Interview With Roberta J Gordon @GeminiWitching

Roberta J Gordon

 

When did you start writing and what inspired you to start?

I hadn’t planned on writing.  A couple of years ago, it struck me out of the blue.  I know I’m strange, but I see things like a story board.  I saw this scene in my mind and I just happened to write it down out of boredom during a road trip.

 

Talk about  Gemini Witching:  Elements 101

 Gemini Witching:  Elements 101 was first released as an e-book May 2012.  I was invited to a book signing back in March of this year and decided to push for the print copy.  So with additional edits I was able to re-release in February 2013.  It is also published the Audio book version at Audible.

 

How did you come up with the title?

I think it made itself.  Like the book, at times, I have no idea who even wrote it!

 

Who are some of the authors you particularly admire or who’ve had some influence on your own writing?

 For many years I’d gotten away from reading.  As my children were entering grade school, we found Harry Potter. Where would many in the paranormal groups be without JK Rowling?  So I credit her for breathing life back into my imagination.  I went from there to the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyers.  But I’m not completely entrenched in Paranormal.  I’ve enjoyed mystery by JA Jance & Rebecca Forster, extreme humor with Janet Evanovich and wait patiently for Diana Gabaldon’s next installment of the Outlander series.

When I got to the truly “grown-up” realm of paranormal I discovered Charlaine Harris, Laurel K Hamilton (both with ties to Arkansas) and then discovered Sherrilyn Kenyon, JR Ward, Lara Adrian, Larrisa Ione, Elisabeth Naughton and of late I can’t get enough of Lilliana Hart (a neighbor over in Texas).   Since I entered the arena of independent published authors I’ve come to know not only the ladies I mention below as being part of my support system, but others such as Charity Parkerson, Meggan Connors and Tess Mallory.

I find that each book I read and other authors that I meet that I cannot ignore the influence they may have directly or indirectly.  I find my imagination soars with every piece I read, hand I shake or silly stories we share behind the scenes.  They are amazing people!

 

What is your favorite book by another author?

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

 

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

I have a very twisted sense of humor.  I love when someone takes something so every day and makes it their own with a sense of humor and sass.  I’ve listed Ione, Naughton, Adrian, Ward, Kenyon, Harris and several others above.  A few of which who have been around for several years.  Hart is one of my latest discoveries as well as ME Franco, and then ME Franco led me to Jeaniene Frost (If you like vampires and paranormal, these ladies rock)

I had no idea what steam punk was until I read my friend Meggan Connors “Jesse’s War” and was fascinated with the amount of details one has to research and then go the distance with creating new worlds with that genre.  I’ve signed up for several groups that spot lights other authors and click on all of the FREE downloads I can.  So I discover new authors daily.  When one really strikes a chord with me, I become a sponge soaking up everything they’ve written.

 

 

You can purchase  Gemini Witching:  Elements 101 through our bookstore.

And connect with Roberta on Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Interview with @JL_Chalfant

J L Chalfant

When did you start writing and what inspired you to start? 

 

I began writing before I could spell. I remember trying to make letters followed by a jumble of words I would eventually turn into nonsensical sentences. And, I was the only human being on the planet who could read what I wrote. However, when my mother discovered I’d been scribbling all over her stenographer’s pad, rather than get angry, she guided me to tell her what I had written, and wanting to please, I revealed the secret meanings of my nonsensical sentences. Mother pretended she could read what I’d written (yes, she worked some as a secretary before finishing her education degree.) The older I get, the more appreciative I become. If Mother had scolded me I might not be writing today. Interesting to me, when she passed in 1999, I found that steno pad in one of her boxes of keepsakes. Naturally I have that pad today. Now and again I try to remember what the nonsensical sentences had meant. But I can only decipher four words: i lv moMy.

 

As I grew older and learned how to write, my father’s acting career inspired me (yes, I was still writing on steno pads.) My father acted in lots of plays when we lived in California, and I listened to him rehearsing his lines. By the time I was in the fifth grade I wrote, directed and forced my little brothers to play parts, I played the third part. We performed in the made-over stage in the family room. By my sixth grade year, my teacher, Mrs. Pearl, and with the aid of other teachers, got permission for all the sixth grade classes at my elementary school in Odessa, Texas to perform one of the many plays in my playbook (I’d written several by now.) This play was based on George Washington and the American Revolution that all sixth graders had actually been studying. The play was about a sixth grade girl who yawned at studying American history, especially the Revolutionary War. Worse, she struggles with memorizing all the dates, names and facts. Then one night, and before the girl flunks her history exam, she has a dream that America’s first president visits her, and this dream occurs three nights in a row, a spin on a famous story: The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Naturally she discovers the importance, and fun of history and the fun that can come from studying about the American Revolution. Even better, she likes the idea of getting an A+ on her history quiz. She also gains a new respect and admiration for George Washington. I bet you’re thinking that I cast myself in the lead role of the girl who dreams but you’d be wrong.  As a side note: not only was I the writer, I chose the cast, stage crew, directed and acted. Bet you can’t guess which part I wanted. You can find out the answer on my website blog at: www.jlchalfant.com

Talk about Pohoi and Comanche Spirit Power

 

Pohoi and Comanche Spirit Power is a Native American tale about a young Comanche woman and the consequences of her quest for Spirit Power. Set in the spring of 1860 within the Llano Estacado Pohoi’s story weaves themes of tradition, forgiveness, tolerance and harmony into a unique historical that opens a doorway into the captivating culture of the Kwahadi (Antelope Eaters) Comanche, showing how far one young woman will go to save her people and her family—and the lessons learned when she realizes her true battle may be where she least expected.

 

Pohoi and Comanche Spirit Power is on the market now, having been released in April of 2013, and can be purchased through your favorite book retailer or online store: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iUniverse bookstore, and many other online sites.

 

The inspiration for the story happens to come from my genealogical research into the Native American culture on my father’s side of the family. Genealogy is one of my hobbies; however, the indigenous cultures in my distant, and sometimes, recent ancestral line interest me most. As I develop story-ideas for the novels I write, I first examine then research the culture, focusing the overall themes around their spirituality and how that belief system might or might not affect daily and life decision-making. Afterwards, if I can link my story-idea to interesting, even controversial and true events from the past that are relevant to today, I’ll frame the story inside the event, as in this present book where I built a story around true events occurring in 1860, mainly toward the last quarter, October – December of that same year.

 

I recreated the historical setting and conflicts between Comanche, Texans and Federal Soldiers as close to historically accurate as is possible using fictional characters who are acting out a set of fictional story events. I’ve also worked to portray the cultural belief-system in spirit power, type and style of clothing, food, war regalia, culture in general, etc., of the pre-reservation Kwahadi Comanche (much of which isn’t known.) The best historical documentation comes from the Kwahadi Comanche who surrendered to soldiers after 1875, and whose information was put into book form during the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century (see bibliography at end of the novel.) In addition, and during the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Comanche elders living in, and around Lawton, OK happily shared oral stories passed to them from their parents and grandparents. Much of this valuable information has been documented. Sadly, more elders are passing away and any stories or information not recorded will be lost. If in some way I’ve managed to save a bit of history not yet recorded, then I will feel I’ve done my small part at keeping alive the memory and culture of a still great people and important culture.

 

 

How did you come up with the title?

 

Originally, I had written three versions of the present story between 1997 and 1999; all three versions were geared to be Y-A’s or what is known as Young Adult novels. The story was originally named Dream Walkers then I changed it to Spirit Walkers, and later Who Are My People, and once again, back to Spirit Walkers to be a series called: Those Who Walk Between. Naturally, when I decided to pull out this story I had to totally rewrite it, plus do much more research as the story structure and theme changed. Something warned me to check the title. And sure enough what books had been written on the subject of spirituality, Native American themes, and overall mysticism, magic, and the supernatural, I discovered an over-use, and over-abundance, of all of it, especially in teen books. Worse for me, all of my titles up to now had been used in some form as a title, sub-title, chapter heading, or within the pages of a stand-alone novel or novel series. Now, for those of you who do not know this, ideas, and titles are not copyrighted. So any title can be over-used, and they are. To get on with it, I fixed the novel, titled it POHOI. I soon found out I needed a better title. How I longed to use Spirit Walkers. My editor said, “You must have a title readers can understand.” I agreed, but I was told I needed to keep the name because it’s about a young Comanche woman named Pohoi. I also had to think of some way to use the word Comanche in the title. After a long, mind-fatiguing trial, that sweet inner voice we all have, said, “Pohoi and Comanche Spirit Power.” So there you have it.

 

Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?

 

Most all stories have message/s derived from the over-arching theme, and/or lesser, often parallel themes. In Pohoi and Comanche Spirit Power I have one main theme and a salting of lesser, but relevant themes that mirror and counter Pohoi as she struggles along her quest. So to say if readers need to grasp a particular message, I say “NO.” I believe the main message will stand out, but that message may not be the message a particular reader chooses to focus on. I prefer that each reader find the message pertinent to where they are in their lives when they read the novel. And, if the same person re-reads the novel down the way, they are quite likely to get something else from the book. I know I do when I re-read my favorite novels.

 

List your favorite quotation or words you live by.

 

“Be a light unto the world … do unto others as you would have them do unto you … as you forgive others, you are forgiven … spirit is breath, remember you cannot breathe yourself alive … there exists something greater that is not seen, nor heard, but felt and experienced … call that something, Love.”

 

Thinking outside the box, if you could do/be/accomplish anything in the world, what would it be?

 

I’d keep being me, a teacher teaching people with words; the writer me who holds the key to the power of the Word that brings healing, peace and love to the world.

 

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

 

I had the joy and honor of growing up in household who loved books. My parents had a well-developed library. From an early age I was told stories, read to then I began to read. Since my family library consisted mostly of classics I gravitated toward stories by Mark Twain and Rudyard Kipling. The adventures they wrote appealed to me and later upon re-reading their works I learned to love their style and descriptions. Much later, I fell in love with William Faulkner’s works, most notable for me is a collection of favorite short stories. The southern story, that’s what I still love, its earthiness, its long sentences that do not shout out “I’m too long,” and most of all, the life that leaps off the page like I’m present and experiencing the story as it is being shown to me.


You can purchase Pohoi and Comanche Spirit Power through our bookstore.

And connect with Janine on  Her website | FacebookGoodreads | PinterestTwitter

 

Interview With Mary Frances Hodges

Mary Frances Hodges

When did you start writing?
I wrote my first short story when I was seven. It was written on the front and back of a 3 X 5 card.

Talk about Miss Mary Margaret Marries A Yankee.

It is based on a true story of the last Union General at Van Buren, Arkansas who eloped with the daughter of a prominent Confederate family. Their love story is told against the background of the last year of the Civil War in Arkansas. Mary Margaret, known as Maggie to her friends is conflicted between the love for this man, who was considered by most to be an enemy, and her belief in the Confederacy. Maggie tells their story in the first person with humor and insight after forty years of marriage. Book 2 is available now and book 3 will be published later this year.

Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?

I want adults to understand that there is more than one way to learn Arkansas History.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Many people in the South, even today, hold a lot of resentment over the fact that the South lost the Civil War.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Making sure it was historically accurate.

What are your favorite quotation or words you live by?

Fear not, I go before you always. – Christian Hymn

What books have most influenced your life?

The Episcopal Prayer Book

 

You can purchase Miss Mary Margaret Marries A Yankee through our bookstore

Interview with @CynthiaDAlba

Cynthia DAlba

 

When did you start writing and what inspired you to start?

I’m not one of those people who always knew they wanted to write. I was a reader long before I was a writer. I started getting serious around 2005. I spent a lot of 2006 and 2007 learning about writing, writing new fiction, entering contests, etc. As far as what inspired me…my husband! After I retired from a full-time job, he watched me read everything I could get my hands on. I read close to a thousand books and novellas that year. Finally he suggested I try to write a romance since I read so many of them. So I did.

 

What inspired you to write your first book? 

It wasn’t a “what” but a “who.” That who would be Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I remember finishing one of her books and thinking…I’d love to make someone feel like I do right now. The book was funny and touching and totally romantic. I was also a big Janet Evanovitch (i.e. Stephanie Plum) fan. So my first attempt at writing was a first person cozy mystery…which remain under the bed with my dust bunnies and dogs!

 

Talk about Texas Tango

 

Texas Tango is the second book in the Texas Montgomery Mavericks Series. It hits bookstores on Nov. 5, 2013 from Samhain Publishing. (Book one was Texas Two Step which was digitally published in 2012 and print published in 2013.) Texas Tango stars the brother of the heroine from book one. If you remember The Big Valley television show, then you’ll have an idea of the Montgomery family. One daughter, three sons. The exception is that both parents are alive in my series.

 

In Texas Tango, Travis Montgomery is a widower with one dream left—to build the ranch he and his wife planned before he lost her to cancer. There’s just one thing standing between him and the last bit of acreage he needs—a last living heir who has one traveling foot out the door…and an unusual request that challenges his determination to never again place his heart at risk.

 

Dr. Caroline Graham is happy with her nomadic lifestyle fulfilling short-term medical contracts. No emotional commitments, no disappointments. She’s always the one to walk away, never the one left behind.

 

But now her great-uncle is gone and her grandmother is on her deathbed, more concerned about Caroline’s lack of a husband than her own demise. What’s the harm in a little white lie? If a wedding will give her grandmother peace, then a wedding she shall have.

 

The land he wants in exchange for a faux marriage. Everyone wins. Until things start to snowball…and the hearts they stand to lose are their own.

 

How did you come up with the title?

 

The first book in the series was Texas Two Step. I thought it’s be fun to keep dances in the titles, so Texas Tango was born. However, the title fits the story so well as the couple has to do quite the dance to avoid spilling their secret.

 

 

 

Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?

 

I think the message is all my books is the importance of family…how family is there for you even at times when you aren’t aware of them.

 

List your favorite quotation or words you live by.

 

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” By Jane Goodall

 

What books have most influenced your life?

 

The Bible; How Win Friends and Influence People; Helter Skelter (I still have nightmares!) In the romance genre, anything by Susan Elizabeth Phillips or Jennifer Crusie.

 

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

 

This is SO hard. By genre, in romance, few hold a candle to Susan Elizabeth Phillips. In Mystery/Suspense, I am a huge Robert Crais and Harlen Cobin fan.

 

Considering my three author choices, I realize now that each of them has a sense of humor that comes through in their stories, even when the stories themselves are quite serious.

 

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

 

Thank you! Thank you for buying my books, for sending me wonderful notes, for telling your friends and family about my books.

 

And PLEASE, post a review…on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, etc. Reviews can do more for helping an author than I can say. And if you loved my books, tell your friends to buy my books.

 

Very Important…Do not download books from online digital pirate sites. First, this is a form of theft from the author. Second, it is not uncommon for a computer virus to come with these pirated books.


You can purchase Texas Tango  through our bookstore.

And connect with Cynthia D’Alba on  Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Website | Blog

 

Book Spotlight: Louisa by Richard Emmel

Book Excerpt

Chapter 6—Becoming a Woman
Ages 13—18
It seemed like just yesterday I celebrated my seventh birthday. I remember the talk that led to my being declared seven. Because I was so small, the
Wheatleys wanted to make me younger than seven. I did not talk well and was a slave. I stood silent as seven became my given age. Using that first birthday as a benchmark today, April 15, 1766, I can say I am thirteen. As of today, I have served the Wheatley family for six years, but I also have been served, because I got to use their library, and they allowed me to write.

I was only thirteen, but often left by myself to watch over the house. The Wheatleys thought that the slaves might steal some of their valuables while they were away. I sensed trouble the minute I opened the door for Tom Carlyle, a friend of Nat’s, but instead of telling Tom that Nat was not at home, I allowed—perhaps even encouraged— him to enter and sit in the parlor.

I wanted to be sociable, but I knew I could not socialize with Tom. Slaves did not associate with white people. Yet, something inside of me said Tom was a young man not much older than I, and nothing would be wrong if we talked. I longed to talk with him or any young man for that matter, so there I stood, not knowing what to do or say and wishing I had told Tom that the Wheatleys were not home.

Tom saw that we were alone, and he knew the Wheatleys would not return until tomorrow. Then he told me he had hidden his gold cuff links in the house during his visit the previous night. He said that unless I gave him the key to the silver cabinet, he would accuse me of stealing the cuff links and the silver pitcher he wanted.

He told me that if I cooperated with him, he would give me a forty-dollar bill, an amount that seemed like a small fortune. Mr. Revere made the silver pitcher for my mistress, and I had never seen another quite as beautiful. I could understand why Tom would do anything to get it. Something
I call my “knower” was screaming inside me not to take part in this evil scheme. I also knew that any slave accused of stealing was usually hanged without a trial.

Tom thought he had set a perfect trap and would emerge from the Wheatley home with the prized silver pitcher. I faced the ugly reality of trying to explain its disappearance. Tom told me that the Wheatleys were so rich that they would just accept its loss and wouldn’t suspect their favorite slave of stealing. He never expected what happened next.

 

 Publisher’s Note

If you are a middle school student or the parent of a middle school student, please recommend Louisa to your teacher or school as a resource for study. If you are an educator for students in the upper elementary and middle school grades, we recommend you obtain the companion Resource Book for Louisa: A Guide for Teachers to use with your study of Louisa in your classes. It will provide an excellent resource for the study of such topics as slavery in colonial America, human rights and civil rights, religious influences on early America, literature and literacy in early America, and more.

The Resource Book for Louisa is co-authored by the author of Louisa, Richard Emmel, who is a 37 year veteran educator as both middle school teacher and former elementary school principal in Little Rock, Arkansas, and by Ms. Gena McReynolds, who is a middle school teacher in Bellevue, Washington. You may order directly from the publisher’s web site at www.parsonplacepress.com/store and receive a special volume discount when you order Louisa in paperback for each of your students. You may direct any questions you have to the publisher at info@parsonplacepress.com, or you may visit the publisher’s web site at www.parsonplacepress.com for more details.

The Buzz

Though targeted for middle-schoolers, Louisa is a truly inspiring story for people of all ages. Its author, Richard Emmel, has spent more than 40 years in public education and certainly knows how to instruct children using the written word. You’ll come away from this story with an informed understanding of what it was like to live during the colonial American period. Louisa’s phenomenal accomplishments in her life will inspire you to strive for your own lofty goals in life. Her interaction with such famous American heroes as George Washington, John Hancock, and John Adams will both enlighten and encourage you. Get ready for a truly heartwarming experience as you read this intriguing story.  5 -Star review by Michael L. White, Amazon

This is a very educational book which gives a lot of insight into the lives of slaves back in the time of slavery. I always new that the slaves were terribly mistreated but I didn’t think it was so bad. This would make an excellent resource for a classroom or home school family. This is a must read book for Black History month. 5 -Star review by K. Vetrano, Amazon

How To Purchase:

Louisa is available through our bookstore.

About the Author:

Richard EmmelRichard Emmel earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, a Master of Science in Education from the University of Central Arkansas, and a Doctor of Education from the University of Mississippi. He holds Arkansas certification in the areas of science, mathematics, social studies, reading, and administration. His education career began in 1970 as an elementary principal, a position he enjoyed for ten years. After serving as an administrator, he became a classroom teacher at the junior high and middle school levels. After 42 years as an educator, he retired in May 2012. On November 26, 2012, Sharon and Richard will celebrate 47 years of marriage. Their marriage produced three sons. Their youngest son, Andrew died from cancer on April 15, 1993. A heart condition took the life of their first grandchild, Sharon. Because of his experience with catastrophic medical situations, Richard established the Baby Sharon Fund in 2003. The fund has awarded over $60,000 to help families with very sick children. He published his first book, Louisa, in 2007.

Book Spotlight: Rescued from the Dark @Lynda_Kaye Frazier

The Buzz

In Rescued from the Dark by Lynda Kaye Frazier, FBI  Counterterrorism agent, Jason Michaels is working undercover to take down one of the FBI’s most wanted Irish militant  groups, which is run by The Flannigan’s. But the deeper he goes, the more he finds that there is a lot more on the line than  just some gun shipments and drugs. They want Mercy—his Mercy. They will stop at nothing to get her, and he’s running out of time to save her…Obviously, I really enjoyed the book. –  Taylor, reviewer

I was intrigued right from the get-go…I thought Frazier’s characterizations were realistic, her plot believable and  intriguing, and her writing well done for a first time author. I especially liked that her heroes were flawed and human and, that while her villains were extra slimy, they believed in what  they were doing. That is always a sign of a good villain. – Regan, reviewer

How To Purchase:

You can purchase Rescued from the Dark through our bookstore.

About the Author:

Lynda Kay Frazier

Lynda Kaye Frazier is an avid reader of romantic suspense and started her writing career with a dream. A cliche, but it’s true. She works full time at a Cardiology clinic, while writing her own novels at night. She grew up in Pennsylvania, but now lives in Arkansas where she enjoys the four seasons without a long, cold winter. She has five children and three grandchildren that she adores. Other than spending time with her family, her favorite things to do are writing, reading and listening to music, but her most favorite is going to the beach. Surf, sand and a good book, her stress relief.

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