his new book about dieting:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intermittent-Fasting-Practical-Weight-ebook/dp/B00AAJO322
Considering Christmas is coming it might be just what we all need.
Thank again Simon for his contribution to the post and I hope you’ll all check his novel!
*********************************************************************
Two announcements:
Tomorrow I’m appearing at my friend’s and talented author (‘The Undeparted’) Deborah Palumbo’s blog at :
http://deborahpalumbotheundeparted.bl...
And next week on the 30th November, Deborah will be my guest!
Of course, I couldn’t leave you without reminding you of my book:
The Man Who Never Was
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TWRT22
And in Spanish: El hombre que nunca existió
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TWEGC8
Check this great review page The Man Who Never Was Don’t forget to leave your reviews and comments. Thank you!
November 20, 2012
Forensic psychiatry
English: Image for mental health stubs, uses two psych images – psychiatry (medicine) and psychology (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
After weeks of talking about my book (and yes, there will be links at the end of the post, of course) I decided to try something different. I’ve just noticed that when people read my profile, in Twitter or Facebook, they are always interested in the forensic psychiatrist thing. I must explain. Forensic in this context does not have much to do with crime labs, CSI and all those thing. It is a subspecialty of psychiatry that deals with people who in their majority have a forensic (criminal history) and are felt to be too dangerous or risky for standard psychiatric services. So forensic psychiatric hospitals normally have more security measures than a standard psychiatric hospital (alarms, fences, locks…), staff numbers tend to be higher, staff members are trained in how to deal with certain risky behaviours and there is an emphasis placed on producing good risk assessments and plans to manage difficult situations.
There appears to be some confusion between psychiatrists and psychologists. To become a psychiatrist you have to study Medicine first, so we are doctors who then train to become psychiatrists. All doctors will study Psychiatry as one of the subjects during their degree, but like with any other specialties you will need further training if you want to work in psychiatry (in the same way that a surgeon or a cardiologist needs to train on their branch of Medicine). Psychology is a completely different career and although we work closely together with clinical psychologists (and sometimes Forensic psychologists in my line of work) our training is different. Psychologists can work in a variety of fields, not only related to clinical matters, and I’m sure that all of you who have children are aware of psychologists attached to schools, working to assess children’s needs and help with any difficulties. They also work in recruitment for big companies, in sports…They do assessments (like IQ assessments, assessments of risk of violence, assessment of cognitive difficulties with somebody who has suffered a stroke, for instance), and also therapy and treatment, depending on their specific training. They do not prescribe medication (unless they have had other training and qualifications) and deal with how the mind works, but not from an organic point of view.
I work in the UK, and here people suffering from a mental disorder who come in contact with criminal justice system are subject to a different subsection of the Mental Health Act (1983 but amended in 2007). I’m not familiar with the Mental Health Law in many other countries (not even in Spain, where I come from, as I haven’t worked there for years and have no contacts with psychiatrists in the country) and can’t comment on exact details but here somebody can be detained if they are deemed to be mentally unwell and be risky to themselves or others. They can be taken to hospital and treated against their will. Issues of Human Rights come into play, but such matters are accepted, not without debate.
How is the work? It is not really that different from standard psychiatry. I work in a public hospital, and don’t focus on talking therapies, so I’m nothing like the psychiatrist in the Sopranos or Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting (that I love). Luckily it isn’t like in Someone Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest or Quills. Yes, ECT (what people used to call electroshock, now electroconvulsive therapy) is still in use, and works very well in extreme cases, with people very depressed and with risk to their lives due to not eating and drinking. Of course it is not like used to be now, and people are asleep. In summary we see people, listen to them, talk to them and prescribe them medication if they need it. We also have to prepare reports for the courts to give them our opinion about somebody’s mental health state and how their crimes might be related (or not) to their mental health. As I explained in forensic psychiatric hospitals the security measures are greater, and although sometimes we have to deal with people who are very unwell in general it does not result in the job being personally more risky than many others.
I work in a hospital and that means we work in a team with many other professionals who do a great job in trying to return people back to independent life in the community. We have nurses who are always by the side of the patients, occupational therapist who try to encourage them to engage in activities, look at college, work, practical skills for everyday life, psychologists who help assess specific problems and offer counselling and therapy for particular difficulties (anxiety, substance misuse, psychotic symptoms…). And housekeeping staff, administrative staff, and gardeners, maintenance…Patients have a lot of people around them, and sometimes that is a big part of the change and therapy, as unfortunately many have lived isolated lives in the community.
There are many sad stories, some entertaining ones, a few success stories, some less successful Who is to judge though? Now people are talking less about ‘cure’, quite difficult in some mental illnesses that are chronic and can be managed but not eradicated, and more about recovery. Recovery is about trying to bring people to their ideal level of functioning and well-being. And who could aspire to more than that?
Olga
And now, as promised, the links to my book. And TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS. This Friday, the 23rd of November, author Simon Jenner, will be talking to us about his writing and his new book, first on the series of Ethan Justice. I’ve read it and can truthfully say I can wholeheartedly recommend it!
Second announcement is that I’m going to feature in my friend and very successful author (The Undeparted Series) Deborah Palumbo’s blog on the 24th of November. I’ll remind you, but I’m giving you the link now. She always has fantastic guests and her own posts are fascinating. Have a look:
http://deborahpalumbotheundeparted.blospot.com/
The link to The Man Who Never Was is:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TWRT22
You can access the book trailer for The Man in my author’s page in Amazon, or directly in U-tube but if you wish to use links, please use the one above:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/qvUitFG2D20
Thanks so much!
Related articles
Psychiatric hospital violence spikes, B.C. safety agency says (cbc.ca)
Lawyer: alleged college shooter not fit for trial (sfgate.com)
Author Translator Olga
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