Interview with middle grade novelist Kai Strand

Today's special guest is novelist Kai Strand. She's sharing a bit about the first book in her new Concord Chronicles fantasy series, Day of Reckoning.

During her virtual book tour, Kai will be awarding a $15 Amazon gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

Kai Strand writes fiction for kids and teens. Her debut novel, The Weaver, was an EPIC eBook Awards finalist. Her young adult title, King of Bad, soared to the publisher's #1 spot in its second month and stayed on the Top 5 Bestsellers list for eight months, reaching #7 on Amazon’s best seller list. She’s been a wife for 28 years and is still madly in love. She’s the mother of four amazing young adults. The most common sound in her household is laughter. The second most common is, "Do your dishes!" She and her family hike, geocache, and canoe in beautiful Central Oregon, where they call home.

Welcome, Kai. Please tell us a little bit about your current release.

Not only does twelve-year-old Terra learn she’s a Nature’s Spirit destined to serve the peaceful underground city of Concord, but she also finds she is named in a prophecy as the only one who can thwart the leader of the death tribe.

The Trepidus are the death janitors of the Underworld. They’re responsible for the termination and cleanup of Concord’s beings. When their leader, Blanco, learns Terra is the one who can derail his day of reckoning, he does everything he can to get rid of her. Including, dispatch a “Bringer” to complete the ultimate of death janitor duties.

Not only does Terra want to stay alive, but she hopes to complete her training and discover her Spirit talents too. So, Frank, a Spirit of Security, is assigned to protect her. Together, they undertake a secret investigation of how to defeat Blanco. But with the future of Concord and Terra’s very own life at stake, will they find the answer in time?

What inspired you to write this book?

The inspiration for this book came years ago as I read through the Harry Potter series for the first time. I’d read the first four books in the series in just a matter of weeks, but the fifth book was months away from publication. I missed Hogwarts something fierce. That’s when I realized I had the ability to distract myself by making up my very own fantasy world. The first character that popped into my head was a transportation animal that resembled a mole. I thought to myself, who would need an underground transport animal and where would this person be going? Answering those questions gave me both Terra and the city of Concord - and a book idea was born.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m actually just finishing the first draft of the prequel for this series. It’s titled, The Making of Master, and it’s Frank’s story. I love Frank as much as I love Terra and readers deserve to know it.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Sadly, I did what most writers do, and I didn’t consider myself a writer until after my first paid publication. I’d had several shorts published online, many of them weren’t paid. Though they helped me build a resume, I somehow didn’t consider them valid since I hadn’t received money for them. So, my advice is, if you’re new to the writing gig, and you go through a submission process, and your work is chosen above other submissions for publication –consider yourself an author.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I did write full-time for many years but grew tired of my own company and got a part-time job. Then, my husband’s business fell apart and I had to get a second part-time job to help with finances. Then, I decided I was tired of always having an old car, so I got a full-time job. After each change, it took me awhile to figure out how to work writing in. The longest adjustment, of course, was after going to work full-time. I write mostly on the weekends now. Where I used to be able to pound out a first draft in a couple of months, it now takes me SOOOO much longer. But I love writing, so I plug away. The ultimate dream would be to sell enough books and have enough speaking gigs to write full-time again. I miss it. Ironic, right?

As for full-time work, I consider myself pretty lucky on that front. I’m the Office Administrator for a family owned company that makes goat milk soap, lotion and other all-natural skincare products. We work on the forty acre family farm with a view of the Cascade Mountains. Hey, if you’ve gotta work full-time, it’s an incredible setting. And I can’t say enough good things about the products. I buy the ingredients, so I know the quality firsthand. If you have any skin issues like eczema, psoriasis, or even just dry skin, check it out. Or, if you just like super soft, healthy skin and like to know you aren’t putting toxins into your body, check it out. Tell them Kai Strand sent you – lol. Here’s my affiliate link if you’re interested. BEND SOAP COMPANY

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I’m really not a quirky person, so I can’t think of any writing quirks that I have. I’m really positive person. I smile a lot and think the best of people. I (mostly) always look forward in life because 1) I try to make informed decisions (no regrets) and 2) what’s done is done so why worry over what I’ve already completed? I apply that to my writing too. The biggest difference is I do go back and edit the work I’ve done, so there’s a little more looking backward there. Lol.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be an archeologist in such a big, bad way. I envisioned myself digging in the Egyptian desert and finding artifacts that told more of Nefertiti’s story. Until, that is, I learned I was likely to come across large spiders and scorpions. Then I wanted to be a veterinarian but was horribly allergic to cats and dogs. My eyes would swell closed if I walked into a house with a cat and my arms would break out in welts if I pet a dog. Ironically, I stopped being allergic sometime in my adult years. I had avoided contact with both for so long that I honestly don’t know when it happened, but I’m making up for all of those years I couldn’t interact with them. Now I have three dogs and two cats.  

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

It’s been a pleasure visiting with you all today. I would love for you to hop onto any of my social media sites to say hi. My favorite part of being an author is visiting with readers and having passionate book discussions, so let me know what your (current) favorite read is or how you enjoyed my book, if you pick up a copy.

Links:
Website | Mailing List | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo

Thanks for being here today, Kai.
Thanks for having me!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with thriller author Dan Sofer

Today’s special guest is thriller author Dan Sofer. He’s chatting with me about his new dark comedy, conspiracy thriller, Revenge of the Elders of Zion.

Welcome, Dan. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Born and raised in South Africa, I moved to Israel in 2001. Most of my novels to date take place in Jerusalem, where I lived for seven years. I now live near Tel Aviv with my wife and two daughters. Currently, we’re all isolated in our apartment as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Wish us luck!

Please tell us about your current release:

In Manhattan, David Zelig decides to create a Jewish secret society based on the Elders of Zion myth. The Gentiles already think the Jews run the world; at least now a Jewish cabal might prevent the next synagogue shooting.

When older and wiser community figures reject his proposal, the restless young heir of Zelig Pictures moves forward on his own. Along with two of his childhood friends—a high-strung hi-tech entrepreneur and a self-centered playboy—David establishes The Trio. But running a clandestine organization is harder than David had expected. And far more dangerous.

Soon, the fledgling covert group falls into the crosshairs of some very real and very ruthless secret societies. And when law enforcement gets involved David’s well-meaning plan quickly spirals out of control.

Struggling to stay alive and out of prison, the friends debunk The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, chase a priceless collection of Fabergé eggs, expose the dark secrets of Imperial Russia, and acquire a very embarrassing relic from the dawn of Christianity.

Along the way, David will fall in love and uncover a complex web of conspiracy. He will discover the devastating cost of hatred and confess the true reason he created his secret society. To overcome painful injustices and prevent the most devastating anti-Semitic attack ever plotted on American soil, David will risk everything.

What inspired you to write this book?

The myth of the Elders of Zion cabal has caused so much hatred and violence, I thought the conspiracy theory was ripe for a satirical exploration. As Mel Brooks said of The Producers, his film that makes fun of Hitler, “If you can make people laugh at Hitler or tyrants in general, then you've won the day." The same goes for hateful myths.

The protagonist of the story, David Zelig, thinks that if the Elders of Zion existed, the haters would think twice before picking on the Jews.

With the recent rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and the United States, the need to neutralize dangerous conspiracy theories has become even more important.

Excerpt from Revenge of the Elders of Zion:

David’s pen tapped against his notepad as the afternoon sun sank over the glittering waters of the Hudson. The horn of a barge honked, the sound muffled and far away.

“I don’t know,” Mitchell said. He sounded disappointed. “Snooping around social media and snitching to the cops—is that the best we can do? That’s not exactly in the spirit of the Elders of Zion. We need to fight the bad guys head-on.”

Jordan scoffed. “We could wear capes and beat up thugs in the streets.”

Mitchell’s eyes lit up. “Now you’re talking!”

“For the record, I was being sarcastic. The Elders of Zion didn’t have superpowers and neither do we.”

“I thought you said they never existed.” Mitchell flashed the whites of his eyes, convinced he’d caught Jordan out.

“And neither does Batman.”

David said, “Mitchell has a point. A secret society should have real power. The Trio shouldn’t be just another neighborhood watch.”

Mitchell said, “Yeah. We should be like the Punisher.”

Jordy snorted. “Why not Superman? At least he was created by Jews.”

“He was?”

“Sure. Like the Golem of Prague—a hero with superhuman strength who protects the powerless. Only the Golem was made of clay. Come to think of it, Mitch, you have a lot in common with the Golem.”

“Hey, watch it!”

“Guys!” David said. “We’re trying to find a real way for-ward here. Comic books and superpowers aren’t helping, and neither is your constant fighting.”

His friends holstered their sarcasm, and the Trio pondered the problem in silence.

“Information is power,” Jordan said.

The beginnings of a smile curled David’s lips. He liked this new direction.

Even Mitchell got on board. “Nice! We collect embarrassing information about powerful people and blackmail them to do what we want.”

“Extortion is illegal, Mitch.”

“Geez, Jordy, how are we supposed to run a secret society if we never break the law? That’s why it’s secret—so we don’t get caught!”

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m working on a sequel to Revenge of the Elders of Zion as well as editing a psychological thriller.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

About fifteen years ago, I decided to take my writing hobby more seriously. I bought books on writing craft, followed blogs of authors and literary agents, and devoted more time to writing.

About four years later, I sold a short story to a print journal in the US. I’m not sure I considered myself a writer then, but it was an important milestone and gave me the confidence to work on my first novel, which took another seven years.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I hope to write full-time in future, but currently I work as a computer programmer to pay the bills. I’m a morning person. I get up early to write before anybody can stop me.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I write the marketing blurb before the book. That keeps me on track.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An archaeologist and a millionaire.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I’ll be giving away over $500 in Amazon gift cards and merchandise for the launch of Revenge of the Elders of Zion. For details on how to enter, visit here.

To learn more about Revenge of the Elders of Zion, visit here.

Links:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Thanks for being here today, Dan. All the best with your book!

Interview with suspense novelist Willard Thompson

Today’s special author guest is Willard Thompson. He’s chatting with me about his new suspense novel, La Paloma.

During his virtual book tour, Willard will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

La Paloma is Willard Thompson’s new suspense/adventure/romance novel inspired by current headlines. It’s set in present day Los Angeles, California, and various cities in Mexico.

The Girl from the Lighthouse published last year is Thompson's Award-winning historical romance set in California and Paris, France in the 1870s.

He is the gold medal-winning author of Dream Helper, the first in The Chronicles of California series of three historical novels set in the early days of the Golden State. He and his wife live in Santa Barbara, California.

Welcome, Willard. Please share a little bit about your current release.

La Paloma is a novel inspired by newspaper headlines. Several stories in the recent press came together in my head over time to form this story. To begin with, I learned that an undocumented alien could receive an AB540 scholarship to UCLA. Then The newspapers and internet were full of stories about DREAMer, young people who were being deported from the U.S. for not have green cards and the debates over their futures. Then we learned that border walls were being built to stop migrants. Finally, the press was filled with stories about violent Mexican cartels.

My novel was inspired by all of the above, but it is not a gritty crime story, it’s a coming of age novel about a young undocumented Latina college student searching for her place in the world. Is it Mexico, the land of her birth and heritage? Or is it California, the land of opportunity she has been led to aspire to? Teresa Diaz, the primary character, falls down a rabbit hole when her undocumented father is deported to Mexico and she must go in search of him to save her family. Her world and everything she thinks she knows is turned upside down. The story unfolds from there.

What inspired you to write this book?

The headlines described above were a start, but first, and foremost for me, the character is primary. As I continues to think about my character, Teresa Diaz, I became more interested in understanding the conflicts in her life. Who was she and what did she want in her life? The contrast between the Latino community in which she lives and the upscale world of UCLA and Westwood, California. All that is a very prominent part of the novel, so in a sense it is a coming of age story. It poses questions Teri has to answer and perhaps engages readers in answering the questions for themselves.

Excerpt from La Paloma:

Stepping off the bus from Westwood in Monte Vista is like stepping into an alternate reality for me. Two white-haired Mexicans wearing droopy mustaches and ostrich boots are sitting like statues on the bus stop bench. As I start off toward home, they talk to each other in short, machine-gun-like, bursts of Spanish. One looks up as I pass. “Hola, Señorita,” he says, smiling so I can see his tobacco-stained teeth, “Often I see you at this time. From where are you coming?”

I have no idea who he is, but I return his smile. “From UCLA,” I tell him.

He nods. “Ah, Trojans,” and lapses back into silence.

“No. Bruins,” I tell him, and keep going, smiling to myself. It must have been the tenth time the old man had asked me the same question.

The air is heavy with the aroma of simmering pork from a taqueria I pass, but it morphs into the smell of warm bolillos at the panadería next door. Farther along, three middle-aged women in drab house dresses, stockings rolled down to mid-calf, stand at a table of Norteño CDs. They're listening to Ramon Ayala’s voice coming from inside the store and chatting back and forth.

Hurrying home, I pass two big-bellied teenage girls pushing baby carriages. They stop to look up at the marque of our movie theater showing “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” and then admire the riot of red, white, and green piñatas hanging in the doorway of a shop spilling all sorts of imported merchandise onto the street.

When Connie, my little sister, was a toddler, she used to be dazzled by the sights and smells of the stores along Peck Road. Even now, a curious fourth grader, she loves to linger over the assortment of trinkets when papa takes her window shopping.

I never liked these shops the way Connie does. For me, Monte Vista is my nightmare, haunting me with the memory of little Antonio. It isn’t my world. The bus to Westwood each morning is my escape, three buses actually, and two hours each way.

“This is your culture, Paloma. Your people,” my papa used to tell me, holding my hand, walking together up Peck Road to Mass on Sundays. “Embrace it,” he would say. “Es lo que somos.”

“I hate it, Papa,” I told him. “I want to be an American girl.”

Two shaved-headed gangbangers in baggy clothes, begin following me down the street, trash-talking to my back. 

“Did ya see the nice tits on her?” one of them says loud enough for everyone on the sidewalk to hear. “They were peeking out at me on the bus. How soft they would feel in my hand.”

I cringe and quicken my pace. I want to turn around and tell them to leave me alone, but I know to keep my mouth shut. There are enough people on the street that I feel safe.

“But her legs, man,” the other one responds. “Think how those long legs would feel wrapped around your neck.”

I do my best to shut out their words. I speed up, but they keep pace. Men and women on the sidewalk give them a wide birth.

At Garvey Avenue, they turn left after shouting obscene good-byes that describe what they would do to me if they ever got me alone. When they disappear down the street, I feel the tension release from my shoulders.

Only neighborhood people are sitting about on their porches when I reach Magnolia, my street of small, pinched, two-story stucco houses, with iron-barred windows and doors, secure behind chain-link fences. Our little house, two in from the corner, is my father’s pride. Even though it's rented, he always has the best-looking lawn and garden on the block. At Christmas, our house is a riot of blinking colored lights, competing with the neighbors’ over-the-top decorations for the gaudiest display award.

A boy in a navy watch cap straddles his bike on the corner, chatting up three girls. They are twelve- or thirteen-year-olds, heavy with makeup and budding breasts, competing with each other for the boy’s attention.

Across the street, an older couple sits in folding chairs by their front door. Protected by their chain-link fence, they watch the teenagers while tending a small hibachi on their front stoop.

“Hello, Mama,” I call out in the direction of the kitchen, heading for the staircase. “You home? I smell dinner.”

“Teresa Maria, come back here.”

My mama hurries into the hall. Wiping her hands on her apron, she comes to the bottom of the stairs. “Your papa not home yet.”

“Probably stopped for a beer with the men, Mama. I’m late for work.”

“You eat with us when he gets home,” she scolds.

I continue to the top of the stairs. “I have a test tomorrow, Mama. No time to eat anyway. Hey, you,” I call out as I go past my brother’s room. I get a grunt in return. I stop and backtrack to his doorway.

“How was practice?”

“I did good, Teri. Coach says some guys from the junior college will be lookin’ at me during the season.”

“You, the man,” I say. Then give him a more serious look. “How was the math test?”

“Not so hot.”

“I can help.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” It’s Rico’s standard response.

Connie and I share a room. Busy with scissors and paste on a school project, she looks up and greets me with an ear-to-ear smile, showing missing front teeth.

“How was school?”

“I’m making a hand puppet, Teresa,” she squeals with glee, sweeping her dark bangs out of her eyes with the back of her hand. “We’re having a puppet show in class tomorrow. Do you like my wolf?”

“Cool,” I tell her. “He looks big and bad.” 

I change into my uniform, throwing my hair into a ponytail and fastening the red and gold baseball cap around it. Before leaving the room, I kneel by the side of the bed, facing the icon of the Virgin on my night table. I whisper a prayer for Antonio. Connie stays respectfully quiet. When I finish, I hurry back downstairs. Opening the front door, I call over my shoulder, “I’ll eat at work, Mama. Tell papa hello.”

“No good for you,” I hear from the kitchen. I start back up the street.

I get off work at eleven. Dreading two hours of cramming still ahead, I hurry home. I keep throwing quick looks over my shoulder, thinking about the gangbangers. Turning the corner onto Magnolia, I’m startled to see my house ablaze with light. I stop for a moment and stare. The house should be dark, with everyone in bed. I run. The front door is open. Silhouetted just inside the living room, Mama sits hunched over on the edge of the couch. Coming closer, I can see she’s crying.

“Mama…” I run the last few steps to embrace her. “What’s the matter?”

“He don’t come home, Teresa Maria.” A sob escapes her throat.

I start to feel apprehensive. My father doesn't hang out drinking with other men “Did you call around, Mama? That’s not like him.”

“No one see him.” She starts crying again. I put my arms around her, holding her until she stops crying. We talk about what to do.

“Don’t call the police,” she warns me.

She agrees to let me call County Hospital. I ask the woman who answers if José Diaz has been admitted to the Emergency Room. She is impatient, telling me there are four Diazs in her computer just now, and it would take her several minutes to pull up each one to see if any are in Emergency. “I’ll wait,” I tell her, adding a little attitude to my voice. “This is important.”

Papa was not there.

What exciting story are you working on next?

Don’t know. Could be a sequel to La Paloma if readers like that story enough, or an historical fiction set in California 1820-1910 with a young woman and her sisters as the leading characters.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Well, it’s always what I wanted to be. But life, marriage, supporting a family get in the way for a while. I got serious about 20 years ago and started writing just about full time and have never looked back. It hasn’t been easy and not very lucrative, but it’s been a rewarding life nevertheless.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer! I wrote my first novel at age 13, seeing myself as a midshipman at Old Ironsides in the war of 1812.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I hope they will read La Paloma and my other novels: Dream Helper, Delfina’s Gold, Their Golden Dreams and The Girl from the Lighthouse and let me know what they thing by going to my web page.

Links:

Website | Kindle | Amazon

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

Thanks for having me.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with memoirist Nancy L. Pressly

My special guest today is Nancy L. Pressly. She’s sharing a bit about her memoir, Unlocking: A Memoir of Family and Art.

Bio:

I grew up in small rural town north of New York City. After graduating from Goucher College, I lived in New York City where I received a master’s degree in Art History from Columbia University, worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and met my husband, also an art historian. I subsequently held curatorial positions at the Yale Center for British Art and the San Antonio Museum of Art, where I organized several important exhibitions, most notably the acclaimed Fuseli Circle in Rome: Early Romantic Art of the 1770s at Yale. I served for eight years as Assistant Director of the Museum Program at the National Endowment for the Arts during the Mapplethorpe controversary and the Culture Wars. After a semester as a visiting Senior Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art, I founded Nancy L. Pressly & Associates, a nationally recognized consulting firm specializing in strategic planning for some of the nation’s leading art museums. In the past five years, I have authored two books, Settling the South Carolina Backcountry (2016) and in Unlocking A Memoir of Family and Art to be published May 5, 2020. My husband and I live in Atlanta, Georgia, close to our son and two grandchildren. I love to travel, garden, and cook, and recently I took up pottery.

Welcome, Nancy. Please tell us about your current release.

Unlocking is not your typical memoir in that it looks at my life’s journey so far. It interweaves personal and professional stories, beginning with my childhood in a small rural town north of New York City as I slowly unravel family dynamics that had so long been obliterated from my memory. The memoir captures my life in the New York art world of the late 1960’s when I came into my own as a person and met my husband, a fellow graduate student, and we began our journey together as art historians. Throughout I discuss the importance of art and travel and how I look at and respond to art. Major themes include how I assumed the role of caretaker for my family, beginning with her husband’s near fatal illness early in our marriage; the challenges of being a working mother when the concept was still new; and how I finally overcame doubts about my professional worth and ambivalence about my more assertive side of my being that I kept partially repressed, allowing me to embrace a national leadership role in the museum world. It is also a story of resilience, determination, and optimism. Interwoven throughout is the importance of family bonds. The memoir is an intensely personal and honest account, notable for its candor, and I hope it leaves the reader with a deep appreciation for the power of empathy and the transformative power of art.

What inspired you to write this book?

While I was recovering from a near fatal illness, I discovered a treasure trove of family material in my attic, including citizenship papers, boxes of letters and old photographs, including one of my father’s brother, Max, who died at the age of eighteen, which I had never seen. As I looked at these photographs, some over a century old, I was astonished at the power of the image to unlock memories, to tell stories. I found myself overcome with emotion and suddenly felt a profound responsibility to try to create a narrative of my grandparents’ and parents’ lives before their stories were lost forever. For the next year I applied my skills as a researcher uncovering, in archives and historical documents, a significant amount of new information. I pieced together the facts and prepared a chronological outline with key events but did not venture further and try to write their story.

One day some eight years later, as I watched my grandchildren play in our backyard, I was filled with love and tenderness and gratitude for this gift. I was acutely aware of what a critically important role I was playing in their lives, as I helped my son, who was essentially a single parent, care for them. I thought about how random events or even comments can resonate deeply with a child, becoming an important part of what he or she takes forward into their adult life. I thought of how important my grandparents had been to me as a child and my mind wandered back to the photographs, I discovered eight years earlier. I realized there was unfinished business. I knew, in order to write my family’s story, I would have to summon the courage to dig deep into my own past, which had been locked away for so long behind a heavy veil of amnesia. It slowly dawned on me that I should write a memoir and incorporate my parents’ history into my story. This was my circuitous route to becoming a memoir writer, and it took me totally by surprise.

What exciting story are you working on next?

Being retired is an interesting state, so much more exciting than I ever envisioned. For me it has released a burst of creativity not only in writing but also in other things. A year ago, I took up pottery and throwing on the wheel and I absolutely love doing this. It is challenging but very satisfying when a beautiful pot emerges. So, for the moment my writing will be confined mainly to my Reflections page on my website, where I will write short essays on themes in the book including looking at art, travel, finding myself as a woman. Right now, I am writing a short essay on balancing our many roles as women whatever our age.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

For me that’s a hard question because I have always written for my work whether it was as a curator and scholar or a strategic planner for art museums. My publications have been well received as much for their scholarly contribution as for their style. I have become a much better writer over the years and have been told I write with clarity and passion. My most recent book, prior to Unlocking, was Settling the South Carolina Book Country which focused on my husband ‘s family and the Scot-Irish settling Abbeville and Greenwood county between 1768 and 1850.

Photo credit:
Atlanta Portait Photography

Do you write full-time?

I’m retired. During the period I was writing my memoir I worked on it every day. It was very important to me and occupied my consciousness even when I wasn’t writing. But the reality was, despite the fact I am retired, I had other responsibilities. Family is a central theme in my book, and our lives have been complicated so there were constant interruptions. Our son is mainly a single parent; I help with the children sometimes daily and this involves phone calls that could interrupt the rhythm of writing and times when the thoughts came fast and furious and I would have to stop to pick up the kids from school. Additionally, my husband has serious health issues, and this could interrupt writing for a month at a time and certainly occupied my thoughts and emotions. I am extremely disciplined and energetic, so I found ways to continue to write but it certainly complicated thought processes on more than one occasion. I was absolutely committed to this book and thrilled that I found the courage and inspiration to undertake a memoir.

If so, what's your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I try to find a balance and keep my mind fresh. Exercise – I like to walk and do Pilates – was essential. I also enjoy gardening and cooking; both are important parts of my life.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I am very messy; there are papers everywhere in my small home office. I am also intuitive and empathetic and honest as a person and these attributes became my voice. I don’t know if that is quirky but for some it might be.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

In seventh grade I had a crush on my science teacher and wanted to become a geologist. I was always interested in science and psychology, but in college I discovered art history and there was no turning back after that.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Writing a memoir was a complicated and moving experience and I found inspiration with the process, letting my own story slowly unfold. There was no outline; it evolved organically; major themes changed midway. It was so interesting to look at old photographs and try to decipher my parents and grandparents lives; to try to see and intuit meaning beneath the surface of the images as I so often had done as an art historian with works of art. Retrieval of memories was a slow journey. I had no idea where it would end up, but I trusted the journey and learned remarkable new things. No longer the analytic strategic planner or scholar prone to footnotes, I found inspiration in a new way of writing. It was liberating.

Links:

Website | Facebook

Thank you for being here today, Nancy!

Interview with sci-fi romance author Miriam Newman

Today’s special author guest is Miriam Newman and she’s chatting with me about her new sci-fi romance, Book III in the Scion series, House of the 12^th Planet.

During her virtual book tour, Miriam will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

Fantasy poetry driven by myths and legends has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I was published in poetry before catching the romance writing bug. I bring that background to my writing along with a lifelong addiction to horses, an 18-year career in various areas of psychiatric social services and many trips to Ireland, where I nurture my muse. My published works range from contemporary fantasy romance to fantasy historical, futuristic, science fiction and historical romance. Currently I live in rural Pennsylvania with a "motley crew" of rescue animals.

Please share a little bit about your current release.

This is Book III, the concluding volume of my science fiction romance, Scion. In previous volumes, the reader will have met Lela, sold into slavery by her father to outfit her brothers for war. Transported to the planet Thelona, she has endured eight years as a sex slave, sold into worse and worse conditions as her spirit remains unbroken. In this concluding book, she has finally met Caius, the one master who will not sell her. When his political involvement requires him to flee across space with Lela, she is a slave no longer. Will what they have found survive that freedom?

What inspired you to write this book?

Study of the rise and fall of civilizations combined with an ardent love of science fiction, of many years’ standing. I saw an opportunity to draw parallels with troubles that beset our world today combined with a vision of the future, and a story of kindred spirits drawing both together.

Excerpt from House of the 12^th Planet:

Her last memory was of sleeping in Caius’s arms. Her first was of his face.

There were other faces, too—human faces unlike her Thelonian Lord’s. More like her own. Shrill beeping noises. Nearly unbearable lights and a cold, sharp smell.

“Just be patient a moment,” one of the human faces said. “We will have you out shortly.”

Out of where, Lela thought, but she could see hands and feel them on her, too. Strange sensations, not unpleasant, but...invading. Removing things from her skin. Through it all, Caius’s steady, calm voice kept her from utter panic.

“You are awakening from a long sleep,” he told her, and she could well believe it. How long could you sleep, to forget where you were and why?

“You are on board a space transport,” he told her. “I have been with you the whole time. Just let the crew help you.”

She lay still, hardly daring to blink.

“There,” a woman’s voice said cheerily. “All finished now. How do you feel?”

Lela’s stare fixed on her. A medico. Fully human, understandable, not a threat. Dimly, she remembered. This woman had given her a substance that made her sleep, with Caius in their tiny cabin accommodation. His heartbeat was the last thing she had felt before she slept. Now she was inside one of the sleeping pods she had seen the crew members use. They had gone into the long sleep, and so had she. There were others, around her, stirring and stepping out of their pods.

“Strange,” she told the medico, then looked past her to Caius. “How long have I slept?”

“Twelve years by our suns. But now we are coming into the orbit of Colony Twelve, where I believe the days and years are somewhat longer.”

She shook her head. She was a simple nonni-girl from Danaali, a farmer, not a learned person who would know such things. It was all very well for Caius to tell her. He had a law-giver’s degree. She was confused except for one thing: on Colony 12 she was no longer a slave.

What exciting s

tory are you working on next?

My next novel will be Warlord, a fantasy romance set against a backdrop of nomadic tribes. Given like a toy to a famous old warlord, Ganina is a young girl with love to give. But giving it may cost her life.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I never thought I was anything else.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

Although I am technically retired from social work services, I have also been self employed at a number of things. Currently, I have found a part-time niche in local government and you can imagine how busy that is during this time. I write when I can, usually when I should be sleeping, LOL.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Fueling my muse with massive amounts of research, which is especially interesting as I simultaneously delve into antiquity and space exploration.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I have a passionate interest in animal rescue work and currently live with a pack of dogs and anything else that comes along. I have had horses, cats, chickens, a goat, a pig found on the porch, birds, and (good grief) an alligator. There is also a toad that seems to live right outside the house and hops in at every opportunity, driving my dogs berserk

Links:

Website | Amazon author page | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Buy links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Lulu

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

a Rafflecopter giveaway