tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40199329327288384972024-03-13T07:09:42.681-07:00Bloggers CentralThis is the new home for Bloggers who want to interact with like minded individuals who either like to write or read interesting blogs..or both. Please try to keep your blogs content based. The odd marketing and promotion is okay, but that isn't the focus of this blogger group. The members want to see interesting content.Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-2883666103609206082013-04-05T18:33:00.000-07:002013-04-05T18:33:30.983-07:00Riftglade by River Jordan: An Author Interview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: orange;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">In her latest book, Riftflade, A<span style="font-size: large;">u<span style="font-size: large;">thor River Jordan explores a fantasy wor<span style="font-size: large;">ld that was in<span style="font-size: large;">sp<span style="font-size: large;">ired by a poem she read. <span style="font-size: large;">River and I are close personal friends, although we have never met in person. I saw the beginnings of the story that Riftglade ended up being<span style="font-size: large;"> so I knew where she was going with it in the very <span style="font-size: large;">early stages. However, just like most reading this interview, I have not read the finished product.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today, River discusses some of the content, the ideas and how and why she wrote this story and others. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">W</span>hat is Riftglade about?<br /><br /><span style="color: blue;">Princess Yaliza is the
youngest daughter of High King Vodyanik a<span style="font-size: large;">s well as</span> his favorite. Rather than be
forced into a marriage without love, she sadly leaves the kingdom to
search out her soul-mate. Fate steps in and she is snatched from the sky
and rolls unconscious into the forest, Riftglade, where she meets her
destiny.<br />
When High King Vodyanik arrives in Riftglade, a dark magik befalls the
gathering, paralyzing everyone. In a bold act of treason, Yaliza is
swept away in a conspiracy that could leave her bereft and alone. </span><br /><br />Why is she his favorite?</span></span></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: blue;">She is the exact replica of her deceased mother AND the baby of the family.</span><br /><br />Why did you choose to make her the baby and an exact replica of her deceased mother? Is that significant in some way to the story and relevant in any way to you?</span></span></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: blue;">When writing Riftglade, the characters formed themselves. But I will
admit that I am in fact the youngest in my family and favor my mother
in looks and stature.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In some ways, could you say that Yaliza is a part of who you are? </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":1g">In a way, all of my characters are part of me.
Yaliza is a part of who I am. I don't intentionally create my
characters that way. When they take on their own "energies" and pour
out of my imagination, usually they will have my traits and experiences.</span></span></span><br /><br />Did that go through your mind as you were writing Riftglade?</span></span></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: blue;">With Riftglade, it just poured out of me. It had been singing in my
head for a few days until it got its way. Especially the love scene, it
wanted to be written. It was kind of a turning point for my writing.</span><br /><br />
Turning point, in what way? </span></span></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: blue;">It seemed to open up new avenues of confidence and creativity for my
writing. I recently wrote a true horror story that is to be released in </span></span></span></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Crushing Hearts &Black Butterfly's Dark Light 3 anthology in April. As well as a comedic short
story to be released in CHBBs' Dark Light <span style="font-size: large;">4</span> anthology<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/River-Jordan/e/B008ZUP3EA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1365045479&sr=1-1-catcorr">http://www.amazon.com/River-Jordan/e/B008ZUP3EA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1365045479&sr=1-1-catcorr </a> </span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Do you anticipate that you will do a Riftglade, the sequel, or Part 2?<br /><br /><span style="color: blue;">I've almost finished book 2 which has a working title of Rige Skygge.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #e69138;">(Editors note: At the end of this interview will be an excerpt from the upcoming Rige Skygge.) </span><br /><br />If
you had to describe Riftglade, how would you do so? Triumph? Tragedy? <span style="font-size: large;">O</span>r <span style="font-size: large;">w</span>hatever you think it is <span style="font-size: large;">or</span> the readers will think it is?</span></span></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Well, it has comedy, drama and tragedy. I wouldn't know how to pigeonhole it into one category. </span><br /> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Were
there any surprises in how you thought up a character and then how they
developed into something else in the course of writing the book?</span></span></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><span style="color: blue;">Yes. Galen, the Unseelie King. He channeled his inner darkness
though he was raised by the High King as a Seelie. His sojourn in
Underland took on an ominous nature as you'll see in the book.</span><br /><br />What does Unseelie mean?</span></span></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><span style="color: blue;">That is the court of malevolent/evil fairies. The Dark Court.</span><br /><br />Did you make that up, or is it a common used term?<br /><span style="color: blue;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">It's Gaelic mythology</span><br /> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did you rely on a lot of that mythology and did you have to do a lot of research for this book?</span></span></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><span style="color: blue;">I did research regarding hierarchy and courts. Everything else is mine.</span><br /> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did you get emotionally attached to any of your characters in the book?<br /><span style="color: blue;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Yes. Galen. King of the Dark Court.</span><br /><br />Why him?</span></span></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: blue;">Because he loves Yaliza. For the last ten years he was assured she was his soulmate. </span><br /><br />If you had it to do over again, would you change anything in the book?<br /><br /><span style="color: blue;">I'd
thought about developing a longer, deeper relationship between Mathias
and Yaliza but the fact that they are mythological creatures demanded it
be instantaneous.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Matthias leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “Princess Yaliza,
come to me.” He reached out his hand and smiled down at her. “I would
like nothing more than to taste the nectar of your nubile body. Come to
me.” He leaned down and kissed her deeply, then nuzzled down her neck,
taking time to explore, encouraged by her shivers and moans. Lying down
beside her, Matthias pulled her in close to his body. “Princess, your
heart sings to mine; your beauty beyond compare. I am without words to
express my gratitude to all of creation and the cosmos.” he ran his
fingers down her cheek lightly, “My body shivers as I touch you here,”
he touched her lips, running his fingertips along her full bottom lip.
“And here,” they traced the swell of her breast, “and here,” he
whispered sliding his hand along her hip to her thigh. The feel of her
body was driving him insane with need. “My fair maiden, Princess
Yaliza, daughter of High King Vodianyk, by all of creation above and
anon, wilt thou spend eternity by my side?” he looked into her eyes,
loving the silver lights sparkling in their depths. If the fates chose
to punish him by causing her to deny him, he would at least always have
this moment in her arms to savor.**</span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What is it about new and amazing worlds that interests you?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="color: blue;">Everyone has inherent in them a natural curiosity that is fascinated
with the possibility of other worlds. It is a kind of vacation away from
the day to day stresses. If I love to be captured by a story which
involves something special, unreal or different - possibly magic, then I
know other people will. Everyone enjoys being in someone else's shoes -
someone extraordinary, so that we can look at the world through their
eyes. You can switch off and enjoy letting your imagination run wild for
a while!</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">So you view it as escapism?</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's an apt description, although the connotation leans toward a bit
extreme. Any type of writing, if it's good writing, will plant you in
the world that has been created.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's an interesting thing to think that as authors we are all looking to
escape into fantasy. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="color: red;">Because you enjoy it yourself, do you gravitate more towards writing in this genre?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yes, I love writing in that genre because I fell in love with it as a child.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">What kind of writer do you view yourself as?</span></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: blue;">I think that I'm a plastic facsimile of the kind of writer I would wish
to be. That is not to say that I think I am less of a writer, but to say
that I could ever create epic worlds like J.R.R. Tolkien would be a
huge stretch. But one never knows. Maybe he thought that at some point
as well.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Do you have any plans to write non fantasy, or more grounded mainstream
books, maybe straight romantic novels or do you wish to stay in the
fantasy world realm?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Most of my writing leans toward
mainstream with some paranormal elements to them. But I do have one
current project that is a mainstream fiction horror. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Actually, Riftglade is the first story that is completely in a fantasy world.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Do you start out with an idea of how it will go, relative to the amounts
of paranormal and fantasy, or does it just develop and you go with the
flow?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I would say a bit of both. For example, with Riftglade I just happened
to read a poem by Gary Robinson, Clover's Bliss. I'm fascinated with
poetry and that poem began a thread of an idea that developed into
Riftglade. It was extremely fun and exciting but because the ideas were
smashing into each other I had to discipline that voice with a kind of
outline.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">What unique or special life experiences do you have that you think makes you a different type of writer from others?</span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When I was a young girl my family went
through big changes. The world I lived in changed forever by the death
of my brother, Jaime. Idyllic is what I would describe my life before
his death, nightmarish afterward. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You see, I was clueless the
first eight years of my life (before my brother died). I was safe in the
security of my family. Then, it all fell apart. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">My sister and I had no one. We were alone and homeless because our house burned and was unlivable.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When
you're homeless or living off of the generosity of others you see life
in a different way. You see utter poverty, abuse, violence. You see a
world that is desperate and depraved. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's a lot for any child to endure. But we survived it. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">For myself, my eyes were opened forever. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This probably doesn't make me much different from others, but...maybe just a little bit.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And do you think elements of those experiences find their way into the stories you write, like Riftglade?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I didn't realize that those elements had revealed themselves in my
writing. A really wonderful friend read one of my stories and then
mentioned the fact that the heroines overcame much adversity finding
inner strength to survive.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Give me an example from Riftglade if you can think of one?</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Princess Yaliza has to face life outside the Kingdom. Outside the life that she has lived for three hundred years. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Unintentionally, I have interwoven my own experiences in my stories.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Did you know you did that before...or if not,...then after when you re-read your work?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I knew my heroines had overcome adversity because that is how it was meant to be. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What
I didn't realize was that I was mirroring my own life experiences.
Growing up, I never looked back hard enough because it hurt too much to
do so. I only visited those memories later, when I was older.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was actually a big surprise to me.</span></span></span><br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If there was one thing you could change about the fi<span style="font-size: large;">nished product that is Riftglade, what would that be..if anything?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I wouldn't have stopped there. I wish I would have kept writing
while the passion to do so was strong.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I would probably expand Galen's role. Explain more why he was the way he was. But other than that, I wouldn't change anything. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">So, you have said you are likely going to do a sequel. Will you explore that in the sequel?</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><b class="_36"></b><b></b></span></span></span><br />
<div class="_53" id="mid.1364007450803:5978d26c71bdbbb973">
<div class="_3hi">
<div class="_1yr">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><span class="_2oy"></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes. It's all about Galen.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="_3hi">
<div class="_1yr">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="_2oy"></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="_38 direction_ltr">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Tell me more about Galen. Is his character based on anyone you have
known in the past/present. Or is he just a character you made up out of
thin air that developed? </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Galen developed himself. He is like an amalgamation of every one of us
that has had to walk away from the person we thought was "the one".</span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What do you think readers will take away from this book?</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I hope they see that fear is a crutch that we create ourselves. Step boldly into the unknown and know that they'll survive</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Is that a conclusion you came to writing this book, or before you wrote the book? </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">B</span>efore. but it's in the story.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You have used a book trailer to promote <span style="font-size: large;">Riftglade. Is this the f<span style="font-size: large;">irst time you have tried that? <span style="font-size: large;">How has it gone? W<span style="font-size: large;">hat kind of feedback have you gotten from it? How did you learn to do it?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span dir="ltr" id=":1l">I have created an unofficial Riftglade teaser
trailer. I used a MovieMaker program that helped me to combine my
reading, some pictures and music.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span dir="ltr" id=":131">It wasn't very difficult but my trailer is
basic and was quite easy. Most of the people who've seen it have
commented that they enjoyed it. I was even asked to enter it into a
"trailer" contest.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What have the reviews been like? </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span dir="ltr" id=":wy">I'm very pleased with the public's response to
Riftglade. Mostly they like the "world" that I have created and have
commented several times that my style of writing brings the world and
characters to life. There were a couple of comments about editing. One
reviewer mentioned the "language" of the story being a bit archaic at
times.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What kind of <span style="font-size: large;">weight do you put on them and how do they effect you?</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span dir="ltr" id=":z3">I'm concerned about the editing. Everyone deserves to have good editing when they are puchasing any kind of book.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span dir="ltr" id=":vd">The "language" part is a very
appreciated critique. I will not change the voice of the story because
it is meant to be other-worldly and even a bit archaic. It's my creation
and I meant it to be that way.</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="kl" dir="ltr" id=":130">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">But I will keep it in mind while writing Rige Skygge.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What is your general marketing strategy for this book, and what have you learned that you will use again or might do differently for future books?</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span dir="ltr" id=":1xg">Mostly my publisher takes control of the marketing. But the bulk of my own marketing is word of mouth, Twitter, and Facebook.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span dir="ltr" id=":1zx">Though I liked the idea of the trailer, it
seemed to fizzle. Didn't "hit" like I thought it would. I don't know
that I would do that again. But even so, it will pull up if someone
enters the "tag" I attached to it.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your book cover. How much input did you have into that and did you do any of the cr<span style="font-size: large;">eative <span style="font-size: large;">parts of that? I<span style="font-size: large;">f so, why does it look <span style="font-size: large;">as it does?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span dir="ltr" id=":29v">I went through many, many pictures and decided on that one myself. When I saw it, I knew it was the one I wanted.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You are a nature lover. How does that play into your writing and even more so into Riftglade, if at all?</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span dir="ltr" id=":34q">I've always had a love and respect for the world around me. In Riftglade, I tried to let that love have free rein.</span></span> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where can we find <span style="font-size: large;">Riftgla<span style="font-size: large;">de if we want to pur<span style="font-size: large;">chase it?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Riftglade-ebook/dp/B00B2V984K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365045126&sr=8-1&keywords=Riftglade+by+K.R.+Jordan">http://www.amazon.com/Riftglade-ebook/dp/B00B2V984K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365045126&sr=8-1&keywords=Riftglade+by+K.R.+Jordan</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/River-Jordan/e/B008ZUP3EA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1365045479&sr=1-1-catcorr"></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Excerpt to Rige Skygge (Galen's story):</span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">A
million banshees screaming in agony and defeat tunneled through my
unconsciousness, shredding the neural tissue and eviscerating my optic
nerve. Could there be blindness in death? In the wink of a wyte I knew
that I would die if the entity reached my brain. The banshees circled as
if aware of my semi-conscious thoughts and then come speeding toward
the massive hole they'd ripped into my neural tissue. They slam into the
wound they’ve created and, finding they are unable to rip through,
proceed to repeatedly bite the already weak tissue. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Aaaiiiiiieeeeeeee!
Be gone, malicious shrews!" At my weakened command, a cloud of black
viscous droplets stream out of my nostrils, pummeling their path out of
my head. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now a prisoner of Woden's Hunt, I lay sprawled across
the silica rich amber dust of Rige Skygge where I had been
unceremoniously thrown. Circling in the swirling mass of acrid ether
above me were the invading banshees in their elemental form. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It
would be easy just to lay here and allow myself to fade into the Land of
Clouds where death would be swift at the shredding thirsty hands of the
banshee, but Princess Yaliza would be coming to rescue me soon. I was
determined that she should find me alive and running in her direction
and to the safety of Faerie.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
---------------------------------------<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-9176085997709505202012-12-30T10:55:00.002-08:002012-12-30T10:55:44.222-08:00The Cash Cow by Demetra Fisher<div class="MsoNormal">
At the sound of the bell, they all looked up with wide eyes,
the fear and wariness in them clearly evident.
Those who were creeping along slowly between the barriers looked up as
well and appeared to be just as fearful, which only served to add to the
unease. The line seemed to go on
forever. There were so very many. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The “holding cell” was the worst. Some were pacing. Others were making odd little noises that
resembled sobs but were even more pitiful.
None made eye contact, but rather averted their eyes whenever the
opportunity for connection seemed probable.
They all knew exactly why they were there, so what would be the point
anyway? There was nothing even worth
trying to convey that would make it easier for any of them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The silence was louder than any noise could have possibly
been.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One by one, they disappeared, only to return a short time
later, each one complete with some form of marker that made it clear why they
were being herded in and out. Dividing them
up only contributed to the general sense of tension that continued to build as
the hours passed. Their eyes all held
the same sad plea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When will this be over?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Eventually, each one moved on to pass through the final
station and then failed to return, the outcome being no surprise to any still
torturously waiting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One more number was up.
One more life lost.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m told that they all innately know just when it will be
their turn and when there is no option to turn back. The “handlers” make it easy for that to be next
to impossible. The barriers become
narrower with each step closer, making it more and more difficult to escape and
as such, the eventual outcome is cemented.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Making it painless is only a by-product of the drugs that
are administered. The real point of the
medication is not to take away the pain but to ease the fear, so no one is
tempted to make a run for it, at the last minute.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And it works like a charm.
Not one of them attempted to escape.
After all, they were just cattle.
What else could you expect from them except that they should simply allow
themselves to be guided along to an outcome that was predictable from the very
start?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That makes sense, you say, because cattle are not humans. They can’t possibly know that they are being
driven and channeled and convinced to move along - they’re just animals, right?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Except that these cattle are not animals - they’re human
beings. Flesh and blood, and totally
real, everyday people. People who also
happen to be women. Women who feel shame
and hurt and fear. Just like you and I do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I left the clinic, I asked myself several questions. Like, how much money does this place and
others like it all over America
actually make off the shattered lives of women?
Not to mention, the probability that those same women may repeat the
procedure again sometime in the future, some many times over, simply because it
has become relatively commonplace in today’s society?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How is it that so many have become sensitive enough to the
heartbreaking and tragic slaughter of innocent animals that they decide to
become vegetarians while others remain desensitized to the means by which women
are forced to endure the very same torture as those defenseless animals who continue
to be shamelessly slaughtered without remorse?
It hardly seems fair.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have no answers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do you?</div>
Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-55386947217980915452012-08-28T10:44:00.001-07:002012-08-29T20:38:40.155-07:00Interview with River Jordan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JgIMPtQWFKs/UDpXr_o3nuI/AAAAAAAABNw/-THQkp33snI/s1600/river+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JgIMPtQWFKs/UDpXr_o3nuI/AAAAAAAABNw/-THQkp33snI/s400/river+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008ZUP3EA">http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008ZUP3EA</a></span></b></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tell us where you were born, grew up and where you currently live?</span></b></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<span class="kn" title="damonxfan@gmail.com"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":29q" style="color: red;">I
was born in a small town outside of Victoria, Texas. We lived there
for a few years and then our family bounced around to different towns
along the Gulf Coast and The Rio Grande Valley.</span></b></span><br />
<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":29q"></span><span class="kn" title="damonxfan@gmail.com"></span><span dir="ltr" id=":29p">I'm still on the Gulf Coast of Texas but living in the country south of Houston, Texas.</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":29o">Did that bouncing around influence the way you write?</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":19d">In a way, I guess it did. Starting a new
school every few months would be hard on any child. I was shy and
introverted so you know it was terrifying at times. After a while, I
didn't feel the terror any longer because I had reverted completely into
myself. My sister Darla was the complete opposite, she became my
protector. My sister and I prayed a lot during that time in our lives.</span></b></span></div>
<div style="color: red;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":19d"></span><span dir="ltr" id=":25j">Of all the cities you lived in those days, what is the most memorable or the most memorable/inter<wbr></wbr>esting moment?</span></b></span></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":1aq">At Memorial Middle School in McAllen, Texas,
the assistant gym teacher was Ms. Pena. A week before the last day of
school she saw I was doing a one-armed cartwheel. I didn't have very good
form so she came over and helped me out. She encouraged me to sign up
for the "talent show" on the last day of school and helped me figure
out a routine. So, on the last day of school, I performed my routine.
It consisted of a cartwheel, round-off, one-armed cartwheel, and then somersault. The
routine wasn't so special, or different from the other girls' routines,
but I changed that day. I became a bit more confident and less shy.</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span dir="ltr" id=":29q"></span><b><span style="font-size: large;">You have said you have an obsession with writing a personal history of your family. How is that progressing?</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":2er">It's progressing nicely. My parents always
loved to recount stories of our childhood. I never thought much about
the memories until they were both gone. Because of this, writing it can
be very emotional and so I spread it out.</span></b></span><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Where does your love of reading and writing come from? </span></b><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":2dr">Really, both my parents loved to read. My
father never went anywhere without a Louie L'amour in his back pocket.
That was nothing compared to my mom, though. She would even read
encyclopedias for fun! And naturally, this love of reading transferred
to me. But it took the encouragement of one of my teachers to get me to
write prose. Ms. Walters just told me to do it. So I did. It turned
out that I was pretty good at it.</span></b></span><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Who are some of your favorite authors? </span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":2d1">William Shakespeare, Alexandre Dumas, Jane
Austen, Agatha Christie and Harper Lee for the classics. Modern authors
include Clive Cussler, Michael Crichton and Cormac McCarthy.</span></span></b></div>
<div style="color: red;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: red;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":2d1"><span style="color: blue;">Clive Cussler and Cormac McCarthy. I am not familiar with them. Tell me about their work and why they are some of your favorites? </span></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":1wk">Clive Cussler writes adventure novels that
involving NUMA agents that solve historical mysteries around the
world! What's cool is that NUMA really exists and his characters' adventures deal
with real historical mysteries.</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":1wl">From the moment I picked up my first Clive
Cussler novel, I have been entranced with them. I love history and
these satisfy my sense of adventure as well!</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":1wm">Cormac McCarthy is the author of such books as All The Pretty Horses and The Road, which happen to be my favorites of his. </span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":1wm">The first book I read of his was All The
Pretty Horses. I had gone to a garage sale at my neighbor's house and
bought it for a dime. I've probably read it three times. </span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":1wm">The Road was given to me as a gift by my
brother. He likes to introduce new genres to me and 9 times out of 10
he ends up starting a trend in my reading! </span></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":1wm"></span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr"><span style="color: blue;">In terms of
reading, what are some of the types of genres you like to read. And for
writing, do you gravitate towards any specific genre?</span></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":1wq">I enjoy reading non-fiction historical books,
YA, mysteries or adventurous books that challenge my "sleuth" side, and
self-help books.</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":1xa">My writing tends toward YA, but I have ventured into a bit of sensual fantasy writing.</span></b></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="color: red;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr"><span style="color: blue;">Are there genres you don't write much or haven't in the past that you want to do more of?</span></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":1zc">I would like to be able to write historical novels. Also, I want to explore little known mythology.</span></b></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="color: red;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">What are some of your hobbies and do any of them play an important part in the types of things you write about?</span></b></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: red;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":2d5">Some of my hobbies, other than reading,
include swimming, fishing, writing poetry and gardening. As you can
see, most of these hobbies require average physical activity but leave the mind
free to wander. I use this time on meditation which in turn relaxes me
and churns my creative side (writing). </span><span style="font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<b style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is my writing affected by my hobbies specifically? Maybe, because I've been told that my writers "voice" tends to be reflective.</span></b><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Other than full length novels, you have a deep love of poetry. Have you put out any poetry?</span></b></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<span class="kn" title="damonxfan@gmail.com"></span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":2d7">For publication, no.</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="km" role="chatMessage">
<div class="kk">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":2ck">Do you intend to?</span></b></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="kk">
</div>
<div class="kk" style="color: red;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":2cu">I would love to publish a book of poetry, but
it is a hard step to take. Poetry is often so very personal. In a way, it's a peek
into the writer's mind and soul. Most of my poetry is a reflection of
my heart at the moment I am writing the piece. The other is my view on
the world, at large. Am I in a hurry to publish, no I am not. Would I want to
some day, yes I would. Hopefully, people will understand my poetry and benefit from my
writing.</span></span></b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="kk">
</div>
<div class="kk">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":2cv">When you sit down at the computer or stare at a blank page, what motivates you to write?</span></b></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="kk">
</div>
<div class="kk" style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":2ew">Honestly, anything motivates me to write. I
could be walking along and see someone or something that begins a story
in my head.</span></b></span></div>
<div class="kk" style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":2et">For example, I was visiting
my nephew who is an inmate at a federal prison in the Hill Country. I'd
just finished a radio interview and writing was on my mind. As
I approached the security check there was a woman ranting about seeing
the warden because the metal detector kept going off and she claimed to
not have metal on her. I waited patiently by the door until one of the
regular security guards noticed me and waved. I smiled back at him
knowing that he needed me to be patient. When the warden showed up the guard
came over to me and asked after my health. After passing through the
checkpoint, I opened the huge gate to walk alone to the
visitor center. As the chainlink gate clanged loudly shut behind me, it
was as if a door opened into my imagination. In my mind I imagined
myself walking down the long walkway in the<i> bakingly</i> hot sun beating down on me.
Unknown to me an escaped prisoner was running silently toward me. He grabs me and lifts me over his shoulder in a
fireman carry. I'm so startled that at first I can't even speak. A
drop of sweat slides down my nose and drops to the ground invisibly
passing beneath his running feet. Then I begin to scream and hit his
legs, trying to make him drop me to the ground. He holds my legs
tighter yelling and cursing at me. I realize that my outburst is only
making things worse, so I try to speak reasonably to him. He tells me to shut up and that I
don't understand anything. Apparently the same people that sucked him
into illegal drugs were trying to do the same to his younger brother and
he needed to get out and try to stop them. Then suddenly I am back in "myself" and
opening the door of the Visitor Center.</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="kl" dir="ltr" id=":2ev">
</div>
<div class="kl" dir="ltr" id=":2ev">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">You are inspired by water. How does that play into your writing?</span></b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="kl" dir="ltr" id=":2ev">
</div>
<div class="kl" dir="ltr" id=":2ev" style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":2cm">Because my father was a fisherman, we lived on
the coast. Our very existence depended on the bounty of the Gulf.
Every moment of every day was spent on or in or near the Gulf of
Mexico. If I am fishing or swimming the salty sea air inspires my
introspective side. Naturally, when I am at peace, my mind will wander
to idyllic summer days spent on my father's trawlers or swimming in the
water.</span></b></span><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="kk">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">What are some of the places you have traveled to, in terms of out of Texas?</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":2co">Charlotte, North Carolina; Los Angeles,
California; Kings Canyon, California; New Orleans, Louisiana; Peaks of
Otter, Virginia; Albuquerque, New Mexico, Baltimore, Maryland; Ocean
City, Maryland, many places in Florida; outside of the U.S., The
Yucatan, and Cozumel.</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr"><span style="color: blue;">Do you have any interesting stories of the places you have traveled to?</span></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":1ze">During a trip to the Yucatan, we came in port
at Progreso. The crowds of cruise goers were smiling and laughing,
ready to embark on their various tropical excursions. We had our
brightly colored clothing and festive hats and sunglasses to protect us
from the sun. As we disembarked in long lines, the crowd suddenly
became subdued and at times completely quiet. We wondered what was
going on, but were so far down the line we could not actually see
anything.</span></b></span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":1zf">As we neared the "gate" at the edge of the
dock, we saw what had everyone quietly and quickly shuffling along.
Apparently, the local militias "protected" the port and were armed with
machine guns!!</span></b></span></div>
<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":1zf"></span>We hurried past the guards and quickly boarded the tour buses leaving to various excursions.</b></span></div>
<div style="color: red;">
</div>
<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>It put a damper on the day, but only until the lovely tropical paradise erased it from the forefront of our minds.</b></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">What is your goal or what do you see as your future as a writer? </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":2cy">Every writer's dream is to have their books
live through the ages, to be one of the classics. It would be nice to
write something that would opens peoples hearts and minds to the sweet
expectation of the sunrise and the quiet promise of the sunset.</span></span></b></div>
<div style="color: red;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/images/cleardot.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="<3" border="0" height="14" pattern="heart" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/images/cleardot.gif" style="background-image: url("im/emotisprites/heart1.png"); background-position: 0px -154px;" width="14" /></a></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr" id=":2cz">To show them that they are beautiful creations that are made for more than the lives they have settled on. </span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gmU529c1kSA/UDw_1MbXMlI/AAAAAAAABPE/4XlQtl6tk_g/s1600/river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gmU529c1kSA/UDw_1MbXMlI/AAAAAAAABPE/4XlQtl6tk_g/s400/river.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="ltr"><span style="color: blue;">You have an Amazon author page. Tell us about that. </span></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20%20http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008ZUP3EA"> http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008ZUP3EA</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I setup my author page just a few days ago when a fellow author, Mark David Gerson asked for it. I quickly researched it and set one up as a convenient way for readers to find my published work. </b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":1yl"> It is interesting to monitor
the sales as well as what geographic area is buying them. Also, my twitter
followers have increased by 10 percent.</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span dir="ltr" id=":1yl">Below is a short story by River called <i>"Oshana's Escape"</i></span></b></span></span><br />
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<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The flood waters have reached the attic
where I was hiding. Looking out of the huge tear in the attic
that spanned from one corner to the other, I see the water rushing by
so close I could touch it. I thought the worst of the hurricane
would be the gale force winds and gangs of tornadoes that had laid waste
to my adopted home-town of Beaudreaux, Alabama, but then the water began
to rise.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Life is weird sometimes. Only
a year ago I had escaped my clueless mother's home when her new boyfriend
had begun to slap me around and other things. I knew it was not
enough for him to slap me around when he brought a friend over.
They chased me to my bedroom as I ran in terror. "Oshana,
stop, or it'll be worse for ya!" he yelled out. I remember
falling to the ground, screaming. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I opened my eyes and saw my baseball
bat. My real dad had encouraged me to play and I knew what he
wanted me to do. When they pulled me up roughly, I whaled the
bat on both of them until they were unconscious. Then I filled
my backpack and left them in the ruins of my bedroom, my bat tightly
fisted in my hand. I never looked back. Didn't even bother
leaving a note for my mom who never believed me anyway.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now here I am, fifteen years old and
facing the impossible, yet again. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The rustling behind me reminded me
that I was no longer alone. Gone were the days of sleeping under
bridges, in cemeteries, the occasional homeless shelter, hidden
from the public eye alone. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shasta looked over at me and smiled
her doggie smile. She was a lab mix and one of the laziest dogs
I had ever encountered. But she loved me and I loved her.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Hey lazybones, time to get out
of this place if we can." I looked out of the window one
more time, my eyes following the debris flowing briskly past the window. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I knew it would be risky, but our only
way of getting out of here alive was to use the air mattress that I'd
been trying to fill since yesterday evening like a boat. Thinking
of it, my cheeks began to hurt again. I'd spent most of the evening
before blowing into it. The family that lived there had a pump
to fill it, but it was electrical and the electricity had been out for
two days. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shasta came over and licked my hands
good morning. Somehow she knew from the moment we found each other
that I would not allow anyone or anything too close to me again.
I smiled down at her and ruffled the fur behind her ears thinking she
was better than any human being on earth.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Within an hour the water had risen
another four inches and was now just below the windowsill. Thankfully,
the house we were in hadn't been washed away like the one across the
street.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The air mattress was as full as I could
get it. I tied one length of the rope I'd found to two corners
of the air mattress so that I would have a way of maneuvering it once
the current had it in it's grip. I had thought about it long and
hard; I knew it was the only way to escaping the steadily rising water.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Come, Shasta." Shasta
came over and sat at my feet. I bound us together with another
rope so that I could be her anchor if she slipped off of the mattress. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I slipped the mattress through the
tear in the wall of the attic, making sure to loop it over a protruding
board. The mattress was quickly taken up in the current and threatened
to flip over. Acting quickly, I held fast to the back corner of
the mattress and put one of our food packs on the mattress two feet
from the foot. This kept it stable enough to slip the other food
pack on to it, near the front where the maneuvering rope was tied.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Okay, Shasta, hop on. Don't
be afraid, I have you." Shasta gingerly stepped onto the
air mattress and curled up next to the food pack at the back end. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I made sure my back pack was secured
tightly to my shoulders and crawled slowly onto the air mattress.
Holding the edge of the attic wall, I pulled us in close to it, fighting
the current, and with my other hand, slipped the rope off of the anchoring
board.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As if the current were on my side,
it slowed enough to allow me to sit securely before rushing back into
breakneck speeds.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Hang on, Shata." I cried
out as we rushed into the speeding current. A quick thrill of
excitement shot through me as the houses blurred by us on both sides. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maneuvering the makeshift boat was
a moot point at the speeds we were going. I just kept hold of
the maneuvering rope and prayed that the water would take us somewhere
safe.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Within a few minutes the water began
to slow as it spilled out into the less populated part of town.
It seemed as if we'd been rushing along for hours when it had probably
been less than ten minutes. I was completely soaked and
the air mattress was steadily losing air.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The danger hit us instantaneously and
in a flash Shasta and I were thrown from the mattress; rolling off the
back end and into the water. The front end had caught on a branch
that ripped a gaping hole that rendered it mere rubber and thread in
moments.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My eyes were wide open as I hit the
ice cold water. It felt as if I'd fallen into a washing machine
as I tumbled end over end in a frenzy of arms and legs. I don't
remember thinking that I should hold my breath, but I did. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A sharp pain spreads across my abdomen
and my silent scream fills my head as my body automatically takes a
deep breath of the dank murky water. Within seconds, the world
suddenly disappears in a flash of light. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Slugger, my sweet baby girl Oshana,
please open up those dark brown eyes for Daddy."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Daddy?" I whisper with my
eyes closed. "Daddy, is that you? I'm so tired, Daddy. Can
I sleep a few more minutes?"</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"You have ta wake now Slugger,
its time." My Daddy's gravelly voice fills my heart full
of warmth and color.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"I want to stay here in your arms,
Daddy." I snuggle closer to his warmth, the scent of motoroil
on his clothes.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Oshana!" Sternly. "Oshana,
wake up now."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Okay, Daddy."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I wake, my head is throbbing and
I am vomiting, the acidic mess burning the inside of my nostrils as
it forces an exit through my nose. I tried to lift my head off
the ground, but the ensuing shot of pain through my skull makes me lay
my head back down. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">More slowly now, I lift my head away
from the sour smell of my vomit. My eyes blink open slowly, squinting
at the bright sunlight. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I stare up at the clear blue sky.
The beauty of it makes me want to cry, especially when I realize that
Daddy is still in heaven and I'm not. But Daddy said to wake up
and I always listen to Daddy.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All around me is the detritus of the
storm. Fallen trees, branches, trash, lots of outdoor furniture
and surprisingly, a lawn gnome. The oddity of the gnome makes
me giggle, but a sharp pain behind my eyes ends it quickly.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not wanting to lay my head back down
in the vomit, I lift myself slowly from the ground. Finally sitting
up, I take in my surroundings and the destruction of the hurricane and
flooding. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Shasta!" The patch
of dark fur is only a few feet away, but my slow movements make it seem
like miles. "Oh, Shasta, please be alive!" I whisper
in anguish as tears well in my eyes..</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shasta bounces her tail and lifts her
head as if to say she's okay. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I notic that the fur around her shoulders
was almost completely gone. I wondered how that could have happened
and then it hit me that Shasta had saved my life. She had dragged
me from the water until I was clear of it.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hugged her tight and untied the rope
from around her sore neck and shoulders. Nearby I found one of
my foodpacks and backpack. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Calling Shasta, I smiled up at the
storm-free clear skies, thinking of Daddy, feeling hope for the first
time in ages as we set out on our journey.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
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<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-90719373720164049112012-08-22T14:19:00.000-07:002012-12-30T10:59:49.726-08:00Interview with Demetra Fisher: Part 2.<span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: arial;"> </span></span></b></span></pre>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VVvSJQnS_bo/UDamLFZeaJI/AAAAAAAABNc/BIslmVDuAYY/s1600/In+Your+Dreams.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VVvSJQnS_bo/UDamLFZeaJI/AAAAAAAABNc/BIslmVDuAYY/s400/In+Your+Dreams.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: arial;"> </span></span></b></span></pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: arial;">In this two part interview, novelist Demetra Fisher talks about her life and</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime;"> her influences
on what has led</span></span></span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime;"> her to become a published author. </span><span style="color: lime;">Her first novel, In Your Dreams, </span></span></span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime;">will
be appearing shortly in book stores and online.</span></span><span style="color: lime;"> Part one focused on her background,
life experiences and interests. </span></span></b></span></pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://bloginterviewsfb.blogspot.ca/2012/08/interview-with-demetra-fisher-part-1_12.html">http://bloginterviewsfb.blogspot.ca/2012/08/interview-with-demetra-fisher-part-1_12.html</a></span></span></b></span></pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime;">Part Two, below, talks about the</span></span></b>
</span><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime;">specifics of her book, the characters and the genre.</span></span></b></span></pre>
<pre style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><b>How much of you is in your main character?</b></b></span></span></pre>
<pre style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: red;">There is a bit of me in Alex; mostly my likes and dislikes. </span>
<span style="color: red;">Alex is an English major and loves to read; we share that. </span>
<span style="color: red;">Also her interest in psychology, which leads to her curiosity about</span>
<span style="color: red;">the supernatural is the same path that I traveled when I was close to</span>
<span style="color: red;">her age. Oh, and her hair (laughs); we have the same difficulty taming
those unruly curls!</span>
<b style="color: blue;">Did you draw off real life experiences for the characters in this book?</b></b></span></span></pre>
<pre style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: red;">I was a late bloomer in a way, so I did draw from that experience. </span>
<span style="color: red;">For the most part, Alex is generally unconcerned with her appearance, having </span>
<span style="color: red;">more important things to concentrate on. However, that all changes when</span>
<span style="color: red;">she meets someone to whom she is attracted. That was the same for me and </span>
<span style="color: red;">for most of my friends, although for them, it happened when they were much </span>
<span style="color: red;">younger. Some of the other scenarios in the book are also drawn from
real life experiences, although not all of them are my own.
</span>
<b style="color: blue;">How much and what type of research did you do for this book? </b></b></span></span></pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>I did a fair amount but not a lot. Mostly, I just incorporated
information I've gathered over the years whenever I investigated the
many different paranormal subjects that interested me. Dreams
and dreamstate activity always intrigued me so I have studied that pretty
extensively in the past.</b></span></span></pre>
<pre style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><b style="color: blue;">When you were forming the ideas for your book and in the </b><b>
beginning stages of writing it, did you have in mind
that it was going to be a series, or did that just develop?</b></b></span></span></pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><b>As I said before, I had no idea where my story was
going when I first began writing it. I just let it flow
and as </b><b>it unfolded and I got more deeply entrenched,
it made sense that it should be written as a trilogy, given my
target audience. </b></b></span></span></pre>
<pre style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><b>Your book is aimed mainly at the Teen/Young Adult audience. How mindful
of that are you when you write?</b></b></span></span></pre>
<pre style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><b><b style="color: red;">Very! Teens have little extra time in which to develop a </b><b style="color: red;">love of
reading and I am aware of that. Most spend as little time as they can get away </b><b style="color: red;">with on
their assigned reading because of all the other sports, clubs,
and social </b><b style="color: red;">activities that they would much rather focus on. </b><b style="color: red;">The books
in my trilogy are </b><b style="color: red;">designed to encourage readers to contemplate some rather sophisticated </b><b style="color: red;">
topics, but</b><b style="color: red;"> written as easy, quick reads to fit in with</b><span style="color: red;"> </span><b><span style="color: red;">their busy schedules.</span>
</b><span style="color: blue;">In your view, what is acceptable in that genre and what is not?</span></b></span></span></pre>
<pre><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><b style="color: red;">Well, I think that anything that pertains to teens and their lives and
futures is acceptable. That includes all kinds of relationships,
varied social situations, and exposure to more adult activities like drinking
and sex. Even if teens are not participating in those particular activities,
they are most certainly, at the very least, thinking about them, so intentionally leaving those
topics out is kind of demeaning to their intelligence and budding sophistication.
If you do that, you will lose their interest very quickly because your subject</b><b style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
material and characters will not be relevant to their lives and thought processes. </b>
</span></span></pre>
<div style="color: blue;">
</div>
<pre><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How would you describe your writing style and in this book specifically?</span></span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All of my writing tends to be emotionally based as well as being</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">visually descriptive. I try to have my reader feel whatever my</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">characters are feeling as if it were their own experience.</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It's tricky with a YA audience because you have to make the</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">story and the characters' experiences believable, yet you have</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to be sure to capture and retain their attention.... make them</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">want to read more. It needs to be an interesting and descriptive</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">read, but has to move along at a fairly quick pace. Challenging</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">for a writer like myself, who tends to get a little wordy.</span></span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: blue;">Why Young Adult as a chosen genre for you?</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, two reasons, really... One: As I said before, I want</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to entice young readers to develop a love of reading. I do</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">that by creating stories that feed their imagination and also encourage</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">them to question the subject material. Like, "Could that really happen?</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is this even possible?" That isn't difficult as teens have a natural</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">inclination to question the validity of almost anything. By giving my</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">readers lots of concepts to explore, I'm hoping they will be encouraged to</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">build on their own belief system, and solidify their ideals and principles</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">individually, and not just rely on what they have been taught to accept.</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Two: I think that because teens are especially hard to please,</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">targeting the YA audience makes me focus more on the skill of writing rather</span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">than just the storyline.</span></span><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><tt> </tt></span></span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do dreams play an important role for you in your everyday life?<span style="color: red;"> </span></span></span></pre>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: red;"></span></span><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: red;">They do. I have always been interested in what our dreams mean</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> on a subconscious level and I have read many books on the subject. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is always interesting to try and interpret what you've dreamed. </span><br style="color: red;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I believe that all our dreams have meaning. After all, the brain</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> doesn't shut down when you sleep... quite the opposite! Sometimes</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> we do our best thinking while we are asleep. And our dreams often</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> reflect that.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some of the imagination in your trilogy is presented as </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">abstract concepts</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> such as reincarnation and the ability </span><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to predict future events. Are you a believer of those </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">concepts?</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5883732968249072" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I have a very open mind with regard to the abstract. Unlike</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> most people, I don't necessarily have to have concrete physical</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> proof that some things exist in order for my mind to accept that</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> they very well might. Those concepts are not a stretch for me</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> at all. As such, I can write about those subjects as if they are in</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> fact, real and do indeed, exist. And for all we know, that may</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> actually be the case. We are here on earth for such a short time,</span><br style="color: red;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">it would almost be acquiescent of us to assume that only what we've</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> come to know and are familiar with, is all there is.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: blue;">Again, where can we find your book and when will it be released? </b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The target for release is in mid-September and it will be
available as both an e-book and a printed copy on Amazon.com and
Barnes&Noble.com.</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="color: lime;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Below is a brief excerpt from <i>In Your Dreams</i>.</b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> As I walked, my mind replayed the evening’s events. I was disappointed and I couldn’t help but wish that tonight had turned out more like my dream. I was still shocked by it all - the dream and how vivid it was. It had all seemed so <i>real</i>. And that guy, Taylor, no, wait…<i>Tyler</i> Caldwell. <i>Wow, was he ever</i> <i>hot!</i> How on earth I had managed to come up with him, I would never know. I found it interesting that my first memorable dream was so mind-blowing. <i>Is that the way everyone dreams</i>? <i>Or is it only because it’s the first time I’ve ever remembered? </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> My thoughts expanded to replay the entire dream in my mind, start to finish. I
was amazed that even now, I was still able to remember everything that I
saw, heard and felt, right down to the way the punch tasted and the
flowers on the table in the foyer had smelled. Incredible,
that it could replay in my mind exactly as it happened the first time,
with all my innermost thoughts and intense emotions clearly detailed. I
could recall everything I’d experienced, including the intensity of my
reaction to meeting Tyler Caldwell - especially when he took my hand -
with such clarity that it really was as if I had lived it. I
shook my head in disbelief that this memory was in fact, more vivid
than some of the most precious memories I held from my past. Like my high school graduation when I had graduated with high honors and my parents had been so proud. Or
my first visit to the ocean when I was eight and determined to ride the
waves, I had almost drowned until my Dad fished me out of the salty
water. Christmas when I was five, and I got my shiny new bike that I had begged and begged my parents for. I
couldn’t wait to ride it and even though it was winter, my dad let me
try it out in the basement until the snow melted in the spring and I
could then take it outside. There were countless other memories that for some reason right now, paled in comparison to this newly acquired memory. <i>Maybe, that’s because it’s all just happened</i>. <i>By tomorrow I will have forgotten everything.</i></span></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Or so I thought…</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b>
</span></span>Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-59228745030941025152012-08-18T18:49:00.002-07:002012-08-18T18:49:45.714-07:00Interesting Blogs and Articles<a href="http://casnocha.com/2012/07/something-i-think-i-could-fail-at-10-day-silent-meditation-program.html">http://casnocha.com/2012/07/something-i-think-i-could-fail-at-10-day-silent-meditation-program.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://rockermomrambles.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/dating-tips-from-the-trenches-cohabitation-101-or-where-the-f-is-my-drink/">http://rockermomrambles.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/dating-tips-from-the-trenches-cohabitation-101-or-where-the-f-is-my-drink/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2012/07/17/marissa-mayer-becomes-ceo-of-yahoo-and-proves-women-cannot-have-it-all/#more-10055">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2012/07/17/marissa-mayer-becomes-ceo-of-yahoo-and-proves-women-cannot-have-it-all/#more-10055</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://pandodaily.com/2012/08/17/fast-chat-facebook-stock-keeps-tanking-will-lauren-eat-her-hat/">http://pandodaily.com/2012/08/17/fast-chat-facebook-stock-keeps-tanking-will-lauren-eat-her-hat/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://casnocha.com/2012/08/political-iq-is-like-overall-athleticism-and-court-vision.html">http://casnocha.com/2012/08/political-iq-is-like-overall-athleticism-and-court-vision.html</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-72438974969583842212012-08-12T17:49:00.001-07:002012-12-30T11:00:02.823-08:00Interview with Demetra Fisher: Part 1.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LXZ3JuQ7qNg/UCa89K-Hp6I/AAAAAAAABL4/xYCTkDHdxd4/s1600/demetra.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LXZ3JuQ7qNg/UCa89K-Hp6I/AAAAAAAABL4/xYCTkDHdxd4/s400/demetra.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
<pre style="color: lime; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: arial;"> </span></span></b></span></pre>
<br />
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: arial;">In this two part interview, novelist Demetra Fisher talks about her life and</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime;"> her influences
on what has led</span></span></span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime;"> her to become a published author. </span><span style="color: lime;">Her first novel, In Your Dreams, </span></span></span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime;">will
be appearing shortly in book stores and online.</span></span><span style="color: lime;"> Part one, below, focuses on her background,
life experiences and interests. </span><span style="color: lime;">Part Two, which will follow next week, will focus on the</span></span></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime;">specifics of her book and the characters.</span></span></b></span></pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></pre>
<pre style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>What is your ethnic background?</b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></pre>
<pre style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Greek/American. My father was born in Greece and my mother was the first generation
of her family to be born in the United States.</b></span>
</pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Did your parents speak with a Greek accent?</span>
My mother didn't. She was born in Rhode Island and actually had a southern
New England accent, even though she was bilingual. My father still speaks
with a very thick Greek accent, even though he has mastered English quite
well.
<span style="color: blue;">How close to the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" film was your Greek upbringing?</span>
Ha, ha... Actually, very close. We had the lamb roast in our front yard on
the Orthodox Easter Sunday one year and the police showed up because our
neighbors complained. I lived in a predominately Catholic neighborhood and
in those days, not everyone was as used to diversity as they are now, so
they all thought we were pagans. It was quite hilarious whenever we would do
something typically Greek and no one would have a clue as to what it all
meant. I remember I was teased as a child for being the kid with the weird lunches...
I would bring stuffed grapeleaves instead of bologna sandwiches and all the
kids would be horrified. It was rather funny.
<span style="color: blue;">Do you think any of that has shaped or influenced your writing in any way?</span></b></span></pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Only in that I realized at a very young age that I was different... that I
don't really fit any mold. It was more difficult as a child to embrace my
heritage. When you're young, you so badly want to fit in and it seemed
that I didn't really fit in anywhere. My parents never really encouraged
me to learn Greek, since my father was trying so hard to learn fluent English. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span>So when I would attend the activities in my church community, all of the elders
thought it strange that I didn't speak the language very well. Then again, when I
participated in school activities and sports, the kids all thought I had such a strange
name, and that made me feel different. It took awhile for me to get comfortable being
me.As I grew older, though, I learned to appreciate my background and now I am
rather proud of my heritage.</b></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><pre style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: blue;">So, in some way, do you create characters that don't fit in?</span> </b></pre>
<pre style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>That's one way of looking at it. I think I create characters that deal
with some of the same issues that I have had to or someone I know has dealt with.
Most of those are the classic "coming of age" issues... trying to
find yourself, experiencing love and loss, and just being able to make your
way in the world. Most everyone can relate their experiences to those of
my characters.
<span style="color: blue;">You are from Vermont. Were you born there and were you raised there?</span>
No, I was born in NYC but my parents moved to Vermont when I was four. My
father took a job at an engineering firm in Burlington and we moved just
before I started kindergarten. So, I went through school in Vermont.
<span style="color: blue;">How do you think living in Vermont has influenced your writing in any way?</span>
Well, Vermont is a scenically beautiful state, so that is definitely
reflected in my writing. When you are that close to such natural beauty in
your environment, it can't help but come through in your depiction of the
setting of your story. Growing up in New England has made me very aware of
nature and how much we all need to make time to connect with it.
<span style="background-color: black; color: blue;">Did you write much when you were younger?</span>
Yes, all the time! I started writing poetry as early as the third grade.
By the time I was in middle school, I had won a few scholastic awards for
my poetry and also for a few short stories, I had crafted. When I reached
high school, I remember writing song lyrics and more involved stories, but
by that time, I had become a voracious reader, so there never seemed to be
enough time to cultivate much more than that.
<span style="color: blue;">Any favorite teachers in high school, writing wise, or otherwise?</span>
I got along really well with all of my teachers for the most part, but
especially the English teachers. They all knew how much I enjoyed their
classes. It's pretty obvious when you are the only freshman in the school
signing up to take a Shakespeare class that is meant only for seniors, that
you are an English/Humanities buff. However, my absolute favorite class
ended up being Supernatural Lit. I became completely enthralled with the
occult and things that were unexplained as a result of taking that course.
<span style="color: blue;">Does that fascination with the occult seep into your writing now?</span>
Oh yes! I like to write about the same sorts of unexplainable things that
I like to read about - mythical creatures, life after death, alternate
realities, reincarnation, etc. All of it fascinates me, and I enjoy
crafting stories that somehow supply some reasoning to those phenomena.
<span style="color: blue;">Were you athletic when you were younger, play any sports in high school?</span>
Yes, I was quite the tomboy pretty much all through school. When I was
young, in elementary school, I always played with the boys on the
playground. Most of the girls in my class never wanted to get dirty and I didn't
care about that, so long as I had fun. I would much rather play kickball,
baseball, and tag or fool around on the monkey bars. I was elated when I
got to middle school and I was able to participate in gymnastics. I was
quite the daredevil until I realized that you could actually get hurt, if
you weren't careful.
In high school, I was a three-sport athlete until my senior year. By then,
I was working part-time, so didn't have as much free time to devote to as
many sports.</b></pre>
</span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Has any of that crept into your writing as you go along?</span> </b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Only the willingness to carve your own path and not follow</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">the crowd.</span><span style="font-family: arial;">And also the dedication
part. If you want to be good</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">at something, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">you have to be willing to work hard at it. I apply</span>
<span style="font-family: arial;">the same philosophies to my writing.</span></b></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>
<span style="color: blue;">When you go out to the movies, what type of films are you drawn to?</span>
Mostly films about human experiences or the trials of life. I am a sucker
for romance, so I love epic love stories, especially the classics, like
Wuthering Heights, or Pride and Prejudice, but the modern day romantic
comedies will entice me as well. Conversely, I also like action "guy"
films a lot, too, as well as anything paranormal. I do have a dark side... lol
<span style="color: blue;">This is your first novel, why did it take you so long to come out with your
first published story?</span>
Well, life often does get in the way of dreams... I was busy building my
career in Human Resources and raising a family, so there wasn't much time
to devote to pursuing another career. Now that I'm older, I have the time.
<span style="color: blue;">Did you still write during that time, or did you stop?</span>
Mostly, I was writing communication pieces relating to my work, but I never
actually stopped writing poetry and song lyrics. It's always been
relatively easy for me to crank that stuff out, so I find that when I am
bored, I will write along those lines. The stories, however, take more
time and a lot more thought, so no, while I was working full time, I wasn't
crafting stories.
<span style="color: blue;">Tell us what your first novel is called and what it is about.</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>In Your Dreams</i></span> is a paranormal romance which is the first in a series.
It is about a twenty-one year old college student who has suffered from
sleep disorders all her young life. As a result, she doesn't dream, since
she never fully reaches REM sleep. When she returns to the university she
attends for her junior year fall semester, she suddenly begins dreaming.
In her dreams, she meets a guy who she is clearly attracted to. The
attraction is mutual and as he pursues her, they begin a relationship.
While she is enthralled, she does question why this is happening to her
and why can she only "see" him in her dreams. She soon discovers that he
has passed on, and that he is reaching out to her via her dreams because
that is the only way he can connect with this world... the world he left
behind when he died. The story depicts their emotional journey as their
feelings for each other grow. However, there is something sinister lurking
in the background that threatens their bond. You will have to read it to
discover what that is.
<span style="color: blue;">How did you come up with that idea? Is it an interesting story?</span>
I was doing the dishes by hand one night when I began
thinking about a story I had started to write but couldn't finish for some
reason. Then it occurred to me that the reason why I couldn't finish the
story was because I needed to write another first... that the two stories were
connected in some way. I left my dishes right there in the sink and didn't
even bother to dry my hands before I headed off to my desktop. I sat down,
lit a candle for inspiration, and cranked out the first three chapters of <i>In</i>
<i>Your Dreams</i>. At that point, I wasn't even sure where it was all going,
but I just let the story flow and over the next few days, it all came
together for me. At least, it did in my head. It took me the better part
of a year to get it all down on paper... and another year and a half to
fine-tune it.
<span style="color: blue;">Other than being a writer, what type of work have you done in your life?</span>
When I worked in Human Resources, I designed and managed employee benefits
and incentive compensation plans. Before that, I was a cosmetologist for a
few years and I've also worked in retail sales.
<span style="color: blue;">What are some of your hobbies and things you like to do?</span>
Well, I love reading, music, watching films, hanging out with my friends
and my pets. I also like to dance and swim and go for long walks. As much as I love
being with people, I need my alone time and I do enjoy that very much, so I
will often go off on excursions like antiquing by myself. I do love to
shop as well, and my favorite place to spend time is by the seashore. I used to ride
hunter/jumper but I haven't done that for quite a few years. Even so, I
still love horses and enjoy being around them very much.</b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></pre>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Js6wZx545BQ/UCbG5sXx40I/AAAAAAAABMI/NI6uafTYgLs/s1600/spike.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Js6wZx545BQ/UCbG5sXx40I/AAAAAAAABMI/NI6uafTYgLs/s400/spike.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: lime;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Spike</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b> <span style="color: blue;">You are a big animal lover. Have you always been that way? What do you have
in the way of pets now, and what are some of your favorite pets of the past
you have had?</span> </b></span><br />
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<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Yes, I have always had an affinity with animals. When I was very young, I
toyed with the idea of becoming a marine biologist or even just working as
a trainer at Sea World. I loved dolphins and sea turtles... still do. I
became very attached to the animals on my uncle's sheep ranch in upstate
New York when I was in grade school, as well as all my dogs and cats. I have
had so many over the years, it would be difficult to name them all. </b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>My favorite childhood pet was a tricolor rough collie my father named Iole.</b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I remember that she would follow me everywhere, to keep watch over me...</b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I was only 3 at the time... and I loved her so much.
When we moved to Vermont, we couldn't take her with us, so we left her in
the care of my uncle at his ranch. I remember my heart breaking every time
we drove away, seeing her sad expression as she watched our car drive off.
Within a couple of years, she died and I have never forgotten that, which
is why I make sure to hug my pets and show them as much love as I can, in
her memory. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Right now, I have a 9 year old Shih Tzu and a kitten who's almost a year old now.<span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They are my joys.</span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RmNzStpQzuY/UCbILCWCbcI/AAAAAAAABMY/4IAPQzb1ON4/s1600/jag.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RmNzStpQzuY/UCbILCWCbcI/AAAAAAAABMY/4IAPQzb1ON4/s400/jag.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: lime;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Jag</b></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="color: blue;">How do you market your book or how do you plan to market it in the future?</span> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At this point, I am still </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">working on solidifying my overall marketing campaign.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My target audience is teen girls, but I suspect that any lover of YA fiction would appreciate my</span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> story and be able to relate to it, as well. </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">When it comes out, where can we purchase your novel?</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>In Your Dreams</i> will be available on both Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com as either
an e-book or a printed copy.</span></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">In addition to novels, you write poetry. Any chance of a book of poetry at
some point?</span> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Probably not. Most of the poetry I write is mainly for myself, or one or
two people that inspire me. I do have a middle grade book that I am
putting together that is a compilation of some "round-the-campfire" ghost
stor</span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">y shorts that will also include some of my poetry here and there to
break it up. But, as far as a whole book devoted to just poetry, no.</span></b></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FU189fYA3TI/UCbJMDCnu8I/AAAAAAAABMg/uljJmkDRjb8/s1600/jag.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FU189fYA3TI/UCbJMDCnu8I/AAAAAAAABMg/uljJmkDRjb8/s400/jag.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i style="color: lime;"><b>Colonial Williamsburg</b></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">What interesting places have you traveled in your life?</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Colonial </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Williamsburg, Virginia comes to mind. </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For me, it was very
interesting in that I got to see exactly how the colonists lived. The
whole town is located near William and Mary and is completely
devoid of any modern day facilities. The students who </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">attend the school
while living in the town of Williamsburg must choose a colonial craft as an
internship and they are precluded from leaving the colony until their
internship is complete. There is no running water, no electricity, and
yes, they only have outhouses, no indoor plumbing. These students must
live exactly as the colonists did. </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was amazing to see the dedication
that these young people have</span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> to their purpose, as well as the feeling that you get when you
are that close to real history.</span></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Part Two next week. </span></b></span></div>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b></span></pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b></span></pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b></span></pre>
<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b></span></pre>
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<pre style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b></span></pre>
Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-70039910194207489302012-07-21T20:27:00.002-07:002012-07-21T20:27:27.963-07:00Interesting Blogs and Articles<a href="http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/guest-blog-berengaria-brown-i-had-dream.html?zx=9a134242034f56a1">http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/guest-blog-berengaria-brown-i-had-dream.html?zx=9a134242034f56a1</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://casnocha.com/2012/07/the-fragility-of-health.html">http://casnocha.com/2012/07/the-fragility-of-health.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2012/07/09/how-i-got-a-big-advance-from-a-big-publisher-and-self-published-anyway/#more-10038">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2012/07/09/how-i-got-a-big-advance-from-a-big-publisher-and-self-published-anyway/#more-10038</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://nest-expressed.com/2012/07/applying-judge-judyisms-to-real-life/">http://nest-expressed.com/2012/07/applying-judge-judyisms-to-real-life/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201207/how-men-increase-women-s-sexual-attractiveness">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201207/how-men-increase-women-s-sexual-attractiveness</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://howardcasner.blogspot.ca/2012/07/writing-opening-scenes-that-are.html">http://howardcasner.blogspot.ca/2012/07/writing-opening-scenes-that-are.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://bayintegratedmarketing.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/why-arent-companies-making-better-use-of-social-media/">http://bayintegratedmarketing.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/why-arent-companies-making-better-use-of-social-media/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://theburiedlife.tumblr.com/post/27501710757/top-5-regrets-from-dying-people">http://theburiedlife.tumblr.com/post/27501710757/top-5-regrets-from-dying-people</a><br />
<br />
<br />Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-69883709125936272092012-07-11T06:53:00.002-07:002012-07-11T06:53:28.942-07:00Interesting Blogs<a href="http://howardcasner.blogspot.ca/2012/07/writing-opening-scenes-that-are.html">http://howardcasner.blogspot.ca/2012/07/writing-opening-scenes-that-are.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.jfjuzwik.blogspot.ca/2012/06/as-crime-writers-are-we-entertaining.html">http://www.jfjuzwik.blogspot.ca/2012/06/as-crime-writers-are-we-entertaining.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://casnocha.com/2012/07/mexicos-new-president-and-the-war-on-drugs.html">http://casnocha.com/2012/07/mexicos-new-president-and-the-war-on-drugs.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://pandodaily.com/2012/07/09/chinas-surprising-internet-advantage-over-the-us/">http://pandodaily.com/2012/07/09/chinas-surprising-internet-advantage-over-the-us/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://mysterywritermadisonjohns.blogspot.ca/2012/07/sample-sunday-redneck-romance.html">http://mysterywritermadisonjohns.blogspot.ca/2012/07/sample-sunday-redneck-romance.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2012/07/dont-kill-anyone-today/">http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2012/07/dont-kill-anyone-today/</a><br />
<br />Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-21716799800335208262012-07-10T14:11:00.000-07:002012-07-11T06:51:44.706-07:00July 10, 1989 by Matthew W. Turcotte<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It's time for another fun-filled look back through time with this week's installment of the Tuesday Timeline. It's the 10<sup>th</sup> of July, and there's quite a lot that has happened on this date.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">So, let us not waste any time with this. We'll kick this edition of the Tuesday Timeline off with the events of July 10.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1212 –</b> London is nearly burned to the ground following a series of devastating fires</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1553</b> – Lady Jane Grey takes the throne of England</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1584</b> – William I of Orange is assassinated by Balthasar Gerard in Holland</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1778</b> – Louis XVI declares war on Britain</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1821</b> – United States takes possession of newly bought territory of Florida from Spain</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1850</b> – Millard Fillmore is inaugurated as the thirteenth President of the United States following the death of Zachary Taylor</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1890</b> – Wyoming becomes the 44<sup>th</sup> U.S. State</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1911</b> – Royal Australian Navy is established by HM King George V</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1913</b> – The highest recorded temperature in the United States is recorded in Death Valley, California, at a sweltering 134 degrees Fahrenheit (that's nearly 57 Celsius for the metric system users)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1917</b> – Don “Mr. Wizard” Herbert is born in Waconia, Minnesota</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1921</b> – 16 are killed and 161 homes are destroyed during Belfast's “Bloody Sunday”...<br /><br />You can read the whole blog article by clicking below.</span><a href="http://popcultureaddictlifeguide.blogspot.ca/2012/07/july-10-1989.html">http://popcultureaddictlifeguide.blogspot.ca/2012/07/july-10-1989.html</a>
</div>Matthew W. Turcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480241304113540364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-83979591834935024332012-07-04T12:13:00.003-07:002012-07-04T12:13:58.135-07:00Lexulous Life Lessons: It's about desire<div style="color: blue;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"> <span>Being the helpful sort of guy that I am, I try to help
those who seem to want and ask for it. That goes for pretty much
everything in life, be it life and love advice, or anything else. If you
ask I will do my best to help.<br /> When I play Lexulous I come across
all sorts of players. Some just play for fun, others want to win and
others play for a mixture of both. When I encounter some of those who
want to be better players but don't know what to do, I am willing to
give them tips and advice so they can achieve that if they want to.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">To read more, click on the link below. You can also leave a comment there. </span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/07/lexulous-life-lessons-its-about-desire.html">http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/07/lexulous-life-lessons-its-about-desire.html</a></span><br />
<br />Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-39433353159345017642012-07-03T19:57:00.001-07:002012-07-04T11:35:41.757-07:00July 3, 1971 by Matthew W. Turcotte<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It's our first Tuesday Timeline entry for the month of July, and this month is going to be featuring FIVE trips back through time. It's not as rare as you may believe, though. Both the months of January and May 2012 have had five Tuesdays before this month. But, I think it's a bit of a cool thing to have five Tuesday Timelines in a month. Besides, statistically, Tuesdays are the days that I have the most page views, so I find it a plus to have as many Tuesdays as possible in a month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Alas, I am rambling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It is July 3<sup>rd</sup> today. It's two days after Canada's birthday, and one day before the American Independence Day, and as it turns out, there have been a lot of events that have happened throughout history on this date. Let's have a look at some of these events.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1608</b> – Quebec City is founded by Samuel de Champlain</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1754</b> – George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to French forces</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1767</b> – The oldest Norwegian newspaper, “Adresseavisen” is founded</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1819 –</b> America's first savings bank, The Bank of Savings, opens in New York City</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1844</b> – The last of the Great Auks is killed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1848</b> – Slaves are freed in the Danish West Indies (now called the U.S. Virgin Islands) by Peter von Scholten</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1863</b> – The final day of the Battle of Gettysburg culminates with Pickett's Charge</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1884</b> – Dow Jones publishes first stock average</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1886</b> – Karl Benz unveils prototype for Benz Patent Motorwagen, the first purpose-built automobile</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1890</b> – Idaho is declared the 43<sup>rd</sup> U.S. State</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1938</b> – Franklin D. Roosevelt lights eternal flame at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial at Gettysburg Battlefield.<br /><br />For more...</span><a href="http://popcultureaddictlifeguide.blogspot.ca/2012/07/july-3-1971.html">http://popcultureaddictlifeguide.blogspot.ca/2012/07/july-3-1971.html</a>
</div>Matthew W. Turcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480241304113540364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-47940271619987829532012-07-03T15:01:00.003-07:002012-07-03T15:01:59.115-07:00Movie Review: Magic Mike (2012)<span style="font-size: large;"><span>I haven't seen Magic Mike and I don't intend to. But if I did, I suspect this would be my review of the movie.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span> </span><span><b style="color: red;">To read more, click on the link below. You can also leave a comment there. </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span><a href="http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/07/movie-review-magic-mike-2012.html">http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/07/movie-review-magic-mike-2012.html</a> </span></span>Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-50582751561136317502012-06-30T11:26:00.001-07:002012-06-30T11:26:04.313-07:00"My Three Sons" - In Loving Memory of Don Grady<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RSoCSlp1Nqo/T-9EliBxbgI/AAAAAAAABDE/Kn74V2VGZDo/s1600/my+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RSoCSlp1Nqo/T-9EliBxbgI/AAAAAAAABDE/Kn74V2VGZDo/s640/my+three.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif; line-height: 115%;">And then there was the recent passing of Don
Grady, who passed away on June 27, 2012 from cancer just nineteen days after
his 68<sup>th</sup> birthday.</span></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br style="color: blue;" /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">If that name doesn’t quite ring a bell, you’re
probably a bit on the young side. It’s
perfectly fine. Before video sharing
sites came along, I was unaware of the impact that Don Grady had in the world
of prime time television. </span></span></b></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span><b style="color: red;">To read more, click on the link below. You can also leave a comment there. </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://popcultureaddictlifeguide.blogspot.ca/2012/06/my-three-sons-in-loving-memory-of-don.html">http://popcultureaddictlifeguide.blogspot.ca/2012/06/my-three-sons-in-loving-memory-of-don.html</a></span>Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-55019477549840394842012-06-30T11:21:00.001-07:002012-07-08T19:22:27.306-07:00Interesting blogs<a href="http://betterthanieverexpected.blogspot.ca/2012/06/what-you-should-never-saysend-to-senior.html">http://betterthanieverexpected.blogspot.ca/2012/06/what-you-should-never-saysend-to-senior.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2012/06/21/tips-for-writing/">http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2012/06/21/tips-for-writing/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.teresamummert.com/1/post/2012/01/indie-author-survival-guide.html">http://www.teresamummert.com/1/post/2012/01/indie-author-survival-guide.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://uviart.blogspot.ca/2012/06/seaweed-as-source-of-inspiration.html">http://uviart.blogspot.ca/2012/06/seaweed-as-source-of-inspiration.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://mysterywritermadisonjohns.blogspot.ca/2012/06/my-dad.html">http://mysterywritermadisonjohns.blogspot.ca/2012/06/my-dad.html</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://casnocha.com/2012/06/whats-driving-class-bifurcation.html">http://casnocha.com/2012/06/whats-driving-class-bifurcation.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://nest-expressed.com/2012/06/my-correspondence-with-scammer/">http://nest-expressed.com/2012/06/my-correspondence-with-scammer/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wheresthedrama.com/storyideas.htm">http://www.wheresthedrama.com/storyideas.htm</a>Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-60027124719997095052012-06-30T11:19:00.004-07:002012-06-30T11:19:45.687-07:00Rev. Ron's Movie Reviews :21 Jump Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UJhTEQMQfNA/T-9C-XMLhnI/AAAAAAAABC8/GzdliCROWY8/s1600/rev+ron.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UJhTEQMQfNA/T-9C-XMLhnI/AAAAAAAABC8/GzdliCROWY8/s640/rev+ron.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>We've
all heard the criticism about how Hollywood has run out of ideas.
Sequels and prequels, remakes and reboots--what is a person to do? Is
it possible to make an original film anymore? <i>21 Jumps</i> proves it is.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span><b style="color: red;">To read more, click on the link below. You can also leave a comment there. </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><a href="http://revronmovies.blogspot.ca/2012/06/21-jump-street.html">http://revronmovies.blogspot.ca/2012/06/21-jump-street.html</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></div>Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-33781741327314045892012-06-30T11:15:00.002-07:002012-06-30T11:15:22.492-07:00We need to start making stuff again<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> Last weekend it was time to venture out and do some
shopping. I hate shopping, but it must be done. Now, when I say
shopping, I mean buying. I don't go store to store, looking at
multitudes of stuff all day until I buy. <br />
My idea of shopping is going to the store I think will have what I want
for the price I am willing to pay and then going directly to the
department that has the items that I want. Finding my size, taking them
to the checkout and then paying for them. That would be the end of my
shopping experience.</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="color: red;">To read more, click on the link below. You can also leave a comment there. </span></span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/we-need-to-start-making-stuff-again.html">http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/we-need-to-start-making-stuff-again.html</a><br />
<br />Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-16230895709825767172012-06-30T11:14:00.001-07:002012-06-30T11:14:04.619-07:0010 Random Thoughts<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> <span>1. If you bring nothing to the table..then its likely that no one is going to want to join you there.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span><b style="color: red;">To read more, click on the link below. You can also leave a comment there. </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/10-random-thoughts_30.html">http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/10-random-thoughts_30.html</a></span><br />
<br />Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-79546623519412308672012-06-29T08:38:00.002-07:002012-06-29T08:38:35.502-07:00From The Mailbox: Banks<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> <span>I received a letter in the mail the other day from a bank
I used to deal with. I stopped dealing with them because it was a
hassle to do so. You see, they aren't really a bank.</span></b></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span><b style="color: red;">To read more, click on the link below. You can also leave a comment there. </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/from-mailbox-banks.html">http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/from-mailbox-banks.html</a></span><br />
<br />Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-27218952710114814932012-06-26T14:38:00.002-07:002012-06-29T08:41:42.454-07:00June 26, 1927 by Matthew W. Turcotte<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Welcome to the twenty-sixth of June, everybody. Because it's Tuesday, we're going to go back in time to a significant event in history dealing with pop culture and entertainment. This time around, we're going back in time to a year that I've never done before. In fact, we're actually going back to a decade that I have never done before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Of course, before we do that, we have some other bits and bites to get through first. June 26<sup>th</sup> was a busy day in history, and I think that we have to talk about some of these events before we get to the main topic. After all, it's what we do every Tuesday, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">All right. So, let's see who is celebrating a birthday on June 26<sup>th</sup>, shall we? We have Charlotte Zolotow, Eleanor Parker, Yoshiro Nakamatsu, Colin Wilson, Dave Grusin, Robert Maclennin, Jean-Claude Turcotte (no relation to me), Billy Davis Jr., John Beasley, Pamela Bellwood, Mick Jones, Gedde Watanabe, Chris Isaak, Patty Smyth, Greg LeMond, Terri Nunn, Harriet Wheeler, Sean Hayes, Chris O'Donnell, Gretchen Wilson, Rebecca Budig, Derek Jeter, Jason Kendall, Matt Striker, Chris Armstrong, Ed Jovanovski, Chad Pennington, Quincy Lewis, Brandi Burkhardt, Jason Schwartzman, and Jennette McCurdy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">In short, June 26 seems to be the year of the athlete, as most of these people listed play some form of professional sport. Look it up if you aren't convinced.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">And, in case you're wondering, here are some of the significant events that took place on June 26.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1723</b> – Baku surrenders to the Russians after a siege and bombardment</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1848</b> – The end of June Days Uprising in Paris, France</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1857</b> – The first investiture of the Victorian Cross in Hyde Park, London</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1870</b> – The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared an official federal holiday in the United States</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1886</b> – Elemental Fluorine is isolated by chemist Henri Moissan</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1907</b> – 1907 Tiflis Bank Robbery takes place in what is now called Freedom Square in Tbilisi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><b>1917</b> – The first U.S. Troops arrive in France to fight alongside Britain and France against Germany in World War I<br /><br />For more, read here...</span><a href="http://popcultureaddictlifeguide.blogspot.ca/2012/06/june-26-1927.html">http://popcultureaddictlifeguide.blogspot.ca/2012/06/june-26-1927.html</a>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>Matthew W. Turcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480241304113540364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-40251766740560281852012-06-25T19:26:00.003-07:002012-06-25T19:26:41.386-07:00Is that what we would do?<div style="color: blue;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span>So let's say we had an overpopulation problem. Actually, we do, but that is beside the point.</span><br /><span>Now, we have too many people. What shall we do about that?</span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span>How about, we just take a percentage of
those that are neglected, or old, or not as currently wanted or useful
as the rest, and just kill them off. Is that what we would do?</span></span></b>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: red;">To read more, click on the link below. You can also leave a comment there. </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: red;"> <a href="http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/is-that-what-we-would-do.html">http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/is-that-what-we-would-do.html</a></b></span>Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-2337941715984965792012-06-24T15:48:00.001-07:002012-06-24T15:48:37.087-07:00Rev. Ron's Movie Reviews:<div style="color: blue;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><i>Chronicle</i>
had the unlimited potential to be a fantastic superhero-style story
about some young teenagers who end up gaining amazing powers but it
ultimately destroys itself by eliminating elements like character, story
and plot in favor of a cheap gimmick.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span><b style="color: red;">To read more, click on the link below. You can also leave a comment there. </b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <a href="http://revronmovies.blogspot.ca/2012/06/chronicle.html">http://revronmovies.blogspot.ca/2012/06/chronicle.html</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-36307407102753334382012-06-23T14:14:00.003-07:002012-06-24T15:41:30.463-07:00The Woman Behind Lamb Chop by Matthew W. Turcotte<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is a picture of a puppet, affectionately named Lamb Chop. When she posted that picture, it prompted everyone on her friends list to discuss their memories of Lamb Chop. I even had a memory of my own. Well, okay, it was my sister's memory, but I was there. It was Christmas 1993, and one of the gifts that my sister received that year was the Lamb Chop doll. She also received Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy, Lamb Chop's closest friends in addition.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At this point, I should also mention that when Christmas 1993 came around, my sister was 21 years old. But, as many people pointed out underneath Helen's picture, age was not a factor in regards to how much one adored Lamb Chop. In fact, I have to admit, I have a soft spot in my heart for the little lamb myself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, for today's entry, I thought that I would talk about Lamb Chop, and the woman who helped make her a star.<br /><br />And, if you want to continue reading, click here.</span></span><a href="http://popcultureaddictlifeguide.blogspot.ca/2012/06/woman-behind-lamb-chops-play-along.html">http://popcultureaddictlifeguide.blogspot.ca/2012/06/woman-behind-lamb-chops-play-along.html</a>
</div>Matthew W. Turcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480241304113540364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-90085117391206404972012-06-23T07:33:00.005-07:002012-06-23T07:33:55.328-07:00One Day<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> <span>The Miami Heat have won the championship. Good for them.
Of course, in a perfect world, they never would have. That is how we all
wish life worked. Those who game the system, who try to beat the
system, don't get what they want and actually get punished by the cosmos
for doing what they did.<br />
But, us grownups know it just doesn't work that way. </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> <span><span style="color: red;">To read more, click on the link below. You can also leave a comment there. </span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/one-day.html">http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/one-day.html</a><br />
<br />Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-79695958958882573982012-06-22T14:20:00.002-07:002012-06-22T14:20:33.081-07:00The Decision to Self Publish - Guest Post: Benjamin X. Wretlind<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: blue;">I am a big fan of Benjamin X. Wretlind's blog</span></span><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: blue;">, so I was absolutely thrilled
when I had the opportunity to have him do a guest post here
as</span></span></span><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: blue;"> part of his Sketches from the Spanish Mustang blog tour. Benjamin was kind enough to allow me to pick from the tour topics. I chose "The Decision to Self Publish," and he did not disappoint. Without further ado, here are Benjamin's thoughts on self publishing:</span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: red;">To read more click on the link below and feel free to leave comments there.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><a href="http://www.mefrancoauthor.blogspot.com/2012/06/decision-to-self-publish-guest-post.html">http://www.mefrancoauthor.blogspot.com/2012/06/decision-to-self-publish-guest-post.html</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>M. E. Francohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879665164475479116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019932932728838497.post-85657187188592168082012-06-22T13:43:00.001-07:002012-06-22T13:43:27.783-07:00Acceptance<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I see lots of articles on the problems of life.
Specifically on what to do about the realities of aging and the physical
results of that.<br />Sagging boobs? Get them lifted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><b style="color: red;">To read more, click on the link below. You can also leave a comment there. </b></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/acceptance.html">http://markdeutsch39.blogspot.ca/2012/06/acceptance.html</a><br />
<br />Mark Deutschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657964285111110546noreply@blogger.com1