Harmony Kent's Blog, page 140
August 16, 2015
RRBC Pay it Forward Week! Welcome to Yvette Calleiro!
Bethany Turner Pay it Forward Week!
Hello everyone!
I am delighted today to host the first of three authors I will spotlight, promote, and propel this week as part of the RRBC BT Pay it Forward Week. Credit for this Pay it Forward idea has to go to Bethany Turner, who is a fellow board member of RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB and such a supportive lady. She had the idea of supporting one author per day, and not promoting herself or anyone else at all for that whole day. Well, as RRBC is all about support, this was a huge hit, and we now have our very own RRBC Bethany Turner Pay it Forward Week! For more information, or to sign up for future Pay it Forward weeks, please click HERE. Okay, I’m sure you’re all dying to know who my author of the day is today …
A HUGE warm welcome to Yvette M Calleiro! Yvette is a supportive member of RRBC, as well as a talented lady! So, lets all please give Yvette as much support as we can today! 
Yvette M. Calleiro is a heavily addicted reader of both young adult and adult novels. She spends most of her free time psuedo-living
in paranormal worlds with her fictional friends (and boyfriends). She’s also been known to run on the elliptical machine at her gym for hours while reading anything from paranormal to fantasy to suspenseful thrillers. When she’s living amongst real people, Yvette M. Calleiro is a high school Reading teacher. She’s been sharing her love of literature with her students for over seventeen years. Besides writing about the various characters that whisper (and sometimes scream) in her head, she enjoys traveling, watching movies, spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean. Yvette lives in Miami, Florida, with her beautiful son who allows her to enjoy children’s literature all over again. She also shares her space with an assortment of crazy saltwater animals in her 300-gallon tank.
Yvette’s books!
The One Discovered
How do you choose when both options have dire consequences?
Sofia is a 17 year old who is quite content with her life. She has a caring boyfriend who also just happens to be her
best friend since birth. She has a loving mother. She is successfully completing her last year of high school and enjoys her part-time job. She can’t imagine wanting more from her life…until Ar’ch (pronounced Ar-rick) enters her dreams,
sparking a burning flame inside of her that she can’t seem to extinguish nor does she want to.
Ar’ch is a Diasodz (Die-ah-sodz), a species created by the Goddess back when God created humans. Diasodz were made to
heal and protect humans, but when the Diasodz turned their backs on helping humans and left Earth to live in their own
world, the Goddess abandoned them. Since then, their powers and their very lives have been fading. A prophecy foretold
that a young girl born on Earth would be the Diasodz’s savior. Ar’ch and his brother, Angel, travel to Earth to retrieve her and bring her back to their world before her death day in order to save their kind. Ar’ch knows the drill: find the
target, capture her, and safely bring her home. But what happens when the target captures his dormant heart?
Choices create action. Actions have consequences. When faced with the truth, what choice will Sofia make? Will she be able to accept the consequences that follow?
The One Enlightened
Sofia has lost everything that was important to her: her mother, her boyfriend, and her best friend. Even the belief that humans are the only beings in the world has been stripped away, but she has no time to dwell on her losses because she’s
been transported to a new world to become the savior of the Diasodz. Sofia trusted Ar’ch and Angel to be there for her and to guide and protect her, but only Angel has held true to his word. Ar’ch has abandoned her, leaving her to feel tricked
and betrayed.
Ar’ch brought Sofia home, fulfilling his mission to bring their savior safely to their world, but it didn’t come without a cost. Rafe, Sofia’s boyfriend, was killed, and Ar’ch believes Sofia blames him for it. Ar’ch’s sole focus becomes doing
what is best for Sofia, and in his mind, that does not include him.
As Sofia deals with Ar’ch’s absence, she throws herself into learning about the Diasodz’s history. She grows stronger both emotionally and physically, and begins to accept her role in their world, but not everyone is convinced that she is the
one whom the prophecy states will save them.
Beliefs will be challenged. Secrets will be revealed. Relationships will be shattered. And in the aftermath, evil will see its opportunity and strike. Will Sofia be able to handle it all? Or will the savior of the Diasodz lose her will to
continue?
Yvette's Blog
Yvette's Website
Yvette on Facebook
by 
August 10, 2015
Rave Reviews Book Club Books of the Month!
Rave Reviews Book Club Books of the Month for August!
Congratulations to Kim Cox, Gordon Bickerstaff, and Traci Sanders for being this month’s Books of the Month!
by
July 30, 2015
Author Scoop! Did you catch our latest radio talk show?
If you missed the live show on Saturday, don’t despair: we’re archived!
For news, scoops, and a bag of laughs, check out Author Scoop, a Rave Reviews Book Club Rave Raves production
On the last show, awesome co-hosts
John Fioravanti,
Bethany Turner, 
and Beem Weeks
joined me. 
your host, Harmony Kent!
Check out the twitter chat during the show too! Simply search the hashtag #RRBCAuthorScoop.
Saturday’s show was sponsored by the delightful Shirley Slaughter! Author of Crazy! Hot! And Living on the Edge!
Our next live show is on Saturday August 22nd at 12 noon CST / 6pm UK. Be sure to be there! Join host Harmony Kent with wonderful co hosts: Marlena Hand, John Fioravanti, Bethany Turner, Beem Weeks, and John Howell! Be sure to check out their shows throughout August too! https://ravereviewsbynonniejules.wordpress.com/rave-waves-blog-talk-radio/
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July 29, 2015
Jason Zandri and Another Sunset
Today, I am delighted to welcome talented author, Jason Zandri! Jason is on tour from July 26th until August 14th, and is promoting three of his books. To see his other tour stops, please click HERE . On today’s stop, he tells us about Another Sunset, and talks about some of his processes as regards to writing and being an author. Take it away Jason!
Another Sunset was my first work of fiction and I learned so many things from writing it. There is a saying that goes “if you could go back and change…” Most of the times when I am presented with this “option,” I answer with, “I wouldn’t change a thing.” With respect to the book, not the core of the story, but the book itself, I would change things.
I am happy with the end result of “Another Sunset”. It certainly ended up “on paper” being the story that has been in my head, in one form or the other, over the past decade and then some.
What I never considered when deciding to write it was the idea of making it a small series. With the backstory of David before he came to Westville, his time in Westville, and the events of his life prior to getting there, I technically had enough material, had I wanted to expand on it, to write at least three stories without impacting “Another Sunset” in any measureable way.
I had very little appreciable knowledge of the writing or publishing landscape when I worked on “Another Sunset.” I didn’t understand at the time how a series of books that, even loosely tied together, drove reader interest into the other volumes of the series or even into other series by the same author. Now that I do, I am looking at the new efforts I have on the table in that manner. For those that are really paying attention in “As Life Goes,” you’re in for a treat. Sorry, no spoilers, but there will be more hints on that when that book series goes on tour in a couple weeks.
The decision to write multiple books with the same characters isn’t an easy one, in my opinion. There are some readers that can be overly critical of the process. A few will complain that the author is only breaking up a book for the express purpose to sell more units. I can’t speak to every author’s intent, but I can see the readers’ argument because I am sure some will do it only for that reason. If I had 400 pages of content, but a legitimate way to have a beginning, middle, and an end in the first half of a book and the second half too, knowing what I know now, I might be inclined to make two books. The issue really comes down to “are there really two, parallel storylines, or is one artificially created with the sole intent to break the book into two?” Only the author can honestly answer that.
The critical issue is how the author handles their work. If it really is one big story, the only way, in my opinion, to not alienate readers (or potential ones) is to say PART I and PART II in the titles of the book. This way, the reader understands that the beginning of the main conflict will be in book one, build up, and then cliff-hang. From there, the conflict will continue and be resolved in book two. If it’s not handled in this manner, I really feel many readers will be upset. On the other hand, if there is a legitimate beginning, middle, and end to the story, and book two is another situation of its own, then that is a different story as they would be two, separate, beginnings, middles, and ends but with the same cast of characters.
Many of us are familiar with the Harry Potter series of books. When the movies were made, the studio capitalized on the popularity of the books, and the movie series, by splitting the movie version of the final book into two parts. Rather than have a four and a half hour movie grossing about ten dollars a ticket, they made two parts of the same story and took in twice as much. Would they, if they could, make one movie and charge twice as much? Likely not; the studios understand peoples’ attention spans are limited and most cannot sit for that long for a single movie. Two movies are more appealing as it builds excitement, even though many people knew the ending of the tale as they read the book series first. Also, any time that someone sees one movie in a series, especially when it doesn’t pull so hard on other movies in the series that you cannot follow the movie as a stand-alone creation, then they are likely to be interested in others to follow the characters throughout the full storyline.
It had never dawned on me prior that the same could be true for the stories in my head. Now that I am thinking more like an author, I am realizing that if there is more story to tell, I should find ways to tell it. If that’s a longer book, or a series of midsized ones then, I should just tell the tale and let the reader discover it.
About Another Sunset
David Stephenson is a kind drifter who comes to settle in the small Texas town of Westville. His sense, empathy, and awareness are well received by the residents of the failing town as they welcome and befriend him. During his stay he helps a small local girl try to realize her dream and while doing so excites and energizes the whole town to help out. Lives change as fate takes a critical turn. The local would-be reporter, tasked by David’s longtime friend, takes off on a mission to unravel the mystery of his travels, where he came from, and discovers why he is on his journey.
Another Sunset Reviews – http://amzn.to/1RHrdES
“The author has a nice way of weaving together a touching story that definitely tugged at those heartstrings”
http://www.amazon.com/review/RE23H0HC4YBXY/
“Endearing characters, well-paced dialogue, and valuable lessons…all the components of fantastic book”
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3KETK9GVPLVIV
“Instead of the fast pace of stories that tell too much, too soon, Another Sunset moved its pace along with detail that helped really form its characters. It gave plenty of time to delve into the story and not be able to fully discern where the story was going (which I like – I don’t like to be able to script out what’s going to happen! Surprise me!)”
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3DJBKJG5DVFM1/
Another Sunset – Three Chapter Excerpt – http://www.zandri.net/PDF/Another_Sunset_8_9_15.pdf
Books and links
Before Another Sunset (The Sunset Series Book 1)
http://www.amazon.com/Before-Another-Sunset-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B00T11GKYE
Another Sunset (The Sunset Series Book 2)
http://www.amazon.com/Another-Sunset-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00QD2FQU8/
I Hero: The Beginning
http://www.amazon.com/I-Hero-Beginning-Jason-Zandri-ebook/dp/B00Y3LA41M/
I Hero: Nathan Returns
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011AOPE64
As Life Goes: Elementary
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Goes-Elementary-Jason-Zandri-ebook/dp/B00ZXVB7SK/
As Life Goes: The End of the Innocence – (expected November 2015)
As Life Goes: The Reunion – (expected April 2016)
As Life Goes: The Wedding (expected July 2016)
As Life Goes: The Funeral (expected October 2016)
I Hero: Untitled Book 3 (Expected first half 2016)
I Hero: Untitled Book 4 (Expected second half 2016)
I Hero: Untitled Book 5 (Expected first half 2017)
Social Media links
Twitter – @GUNDERSTONE https://twitter.com/gunderstone/
Facebook Author page – https://www.facebook.com/jzandri
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonzandri
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/+JasonZandri/
Author blog – The GUNDERSTONE Review https://gunderstone.wordpress.com/
ABOUT JASON ZANDRI
Jason has been working in the information technology field in one form or the other since 1996. He is currently employed full time at Bloomberg LP as a Systems Engineer in the R&D group. Jason lives in Wallingford Connecticut, with his wife Renata. He is the father to four children, three boys and 1 girl – 11 years (Andrew), 9 years (Angela), 7 years (Adam) and 6 years old (Alex).
This tour sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com.
by
July 3, 2015
Rave Reviews Book Club Books of the Month!
Books of the Month for July!
Congratulations to Lizzie Chantree, Adam Boustead, and Tammi Booth! See their books below! Also, visit Rave Reviews Book Club for an awesome collection of books.
Babe Driven by Lizzie Chantree
Driving st
raight out of trouble and into paradise!
Harriet’s crazily successful business idea is under serious threat, and the danger seems to be coming from inside her own family. She whisks her sister and her friends away to an exotic location to try and work out whose side they are on. It’s time to start damage limitation.
When the girls arrive at the glorious villa owned by Harriet’s maverick business partner Nikki, they find a gorgeous band and their sexy lead singer Max staying next door, out to entice their new neighbours into all kinds of trouble.
This isn’t a holiday for Harriet and she can’t afford to be distracted. She has to sell her business idea to the powerful resort owner, the elusive Mr Grant, while she is there, or she may not have a business to go back to. Harriet will have to choose between family and friends, business or pleasure. For someone who stays out of the limelight, even though her new company is the hottest ticket in town, she’s going to have to avoid the front pages of every newspaper if she wants to survive the ride!
Dragon Fireside Tales by Adam Boustead
AMAZONIntriguing, softly unsettling, but strangely hypnotic fantastical tales of the unexpected.
Beyond Vica by Tammi Booth
Gabby and her two best friends share a constellation in the sky named VICA. The trio named the constellation that tells the tale of their childhood friendship. Now that Gabby is fifteen, this tale written in the stars means more than ever.
Gabby finds herself facing the threat of losing her best friend, Sam to cancer. On top of that, she develops a crush on the other friend, Brody. She fears the friendship will fall apart and feels alone. To complicate matters, Sam’s condition brings back memories that Gabby has not allowed to surface since she was five.
As Gabby’s world crashes down on her, she’s forced to face the realities of life, death, grief, and love. How will she survive without the friendship that’s written in the stars?
by
June 26, 2015
RRBC Pay It Forward Week! Please welcome Loren Weaver!
Bethany Turner Pay it Forward Week!
Hello everyone!
I am delighted today to host the first of three authors I will spotlight, promote, and propel this week as part of the RRBC BT Pay it Forward Week. Credit for this Pay it Forward idea has to go to Bethany Turner, who is a fellow board member of RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB and such a supportive lady. She had the idea of supporting one author per day, and not promoting herself or anyone else at all for that whole day. Well, as RRBC is all about support, this was a huge hit, and we now have our very own RRBC Bethany Turner Pay it Forward Week! For more information, or to sign up for future Pay it Forward weeks, please click HERE. Okay, I’m sure you’re all dying to know who my author of the day is today …
A HUGE warm welcome to Loren Weaver! Loren is a supportive member of RRBC, as well as a talented lady! So, lets all please give Loren as much support as we can today!
What Loren has to say:
Hi!
I’m Loren Weaver, and I’m glad you’re here! Let me tell you a little about me.
To start, I’m not a full time writer. I have a BS in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. In my day job, I’m an engineer.
In my free time, I’m a personal fitness coach. I enjoy helping other people reach their health goals, which is more than just ‘lose 10 pounds.’
I’m currently working on a MA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University because I want to become a better writer. It’s slow going, but I’m learning a lot that I’m trying to apply to my stories. I’ve been writing since I was eleven, in one form or another. I like to think I’ve gotten a little better at it.
I’m a paranormal junkie. So most of my stories and a lot of the books I read are in that genre. I enjoy looking into the history of the paranormal myths and some of the modern twists. I’m also an avid reader and will discuss a good book all day long.
Interesting facts about me? I love crazy sports and have my black belt in Tae Kwon Do, master SCUBA diver certificate, and motorcycle license. I dream of setting foot on all seven continents before I die.
Hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little better!
Loren
For more info, check out some interviews I’ve done for various sites!
JeanzBookReadNReview
IndieAuthorLand
Into Another World by Susan Noble
Fantasy Authors Unplugged by PH Solomon
Books by Loren
Havoc’s Cry
The only
living Sorceress, Victoria Novak, finally earned a peaceful, normal life. But with one howl on a full moon, her whole life crashes back into paranormal chaos. The FBI show up to recruit her to the Federal Paranormal Division, the very first all paranormal police force and she can’t decline.
Tori must train a new team of special agents in paranormal etiquette in the middle of solving a crime that’s leaving ravaged bodies twisted into grotesque shapes. Caught in the middle of a werewolf fight for dominance, Tori can’t let personal emotion interfere with solving a crime. Until the crime becomes personal.
With her life spinning into chaos, the real question is how far is she willing to go to answer Havoc’s Cry.
Archangel’s Salvation
Victoria Novak, infamous Sorceress and Federal Paranormal Division Special Agent, just got a call from the police about four bloodless corpses. Now it’s time to investigate.
When she goes to the Coven Master for help, he gives her a vampire liaison. Gabriel, a 400 year old vampire with angel’s wings painted on his face, is violence on a leash. Tori and the team chase leads back to the new club Transylvanian Travesty, owned by a vampire that makes Tori weak with his power. But is he really involved in the killings?
A new vampire murder, paranormal politics, and police work. All in a normal day. But now, Gabriel’s ready to be free, and Tori may be the only way to ensure Archangel’s Salvation.
Shadow’s Lament
The Federal Paranormal Division just got a call from the police in New York. There’s been a rash of vampire murders in the Big Apple and they’re in over their heads. Of course, New York City is the vampire capitol of the western hemisphere, and going there without notifying the Council could mean the execution of Victoria Novak, the Sorceress and a FPD Special Agent.
Of course, she’s pretty sure that’s exactly the plan, but she can’t prove it. And so she must lead her team into the jaws of death because duty calls.
To make matters worse, caught in the middle of the drama are her old Coven Master and the vampire that finally gave her the freedom to leave his care. The more she digs into what’s going on, the more she hears Shadow’s Lament.
Tiger’s Peace
Leroy has finally caught up with Victoria Novak, the only living Sorceress, after years of running and hiding. But this time, he has no intent to let her go. He’s kidnapped the Sorceress with no ransom. Tori hopes her friends at the FPD are searching for her, but there’s little hope they’ll ever find her.
When she’s thrown into a cage with a young weretiger with no control, things could get very messy very fast. Tortured by silver bars on a silver cage, this tiger’s never seen the light of day. But it’s not just cruelty that made Tori and the tiger cell mate, Leroy is tormenting her with something.
Tori learns some horrifying facts about her new tiger friend, and now must escape with him to bring her Tiger’s Peace.
You can find Loren on Twitter / Facebook / and her Website!
by
June 24, 2015
RRBC Bethany Turner Pay It Forward Week! Huge welcome to Kam Carr!
Bethany Turner Pay it Forward Week!
Hello everyone!
I am delighted today to host the first of three authors I will spotlight, promote, and propel this week as part of the RRBC BT Pay it Forward Week. Credit for this Pay it Forward idea has to go to Bethany Turner, who is a fellow board member of RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB and such a supportive lady. She had the idea of supporting one author per day, and not promoting herself or anyone else at all for that whole day. Well, as RRBC is all about support, this was a huge hit, and we now have our very own RRBC Bethany Turner Pay it Forward Week! For more information, or to sign up for future Pay it Forward weeks, please click HERE. Okay, I’m sure you’re all dying to know who my author of the day is today …
A HUGE warm welcome to Kam Carr! Kam is a supportive member of RRBC, as well as a talented lady! So, lets all please give kam as much support as we can today!
Perhaps Kam’s Facebook profile picture will give you a clue as to just what it is she writes about …
Kam has written lots of books, which you can find on her official Amazon Author Page.
And you can keep up to date with Kam on her Facebook Page.
You’ll also find Kam on Twitter.
Some books written by Kam:
Bring me to life
Sweet immortal
Wide Awake
Closer-part one
The Mercy of Devotion
All books are available from Kindle and Smashwords.
by
June 22, 2015
RRBC Pay It Forward Week! … Special guest today is …
Bethany Turner Pay it Forward Week!
Hello everyone!
I am delighted today to host the first of three authors I will spotlight, promote, and propel this week as part of the RRBC BT Pay it Forward Week. Credit for this Pay it Forward idea has to go to Bethany Turner, who is a fellow board member of RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB and such a supportive lady. She had the idea of supporting one author per day, and not promoting herself or anyone else at all for that whole day. Well, as RRBC is all about support, this was a huge hit, and we now have our very own RRBC Bethany Turner Pay it Forward Week! For more information, or to sign up for future Pay it Forward weeks, please click HERE. Okay, I’m sure you’re all dying to know who my author of the day is today …
A HUGE warm welcome to Laurie Finklestein! Laurie is a supportive member of RRBC, as well as a talented lady! So, lets all please give Laurie as much support as we can today! … I loved having Laurie as my final guest on the last Pay it Forward Week, and here she is again! And, her post (below) inspired me so much, I wanted to give it some more air time! I hope it inspires you too
Laurie is one awesome lady! Not only is she a fine and talented artist of many mediums, but she has just penned her debut novel, due to be released soon! Can’t wait to see your book, Laurie!
From Laure’s “About Me” page:
Laurie Beth Finkelstein has studied at various institutions, including USC School of Music and the Arts, Idyllwild, California, Otis Art Institute, California State University, Long Beach, California, and through private instruction, Laurie has explored a variety of medium including clay, metal, oils, pen and ink, pastels, and watercolors, ultimately choosing acrylics and mixed media as her medium of choice. In 2008, Laurie dedicated herself to finding her voice and honing her skills to create what is now her individual style and focus.
You can find Laurie’s work displayed at The Egg Plantation restaurant in Newhall, CA, as well as on her website.
An Inside Look:
(From a blog post written by Laurie a little while ago) …
I’m on a never ending path of discovery and learning. It is not born out of a natural inclination toward continuing education, but rather the bi-product of developing who I am creatively. Let me catch you up on my creative path. I was born a painter. That is not to say that I’m a natural. In fact, I was a pretty crappy painter for many, many years. But what made me a painter was not my natural talent, but rather my love for the medium and my need to create. It took years of education and most importantly, the continual act of painting, before I developed ability and an individual style. So, my first learning curve was honing my skills to create paintings that were deemed successful in my eyes, and the eyes of other beholders. Yes, I need validation as any creative seeks, and I’ve been lucky to get it along the way. Just last night I witnessed someone looking at one of my paintings in a gallery and whisper “beautiful”. I did a happy dance in my head.
The journey, however, never ends as most artists will attest to. For every successful painting there are many canvasses that simply fail. It is the quest for those gems that lead an artist through painful treks of mediocrity. And it is painful. Worse, it can be simply tortuous at times. There are creative blocks. There are times when my mind and body fight each other to harmonize my vision with my physical coordination of applying paint to canvas. There are endless distractions. But, with all that, I know from my educational process, that every creative goes through obstacles and the key to overcome the obstacles is to carve out the time, and then create with abandon – not worrying about the outcome.
The next branch in my educational process began when I wanted to market my art. I needed to learn about the art of selling, creating a website, how to get into galleries, creating blogs, newsletters, and all manner of social media. I must digress on the point of studying the art of selling. I know from my studies that when the woman admiring my painting whispered her sweet nothings, I should have approached her, introduced myself, and worked towards a sale. But while I was happy dancing in my head, my body was frozen with anxiety to take it to the next important step. Knowledge doesn’t always translate to execution. Back to my point, my time to create was being sabotaged by my need to know how to take my art beyond the studio. Then, my need to know how to balance studio time with reading time led me to study time management, mindfulness, and meditation.
And then the creative voice inside me started to percolate the need to write. I had a story to tell and I felt it was an important enough story to share with others. My story deals with a lifelong struggle with anxiety, depression and OCD. My creative side led me to take my story and interweave it with fictional characters and my favorite genre – romantic comedy. Was that a good mix? My creative self ‘high-fived’ me in approval and caused me to start writing like I was an actual writer. Coffee in hand, I spent hours spilling the beans. I ended up with bits and pieces of a story written in spiral notebooks, in Word documents, on napkins, the backs of take-out menus, and torn envelopes.
I needed to learn about the elements of writing. I researched the nuts and bolts of grammar, dialogue, plot, character development, and scenes. I stumbled upon NANOWRIMO, and Scrivener. Both of which I employed to move me along. I read about agents and publishing. Fear threatened to halt my actions. Five years passed as I wrote and re-wrote. I put the novel on the shelf when I couldn’t deal with how to fill gaps and holes, and took it out again to tackle the obstacles and finish the darn thing.
What I have now is a manuscript that is ready to be handed off to professionals. I know this because of my continuing education. I discovered the value of beta readers. I found 8 and I’m in the process of working with them to get the feedback I need. Following the consensus of the beta readers, I will revisit the manuscript for some re-writes. It will then need the eyes of book editors and proof readers. And after that, it will need more re-writing.
In researching the world of agents and publishing, I discovered the value of self-publishing and all that entails. I’m learning the ins and outs of marketing books, and much like marketing art, social media is huge. Now I am learning the intricacies of Twitter. In addition, my eyes have been opened to book bloggers, Amazon, eBooks, print on demand, and on and on.
When I am overwhelmed by the task of moving my novel along the path to publishing, and when my anxiety level raises to the ugly panic attack stage, I seek refuge in my painting. Because one thing I have learned, is that creativity and the act of creating is in itself healing and therapeutic. Above all else, I have learned that all creative endeavors, big and small, stimulate the educational process. And, the educational process stimulates creativity. It’s never ending and I’m grateful to be on the Mobius strip of education and creativity.
You can find Laurie on her website: http://lauriebethart.com/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laurie-Beth-Art/205028329507169
Twitter: @lauriebethart
by
June 15, 2015
A HUGE warm welcome to guest author Francis H Powell!
Take it away, Francis …
My most recently published book,
“Flight of Destiny”
My family background and some history.
I come from a family of five. I am the youngest, perhaps the free spirit of the family. I was educated at various schools, before going on to Art Schools, to do a degree in painting and an MA in printmaking. I loved most of my time at Art school, having experienced a painful time at school, where I was an outsider. Moved to Austria in 1995, lived there for two years and began teaching English as a foreign language. Alongside this I have always followed a lot of other creative activities, including music. During the nineties, did many concerts/raves and some short tours, playing electronic music. While in Austria, began to write stories. Moved back to England, where upon pursued teaching career, including teaching English (literature/language) and Art. Decided to move to France at the end of 1999 have lived there ever since and have taught among other things British and American culture and Architecture.
This my life in depth.
What better way to put all my angst into short stories. Born in a commuter belt city called Reading and like many a middle or upper class child of such times I was shunted off to an all-male boarding school aged eight, away from my parents for periods of up to twelve weeks at a time. In such an institutions, where I was to rest until my seventeenth year, there was no getting away from the cruel jibes hurled at me from taunting tormentors. My refuge was the arts room, where I started to find some kind of redemption from the stark Dickensian surroundings, whose aim was nurture the army officers, businessmen, and gentry that dominate the class ridden world I was born into. The seeds were sown, I was an outsider, Happier times were to follow, I went to art school, where I attempted to exorcize my time spent at school. At eighteen I turned my back on a parentally enforced weekly visit to church and my head was filled with a range of nonconformist ideas. While at my first Art college through a friend I met a writer called Rupert Thomson, who was at the time in the process of writing his first book “Dreams of leaving”. He was a bit older than myself, me being fresh out of school, but his personality and wit resonated and despite losing contact with him, I always read his latest published books with not only great expectation and unabashed admiration, but also a fascination for a person I had really looked up to, his sentences always tight, shooting arrows that always hit the mark. My yearning to be creative stayed strong and diversified, from my twenties through to my thirties and forties I made electronic music, doing concerts, in front ecstasy infused crowds, at a point I was making videos and short films. When the age of the internet arrived I was really able translate my creative endeavors into something really tangible. To earn a living I have worked as a teacher. I moved to Austria where upon I thought I would try writing. It is sure that my writing at that time was rough and rugged and without direction. I dived into a story about immortality, the story remains vegetating on some dusty floppy disk. Then tried short stories for children with illustrations to go with them. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-forties that my writing took shape. I was at this point living in Paris, France. I spotted an advert for short stories. The magazine happened to be called Rat Mort (dead rat) I sent off a short story, in the hope it would match the seemingly dark world the magazine seemed to embroiled in. I got no answer. Not put off I sent two more stories. Finally I got an answer. It seemed the magazine editor was a busy man, a man prone to travelling. It seemed my first story really hit the right note with him. His name was Alan Clark. He had a flat in the Montmartre area of Paris, where he seemed known to all, especially those who frequented his favorite drinking haunts. He offered me many words of encouragement. I was writing stories that were coming into my head at regular intervals, as if a monster had suddenly awakened. I was writing them on scraps of paper, less I would forget them, while I travelled on the Paris metro, going about my teaching work with staid business types. I had found a format for writing that worked, as well as a hunger to write about the demons of my past that still haunted me. Moving closer to present times, the desire to put together an anthology seemed to resonate in my mind. The Flight of Destiny evolved slowly. Many trans-Atlantic exchanges between myself and two editors seemingly far away. This evolution took my writing to a new level and the stories more depth and resonance.
As a writer.
I have had poems and short stories published, in books, magazines, and on websites. I have had short stories published in an arts magazine called “Freakwave”.
About my stories in Flight of Destiny
Flight of Destiny is a collection of short stories about misfortune. They are characterized by unexpected final twists, that come at the end of each tale. They are dark and surreal tales, set around the world, at different time periods. They show a world in which anything can happen. It is hard to determine reality and what is going on a disturbed mind. People’s conceptions about morality are turned upside down. A good person can be transformed by an unexpected event into a bad person and then back again to their former state. The high and mighty often deliver flawed arguments, those considered wicked make good representations of themselves. Revenge is often a subject explored.
Some of my favourite characters in the book.
Bugeyes
We live in a world of body image stereo types, are perpetuated by the media. Those unfortunate beings, born with abnormalities, could face a lifetime of cruel jokes, and in this story’s case rejection.
Bug-eyes was destined to a life of toil. As his mother, Lady Harriet Lombard, remarked gruffly when holding her swaddled first born, “He has disproportionate eyes,” adding tersely, “the child’s abnormal.” As she handed the squalling reject back to the doctor, she decreed, “Drop it down the well for all I care.”
Maggot
“If you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can’t buy” Not all follow this proverb. A rich person thinks that his money will buy the beauty of a young girl, while her father thinks her sale will solve his money problems, both are in for a surprise, even the most beautiful of apples can go bad
Maggot was enraged and banged his fist on the table! Knives, forks, spoons and plates flew into the air, tossing food everywhere. Up to this point, the banquet had been cordial, even good-humored. Necessary pleasantries and toasts had been exchanged. But as soon as serious negotiations had begun, as soon as money was brought into the equation, everything quickly went wrong.
Little Mite
This is a story for those people whose little sister or younger sibling have managed to do some irredeemable damage to their personal life, for those who have tried a trick that has gone horribly wrong.
Arrival
The task of placing a name, can be niggling, but what if this task becomes an obsession and the person behind the name a dark specter ?
“Mr. Weisler is coming! Mr. Weisler is coming! Mr. Weisler is
coming!” The words swirled around in his head like a rampant tornado,
scooping up all his thoughts, amplifying them until the mixture
seemed ready to devour him. Yet, what was vexing him was that he
could neither connect to nor put a face to the name.
Francis H Powell with a copy of his book.
The message in my novel that I want readers to grasp?
I would like readers to perceive things in a different way. I would like them to see the world through the eyes of the underdog or outsider. I would like to think about how cruel people can be to one another. In my stories the oppressed often rise up in the end and enact some kind of revenge. There are many messages woven into my stories. They often attack the establishment.
Where to find the book…
https://www.facebook.com/flightofdestinyshortstories
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwNl0F6095Q
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00WSWYVNK
https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile
PRESS RELEASE
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May 28, 2015
#RRBC #PIF Week! Welcome to Laurie Finklestein!
Bethany Turner Pay it Forward Week!
Hello everyone!
I am delighted today to host the third of three authors I will spotlight, promote, and propel this week as part of the RRBC BT Pay it Forward Week. Credit for this Pay it Forward idea has to go to Bethany Turner, who is a fellow board member of RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB and such a supportive lady. She had the idea of supporting one author per day, and not promoting herself or anyone else at all for that whole day. Well, as RRBC is all about support, this was a huge hit, and we now have our very own RRBC Bethany Turner Pay it Forward Week! For more information, or to sign up for future Pay it Forward weeks, please click HERE. Okay, I’m sure you’re all dying to know who my author of the day is today …
A HUGE warm welcome to Laurie Finklestein! Laurie is a supportive member of RRBC, as well as a talented lady! So, lets all please give Laurie as much support as we can today!
Laurie is one awesome lady! Not only is she a fine and talented artist of many mediums, but she has just penned her debut novel, due to be released soon! Can’t wait to see your book, Laurie!
From Laure’s “About Me” page:
Laurie Beth Finkelstein has studied at various institutions, including USC School of Music and the Arts, Idyllwild, California, Otis Art Institute, California State University, Long Beach, California, and through private instruction, Laurie has explored a variety of medium including clay, metal, oils, pen and ink, pastels, and watercolors, ultimately choosing acrylics and mixed media as her medium of choice. In 2008, Laurie dedicated herself to finding her voice and honing her skills to create what is now her individual style and focus.
You can find Laurie’s work displayed at The Egg Plantation restaurant in Newhall, CA, as well as on her website.
An Inside Look:
(From a blog post written by Laurie a little while ago) …
I’m on a never ending path of discovery and learning. It is not born out of a natural inclination toward continuing education, but rather the bi-product of developing who I am creatively. Let me catch you up on my creative path. I was born a painter. That is not to say that I’m a natural. In fact, I was a pretty crappy painter for many, many years. But what made me a painter was not my natural talent, but rather my love for the medium and my need to create. It took years of education and most importantly, the continual act of painting, before I developed ability and an individual style. So, my first learning curve was honing my skills to create paintings that were deemed successful in my eyes, and the eyes of other beholders. Yes, I need validation as any creative seeks, and I’ve been lucky to get it along the way. Just last night I witnessed someone looking at one of my paintings in a gallery and whisper “beautiful”. I did a happy dance in my head.
The journey, however, never ends as most artists will attest to. For every successful painting there are many canvasses that simply fail. It is the quest for those gems that lead an artist through painful treks of mediocrity. And it is painful. Worse, it can be simply tortuous at times. There are creative blocks. There are times when my mind and body fight each other to harmonize my vision with my physical coordination of applying paint to canvas. There are endless distractions. But, with all that, I know from my educational process, that every creative goes through obstacles and the key to overcome the obstacles is to carve out the time, and then create with abandon – not worrying about the outcome.
The next branch in my educational process began when I wanted to market my art. I needed to learn about the art of selling, creating a website, how to get into galleries, creating blogs, newsletters, and all manner of social media. I must digress on the point of studying the art of selling. I know from my studies that when the woman admiring my painting whispered her sweet nothings, I should have approached her, introduced myself, and worked towards a sale. But while I was happy dancing in my head, my body was frozen with anxiety to take it to the next important step. Knowledge doesn’t always translate to execution. Back to my point, my time to create was being sabotaged by my need to know how to take my art beyond the studio. Then, my need to know how to balance studio time with reading time led me to study time management, mindfulness, and meditation.
And then the creative voice inside me started to percolate the need to write. I had a story to tell and I felt it was an important enough story to share with others. My story deals with a lifelong struggle with anxiety, depression and OCD. My creative side led me to take my story and interweave it with fictional characters and my favorite genre – romantic comedy. Was that a good mix? My creative self ‘high-fived’ me in approval and caused me to start writing like I was an actual writer. Coffee in hand, I spent hours spilling the beans. I ended up with bits and pieces of a story written in spiral notebooks, in Word documents, on napkins, the backs of take-out menus, and torn envelopes.
I needed to learn about the elements of writing. I researched the nuts and bolts of grammar, dialogue, plot, character development, and scenes. I stumbled upon NANOWRIMO, and Scrivener. Both of which I employed to move me along. I read about agents and publishing. Fear threatened to halt my actions. Five years passed as I wrote and re-wrote. I put the novel on the shelf when I couldn’t deal with how to fill gaps and holes, and took it out again to tackle the obstacles and finish the darn thing.
What I have now is a manuscript that is ready to be handed off to professionals. I know this because of my continuing education. I discovered the value of beta readers. I found 8 and I’m in the process of working with them to get the feedback I need. Following the consensus of the beta readers, I will revisit the manuscript for some re-writes. It will then need the eyes of book editors and proof readers. And after that, it will need more re-writing.
In researching the world of agents and publishing, I discovered the value of self-publishing and all that entails. I’m learning the ins and outs of marketing books, and much like marketing art, social media is huge. Now I am learning the intricacies of Twitter. In addition, my eyes have been opened to book bloggers, Amazon, eBooks, print on demand, and on and on.
When I am overwhelmed by the task of moving my novel along the path to publishing, and when my anxiety level raises to the ugly panic attack stage, I seek refuge in my painting. Because one thing I have learned, is that creativity and the act of creating is in itself healing and therapeutic. Above all else, I have learned that all creative endeavors, big and small, stimulate the educational process. And, the educational process stimulates creativity. It’s never ending and I’m grateful to be on the Mobius strip of education and creativity.
You can find Laurie on her website: http://lauriebethart.com/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laurie-Beth-Art/205028329507169
Twitter: @lauriebethart
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