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All posts for the month July, 2012

Author Interview: Reba Ponder Weiss

Published July 14, 2012 by jnaomiay

Today I am sitting on the front porch, drinking a glass of iced peach tea, gazing at the wisteria and chatting with my friend Reba Ponder Weiss who has just released her first book THIS I KNOW: Sarah’s Confession.

Naomi: Let’s start with just a brief synopsis of your book.  In 20 words or less, tell me what it is about.

Reba: THIS I KNOW: Sarah’s Confession, explores the ageless question—What does faith look like when refined by extreme circumstances?

Naomi: You’re entitled to one more word.  Do you want to add anything?

Reba: No.

Naomi: Perfect. That makes 20.  Now tell me, who is your favorite character and why? You can use more than 20 words from here on out.

Reba: My favorite character has to be Clyde.  I love writing about people who are “abnormal” in some way.  Heck, there is no limit to what they can do.  They can paint their face purple and wear a bucket on their head—it’s okay, cause they are capable of anything.  If a character is “normal” you are constrained to what a normal person would do.  That’s just not as much fun.

Naomi:  I agree with you completely.  I love abnormal people too.  What was the hardest part about writing your book?

Reba:  It has to be the edits.  I poured the manuscript out in about three months, but it took almost triple that time to proof.  Seven people read my book before I sent it to a professional proofer.  Each time someone found errors.  I thought, hey, after this many proofs its gotta be perfect, but then I read it again.  There were still errors (granted they were just typos or comma stuff).  Even the last day, right before I uploaded the book to CreateSpace, I noticed a word capitalized that didn’t need to be.  Stephen Spielberg always says, “A film is never released, it just escapes.” That is true with a book too.  I could have tweaked this or improved that…till the cows came home.

Naomi: That’s an excellent quote and so true, especially with commas.  Those little buggers just don’t want to stay put.  They drop out of sentences and then they pop up again where they shouldn’t be at all.  I vote to just eliminate them altogether.  Who’s with me?   Anybody?   Alright, back to Reba.  What was the easiest part about writing your book?

Reba:  Deciding what to write about.  I draw inspiration from my Southern roots and lifelong nightmares.  Years of vivid dreams are kept in a personal journal, full of hand written notes and sketches, detailing the hours in the night when my mind seems to take its own little road trip.  THIS I KNOW: Sarah’s Confession is a spine chilling, and sometimes disturbing, paranormal thriller based on one of those journeys…which began when consciousness ended.

Naomi:  Oh my!  Have you talked to anyone about this?

Reba:  I wrote a book.

Naomi:  Oh.  Right.  What’s the ugliest thing in your closet?

Reba:  Well that’s a hard thing to choose.  It could be that grotesque demon lurking under mismatched shoes and a pile of dirty laundry.  He waits there silently in the shadows for me to walk by without the light on.  Or, it could be that red dress I wore ten years ago.  It hangs there all innocent reminding me I use to be two sizes smaller.  That dress has some nerve.

Naomi:  I’m with you there. Demons I can handle.  Reminders of a smaller size send me into a tailspin.  What’s in the bottom of your purse, backpack, attaché or whatever you carry?

Reba:  A thumb drive of course, you’re such a silly girl.  Every author worth their weight has a thumb drive with an adobe and Word copy of her book, a bio picture, a book summary and a JPEG of the book cover!  Everybody knows that!

Naomi:  A thumb drive?  Honey, that is so 2011.  I just whip out the old iPhone, bring up my author page and thrust my reviews into the perfect stranger’s face.  When you wrote your book, who was the first person you told and how did they respond?

Reba:  I told everyone who had ears on the side of their head.  Yep, you couldn’t shut me up.  I told my husband, all my close friends, friends I hadn’t talk to in years, the neighbors and even a guy in Wal-mart.  Yep, I think everyone knows except my boss.  He doesn’t need to know.  They all responded the same—that Reba, she has an idea in her head, so stand back while she makes it happen!

Naomi:  That’s awesome, Reba and you did write a great book.  Good luck to you!

To find Reba and her book THIS I KNOW: Sarah’s Confession online check out

Website:  www.rebaponderweiss.com

There you can watch an exciting Video Book Trailer and you can also see it on YouTube at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ4NK1vit60&feature=plcp

Amazon Paperback Page: http://www.amazon.com/this-I-know-Sarahs-Confession/dp/1475203462/

Amazon Kindle Page: http://www.amazon.com/this-know-Sarahs-Confession-ebook/dp/B008FHF1TK/

Blog:  http://rebaponderweiss.wordpress.com/

Pintrest: http://pinterest.com/RebaPonderWeiss/

Twitter:  @RebaPonderWeiss

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ThisIKnowSarahsConfession

Author Interview: BC Brown

Published July 12, 2012 by jnaomiay

Today I am pleased to be speaking with author BC Brown whose moto is “Because Weird is Good.”  

BC has written A Touch of Darkness, An Abigail St. Michael Novel.

Abigail St. Michael, a former cop, has joined the recently growing ranks of metaphysicals, individuals with abilities outside that of normal human nature. When a murderer stalks her town killing children, Abbey uses her ability of touch clairvoyance to hunt him down. Her only roadblock is that her murderer seems to have his own unique talent, the ability to ‘wipe’ his victims and their surroundings of any metaphysical energy. With little physical evidence and no supernatural evidence, Abbey is forced to rely on instinct and luck to solve the case. However both Abbey’s luck and instinct seem to have taken a permanent vacation as the victims keep piling up with the killer’s escalating blood lust. 

Naomi: Wow.  Okay.  Let’s start our interview.

Give me a brief synopsis of your book. In 20 words or less, tell me what it is about.

BC: Love sucks. Add a murderer stalking your town. Oh, yeah, and knowing every detail of your lover’s life because you’re a clairvoyant.

Naomi: That’s actually more than 20 words but I’m not counting.  Actually, I am.  Does “you’re” count as one word or two?  Forget it.  I’ll move on.  Who is your favorite character and why? You can use more than 20 words and I won’t ding you for it.

BC: Abigail St. Michael. She’s one crass c@#$. She doesn’t apologize for who she is, what she has to say, or what she does. And I love her for it.

 Naomi: If this character called you up tomorrow and said, “Hey, let’s go do something.” What and where would you go with them?

BC: Despite being a recluse due to her, ah, difficulties in life, Abbey once loved people watching. I’m sure we’d find ourselves in a public place full of people trying to figure them out. And then we’d probably end up generally disgusted.

 Naomi: Hmm…stay out of bars.  What’s the hardest part about writing your book?

BC: I’m a veritable vixen of the vernacular. Verbose and vivifying. And, oh yeah, me likey the words. A little too much. I struggle with trying to make sure my writing – sometimes overblown and windy – is as concise as possible. Part of me dies when I have to cut physical description or action, internal monologue or external dialogue, because a paragraph rambles. I scrutinize my writing now (having learned from my earliest projects) for purple prose. While I am better, I still need lots of outside help.

Naomi: Somehow I find that hard to believe.  What’s the easiest part?

BC: Dialogue. Me likey the talk-talk. It comes quickly, usually requires little editing (other than typos etc.) afterward, and is the smoothest part of writing the whole damned thing. This includes internal monologue to make abrupt scene/thought changes on my characters’ parts.

 Naomi: If you had to pick one object to represent your story and one color to paint it in, what would it be and why? A purple octopus? An orange hula hoop?

BC: A bloody handprint. Abbey is a clairvoyant with touch activation. Her stories are filled with blood-drenched justice, wrenching emotional development that feels as if she’s drawn blood, and the darker side of human nature. But now I need to write something – anything – with a purple octopus wearing an orange hula hoop.

 Naomi: Do you do anything else besides write and if so what is it?

BC: Karaoke fiend, melodramatic thespian, and frenzied dancer – in no particular order.

Naomi: What’s the ugliest thing in your closet?

BC: Vintage 1976 paisley “hippie” gown, complete with plunging neckline yet stuffy, hot long sleeves. Impractical, hideous, and I love it!

 Naomi: What’s in the bottom of your purse, backpack, attaché or whatever you carry?

BC:  Er, I’m pretty sure it’s melted gummy bears encrusted around deceased highlighters, pens, and markers. There’s at least half a box of crayons, broken and crushed, in there too. I’m a bonafide slob.

 Naomi: I love gummy bears too especially the green ones.  Name one character in your story that is based on a real person and tell us who it is and how they are similar.

BC: Abbey. She is me, for all intensive purposes. Her reactions to people, her whiplash thinking, are all based one hundred percent on how I react to situations, comments, every day life. The only differences between us are that Abbey is six foot one, black, Christian, and a psychic. Those very minor differences aside, she is me.

 Naomi: What’s your favorite game? Would your favorite character play it and be any good at it?

BC: Clue. Love it, adore it, can’t get enough of it. Own nearly every version of it, and I’ve recently acquired the FX version. It’s a little different and fun as all get-out! Abbey would probably be good at it. She was a cop at one point, after all. But I don’t think she’d have the patience for it. It would be too limited in options. Besides, Abbey prefers her games more visually stimulating. She’s a video game junkie.

 Naomi: Did you ever wonder if you were a little crazy for writing fantasy?

BC: Every second of every day. Especially when it seems like I could be like other writers, churning out 3-4 romance books a year and reaping the house-wife royalties market. Logically, I know that isn’t true. But it sometimes feels like it.

 Naomi: Did your friends ever wonder the same thing?

BC: Some do, some don’t. I have one author-friend in particular who would like to see me write things that were more “poignant” or “less pop-y”. Kid you not, those were words uttered to me. But I like mysteries with a hint of romance, and I like most paranormal themed books. (Yuck. No more vamps or shifters please.) So I enjoy what I write. Other writer-friends support me no matter what I chose to write.

 Naomi: When you wrote your book, who was the first person you told and how did they respond?

BC: My (then) husband (now ex). Total lack of support. Well, I can’t say that entirely. He gave me the time and space needed to write, never complained about me doing it, and quietly listened to me prattle on and on about plots, subplots, and editing woes. He also didn’t share my enthusiasm, asked me to stop talking about my book so often, and didn’t contribute. Neither did he help me celebrate my first publishing. So I turned to my dad – my biggest fan and most patient ear. It’s been smooth sailing since (dumping the ex) then. 

Naomi: Wow.  What a concept.  Dump the husband in favor of the book.  I need to think about this.  While I’m pondering that important question, you can find BC and her book online at:

Blog: www.bcbrownbooks.blogspot.com
Facebook.com/BCBrownWrites
Twitter: @BCBrownBooks
Goodreads.com/bcbrownbooks
Amazon.com/author/bcbrown

Up next: Golden’s Quest

Published July 7, 2012 by jnaomiay

Coming Sept 2012, this will be the first of the sequel series The Rehnorian Sun.  A hint:  Ensign Steven Golden has just been commissioned in the Imperial SpaceNavy and assigned to the nastiest squad leader in the entire force, LCDR Marik Korelesk.

Following that, Book 2 in the Journey to Rehnor series December 2012. 

Just released: The New Planet

Published July 7, 2012 by jnaomiay

 

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Book 1 in the prequel series Journey to Rehnor is set a thousand years before The Two Moons of Rehnor series and begins with the destruction of the planet Rozari. The Duke of Shrotru’s family escapes in the nick of time and watches the nuclear detonations from the safety of their spaceship. They must now spend a year traveling across the stars only to land on the undeveloped planet Rehnor. Here they learn to live in mud huts without electricity, running water, cell phones or video game systems. The challenges are many but they’ll have a little help along the way.

Available on Amazon for kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008I3AIVW

or Smashwords for everybody else https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/179667

Featured Author Interview: Sherri Rabinowitz

Published July 7, 2012 by jnaomiay

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Sherri Rabinowitz, author of Fantasy Time Inc, a fantasy novel about a travel agency that focuses on time travel rather than 3 day cruises to the Bahamas.

Naomi: Let’s start with just a brief synopsis of your book.  In 20 words or less, tell me what it is about?

Sherri: It’s a fun story not only of time travel and adventure but of romance. There are three romantic couples here.

Naomi:  Sort of like The Love Boat but no boat?

Sherri:  Well, yes.

Naomi:  If you had to pick one object to represent your story and one color to paint it in, what would it be and why?  A purple octopus?  An orange hula hoop?

Sherri:  I think a big red heart.

Naomi:  I see.  The love theme…so  what’s in the bottom of your purse, backpack, attaché or whatever you carry?

Sherri:  Why?

Naomi:  Just a weird fascination of mine.  Run with it.

Sherri:  Ok.  Change. I throw it in my purse where ever I go.

Naomi: Name one character in your story that is based on a real person and tell us who it is and how they are similar.

Sherri:  Dr. Anne Ross is based on a real person. Me, no she is not like me, she is my fantasy of what I would have to been like if I lived in the future, became an anthropologist. The only thing that is really like me is that we both worked in the travel industry but she lives in the future and they book people to the past. She is also prettier and more exciting then I am.

Naomi:  Did you ever wonder if you were a little crazy for writing fantasy?

Sherri:  Yes, when I am working on something and I talk to myself. I read it out loud so I can make sure the characters are real and they speak the way people do. I listen to other people a lot to pick up how dialog goes in a normal conversation. So I know I sound like I’m nuts having these deep emotional conversations out loud.

Naomi:  Did your friends ever wonder the same thing?

Sherri:  Yes, absolutely!  They got used to it, I was an actress when I was younger acting out my parts alone in my room. So now I do it with the characters that I created.

Naomi:  Hmm…have you thought about seeing somebody for your condition?  Forget that.  Next question:  When you wrote your book, who was the first person you told and how did they respond?

Sherri:  My Mom and brother and they loved the idea and the book. At the time I was in my first blocked period. I had never been blocked, when my Dad passed away I couldn’t write so that I had broken the block and I was halfway through my book was a joyful thing to us all.

Naomi:  I hear ya.  Been there done that and it wasn’t pretty.  Anyway, thank you very much for being my guest today.

Sherri’s book Fantasy Time Inc is nominated for the Global Ebook Awards in speculative contemporary fantasy fiction.  You can find her book online at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fantasy-time-inc-sherri-rabinowitz/1022333494

and you can visit Sherri’s website here:  http://www.rithebard.com

Coming soon, very, very soon…

Published July 6, 2012 by jnaomiay

Journey to Rehnor, Book 1, The New Planet.

Set a thousand years before The Two Moons of Rehnor series, the Journey to Rehnor begins with the destruction of the planet Rozari.  The Duke of Shrotru’s family escapes in the nick of time and watches the nuclear detonations from the safety of their spaceship.  They must now spend a year traveling across the stars only to land on the undeveloped planet Rehnor.  Here they learn to live in mud huts without electricity, running water, cell phones or video game systems.  The challenges are many but they’ll  have a little help along the way.

It’s Summer-Winter Sale over at Smashwords

Published July 1, 2012 by jnaomiay

and The Two Moons of Rehnor series is participating.   Start reading the series and get The Boy who Lit up the Sky at 50% off during the month of July.  My Enemy’s Son is also 50% off  and Of Blood & Angels is each 25% off.  Coupon codes are: SSW50 for The Boy and My Enemy, SSW25 for Of Blood.