BLOG TOUR

Yesterday, Kathryn Elizabeth Jones tagged me for this blog tour. You can see her blog at  http://idea-creations.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-are-you-writing-now-blog-hop.html

I answered all of the questions that I had an answer for, but as you will noticed I did skip some of the questions.

1)    What is the working title of your next book? My next book is already at the printers and it is called, The Crusaders From Warwick Castle, but the book that I am actually working on right now is, Friends For A Season.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book? My idea for The Crusaders From Warwick Castle came when I traveled to the Warwick Castle in England. One of my great grandfather’s was one of the Earl’s of that castle. I also visited the Tower of London where he was a prisoner. The idea for my next book, Friends For A Season came to me while I was attending a family reunion in Virginia celebrating the life of our ancestors who came from France so they could practice their Huguenot religion. I love history and find myself writing about the things that happened to people related to me.

3) What genre does your book fall under? Historic Fiction for Young Adults

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I have my books published by Idea Creations Press

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript? It took me most of the month of November (NaNoWriMo) several years ago for me to write my first draft. It was then a long process to do the edits.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book? I was inspired by the stories of my ancestors.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest? I love studying about other cultures and have included some of those cultures in my next book – Gypsies, Jews, and Native Americans.

11) When you find yourself feeling lazy or ‘blocked’, how do you force yourself to get past it? Nothing can make me get past the feeling lazy phase. Sometimes it lasts only a short while and other times it can go on forever. I don’t usually have a problem with what to write. Instead, my problem is the time to write. I many times let life get in the way of my writing. I have no answer for that problem.

12) Where do you find your inspiration? How do you overcome writer’s block? Inspiration comes from all around me. I love history and enjoy reading about someone, or some place. I always want to know more of the story. That’s why I write. I don’t get writer’s block. My computer is full of ideas and so is my head. Sometimes I have trouble trying to express myself in a clear manner and that can take me hours to make the sentence flow correct.

13) What’s the one piece of advice you would give a new writer? Take classes and go to workshops, or conferences to learn the craft. Listen to others, but also go with your own instincts. Everyone out there has a different idea about how to write. Not all of those ideas work for everyone. 

14) 1. Which author inspired you to become a writer? I cannot pinpoint one particular author that inspired me. I have several books that I love, but a different person wrote each of them.  2. How do you choose the subjects of your books? I write about what I love and that is history.

15) What is your daily writing schedule? I wish I could say I have a daily writing schedule. I’m big on time management, but writing is not my life. Writing is something I do for pleasure. On my time management schedule, writing is not at the top of the list. The necessary things of life – family and church are at the top. Next is my job, and duties at home. I don’t have to earn a living with my writing. To me, writing should be fun.

16) How did you find the courage to let people see your personal inner thoughts? I still don’t let people see most of my personal inner thoughts. My writing is about things I love, but not my personal thoughts.

17) How frequently do you write (hours per day or whatever)? When my computer is working, I do write most days. However, since I work out of the home and I am active in my church sometimes there are no spare minutes to write. I don’t freak out over that. I don’t hate myself when I don’t write. How many drafts do you work through before you are satisfied? I have never counted my drafts. I work on the story until it sounds good. Next, I send it on for someone else to read. When they send it back to me, I work on corrections and answering questions about the story. I stop working on it when I am satisfied with the way it sounds. Then I send it off to the publisher. What is most difficult to write about, and why? I have never had a difficult time writing. Usually if someone gives me, a topic to write about I can think of something to write. Do women writers face any different challenges than men? In our day, I don’t think they have challenges any different from men. Both women and men are accepted in the writing world.

Thanks Kathy for encouraging me to do this. It's not always easy for me to talk about myself.

 

 

SON OF LIBERTY

 

 

This story is a direct result of Daron's recent quest to learn more about the Founding Fathers and the events that led up to the American Revolution—incredibly inspiring stories that he had never heard of before: The Loyal Nine, the Culper Spy Ring, and the Sons of Liberty, for example. Although not directly connected to any of those events, in Son of Liberty he gave a nod of appreciation for some of the heroes and symbols of that day.

I like the cover and it will draw many people's attention.

This book by Daron D. Fraley is amazing. He is a fantastic writer. I love the descriptions that he gave in the book. It flowed from the very beginning and made me want to keep turning the pages. I loved the story he was telling. Then it ended. I wanted more before the last chapter. I didn't want it to end the way it did. His characters were likeable and I wanted to know them and watch them as they continued to help other people.

I wish the story was longer and that he had continued a little longer. The story was intiguing and one I would like to have kept reading. I was ready to give the book to my 14-year-old grandson because I thought it was something he would love, but then I didn't want to see him disappointed when it ended so abruptly.

Athena is the fourth book in a series about a group of women who join a book club in Newport Beach, California. They each join the book club for different reasons, and each come from a different cultural background as well as a different religion. This fourth book was written by Heather B. Moore.

You can read the books in any order or you can read just one of them, but if you only read one you are missing out on a group of great books. Since each book is written from the view point of a different person you find out how things really are with each of the women, and not just what seems to be going on in their life.  

 

The first book is about Olivia (41, married, four children, do-it-all homemaker who has lost her identity in serving everyone else). Next you meet Daisy (46, works full-time, in her 3^rd marriage, is about to finally enjoy the empty nest when her life is turned upside down). Then you learn about Paige (25, divorced with 2 kids, looking for a new start in life and love). The fourth book is about Athena (32, single, workaholic, is afraid to open her heart to love and friendship).

Reading the Newport series has helped me take a look at my own life and my friends. As I read each story I saw each woman show true compassion to each other. None of the ladies had an easy life, they all had their own challenges. Life was not easy for any of them.

 

Heather wrote a delightful book and it didn't take me long to relate to Athena and her many challenges. Once a person is hurt they are reluctant to put their heart out there again. Athena had a difficult time. It isn't easy juggling demands of an ailing parent and on top of that she was running her own business.

 

All of the books in this series made me realize that we as women should be slow to judge because no one knows what is really going on in someone else’s life. We should treat each other with more kindness. It might be your one act of kindness that makes a difference in someone’s life.

 

Thank you Heather for such a wonderful story.

 

Book Signing

I had my first book signing for Mary's Spyglass on Saturday, September 8th. I had a patriotic/pirate party and sold over 50 books. There was a drawing for a free book and the winner was Kimberly Shelley. I remember talking with her at the book signing. She is the daughter of Rebecca Shelley (an author) and she herself is also a writer. There was much excitement last night when I delivered her book.

At my book signing I had many people help me and some of them dressed the part.

This is my son Brian and his girlfriend Sharon. Below is a picture of Sharon and her daughter.

My daughter Annette also dressed the part (wench). She was in charge of the food and had made a pirate ship from a watermellon. There were lots of games and everyone said how much fun they had at the party.

I am planning other book signing parties, so look for information of the upcoming events.

Coming September 2012

 

 

 

Paige – The Newport Ladies Book Club by Annette Lyon.

This is the third book in a series of four stand-alone books, by four different authors. They are all from the same time period and the same book club meetings. But only with reading all 4 books, will you learn the whole story of each of the women.

 It took me until this time to realize that although I had read about Paige I didn’t have a clue what was really going on in her life. Then I thought back to the other two books – Olivia and Daisy. Reading those books brought a deeper understand about each of them. While reading these books I have met the women from the book club, the way I meet those women at my book club meetings. Reading about the same incident from one women’s point of view is way different than from someone else’s point of view. We can be at the same meeting and what happens in our eyes is different than what the other person sees.

When I read Olivia I discovered that on the outside she was a perfect wife and mother, but somehow along the way she had forgot to develop her own identity. At first glance Olivia thought that Daisy’s clothes were creased in the right places, Athena had a look of togetherness about her, and Paige was young and sweet looking.

 Then when I read Daisy she thought that Livvy (Olivia) was close to her own age, but she seemed flustered. Paige was very young and seemed a little overwhelmed, and Daisy envied her athletic body, but Daisy had a distinct impression that Athena didn’t like being put on the spot. Reading these three books I have found that there is more to Daisy and Paige than Olivia first saw.  

 When Paige attended the first book club meeting she felt very insecure. Athena seemed to be a confident woman, Daisy was also confident and wore tailored clothing, and Livvy had a masklike smile and Paige felt that Livvy was holding in her emotions and might crack if she did anything more than maintain a polite demeanor.

 Paige with Nathan her three year old son, and Shawn who was six, fled to Newport, California to escape the people in Utah after her divorce from an unfaithful husband. Things are not easy for her. She finds a job which helps financially, but it’s the friends from the book club who help her realize how strong she is and who giver her support to carry on as she faces the challenges of being a single mom.

 This is a great book and I’m sure everyone will enjoy reading about Paige as she wonders if she can ever trust a man or love again. She learns that healing from the past requires more than a change of address.

Daisy – The Newport Ladies Book Club by Josi S. Kilpack

This is one of four stand-alone books, by four different authors. You will be able to participate in a virtual book club that features recommendations and discussion guides.


The back cover says - Motherhood is not for the faint of heart. And no one knows that better than Daisy. Raising two kids as a divorced, single mom, Daisy has faced each and every one of the obstacles in her life with courage and determination.

Now with her oldest daughter ready to have a baby of her own, her youngest daughter ready to graduate from high school, and her new husband, Paul ready to embrace the life of an empty-nester, Daisy feels like she might finally be able to check motherhood off her list of things to do.

Except life often has a mind of its own. When, at the age of forty-six, Daisy suddenly finds herself facing a very different future than the one she had planned, and an uncomfortable evaluation of the past she thought she understood, she realizes that there is still some growing up she needs to do.

Looking for a distraction to escape the growing tension at home, Daisy joins the Newport Ladies Book Club, where she meets Paige, Athena, and Olivia – unlikely friends who offer encouragement and support when Daisy’s perfectly crafted life is turned upside-down.

Now for my review - This is a book that everyone should read just for fun even if you didn’t read Olivia. Of course, if you didn’t you will want to get it and read because it's a good book. No, you don’t have to read it to know what is going on in this book, but you probably will want to keep up with what is going on in all the women’s lives. They will become your best friends and you will want to know what each of them is doing.

Daisy is entertaining, and has many twists and turns. Just as you think you know what is going to happen to Daisy something new transpires. Her life is a roller coaster and surprises are around every corner. Believe me when I say that when you are positive you have the plot figured out, things will change. The ending was not what I expected. Daisy is an amazing character and a friend indeed. You really won’t want to miss this second book in the Newport Ladies Book Club series. I cried, I laughed. I even got angry with Daisy, as well as her children and mother. They were all real to me and many times they each deserved a good scolding.

The next book in the series, Paige will be out this coming August. I can hardly wait to read it because I know that Annette Lyon will have an endearing character for us to read about. I already like Paige because of her encounters with Olivia and Daisy. What a great group of ladies they have turned out to be. If I didn’t already belong to a book club I would organize one right away.