Chrys Fey's Blog, page 58

Blogger Interview with Sarah Foster

BLOG TOUR:
Confessions of a Watery Tart - Lines of Dialogue - Fill in the Blank
Tim Brannan - Liberty Sawyer Character Stats
 Music Videos (Coming tonight...)


BLOG UPDATE: I made the background gray so it's not so harsh and softened the white font. I didn't make it too dark, though, because I have a hard time reading gray on black. Anyway...I hope the overall appearance is better. I think it is. :)
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Today I am featuring Sarah Fosterfor a blogger interview. On her blog, A Faux Fountain Pen, she shares her trials and tribulations in writing and life. She is sarcastic, fun, and honest. I enjoy her posts a lot. For the A to Z Challenge, she offered awesome advice on how to name characters. Check out her interview below and then hop on over to her blog. :)

1. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging in 2011. I was going through a whole bunch of transitions at once. I had just graduated college and was trying to find a job and a new place to live. On top of that, I was figuring out what I wanted to do with my writing, because I had always known that I wanted to be a writer and it was what I went to college for. Blogging just seemed like the next step. I knew it would be a good idea to create an author presence online even if I didn’t have anything published yet, and hopefully it would motivate me to keep writing.
2. I also started my blog when I didn't have anything published. How did you come up with The Faux Fountain Pen as your blog title?
It was a phrase I used in my first blog post because I was writing with one of those disposable fountain pens, and faux just sounded better. It also felt right in a symbolic way for what I thought my blog was going to be. It was like, I have no idea what I’m doing but I’m just going to fake it and keep writing.
The Faux Fountain Pen! :D3. I love the story behind your blog's title! What was your very first blog post?
My first blog post was called “Full Circle.” I had written fiction since I pretty much knew how to write up through my first year of college, but then I gave it up and wrote only poetry until my last semester. But I took one last fiction course and wrote a short story that just would not leave me alone. I decided I had to turn it into a novel. So it felt like my journey into fiction writing had come full circle, but a brand new journey was just beginning.
4. I know Jordan, your muse and MC, likes to take over your blog every now and then. Can you tell us about him and what he likes to talk about?
Jordan took on a life of his own pretty much the second I started writing his story. I used to joke that he was trying to break out of my brain because it would physically bother me not to be writing. As a character, he’s actually very manipulative, but as a muse, he’s pretty much all sass all the time. For the most part he talks about muse-related things, like finding inspiration, character development, and other types of writing advice. Or he’ll just talk about himself. Actually, the latter probably happens more often.
5. You recently hosted a blog hop: The Muse Party Blogfest. (Which was a load of fun, by the way.) What possessed you to do a blog hop just after A to Z? And how did you get the idea?
Because I’m a crazy person! The idea had actually been floating around in my head for a while, and since my fourth blogging anniversary was coming up at the end of May, I thought it was the perfect time. A milestone is a great time to throw a party, right? I know I’m not the only writer who has a personal connection with their muse, so I thought it would be fun to invite everyone to a virtual party and get all of these crazy characters together. It turned out to be a lot of fun!



6. Happy Blogiversary! This is the perfect time to ask...What do you love most about blogging?
I really love connecting with other bloggers. It’s great to read what other people have to say and get a lot of great writing advice. And I just love putting my own thoughts out there and getting feedback. If I’m struggling with something, they can offer advice, or if I write something silly they’ll tell me that they enjoyed it. It’s just a great feeling to put a piece of writing out there and get a response to it. And getting to know all of the awesome bloggers, too!
7. What are the top 5 most-viewed posts on your blog?

1. Making Sure Readers Get I 

2. How Do We Deal with Fear?

3. The Muse Party Blogfest! 

4. Grabbing a red pen in the dark… 

5. How Accurate Do You Need to Be? 

8. Share your number one tip to bloggers just starting out.
Don’t get discouraged if it takes a long time for anyone to actually look at your blog, and definitely don’t give up. The best thing you can do is visit as many other blogs as you can. Most of the people out there are kind enough to return the visit. Eventually you’ll start building connections and getting more traffic on your own blog.

Hyper Round:
1. Favorite time to post blogs? Morning, by 9 AM usually2. Blogger or Wordpress? Blogger!3. Do you host guests? Mostly blog tours, but yes! 4. Where are you when you’re blogging? Sitting on my bed


BIO:
I’ve been writing since I was 8, letting my writing grow up with me from children’s books to YA to Adult. As of now, I’m still unpublished. I’ve been working on my novel Uneven Lines since 2011, and hopefully someday you’ll get to read it. Sometimes I write poetry, if the muse isn’t hogging my attention. I’m 27 and live in a studio apartment with my stand-up comedian fiancé and my cat Gizmo. If you browse through my blog, you’ll definitely come across Jordan—he’s the 15-year-old narrator of my novel and my muse/the annoying voice in my head/the third love of my life. Mostly I write about…well, writing!
Blogger Links:Blog / Twitter

Thank you for chatting with me, Sarah! I’d love to have you back.
Please leave a comment for Sarah! :)

Two Insecurities for June - IWSG

BLOG TOUR:
Sophie's Thoughts and Fumbles - Ghosts VS Witches (VOTE!)
Patricia Lynne - Medical Examiner Simone Rose Interview

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The Insecure Writer's Support Group is a safe place for insecure writers of all kinds.Sign up here: Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group
FIRST....

I'm a survivor!I got my A to Z Survivor T-shirt shortly after last month’s IWSG post. After a theme of natural and manmade disasters, I figured I deserved this. ;) It is really well made and super comfy. You can get yours HERE. Major props to Jeremy Hawkins for creating this!
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Blog Insecurity: 
I got this comment on my blog from an anonymous person:

Dear Fey 

Your site is an enormous help to any aspiring writer, no doubt. But the look of it is an eyesore and an example of a very poor web design. Too many colours, too many different fonts, awful.

I am very proud of my blog, so that comment stung. I’m not a web designer and I like the black background, although I know some people don’t. I won’t be changing that. I did however change the fonts and colors so I’m only using white fonts, all of which are Arial. The green fonts are links and will stay that way because it’s my favorite color. Although it wasn’t mentioned, I cleaned up the sidebars and put all of the awards in my “About Me” page.

A week later, I got another anonymous comment (obviously from the same person) saying, "You need to work on the aesthetics of the pages. I can't believe that you see them as even acceptable, let alone good. They are too busy for any good taste. Can't you do something about it?" 

QUESTION: Is this person BS or is my blog appearance a failure?
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One Star: 
I got my first 1 star review ever. It's on Goodreads and for Ghost of Death. The reader said she couldn't finish it because the story was a cliché, the character's voice was amateurish, and she couldn't figure out why I mentioned senses the ghost couldn't experience.
Does this bother me? Not in the least. This is her opinion. She can have it. I have mine and I am proud of this story. So...now that I have my first 1 star, does that mean I am officially a REAL author? ;)
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Dedication Insecurity:
In April, Ghost of Death came out. In May I realized the dedication is wrong. Half of the dedication I gave my publisher is missing. That is a HUGE bummer. Not only for me (the author), but for the people who deserved a thank you: my beta readers and editor. I don’t ever want them to think I don’t appreciate what they did for Ghost of Death, and I’m afraid they do. I tried contacting my publisher about this error, but I don’t think it’ll be fixed.

 So here is the real, full dedication for Ghost of Death:
To Gina Stoneheart for being such a wonderful friend, and to my mom for coming up with the names of the bar and the drink Jolie loves.
A big thanks also goes out to Crystal Collier, Annalisa Crawford, Sittie Cates, and Jassie S. for beta reading Jolie's story, as well as Lori Graham for seeing the potential the original story had.

 Amazon US / Amazon UK / The Wild Rose Press / NOOK/ KOBO

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Last month I received this gift card holder from Liz A. She hosted a giveaway during A to Z and I was one of the winners. The “C” wasn’t available so I chose “Z.” I thought it was really cute and perfect for completing the Challenge. Check out Liz’s shop HERE.


QUESTIONS: Do you think my blog is an eyesore? Do you remember your first 1 star? Has there even been an error involving one of your dedications or acknowledgments? 

Writing About: San Francisco + Question of the Month (June)

BLOG TOUR:

Doreen McGettigan - Author Interview

Lisa Buie-Collard - How Heroes and Heroines Meet

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If you're here for Question of the Month, feel free to scroll down to my answer and skip this rather long post.
ANNOUNCEMENT: I’ve kept it a secret, but I am now confirming San Francisco as the main setting for the sequel to Hurricane Crimes. And since I announced earthquakes as the disaster during A to Z, I will reveal the title....
SEISMIC CRIMES!
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San Francisco is a popular city in California. Several things make this city unique. If you’re writing a story set here, make sure to mention at least a few of these:

1. Golden Gate Bridge
California is known as the Golden State, so it’s no wonder why the bridge that spans from San Francisco to Marin County is called the Golden Gate Bridge, although it’s really more of an orange color. This bridge is 1.7 miles long and can withstand winds of more than 100 mph.

FACT: The Golden Gate Bridge is the most publicized suicide location, averaging one jumper about every ten days.

Image from Wikimedia2. Fog
San Francisco is known for its fog that hangs over the city. If your story is set here, you should at least mention the fog San Franciscans live with everyday.
3. Cable Cars
A popular way to travel, other than walking, is the cable car system that covers nine miles. The sounds of the humming cable and the clanks of the bell accompany cable cars wherever they go. If your MC lives here, have him/her hop onto a cable car with ease. It’s $6 per ride though!
4. Chinatown
Packed with open-air markets, tea, noodle and Dim Dum shops, Chinatown is a huge tourist attraction. You’ll see racks of Chinese silks, shell fish in huge tanks, and jade trinket being sold. You could hear metal crickets and smell incense mixed with cigarette smoke and the odor of fresh fish. Portsmouth Square, a popular spot in Chinatown, is where you can find men huddled over Chinese chess tables.

TIP: Use all of the five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell) capture the essence of Chinatown.

Image from Flickr
5. Union Square
At the heart of San Francisco is Union Square, where Macy’s Saks, Neiman-Marcus, and Tiffany & Co are located. Many people go to Union Square to window shop and people watch.
6. Alcatraz
The prison notorious for housing murderers like George "Machine-Gun" Kelly and Robert Stroud aka "The Birdman of Alcatraz.” Alcatraz would be a spooky setting for a horror story. They do tours there and there are many reports of Alcatraz being haunted.
7. North Beach
Your characters can enjoy a night of cocktails and live music in this small Italian neighborhood. It’s also a great place for coffee.

TIP: Some more popular places in San Francisco is the Financial District where you can find the Transamerica Pyramid, Golden Gate Park where you can find a Japanese Tea Garden, Twin Peaks, Pier 39, and Fisherman’s Wharf.

Transamerica Pyramid
Image from Wikipedia
8. People
San Franciscans have a live-let-live attitude. Or so I’ve read. You can find all sorts of people here” business men and women in suits, surfers, bohemians, transvestites in evening wear, tourists, musicians, homeless people, and even Pink man, a man who reportedly rides around on a unicycle in a hot pink unitard and cape. Most people in California (not all, mind you) eat organic food, do yoga, support the Democratic party, and are environmentally-friendly.
9. Weather
San Francisco’s average high is 63 degrees Fahrenheit with an average love of 51 degrees. So dress your characters accordingly. Your heroine could wear leggings or pantyhose with her skirts/dresses. She may also keep a light cardigan/jacket with her. The warmest days are in September and October. Your heroine can take advantage of that warmth with tank tops and strapless ensembles. 
10. Earthquakes
The San Andreas Fault cuts right through most of California. Small, undetected quakes rumbled under the surface every few days in the Bay Area. Every year only a few quakes are strong enough to be felt. Most aren’t severe but there’s a chance that a quake of 6.7 or greater on the Richter scale could hit the Bay Area before 2052.
San Andreas Fault
Image from Wikipedia
QUESTIONS: Do you live in California? Have you ever been to San Francisco? What do you like most/least about it?
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Michael G D'Agostino is starting up a monthly blog hop called "Question of the Month." On the first Monday of every month we have to answer a question that Michael picks. It sounded like fun, so I hopped on. :) 

The Question: If your house caught on fire, what's the one thing you'd grab before running out?
My Answer: (Sorry it's long...)
I recently asked this same question for my A to Z post about Wildfires. This is a tough question to answer because I’d want to save my four cats. I’m also a writer and would want to grab my writing stuff. Oh and I'm terrified of fires....
When I was a kid, a wildfire almost took my childhood home and an electrical fire started in that same house a few weeks later. In Florida, fire season is bad, especially in my city. I prepare for fires year-round by keeping all of my notebooks and flash drives in a backpack, so I’d grab that bag and open the sliding glass do to let my cats out on the porch. Usually, they are out on the porch in the blink of an eye. I just hope they’ll seek shelter on the porch instead of hiding inside, because I know they’d be frightened.

Anyway, I am panicking just thinking about this. Thanks, Michael! (Kidding!)


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T.B. Markinson is offering an awesome giveaway. 30 Seconds, my novella, as well as several other awesome titles and a $5 Amazon gift card are up for grabs.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Heaven's on Fire / Guest Post by Roland Yeomans

BLOG TOUR:
Sage Covered Hills – Author Interview
Fundinmental – Witch of Death Review + Soundtrack
Lilly Gayle – Witch of Death Scene Spotlight
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Today Roland Yeomans is taking over my blog with a deep guest post about writing, pain, and life that’ll get you thinking. Take it away, Roland!

HEAVEN’S ON FIRE
The bronze mists swirled about my table at Meilori’s like veiled bereaved women going to prayers.
I looked at my blank laptop screen and asked myself the most important question a writer can ask: What do I have to say?
Writers write best when the answer to that is “Something Important” (at least to themselves so that the fire is there at the tips of their fingers and within their hearts.)
To be important, what we write must not only be true to the human spirit, it must also not go over old ground.
How many times can you re-use the same tea bag before the brew you conjure is tepid and tasteless?
What we write must be relevant to the world in which our readers live.  Yet, America has become the Evening Land. 
September 11th.  Ferguson.  Baltimore.  Isis.  A Maryland mother pushing her dead son on a swing all night.  People go on their daily concerns as if the shadows were not deepening.It is not getting lighter; our eyes have just adjusted to the darkness.
I jerked in surprise as the ghost of William Faulkner sat beside me.
“As I stood behind you, Roland, I couldn’t help but read what you were writing.”
He sighed, “Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained that by now we can almost bear it. Of course there are still problems of the spirit. Yet one question looms above all: when will life end for me?  And how will it happen … by terrorist plot, by Nature’s increasingly hostile hand, by the cruel strangulation of mishandled economics, or by my neighbor’s hate.”
The ghost of Mark Twain sat down on the other side of me.  “A beast does not know he is a beast, son. And the closer a man grows to becoming a beast, the less he realizes it.”

Faulkner nodded, “Because of this, the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing, because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat of wresting something from nothing.”

He tapped the screen of my laptop. “You must learn them again. You must teach yourself that the basest of all things is to be afraid. And teaching yourself that, forget it forever, leaving no room in your writing for anything but the old truths of the heart ….”

Faulkner’s voice trailed off and then picked back up, “ …the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed - love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. Until you do so, you labor under a curse.”

Mark said, “You write not of love but of lust, of defeats in which no one loses anything of value, of victories without hope and, worst of all, without pity or compassion. Your griefs grieve on no universal bones, leaving no scars. You write not of the heart but of the sex glands.”
Title: Death in the House of LifeAuthor: Roland YeomansGenre: Egyptian Mystery / ParanormalLength: 245 pages

BOOK LINKS:Amazon / Audible Audio Edition
The poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, sat down opposite me and pointed to my laptop screen.
“The blank page is the dragon that faces all authors. But like St. George, we have sought that dragon of our own volition.  Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”
He smiled sadly, “I know our novels are like that: they are helpless to shape or birth themselves.  We must do it for them. And they are born of those seeds which are the books we have read.”
Faulkner nodded, “Authors read because we want to be with those who know secret things or else to be alone with our thoughts.”
Mark gruffed, “I’m just a common pilgrim, Bill.  So tell me, what are those secret things?”
Rilke sighed, “Answers to every soul’s basic questions:
Why do you want to shut out of your life any uneasiness, any misery, any depression, since after all you don't know what work these conditions are doing inside you?
Why do you want to persecute yourself with the question of where all this is coming from and where it is going?”
Mark Twain blew a cloud of cigar smoke.  “Poet, you got a handle on those questions, but I didn’t hear any answer.”
Rilke smiled even sadder.  “We must each decide for ourselves those answers.  But my answer to myself is:
‘You know that you are in the midst of transitions and as a child you wished for nothing so much as to change, to grow, to mature.
If there is anything unhealthy in my life, I must bear in mind that a fever is simply the means by which an organism frees itself from that which is harmful.
So I must simply ride the crest of that fever until it breaks since that is the way both the soul and body gets better.
Do not assume that any who seek to comfort me live untroubled among simple and quiet words, for such words were born in pain.
Their lives may also have had such sadness and difficulty that it is far beyond mine. Were it otherwise, they would never have been able to find the words to give me healing.’”
Mark nodded his head in agreement. “The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things and yet still rise to try again with greater discernment.’”
William Faulkner murmured, “My own answer was:
‘Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart ... live in the question, in the uncertain moment.  That is the human condition … and realizing that fact will make you a better, more perceptive writer.’”
Rilke turned to the ghost of Mark Twain, asking, “And what would your answer be, Mr. Clemens?”
He waggled an eyebrow at me.  “Welcome the blank page, son, full of things that have never been, for the only worthwhile journey is the one within.”
All three turned their eyes to me in silent request for my own answer.  What would you have said in my place?

BOOK TRAILER:


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roland Yeomans was born in Detroit, Michigan.  But his last memories of that city are hub-caps and kneecaps since, at the age of seven, he followed the free food when his parents moved to Lafayette, Louisiana.  The hitch-hiking after their speeding car from state to state was a real adventure.  Once in Louisiana, Roland learned strange new ways of pronouncing David and Richard when they were last names.  And it was not a pleasant sight when he pronounced Comeaux for the first time.
He has a Bachelor’s degree in English Education and a Master’s degree in Psychology.  He has been a teacher, counselor, book store owner, and even a pirate since he once worked at a tax preparation firm.
So far he has written thirty-three books.  You can find Roland at his web page: www.rolandyeomans.blogspot.com  or at his private table in Meilori’s.  The web page is safer to visit.  But if you insist on visiting Meilori’s, bring a friend who runs slower than you.


Thank you, Roland, for giving us a wonderfully insightful post.
Please leave a comment for Roland!

Nature in a Frame - A Kid's Project

BLOG TOUR:
DCRelief - Flour Tortilla Pizza Recipe 

Tasha's Thinks - Witch Facts 

Lori L MacLaughlin's Blog - Witch of Death Character Profiles
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I’ve got a kid’s nature project that you can do with your kids, grandkids, or nieces and nephews. I did this project with my nephews when they were younger. It’s easy and fun.

Nature in a Frame
Need:
·         A picture frame·         White glue·         Flowers, leaves, etc.·         A paper bag or basket for collecting·         Glitter for extra decorating
Steps:
1. Take the kids to a park, your backward, or some other area that is rich in nature where the kids can pick up leaves, flowers, petals, grass, and whatever else they see that catches their fancy.

TIP #1:Give the kids a paper bag or basket to hold their nature goodies. 

TIP #2: Keep an eye on them. Not only can they wonder, but they may end up picking something up that is not good, such as a cigarette butt. My oldest nephew found a bottle cap. When I told him he couldn’t use it he said, “But you said anything.” Yes, the one time he listens. :P

Carmello, my youngest nephew, loved his big leaf.
2. When you’re back home, lay out the items they found on a table. Cut a piece of paper (any color) that they can glue their findings onto.
3. Give them glue and let them apply glue to the items and stick them on the paper in whatever pattern they want. (My oldest nephew said he made a ninja.)

TIP #3:Make sure they leave a little edge so the flowers, etc. don’t get crushed by the frame. 

TIP #4:Teach them how to use only a little bit of glue. (Just a dot, not a lot.)

4. When they are done, put the frame back together. Show them their masterpiece and find a place for it on the wall.

TIP #5: If they want to use a stick, find a deep frame or remove the glass.

TIP #6:You can have them write their names at the top of the paper and even put glitter on it like my nephews did.

Mello's Nature Ninja. Carmello's Nature in a Frame.
Happy Spring!

QUESTION: What's your favorite project to do with kids in the spring?

How to Create an Author Tagline + The Muse Party Blogfest

BLOG TOUR:
Denise Covey's blog: On the Couch (interview) + Witch of Death Review
Stephen Tremp's blog: My Favorite Witch Entertainment

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An author taglineis a lot like a book tagline, but instead of it describing your story, it describes your writing.
For more information on a book tagline, GO HERE. 
An author tagline is commonly used at the top of websites and blogs, and in the signature of emails. It’s meant to give readers an idea of who we are and to tell them why we write what we write.

1.    Consider the common themes in your writing. 

Example: romance, mystery 

2.    Consider what tones and moods you use the most.

Example: dark, funny, heart-warming

3.    Do you frequently use the same settings?

Example: small towns, Great Britain, the South

4.    Do you tend to write about the same kinds of characters?

Example: cowboys, tough heroines

After you answer these questions brainstorm tagline ideas using a few of them. Author taglines are short and usually range from three to eight words.
Example: “Cowboy Stories with Heart.” would be perfect for an author who wants to brand him/herself in the romance and western genres.


My tagline is: Thrilling and Romantic with Heroines of Steel.


I've talked about my heroines being "Heroines of Steel" before. I came up with that thanks to a short essay I wrote about the spine surgery I had as a kid. It was titled Woman of Steel.

SHARE: Do you have an author tagline? Share it!


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Sarah Foster and her muse Jordan created this fun blogfest for writers to talk about their muse. Well, how could I pass that up? To see the posts by the other participants, go HERE.

These are the questions:

1. Who is your muse?

My muse goes by the name of Ena, which was also the name of my imaginary friend when I was a kid. Ena tells me that she was my imaginary friend first so she could active my imagination to new, higher levels. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be as creative as I am now.  She went off to Paris when I was about eight and returned as my muse when I was twelve. True story.
2. What are you guys wearing?
I’m wearing black dress pants and a pretty shirt. Ena is in a beautiful dress of soft, pastel colors that blend together over layers of silk. She has her lavender hair flowing down her back between sheer fairy wings.
3. It's a potluck! Did you bring something yummy?
Of course, we did! I brought a cold rice salad, which is a lot yummier than it sounds. And Ena brought her favorite dessert...cheesecake.


Image from Flickr
4. Open bar! What are you both drinking (booze or otherwise)? 
Booze isn’t really for us, so we’re both enjoying a cup of spiced chai tea with a splash of milk and a bit of sugar.
5. Wallflowers or social butterflies? 
I’m a wallflower, but Ena is a social butterfly. She’ll flit around for me and come back to whisper some ideas into my ear about stories and characters.
6. What song(s) will you and your muse sing for karaoke?
Nsync. We will shout the lyrics at the top of our lungs and not even care what anyone thinks of our performance. Actually, everyone would probably join in. Admit it, you would.
1. Tearin Up My Heart2.  I Want You Back3.  Bye, Bye, Bye



7. What's your favorite party game?
Anything with words or something that involves writing or stories. Hey, I’m a writer! What do you expect?
8. Which one of you is more likely to end up dancing on a table top?
Neither of us. We are more restrained than that. We only dance on top of furniture when no one is around. :P
9. Has your muse been a good date and would you ever hang out with them again?
Ena is the best date! We hang out every single day. We’re like Siamese twins. ;)


SHARE: Tell me about your muse!

Interview with an Amazon Reviewer (Douglas Meeks)

Blog Tour:
Sherry Fundin - Ghost of Death Review + Missing Chapter Titles
Joanna Guidoccio - Why I Love Heroes with Titles

And Sandra Dailey - ***************************************************************************************
I have a special reader interview for everyone this month...I grilled an Amazon reviewer! Okay, so grilled isn’t the right word. But Douglas Meeks did agree to be interviewed while reading and reviewing quite a few books, so lets all give him a hearty welcome!

1. Hi Douglas, how did you become an Amazon Reviewer?
It kind of happened by accident, I would leave a review every now and then (my first Amazon review was 1997 of the CD Captain Beyond). Then once I started reading Paranormal Romance (PNR) and Urban Fantasy (UF) for some reason people started reading my reviews and voting them as helpful. My rating fluctuates but today I am around Top Reviewer 260 and a Goodreads Top 1% Reviewer.
2. What do you like most about being an Amazon Reviewer? And what do you like least?
I enjoy being able to share my opinions and try to give good solid reasons for my ratings (yes I fail at times) and to be honest it helped identify me to authors and publishers when I was begging for ARCs a few years ago (I get TOO many now LOL). The thing I hate about Amazon (other than the VINE Program) are trolls that seem to be able to run wild and downvote reviews for no reason. I have some of my best reviews buried due to a few trolls (or possibly other reviewers with ghost accounts).
3. That would aggravate me too. Who is your favorite author and why?
Why don’t I just give you my first born male child, at least that would not make any author mad at me. J  Seriously, I read over 200 books a year and to actually say any one of them was my “favorite” would be impossible. I can say that a few of the authors that constantly get 5 Star reviews from me are Ilona Andrews, Grace Draven, Elizabeth Hunter, Faith Hunter and Anne Bishop (and yes there are many more)
4. That's a lot of books! What book can you read over and over again?
The thing with being a reviewer is you really don’t have time to reread books and really the best ones stick with me and don’t require a reread BUT there are three exceptions to that rule:  Written in Red by Anne Bishop (possibly the finest UF novel ever written IMHO) – Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes (have read this over a dozen times and it still chokes me up) – The High Crusade by Poul Anderson (reread too many times to count, many people can’t suspend their belief system enough to really enjoy this madcap tale of adventure). First published in book form in 1960 by Doubleday, it has been published in (at least) 1968, 1983, 1991 (by the SFBC and again by Baen Books), 2003, and most recently in 2010 (it has its own Wiki page).
Image found HERE.5. I'm going to have to add those three to my TBR list. Do you judge a book by its cover?
I really don’t but a professional cover helps and an obvious amateurish cover does detract.  Note to authors:  It is worth the money to get a professional cover artist.
6. Who is your favorite fictional character?
Again, I can’t name one BUT at the risk of upsetting some of my author friends I can name a few that I am sure I have left somebody important out:

Kate Daniel (you might as well add Curran since they come as a package) and they are just the ultimate couple and Ilona Andrews makes their stories unforgettable.
Jane Yellowrock by Faith Hunter who is the do it all, ultimate kick ass heroine. Be afraid, be very afraid!
Gin Blanco by Jennifer Estep – The most deadly of the bunch in many ways and NEVER try to harm one of her friends, it seems to be fatal in almost every instance.
I love Diana Rowland’s heroines, she took 2 everyday people and then made them  more than they ever thought they might be (even if she had to make one of them a zombie).
Skinwalker by Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock series)
Image found HERE.
7. Those are some awesome characters! Which author do you have a love/hate relationship with?
I have many authors I love and only one that I hate/detest (no I won’t tell you here) but only one author seems to be driving me crazy recently and that is Kristen Painter who writes amazing stories and just as I am being sucked into a subplot the book ends and you have to wait on the next one, pure evil!
8. As a writer, I love to do that. ;) Growing up, what was your favorite children’s book?The Wizard of Oz books by L. Frank Baum, I remember being so excited when I went to the library and saw that there were 14 books and not just one.9. Currently, what is your favorite book or series?Too many to name, I am dying for the next book by Grace Draven to follow-up Radiance, I may have to hunt Elizabeth Hunter down to get a copy of The Secret. I mean 2 YEARS I have waited. I am reading the whole Watchers series by Lilith Saintcrow at present. The best romance I have read in years (forever?) was The Kraken King by Meljean Brook, I just finished Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop and WOW .. OK, I better stop now.10. What would you like to know about the authors you enjoy reading the most?The one thing they can’t really tell me “How do you come up with these stories from nowhere?”
Hyper Round:


1.    Ebooks or Print books?  ebooks
2.    Movie Adaptations: Yay or Nay? Nay – most suck bigtime
3.    Favorite reading spot? In front of my computer4.    Favorite reading snack? Goldfish crackers, no concentration required.




Reviewer Bio:
Well after spending a lifetime working in or with the military I finally had made enough to sit back and do as much (or as little) as I wanted to and since I had always been an avid reader the jump to making it one of my major pastimes was easy.  I have traveled all over the world, been to the top of the Eiffel Tower and to the Devil’s Anvil in Saudi Arabia, been on top of the highest mountain in the Middle East and the lowest in the USA. 
No complaints here, I have read many different genres over the years but stumbled into Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy after many years of reading mostly books in the Fantasy genre.  Found out I liked books that did not spend pages and chapters telling the color of grass and the feel of a rock, I wanted a good story about people of action and feeling that did not always end up in some tragedy.  I have been married (somehow) for 30+ years and have 3 daughters and one son (who is presently in the Mideast working for the military, runs in the family).
In my spare time other than reading and doing those myriad tasks that come with living in a house, I spend a bit of time honing my weapon skills.  I always felt that people should be able to defend themselves but people that did not take the time to get skilled in weapons were a danger to people around them.  I go to the range and take my daughters most of the time (and my son if he is in country) so they do not fall into that category of victims who did not know how to defend themselves with a weapon.
Reviewer Links:Amazon / Goodreads

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Douglas! Happy Reading and Reviewing! :)

QUESTIONS: Have you ever read The High Crusade or any of the books/authors Douglas mentioned? Do you write reviews on Amazon?

20 Random Facts About Me

Blog Tour:
Nick Wildford - Who Said What? (Guess my character dialogue.)
Shell Flower - Author Interview
And yesterday I visited Donna McDine - Story Behind my eBooks
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WITCH OF DEATH'S OFFICIAL RELEASE DAY!!!! :D
Detective Reid Sanders doesn’t believe in the supernatural, but when he’s faced with a crime scene that defies the laws of nature, he has no other choice but to start believing. And solving a magical murder involves working with a witch.
Liberty Sawyer embodies the look of your classic evil witch, so, it’s no surprise when she uncovers the murderer is a witch that she becomes Reid’s number one suspect. If she can’t convince him otherwise, more people could lose their                                                                lives to dark magic, including her.

Book Links:Amazon US / Amazon UK / The Wild Rose Press  / NOOK/ KOBO
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Since the A to Z Challenge brought new readers to my blog, I decided to do a fun post for everyone to get to know me a little more. :)


Here are 20 random facts about me:
1.    I don’t usually listen to rap, but I can rap all the words to Eminem’s song “Lose Yourself.”
2.    In tenth grade, I rewrote the Declaration of Independence for a contest. I won first place in my school and third in the district.
3.    I don’t drive and have never owned a drivers license.
4.    I once dyed my hair black. (I was a teenager and stupid.)
5.    I donated 14 inches of hair to Locks of Love in 2013. 

6.    When I was fifteen I had spine surgery to correct scoliosis. Now I have a metal rod, screws, and fusion in my back.
7.    Autumn is my favorite season and Halloween is my favorite holiday.
8.    When I was younger, I dressed up like a pimp for Halloween. I drew a beard and uni-brow on my face with eyeliner and wore my brother’s clothes. My friends called me Christopher all night.
9.    I am a vegetarian. (Seven years now.)
10. I dabble in jewelry making. 



11. Neon green is my favorite color.
12. I have a dragonfly tattoo on my arm.
13. At the age of twelve, I stared writing a series of books that I later rewrote when I was seventeen. This is the supernatural-thriller series that I plan to publish someday. Avrianna Heavenborn from Ghost of Death stars in this series.
14. I have four cats that I rescued from an unknown fate. Read their story here: The Great Kitty Rescue.
15. I draw fashion designs. 
This is  my favorite design so far. It was inspired by
a picture of a woman holding a fan in front of her.
16. As a young girl, I started collecting nutcrackers but they all broke over the years. I still have the original...the one that started it all.
17. I adore movies about writers, but I dislike books with characters who are writers. (Usually.)
18. I eat pizza with ranch dressing.
19. I have a fear of fires due to a wild fire that almost took my home when I was ten.
20. My mom almost gave birth to me in Okinawa, Japan where my family was stationed (my dad was in the Air Force), but we left when my grandmother got sick. She died from ovarian cancer when I was two.

SHARE: A random fact (or two) about you!

Writing About: An Alley

Today I am visiting two bloggers:
Sarah Foster - Interview with a Witch
Lidy Wilks - Evolution of a Story
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An alley is the main setting for my newest short story, Ghost of Death. Allies have actually been used quite a few times in several of my other unpublished stories. I like the darkness, mystery, and creepiness of alleys, which makes them good scenes for thrillers.

If you ever write about an alley, focus on the five senses:
Sight – This is the most important sense when it comes to alleys (or any location, really), so readers can imagine it clearly. What does your character see? Potholes full of filthy water, trash from fast-food wrappers to soiled diapers, flattened cardboard boxes and piles of wood often litter allies. Also, is there a Dumpster spilling over with waste or fire escapes? Is the alley deserted or occupied with homeless people, drug addicts, or a hungry dog? Let your imagination run wild and use vivid descriptions to paint a good (but dirty) image of an alley.

TIP: Dumpster is capital because it is a trademark. I learned that last year.

Smell – This is the next most important sense as alleys are usually reeking with several nasty smells. Let your character get assaulted by the scents of the alley such as rotting trash, feline as well as human urine, gasoline, and even vomit. It may not be pleasant to think about, but it sure will add something to the scene.
So I just thought these eagles were cool.
Image from Wikimedia.
Sound –Alleys can be quiet. They can also echo the sounds of the street: sirens, the rumble of vehicles, and the beep of garbage trucks. People could be fighting in the alley, filling it with the grunts and thuds of fists colliding into bodies. If it’s a stormy night, the crack of thunder and the drip of rainfall will drown out any other noises.
Feel –In Ghost of Death, my MC steps back into a puddle and cold, slimy water bathes her feet. Does your character pick something up or touch something? Describe the feel of it in his or her hands. You can also consider other factors of this sense such as whether it’s cold and how the ice nips at your characters skin, or how sweat slithers down his/her back from the heat.
Taste – I would not advise having your character(s) eat anything in an alley (unless your character is homeless and desperate for food), but sometimes smells can settle on our tonges. Or maybe your character gets attacked and blood fills his/her mouth with a metallic taste.


QUESTIONS:Have any of your characters found themselves in an alley? Have you read a book with an alley as a setting?

Blogger Interview with Arlee Bird

Blog Tour Stops:

Today I'm visiting Elizabeth Seckman - Battle of the First Paragraphs
And I'm sharing odd facts about me at Michelle Athy's blog.
Yesterday I did an interview at Cathrina Constance's blog.
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For everyone who did the A to Z Challenge last month, you should know Arlee Bird. He is one of our celebrities in the blogosphere. And I am happy to bring you an exclusive interview with him. (I feel important saying it like that. *wink*)

1. For those who don’t know the story behind the April A to Z Challenge, can you tell us how it started? 
In short, when I first started blogging in September of 2009 I had no idea how it all worked.  Hardly anyone ever commented on my posts except for a few people whom I had asked to visit my blog.  After a few weeks I caught on to the idea that I needed to visit other blogs and leave comments.  As I watched the traffic pick up in my comment section, I began to grasp the effectiveness of community building techniques such as blogfests, awards, and giveaways. 
When I reached 100 followers on January, 6th of 2010 I was ecstatic.   I saw many of the author bloggers giving away one of their books when they reached 100, but I didn’t have any book.  I decided to come up with something to do when I reached 200. 
That 200 follower date began closing in as the middle of March approached.  Since I had nothing to giveaway I decided that I would do some sort of attention-getting blog stunt that I could invite others to join me.  On a morning walk I pondered the concept.   I was going to reach 200 followers right at the end of March so April would be my celebratory month.  I’d do these special posts every day except Sundays.   That gave me 26 days of posting.   I didn’t have to be a genius to make the alphabet correlation.
On the Saturday March 27th I announced my intentions with my invitation for others to join me.   I saw immediate interest and knew I was onto something that would interest others so I began pushing the Challenge on my blog that week and leaving more comments on other blogs than I usually did.  Over those next few days nearly 100 bloggers signed up.  By the end of April most of those who signed up had finished and the A to Z Challenge was born!
The A to Z Challenge just ended but it'll be back for 2016!
2. What were the themes for your past Challenges?
Since I have four blogs that I’ve participated in most of the Challenges my themes have been many.
On Tossing It Out my thematic focus has been on marketing and promoting with one year devoted to movie sub-genres.
I also have a memoir blog Wrote By Rote where my themes have been related stories about my life and sentiments to which we can all relate.
My dream blog A Faraway View  has explored movies and music that evoke dreams as well as a year of exploring some of the things we might commonly dream about.
The there is A Few Words  which is my blog dealing with spiritual issues and the A to Z theme topics have related to that.
3. That is a lot of blogs! Tell us about your blog Tossing it Out.
My blog Tossing It Out began as a Halloween blog since I had just ended an 18 year stint as manager of a larger wholesale costume company and that’s where my mind was focused at the time. After not too many weeks blogging about Halloween, I decided that I’d rather not be constrained to writing about just a single topic (and Halloween would be soon come and gone anyway) and returned to my first passion of writing.  Now I’m not stuck on any single topic, but I’m just tossing out all kinds of ideas that strike my fancy.
4. What does Tossing it Out mean?
Since for many years I worked professionally as a juggler and came from a juggling family I wanted to use a title that related to that as well as the idea of the blog content I would be presenting. Tossing It Out incorporates the idea of tossing objects into the air to other jugglers who then return them to you in the same fashion.   On the blog I toss out my ideas to the readers and invite them to toss me back their comments and maybe even have an ongoing discussion.  I almost always respond to the comments I receive.


5. What are the top 5 most-viewed posts on your blog?
My all time highest viewed post was the announcement for the first collaborative A to Z sign-up in 2010 at 21,429 page views. But this was such an anomaly that maybe I shouldn’t count this one.
The next five are:
5/13/2010—How Important Are Music Programs in Schools? (6644 page views) 
8/1/2013—#IWSG—Whipping Post (6092 page views) (also among my shortest posts)
11/21/12—My Thankfulness to Bloggers Post (2565 page views)
5/16/2010—Using Your God-given Talents to Serve God (1954 page views) 
2/8/2012—This Is Not My Most Important Post Today (1900 page views) I wanted to include this one because I find the correlation of the title to the post ranking among my most viewed to be somewhat humorous.  If it wasn’t important then why so many views?   The power of the title?
6. What do you love most about blogging?
Expressing myself in a forum where I can get exposure without having the fear that my work will be rejected so that it doesn’t get published.
7. Share your number one tip to bloggers just starting out.
If we are assuming the blogger has reasonable content to share, then it’s imperative to reach out, visit other blogs, leave comments, and establish good relationships within the blogging community. That’s what the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is about!

Hyper Round:
1.    Favorite time to post blogs?5 AM Eastern Time
2.    Blogger or Wordpress?Blogger, but I don’t mind WP
3.    Blog Hops: Yay or Nay?Yay if topic intrigues me.
4.    Do you host guests?     Yes, especially during summer!

Doesn't he look like a cool dude? ;P
BIO:
A juggler of words and phrases. My main blog is Tossing It Out. The focus blog for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge can now be found at a-to-zchallenge.com where updates will be posted until the event in April begins. Wrote By Rote is about memoir writing. A Few Words is my Sunday contemplation blog. A Faraway View is about dreams. Pick what you like or look at them all. I love blogging!

A baby picture of Arlee trying to juggle. He dropped the clubs. :(

Thank you Arlee for taking the time to do this interview!
Please leave a comment for Arlee! J