Hannah R. Goodman's Blog, page 4

9 Questions with Teri Polen

This week’s featured author is Teri Polen from Bowling Green, KY and her YA Sci-Fi/ Fantasy book The Gemini Connection.  

The Gemini ConnectionBy Teri Polen

1.     What message are you hoping people will receive when they read your book? I don’t really have a message I’m trying to get across, but I hope readers will connect with my characters, immerse themselves in the story, and escape reality for a while.2.     Why did you write this book?  I wrote this book because I had twin brothers in my head who wouldn’t let me rest until I told their story.  Do you know how hard it is to sleep with those voices yapping all night?3.     What has been the hardest part of the publishing process? Hands down, marketing.  Writing the book seems to be the easiest part, but connecting with readers, getting reviews, and finding the perfect marketing niche for your book is probably the biggest challenge facing indie authors.4.     What has been the biggest (pleasant) surprise in your publishing journey? One is connecting with other writers.  Having a supportive group of writers has been invaluable when it comes to sharing experiences.  The other is meeting and talking to readers at book events.  As an introvert, I kind of dreaded it the first time, but then I realized as a book nerd, I was among my people.   5.     Would you write a sequel to your book? Why or why not? Both of my books are standalones (I’m currently writing a duology), but they each have the potential for a sequel, and I’ve been asked by readers if any are planned.  I never intended to write sequels for either, but I won’t say it’s a hard no.6.     What author or book has influenced your writing? There are so many who have inspired me, but I’ll try to keep it short.  This year will make the fifth writer’s retreat hosted by C.J. Redwine that I’ve attended, and what I’ve learned from her could fill a book.  Maybe even a library.  Victoria Schwab’s ability to create incredible worlds and unforgettable characters continues to astound me.  Stephen King’s book on craft, On Writing, taught me so much about the writing process.  I’ve read it numerous times.    7.     You are stranded on an island with only 3 books. What are their titles? It’s probably cheating, but I have to name three book series.  Harry Potter, V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series, and Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle series.8.     What is your philosophy about rejection? Writers need thick skin because you can count on rejection the same as death and taxes.  It’s inevitable.  Once you experience it, take ten minutes and feel sorry for yourself.  After that, look at the reason for the rejection and determine if it’s something you can improve – character development, world-building, dialogue, etc.  Like life, writing isn’t a destination, it’s a journey.  You should always work on improving your craft. 9.     Do you have a day job? What is it? I spent over ten years in human resources, and when my first son was born, I was an employment manager for a healthcare facility that required travel for recruiting.  With a husband that also traveled for his job and no family in the area, it wasn’t something that worked well for our family at the time, so I began doing medical transcription at home. It isn’t something that requires the use of either of my degrees, but it allowed me to be home with my sons when they were younger, and now gives me time to write. 



Website:  https://teripolen.com/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TeriPolenAuthor/Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TPolen6Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16114393.Teri_PolenInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/tpolen6/Pin...  https://www.pinterest.com/teripolen/ BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/teri-polen

9 Questions with Tina O'Hailey

9 Questions Author Interview with Tina O'Hailey from Tennessee and her sci-fi fantasy novel Absolute Darkness.  Absolute DarknessBy Tina O'Hailey
1. What message are you hoping people will receive when they read your book?
I don’t know that I had a message, but I do giggle thinking the reader is going to get the willies reading Absolute Darkness. (It’s the eternal little sister in me.) I hope the reader takes away a glimpse of my love for caving. Also, they will probably get what I am scared of: drowning. I wrote this book to scare me and to explore an underground world with two buddy characters. Now, those two buddies ended up encountering beings that I didn’t know were in the caves. Never the less, they found them and chaos ensued. I just wrote the story down as it unfolded.

2. Why did you write this book? (Please avoid saying “why does any writer write any book”).
Before Absolute Darkness, the two buddy characters (Brandy and Susan) were in a murder mystery I had been writing. In the midst of that novel, I moved to Tennessee shortly after the studio I had been working at had closed down (Walt Disney Feature Animation). In Tennessee, I got into caving—and fell in love with it.  I decided to take these two characters I had established and make them cavers. Within the first four pages of the rough draft a new character, Alexander, appeared. I had to see what his world was. So did Brandy and Susan.
3. What has been the hardest part of the publishing process?
The hardest thing for me is not getting sick of my own voice when marketing things. I’d love a PR agent. Bragging, hawking, begging is draining on an introvert. Therefore, I need support every now and then to help me re-charge and get back to marketing. When I’m drained, I give someone else support by making images, giving reviews, just cheering people on. Seeing them be happy recharges me.

4. What has been the biggest (pleasant) surprise in your publishing journey?
I self-published this novel first in 2017 and it was a great adventure. For 2018 my goal was to make it into an audiobook. I was going to do it myself and had no clue how. Fortunately, my book was picked up by BRW in January 2018, published, and then it was made into an audiobook. I didn’t have to do it myself! The amazing thing was that I did not know it was getting made into an audiobook until it was released! What a lovely surprise of an email that was. Can I tell you how surreal it is to hear a book, which you have voiced inside your own head for years, uttered in a voice that is entirely not your own? That was a highlight for me last year.
5. Would you write a sequel to your book? Why or why not?
I’m working on a prequel right now. I have to see where Alexander came from. How he came to be. What makes him fall in love with humans. (To him they are linears. You see, they experience time in a linear fashion. He sees through all of time and can move through it at a whim. He’s also 10,000 or so years old when our buddies run across his path.) I have other ideas and novels waiting in the wings but I have to show Alexander and his nemesis Yindi (that guy is an evil fella) and where they began.  The working title for that is “When Darkness Begins.”
6. What author or book has influenced your writing?
I would say Cormac McCarthy influenced me. He showed me that writing perfection had been achieved. Nothing can be better than “Blood Meridian”, in my opinion. No one can write like that. So, I was freed knowing that everything else will pale in comparison—I might as well put my work out there.

Next, I owe the roots of Alexander to Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. I read a handful of her St. Germaine chronicles when I was a teen (and that was a LONG time ago). Now, going back and re-reading them, I realize that I based Alexander very closely to St. Germaine. Her writing is divine and so informed. Yarbro has a background in history and map-making. We have cartography in common. (Well, I sometimes map caves.) Her character live and breath in far off places like ancient Egypt or Rome and are historically accurate to the times.  I blogged about how much I owe her recently. (https://coffeediem.wordpress.com/2019/01/14/alexander-chelsea-quinn-yarbro-a-scifi-fantasy-giveaway/)   In fact, I’m currently procrastinating from writing by re-reading the St. Germaine chronicles in chronological order.

Beyond those authors I would also have to say that I have voraciously studied: Stephen King (for make normal things frightening), Lisa Gardner (for suspense and multiple story lines), Adrian Tchaikovsky (for being AMAZING), Hugh Howey (for killing characters I just met and liked), Dean Koontz (for dialogue and creepy things) and probably a dozen others that I read and wrote in the margins with a red pen my opinions of their dialogue, plot, etc., until I realized I was opinionated about writing so I might as well write my own books. So I did.
7. You are stranded on an island with only 3 books. What are their titles?
The answer to this probably changes every time I answer it:
1) Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (Except this. This never changes. I can read it over and over and over again. But then I do get depressed. The man doesn’t do sunshine and rainbows.)
2) I’ll cheat and say the complete works of Shakespeare (annotated) I could entertain myself by acting out plays. I’d animate with sand and coconuts. Dead bugs. You know, you can stopmotion animate just about anything. But I digress.
3) A survival book. (I’m a realist. Girl’s gotta eat. And I’m animating with those bugs not eating them.)

8. What is your philosophy about rejection?
Oh. My. Gosh. I was so extremely EXCITED when I received my first rejection email from a publisher. You just can’t understand. Someone had READ or GLANCED or possibly stood in the same room as a computer that had the digital file of my book and they might have glimpsed the title! Then they needed coffee and clicked a hot key that auto-rejected all submitted manuscripts that started with the letter A and had time-travel.

I was so stoked I posted a blog on that too: https://coffeediem.wordpress.com/2017/05/02/rejected-i-am-so-excited/

“If you aren’t getting rejection letters – you aren’t trying! I was bummed I had not seen any rejection letters yet from publishers and was concerned. I look forward to the stack of them. It signals a journey. I’m anxious to see that journey get moving and it starts with the first rejection letter.”


9. Do you have a day job? What is it? 
You might have guessed by now I have a job that has something to do with animation. I’m an animation professor now-a-days and do 2d and 3d animation, 3d modeling, 3d character rigging and also programming for animation/games/visual effects. I also have textbooks out there that I’ve written in animation, in fact.  I’m a nerd, basically, and had a hugely blessed career working for Dreamworks, Disney, and Electronic Arts before becoming a professor. Before the animation industry part of my career, I worked in the newly emerging 3d software industry and wrote horrible novels while traveling around the world when I was barely in my twenties. Now, I write slightly better novels (I hope) while traveling around the world for the university. I go on the occasional admissions trips to China, South America, etc. and planes and hotels are my favorite place to write. Being a germaphobe of sorts I won’t turn the TVs on in the hotel room.  So, I write. Luckily, Animation is storytelling and fuels my creativity all the time.  I think I’ve always been a weird storyteller. I’m happy people beyond my immediate family or students are able to enjoy them now.













Blog: https://coffeediem.wordpress.com/FB: https://www.facebook.com/AbsoluteDarknessBook/Twitter: https://twitter.com/tohaileyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tohailey/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4067985.Tina_O_HaileyBookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/tina-o-hailey

9 Questions with Tracy Ball

This week's featured author is Tracy Ball from West Virginia and her YA fantasy novel Dragonfly Dreams. 


Dragonfly DreamsBy Tracy A. Ball
1. What message are you hoping people will receive when they read your book?
I have never published a book with a particular message in mind. My goal is to submerge the reader into an experience so real they hear whatever message they need. If there is an underlining message, it would be my tagline: Brave the danger. Dare to dream. And, love who you love.  2. Why did you write this book? (Please avoid saying “why does any writer write anybook”).
All of my story ideas come from some real-life person, place or thing. An event takes place (It could be as small as a conversation, or as big as world news) I find myself wondering ‘what if.’ If I’m still wondering in a few days, I put a person in that scenario and jot down what happens after or what got them there. If I am compelled to keep going, it’a story.  3. What has been the hardest part of the publishing process?
Marketing. I hate marketing. Of course, I want my books to sell, but I don’t write to sell. What I mean by that is, I don’t write formula and I don’t stick to one genre or style. While that makes my writing interesting (I think), it’s hard to build a loyal fanbase when I’m all over the place. That’s not a knock or formula, genre, or style. Nor is it down-putting anyone who likes what they like. It’s just a fact, I spread out.
4. What has been the biggest (pleasant) surprise in your publishing journey?
Other authors. For every negative, backstabbing, dog-eat-dog mindset I have come across, there are at least five champions, willing to help or encourage. Writing is a lonely business. It’s nice to know there is a group of people who understand and share in any small success.
5. Would you write a sequel to your book? Why or why not?
I have one series in process- still unpublished. The Tiger & The Snake is a prequel for KAYOS. I wrote it because it was fun. I am often asked to write sequels which, I take as a compliment. I am not necessarily opposed to sequels but as a reader, I find them unsatisfying.   6. What author or book has influenced your writing?
Tolkien, G. Martin, Sharon  K. Penman, and Alex Haley. The combination gave me a rich history, a  larger than life world and truth from every angle. Jennifer Blake’s Royal Seduction made me fall in love with overconfident men.  7. You are stranded on an island with only 3 books. What are their titles?
Lord of the Rings, Roots, and Harry Potter. Between the three of them, I’ll have plenty to read and dissect.
8. What is your philosophy about rejection?
My thought is who cares? It’s subjective. Besides, if you’re writing for approval, quit now. If an opinion can stop you, you should be stopped.
9. Do you have a day job? What is it?
I’m a grandmother. That’s four jobs in human years.
















Book trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtsv3hny9Tc
 Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Tracy-A.-Ball/e/B00JH7R8XY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
FB Author Page https://www.facebook.com/Tra3Ball/
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/Tra3ballA
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tracy-a-ball
Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

9 Questions Author Interview with Caleb Smith

This week's featured author is Caleb Smith from Bangor, ME and his YA Paranormal Fantasy novel Longevity: The Wardens of Time. 


Longevity: The Wardens of Time By Caleb Smith
1. What message are you hoping people will receive when they read your book?
It is my hope that the viewer receives a fresh fun ride through the world of fantasy reading. These stories are all about taking the warranted eyes scanning the pages, off to another world. To create a rolling picture in their mind made of magic. The lessons in this story I think are also important including the topic of bullying, facing one’s worst fears, and fighting to prevail through our deepest challenges.    
2. Why did you write this book?

 I think the book wrote me. It invited me to catch its essence and disperse it to the world, I couldn’t resist. I think the story has always been there, it’s just my way of telling it. It spoke out to me and I listened, then recorded what it had told me.   
3. What has been the hardest part of the publishing process?

Since this is my debut novel, I have learned a plethora of importance when it comes to publishing a title. It’s a lot of nonstop work so you have to be in love with what you are doing in all phases of the process. Marketing and promotion have been the toughest hurdle. It’s long tedious work that has taken some time to understand, as well as learning by trial and error. Paying attention to what doesn’t work all the while staying positive and believing that you are creating the biggest story of its kind for the world to see. Keeping a healthy state of mind at all times and accepting rejection as it comes is challenging as well.
4. What has been the biggest (pleasant) surprise in your publishing journey?

I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that my story was going to be produced into an audio format. Listening to someone read your words feels pretty incredible.
5. Give some advice to someone who wants to get a book published.

First, ask yourself what are you looking to get out of it? If it’s not to inspire and do good for the world then reconsider. Writing is an everyday part of learning and practicing and reading and researching and experimenting and if you’re not 100% in love with it, then it will only reflect in your work.
6. What’s the worst advice you have ever received about publishing?

That I would never be able to release the same book with two different publishers.
7. What author or book has influenced your writing?

In the novel I am currently working on, I think George MacDonald’s Phantastes has been a huge influence on the world of classical fantasy.  
8. What is your philosophy about rejection?

Rejection is a healthy part of the process. It serves as a great reminder that life is but a rollercoaster peppered with peaks and valleys. It is in the valleys where we discover our strengths and will to rise. Adversity is a natural part of life. It’s the manner in which you react that makes the difference moving forward. 
9. You are stranded on an island with only 3 books. What are their titles?This is a loaded question but here we go!Holy Bible Igneous Rose A Light In The Attic


Social media links
https://www.facebook.com/calebsmithauthor/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18453977.Caleb_Smith

https://twitter.com/CalebSm13590886 <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:8.0pt; line-height:107%;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style> </div><br />

9 Questions with John Hazen

This week's featured author is John Hazen from  Riviera Beach, Florida and his thriller novel Zyklon . 



Zyklon By John Hazen
1. What message are you hoping people will receive when they read your book?
People who read Zyklon should walk away with a profound appreciation for the value of the press in a free society. The book revolves around two national stories that are on a collision course. If NYC journalist Francine Vega does not act, the resulting crash could rock the nation to its core. In these times, the message of a free and independent press can never be overstated. I constantly go back to Supreme Court Hugo Black’s famous line: The free press was to serve the governed, not the governors. I hope I’m able to impart this message.
2. Why did you write this book?

Other than the message in Question 1, this book is a sequel to my novel, Fava (which, by the way, was named one of the 18 Best FBI Thrillers by Best Thrillers https://bestthrillers.com/the-best-fbi-thrillers/ ). I fell in love with the characters from that book, namely the main character, Francine Vega. She’s a resourceful, intrepid New York City TV reporter who has a way of digging up the big stories. She still has tales that need to be told and so I wrote this book. I also wrote this book because I’m also a lover of history and wanted to tell a story that highlights how the voices of the past can influence us today. In this case, the victims of the Holocaust speak to us so loudly that they can influence a presidential election.

3. What has been the hardest part of the publishing process?

Most definitely it’s been the promotional part of the process that is most difficult for me. I’m an introvert by nature so it’s an effort to promote my work. I always hope that the books will speak for themselves, but I know they need help on my part. That’s why I especially appreciate outlets like these for me to talk about my work.  4. What has been the biggest (pleasant) surprise in your publishing journey?

It’s been the friends I’ve made, primarily on Facebook, that I never would have met if I hadn’t embarked on my writing journey. I’ve gotten close to a number of our Black Rose Writing colleagues—writers like Tracy Ball, John Vance, Mary Ellen Bramwell and you—that I otherwise never would have known except through my writing. It’s also been special when people I don’t know write nice things about my books. You expect great reviews from friends and family but there’s no better feeling than when you get praise from out of the blue. Probably the most meaningful review I ever received was for my book Dear Dad (http://amzn.to/1VYgo2Z ), which is about a soldier in Vietnam. Having not served in that war, I was nervous about whether I got it right. So, when I got a review that read ‘As a Vietnam War veteran I particularly related to this story’ I felt I nailed it.
5. Would you write a sequel to your book? Why or why not?

As a matter of fact, I’ve started the next sequel already. A New York City television reporter who teams up with her FBI Special Agent husband is a great combination and I envision a number of storylines that involve them. There’s no way I could ever be as prolific as James Patterson but I do see Francine Vega as being an Alex Cross-type character.
6. What author or book has influenced your writing?

I have always been a fan of John Steinbeck, having read a number of his books but most notably The Grapes of Wrath. I think what strikes me most about his books, and something I hope I could emulate is the way that he addresses global issues through the most common people you could ever imagine.

7. You are stranded on an island with only 3 books. What are their titles?

My all-time favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird so that book would have to be one of the three. For the other next I would pick Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It is the ultimate story of redemption that is timeless. There are so many candidates for number 3 and it’s difficult to narrow it down to one but, if I had to, I would go with The Source by James Michener. He does such a great job of telling story after story that is weaved together with the history of the region. I read it many years ago and a number of the tales from that book are still vivid in my mind.

8. What is your philosophy about rejection?

The main person I write for is myself. If others like what I write, that’s great. If they don’t, if they reject me, oh well. It’s not going to stop me from writing.
9. Do you have a day job? What is it?

I retired in 2017 from my job of 32 years with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection so I’m not at the moment in a day job. Now, I’m a man of leisure who tries to fit in writing when I can.







Twitter: @john_hazen
Website:  https://www.facebook.com/JohnHazenAuthor/





<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;} @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1342185562 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style></div><br />

9 Questions Author Interview with Kristen Jackson

This week's featured author is Kristen Jackson from Reading, PA and her urban fantasy YA novel Keeper of the Watch. 

Keeper of the Watch By Kristen Jackson

  1. What message are you hoping people will receive when they read your book?

After reading KEEPER OF THE WATCH, I hope readers will take away the message to never give up. The protagonist in the story, Chase Walker, goes through many changes in his young life—the uncle who raised him dies, he turns eighteen, he graduates from high school, and he finds a magical watch that can transport him to parallel worlds. Through it all, he remains positive and steadfast in his beliefs and his goal. That’s not to say that he doesn’t have doubts, but he manages to work through them and keep moving forward, and that’s all that anyone can do.
2. Why did you write this book?
I wrote this book for my Dad. He passed away unexpectedly a few years ago. He always wore a watch, and one day—not long after he died—I thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun to write a story about a watch with powers?” I sat down and started writing that day. My Dad would have loved this story!

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-jackson-036604126/

9 Questions Author Interview with Tristan Drue Rogers

This week's featured author is Tristan Drue Rogers from Hurst, TX and his mystery/crime novel Brothers of Blood.

Brothers of BloodBy Tristan Drue Rogers

1. What message are you hoping people will receive when they read your book?
I’ve thought about this before long and hard and even though this may come off as a tad too short of a statement with little wiggle room from an author who at times can enjoy swimming in ambiguity, which is this: Family is more than relation and sometimes relations can be worse than the enemy.

2. Why did you write this book?

I don’t know! I told myself that if I could write a compelling narrative about a simple concept, that of a brother and sister duo committing acts of murder, then I’d have truly mastered the ability to write about anything, including much heavier and more complex subject matter. Did I do that well? I’m not the one to say, but I do know that the violent and despicable acts and thoughts represented in this novel will likely haunt my career as a novelist since I don’t really have any intentions at this point to continue writing in the thriller genre.

3. What has been the hardest part of the publishing process?

Finding an agent has been the hardest part, tied with finding a publisher. I was fortunate, as were many others, to have Black Rose Writing accept my first novel-length story, one about a young and extremely intelligent, if a bit underachieving, high school ingénue, who wasn’t in any way intended to be over-sexualized, which perhaps would have made selling the book easier, with episodic killings, multiple main characters who eschew established racial and gender identities, while also commenting on the time spent in prison and changing for the better because of that. That’s a hard sell! Selling your book is difficult, too. People are less likely to take a chance on reading something written by someone untested in commercial or literary culture.

4. What has been the biggest (pleasant) surprise in your publishing journey?

Meeting all the amazing and supportive authors and readers not just from the publisher, but all over the world and even more than a few in my home region of North Texas. It has been truly empowering as a writer to meet so many other people obsessed with telling amazing stories that divert from the norm but still hope to encapsulate those classic stories of our own youth.

5. Would you write a sequel to your book? Why or why not?

I still say no. I’m not one for reading a series, even though I have read plenty. This is simply because I have so many ideas, genres, characters, and even mediums that I want to experiment with that I can’t be bothered to write a sequel. With me, you have a guarantee of completion within my stories. For now.

6. What author or book has influenced your writing?

Far too many authors have tinkered with my brain. Amelia Gray is crazy. Joe Hill knows story structure. Neil Gaiman is a god. Harper Lee wrote the greatest book ever written. Period. Watership Down is better than The Hobbit. Rudyard Kipling knows about the flow of words like no other. Maybe Franz Kafka’s short stories are a little beyond an obsession or me. Mark Twain is straight fire. Elliot Chaze, Orwell, Plath, Vonnegut—I should stop. I read a lot, even when I don’t have the time, I find a way. Tim Rogers was pretty badass for an overbearing journalist and game designer. Don’t even get me started on other mediums! Alan Moore!

7. You are stranded on an island with only 3 books. What are their titles?

Wow, that is a tough question. First is To Kill A Mockingbird, of course, but the other two might be more difficult.  I’m just shooting into the abyss here, but maybe a Collection of Edgar Allen Poe and The Jungle Books.

8. What is your philosophy about rejection?

My philosophy is basically to delete that rejection email and move forward. It’s tough as nails completing a piece of work, let alone to be rejected afterward, but if that’s going to stop you then maybe your life would be made easier by taking a step back and deciding whether or not this life is truly what you want to pursue. Writing and creating, in general, can feel like the hardest thing to do because you’ll likely lose support from people and companies on multiple occasions and even when you do take a step forward, you will undoubtedly fall two steps back. Write more, never give up. And please keep revising. Follow this key suggestion: If you can’t read your own work without cringing, then why would you expect an agent to do it?

9. Do you have a day job? What is it?

I currently work for a multinational paint and coating distributer as an assistant to a DFW Regional-based blah blah blah for my daily grind.


<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style> <br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Twitter </b><a href="https://twitter.com/rogersdrue"&... style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">https://twitter.com/rogersdrue</b&... style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blog </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://tristandrue.wordpress.com/&qu... class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Instagram </b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tristramduk... style="color: blue; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">https://www.instagram.com/tristramduk...

9 Questions Author Interview with Alex Bernstein

This week's featured author is Alex Bernstein from Palmyra, Pennsylvania and his eBook The Platform.



The Platform
By Alex Bernstein 

        1. What message are you hoping people will receive when they read your book? 

        There are some journeys in life that will take you where you least expect. 

   2. Why did you write this book? 

      Why does anybody write anything? I had an idea (or a few) and turned it into a story that I hope          resonates with those who read it.


    3. What has been the hardest part of the publishing process? 

       For me, it was the cover design.
             I was limited in my options and couldn’t find a cover that fit with the original title.


    4. What has been the biggest (pleasant) surprise in your publishing journey? 
   
           I was pleasantly surprised at how helpful and supportive members of the writing community are.


    5. Would you write a sequel to your book? Why or why not? 
   
           I would write a prequel. It would help better explain the origins of each character.

    6. What author or book has influenced your writing? 
   
           Chuck Palahniuk

    7. You are stranded on an island with only 3 books. What are their titles? 
   
           The Nix, Raft Building for Dummies, The Complete Works of Stephen King.

    8. What is your philosophy about rejection? 
   
          Everybody gets rejected the first time. Don’t let a couple rejection letters discourage you from what you love to do.

   9. Do you have a day job? What is it? 
   
           Yes. I’m a pharmacy technician.


Alex Bernstein

9 Questions with Kay Merkel Boruff

This week's featured author is Kay Merkel Boruff from Dallas, Texas and her memoir Z.O.S.


Z.O.SBy Kay Merkel Boruff

1. What message are you hoping people will receive when they read your book?

In Z.O.S. the reader will find messages of loss, death, and dying, as well as complementary messages of joy, hope, and optimism. I began to study Buddhism before I went to Southeast Asia in 1968. In the Tao Te Ching, yin/yang or “dark-bright” “negative-positive” demonstrates how opposite or contrary forces are complementary, interconnected, and interdependent. I embrace both the dark and the light. I hope readers “suspend their disbelief” and embrace both the dark and the light when reading my book.
One reviewer said, “Z.O.S. is a love song for survivors.” I hope readers receive the message of love.

2. Why did you write this book?
I wrote Z.O.S. to encourage people, especially women—you can screw up and still go on. You can buy a comp book from Wal-Mart and write your life. You can fall off the horse and get back on and help someone else along the way.
Flying home from Thailand, to bury my husband, I looked down at the New York Times front page headlines glaring from the coffee-stained table in the Frankfurt airport:“CIA Pilot Killed: First Casualty Plain of Jars”The CIA pilot was my husband Jon Christian Merkel. Hours earlier, in the Air America office in Bangkok, I was instructed not to discuss Jon’s death with anyone. A fellow passenger, who knew I was an Air America wife, asked, “Anyone you knew?” I replied, “A friend.” Ten years later I found out the passenger was a journalist who had interviewed me. Earlier in Udorn, Thailand, before my departure, packing my household goods to go home, I was met by a scream from my friend’s son—“A snake just bit Peter.” The doctor at the Base ER who treated the child was a sorority sister’s brother. The year before, I attended a Thai friend’s nephew’s funeral and threw lighted twigs on his body in the blazing funeral pyre at the Buddhist Temple. Another time I went snorkeling near the Tiger Cages on Con Son Island off the shores of Viêt-Nam one Sunday afternoon. A stripper danced on the dining room table at my husband’s Captain’s Party. In the “count every baht” period in Bangkok, I washed sheets in the bathtub and rode un-air-conditioned Thai buses for 3 baht to mail my daily letters to Merk. Later I dressed in Thai silk and Laotian gold jewelry after Merk made Captain for Air America, and I zoomed around Sai-Gon in my new 1968 red Honda car. On February 18, 1970, my 24-carat life was shattered when Jon was killed flying in Laos. I returned to Texas, a CIA widow with PTSD.
“After learning of Merk’s death, I drove with friends to our bungalow, in silence, strange optimistic silence. Somewhere in the back of my mind, there was the shimmering of a crack. Small. Quiet. Cloisonné weblike cracks. A hair-like thread spun as sugar over a flame, a thread of spiderweb neutrinic strength.”

            I wrote Z.O.S. to introduce readers to an Air America wife’s life—Sex Blood Money and the CIA in Southeast Asia—a life of hopes and dreams, love and loss, and joy and hope. I wrote to encourage readers to find inner strength in the face of adversity.   
3. What has been the hardest part of the publishing process?
The hardest part of the publishing process was finding a publisher. After searching for several years, I found Black Rose Writing, a small independent publisher. Then editing and formatting my book was an equal nightmare. I have epigraphs, footnotes, pictures, a glossary, and diagrams and figures, each with its own font size and formatting issues.
My writing “wraps” or connects like a necklace, i.e., each chapter’s first sentence “connects” with the last sentence—much as the first scene and last scene in a movie connect.

Then “beads” or leitmotifs are strung on the necklace. Leitmotifs such as gold, red, and foreign words are placed on the necklace. Each reference, such as a gold ID bracelet or gold leaf on a Thai temple or red cai blossoms or red tiles on a wat (small temple) or klongs (Thai canals) or kamoys (thieves), creates a “bead.” Then a second reference generates a flashback for the reader. A web is spun, connecting the “beads,” to keep the reader engaged. 

Finally, the story, interwoven with flashbacks, spirals forward into the future.

The reader is immersed in a genre-bending memoir of “magical realism.”


4.  What has been the biggest (pleasant) surprise in your publishing journey?
The Black Rose Writer acquisition author who discovered my book ended up writing the synopsis on the cover.
Z.O.S. is a memoir of Sex Blood Money and the CIA in Southeast Asia. Kay Merkel Boruff tells the story from her perspective of wife and widow of an Air America pilot killed during covert operations in Laos. She takes the reader there as only one who has been there can. You experience the highs, understand the efforts to escape the constant fear of the dangerous reality these American heroes face daily, feel the anguish of her loss and the isolation of the “zone of silence” she is required to live in for the rest of her life.                         Kay Merkel Boruff, a teacher at The Hockaday School 1973—2010, studied with Naomi Shihab Nye, Li-Young Lee, Tim O’Brien, Madeleine L’Engle, and Robert Olen Butler.She unveiled the Air America Memorial at UTD with CIA Director William Colby. She attended Burning Man and climbed Wayna Picchu, chasing another adventure in her “zone of silence.” 

Another surprise in my publishing journey was discovering my book had been made into an audio-book. I contacted the reader and was pleasantly surprised to find he enjoyed recording my book. He said, “Even though the book was nonfiction/prose, it read like poetry.” A published poet friend said the first chapter read like “poetry.” As a poet, I value those critiques.
Black Rose Writing art director David King’s sterling cover for Z.O.S. and King’s editing was an additional surprise.
A final surprise was joining the Black Rose Writing Authors—a talented and compassionate international band of writers eager for you to succeed and generous with supportive suggestions.


5. Would you write a sequel to your book? Why or why not?
Yes, I am writing a sequel to my book titled “Green Parrots, Chocolate Soufflé, and Rocks in my Pockets.” I have more stories and new essays about my life in Southeast Asia and my life today that I want to see in print for readers to enjoy.   
6. What author or book has influenced your writing?
Robert Olen Butler and his Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain are major influences on my writing. Robert is a cornerstone in the group of Viêt-Nam writers. I studied with Robert in France where he applauded my work and became a dear friend. Then he wrote a blurb for my book—  “From a rare and resonant point of view, Kay Merkel Boruff’s memoir offers an utterly compelling and smartly written tale of the Viêt-Nam War and its aftermath. Z.O.S. is a necessary work for a full understanding of the human toll of those times.” —Robert Olen Butler Winner of the Pulitzer Prize                                         A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain 
7. You are stranded on an island with only 3 books. What are their titles?
My island companions are as follows:
Dubliners (James Joyce) I discovered James Joyce when I went to Ireland the first time in 1980. Then later I read Joyce in graduate school at UT-Dallas in 1990, beginning with Dubliners, then A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, then Ulysses, and concluding with Finnegans Wake—which I read twice.

Flannery O’Connor: The Complete Stories I had never read Flannery O'Connor until graduate school. My professor did his dissertation on Flannery O’Connor, and I fell in love with her writing. Who can top A Good Man Is Hard to Find?
Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype (Clarissa Pinkola Estes) The Hockaday School English Department Chair Dr. Pat Saxon introduced me to Women Who Run with the Wolves. The title speaks volumes.
Teaching Middle School English to a classroom of sixth and seventh-grade girls who are “Betwixt and Between”—who love both teddy bears and boyfriends—requires all the Wild Woman Archetypes she can garner.
These books and thirty-eight years in Middle School stood me in good standing when I began volunteering at the Veterans Recovery Center, an outpatient for Veterans with PTSD and other mental health issues. A Viêt-Nam Veteran Willie Minor, Jr., and I created a Vets Helping Vets Non-Profit and produced twelve ten-minute films of Veterans’ personal stories. NPR interviewed Willie and me about our Drama Therapy Program.   
I’m hopeful some chocolate is included with my treasured books on my island.

       8. What is your philosophy about rejection?
After papering my bathroom walls with rejection slips, I developed the philosophy of rejection that says, One door closes, and another door opens. Yin/Yang guides my life. Rejection is change: I embrace change.
        9. Do you have a day job? What is it?
Yes, I have a day job—writing. Z.O.S. is the acronym “zone of silence” that Air America and the CIA operated under; neither were “in” Southeast Asia. The acronym also reflects the are where memories stored. I write to ward off depression and PTSD. I write to understand the world, to analyze what I feel, and to record life in the “zone of silence.”  My other day job is walking and loving my Labrador Molly Bloom.
Many kudos and thanks to Writerwomyn aka Hannah Goodman for her “9 Questions”!            





Website          www.KayMerkelBoruff.com  
Twitter             https://twitter.com/kaymerkelboruff 
Facebook          www.facebook.com/KayMerkelBoruffZOSAirAmerica/ 
Instagram         www.instagram.com/aunt_kay_merkel/
Goodreads        https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16623711.Kay_Merkel_Boruff

Bookbub            https://www.bookbub.com/profile/1199863732

9 Questions Author Interview with A.J. McCarthy

This week's featured author is A.J. McCarthy from Quebec City, Quebec, Canada and her mystery/crime novel Cold Betrayal.  



Cold Betrayal By A.J. McCarthy

1.     What message are you hoping people will receive when they read your book?

I write genre fiction, specifically suspense mysteries. So, I believe the purpose of my writing is to entertain, the way I’ve been entertained over the years by the same genre of fiction. But if I needed to pinpoint a message it would be that loyalty can’t be bought or bargained with, but it can be broken if it’s not reciprocated or if it’s abused.

2.     Why did you write this book?

The idea rooted in my brain and started to grow, until it needed to escape onto paper. The need is strong once that idea takes root. Sometimes, it takes a lot of stops, starts, and rewrites before I arrive at the final product, but it’s impossible not to try. Cold Betrayal was one of those ideas that refused to give up.

3.     What has been the hardest part of the publishing process?

It’s most definitely the marketing and promotion process. I’m an introvert. I have a difficult time getting myself out there, whether it be in person or via social media. Blowing my own horn doesn’t come naturally to me, and I’d much rather spend my time writing. I truly admire the people who are capable of putting fresh marketing content before the masses on a regular basis.

4.     What has been the biggest (pleasant) surprise in your publishing journey?

Despite what I said in the previous question, I’ve enjoyed making new contacts, especially among the Black Rose Writing authors, who are enormously supportive. I’ve also forced myself to step outside of my comfort zone. Last year, I traveled to California for book signings at two book festivals. I attended the Killer Nashville Writer’s Conference. And, this spring I’ll be attending the Left Coast Crime Writer’s Conference in Vancouver, where I’ll be a panelist. I’ll also be reading an excerpt from Cold Betrayal. Those are big, challenging steps for me, but ultimately, I enjoy the experiences and everything I take away from them.

5.     Would you write a sequel to your book? Why or why not?

To date, I’ve always written stand-alone novels, of which two have been published. The reason for this is that the ideas I’ve had so far only work for stand-alones, because of characters or settings. I want to give those ideas free rein without trying to twist them into a sequel. However, I am toying with the idea of writing a novel which would be less of a sequel and more of the second in a series, taking secondary characters from Cold Betrayal and using them as primary characters in another book. Time will tell.

6.     What author or book has influenced your writing?

 It’s hard to pinpoint one specific writer since I love so many from several different genres of writing. But I’d have to go back many years to the first suspense writer I followed – Sidney Sheldon. He instilled the love of the genre in me so I would have to give him credit.

7.     You are stranded on an island with only 3 books. What are their titles?

-       The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton – it was a big favorite of mine from my youth, and it would bring me back to that time.
-       Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell – I would like something substantial to keep me entertained for a long period of time.
-       Untitled by A.J. McCarthy – I’d just need a pad and pen so I could take advantage of my time alone to work on my current work-in-progress.


8.     What is your philosophy about rejection?

I’ve come to terms with it. The first few times are difficult, but I’ve learned that when one door closes another one opens. With patience and tenacity, something will come along that was worth the wait. What bothers me is when someone is mean or abrupt with their rejections. Authors put an enormous amount of time and effort into their work, and they deserve to have consideration and compassion. I believe, in most cases, publishers and agents realize that, but there remain a few that could learn to dole out their rejections in a nicer manner.

9.     Do you have a day job? What is it?

Yes, I do. My formal training is in accounting and I’m a CPA. I work as the Vice President of Finance for a group of manufacturing companies. My writing career stems from my love of reading, and I believe it’s the sharp contrast between my two careers that fuels my love of writing.





Website:  https://ajackmccarthy.comFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ajackmccarthy/ Twitter:   https://twitter.com/ajackmccarthy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.j._mccarthy/ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/search/authors?search=a.j.%20mccarthyPinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/ajmccarthy0125/?eq=a.j.%20mccarthy&etslf=6477Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43087885-cold-betrayal