tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76403019447741145872024-03-13T20:55:01.485-04:00Fictional Characters In DepthAuthor Nikki Leigh has a wide array of promotional blogs that authors can use to promote their books. This is a new blog that combines all her character blogs - hero, heroine, villain, best friend, female and male character interview and animals in books. There are seven sample interviews for authors to complete to tells us more about their books.Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-29660906711397127072010-08-22T18:20:00.001-04:002010-08-22T18:24:02.845-04:00Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w0nwXsza64P9YdF4BOH8PTpmwNTa5A063t4lHmuN7g61xuQGyyYCsm5nYSK-fY4IIaUHco-mLXvsNgCLTkLyOxHIaUTwweztClqMoomlqJImG6X78HHSLyTundNXwFG_eZIPXBgN98Il/s1600/A-Cynthias+Attic.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w0nwXsza64P9YdF4BOH8PTpmwNTa5A063t4lHmuN7g61xuQGyyYCsm5nYSK-fY4IIaUHco-mLXvsNgCLTkLyOxHIaUTwweztClqMoomlqJImG6X78HHSLyTundNXwFG_eZIPXBgN98Il/s320/A-Cynthias+Attic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508363520717447762" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p>Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle</i> - Book Four of the award-winning time-travel series for 'Tweens</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="">Cynthia had an attic.<span style=""> </span>Not just an ordinary attic.<span style=""> </span>Cynthia's attic was magic.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="">Cynthia and I came into the world just three months apart.<span style=""> </span>We grew up on the same quiet, sycamore-lined street, our friendship as close as our houses.<span style=""> </span>Fifty years earlier, our grandmothers were best friends.<span style=""> </span>However, we didn't realize the extent of their friendship until after our experience in Cynthia's attic.<span style=""> </span>This is the story of one of our great adventures...the way I remember it.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="">Sebastien the Great, a magician whose fiancée, Kathryn, disappears through the magic trunk, vows<span style=""> </span>revenge. If Cynthia and Gus don't find a missing page from the “Book of Spells,” Cynthia’s family could face financial and personal ruin. <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="">Follow this time-traveling duo as they journey back to a 1914 Swiss castle where Eva, Sebastien’s grandmother, gives them clues on where to begin their search. Their journey takes them through miles of tree tunnels, an enchanted garden ruled by a cranky rock monster, and even high in the Alps. They get the surprise of their lives when they're sent 50 years into the future, have a shocking encounter with another set of best friends, and receive a fresh set of clues that could lead to Kathryn's return. But, at what price?<span style=""> </span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Cynthia and I are best friends and have been for all our twelve years. We're about as different as bubble gum and broccoli, and she makes me so made, sometimes, I could spit. But, no matter what, I know she "always has my back."</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We've taken so many trips through the magic trunk in her attic, that I've lost count, but I can't think of anyone I'd rather have with me traveling through time.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The series, "Cynthia's Attic" was inspired by a recurring dream I'd had for more than 20 years about a mysterious attic. When I finally realized that the dreams took place in the attic of my real childhood best friend, Cynthia, the dreams stopped and the writing began<span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A move from Florida to Georgia</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > </span>brought us to within an hour of where Cynthia has called home for almost 15 years, and my first phone call was to arrange to meet for dinner. I almost felt sorry for our husbands because Cynthia and I didn't shut up for four hours! It's like we were six-years-old again, still sitting on the floor of her attic playing with paper dolls or discovering some magical treasure in one of the boxes. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Mary Cunningham is the author of the series, "Cynthia's Attic," co-author of the women's humor/lifestyle book, "WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty," and has several published short stories</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">You can buy all four <i style="">Cynthia's Attic</i> books, and <i style="">WOOF</i> on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Cunningham/e/B002BLNEK4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1">Amazon</a> and Amazon Kindle </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Directly from the publisher <a href="http://www.echelonpress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=23&zenid=acf13f08e60fb54cb24efea8dede28c5">Echelon Press</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Download on <a href="http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a20811/Mary-Cunningham/?">Fictionwise</a> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">or visit my website: <a href="http://www.marycunninghambooks.com/">http://www.marycunninghambooks.com</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-72715489530651769462009-08-25T21:47:00.000-04:002009-08-11T21:55:41.271-04:00Meet Sarah from Cafe Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island by Barbara Bonfigli<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. What is the name of the book where we would meet you?</span><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span> </span>/"Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island"<span style=""> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">What genre is it? </span>/Fiction</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Who wrote the book?</span> /Barbara Bonfigli<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. What do you think of the author? You can tell us the truth.</span> /She has excellent powers of observation, having picked me out of a crowded world.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Tell us a little about yourself. How would you describe your appearance? That's more than just really cute or drop dead gorgeous. Give us enough detail to get a clear idea of how you look</span>./I look you directly in the eye. I never wear shoes unless I have to. My hair is difficult to control. Loud music keeps me out of a lot of trendy restaurants. How do I appear? Either concentrating or day dreaming. The details of my physical appearance I leave to your imagination. I wouldn't want to spoil your picture of me as you read my novel.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. What character are you in the book? Are you the hero, the best friend, the side kick, the hero and heroine's child or someone else? /</span> The hero, being the narrator and principal voice. But there are several major players on this stage.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Is there a specific reason why you're in the story? Don't give us any story spoilers, but you can share some teasers if you want.</span>/The story cannot exist without the storyteller, and that's me.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. What time period do you live in?</span> / The recent present.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Where are you from?</span>/ Northern California. But I've lived in several other countries. I'm presently living in London and spending part of every year in Greece. </span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Do you live in the same place now?</span> / I live between the covers of the book you're reading -- "Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island." Wherever you take me, there I am. And thanks very much for introducing me to all these places.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Tell us about your hometown and your current home</span>./ Coming from California I'm very fond of fresh fruits and vegetables and sunshine. Sunshine is pretty much the same everywhere. Most of what passes for fruits and vegetables elsewhere in America tastes like their pictures on seed catalogues. California is also very large, so that when I travel in Europe and cross borders every few hours I feel like Vasco de Gama. London is a fabulous city. Almost no one at my gym speaks English as their first language, but we all understand sweat and effort. As a theatre producer I'm in bliss in London since all the actors answer their own phones and will agree to be in anything good; they don't consider every role a "career move."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-weight: bold;"><span style=""> </span></span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-weight: bold;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">11. Tell us how your hometown or your current home effects you, the things you do and how you feel about life?</span> / I live in a country in which people often speak in complete sentences. Taxi drivers know their way around. Strawberries are only sold in season. There's an excellent yoga studio within walking distance even in the rain. I love it here. If I tell you any more too many people will want to move here and they might crowd out this small discreet island.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">12. What special skills or abilities do you have?</span> / My coffee is superb. I can furl a mainsail without too many crinks. I can often figure out what people are trying to say though I don't understand their language. That's about it. And I write good ads for the play I produce.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">13. How do those affect your part in the story?</span>/ I attract men who think I can cook. It's hard to convince them otherwise; I'd have to cook something really awful and why would I do that?</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">14. Are you happy with the story? </span>Katapliktika! (not in the Glossary I'm afraid. It's a big yes.)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">15. Do you have some ideas that the author should consider about the story? You can share them with us. We're all friends here.</span> /The author should have allowed me more time to swim and given me the chance to drink some really excellent Greek wines. She did find me a beautiful island to spend the summer on and I hope she'll figure out how to get me back here next year.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">16. Tell us about your past. Can you share one really good experience and/or one really bad experience? I know that bad experience can be tough, but it would tell us more about what you've been through./</span> I was surprised when my boyfriend Julian decided our affair was over the same week the show we were producing closed. We were both working so hard on the production I had no idea anything else was going on. (This all happens before the book begins.) At an early point in the story my friend Alex asks me to consider inviting Julian to the island, but I don't think it's worth re-igniting a fire I hadn't noticed was burning out. When he calls the island and mentions that the costume designer he'd moved in with no longer interests him, and that he misses me, I decide not to take the hint. One of the best things about travel is the perspective you gain by the simple act of removing yourself. With a little beach time and reflection I realize Julian had the right idea; we were not destined for a long run.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">17. Who is the most important person in your life? Tell us about them.</span>/ At the moment it's Monika. She's playful and funny and she says exactly what's on her mind. That's provocative and exciting because her reactions to people and events are original. And she sees through the eyes of a visual artist, which is a great compliment to a writer's mind. </span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">18. Is that person in the story we're talking about?</span> / Yes. My understanding it that we're talking here from inside my character's head.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-weight: bold;"><span style=""> </span></span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-weight: bold;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">19. How does that person impact you and your life?</span>/<span style=""> </span>Monika impresses me for her wit, her originality, her sensuality, her talents. The ease with which she navigates the dramas of daily existence suggests a person who knows herself. I consider this the grand prize in the game of life and definitely the sort of person you'd hope to have as a lifelong friend...maybe even live with. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">20. Do you have any children?</span>/ No.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">21. If you do, tell us about them. If you don't have any children, you can tell us why not - but, only if you want to tell us. </span>Thanks for asking good questions and for knowing when to back off. All my fellow characters are worthy of an interview like this one; luckily they didn't know about this. Stefano and Arabella would certainly be making a fuss.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">22. What do you see in your future?</span>/ The mantra article I've just finished may lead to other writing on spiritual themes. And the concept of "you love who you love" is very interesting to me. I'd like to explore both those areas in writing and in life. I'll also be finding and producing plays. And I'll be practicing yoga so I can continue to enjoy running swimming walking exploring and eating unlimited amounts of goat cheese.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">23. Do you think your author is going to write another story about you? Or, are you part of a series? </span>/The author doesn't keep her imagination under wraps but she doesn't comment on the future, having good friends who are renowned astrologers and who steer clear of predictions.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">24. Do you like being a character in a book?</span>/ I love the possibilities. There's Nothing you can't imagine doing between covers.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">25. If someone ever decides to make a movie based on your story, who should play you in the movie and why? </span>I think this book is likely to be made into a film and as per #23 I'm not going to predict who'd play me. She'll have to have a pretty good sense of humor and of course a taste for retsina. You can't fake that.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";">Efharisto</span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";">, Sarah<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p>To learn about Barbara Bonfigli and Café Tempest, feel free to visit any of these sites.</p> <p>Order Café Tempest directly from the publisher – <a href="http://www.tellmepress.com/pub_ct.php">http://www.tellmepress.com/pub_ct.php</a> or from Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Caf%C3%A9-Tempest-Adventures-Small-Island/dp/0981645313">http://www.amazon.com/Café-Tempest-Adventures-Small-Island/dp/0981645313</a></p> <p>To see the complete tour schedule visit <a href="http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/05/cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli-summer.html">http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/05/cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli-summer.html</a></p> <p>Barbara Bonfigli’s website – <a href="http://www.cafetempest.com/">www.cafetempest.com</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wf56H2fiVxY&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wf56H2fiVxY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-61106100321997042582009-08-23T19:36:00.003-04:002009-08-23T19:38:29.299-04:00Meet the Hero From Dream King<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIGWeoGXCwsqSmlm9kg4TAgOG0jiFyehP_HIWWkw6yCIj363KnTp5vTbJI6Fy5ShAbcf6ZW_0fjzgkOwYonEqn4P3j8FXh9GLHYy14c-4yV3MoQzi4Vv8l3M_zxabwS2sDt7yA0go7HL5/s1600-h/DreamKing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIGWeoGXCwsqSmlm9kg4TAgOG0jiFyehP_HIWWkw6yCIj363KnTp5vTbJI6Fy5ShAbcf6ZW_0fjzgkOwYonEqn4P3j8FXh9GLHYy14c-4yV3MoQzi4Vv8l3M_zxabwS2sDt7yA0go7HL5/s400/DreamKing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373307341304115890" border="0" /></a>
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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:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 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:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-unhide:no; color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; 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;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">1. What is the name of the book where we would meet you? What genre is it?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I met my writer,Tara during one of my notrual journeys.<span style=""> </span>This meeting lead to my adventure in THE DREAM KING.<span style=""> </span>The story is a paranormal time travel adventure. </span>
<br /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<br /> <!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2. Who wrote the book?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My writer is Tara Newlands, an interesting cute woman from <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:state>.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br />3. What do you think of the author? You can tell us the truth.
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<br /> <!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I think she’s a funny, clever, if not a bit strange woman who loves pizza and something called Cheeios.<span style=""> </span>Mmmm, I don’t eat them myself.<span style=""> </span>But, she seems to think they’re great.<span style=""> </span>LOL <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">4. Tell us a little about yourself. How would you describe your appearance? That's more than just really cute or drop dead gorgeous. Give us enough detail to get a clear idea of how you look.
<br /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<br /> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Well, I’m a good looking guy.<span style=""> </span>I really don’t think about my looks much, I like keeping in shape because I never know when I might be called on to slay a dragon.<span style=""> </span>I’m 6’1, broad shouldered, lean but, not thin.<span style=""> </span>Amanda, my help mate says I have got the more beautiful green eyes.<span style=""> </span>It’s funny I never thought of my eyes has beautiful.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">5. What character are you in the book? Are you the hero, the best friend, the side kick, the hero and heroine's child or someone else?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I’m the hero of the Dream King.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br />6. Is there a specific reason why you're in the story? Don't give us any story spoilers, but you can share some teasers if you want.
<br /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<br /> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My former lover, Amanda disappeared after a rouge mage stole her from me.<span style=""> </span>I’ve fought tooth and nail to find her.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">7. What time period do you live in?
<br /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<br /> <!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Well, I’m over 150 years old.<span style=""> </span>I’ve lived in <st1:state st="on">New York</st1:state> most of my life and currently I have a house in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Phoenix</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">Arizona</st1:state></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">8. Where are you from? <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I was born in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Long Island</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">New York</st1:state></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br />9. Do you live in the same place now?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I still have my colonial outside <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York City</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br />12. What special skills or abilities do you have?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I am a master magus gifted and skilled in mental persuasion, telepathy, shape shifting, etc.<span style=""> </span></span>
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<br /> <!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal">13. How do those affect your part in the story?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My gifts aided me in the protection of the people I love.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br />14. Are you happy with the story?
<br /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<br /> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Yes, I think that <st1:place st="on">Tara</st1:place> did a great job presenting my story.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">16. Tell us about your past. Can you share one really good experience and/or one really bad experience? I know that bad experience can be tough, but it would tell us more about what you've been through.
<br /><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I think the worst day of my life was the day Jonathan stole Amanda from me.<span style=""> </span>I felt like I failed to protect them both.<span style=""> </span>He was my friend, I should have told him how Amanda made me feel.<span style=""> </span>It might have spared all of us a great deal of pain. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">17. Who is the most important person in your life? Tell us about them.
<br /><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Amanda is the important person in my life.<span style=""> </span>In the 150 plus years I’ve been there.<span style=""> </span>I’ve seen the best and worst that humankind has had to offer.<span style=""> </span>Amanda grounds me.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">19. How does that person impact you and your life?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">She’s bought so much joy and happiness to my life.<span style=""> </span>I’m grateful to have met her. </span>
<br />20. Do you have any children?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">No</span>
<br />21. If you do, tell us about them. If you don't have any children, you can tell us why not - but, only if you want to tell us.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It’s not that we don’t want them.<span style=""> </span>We’re happily working on correcting that now.<span style=""> </span>LOL </span>
<br /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<br /> <!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal">22. What do you see in your future?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I’ve working to develop the skills of my students because the world as great need for them.<span style=""> </span>I’ve been given unsettling news after future events that could affect the whole life and my students and I must be ready to face them.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br />23. Do you think your author is going to write another story about you? Or, are you part of a series?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My story in the first in a series about my people and our leaders.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br />24. Do you like being a character in a book?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Yes, I like the thought of someone sharing in the life I’ve had and learning about my people.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br />25. If someone ever decides to make a movie based on your story, who should play you in the movie and why?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Possibly, Clive Owen because he was really classy in the movie ‘<st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Sin</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>.’<span style=""> </span>He reminded me of the lengths I’d go to protecting the people I love.<span style=""> </span>
<br /></span>
<br />Its been great to talk with you. If you want to tell us anything else, feel free. Also, tell us about a website where we can learn more about you and where we can buy the book. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My story is available now at Red Rose publishing at <a href="http://www.redrosepublishing.com/">www.redrosepublishing.com</a> and will be available at Fictionwise.com shortly.<span style=""> </span>My writer, Tara is available to chat with at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/taranewlands">www.facebook.com/taranewlands</a> , also at <a href="http://www.freewebs.com/taranewlands">www.freewebs.com/taranewlands</a> and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/taranewlands">www.myspace.com/taranewlands</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<br />Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-48249390972040403032009-08-23T18:16:00.002-04:002009-08-25T10:43:45.558-04:00Meet Viktor Cherkasov from Once Upon a Moscow Night by Judith McGuinness<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Okay -- its time to tell us about that hunky hero in your book.<br /><br />What's his name?<br />Viktor Cherkasov.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Why did you pick that name?<br />It’s a good, sturdy Russian name for a good, sturdy Russian character.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Give us a brief description of how he looks.<br />Viktor is in his early fifties, but he is still conscious of how he looks so he keeps in shape. Tall and solidly built, he has salt-and-pepper hair, a full beard, and steely grey eyes. He favors dark colors for his clothes and would never be caught dead in a pair of jeans.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Is there anything unusual about his appearance?<br />Most people are intimidated by his intense, commanding presence.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Who does he love? Why?<br />Viktor met Kate Barnes while she was vacationing in Moscow. Her exuberance for life completely rocked his world, and it was love at first sight.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Does this person love him?<br />Most definitely, but she doesn’t say it to his face. She was waiting for him to make the first move.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Tell us about his family. Are they important to him?<br />Family means everything to Viktor, but he hasn’t been lucky enough to have a good family life. His wife left him to be with someone who could lavish her with material objects. His older son, Eugeny, was killed while serving in the military, and his other son, Alexei, favors the company of criminals to spite his father.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Where is he from?<br />Moscow, Russia<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Does his hometown affect his behavior, thoughts and attitude?<br />Very much. Viktor grew up during the Communist regime and it had a very important part in molding his life. It made him cold, stern, and unable to express his emotions verbally even when he wants to do so.<br /><br />What does he want out of life?<br />A comfortable life surrounded by a loving family.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >What's his biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)<br />Viktor is not comfortable with romance and finds himself tongue-tied when trying to express his feelings.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Did you write more than one story about him?<br />No.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >How would he describe you?<br />Viktor would say I create characters that could jump off the pages and live in today’s world.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Is there anything else about your hero that we need to know? Feel free to share.<br /><br />Please provide your website link.<br />www.judithmcguinness.com<br /><br />What is the link to buy your book?<br /><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Once-Upon-A-Moscow-Night/Judith-Mcguinness/e/9780595492404/?itm=2">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Once-Upon-A-Moscow-Night/Judith-Mcguinness/e/9780595492404/?itm=2<br /></a> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >It was wonderful to meet him. Thank you for bringing him to meet us. By the way, do you have a picture of him that you'd like to share?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-61291000436941502272009-08-23T18:12:00.004-04:002009-08-25T10:56:54.140-04:00Meet Kate Barnes from Once Upon A Moscow Night by Judith McGuinness<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Tell us about your heroine --- the female lead in your book.<br /><br />What's her name?<br />Kate Barnes.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Why did you pick that name?<br />It seemed the perfect name for a very modern American woman; crisp and to the point, just like her.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Give us a brief description of how she looks.<br />Kate is in her twenties, petite but curvy. She has blonde hair that she usually wears in a ponytail, and she has sapphire blue eyes.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Is there anything unusual about her appearance?<br />Without meaning to be, Kate is innately sexy. Every guy she meets is instantly turned on by her, whether she wants them to be or not.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Who does she love? Why?<br />The love of her life is Viktor Cherkasov because he is so different from every other man she’s ever known. He’s mature, handsome, cultured, and a fabulous lover.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Does this person love her?<br />Most definitely, even though he doesn’t tell her until near the end of the story.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Tell us about her family.<br />Kate is from a single parent home with no siblings. Her father abandoned them before she was born and because of this, her mother taught Kate not to trust men.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Where is she from?<br />New York City.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?<br />Being a New Yorker made her savvy in the ways of the world at an early age. Kate knows what she wants and goes after it. She’s also a good judge of character, especially when it comes to men.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >What does she want out of life?<br />Kate wants to enjoy life to the fullest. She sees everything as a grand adventure, an opportunity to experience new things and to meet new people.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >What's her biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)<br />Even though she’s a modern woman, Kate wants a fairytale romance. She wants to be swept off her feet and carried away by her knight in shiny armor.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Did you write more than one story about her?<br />No. The story of Kate and Viktor fit very nicely into one book.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >How would she describe you?<br />Kate would say that I like to write reality into my stories. Fantasy romances are fun, but you sometimes need to read a love story that might actually happen to you some day.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Is there anything else about your heroine that we need to know? Feel free to share.<br />Kate hopes that you enjoy her book.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >Please provide your website link.<br /><a href="http://www.judithmcguinness.com">www.judithmcguinness.com<br /></a> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >What is the link to buy your book?<br /><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Once-Upon-A-Moscow-Night/Judith-Mcguinness/e/9780595492404/?itm=2">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Once-Upon-A-Moscow-Night/Judith-Mcguinness/e/9780595492404/?itm=2<br /></a> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:14;color:black;" >It was wonderful to meet her. Thank you for bringing her to meet us.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-19257078119891472082009-08-02T23:09:00.001-04:002009-08-02T23:11:25.981-04:00Meet the Hero From The Neurology of Angels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhI1JJVtWJhcv-4DD2mKJP2VzfE1Ju_gsmrg8P6TFASkh_Rxrzw1v5fQtzFUlCkAGzlQMAS6WNiTEz58fx7cqxDlWFXE2TDEND8M59fo8v66bZX7fWT4DZu8ZoyabEFqyoll7-g_j-_nw/s1600-h/Neurology+of+Angels+JPEG.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhI1JJVtWJhcv-4DD2mKJP2VzfE1Ju_gsmrg8P6TFASkh_Rxrzw1v5fQtzFUlCkAGzlQMAS6WNiTEz58fx7cqxDlWFXE2TDEND8M59fo8v66bZX7fWT4DZu8ZoyabEFqyoll7-g_j-_nw/s400/Neurology+of+Angels+JPEG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365569415858262530" border="0" /></a><br /> <p class="MsoBodyText">1. What is the name of the book where we would meet you? What genre is it?</p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-weight: normal;">My name is Elizabeth Rose, and I live in a book called <i>The Neurology of Angels</i>. It is a novel about the hearts inside the business and politics of drug development. <br /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">2. Who wrote the book?<br /></span></b><span style="color: black;">The writer of <i>The Neurology of Angels</i> is Krista Tibbs. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText">3. What do you think of the author? You can tell us the truth.</p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I think Krista cares very much about me and my daughter, Sera, and she wants to solve the difficulties facing the man who is trying to develop our cure. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>4. Tell us a little about yourself. How would you describe your appearance? <o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Oh, this is a tough question. Since my husband died, I haven’t given much thought to my appearance, because I’ve been so focused on Sera. Let’s see, my hair is light brown and on the longish side. I guess I’m a fairly stylish dresser, or once was – are skirt suits still in fashion? I try to look professional at the law firm, but I spend most of my time in jeans when it’s just me and Sera goofing around at home. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style=""> </span><br /><b>5. What character are you in the book? Are you the hero, the best friend, the side kick, the hero and heroine's child or someone else?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Hmmm. I think my daughter and her friend, Lexi, are the heroines of the story. But some might say it’s me, the quiet catalyst for the two major events -- Galen Douglas’ medical discovery and a health care summit on Capitol Hill.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>6. Is there a specific reason why you're in the story? Don't give us any story spoilers, but you can share some teasers if you want.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I think I gave that away in question 5! <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>7. What time period do you live in?<br /></b>We live in the present. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">8. Where are you from?</span></b><span style="color: black;"><br />I was born in England. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">9. Do you live in the same place now?<br /></span></b><span style="color: black;">I moved to the States when I was very young, and I am an American citizen.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">10. Tell us about your hometown and your current home.<br /></span></b><span style="color: black;">Sera and I live in Arlington, Virginia, which I consider my hometown, then and now. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText">11. Tell us how your hometown or your current home effects you, the things you do and how you feel about life?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Because we live so close to Washington, DC, I have an active interest in politics, especially in the field of health care, because of my job and because of my daughter. My best friend is a U.S. senator – one of the good ones.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>12. What special skills or abilities do you have?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I’m a critical thinker and I don’t give up easily. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText">13. How do those affect your part in the story?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">My persistence in making researchers aware of Sera’s disease connects us with the other characters. My conversations with my senator friend together with the cases that I work on as a defense lawyer for the pharmaceutical industry lead me to a detailed proposal for a new kind of health care system, one that is sustainable without the government, and allows people to afford their own health care but doesn’t stifle innovation in the process. Oh, don’t let me get on my soapbox; I could go on all day.<span style=""> </span><br /><br /><b>14. Are you happy with the story?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I think it is a story that needed to be told, and I’m glad that Krista finally listened to me and put it on paper.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>15. Do you have some ideas that the author should consider about the story? You can share them with us. We're all friends here</b>.<br />I think Krista should take the health care system idea that I developed and make it a reality outside the story.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText">16. Tell us about your past. Can you share one really good experience and/or one really bad experience? I know that bad experience can be tough, but it would tell us more about what you've been through.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I have worked very hard to make sure that my daughter and I have a good life together, but every happy day is tempered by knowing that Sera’s disease is untreatable. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">The last unconditionally happy experience I had was finding out my husband and I were going to have a baby. The worst experience in my past was when my husband died. He would have been a wonderful father. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>17. Who is the most important person in your life? Tell us about them.<br /></b>Sera. She defies description sometimes! I never cease to be amazed at how she lives every day so fully and how much passion she has for every project that pops into her head. I see her with her best friend, Lexi, who has so much potential but so much baggage, and I am proud that my little Sera is the brightness she needs in her life. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText">18. Is that person in the story we're talking about?<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sera is pretty much the center of the story, although she doesn’t know it. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">19. How does that person impact you and your life?<br /></span></b><span style="color: black;">Sera is my life. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">20. Do you have any children?<br /></span>21. If you do, tell us about them. If you don't have any children, you can tell us why not - but, only if you want to tell us.<br /></b><span style="color: black;">Sera is my only child. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><b>22. What do you see in your future?</b><br />I try to focus on the present, because I don’t like to think about a future that might not have Sera in it. </p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><b>23. Do you think your author is going to write another story about you? Or, are you part of a series?<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2">I hope she will write more about the things I have done but let me live in peace after this story is over. </p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><b>24. Do you like being a character in a book?</b><br />Yes, because there is closure. </p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><b>25. If someone ever decides to make a movie based on your story, who should play you in the movie and why?</b><br />Oh, that’s fun to think about. Maybe Rachel McAdams. She has a smart look about her, but she’s also feminine and probably very nurturing. That’s how I like to think of myself. </p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2">Thank you so much for interviewing me. You can find more about <i>The Neurology of Angels</i> at <a href="http://www.neurologyofangels.com/">www.neurologyofangels.com</a>. The book is available on that website or a variety of online retailers <span style="" lang="EN">including <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780981880303?id=4188212861944" target="_self">Books a Million</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Neurology-Angels-Krista-Tibbs/dp/0981880304" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Neurology-Of-Angels/Krista-Tibbs/e/9780981880303" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>, and <a href="http://www.target.com/dp/0981880304">Target</a>, or through your local bookstore.</span></p>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-25828795233883989392009-08-02T23:06:00.001-04:002009-08-02T23:08:32.091-04:00The Best Friend From The Neurology of Angels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpho9_JC5BCceeJ2R6WaFbGtiL1vheDqnJCdVP21hEmutDxxaR95QE7TYkhCYiLDoEv74LX-WXNkkOKsgcyY6LDF-TSOABUAEHIFvzjUPE2tcW94qn_SqzEPwv2ApzaRxGhJnnUh5h7Z0J/s1600-h/Neurology+of+Angels+JPEG.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpho9_JC5BCceeJ2R6WaFbGtiL1vheDqnJCdVP21hEmutDxxaR95QE7TYkhCYiLDoEv74LX-WXNkkOKsgcyY6LDF-TSOABUAEHIFvzjUPE2tcW94qn_SqzEPwv2ApzaRxGhJnnUh5h7Z0J/s400/Neurology+of+Angels+JPEG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365568767764887554" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoBodyText"><br /><b>1 - Tell us a bit about your book.</b><br /><i>The Neurology of Angels</i> is a novel about the hearts inside the business and politics of drug development and the consequences of a choice between saving one child and treating thousands. The story belongs to Galen, a neuroscientist turned reluctant entrepreneur, who has developed a treatment for stroke and is trying to develop a cure for his daughter’s best friend, who has a rare and fatal genetic illness.</p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2">2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">For most of the story, Eddy is in his mid-30s, a runner, blond, handsome, a politician. He and Galen met at Harvard University. Galen was in love with Eddy’s sister until she died from a series of strokes just after they graduated from college. Several years later, Galen and Eddy had a double wedding, and their wives both became pregnant at the same time, which is where the story begins.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?</span></b><span style="color: black;"><br />Eddy’s mission is to lower the cost of prescription drugs to help everyone suffering from an illness for which they can’t afford the treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?</span></b><span style="color: black;"><br />Eddy’s purpose in the book is to be one of many people trying to do the right thing but getting in the way of Galen developing his cure. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2">5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">His feelings are complicated, and he doesn’t understand them all explicitly. He’s proud of Galen, but at the same time jealous of him professionally, although personally he sees Galen as a stray puppy he saved from the street.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2">6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">They stop talking to each other until they are in situations where they are forced to confront each other, and the bottled anger spills over in revelation. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?</b><br />Yes, the rift between the two is central to the story. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?</span></b><span style="color: black;"><br />Not likely. Eddy needs Galen, whether he knows it or not. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?<br /></span></b><span style="color: black;">He wasn’t based on anyone I know personally, however he was inspired by the many politicians I see who have the best of intentions but are somewhat holier-than-thou in their execution. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share.<br /></span></b><span style="color: black;">Eddy has a good heart. He’s the antagonist, but not a villain.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">11 - Please provide your website link.<br /></span></b><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.neurologyofangels.com/">www.neurologyofangels.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black;">12 - What is the link to buy your book?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The book is available on the website or a variety of online retailers </span><span style="font-weight: normal;" lang="EN">including <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780981880303?id=4188212861944" target="_self">Books a Million</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Neurology-Angels-Krista-Tibbs/dp/0981880304" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Neurology-Of-Angels/Krista-Tibbs/e/9780981880303" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>, and <a href="http://www.target.com/dp/0981880304">Target</a>.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-20433078560334990822009-08-02T23:04:00.001-04:002009-08-02T23:06:12.006-04:00The Hero of The Neurology of Angels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKb7UneRQHKZrDUyXEcUXyxbvvRUFJ3WMrNlZaLLd8cony7cvmJAfE_l0StBbMbt-dj8fjahylho5L2arSLZQhP0aM5MphOWaXv_Apj5rwTCuGUzduz_onPLDPGq-5w2X8_L4fagIErC6K/s1600-h/Neurology+of+Angels+JPEG.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKb7UneRQHKZrDUyXEcUXyxbvvRUFJ3WMrNlZaLLd8cony7cvmJAfE_l0StBbMbt-dj8fjahylho5L2arSLZQhP0aM5MphOWaXv_Apj5rwTCuGUzduz_onPLDPGq-5w2X8_L4fagIErC6K/s400/Neurology+of+Angels+JPEG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365568291189361810" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoBodyText"><br /><b>What's his name?</b><br />Galen Douglas </p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><br /><b>Why did you pick that name?</b><br />Galen means “healer”. He is a neuroscientist who is trying to develop much-needed medical treatments.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>Give us a brief description of how he looks.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">He is tall, pale, dark hair, a runner. Though not conventionally handsome, women consider him appealing, because he is a little naive, but smart and committed.<br /><br /><b>Is there anything unusual about his appearance?</b><br />When he gets insecure, his shoulders hunch, like he wants to be back in the lab looking over a microscope, in the world he understands.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>Who does he love? Why?</b><br />His daughter and his company. His company is founded on a treatment for the kind of stroke which killed his first love. But that was just a catalyst; he is truly passionate about science and what it can do for medicine.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>Does this person love him?<br /></b>His daughter wants to love him, but she doesn’t know him. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><br /><b>Tell us about his family. Are they important to him?</b><br />Galen is torn between caring for his family and caring for the people his treatments help, and his wife struggles with the lack of attention. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>Where is he from?</b><br />He grew up in a trailer park near Boston. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>Does his hometown affect his behavior, thoughts and attitude?</b><br />He has a deep insecurity rooted in his background. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>What does he want out of life?</b><br />He wants to make a difference. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>What's his biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)<br /></b>His daughter. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>Did you write more than one story about him?<br /></b>Not yet<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>How would he describe you?</b><br />He would say that of anyone in the story, he and I are the most alike.<br /><b>Is there anything else about your hero that we need to know? Feel free to share.<br /></b>He cares about people, but at the same time, people intimidate him, because he just doesn’t understand them. It is the source of most of his pain. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>Please provide your website link.<br /></b><a href="http://www.neurologyofangels.com/">www.neurologyofangels.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /><b>What is the link to buy your book?<br /></b></span>The book is available on that website or a variety of online retailers <span style="" lang="EN">including <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780981880303?id=4188212861944" target="_self">Books a Million</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Neurology-Angels-Krista-Tibbs/dp/0981880304" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Neurology-Of-Angels/Krista-Tibbs/e/9780981880303" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>, and <a href="http://www.target.com/dp/0981880304">Target</a>, or through your local bookstore.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style=""> </span></p>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-61196731438607753932009-06-16T19:05:00.000-04:002009-06-16T19:05:00.449-04:00Meet Frankie - The Walk 'n Roll Dog by Barbara Techel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinILQguAuDei0s7BwfknHglDROKC6oWJBDpVlgCB6f4yaYMxISaE1xOHCrmiVDotdgTiMmhyphenhyphenf9SYGcVCyYlikRmmv6kupQcOaSRN_jrR3_wb1QJjk_7jxpZqYuLetlvXMh0WhJEv71Idas/s1600-h/Barb+%26+Frankie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinILQguAuDei0s7BwfknHglDROKC6oWJBDpVlgCB6f4yaYMxISaE1xOHCrmiVDotdgTiMmhyphenhyphenf9SYGcVCyYlikRmmv6kupQcOaSRN_jrR3_wb1QJjk_7jxpZqYuLetlvXMh0WhJEv71Idas/s400/Barb+%26+Frankie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340273593329398418" border="0" /></a><style>!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} @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:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Trebuchet MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 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:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-unhide:no; color:#000033; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; 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:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">Tell us about your heroine --- the female lead in your book.<br /><br />What's her name?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">Frankie!<br /><br />Why did you pick that name?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">I had Frankie’s name picked out long before I got her.<span style=""> </span>I’ve always loved the movie <i style="">Frankie and Johnnie</i>.<span style=""> </span>If you are not familiar with it, Frankie is the female lead character.<span style=""> </span>Frankie and Johnnie fall in love.<span style=""> </span>I’ve always thought it was so fun and sporty for a girl to have a name like Frankie.<span style=""> </span>My Frankie’s real name is Francesca, but I call her Frankie for short (no pun intended!)<br /><br />Give us a brief description of how she looks.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">She has 4-inch long furry legs, silky-soft ears, liquid brown eyes outlined in perfect black liner, and a 14-inch long body that resembles a scrumptious sausage.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><br />Is there anything unusual about her appearance?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">I guess you could say it is the wheelchair she gets around with, which you don’t always see a dog in!<br /><br />Who does she love? Why?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">She loves her human mom the best!<span style=""> </span>Her mom thinks Frankie is one of the biggest blessings she has ever had in her life.<span style=""> </span>Frankie loves her mom because she gives her <i style="">at least</i> 1,000 kisses and hugs a day.<span style=""> </span>She also loves her because she takes her so many fun places like school, nursing homes and hospitals.<br /><br />Does this person love her?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">Oh, more than her mom could ever express in words.<span style=""> </span>She loves Frankie so deeply.<br /><br />Tell us about her family.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">Frankie has a papa who lets her snuggle under the covers every night and lick his feet.<span style=""> </span>Frankie also has an English yellow lab sister named Kylie who cleans Frankie’s ears every chance she gets.<br /><br />Where is she from?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">The quaint, picturesque, historical village of Elkhart Lake.<br /><br />Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">Absolutely!<span style=""> </span>Everyone in Elkhart Lake knows and loves Frankie.<span style=""> </span>When Frankie went into the village the first time in her wheelchair everyone embraced her, and wanted to know her story.<span style=""> </span>Because of their compassion and kindness Frankie’s mom was inspired to write Frankie’s story.<br /><br />What does she want out of life?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">She wants all children to know that they can always have a positive attitude.<span style=""> </span>She also wants all children to treat all kids, no matter what their abilities, with respect and kindness.<span style=""> </span>She also wants everyone to know that just because an animal has a disability does not mean that they can’t live a quality life.<span style=""> </span>She wants everyone to know she is happy and healthy.<br /><br />What's her biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">I guess her biggest secret would be that she loves cats.<span style=""> </span></span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; color: black;"><span style="">J</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><br /><br />Did you write more than one story about her?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">Frankie will have another book coming out early 2010.<span style=""> </span>It is called <i style="">Frankie, the Walk ‘N Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby’s House.</i><span style=""> </span>Frankie is a registered therapy dog.<span style=""> </span>Once a month she visits Libby’s House where the elderly living there suffer from Dementia and Alzheimer’s.<span style=""> </span>The book is about the people she meets at Libby’s House, and the lives she touches.<br /><br />How would she describe you?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">Frankie is one of the sweetest, cutest, kindest dachshunds you will ever meet.<span style=""> </span>Her heart is so big I am surprised it fits inside her little chest.<span style=""> </span>It is that big!<br /><br />Is there anything else about your heroine that we need to know? Feel free to share.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;">Frankie changed my life for the better.<span style=""> </span>She helped me to understand that challenges are given to us to help us learn and grow.<span style=""> </span>She also taught me that I can always choose to be happy even when times are tough.<span style=""> </span>Frankie is truly a blessing in my life and, she helped me find my calling.<span style=""> </span>I will always be so grateful God entrusted Frankie’s care to me.<br /><br />Please provide your website link.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><a href="http://www.joyfulpaws.com/">http://www.joyfulpaws.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><a href="http://www.frankiethewalknrolldog.blogspot.com/">http://www.frankiethewalknrolldog.blogspot.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><br />What is the link to buy your book?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><a href="http://www.joyfulpaws.com/store.htm">http://www.joyfulpaws.com/store.htm</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><br />It was wonderful to meet her. Thank you for bringing her to meet us.<br /><br />Feel free to email your answers to <a href="mailto:nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com">nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com</a> and I'll add your information. They will be posted, but not all at once. That will give everyone an opportunity to get plenty of exposure.</span></p> <br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; color: black;"><br /></span></span><p></p>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-16976850195202434992009-06-09T20:24:00.000-04:002009-06-09T20:33:10.303-04:00Meet Captain Jack Hunking from The White Hare's Lament<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbh7gpEg3zusWOUCEtGmkRigSh0iIJE2Rhbsdf0ampddFxx_jYUlYnVg2HBrDta_hkF_AO9RHx2VFVF_cizKvUusWApCFEsBxMvJccs0lleuupNo8qDlBb0M7K-_aLnG9ZZOQCpLM6Qz7/s1600-h/A+-+whitehareslament.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbh7gpEg3zusWOUCEtGmkRigSh0iIJE2Rhbsdf0ampddFxx_jYUlYnVg2HBrDta_hkF_AO9RHx2VFVF_cizKvUusWApCFEsBxMvJccs0lleuupNo8qDlBb0M7K-_aLnG9ZZOQCpLM6Qz7/s400/A+-+whitehareslament.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345488253878900178" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">What’s his name?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Captain Jack Hunking</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Why did you pick that name?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Hunking is family name – on my maternal grandmother’s side, and there were a few Jacks as well, so it seemed resonant to me. Also, it’s very much a name from the south west of England, which suited the story.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">How does he look?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">His appearance changed dramatically through the story, depending on how well he is, how mad. When clean, well fed and on top of his life, Jack is a rather ordinary middle aged, middle class man. You wouldn’t give him a second look. Wild in battle he’s a totally different figure – intense, dangerous and uncompromising. Put him in a wild place, and he is a far less imposing but much more rooted soul</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Is there anything unusual about his appearance?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">There’s a large scar on one of his thighs, from shrapnel damage.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Who does he love? Why?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Jack isn’t good at love, he doesn’t really understand it and it takes him a long time to make that connection with someone.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Does this person love him?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">In her own peculiar way, yes.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Tell us about his family. Are they important to him?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Guile left his family to train as a musician. He went to Tirol as an apprentice when very young, and considers the trio to be his family.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Where is he from?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">He grew up in a village in the Midlands.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Does his hometown affect his behaviour, thoughts and attitude?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">He has all the prejudices and anxieties that go with such a background.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">What does he want out of life?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">When the story opens, Jack has lost all sense of himself and wants nothing more than to be sane and functional again. Beyond that he does not know, nor has he ever had much idea.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">What’s his biggest secret?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">The one he cannot remember, the one that drove him out of his wits in the first place.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Did you write more than one story about him?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">No. This is a standalone book.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">How would he describe you?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Perplexing.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Is there anything about your hero we need to know?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">There’s a fair amount of ambiguity in the story, so how you understand the character probably depends a lot on your world view, and whether you interpret the tale as being about madness, or fantasy.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Please provide a link to your website</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/brynneth_n_colvin">http://www.myspace.com/brynneth_n_colvin</a></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-GB">What is the link to buy your book?</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=26&products_id=349&zenid=853cfe4236a8e41e78d726ad01b7c5f7"><span lang="EN-GB">http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=26&products_id=349&zenid=853cfe4236a8e41e78d726ad01b7c5f7</span></a></span></p>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-41755819546463522122009-05-02T19:34:00.000-04:002009-05-02T19:37:19.644-04:00Meet the Hero from Being Familiar With a Witch by Sapphire Phelan<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What's his name? Charun Adramelch</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Why did you pick that name? Actual demon name, and he is a demon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Give us a brief description of how he looks. In human form, he has strange, bedroom amber-yellow eyes and long, black hair that drifted like smoke over his broad shoulders. Nude, he has chiseled pecs, a slim waist, muscular hips and washboard stomach. He has muscles rippling everywhere. A hottie, he develops a softer side that belies the demon he is.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">As a demon, he has large bat-like wings that sprout from his shoulder blades, pointed ears jutting from the top of his head just like cat ears, and large, sharp, obsidian horns. Instead of flesh-colored skin, he is dark purple all over, razor-sharp claws edging his fingers and toes. His eyes gare still amber-yellow and still has long black hair, along with the powerful physique. He is much taller and more powerful than as a human being.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Is there anything unusual about his appearance? The amber-yellow eyes, whether in demonic or human form is strange and can glow.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Who does he love? Why? Tina Epson. She and he are coded to each other's DNA--when he makes love to her for the first time, only he can bring forth her witch powers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Does this person love him? Yes, she does, or will.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tell us about his family. Are they important to him? He is a demon, a former Incubus turned Witch Familiar. No family--right now, at least that he knows of.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where is he from? Hell.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Does his hometown affect his behavior, thoughts and attitude? Since he is a demon, even if turning over a new leaf, being one still influnces hios actions.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">What does he want out of life? To love his witch and battle evil with her by his side.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">What's his biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Did you write more than one story about him? Working on sequel now.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">How would he describe you? The human that is cronicling his and Tina's adventures.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Is there anything else about your hero that we need to know? Feel free to share.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Please provide your website link. <a href="http://FantasticDreams.50megs.com">http://FantasticDreams.50megs.com</a></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">What is the link to buy your book?<a href="http://www.king-cart.com/Phaze/product=Being+Familiar+With+a+Witch/exact_match=exac">http://www.king-cart.com/Phaze/product=Being+Familiar+With+a+Witch/exact_match=exac</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">It was wonderful to meet him. Thank you for bringing him to meet us.</span></span>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-18946175801971331662009-03-29T17:38:00.000-04:002009-03-29T17:39:59.876-04:00Quantum Earth by Julie Achterhoff<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNT3R109fC2Sxya8HE8_OKu-cEceaH-q0VUvYg6iPdb9PCRoNFswi_ziycNiYcRmiZGxJXKPjVegb4JNjF0MVDyWBhGEMtnsDfB3ykOx7s0YGMFF0G228_WQ1bGheU02B7J2Ut6zchvJ4f/s1600-h/Quantum+Earth+cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNT3R109fC2Sxya8HE8_OKu-cEceaH-q0VUvYg6iPdb9PCRoNFswi_ziycNiYcRmiZGxJXKPjVegb4JNjF0MVDyWBhGEMtnsDfB3ykOx7s0YGMFF0G228_WQ1bGheU02B7J2Ut6zchvJ4f/s400/Quantum+Earth+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318727501895466082" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:85%;">1. In my new novel, Quantum Earth, the <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362710_0">bad guy</span> is Beckham, an uber-rich man who is financially backing my team of metaphysical scientists. He pulls the strings. He wants them to save the Earth from destruction in the form of increased natural disasters that are becoming so much more frequent and deadly. Beckham is lead by his spirit guide, Seta, who, in his last incarnation, was a scientist doing <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362710_1">evil deeds</span> for Hitler. His motivation is saving the world so he can live again and do more evil.</span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:85%;">2. I really love both, but the thing about <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362710_2">bad guys</span> is that you can get in touch with your bad self, which can be a lot of fun.</span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:85%;">3. I use bad guys to contrast with the good guys. Of course nobody's all good or all bad. But I love setting them up against one another in a scene. They can really drive a plot!</span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:85%;">4. It's a bit difficult for me not to just copy other bad guys. I think my bad guys are probably some combination of that since I have no real life experience with true bad guys.</span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:85%;">5. I just don't have any real experience with people like murderers or rapists except what I've read or seen in movies.</span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:85%;">6. I think Seta from Quantum Earth is my favorite. He is on "the other side" but still has power on Earth. He's a very scary persona. </span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:85%;">7. Hannibal Lector has got to be the ultimate bad guy for me. Ho oozes evil in every pore.</span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:85%;">8. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.julieachterhoff.blogspot.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362710_3">http://www.julieachterhoff.blogspot.com</span></a></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:85%;">9. Quantum Earth will be available sometime at the the end of March at <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.allthingsthatmatterpress.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362710_4">http://www.allthingsthatmatterpress.com</span></a></span></div> <div> </div>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-27500744181903056532009-03-29T17:29:00.000-04:002009-03-29T17:31:08.450-04:00Make Believe Lover by Ashley Ladd<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97EErgnERc_lztSxxbfdj70AbvJmqfndy7a-F7dlerSZ-3RcBapkTQBfBRpeW1AYURT9f1a1RSnO0x2TWZmI8OaXeKfT3K-tLQN6zJ5HWzNXEUq530TPQEZubs2QWD6FRr-J1Fu-evlFS/s1600-h/MakeBelieveLover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 327px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97EErgnERc_lztSxxbfdj70AbvJmqfndy7a-F7dlerSZ-3RcBapkTQBfBRpeW1AYURT9f1a1RSnO0x2TWZmI8OaXeKfT3K-tLQN6zJ5HWzNXEUq530TPQEZubs2QWD6FRr-J1Fu-evlFS/s400/MakeBelieveLover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318725113732365666" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. What is the name of the book where we would meet the animal? What genre is it?</span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Make-Believe Lover<br />Paranormal Erotic Romance<br /><br />The animal is: <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362115_1">Gizmo</span>, a talking cat<br /><br />2. Who wrote the book?</span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Ashley Ladd<br /><br />3. What would the animal that of the author? You can tell us the truth.</span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Gizmo, of course, adores me! I'm his master and best friend and creator.<br /><br />4. Tell us a little about the animal. How would you describe their appearance? That's more than just cuddly and furry. Give us enough detail to get a clear idea of how they look.</span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Gizmo is a gray and black tabby <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362115_2">domestic cat</span>. He's large (overweight) and cuddly but sassy.<br /><br />5. What part does the animal play in the book? Are you the hero, the best friend, the side kick, the hero... ?</span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Gizmo is Becca's best friend and constant side-kick. He constantly gets her into trouble with his big, sarcastic mouth. He even brings evil dragons and evil armies down on her.<br /><br />6. Is there a specific reason why the animal is in the story? Don't give us any story spoilers, but you can share some teasers if you want.</span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Gizmo provides comic relief and also a sounding board for <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362115_3">Becca</span>, the heroine.<br /><br />7. What time period does the animal live in?</span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Gizmo and Becca start out in contemporary times but are sucked into a medieval cartoon where the majority of the story takes place.<br /><br />8. Where is the animal from?<br /><br />He's from <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362115_4">Planet Earth</span>.<br /><br />9. Do they live in the same place now?<br /><br />No, Gizmo and Becca have been sucked onto the world of Templar.<br /><br />10. Tell us about the place where the animal lives.<br /><br />Templar is a medieval world filled with an evil king, armies who fly on dragons, and is in dire need of a savior.<br /><br />11. What special skills or abilities does the animal have?<br /><br />Gizmo speaks and understands English since he's been transported onto Templar and poses as an ordinary house cat and so is invaluable as a spy to help the good guys.<br /><br />12. How do those skills or abilities affect the animal's part in the story?<br /><br />Since he can pose as an ordinary cat, he should be a wonderful spy. However, his <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362115_5">big mouth</span> keeps getting him in trouble.<br /><br />13. Tell us about the animal's past. Can you share one really good experience and/or one really bad experience? I know that bad experience can be tough, but it would tell us more about what they have been through.<br /><br />Gizmo's worst experience is when an evil dragon swoops down and almost eats him.<br /><br />14. Who is the most important person in the animal's life? Tell us about them.<br /><br />Becca is Gizmo's master and best friend. Together they are transported onto the mythical world of Templar where suddenly Gizmo can speak and won't keep his big mouth shut. Together with a rag tag band of locals, Gizmo and Becca are called upon to oust the evil King Heinrich, his army, and his evil dragons.<br /><br />15. Is that person in the story we're talking about?<br /><br />Yes, Becca is the heroine of the story.<br /><br />16. How does that person impact the animal's life?<br /><br />Gizmo is completely devoted to Becca and will risk his life for her, as she does for him. If not for her, he would still be an ordinary, misunderstood cat on Earth.<br /><br />17. What do you see in the animal's future?<br /><br />Gizmo will probably be knighted and have to deal with a very irritating talking dog.<br /><br />18. Is the author going to write another story that includes this animal? Or, is this book part of a series?<br /><br />Yes to both! The sequel is in the works now and Gizmo is extremely excited to be back int he spotlight.<br /><br /><br />Ashley Ladd<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ashleyladd.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362115_6">http://www.ashleyladd.com</span></a><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362115_7">http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com</span></a><br /><span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362115_8">chinara@aol.com</span><br /><br /></span><div id="sig1708" style="clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span><br /><br /></span> <div class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">An Excerpt From: MAKE-BELIEVE LOVER</span></b></div> <div class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b>© Copyright ASHLEY LADD, 2006.</b> </div> <div class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">All Rights Reserved, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362115_9">Ellora's Cave</span>, Inc.</span></b> </div> <div class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="" lang="FR">Available at:</span></div> <div class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="" lang="FR"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ellorascave.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238362115_10">http://www.ellorascave.com</span></a></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="FR"> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">They must have trudged five miles over the arduous hills when a thunderous sound startled her. A moment later, wide-winged dragons straddled by primitive warriors roared from behind a mountain.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Her hand trembling, she pointed at the sky even as she squatted down in self-defense. “Oh my God, Giz. Do you see what I see?”</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The cat gulped and he covered his eyes with his paws. “If you see big flying dinosaurs, uh huh.”</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">When one of the gigantic winged creatures nose-dived not far distant, Gizmo threw himself to the ground, covered his head, and hissed, “Hit the deck and don’t make a sound.” </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Way ahead of him, she flung herself to the rocky terrain. </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">A lyrical voice announced out of nowhere, “You have walked six point two miles, seven-thousand three-hundred, twenty-one steps.”</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Cripes!</i> Her bigmouth pedometer chose this moment to go off? </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Yanking the lousy thing off her elastic waistband, she dashed it to the ground. “Thanks for nothing.” The least it could do was tell her how many calories she’d burned or sing a decent song, instead of that funky aerobic workout music.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">One of the flying lizards picked that instant to spin and make eye contact. Baring its filthy, razor-sharp teeth, the beast swooped down from the air, swallowed her pedometer, and then plucked her from the ground.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The no-good gadget kept chirping from inside the monster’s belly, mocking her. At least, it had gotten its just rewards, having given away her location to the fiend.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Kicking and struggling with all her might, she screamed, “Gizmo!”</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">She clawed at her barbaric captor’s eyes. “Put me down!”</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The armor-clad creep astride the dragon guffawed and clamped meaty vice-like hands around her wrists pinning them to her side. His malevolent beady-eyed gaze bore into her. “Keep this up, wench, and I’ll drop you here—from a thousand meters. Your pretty face will get all mangled.”</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The dragon turned its reptilian face to leer and dipped its right wing so that she would have tumbled off if not for the brute’s slimy hold. Then it snorted a fireball in her direction that fried the bush a mere foot to her right. </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">She got the message that she was their <i>guest</i>—or their Bar-B-Q. “What do you want with me? I have no money. This is dollar-store jewelry, but it’s all yours.”</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">“You will inform the King whose army you are spying for.” He fingered her tousled hair and grunted. “What kingdom has blue-haired nymphs?”</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Then he tugged at her psychedelic nurse’s tunic. “And what matter of outlandish garb is this? What form of material?”</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Army? Kingdom? Nymph?</i></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">She glanced down at her hot pink, cotton-blend tunic that rained cats and dogs. Should she give him her employer’s name? In the war movies the prisoners offered their name, rank, and serial number. “I’m Rebecca Weiss, I’m an office manager for a pediatric clinic, and I’m not giving you my social security number and having you steal my identity.”</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">“Stay cool, Becca! We’ll get out of this.” Gizmo yelled from the back of another dragon as it pulled around them.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The man’s bushy uni-brow puckered. “You speak in strange riddles. You will be truthful with King Heinrich or you will be locked in the dungeon.”</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style=""><i>Dungeons? Dragons? King Heinrich?</i></div></div>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-24578921032232871752009-03-29T16:39:00.000-04:002009-03-29T16:49:15.651-04:00Bad Guys from Tracey H Kitts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdP9WcI-_YYmH88dRXgD3KyitB-Zba_ShLWOTrijTJGjFFXm94hyHtZHgtMD_usi2yr6E0lk41RE5HxEj9fHY5y3SSUircTjvMEw8py40CncAXf_-dBwVWw4nCtlLB5LGQ-Fjx26iEd5x/s1600-h/originalsin+thumbnail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 349px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdP9WcI-_YYmH88dRXgD3KyitB-Zba_ShLWOTrijTJGjFFXm94hyHtZHgtMD_usi2yr6E0lk41RE5HxEj9fHY5y3SSUircTjvMEw8py40CncAXf_-dBwVWw4nCtlLB5LGQ-Fjx26iEd5x/s400/originalsin+thumbnail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318712319889321266" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" >Who causes friction in the story? </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';" >Throughout the first three books in my werewolf hunter series, one of the main sources of friction is a character named Bade Garren. He’s drop dead sexy. He’s also number two on <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238359123_2">The Hunter</span>’s most wanted list.</span></i></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Do you prefer <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238359123_3">bad guys</span> or bad gals? </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';" >Definitely bad guys. I have always been attracted to the wrong sort of man and that shows through in my stories.</span></i></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />How do you use your bad guys?</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';" >In all sorts of different ways. In Bade’s case, I use him to mix things up. He’s not completely evil, which makes him somewhat sympathetic. Especially once we get to know him more. The other villains throughout the series are much more what I call “hard-core” evil.</span></i></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';" >I love it. Writing the villain is the best part of the story. Well, besides writing the sex.</span></i></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';" >When you write a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238359123_4">bad guy</span>, you don’t have to worry about being politically correct. If what he says offends, oh well. That’s what he’s there to do. You can let your darkside show through sometimes and that’s kind of appealing, even though it’s creepy sometimes to see what you’ve created.</span></i></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';" >My favorite bad guy (even though he’s not truly evil) is Bade Garren. He can be found in my werewolf hunter series.</span></i></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';" >Honestly, it’s a tie between Dracula and the Joker. Strange I know.</span></i></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Is there anything else about your bad guys that we need to know? Feel free to share.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';" >One thing with my stories … I enjoy a sort of anti-hero. My characters are never completely good, although some are completely bad.</span></i></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Please provide your website link.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.traceyhkitts.com/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153);"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238359123_5">http://www.traceyhkitts.com</span></span></a></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />What is the link to buy your book?</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';" >The link for my books can be found on my website. </span></i></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.traceyhkitts.com/Books.htm"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238359123_6">http://www.traceyhkitts.com/Books.htm</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" ><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.traceyhkitts.com/Books.htm"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238359123_6"><br /></span></a></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:100%;" > </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:'Verdana','sans-serif';" >I also want to let people know that I always donate 10% of my royalties to <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238359123_7">St. Jude Children’s Hospital</span>. It’s something I’ve always done and plan to continue.</span></i></span></p>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-8588373076527161982009-03-04T20:41:00.000-05:002009-03-06T10:03:15.455-05:00Meet Jane from Willing Spirits by Phyllis Schieber<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Yesterday we met Gwen from Willing Spirits by Phyllis Schieber - today we will meet her best friend Jane.</span><br /><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">1. What is the name of the book where we would meet you? What genre is it?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="">Willing Spirits. </span></i></span><span style="font-size:100%;">The genre is Women’s Fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />2. Who wrote the book?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Phyllis Schieber<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />3. What do you think of the author? You can tell us the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I think she is complicated. She writes from her heart, and I like that about her. She wants to write books that she would want to read. Sometimes she meanders and strays from the plot, but I relish those interludes. They have a dreamy quality that reflects her thought process. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />4. Tell us a little about yourself. How would you describe your appearance? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">That's more than just really cute or drop dead gorgeous. Give us enough <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">detail to get a clear idea of how you look.<br />I’m only five feet one. I would have liked to be taller, but I’m not. I’m not skinny. I have to watch what I eat. I have curly, brown hair that is going grey. I dyed it last year, just a rinse. Gwen didn’t like it. She kept calling me Lucy. It was so silly, but I stopped using the rinse. The grey is sort of interesting.<span style=""> </span>I’m not as striking as Gwen, but I’m attractive. When we are out together, no one ever notices me. My lips are my worst feature. They’re too thin, but I know how to make them look fuller. Make-up is a blessing. I have good skin and nice eyes even if they are just brown.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">5. What character are you in the book? Are you the hero, the best friend, the side kick, the hero and heroine's child or someone else?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I am the “other heroine.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">6. Is there a specific reason why you're in the story? Don't give us any story spoilers, but you can share some teasers if you want.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I am the story. Gwen and I share the spotlight in <i>Willing Spirits.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />7. What time period do you live in?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Contemporary.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">8. Where are you from?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style="">New York</span></st1:place></st1:state></span><span style="font-size:100%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />9. Do you live in the same place now?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Yes, I do. I am a born and bred New Yorker.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />10. Tell us about your hometown and your current home.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">What’s to tell? <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state> is <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>. You either love it or hate it. I love it.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">11. Tell us how your hometown or your current home affects you, the things you do and how you feel about life?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I’ve never lived anywhere else, so I don’t’ know anything different. I love <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />12. What special skills or abilities do you have?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Well, I’m an elementary school teacher. I don’t know that I have any special skills. I’m a good friend, a good mother, and a good teacher. I thought I was a good wife, but apparently my soon-to-be-ex-husband didn’t share that feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">13. How do those affect your part in the story?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Throughout the story I am a betrayed wife, a mother and a friend, as well as a teacher, so I would say the entire story is affected by my roles. I bring something to each of those roles. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />14. Are you happy with the story?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The story was hard on me from the beginning. In spite of that, I love how I grew. I was allowed to take risks, make mistakes and become a stronger and more independent person. I like that. So, yes, I am happy with the story.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />15. Do you have some ideas that the author should consider about the story? You can share them with us. We're all friends here.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Well, sometimes I think I come across as a bit provincial. I’m not all that interested in the same sort of ideas that seem to intrigue Gwen. She loves all those esoteric religious and philosophical concepts. I resist all that. I think in some ways, Phyllis took advantage of my lack of sophistication, but I’m a good sport, so I went along with it. Until <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Arnold</st1:place></st1:city>’s infidelity, my life was fairly routine. His betrayal forced me to reevaluate. I think Phyllis was often less sympathetic toward me than she was toward Gwen. Is it possible I remind her too much of herself? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />16. Tell us about your past. Can you share one really good experience and/or one really bad experience? I know that bad experiences can be tough, but it would tell us more about what you've been through.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">You would think I would immediately say that finding my husband in bed with a girl practically the same ages as his daughter, would be my bad experience, but it was really my good experience. That single event really compelled me to question the authenticity of my marriage, as well as to face my own unhappiness and do something about it. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I think the hardest experience I had was learning that my daughter Caroline was pregnant. She’s so young and so not ready to be a mother, and I had so hoped for her to have a different life than the one I had. I think I really rallied after I found out, so while it was a bad experience, I think I rose to the occasion and surprised everyone, including myself. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />17. Who is the most important person in your life? Tell us about them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Caroline is the most important person in my life. She is my daughter, and I adore her. Gwen is right behind Caroline. I don’t know what I would do without Gwen.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />18. Is that person in the story we're talking about?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Yes.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">19. How does that person impact you and your life?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Motherhood is the single most defining experience of my life. Everything I do and don’t do affects Caroline, so I am mindful of that. Still, I had to evolve. It was important for both of us.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />20. Do you have any children?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">My Caroline.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />21. If you do, tell us about them. If you don't have any children, you can tell us why not - but, only if you want to tell us.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Caroline is a college student. She is a gifted artist. I think she is willful, impulsive, and quick to judge, but I also know her to be loving, kind and supportive. She is the love of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />22. What do you see in your future?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I see change, and I believe that is good.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />23. Do you think your author is going to write another story about you? Or, are you part of a series?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Oh, definitely not!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />24. Do you like being a character in a book?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I didn’t realize I was until just now.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />25. If someone ever decides to make a movie based on your story, who should play you in the movie and why?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I love Marcia Gay Harding. She could play me. We have the same coloring, and we must be about the same age. She is emotional, but she is also strong.<br /><br />It’s been great to talk with you. If you want to tell us anything else, feel free. Also, tell us about a website where we can learn more about you and where we can buy the book. If you have a picture of yourself, feel free to send it. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >For more information, visit - <a href="http://www.phyllisschieber.blogspot.com">www.phyllisschieber.blogspot.com</a></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Order from the publisher - <a href="http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780425225851,00.html?Willing_Spirits_Phyllis_Schieber">http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780425225851,00.html?Willing_Spirits_Phyllis_Schieber</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Order from Amazon - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Willing-Spirits-Phyllis-Schieber/dp/0425225852">http://www.amazon.com/Willing-Spirits-Phyllis-Schieber/dp/0425225852</a></span></p>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-21475782143159115322009-03-03T22:11:00.000-05:002009-03-06T10:03:58.522-05:00Meet Gwen From Willing Spirits by Phyllis Schieber<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTKL6l9122RkCgfbylNmb02u9q5X0gwYRH8eRxm0l1oFJXPEoUU2uMEsOP_8-6ihherDHxpdu7-oORGc9NKwnrUqnU5GpqI1JeBW-lQvg20ZJUP3zF4A6kJS9gs6cx5KhqOgumPPMPXu3/s1600-h/Willing+Spirits+Cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTKL6l9122RkCgfbylNmb02u9q5X0gwYRH8eRxm0l1oFJXPEoUU2uMEsOP_8-6ihherDHxpdu7-oORGc9NKwnrUqnU5GpqI1JeBW-lQvg20ZJUP3zF4A6kJS9gs6cx5KhqOgumPPMPXu3/s400/Willing+Spirits+Cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309166689789772994" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Let's start off Phyllis Schieber's virtual book tour to promote her new book Willing Spirits. Today we will meet Gwen - one of the main characters. Tomorrow we will meet Jane -- come back for more info. I could tell you about Gwen, but we'll let her speak for herself...</span><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >1. <b>What is the name of the book where we would meet you? What genre is it?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >You would meet me in <i>Willing Spirits</i>, a Women’s Literature novel.<br />2. <b>Who wrote the book?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >Phyllis Schieber<br />3. <b>What do you think of the author? You can tell us the truth.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >I always tell the truth! I’m very much like the author in that way. She’s fairly irreverent, often cynical, but also very nurturing and loving. She demands solitude. I admire her outspokenness and her sense of humor.<br />4. <b>Tell us a little about yourself. How would you describe your appearance? That's more than just really cute or drop dead gorgeous. Give us enough detail to get a clear idea of how you look.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >I’m tall and quite thin, though not as thin as I was before I had my two boys. I have very long legs, a feature most people notice about me first. My eyes are blue and my hair is dark, blue black really, and very straight. I’m quite fair skinned for someone with such dark hair.<br />5. <b>What character are you in the book? Are you the hero, the best friend, the side kick, the hero and heroine's child or someone else?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >I am definitely one of the heroines. I think I share the heroine position with my best friend Jane.<br />6. <b>Is there a specific reason why you're in the story? Don't give us any story spoilers, but you can share some teasers if you want.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >Well, there wouldn’t be a story without me. It’s my story, and it’s Jane’s story. We have our children, and our parents, and we have and then don’t have husbands. And we have lovers and some happiness and lots of disappointment. But we always, always have each other. That never changes for us.<br />7. <b>What time period do you live in?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >Contemporary.<br />8. <b>Where are you from?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Fayetville</span></st1:city><span style="line-height: 200%;">, <st1:state st="on">North Carolina</st1:state></span></st1:place></span><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >9. <b>Do you live in the same place now?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >No, I live in the North now. I live in an apartment in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York City</st1:place></st1:city>.<br />10. <b>Tell us about your hometown and your current home</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >Everyone knew everyone else’s business in the town where I grew up. There were no secrets. The people were good people, and we had our share of eccentrics for sure, but it wasn’t a place where someone like me—tall, outspoken, independent—could blend in easily. I think my folks were relieved when I let. I’m more comfortable in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>. There is a certain relief in the anonymity. I have neighbors, but we have our boundaries. Still, I would be able to knock on someone’s door if I needed something.<br />11.<b> Tell us how your hometown or your current home affects you, the things you do and how you feel about life?</b><br />I feel happy to be living in a city where there are so many choices. I can be alone, or I can be with others. I feel less judged and less pressured to follow a certain lifestyle.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >12. <b>What special skills or abilities do you have?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >I’m an elementary schoolteacher. I also love to cook and bake. I tend to bake breads when I’m feeling troubled. My children are always suspicious when I start baking. They see it as a portent. I find baking immensely relaxing. I love working the dough and waiting for it to rise. It soothes me. `<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >13. <b>How do those affect your part in the story?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >The baking I do becomes sort of symbolic. I like the way my baking bread is worked into the story.<br />14. <b>Are you happy with the story?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >The story is truthful. I like that about it. I am not perfect, and I am not in a perfect relationship. However, I love Daniel even if I don’t always know what I want. In a perfect world, the story might not have had the impediment and delays that it does, but then the story would have been insincere. So, yes, I am happy with the story.<br />15. <b>Do you have some ideas that the author should consider about the story? You can share them with us. We're all friends here.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >I never liked thinking about myself as the “other woman.” It’s a very uncomfortable role. I do think that Phyllis deals with the complexities of that situation without judgment, but I think there could have been more discussion with Jane about my relationship with Daniel.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >16. <b>Tell us about your past. Can you share one really good experience and/or one really bad experience? I know that bad experience can be tough, but it would tell us more about what you've been through</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >Some people might suspect that the worst thing to ever happen to me was the dissolution of my marriage. It was devastating. I was very young, alone in a city where I had no friends, and totally isolated from other women my age. However, in retrospect, I think my brother Warren’s untimely death was the worst experience of my life. Everyone blamed me even though it wasn’t my fault. My parents never seemed to recover, especially my mother. It changed our relationship and catapulted me into a different future, which is both good and bad. Nevertheless, combined with the actual loss of a brother I adored, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Warren</st1:place></st1:city>’s death was pivotal in my own life.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >My friendship with Jane helped me redefine my belief in relationships. I can spend a day with Jane and speak to her on the phone later again. Daniel always teases me about that, but I think he understands. Actually, I can pretty much do the same thing with him, but not quite. Jane hears me differently than he does. There is less need for explanation with Jane. She just knows what I mean, and even if we don’t always agree, we always understand each other. That’s a very good thing in my life.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" ><br />17. <b>Who is the most important person in your life? Tell us about them</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >My sons are more important to me than anyone else. They have kept me sane. I have to be intact because I have to take care of them. I was a single mother at a very young age. <span style=""> </span>And certainly Jane matters greatly. She’s my touchstone. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >18. <b>Is that person in the story we're talking about?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >Yes, they are all present in <i>Willing Spirits.</i><br />19. <b>How does that person impact you and your life?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >I would say that my sons define my place in the world, and Jane helps me make sense of that world.<br />20. <b>Do you have any children?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >I do. I have two grown sons, Matt and Ethan.<br />21. <b>If you do, tell us about them. If you don't have any children, you can tell us why not - but, only if you want to tell us.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >My sons were very young when their father left. It was very hard on Matt and Ethan because I came undone for a time. Children can get through most anything as long as they see their parent intact. Theodore, their father, just left, so I had to do everything. I was paralyzed with fear, and they sensed that. Fear is terrible. Matt is my older boy. He’s quite solid. He likes to tease me. His brother Ethan is the worrier. He’s my protector. He always wanted to take care of me. They’re both good boys. It was very difficult for me once they were both away at college. I was lonely for them, but I did everything not to let them know that. They don’t necessarily approve of my relationship with Daniel, but they like him.<br />22. <b>What do you see in your future?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >I don’t want to go into too much detail—it would be somewhat of a spoiler—but I am hopeful that I will be happy.<br />23. <b>Do you think your author is going to write another story about you? Or, are you part of a series?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >No, I don’t anticipate a series.<br />24. <b>Do you like being a character in a book?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">I’m </span></i></span><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >a character in a book? Me?<br />25<i>. </i><b>If someone ever decides to make a movie based on your story, who should play you in the movie and why?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" >I think Geena Davis could play me. She’s tall and about my age. I think she could capture my restraint and my playfulness with equal candor.<br /><br />For more information, visit - </span><a href="http://www.phyllisschieber.blogspot.com"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >www.phyllisschieber.blogspot.com</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Order from the publisher - <a href="http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780425225851,00.html?Willing_Spirits_Phyllis_Schieber">http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780425225851,00.html?Willing_Spirits_Phyllis_Schieber</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Order from Amazon - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Willing-Spirits-Phyllis-Schieber/dp/0425225852">http://www.amazon.com/Willing-Spirits-Phyllis-Schieber/dp/0425225852</a><br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:georgia;"><span style="line-height: 200%;font-size:100%;" ><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-78130518977218336182009-02-03T13:38:00.000-05:002009-02-03T13:44:39.032-05:00Meet Laura Prince - From The Mind of A Genius<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz05GEZiccbcMSoDEtpbS2pWeU15MMDs2bs_gU3xGsCe_Y5UD34i9Ayb-83eiD32L-DG49dsPvDaZ4jyMNtAezAoWb1YCqTJqe0b5SGiFUzXIJEngE9cJ6-1kkyOppdG3v1or_zKbBt7h/s1600-h/Mind+of+a+Genuis.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 338px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz05GEZiccbcMSoDEtpbS2pWeU15MMDs2bs_gU3xGsCe_Y5UD34i9Ayb-83eiD32L-DG49dsPvDaZ4jyMNtAezAoWb1YCqTJqe0b5SGiFUzXIJEngE9cJ6-1kkyOppdG3v1or_zKbBt7h/s400/Mind+of+a+Genuis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298643371838644354" border="0" /></a>Question<br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">What is the name of the book where we would meet you? What genre is it?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> Answer<br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">The name of the book is, The Mind of a Genius, and it’s a mystery/spy fiction novel.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 2<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Who wrote the book?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">David Snowdon<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 3<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">What do you think of the author? You can tell the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">He likes exciting stories, exciting plots and exciting characters.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 4<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Tell us about yourself. How you describe your appearance? That’s more than just cute or drop dead gorgeous. Give us enough detail to get a clear idea of how you look.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">I’m 46-years-old, blonde with blue eyes, slim and 5-foot-8.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 5<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">What character do you play in the book? Are you the hero, the best friend, the side kick, the hero and heroine’s child or someone else?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">My name is Laura Prince, the wife of the famous British scientist, Malcolm Prince.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 6<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Is there any specific reason why you’re in the story? Don’t give us any spoilers, but you can share some teasers if you want.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">The author needed a sexy, female character to play the wife of the scientist. She had to be beautiful, intelligent and interesting. Thus, the character of Laura Prince was born.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 7<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">What time period do you live in?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">The 21<sup>st</sup> century.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 8<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Where are you from.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Brighton in England.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 9<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Do you live in the same place now?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">I don’t.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 10<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Tell about your hometown and your current home.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Brighton in East Sussex is one of the most interesting seaside cities in Britain. It’s very cosmopolitan, with plenty of bars and restaurants, a vibrant night-life and also has a racecourse. I currently live in Richmond, in Surrey. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 11<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Tell us how your hometown or current home effects you, the things you do and how you feel about life?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Richmond, my current home is very tranquil and I like it here. It’s good to get away from the hustle and bustle of Central London at times, and Richmond is an ideal hide-out, which is not too far from Central London. I like going to Richmond Park, which lies on the edge of the Thames, on a daily basis for a jog. Where I live has a calming effect on me and I feel good about life.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 12<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">What special skills or abilities do you have?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">I’m a chartered secretary by profession.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 13<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">How do those affect your part in the story?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">I needed every skill I possess to be able to deal with the kind of characters that I encountered in, The Mind of a Genius. I did have to deal with some very shady characters, but it was fun.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 14<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Are you happy with the story?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">I’m very happy with the story. I had a very good time, playing Laura Prince, the passionate wife of the scientist, and travelling to all of those exciting destinations. It was wonderful.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 16<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Tell us about your past. Can you share one really good experience and/or one really bad experience? I know that bad experiences can be tough, but it would tell us more about what you’ve been through.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">I was born in Brighton and came to London at the age of 21 after I finished my first degree. I married my first husband at the age of 26 and the marriage lasted for five years. I married my second husband at the age of 33 and that marriage lasted for seven years. Malcolm Prince was my third husband. The day I married my first husband was a memorable day. And it’s still very fresh in my mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 17<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Who is the most important person in your life? Tell us about them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">My mother is the most important person in my life. She still lives in Brighton, and she’s a retired accountant. My father passed away eight years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 18<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Is that person in the story we’re talking about?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">She isn’t<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 19<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">How does that person impact you and your life?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">The good breeding I received from my parents as a child has made me the person I am today.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 20<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Do you have any children?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">No.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 21<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">What do you see in your future?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">The author might use me again. But that remains to be seen. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 22<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Do you think the author is going to write another story about you? Or, are you part of a series?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">You never know. He might decide to use my character again in the sequel.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 23<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Do you like being a character in the book?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Yes, it was fun playing Laura Prince, the wife of the scientist. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Question 24<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">If someone ever decides to make a movie based on your story, who should play you in the movie and why?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">Answer<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;">I haven’t really thought about that. But I’m sure that there are many good actresses, who can play the part.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />To learn more about Jason Clay, MI4 Secret Agent from The Mind of a Genius, visit <a href="http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2009/01/meet-jason-clay-playboy-and-mi4-agent.html">http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2009/01/meet-jason-clay-playboy-and-mi4-agent.html</a><br /></span>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-87543585746907962222009-02-01T10:59:00.000-05:002009-02-03T13:46:50.277-05:00Meet Jason Clay - Playboy and MI4 Agent in Mind of a Genius<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoO-XCozDR5255agcgBeSlTjErFlCqLtNR9B7ix8VrhGiY_rv-XVUA8pJryJPpMsyOXSoPpS0VwM2al6eyGuzAX8aiS0n26e9RQxnnvHUM-JEm1xXQtXusaU7gl4vmF5s-w_GQ0FZTIl5H/s1600-h/Mind+of+a+Genuis.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 404px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoO-XCozDR5255agcgBeSlTjErFlCqLtNR9B7ix8VrhGiY_rv-XVUA8pJryJPpMsyOXSoPpS0VwM2al6eyGuzAX8aiS0n26e9RQxnnvHUM-JEm1xXQtXusaU7gl4vmF5s-w_GQ0FZTIl5H/s400/Mind+of+a+Genuis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296746293937418546" border="0" /></a><br />Question 1<br /><br />What is the name of the book where we would meet you? What genre is it?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />The name of the book is, The Mind of a Genius, and it’s a mystery/spy fiction novel.<br /><br />Question 2<br /><br />Who wrote the book?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />David Snowdon<br /><br />Question 3<br /><br />What do you think of the author? You can tell us the truth.<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />He likes exciting characters. He gave me an interesting role in the book and I was very happy with it.<br /><br />Question 4<br /><br />Tell us about yourself. How would you describe your appearance? That’s more than just really cute or drop dead gorgeous. Give us enough detail to get a clear idea of how you look.<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />I’m now 35-years-old with blonde hair and blue eyes, tall, slim and people say I’m quite handsome. I think they’re right.<br /><br />Question 5<br /><br />What character are you in the book? Are you the hero, the best friend, the side kick, the hero and heroine’s child or someone else?<br /><br /><br />Answer<br /><br />My name is Jason Clay and I’m one of the main characters in the book.<br /><br />Question 6<br /><br />Is there a specific reason why you’re in the story? Don’t give us any story spoilers, but you can share some teasers if you want.<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />There’s a very good reason why I’m in the story. The writer created me because he needed a character, who was dashing and suave to play Special Agent Jason Clay.<br /><br />Question 7<br /><br />What time period do you live in?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />The 21st century.<br /><br />Question 8<br /><br />Where are you from?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />I’m from London, in England.<br /><br />Question 9<br /><br />Do you live in the same place now?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />Definitely. I’m a Londoner through and through.<br /><br />Question 10<br /><br />Tell us about your hometown and your current home.<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />London is the capital of England and the UK, and it’s a very cosmopolitan, global city. It’s also a global business and financial centre, and an international tourist attraction with plenty of entertainment and activities. I live in a detached house in Chelsea, in West London.<br /><br /><br />Question 11<br /><br />Tell us how your hometown or current home effects you, the things you do and how you feel about life.<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />Living in London and being an MI4 agent means that I live life to the full, and I’m always on the move. I’m still single, and there’s a lot of beautiful women from all over the world for eligible bachelors like me. I frequently go to the trendy bars, restaurants and night-clubs with some of the most beautiful women in the world. Life is a ball and there’s so much to do in London. It’s absolutely fabulous.<br /><br />Question 12<br /><br />What special skills or abilities do you have?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />I’m a special agent for the MI4. Espionage is my profession. I undertake dangerous assignments for a lot of money, and I love it.<br /><br />Question 13<br /><br />How do those affect your part of the story?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />I was hired by the MI4 to obtain a secret formula that was invented by top British scientist, Malcolm Prince. And I had to use some of my special skills for the assignment, which turned out to be one of the most exciting assignments of my career. I won’t say too much. Read, The Mind of a Genius, and you’ll find out about it.<br /><br /><br />Question 14<br /><br />Are you happy with the story?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />I was paid a fortune to seduce a beautiful woman, and I had a fantastic time, travelling around the world with her, and giving her the loving of her life. It was great.<br /><br />Question 15<br /><br />Do you have some ideas that the author should consider about the story? You can share them with us. We’re all friends.<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />I leave the ideas to the author. I’m Jason Clay, the playboy. I just play my role.<br /><br />Question 16<br /><br />Tell us about your past. Can you share one really good experience and/or one really bad experience? I know that bad experiences can be tough, but it would tell us more about what you’ve been through.<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />I live for today, and I’m too busy thinking about today, to be bothered with the past. As far as I’m concerned, that’s water under the bridge. Let’s talk about something else.<br /><br />Question 17<br /><br />Who is the most important person in your life? Tell us about them.<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />There are two very important people in my life. My mother and father, and I’m very fond of them. My mother is a retired doctor and my father is a retired Judge. My parents wanted me to be a doctor, but I had other plans. They moved to the South of France after they retired, and I visit them on a regular basis.<br /><br />Question 18<br /><br />Is that person in the story we’re talking about?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />No, but the author might feature them in the sequel.<br /><br />Question 19<br /><br />How does that person impact on your life?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />What are you talking about? If you read, The Mind of a Genius, you’ll know that I’m a good boy. I wouldn’t hurt a fly. And it’s all because of them.<br /><br />Question 20<br /><br />Do you have any children?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />Are you joking? I’m a playboy. I’m too busy, playing the field to be bothered with that. Ask me that question in three years time and I might have a better answer than this.<br /><br />Question 21<br /><br />What do you see in the future?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />The author might use me in the sequel. We’ll have to wait and see.<br /><br />Question 22<br /><br />Do think your author is going to write another story about you? Or, are you part of a series?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />I hope so. When he writes another espionage thriller, he might use my character again.<br /><br />Question 23<br /><br />Do you like being in the book?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />I love it. I wouldn’t miss it for all the money in the world.<br /><br />Question 24<br /><br />If someone ever decides to make a movie based on your story, who should play you in the movie and why?<br /><br />Answer<br /><br />I haven’t really thought about that. I’ll answer that question in my next interview with you. Thanks for the interview.<br /><br />To learn more about Laura Prince from The Mind of a Genius, visit<br /><a href="http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2009/02/meet-laura-prince-from-mind-of-genius.html">http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2009/02/meet-laura-prince-from-mind-of-genius.html</a>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-1121457389275338352008-12-28T20:19:00.001-05:002009-01-11T19:46:04.023-05:00Witch Hunts on the Internet by Yvonne Walus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_l-gSRz9BTzU/SVglntdp7lI/AAAAAAAACec/iNc-zPil3-Y/s1600-h/Witch+Hunts+on+Internet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_l-gSRz9BTzU/SVglntdp7lI/AAAAAAAACec/iNc-zPil3-Y/s400/Witch+Hunts+on+Internet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285015526868381266" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span class="390083602-07122008">Who causes friction is the story?</span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span class="390083602-07122008"></span></span> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span class="390083602-07122008">The villain in "Witch Hunts on the Internet" (Echelon Press, 2008) is a 40-year old man posing as a 16-year old in teenage chat rooms. He is chiefly after their photos (for his own nefarious purposes), but he wouldn't refuse a face-to-face meeting, either.</span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span class="390083602-07122008"></span></span> </div> <div><span class="390083602-07122008"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Do you prefer <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230513420_2">bad guys</span> or bad gals?</span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span class="390083602-07122008"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">G<span class="390083602-07122008">enerally, I find bad guys are a lot more fun (e.g., Sawyer in LOST), but the one in "Witch Hunts on the Internet" is bad through and through. He's an example of a villain you truly despise.</span></span></div><span class="390083602-07122008"></span> <div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >How do you use your <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230513420_3">bad guys</span>?</span></div> <div> </div> <div><span class="390083602-07122008"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Bad guys are like spices: too little makes a bland mix, too much is unpalatable. I try to aim for an interesting mix with enough conflict and pace... and, of course, a moral at the end of the story.</span></span></div> <div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?</span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span class="390083602-07122008">It's easier than writing good guys. Good guys are boring.</span></span></div> <div> </div> <div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold;"> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span class="390083602-07122008">No matter whether your villain is a thief, a murderer or an abuser, the reason behind his personality makeup always fascinates me. What made him the way he is today? Why can't he change? Does he want to change? What are his secret dreams and hopes?</span></span></div> <div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?</span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span class="390083602-07122008">I have a lot of sympathy for the Boss Out Of Hell in "Murder @ Work". It's honestly not his fault his temper is quicker than the speed of email transmission. And he is dead for most of the book, too!</span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span class="390083602-07122008"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.echelonpress.com/direct/buy-yw-maw.htm"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230513420_4">http://www.echelonpress.com/direct/buy-yw-maw.htm</span></a></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?</span></span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold;"> </div> <div><span class="390083602-07122008"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">S<span class="390083602-07122008">awyer from LOST... ok, I'm repeating myself here, but I do find him hot. That whole bad-boy-makes-good aura makes my toes curl! Of course, it could simply be that he looks like <span style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230513420_5">Josh Holloway</span>...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Is there anything else about your bad guys that we need to know? Feel free to share.</span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span class="390083602-07122008"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Sometimes the good guy (or gal) have to do things they are not too proud of in order to stop the villain. That's certainly the case in "Witch Hunts on the Internet", where the protagonist has to ask herself the following poignant question: "How far are you willing to go and what rules are you willing to break in order to protect your child?"</span></span></div> <div><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Please provide your website link.</span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: teal; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: maroon; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: teal; font-family: Verdana;"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://yewalus.kiwiwebhost.net.nz/"><span style="color:#800080;"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230513420_6">http://yewalus.kiwiwebhost.net.nz</span></span></a></span></span></span><br /><br />What is the link to buy your book?</span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://echelonpress.netfirms.com/Echelon/nfoscomm/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=445&osCsid=dda12e13d4dfb931da8112d20306716e"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230513420_7">http://echelonpress.netfirms.com/Echelon/nfoscomm/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=445&osCsid=dda12e13d4dfb931da8112d20306716e</span></a></span></div>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-47548304089366529302008-12-28T19:22:00.001-05:002009-01-11T19:42:25.536-05:00Meet Marilyn Meredith's Heroine from Kindred Spirits<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGkcV7BzLAGnn35xv-rKh2kGOqslLeHQH2VIHuVqcA_Mo-7Mbc0PiohDME0yPcH7GGLwafAJt04D-S43CeAVRhXKb816i7oQKdUqxA2D7nBz91GRlSD6gNPTQueJSeho-Z2wWL7GkOC4/s1600-h/kindredspirits.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 102px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGkcV7BzLAGnn35xv-rKh2kGOqslLeHQH2VIHuVqcA_Mo-7Mbc0PiohDME0yPcH7GGLwafAJt04D-S43CeAVRhXKb816i7oQKdUqxA2D7nBz91GRlSD6gNPTQueJSeho-Z2wWL7GkOC4/s400/kindredspirits.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285000862683620562" /></a><br /><br />Tell us about your heroine --- the female lead in your book.<br /><br />What's her name?<br /> <br />Tempe Crabtree<br /><br />Why did you pick that name?<br /> <br />Tempe Crabtree was my great-grandmother's name, unlike my great-grandchildren, I never had the privilege to meet her, though I did write about her in a book and heard many stories about her from my father. It seemed like the perfect name for my heroine.<br /><br />Give us a brief description of how she looks.<br /> <br />Tempe is Native American, part of the Yanduchi branch of the Yokut Indians. (Yokut is a real tribe--Yanduchi is a made-up name though close to another tribal name.) She has long dark hair she wears in a single braid that she pins to the back of her head when working as a deputy. She's tall, 5' 8", smart and intuitive.<br /><br /><br />Is there anything unusual about her appearance?<br /> <br />Though she has dark skin and hair, she has blue eyes.<br /><br />Who does she love? Why?<br /> <br />Tempe is very much in love with her husband, Hutch Hutchinson who is the pastor of the local church. Tempe was a widow raising a teenaged son when she met Hutch. He filled a huge gap in both hers and her son's life.<br /> <br />Of course she also loves her son, Blair, who she raised as a single mom from the time her CHP husband was killed when Blair was only 3.<br /><br /><br />Does this person love her?<br /> <br />Hutch was a widower and also lonely when he met Tempe. He loves her very much and is a true helpmate. He worries about the dangers of her job. And he often has a difficult time when she uses Native American mysticism as a means to find out the truth about someone or when she does something like calling back the dead.<br /><br />Tell us about her family.<br /> <br />Her parents are no longer alive. But her Indian grandmother had a great influence on her life when she was a child. Now her family life revolves around Hutch and Blair, though Blair is away at college.<br /><br />Where is she from? She was born and raised in Bear Creek, a mountain community in the Southern Sierra. (Sierra means mountain.) When her husband was killed, she returned to her home town, went to the police academy and became a deputy--eventually becoming the resident deputy of Bear Creek and its surroundings.<br /><br />Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?<br /> <br />Bear Creek is a small community and she knows most of the people who live there although more and more folks are moving up from Southern California--in some cases bringing big city crime along with them. As a teenager, she faced prejudice because of her Native American background. This prejudice she learned in an earlier book had been the reason she hadn't embraced her heritage.<br /><br />What does she want out of life?<br /> <br />To be the best deputy she can be, to keep the citizens of Bear Creek safe, and to help the detectives find the person who committed the crime.<br /><br />What's her biggest secret? <br /> <br />She doesn't have a single big secret. Often she keeps things from her husband in order to keep peace in her marriage--which often backfires.<br /><br />Did you write more than one story about her?<br /> <br />Kindred Spirits in number eight.<br /><br />How would she describe you? As a sweet little old lady who is a good listener. I've done ride-alongs with female police officers who have bared their soul to me and some of their problems have become Tempe's problems.<br /><br />Is there anything else about your heroine that we need to know? Feel free to share.<br /> <br />The detectives she often has to work with think that because she's an Indian, she can find out anything from other Indians. In Kindred Spirits they send her to Crescent City to interview relatives and friends of a murder victim she was a Tolowa even though Tempe has never heard of the Tolowa people. This drives her crazy, but is also the reason she gets involved in so many cases.<br /><br />Please provide your website link.<br /> <br /><a href="http://fictionforyou.com">http://fictionforyou.com</a><br /><br />What is the link to buy your book?<br /> <br /><a href="http://www.mundaniapress.com ">http://www.mundaniapress.com<br /></a><br />It was wonderful to meet her. Thank you for bringing her to meet us.<br /> <br />Thank you, Nikki, for having us. Marilyn<br /><br /> NEW! Visit my blog at <a href="http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/">http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/</a><br />and the Stiletto Gang: <a href="http://thestilettogang.blogspot.com/">http://thestilettogang.blogspot.com/</a>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-5466053711811968242008-12-14T21:29:00.001-05:002009-01-11T19:43:44.152-05:00A Female Point of View for Green Stone of Healing Series1. What is the name of the book where we would meet you? What genre is it?<br /><br />You meet me in the first books of the Green Stone of Healing(R) epic fantasy<br />series. These novels include <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_1">The Vision</span>, Fallout, and <span style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_2">The Scorpions</span> Strike.<br />My story extends to several future books as well.<br /><br /><br /><br />2. Who wrote the series?<br /><br />C.L. Talmadge, who believes that she lived a past life as me.<br /><br /><br /><br />3. What do you think of the author? You can tell us the truth.<br /><br />She lets me be myself in the book, and I appreciate it. She's a bit of a<br />puzzle to me because she doesn't care nearly as much as I do about what<br />other people think of her. I find that strange.<br /><br /><br />4. Tell us a little about yourself. How would you describe your appearance?<br />That's more than just really cute or drop dead gorgeous. Give us enough<br />detail to get a clear idea of how you look.<br /><br />I am more than six feet tall with large, steel blue eyes, a voluptuous<br />figure, and long, wavy coal-black hair that is fine yet very full. My skin<br />color is a cross between the two races in my society: not as deep red as the<br />dominant <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_3">Toltecs</span>, yet not as pale as the subordinate Turanians. I look very<br />much like the half-breed I am.<br /><br /><br />5. What character are you in the book? Are you the hero, the best friend,<br />the side kick, the hero and heroine's child or someone else?<br /><br />I am Helen Elizabeth Andros, the first-generation heroine.<br /><br /><br />6. Is there a specific reason why you're in the story? Don't give us any<br />story spoilers, but you can share some teasers if you want.<br /><br />The entire plot revolves around the fact that I exist and the political<br />consequences of the discovery of my unknown father's identity. That is why I<br />am in the story.<br /><br /><br />7. What time period do you live in?<br /><br />I live in what you might consider an alternate distant past in a society you<br />might consider just a myth.<br /><br /><br />8. Where are you from?<br /><br />I was born in a desert country called Khemyt.<br /><br /><br />9. Do you live in the same place now?<br /><br />No. I live in the island nation where my parents were born. It is called<br />Azgard.<br /><br /><br />10. Tell us about your hometown and your current home.<br /><br />Memphys, the town of my birth, is a huge metropolis at the center of world<br />trade. It is a multicultural city with people of all races and nationalities<br />making a living from commerce and agriculture along the banks of the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_4">Great<br />River</span> that flows north to the sea. It is the nexus that connects East and<br />West in my world.<br /><br /><br /><br />11. Tell us how your hometown or your current home affects you, the things<br />you do and how you feel about life?<br /><br />Because I am a half-breed, I am an outcast in Azgard, my home since age 11.<br />After living in a place where no one gave much thought to my mixed-race<br />heritage, I was shocked and wounded to find that in Azgard, that's pretty<br />much all people see in me. Although my aunt (my mother's younger sister) and<br />her husband love me, I cannot feel it. I cannot feel any love for myself or<br />pride in who I am or what I do because there is so much prejudice and<br />bigotry in my world.<br /><br /><br />12. What special skills or abilities do you have?<br /><br />I studied very hard and earned a full scholarship to the one institution of<br />higher learning in all of Azgard. I attended college there and then earned a<br />medical degree. But science-based medicine has never fully satisfied my<br />curiosity about healing, and I spend a lot of my time researching<br />alternative approaches to healing in an obscure book called the Arkana.<br /><br /><br />13. How do those affect your part in the story?<br /><br />My medical training and abilities play a critical role throughout my story.<br />My skills at healing are what recommended me for a dangerous assignment that<br />launches all the action.<br /><br /><br />14. Are you happy with the story?<br /><br />I am satisfied that the author is telling it like it was. But that was a<br />harsh life and I wouldn't relive it again for all the money in the<br />universe-unless I could know what I know now and retain the ability to act<br />on my hard-earned wisdom.<br /><br /><br />15. Do you have some ideas that the author should consider about the story?<br />You can share them with us. We're all friends here.<br /><br />I want her to continue as she has started-telling the true tale of the life<br />I once lived.<br /><br /><br />16. Tell us about your past. Can you share one really good experience<br />and/or one really bad experience? I know that bad experience can be tough,<br />but it would tell us more about what you've been through.<br /><br /><br /><br />Bad experience: During my first days at the Sacred Academy of Kronos, where<br />I completed all of my higher education, I made the mistake of entering the<br />chapel for weekly services. The enraged priests beat me because, as a<br />half-breed, I was not allowed on ground consecrated to Kronos. No one told<br />me about it.<br /><br /><br /><br />Good experience: Cracking jokes and taking long walks with my best friend<br />from my medical school days, Lord Matthew Shinar. We bonded like siblings<br />and remained close throughout my life.<br /><br /><br />17. Who is the most important person in your life? Tell us about them.<br /><br />The most important person in my life turns out to be the one I did not meet<br />until I was an adult-my father. He holds a very high and powerful political<br />office and is extremely wealthy. As a person he is intense, immensely loyal,<br />and not given to suffering fools lightly. Even without meeting him, I have a<br />lot of his mannerisms-so much so that those who know him and meet me often<br />wondered whether there might be a relationship between the two of us. He<br />works long hours to hide the anguish and loss he felt when my mother refused<br />to marry him and disappeared from his life.<br /><br /><br />18. Is that person in the story we're talking about?<br /><br />Very much so, and plays a key role in the first four books of the series.<br /><br /><br /><br />19. How does that person impact you and your life?<br /><br />Learning his identity and meeting him turns my world completely inside out.<br /><br /><br /><br />20. Do you have any children?<br /><br />Not yet.<br /><br /><br />21. If you do, tell us about them. If you don't have any children, you can<br />tell us why not - but, only if you want to tell us.<br /><br />Eventually I become pregnant by three different men, although not all of<br />those pregnancies end in childbirth.<br /><br /><br />22. What do you see in your future?<br /><br />A few triumphs and a lot of heart-break. There's an old Chinese curse that<br />says, "<span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_5">May you live in interesting times</span>." Well, I had an "interesting"<br />life.<br /><br /><br />23. Do you think your author is going to write another story about you? Or,<br />are you part of a series?<br /><br />A stated, I am part of a series.<br /><br /><br />24. Do you like being a character in a book?<br /><br />I like being remembered. It helps me feel as though all the hell I<br />experienced has some meaning because it is forgotten no longer.<br /><br /><br />25. If someone ever decides to make a movie based on your story, who should<br />play you in the movie and why?<br /><br />Gabrielle Reese has my height and physical strength/agility, but I am not<br />certain she has the acting skills to play me. I suspect the film producers<br />would have to find an unknown actress to pull off the role of playing me.<br /><br />It's been great to talk with you. If you want to tell us anything else, feel<br />free. Also, tell us about a website where we can learn more about you and<br />where we can buy the book. If you have a picture of yourself, feel free to<br />send it.<br /><br />More about my story: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.greenstoneofhealing.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_6">www.greenstoneofhealing.com</span></a>.<br /><br /><br />Browse for free through the entire first three books at:<br /><a href="http://www.greenstoneofhealing.com/browsebooks.shtml" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_7">http://www.greenstoneofhealing.com/browsebooks.shtml</span></a><br /><br /><br />Book buying links:<br /><br />eBooks: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.healingstonebooks.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_8">www.healingstonebooks.com</span></a><br /><br /><br />Paperbacks:<br /><br /><br /><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_9">The Scorpions</span> Strike-Green Stone of Healing(R) Series, Book Three<br /><br /><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053753" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_10">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053753</span></a><br /><br /><br />Fallout-Green Stone of Healing(R) Series, Book Two<br /><br /><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053746" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_11">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053746</span></a><br /><br /><br />The Vision-Green Stone of Healing(R) Series, Book One<br /><br /><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053739" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229308127_12">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053739</span></a>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-75098915744685202872008-12-14T21:26:00.001-05:002009-01-11T19:46:04.057-05:00Friction in the Green Stone of Healing SeriesWe want to hear about the <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_1">bad guys</span>, bad gals and villains in your book. Even<br />if you don't have a murderer, thief or other "<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_2">bad guy</span>" there should be some<br />negative force.<br /><br />Who causes friction in the story?<br /><br />There are multiple causes of friction in my epic fantasy, Green Stone of<br />Healing(R) series.<br /><br />In the initial books, one source of discord between the heroine, Helen<br />Andros, and her newfound father is the distrust and hurt between the two.<br />They cannot tell each other that they love each other because both of them<br />have been so wounded by the seemingly inexplicable, secretive behavior of<br />Helen's mother.<br /><br />A second source of conflict is various political factions vying for power in<br />the vacuum created by the monarch's incapacity. Helen's father is a leader<br />of one of these factions, and those who oppose him jump all over the<br />revelation that he has an illegitimate, half-breed daughter in the hope of<br />tearing him down.<br /><br />Conflict that develops as the series progresses includes war between Azgard<br />and other nations, as well as civil war within Azgard between varying<br />political factions.<br /><br />There is also a lot of personal conflict between wives and husbands, parents<br />and children, siblings and cousins, even lovers. Think of the characters as<br />members of one very large, extended dysfunctional family whose business<br />happens to be running the most powerful, wealthiest nation in their world.<br /><br /><br />Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals?<br /><br />I don't prefer either group. Each plays a role in the kind of <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_3">genre fiction</span><br />I write.<br /><br /><br />How do you use your bad guys?<br /><br />Without the villains, it's much tougher to perceive or appreciate the good.<br />I use the contrast in motives and actions to delineate the differences<br />between the characters' character, bad and good.<br /><br />The bad guys/gals also make a storyline much more interesting. Multiple<br />villains throughout the series are convinced that they should rule the<br />island nation where the story is set, and some want to impose the law of<br />Azgard on the entire world. The villains are always plotting some way to<br />steal power/influence and/or money in my series. Never a dull moment.<br /><br />Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?<br /><br />It is not difficult at all to write about the bad guys/gals. Sometimes it<br />gets disgusting when they pull of their dastardly deeds or cause havoc and<br />pain in their attempts. But the bad guys and gals are an integral part of<br />the story and cannot be airbrushed out just because they are often<br />unpalatable.<br /><br /><br />Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why<br />you feel that way.<br /><br />As I have noted, villains provide character contrast and propel the plot<br />with their antics. They also provide what I'll call depth and texture for<br />lack of a better descriptor. A story without a villain-or at least without a<br />good guy/gal who makes mistakes-is monotone at best.<br /><br /><br />Who is your favorite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which<br />book are they in?<br /><br />There are so many bad guys in just the first three books of my epic fantasy<br />series that I hardly know where to begin. But two of the slimy devils come<br />to mind right away. The first is the heroine's second cousin on her father's<br />side of the family. His name is Griffin Mordecai. He would be far more<br />effectively evil if he had the brain power to realize his intellectual<br />limitations. Translation: Griffin is dumb as a stump but he has <span style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_4">friends in<br />high places</span> who keep promoting him way beyond his capacity. The second<br />villain is a member of the Brotherhood of Kronos named Lucan Silenas. The<br />extent of this priest's evil will not become known until much later in the<br />series. For now he seems to have the goods on every one of his fellow<br />priests and is plotting to do away with his boss so he can become Supreme<br />Lord of the Temple of Kronos. From there, his ambition will know no bounds<br />or scruple. He is totally amoral in his quest for ultimate power.<br /><br /><br />Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books?<br /><br />Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in the Dune franchise. He's over the top as a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_5">bad<br />guy</span> and wonderfully fun to read about. I'm not quite sure whether <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_6">Frank<br />Herbert</span> took him seriously or meant him as satire (maybe a bit of both), but<br />the baron is a most engaging villain who is unabashedly pleased with his<br />evil ways and means. It's always good to enjoy one's avocation, however<br />nasty it might be.<br /><br /><br />Is there anything else about your bad guys that we need to know? Feel free<br />to share.<br /><br />One of my bad guys is truly a vile piece of work. He becomes the<br />first-generation heroine's father-in-law and proves to be her <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_7">worst enemy</span>.<br />He almost destroys her soul. Others are the way they are due to their own<br />emotional and spiritual wounds and limitations. I try to set their villainy<br />in context and provide some explanations, even if it takes a few books to do<br />so.<br /><br /><br />Please provide your website link.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.greenstoneofhealing.com/" target="_blank">http://www.greenstoneofhealing.com</a><br /><br />What are the links to buy your books?<br /><br />eBooks: <a href="http://www.healingstonebooks.com/" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_8">http://www.healingstonebooks.com</span></a><br /><br />Paperbacks:<br /><br /><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_9">The Scorpions</span> Strike-Green Stone of Healing(R) Series, Book Three<br /><br /><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053753" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_10">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053753</span></a><br /><br />Fallout-Green Stone of Healing(R) Series, Book Two<br /><br /><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053746" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_11">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053746</span></a><br /><br />The Vision-Green Stone of Healing(R) Series, Book One<br /><br /><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053739" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229307934_12">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780980053739</span></a>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-4126707921457904212008-12-14T20:36:00.001-05:002009-01-11T19:42:25.560-05:00CL Talmadge - Heroine from the Healing Stone NovelsTell us about your heroine --- the female lead in your book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's her name?</span><br />Helen Elizabeth Andros<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why did you pick that name?</span><br />She told me her name. All of my characters tell me about themselves. Some<br />are more willing to communicate than others, but eventually even the<br />reluctant ones let me know them and their inner/outer lives. In some cases<br />they end up telling me far more than I want to know about them. (There are<br />some really nasty characters in my fiction.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Give us a brief description of how she looks.</span><br />Helen is more than 6 feet tall. Skinny from an eating disorder. Blue-black<br />hair that is fine and full, with ice-blue eyes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Is there anything unusual about her appearance?</span><br />Helen is obviously a cross between the two races who populate her society.<br />That makes her an outcast.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who does she love? Why?</span><br />She loves her commanding officer, Col. Jackson Orlando. Because she finds<br />him to be as kind and decent as he is physically attractive--the tall, dark,<br />silent handsome type.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Does this person love her?</span><br />Yes indeedy. He adores her from the first time he meets her. But he does not<br />think he has the right to pursue her, for a number of reasons.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tell us about her family.</span><br />Helen's mother was falsely accused of a crime and chose exile rather than<br />being forced to reveal the name of her baby's father. She does not know most<br />of her mother's family and her father's is hidden.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Where is she from?</span><br />Helen was born in a desert land called Khemet, but returns to the nation of<br />her parents at age 11. This country is called Azgard.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?</span><br />Helen is a rootless wanderer, and never really feels she has a home<br />anywhere.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What does she want out of life?</span><br />What she cannot have. She does not even dare hope for what she actually<br />could have, provided she did some healing and growing herself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's her biggest secret? </span>(Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)<br />The real identity of her father. It's a secret even to her until the first<br />book in the series.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Did you write more than one story about her?</span><br />I am writing a multigenerational fantasy saga with Helen as the<br />first-generation heroine.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How would she describe you?</span><br />Puzzling. I don't seem to care as much about other people's opinions of me<br />as she does their opinions of her.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Is there anything else about your heroine that we need to know? Feel free to</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">share.</span><br />She's got a ribald <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229304928_8">sense of humor</span> and a passion for justice that gets her<br />into trouble because she also can't seem to keep her mouth shut when it<br />would be prudent to do so.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Please provide your website link.</span><br /><a href="http://www.greenstoneofhealing.com">www.greenstoneofhealing.com<br /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What is the link to buy your book?</span><br />Paperback versions of the series' first three books are available at any<br />online bookstore plus in ebook form at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.healingstonebooks.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1229304928_9">www.healingstonebooks.com</span></a><br /><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> hasEML = false; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> <!-- gLaunchProfile.stop("T4"); --> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> <!-- gLaunchProfile.start("T6"); --> </script>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-2450646819976291982008-10-16T22:42:00.000-04:002009-01-11T19:45:41.819-05:00Forever Tonight by Tarra Newlands<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_l-gSRz9BTzU/SPf8HYXzXOI/AAAAAAAACNg/ClKzscOxhx4/s1600-h/ForeverTonight.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; FLOAT: left; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257948293709913314" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_l-gSRz9BTzU/SPf8HYXzXOI/AAAAAAAACNg/ClKzscOxhx4/s320/ForeverTonight.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Who causes friction is the story? </div><br /><div></div><div>Theodore who is a bad ass alien with attitude.</div><br /><div></div><div>Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals? </div><br /><div></div><div>I like write bad guys and girls at times. I think its a release for the shadow self we all sometimes have. </div><div></div><br /><div>How do you use your bad guys?</div><div></div><br /><div>In my books, I use bad guys different ways. In my first book the Dream King, Jonathan whose the bad guy is also a man flawed and looking for redemption. In Forever Tonight, I painted Theodore as a soul less creature who would kill you as soon look at you. </div><div></div><br /><div>Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult?</div><br /><div></div><div>I find it hard at times, but then my shadow self pitches in. Its the old saying 'meet a jerk get to work'. </div><br /><div></div><div>Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way?</div><br /><div></div><div>I think writing bad guys is a release from acceptable behaviour. </div><br /><div></div><div>Who is your favourite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in?</div><br /><div></div><div>I like Jonathan in The Dream King. He's bad, but with a reason and searching for a way to redeem himself. </div><div></div><br /><div>Is there anything else about your bad guys that we need to know? Feel free to share.</div><br /><div></div><div>Bad guys can be sexy, but dangerous. Look, but don't touch. LOL </div><br /><div></div><div>Please provide your website link.</div><br /><div></div><div><a target="_blank" href="http://www.authorsden.com/taranewlands">http://www.authorsden.com/taranewlands</a> or <a target="_blank" href="http://www.myspace.com/taranewlands">http://www.myspace.com/taranewlands</a> </div><br /><div></div><div>What is the link to buy your book?</div><br /><div></div><div><a target="_blank" href="http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?cPath=23_73&products_id=187">http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?cPath=23_73&products_id=187</a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook70906.htm?cache">http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook70906.htm?cache</a></div>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640301944774114587.post-78557274867223046272008-10-16T22:10:00.000-04:002009-02-01T23:35:12.061-05:00Tears and Tales: Stories of Human and Animal Rescue<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSHPFisdd_3bqzsGZdXWVt7t8yAm3xMJ_XbjySyALC5nc9cQ836j7KSDRNHLIwTUcVhNj8RJA9VEg9AlXPceoZYKvO3qpJ7Kj9NSzNas7H4mRxm48ivT9gcajE9tCu0Hj63f-Nu2HjmYx/s1600-h/Tears+and+Tales.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257939859026237778" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSHPFisdd_3bqzsGZdXWVt7t8yAm3xMJ_XbjySyALC5nc9cQ836j7KSDRNHLIwTUcVhNj8RJA9VEg9AlXPceoZYKvO3qpJ7Kj9NSzNas7H4mRxm48ivT9gcajE9tCu0Hj63f-Nu2HjmYx/s320/Tears+and+Tales.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>1. What is the name of the book where we would meet the animal? What genre is it?<br /><br />A. The name of the book is Tears and Tales: Stories of Human and Animal Rescue. The genre is pets, non-fiction and it consists of the various animals the author has met during his lifetime. Some of those rescued animals are still with him and some have even saved him from himself when spirits were low and he was contemplating suicide.<br /><br />2. Who wrote the book?<br /><br />A. Russell A Vassallo wrote Tears and Tales and has had the distinguished honor of receiving three awards for his work. One reviewer felt the book rated more than five stars.<br /><br />3. What would the animal think of the author?<br /><br />A. Since there are several animals mentioned in the book, it would be difficult to answer this question briefly. Sweet Pea would be flattered. After all, she was a waif without a home who found permanent residence with the author and his wife. Spunky, on the other hand, would slobber you with affection and ask for a treat. The mere wrinkle of plastic sets him drooling. Several of the animals have gone to their great beyond which gives the author rise to lament their passing and inspire others to appreciate their pets with deeper love.<br /><br />If I had to single out the most eligible to speak , it would be Sweet Pea and she probably wonder how he found out all those things about her and then recall that she told him a good deal about her past life. And she’d be grateful for being rescued by him and probably say that he is a kind and loving man who sometimes suffers from depression and is not always happy. She loves when he plays with her and especially when he rubs her belly. She would probably say that it took a lot of time for him to accept her and for her to win him over, but that now, they have a bond between them and she is happy being loved.<br /><br /><br />4. Tell us about the animal. How would you describe their appearance?<br /><br /><br />A. Sweet Pea is exactly like her name, kind, loving, fond of children. She has deep, expressive eyes and she skitters away from farm machinery because her left rear leg was broken when she was hit by one. Pea is a small, white dog with light brown patches, head like a border collie and a habit of raising her front leg when she is on the scent of something. She is a better mouser than any of our cats and she has a natural herding instinct.<br /><br /><br /><br />5. What part does the animal play in the book?<br /><br />A: The story, “Git”, is based on true events and speaks from the animal’s point of view. It is the story of a man deeply grieved by the loss of his Dobe, Tribute, and unwilling to suffer the same heartbreak again. He fixes on a feral cat he is coaxing to come and take food. When the food starts disappearing without the cat being around, he lays in wait to find the culprit only to find a ragged, starved young dog, recently birthed, standing in his driveway eyeing the food dish.<br /><br />The characters play themselves. There are no heroes. The villain is whatever family so mistreated this dog and then abandoned her after taking her pups away. In a sense it is a story of a man searching for peace and comfort and a young dog seeking a home.<br /><br /><br />6. Is there a specific reason why the animal is in the story?<br /><br />A. Without Sweet Pea there would be no story. She is the central character. Whether or not she finds the home she is seeking, and whether or not the grieving pet owner permits her to stay is something the reader can discover by reading Tears and Tales. The book is one to be read and reread dozens of times. I have read it more than fifty time during the editing process and it never ceased touching me.<br /><br />However, this is a collection of short stories so there are many animal characters within its pages. Sweet Pea is not the only animal spoken of. There is Spunky, the shar pei/pit bull mix, and Lonesome Dart, a horse with a loving heart, and Willie, a talking horse, and Tribute, and Frenzy (some of the names have been changed in the stories but they are all real animals.<br /><br /><br />7. What time period does the animal live in?<br /><br />A: Most of these stories occurred after 1992 and continue to the present time.<br /><br /><br />8. Where is the animal from?<br /><br />A. Sweet Pea was born in Casey County, Kentucky. This is rolling and hilly farmland cut from English and Irish stock. In all probability she was born on a farm and kept as a potential hunting dog. However, she was gun shy and of no hunting use to the owner. When she came into heat and became pregnant, the owner had no use for her and did not want additional dogs. He waited until she gave birth, destroyed the pups and abandoned her on a rural road not far from the author’s farm. But as I said, she is not the only animal contained in this book. Most of the others also came from Casey County. One of them came from much higher up. (The Cardinal).<br /><br />9. Does she live in the same place now?<br /><br />A. Most of the animals contained in my stories still reside with us on the farm. Some have gone on to their reward and to that place where they wait for us to join them.<br /><br /><br />10. Tell us about the place where the animal lives.<br /><br />A. Their location is a 240 acre farm in south central Kentucky. About sixty acres are cleared and the animals have a good deal of land to roam upon. The dogs are permitted to run loose because they never leave the property. The horses have paddocks that range from two acres to twenty. There are running, spring-fed creeks that supply them with water and high ridges that protect them from harsh winds.<br /><br />11. What special skills does the animal have?<br /><br />A. Sweet Pea is just great with children and she’s not bad on mothering our pit bull/ shar pei. She is really a very amiable animal, capable of taking care of herself and a loyal companion. When I was in the hospital recovering from colon cancer it was reassuring that she’d be home waiting for my wife and ready to protect her if anything was amiss. Above all, she is a survivor. The other horses are used as trail horses and as companions.<br /><br /><br />12. How do those skills or abilities affect the animal’s part in the story?<br /><br />A: I don’t think Sweet pea would have survived in the wild if she weren’t a survivor. She seems to possess a natural skill to hunt and find food. There are days when I still see her burying an extra doggie bone, just in case. Pea isn’t one to waste energy. She knows when to rest and she knows when to hunt. She’s a natural companion in the field and there is nothing she loves better than gong out on the trail with the horses.<br /><br /><br />13. Tell us about the animal’s past. Can you share one really good experience and/or really bad experience? I know that bad experience can be tough, but it would tell us more about what they’ve been through.<br /><br />A. Sweet Pea suffered an injury to her right rear leg that was never treated. Although she is active and unparalleled in the field, she tends to run with the leg up when she is over-active. It is speculated that she was hit with some kind of farm implement and it broke her leg. The bone never mended properly.<br /><br /><br />14. Who is the most important person in the animal’s life? Tell us about them.<br /><br />A. My wife Virginia has grown very close to Sweet Pea. When I was in the hospital recovering from colon cancer surgery, Sweet Pea was always there, waiting for Virginia when she arrived home. It was comforting to Virginia to have an animal accompany her into a dark house. It was comforting to me knowing she had some kind of protection.<br /><br />15. Is that person in the story we’re talking about?<br /><br />A: No. The story revolves around my first contact with Sweet Pea. At that point in time Virginia had never seen the dog and my contact was limited to noticing my cat food disappearing in huge quantities, given the fact there was only one cat. I was actually watching to see if it were a possum or a raccoon stealing the food. It turned out to be Sweet Pea. I actually did not take readily to her. I had just lost my favorite Dobe and did not want the heart break of another dog. It took her time to wear me down.<br /><br /><br />16. How does that person impact the animal’s life?<br /><br />A: Sweet Pea and Virginia walk at least twice per day. On occasion Virginia will mount up and ride the trail, with Sweet Pea right behind. At night they sit together on the couch watching television. Virginia is the primary caregiver, doling out the medications and monitoring Pea’s feeding habits. And, on occasion, Sweet Pea rewards her by bringing home a mole or a baby possum.<br /><br /><br />17. What do you see in the animal’s future?<br /><br />A: Well, we’ve had her for ten years and estimate she is about twelve. In her present condition I don’t see any reason she can’t make it to twenty. And a dog could not be happier anywhere.<br /><br /><br />18. Is the author going to write another story that includes the animal? Or is this book part of a series?<br /><br />A: Tears and Tales is not part of a series. But the author is working on a second animal book in which Sweet Pea appears again. He hopes to have this book out some time in 2009 as he has just completed his third book, Street Wise: Mafia Memoirs due out in August of this year.<br /><br /><br /></div>Nikki Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985309338453728557noreply@blogger.com0