Like so many authors, Barbara Howell has worn many hats, including her many careers: farmer, cosmetologist, wife, mother, grandmother, woodworker and now author.

Enjoy this interview.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from and how long have you been writing?

I laughingly tell people I’m proud to be from the country—more specifically from the hills and hollers of Tennessee. I was born and raised in a small town about 70 miles south of Nashville, but later as an adult I also lived in Tulsa, OK for about 10 years. Through my business, Southern Ladies Showcases, I have had the opportunity to travel extensively across the United State, especially in the South East and Mid West regions.

My love for writing began almost 50 years ago as I started writing plays and skits for a youth group at my church. Pretty soon that developed into a stronger passion and years later in my 40s I had the opportunity to begin taking college writing classes to develop my skill-set. From there, I spent as much time as possible writing, but found that at that time, ‘my story’ hadn’t yet been completed. It would be 20+ years later before I realized the book I was actually supposed to write–the story having been in the making all of my life.

Tell us about your latest book. What do you hope readers take away from it?

My book, Splinters: Splinters: The Pain, The Passion, The Point is a story of hope and encouragement that is actually auto-biographical in nature. Splinters shares my tale of growing up with a several hearing loss handicap that would later prove to drastically effect my life. The story is a candid look at the triumphs and struggles that I overcame, and the ultimate victory I experienced, making it to the ‘other side”.

The message I hope every reader walks away from is something that I’ve built my life around. I saw a cartoon many years ago of a bird trying to swallow a frog. The frog in turn, had his hands around the birds throat even from within it’s mouth. The caption reads, “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over!” and that cartoon inspired me so much that I had an artist paint it for me and I have it hanging in my house to this day. When I was ready to write Splinters I knew I had to share that motto with my readers. Regardless of the situation or circumstances, a reminder that “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over!”

Share some of your writing goals. What’s next for you?

I’m currently working on my second book, a book that delves deeper and centers around one of the topics in Splinters: my brother-in-law’s murder conviction. (Readers will have to grab a copy of Splinters to get a preview of this story!) In addition to that, I currently speak to groups, churches and clubs and hold regular book signings promoting Splinters. I am proud to say that Splinters has won several awards, including “Best Christian True Story” for 2010 and an Award of Excellence from Graphic Design USA.

What’s the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

That’s a tough question as I read anything I can get my hands on—but I especially love books of an encouraging and inspirational nature. One of my favorites currently is a book called, The Bloodline of a Champion By Mark Hankins. I love books that push me to grow and help to serve as a reminder that as I tell others, “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over!”

Book you’re currently reading?

I am actually reading several books currently especially as the holidays are behind me—I can always count on a hefty variety of new books to delve into after gifts are exchanged! Among these, I gravitate toward other books that are biographical and I’m currently reading books about the lives of John G. Lake and Nancy Reagan.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

When I’m not writing, I can almost always be found in my woodworking shop, crafting wooden display cases and overseeing operations for Southern Ladies Showcases. The circumstances that led to my profession as a female woodworker are detailed in Splinters, but the passion I have for the activity is still just as prevalent today. I love being down in that shop!

Where can we learn more about you?

You can actually find out more about me on my website at www.splintersbook.com and on Twitter @splintersbook

Anything else you’d like to add?

I would just finish up by reminding readers that regardless of their current situations or how bad their circumstances look, there IS a new day tomorrow and things can turn around almost immediately it seems. Just a reminder that if they will keep fighting, keep persevering and stay after it they too can determine that “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over!”

We’re starting off a new set of author interviews for 2012 with Wade Shepard.

Enjoy this interview.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from and how long have you been writing?

I’m originally from the USA, but have been traveling perpetually around the world for the past 12 years. I wrote all through my life — books, songs, and, even tried my hand at being a poet, but ended up just embarrassing myself on all fronts. None of this was very serious until I began traveling at age 18. It was then that I began writing with more dedication, though most of it was not meant for publication. In university — I went to Global College, Long Island University, an international school — I began publishing articles in the travel sections of various newspapers and magazines. Around this time (2004), I also began independently blogging, which was intended to just be a writing exercise. This was were I’d publish articles that I failed to land in other publications, or random notes, thoughts, and stories that would not fit the format of the mainstream press. I did not see it coming at that time, but the more I blogged independently the more I grew to love it. Blogging/ running my own website soon turned into a passion in and of itself, and I found that I enjoyed it far more than writing for other publications and dealing with editors and the who “professional” side of the game.

It was around this time that I strove to break away and find ways to make a living writing for myself and running my own website. I then started www.VagabondJourney.com, and began taking the project seriously. I think I worked 60+ hour weeks writing for this site for at least three years before I really even made any money off it. Though slowly, very slowly, my earnings eventually began to rise. I must admit that it was an arduous road, and not one that I would really recommend, but since 2009 I have been able to fund my travels from my own website without needing to write for other publications or work other jobs. I suppose my dream was not just to make a living writing, but to make a living writing for myself. I still struggle, but each day brings me a little deeper into this dream.

What’s the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

Probably, Harry Franck’s A Vagabond Journey Around the World.

Book you’re currently reading?

I’m currently reading Francis Tapon’s The Hidden Europe.

Where can we learn more about you?

You can learn more about me on my website, www.Vagabondjourney.com, or just do an internet search for my name. I can also be contacted on Twitter at @vagabondjourney, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vagabond-Journey-Travel/157907090926886, and on Google+ at https://plus.google.com/101218702322608229735/posts.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Making a living as a writer is a pretty arduous path to walk. Expect lots of failure, thousands of hours of working for nothing, and facing the fact daily that you could be making far more money and working far less at pretty much any other profession. Treat writing as a art, as something you would do whether you made money at it or not, put you’re entire heart into it, devote your life to your goal, believe in yourself beyond the point of delusion, convince yourself beyond all doubt that you will be successful, and then find a way to make a living off the written word. If you keep going, you will more than likely get to where you want to be.

Deatri King-Bey is originally from Decatur, a small town in central Illinois. When she was a child, Decatur was behind the times in just about every way. So behind, they had no idea how to deal with a dyslexic child. Her parents were told she’d never learn how to read, let alone write. Obviously, they were told wrong.

Enjoy this interview.

Tell us about your latest book. What do you hope readers take away from it?

I started in the publishing industry a decade ago as an editor for Third World Press, and then moved to freelance editing for various publishing companies and being published myself. All along I’ve taught workshops on the writing craft and publishing business. A year ago I decided to give self publishing a try and my email blew up! I’d always answered questions from aspiring and published authors about various topics, but all of a sudden the questions increased tenfold with the self-publishing questions added in the mix. I found myself repeating information and realized I have a nonfiction background and am an author. I should write a book that answers the questions I’d been receiving and also answers the questions people didn’t know to ask. Next thing you know, I was 60,000 words into Become a Successful Author. This book covers everything from branding to learning the craft to editing to submissions to self publishing to marketing and a whole lot more.

Since most of the questions I received were via email, I decided to write the book in a conversational tone so even if you don’t know anything about the craft or industry, you feel like you are reading an email from a friend who happens to be in the industry and is explaining things to you. At least that was my intent.

After I completed the book, I knew that there would be more questions, so I contacted several of my friends who have been in the industry for a bit and asked them to help me educate authors on becoming more than published authors. I want to help authors become successful authors. Each month at http://www.BecomeASuccessfulAuthor.com we post articles to help authors along their journey.

The main take away from the book and website is: Branding is the key. In order to become a successful author, you must build a high quality brand that readers can’t get enough of. Become A Successful Author gives authors the base they need to succeed.

What’s the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

Villains by Necessity by Eve Forward. It’s the best fantasy ever! In it the good has taken over the world and thus become corrupt, so the villains have to save the day.

Book you’re currently reading?

The historical romance Indigoby Beverly Jenkins. This is one of my all time favorite books. I read it at least once a year and was just released in eBook format, so I had to purchase that version also.

Where can we learn more about you?

http://www.BecomeASuccessfulAuthor.com

http://DeatriKingBey.com

http://www.LLReaper.net

Carole Eglash-Kosoff has visited more than seventy countries and is an avid student of history. She researched the decades preceding and following the Civil War for nearly three years, including time in Louisiana, the setting for Winds of Change and her earlier novel, When Stars Align.

Enjoy this interview.

Tell us about your latest book.  What do you hope readers take away from it?

Winds of Change is a multi-layered, multi-racial story set against little known events of the last decades of the 19^th century and the early ones of the 20^th…decades of electric lights, automobiles, airplanes, movies and two major wars.

Share some of your writing goals.  What’s next for you? 

To tell interesting stories.  My next book is non-fiction dramatizing little known events throughout American history.

What’s the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

There have been too many to mention.  Right now I’m captivated with Gabriel Garcia Marques’ One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Favorite authors?  

Tuchman, Manchester, Jasper Forte

Book you’re currently reading? 

Just read The White Tiger and Cleopatra

Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, how did you get past it? If not, why not? 

Definitely exists.  I walk away and move to a non-writing project until my thoughts help clarify the direction.

In your opinion, what’s the measure of a successful writer? 

Satisfaction with your own product.

Where can we learn more about you? 

My website.

Okay, I think my new favorite author will be Shelli Johnson. I loved her answers here, and she has given such great advice about writing, marketing, and book design, that I know you will learn a lot from this interview. She’s also got a great idea for getting attention for indie authors at the end, and I encourage you to check it out.

Enjoy this interview.

You have a note on your website about why you are an “indie author.” This is a popular discussion with writers today. Can you tell us briefly why you chose to go indie rather than legacy?

I put that note on my blog as a way to combat the stigma which unfortunately still exists with self-publishing. (Yes, it’s less these days but still kicking). I wanted people to know that I gave legacy publishing a shot, it didn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean my writing isn’t worth reading. I chose to be an independent author early on, mostly because I got a substantial grant to do it. The Weisman Fund (the grant liaison, after reading only the first three chapters, believed in my novel so much that she fought for me to be awarded one of the grants) gave me money to start my own small press. I wanted to learn how to do it, so that’s the choice I made. Afterward, I did the whole query/agent/publisher thing for a while. I got some fantastic feedback ~ “this is a beautiful, beautiful book”; “A real page turner”; I didn’t want it to end” ~ and ended up landing a top agent at a BIG New York literary agency. She tried to sell my book, and yet even with all the praise, she couldn’t. The editors ultimately passed. When it didn’t sell, she put it on the shelf & said we’d try again with my next book. Except that my agent didn’t think she could sell the book I was working on ~ the topic about World War II being the problem ~ and so she asked me to write something else. I spent 14 months working on that something else (a novel I wasn’t really passionate about) & about 600 pages of dreck later, I had nothing. The agent & I parted ways. I salvaged about 60 pages, added it to the World War II novel I had wanted to write to begin with, & kept on writing. That finished novel was good enough to get me an artist’s residency at Ragdale. I stayed indie after that because I found that it suited my personality and writing style much better.

You’ve got some great reviews for your book, Small as a Mustard Seed. Do you have any advice for other writers who are wondering how to go about securing reviews for their work?

It probably goes without saying but for starters, be professional and courteous at all times. If you have a hometown paper, start there. Reporters love to get local stories, especially the smaller local papers, even if you’re an indie author. And, too, you may sell some books: I’ve found that readers love to support local writers from their community. As of right now, I’m not sure how much bigger newspapers/magazines are friendly to indies. But there are LOTS of book bloggers, some of them HUGE & influential, and they ARE friendly to indies. If you have a book review website you like, check out their Blog Roll ~ a great way to find other similar review sites. Also, just simply ask. Even if a website doesn’t specifically say it does reviews, there’s no harm or cost in crafting a polite email asking if they’d have an interest in reviewing your book. Make sure you include the genre, a brief synopsis, and a link to your website where they can read an excerpt. Also, be active on social media, especially Twitter & Facebook; I’ve actually had reviewers approach me (asking if they could review my novel) after tweeting something/giving a status update about my book. Of course, though, do that sparingly so it doesn’t come off like spam.

Here’s a link on how to do a media kit: http://selfpublishingteam.com/start-your-media-kit-today-mini-workbook/

Here’s a link to a fantastic listing of all kinds of book bloggers: http://bookbloggerdirectory.wordpress.com/

Here’s a link to Book Blogs, which is a phenomenal community of writers, readers, and book bloggers: http://bookblogs.ning.com

Here’s a link to a PDF and video about getting your book reviewed (you have to ask a question, give them your email, follow the directions, but then it’ll give you access to the PDF and the videos): http://www.yourbookreviewed.com/

I have to say, I really adore the cover of Small as a Mustard Seed. Who created it and how did you go about having it made?

Thank you so saying you adore it. I actually designed the cover. I did graphic design work professionally for six years. I worked on truck-part catalogs, so not all that creative. But that experience taught me about design programs, spatial relationships, typography, etc. so when it came time to do the cover, I had the know-how to do it myself. I found a rights-managed image the first time. Let me give your readers a little advice: you want a ROYALTY-FREE image. What that means is you’ll pay a one-time fee to use the image and then you can use it as much as you want (within the scope of the licensing agreement). I didn’t know that when I started, so I spent lots of time doing a mock-up of the rights-managed image, only to find out when I went to buy it that I had to pay a separate fee for every single different use (so website = 1 use; eBook cover = 1 use; paper book cover = 1 use; you get the idea). It very quickly ran up to over $2000.

If you know nothing about graphic design, I’d hire a professional designer to help you. If you can’t afford a professional, there are some programs out there that you can make a cover yourself. Here are some suggestions: Don’t use more than 2 different fonts. Pick one serif font & one sans-serif ~ so they contrast a bit. Make sure your name and the title are big enough to read when you shrink it down into a thumbnail (because that’s about the size it will be on a bookseller’s website). Make sure the title and your name are legible ~ I’ve seen covers where the image was partially dark & the author’s name was in black, so part of the name was unreadable. Also, pick an image that represents the overall feel of the book but doesn’t have to actually be part of the book (I never wrote about the girls walking a fence, but they lived in the country so it’s certainly something they could’ve done). Also, and I learned this the hard way, make sure you’re happy with your cover first and foremost, don’t design it to please somebody else.

I know you love your crockpot, and I have to say, I agree – the crockpot is fabulous! Care to share a favorite recipe?

This is one of my favorites. I make it all the time.

AWARD-WINNING CHILI

This chili recipe won at a chili cook-off where I used to work. Granted, there were only about a dozen entries. And I knew all the judges and worked closely with one of them, but still . . . an award! This recipe got a little gold trophy (plastic and fit in the palm of your hand, but still . . . a trophy!) and a $15 prize. Plus, once you cook the meat, the whole thing only takes about 5 minutes to put together.

YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 pound of ground beef or turkey (or not, if you want vegetarian)
• 2 14.5-ounce cans of Diced Tomatoes with Green Pepper & Onion (you can go fresh, too: 2 large tomatoes, 1 medium green pepper, 1 small onion, all diced)
• 1 16-ounce can of Kidney Beans (rinsed with cold water or I use Bush’s Best Chili Beans in Mild Sauce so I don’t have to rinse them~told you I’m lazy when it comes to cooking)
• 1 6-ounce can of Tomato Paste (I use Roasted Garlic version. If you go with fresh garlic, put in 1 clove minced)
• 2 tablespoons of Chili Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown the ground meat, drain, and set aside.
2. Mix everything else together in the crock pot.
3. Add the meat into the crock pot and stir.
4. Cover and set the crock pot to low.
5. Cook for 6 hours.
6. Enjoy!

SERVE WITH:

• Cornbread
• Cornchips
• Cheddar cheese on top
• Or go Cincinnati-style and put it over your favorite pasta.

COST:
Less than $10.

Let’s switch gears to other books. What’s the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

FICTION: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. I just finished it last week. Probably one of the best books I’ve ever read, period. But also, as a writer, one of the most interesting because of the structure. It’s a series of interviews with people who survived the zombie war. Totally ingenious way of getting the reader all the information we need & yet letting us feel connected to the events/people as if they’re happening in real time. Plus, I used to be a reporter so I felt a connection to the main character, who was mostly in the background interviewing everyone & writing the book. It was fascinating to me how Brooks basically had an entire novel full of dialogue & yet it was engrossing and vivid and descriptive nonetheless. Not only was the novel beautifully written but also each character’s story ~ and there were a lot ~ had a different voice. That’s a hard feat to pull off ~ I know, I’ve tried.

NONFICTION: The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls. This is probably the best memoir I’ve ever read. It’s interesting because it reads like a novel. I’ve never written a non-fiction book but, as a writer, I was fascinated by how engaged I was with this book. It’s been my experience with memoirs that it’s more factual and there’s a distance between you and the writer ~ as if you’re observing but that’s all. With this book, I honestly felt like I was right there with her, experiencing homelessness and hunger and the bone-aching cold of a winter night. As a writer, I know that, too, is a hard thing to do.

Where can we learn more about you?
www.shellijohnson.com

www.shellijohnson.com/blog

www.facebook.com/shellijohnsonauthor

www.twitter.com/Shelli_Johnson

www.goodreads.com/shellijohnson

www.bookblogs.ning.com/profile/ShelliJohnson

Anything else you’d like to add?

I’m going to be part of Adopt-An-Indie month in November. If you’d like to adopt me & read SMALL AS A MUSTARD SEED for free in exchange for some commentary/review about the book, pop over to their website (http://adoptanindie.bookbagsandcatnaps.com/about/) and sign up to be a reader then choose me. Thank you so much for interviewing me & letting me be a part of your blog, Cherie.

The first great irony of Phyllis Schieber’s life was that she was born in a Catholic hospital. Her parents, survivors of the Holocaust, had settled in the South Bronx among other new immigrants.  In the mid-fifties, her family moved to Washington Heights, an enclave for German Jews on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, known as “Frankfurt-on-the-Hudson.”

Her book, The Manicurist was a finalist in the 2011 Inaugural Indie Publishing Contest sponsored by the San Francisco Writer’s Conference.

Enjoy this interview.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from and how long have you been writing?

I’m a native New Yorker, a product of New York City public schools, as well as a graduate of the CUNY system. My parents believed that there was nothing more important than education.  I was never challenged when I said, “I’m reading.” It was a foolproof excuse for everything. And I was, almost always, reading. There were weekly trips to the library, and the greatly anticipated Friday afternoon story hour. Everything about words seemed interesting and important. I could make sense of the world if I put it on paper. I was writing stories as soon as I knew how to write.  I could make the world better; people could become smarter and more attractive, and I could make people laugh and cry at will. Writing was powerful. I thought in stories, answered questions in my head and added, “she said” at the end of a sentence. I still do.

Tell us about your latest book.  What do you hope readers take away from it?

The Manicurist is really a story of redemption, but it is also an homage to everything that is beyond our control. The characters in The Manicurist ultimately embrace the forces that defy explanation and this leads them to deepen their relationships. I want readers to come away with a fuller understanding of all relationships: husband and wife, parent and child, siblings, friends. What are the ties that bind us, and how do those ties help define who are and how we move through the world? The characters in The Manicurist may not be like any people my readers necessarily know, but the characters and their struggles will not be unfamiliar.

Share some of your writing goals.  What’s next for you?

I am currently working on a semi-autobiographical novel about my experiences growing up as a child of Holocaust survivors. In addition, I am beginning to think about writing a historical romance novel based on my parents’ lives. They came from two distinctly different cultures and had two unique war experiences. They met after the war ended and began a romance that lasted until my father’s premature death. It was a love story, and I want to tell it.

What’s the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

Just one? I’m going to assume that by “interesting,” you mean original. In that case, I would have to say, Fat Woman S Joke by Fay Weldon. It was bitingly satiric and bold, as well as brilliant.

Favorite authors?

Fay Weldon, Anne Tyler, Carol Shields, Jane Smiley, Alison Lurie, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Dorothy Allison, Richard Yates. D.H. Lawrence, James Joyce…

Book you’re currently reading?

The Finkler Question (Man Booker Prize) by Howard Jacobson

Any type of writing ritual you have?

Not really. I just write. I need to be alone, and I need quiet. I listen to music, usually the same thing over and over—Michael Franti, Tracy Chapman, classical—Mozart, Bach, etc., the occasional opera. It doesn’t matter, really. I turn off the Internet, so I can’t check my email or procrastinate on Facebook, have water and coffee on my desk, and I get to it!

In your opinion, what’s the measure of a successful writer?

When I read, I know a book is good when I have to stop because I’ve had an “aha” moment. It’s that feeling that reinforces for me the sense that I am not alone. Someone else understands how I feel. If I can create those moments, for a reader, then I know I am a successful writer.

Where can we learn more about you?

www.phyllisschieberauthor.com

Anything else you’d like to add?

Yes. I write because I must. It is the only way I know to make sense of the world.

Books by Phyllis Schieber:

• Willing Spirits
• The Sinner’s Guide to Confession
• Strictly Personal

To get to know author Joseph Rinaldo a bit better, I asked him to tell me about himself. He said:

I’ve written nine novels, one of which, A SPY AT HOME, is available on Amazon. By day I work as Credit and Financial Manager for a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning distributor; we sell to the guys that come to your house. When I first started writing, I thought being a numbers guy would make me an oddity as an author. That’s proved to be wrong. The more people I meet in this industry, the more I run across accountants and CFOs. Apparently, creativity infects a variety of people. Of course, I have the same dream as other writers. I hope my book sells a million copies and becomes a smash hit movie. Selling ebooks for two bucks isn’t the get-rich-quick scheme I thought it was before being published. It’s been a lot of work.

Enjoy this interview.

Tell us about your ebook, A Spy At Home. Is there a favorite paragraph you can share from it?

The following sets the stage for the strange and tumultuous drama that is Garrison’s life:

“Since you’re reading this, I’m dead. A great many years of my life I worked for the CIA, Central Intelligence Agency, for the federal government of the United States of America. I didn’t say proudly worked, because I wasn’t proudly serving the entire time. Don’t yawn; you haven’t read this one before. The book won’t self-destruct; this isn’t the same reworded spy novel you’ve read a dozen times where the hero does the right thing in the final scene and everyone good lives happily ever after and the bad guys go to jail. To be honest with you, I don’t know how much spy stuff will be in this book. The important thing for you to know is that the author’s royalties from this book support Noah, my son. He was a surprise, but not the kind of surprise you’re thinking. You’ll meet him later, and I assure you everyone will like him. Everyone always does. We’re complete opposites. He’s innocent, and I’m not.”

You write about Down syndrome on your blog. What is your connection to Down syndrome, and what are some of the things people might be surprised to find out about it?

My daughter has Down syndrome, which provides the obvious main connection I have to it. Of course, some of her friends have it too, providing secondary connections. Please notice that I did not say “suffers” from Down syndrome (Ds). She’s not in pain; in fact, most of the time she’s neutral, like everyone else in the world. Many people have this strange stereotypical belief that everyone with Ds is happy all the time. That stereotype holds all the credibility that the slaves in every person with Down syndrome is happy. Sometimes they’re happy, sometimes sad, like real people and everything. Note to the public: They also know that when you use the word ‘retard’, you’re talking about them, so stop it.

Share some of your writing goals.  What’s next for you?

Another book, Hazardous Choices, has been professionally edited and will be released in the near future.  We’re waiting to release it until we’ve promoted A Spy At Home as fully as we can. I have seven more books waiting to be professionally edited and released. As we save the money for more editing, we’ll get the others done, too. At present I have three books floating around in my head but can’t find the time to write them. Hopefully, A Spy At Home will be made into a movie, and I’ll have Garrison’s boat where I can write all day long!

What’s the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

I’ll take the liberty of naming two. Sharp Objects: A Novel for fiction and The Children’s Blizzard for non-fiction are two excellent books. Honestly, I can’t remember who wrote them. Sharp Objects seemed so real! My skin crawled just reading that book! The title might conjure up a wide range of images, so here’s one hint about the book: it’s not a slasher/horror read. The sharpest points cut the emotions. The Children’s Blizzard describes a horrible snow storm on the US plains in the 1800s. The author details the events so well, you’ll feel like you’re watching the events more than reading about them. This snow storm terrorized everyone in its path. This story will stick with you long after you finish it.

Where can we learn more about you?

My website is www.josephmrinaldo.com; it contains a blurb about A Spy At Home and quotes from reviewers. There is information about me and my book on my Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/A-SPY-AT-HOME-ebook/dp/B0033WSVVC, and my blog (http://wwwjosephmrinaldocom.blogspot.com) has an excerpt from A Spy At Home.

Anything else you’d like to add?

When not writing or working, I like boating, jogging, volunteering for Special Olympics, and of course, reading. Whatever hobbies a person has can and should influence their writing. An important character needs to have some depth, and hobbies help provide that.

Pamela Bitterman discusses her books, life, resilience, and more. Enjoy this interview.

Tell us a bit about Sailing to the Far Horizon: The Restless Journey and Tragic Sinking of a Tall Ship. How did you come to write this book?

The story, Sailing to the Far Horizon; The Restless Journey and Tragic Sinking of a Tall Ship, is exactly as it sounds. It is my own true adventure/travel/memoir of my nearly 4 year experience circumnavigating aboard the 123 ft. cooperatively owned and run gaff topsail schooner Sofia, during the late 70′s and early 80′s. Of course, the story culminates with a graphic blow-by-blow description of the sinking, and a heart-wrenching recollection of the days spent trying to survive in hopelessly adrift and piteously inadequate life rafts, and finally a truly miraculous rescue. But the bulk of the book follows the life of a revolving cast of international characters as they make their way through the yet wild and largely unspoiled pre-globalized world, at the cusp of the shift from the inimitable freedom seeking days of the 60′s and 70′s into the yuppy/disco/material obsessed world of the 80′s. I wrote the book because after 25 years since the sinking, no one else had. It was simply a story that needed to be told.

What do you hope readers take away from your work?

The story has been roundly enjoyed and appreciated from readers across the globe – sea-farers and armchair sailors alike. It is a tale of incomparable adventure, a rare window back into an unspoiled world of mysterious exotic cultures that may no longer exist. It is an examination of human frailties and foibles that might be revealed more clearly aboard a sailing ship at sea than anywhere. And lastly, it is a story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit.

Share some of your writing goals. What’s next for you?

I’d like to be able to keep having adventures, and to write about them. I would hope that my writing could make a difference in peoples lives. I particularly hope for that end with my children’s book, When This Is Over, I Will Go to School, And I Will Learn To Read; A Story of Hope and Friendship for One young Kenyan Orphan. It was illustrated by the children from the tiny village where I worked and lived. And all the proceeds from the sale of the book are promised back to those children. They trust me, and they wait. My non-fictiction book Muzungu details this recent months long adventure living and working in a hospital, mobile clinic and orphan feeding program in Kenya. Right now I am actively marketing these books, while simultaneously working on my next two projects; a collection of vignettes about the introspective passage of a girl through the various stages of her life, and a children’s book about make believe.

Writers are very often avid readers. What’s the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

I love to read. I’ve read almost all the writers of my experience, the best from the 60′s and 70′s – Vonnegut, Kerouac, Kesey, Salinger and the like. Today I find myself happily lost in the works of Barbara Kingsolver, Annie Lamont, Ann Patchett and their ilk. I still read the classics, of course. Have read Moby Dick too many times to count, and am re-reading Jack London’s Martin Eden right now.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Everything! Travel, have adventures, meet interesting people, be with my family – my favorite people on the planet, my best friends, actually. Live!

Where can we learn more about you?

There is a pretty comprehensive picture of who I am and what I’ve done on my web site, www.pamelasismanbitterman.com. Links to purchasing all my books can be found there, as well as links to poignant book trailers for all three. I highly recommend watching these! They provide the very tactile and emotional aspect to the stories.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you for this opportunity! I would greatly appreciate hearing any feedback from visitors to either your site or mine, or readers of my work! Again, thank you. This has been a pleasure.

Books by Pamela Bitterman:

• Sailing to the Far Horizon: The Restless Journey and Tragic Sinking of a Tall Ship
• Muzungu
• When This Is Over, I Will Go To School, And I Will Learn To Read

John Banks was born and raised in Asheville, NC.  He attended college in Greensboro, NC, and still resides there with his wife, Margaret.  For many years, he taught in the public schools and in community colleges, and was later the Director of an adult-education program, experiences which greatly inform Glorify Each Day. 

Enjoy this interview.

Tell us about your latest book.  What do you hope readers take away from it?

Glorify Each Day is what I consider to be a modern-day fable about how Americans, and maybe all people, have this pent-up anger and this penchant for violence.  I call it a fable because I think the whole tone of the book is a bit over-the-top and exaggerated for effect.  There are a lot of satirical elements in it.  But it also has a serious side, too, where things become very down-to-earth and nitty-gritty.  In a nutshell, the story is about Tommy, who has some deep-seated anger issues, and his coming to grips with his past misdeeds.  I think it has a nice love story, too, between Tommy and Cait, even though you learn early on that their relationship no longer exists.  That’s the main thing that Tommy is trying to come to grips with.  What I hope a reader takes away from the book is the feeling that they have just been immersed in a very captivating story that made them laugh, and made them cry, and made them think a little bit about human nature and the human condition and a little more specifically about America and the kind of country we live in.

Book you’re currently reading?

No fiction.  I’m reading the journals of Lewis and Clark and some old histories of Texas and South Carolina.

Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, how did you get past it? If not, why not?

I don’t know.   That’s an interesting subject.  I tend to think that it doesn’t exist on a clinical level, but I probably shouldn’t be so cynical – if someone says they have writer’s block, then who am I to argue with them?  If someone told me that they were depressed it would be extremely unsympathetic and callous of me to tell them otherwise.  Writing can be a very frustrating experience.  But the cynical side of me wants to say, “If it’s so frustrating and hard for you to write, then why are you writing?”  We all have self-doubts and run into roadblocks that we have to work through, whether it’s trying to think of the right word or the right image or whatever.  I would put those things in the category of an occupational hazard.  In my own case, I once abandoned a novel I had started, and I’ve never really been clear as to the reasons why that novel didn’t work out.  But I remember it as a very frustrating experience.  I would have good days when the writing would flow and other days when nothing would come.  That certainly sounds like writer’s block, doesn’t it? But I see it as a combination of things – not having a clear idea of what I wanted to say, not being able to look beyond myself and my own experience, or, what’s most likely, I just didn’t have anything very interesting to say at the time.  Is it writer’s block if you want to write but feel like you have nothing to say?

I think people who feel compelled to write and who really love writing have the opposite problem – they have diarrhea of the pen.  You can’t shut them up.  So if someone like that suddenly finds himself unable to write anything, then yeah, there must be some kind of psychological block going on there.  I find it interesting, though, that there is this thing called writer’s block but yet you never hear of anyone suffering from painter’s block or musician’s block.  Are there painters out there who suddenly can’t find the right colors or a jazz musician who inexplicably can’t jam over the changes?  I think that’s because we take our ability to write for granted.  Not everyone is compelled to paint or play music.  No one forces you to put up an easel or pick up a saxophone.  But everyone is taught how to write.  It’s a fundamental part of being an educated person.  Not everyone likes to write, but everyone who does fairly well in school feels like they know how to write.  So if you decide you want to try to write a novel, then you feel like you should be able to do it if you try hard enough.  So maybe that’s why writers feel like there must be something wrong with them if they’re having trouble expressing themselves.  It comes from our educational system.  If we made saxophone-playing compulsory from age five, and were told that we were dummies if we didn’t dig Coltrane, then I bet we would have a lot more frustrated jazzers out there.

Where can we learn more about you?

Go to my website at www.819publishing.com/.  Or google “Glorify Each Day” and read what people have said about the novel.

Tish Boy is an author from the Bronx. She wrote her first series of short stories as a school project at the age of nine, and realized she had a passion for it. Her craft was honed in an unlikely place, the New York State Department of Corrections where she was housed for 16 years.

Enjoy this interview.

Tell us about your latest book. What do you hope readers take away from it?

My novel Heads or Tails? Geminis Don’t Choose is the story of Anexus-Jade Pearson, an attractive, charismatic Gemini who enjoys the pleasures of an almost idyllic life consisting of a devoted lover of three years named Smiley; good friends, a loving family and a good job. But sometimes all isn’t enough. A chance business meeting sparked the flame that provoked the never satisfied, self-centered, conniving being that resides at her core, which belies her loving nature. A clear portrait of the battles within Anexus- Jade’s mind is painted. As the plot unfolds readers will either love or hate the Gemini vixen. In this novel it’s her will, her way, and she doesn’t care who likes it. There is no middle ground as Anexus-Jade turns sex, and manipulation into an art form.

I hope after reading my book people become more open minded when it comes to erotic fiction. Although Heads or Tails? Geminis Don’t Choose has high sexual content, the underlining theme weaved into the novel is about supportive friendships and family.

What’s the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

I read everything from canonical works, historical, urban, autobiographical to horror books. However, there is a book that I read years ago that did not have an ending called In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien. It is one of the most disturbing and memorable books I have ever read, and he cleverly left his readers hanging at the end, a style that I have seen unsuccessfully imitated for the most part.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

When I am not writing I like to spend time with my nephew, research social media strategies, study real estate, exercise and listen to music. Music happens to be my first love. A CD will be accompanying the next novel I plan to release entitled, The Coming of Age: A Different Type of Love Story.

Where can we learn more about you?

You can learn more about me via my website http://www.therealtish.com/; Twitter @allabouttish, Facebook; Tish the Author on Youtube; tishtheauthor.tumblr.com.

Anything else you’d like to add?

All my novels have classic themes, with unpredictable outcomes: The Coming of Age A Different Type of Love Story is about love found in an unlikely place; Virgos’ Vengeance, the sequel to Heads or Tails? Geminis Don’t’ Choose, is about the bitter sweet act of vengeance. And the novel that took me four years to write, I Once Was a Little Girl I Just Forgot When contains the classic good girl meets bad boy story line. I have contributed to publications for the Center for Law and Justice Inc., and Al Sharpton’s National Action Network’s newsletter.

More on Writing Erotic Fiction:

• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Erotic Romance
• Passionate Ink: A Guide to Writing Erotic Romance
• The Good Parts: The Best Erotic Writing in Modern Fiction