Join Shana Mahaffey as she tours the blogosphere December 6, 2010 to January 14, 2011 to promote her new women’s fiction novel, Sounds Like Crazy (Penguin Books).

Though she doesn’t remember the trauma that caused it, Holly Miller, the main character of Shana’s novel, has Dissociative Identity Disorder. Her personality has fractured into five different identities, together known as The Committee. And as much as they make Holly’s life hell, she can’t live without them. Then one of those identities, the flirtatious, southern Betty Jane, lands Holly a voiceover job. Betty Jane wants nothing more than to be in the spotlight. The rest of The Committee wants Betty Jane to shut up. Holly’s therapist wants to get to the bottom of her broken psyche. And Holly? She’s just along for the ride.

The San Francisco Chronicle says, “Mahaffey documents a realistic setting and progression of psychotherapy…both funny and poignant, Sounds Like Crazy celebrates resilience as an essential element of the human condition.”

“Mahaffey has infused the book with keen insights into human nature and the complexities of life that challenge all of us,” says San Franscisco Book Review.  “Sounds Like Crazy is a novel that should appeal to anyone who has ever wondered about the little voice in the back of their head.”

Tish Cohen, author of The Inside Out Girl, says “Tender, fresh, and darkly comic, Sounds Like Crazy is a sweet and poignant debut.  In exploring the reality of a lonely woman living with dissociative identity disorder.  Shana Mahaffey has created an honest and compelling character that will both touch your heart and have you laughing out loud.”

Shana  Mahaffey lives in San Francisco in an Edwardian compound that she shares with an informal cooperative of family, friends and five cats. She’s a survivor of Catechism and cat scratch fever, and is a member of the Sanchez Grotto Annex, a writers’ community. Her work has been published in SoMa Literary Review and Sunset Magazine.  She welcomes all visitors to her website www.shanamahaffey.com, and is happy to meet with book groups in-person or in cyberspace (phone/webcam/the works).

If you’d like to find out more about Shana during her virtual book tour, visit her official tour page here.

You can purchase Sounds Like Crazy at Amazon.

Tags: blog tours, book publicity, Shana Mahaffey, Sounds Like Crazy, virtual book tours, women's fiction author

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Tags: A Book and a Chat, Cheryl Malandrinos, children's book author, Little Shepherd

Join Susan Wingate, as she tours the blogosphere December 6 – January 14 to promote her new women’s fiction/mystery novel, Easy as Pie at Bobby’s Diner (Blue Star Books).

Easy as Pie at Bobby’s Diner focuses on Georgette Carlisle, who has lost her first husband and is about to lose her next, one Hawthorne Biggs. She’s running the diner with Roberta, her late husband’s daughter. When old friend, Helen, comes back home after a failed attempt at a writing career, she is, once again, attracted to Georgette’s man. After the two women part company Helen goes missing. While digging around, Georgette finds out that Biggs has a dangerous past. With Roberta at her side, the two women, brave separation, torture and near death at the hand of Biggs. And, after taking him down, the women find a new strength and belonging. EASY AS PIE is the number two book in the four-part “Bobby’s Diner” series

Award-winning author, Susan Wingate, gets a monthly column about writing and the publishing industry in her local newspaper, The Journal of the San Juan Islands. She will also be posting weekly discussions about the writing industry for the regional online newspaper, the PNWLocalNews.com site.

You can view Wingate’s discussions by clicking on the “Entertainment” tab and then finding Wingate’s discussions under the “Blogs” section of the Entertainment Page.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona to James & Amie Ajamie (a writer and an artist, respectively), Susan Wingate tried to fly, at age five off the roof of their family house using newspaper, wire hangers and scotch tape. She’s been dreaming of flying ever since. Oh, by the way, she never jumped. Her mother ran out in the nick of time to stop her from take-off.

Wingate realized her dreams when she entered the world of writing. At first, she only wrote songs and poetry but then her writing blossomed when she tried her hand at fiction. In 1997, she devoted her days to writing and in 2004, she began writing full-time. Since then, Susan has written several plays, one screenplay, one short story collection and seven novels with two more scheduled to be written in 2010. In 2008, she started writing a memoir.

A lover of the arts, Susan draws and paints abstracts using oil as her favored medium. She has taken up playing the violin (it’s been a squeakly start) and she loves the theatre. Susan lives in Washington State.

Wingate’s novel, Bobby’s Diner, received three finalist awards in the following book competitions:

■2010 International Book Awards,

■2009 National Book Awards (USA Book News),

■2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

In May 2010, two of Wingate’s novels were released, they are:

■A FALLING OF LAW, and

■EASY AS PIE AT BOBBY’S DINER (the no. 2 book in the Bobby’s Diner Series)

“Camouflage,” Wingate’s fourth novel (written as Myah Lin) received a Finalist Award and an Editor’s Choice Award in the 2009 Textnovel Writing Contest.

To date, Wingate has written seven novels, two short story collections, a memoir, hundreds of poems, a few plays for theatre and one screenplay.

Her books can be found online and in bookstores across the country and her articles, short stories and poetry can be found in magazines, journals and reviews.

Locally, Wingate volunteers with the San Juan Island Library. She offers workshops, readings and presentations at writing conferences, bookstores and libraries throughout the country.

You can visit her website at www.susanwingate.com.

If you’d like to find out where Susan will be appearing during her virtual book tour, visit her official tour page here.

Pump Up Your Book is an innovative public relations agency specializing in virtual book tours for authors looking for maximum online promotion to sell their books.  Visit our website at www.pumpupyourbook.com to find out how we can take your book to the virtual level!

Tags: amateur sleuth, author tour, award-winning author, blog tour, Blue Star Books, book campaign, book marketing, book promotions, book publicity, Easy as Pie at Bobby's Diner, mystery, online book promotion, online book tour, promote your book, Pump Up Your Book, sell your book, Susan Wingate, virtual book tour, women's fiction

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My thriller Talion began as a different kind of book entirely, a novella entitled “Water Dolls” about two teenage girls who form an unlikely friendship. I loved the characters, especially Lu, who somehow clings to her selfhood despite a life of neglect and abuse. But the story dragged, weighed down by exposition of the characters’ pasts and a present where the conflict arose from the girls’ vague distrust of each other. Not enough happened. The plot needed a catalyst, a threat that would either bring them together or destroy them.

I solved the problem by introducing Rad, a sadistic killer who stalks them as they sunbathe beside an old dam in the mountains. I meant for Rad to play a minor role; he would be the outside force that catalyzed a change in the girls’ relationship. But once I began writing from his point of view, he demanded a larger part. As sometimes happens, his character took on a life of its own. Rad claimed so much space that eventually I cut large segments of his backstory to keep him from dominating the novel.

When the rewrite was finished, I gave it a new title, Secret Father, and found an agent willing to represent me. I think it helped that Secret Father received an enthusiastic review from a reader at the large and prominent agency where the agent then worked. But he was in the process of leaving to found his own agency, and I went with him.

After shopping the manuscript around, he told me editors balked because the novel did not conform to the genre. Readers expected the hero to be a detective or journalist – adult and middle-class like them. Lu was neither. So I rewrote, making the protagonist a small-town journalist who comes to suspect Rad.  This new version, Rad’s Kiss, was unfocused and too long because in the end I couldn’t abandon Lu. Two thirds through the novel, she took over. After a series of rejections from editors, the agent dropped me.

I don’t blame him. He did his best for me. I think it troubled him that his advice sent me in a direction that was no good for my writing.  In the end, he was right to end an association that wasn’t helping either of us.

I put the novel aside for a couple of years and worked on other projects. Then I joined the Eastern Illinois University Writer Babes, the best writers’ group I’ve ever belonged to. Because of the Babes I became more energized about writing fiction than I’d been for a long time. I began thinking about Secret Father again. An inspiration came to me: Suppose an aspect of Lu‘s psyche was a separate character, an ambiguous being capable of both good and evil, whose conflict with Lu would dramatize her inner turmoil.

I named the new character Talion, a word derived from lex talionis, the concept of justice in which retaliation is dealt out in proportion to the offense – like the Biblical law of an eye for an eye. Talion would offer retribution for the abuse Lu has suffered. But as I wrote, he grew beyond my conception of him. He refused to settle for being a simple hallucination, and he insisted on bringing his friends.

With the advice and encouragement of the Babes, I revised Secret Father again, adding Talion and his cohorts and including a few small elements of Rad’s Kiss.

When the time came to seek an agent, I found myself procrastinating. Months passed before I admitted to myself that I had qualms about going through the process again. Talion has the same drawback as Secret Father: it doesn’t fit neatly within its genre. Instead of being a serial killer novel with the wrong kind of protagonist, it’s a serial killer novel with the wrong kind of protagonist plus paranormal elements.

I was unwilling to undertake another radical re-conception of the novel. When the idea for a story comes to me, I experience it as a flash of meaning and emotion, its essence distilled into an instant. The particulars develop afterward. In Talion I’ve come as close as possible to the essence of Lu’s story.

After considering my options, I established Cantraip Press and published Talion myself. Every aspect of publication became my responsibility, and I quickly discovered how much I had to learn. I wouldn’t recommend this route to authors unless they have time and disposable income, and they enjoy learning new skills and solving problems. For me it’s fun in spite of the occasional frustration. Now that I’m a publisher in a small way, I want to publish books by other writers. Since budding publishers of fiction don’t make a profit, though, I haven’t quit my day job teaching at a university. My expansion plans must wait until next summer when I have more time.

Meanwhile I’m promoting Talion, motivated by the belief that readers will be captivated by the story, fall in love with its protagonist, and find it impossible to put the book aside. Just as I did.

# # #

Mary Maddox grew up in Utah and California. A graduate of Knox College and the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she now teaches composition and literature at Eastern Illinois University.

She lives in Charleston, Illinois with her husband, film scholar Joe Heumann. Her interests include riding her horse, Tucker, and playing club and tournament Scrabble. Mary’s short stories have appeared in a number of magazines including Farmer’s Market, Yellow Silk, and The Scream Online. Her writing has been honored with awards from the Illinois Arts Council.

Talion, her debut novel, is available at Barnesandnoble.com as a trade paperback and at Amazon.com as both a paperback and a Kindle book. You can visit her at her Web site www.marymaddox.com and follow her blog at http://blog.marymaddox.com.

Tags: Mary Maddox, Talion

5 Things You Should Know About Writing with Children at Home

Tags: author publicity, author tour, blog tour, book blog tour, book marketing, book promotion online, book promotions, book tours, historical romance, Kieran Kramer, Kieran Kramer Virtual Book Tour, promote your book, Pump Up Your Book, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Regency romance, Regency set historical romance, St. Martin's Press, virtual blog tour, virtual book tour, When Harry Met Molly, When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer, When Harry Met Molly Virtual Book Tour

The First Page is one of Literarily Speaking’s newest features. Here we get a glimpse into an author’s work and what better place to begin than the first page? Authors share their first pages and answer a few questions about why they started their books off the way they did. Today we welcome Valmore Daniels, author of the science fiction novel, Forbidden the Stars (Mummer Media).

…………………………………………………….

Forbidden the Stars
by Valmore Daniels
THE FIRST PAGE

My ancestors tell us that on a calm, still night, if we listen hard enough, we can hear the planets move. They call it the Music of the Spheres, and its song is a tale of the return of the gods. I have heard this song.

But I am just an old man. What do I know?

My grandson comes up to me to ask permission to play with his friends. I ask him, “Do you want me to tell you the story of the end of the world?”

I know he has already heard me tell this tale, and he does not believe. He would rather play with his friends.

Maybe if I tell him a few more times, he will come to believe.

I can only hope; but what do I know?

I tell him of Hunab Ku, the god of gods, the creator of the Maya. I tell him that Hunab Ku rebuilt the world three times after three deluges, which poured from the mouth of a sky serpent—some say from the mouth of Kukulkan, god of the sun, the oceans, the earth, and the sky.

I tell my young grandson, who grows bored at my tales, that Kukulkan built the first world and the second world. He did this so that the third world would be ready for the People of the Earth, the Maya.

I tell him of the folly of the Maya, of their arrogance, of the decadent ways and human sacrifices, and the foretelling of the white man. I tell him of the end of the third world, of the destruction of our ancestors.

My grandson smiles. He believes I am just a lonely old man who tells grand tales.

Welcome, Valmore. Can you tell us what your book is about?

Forbidden The Stars takes place at the end of the century and concerns the decade leading up to the point where humankind enters the Interstellar Age. There are three main plotlines that intertwine. A catastrophic accident in the asteroid belt leads to the development of an element which can fuel faster-than-light travel. The first manned mission to Pluto discovers signs of alien life. And from the depths of a criminal empire on Luna, an expatriate watches all of this and makes his move to seize control of interstellar travel.

The first page is perhaps one of the most important pages in the whole book.  It’s what draws the reader into the story.  Why did you choose to begin your book this way?

I wanted to give a voice to the wisdom of our elders, who have the benefit of experience, and contrast that to the myopathy of youth. This is an underlying theme for the entire novel. Our expansion into interstellar space signifies a leap from our youth, when we are bound to our own solar system, to maturing as a society, where we are fit to join the interstellar community.

In the course of writing your book, how many times would you say that first page changed and for what reasons?

The first page did not change, other than to editorial requirements. It’s very nearly the exact words I used in the first draft of the novel. For me, it captured the spirit of what I wanted to say, and provided a solid foundation for the rest of the story.

Was there ever a time after the book went to print you wished you had changed something on the first page?

I’m very pleased with the first page, and I have had more than a few comments from readers expressing that they enjoyed having the old man’s perspective as bookends for the novel.

What advice can you give to aspiring authors to stress how important the first page is?

The job of the first page is to capture a reader’s attention immediately, and draw them into the story. All fiction requires a certain suspension of disbelief. By presenting a confident voice and unique perspective from the first word, you can allow the reader to shrug away the bounds of reality and immerse them in your fiction.

Tags: adventure, Aliens, blog tours, book promotions, book publicity, fiction, first contact, Forbidden the Stars, future, hard science fiction, hard sf, high tech, online book tours, science fiction, science fiction author, science fiction book, science fiction novel, scifi, space, space opera, space travel, technothrillers, thriller, Valmore Daniels, virtual book tours

Tags: a novel for anglophiles, blog tour, book promotions, book publicity, book tour, cozy mystery, female amateur detective, mystery, mystery in the moors, New England mystery, novels about preserving the environment and open space, novels about the preservation of historic villages, novels about the threat of developers, novels that center on a trip to the U.K., online book promotion, online book tour, Pump Up Your Book, Shelly Frome, The Twinning Murders, tour guide mystery, trans-Atlantic mystery, travel mystery, village mystery, virtual book tour

Mark Oetjens, author of THE STAFF OF RAHGORRA

Another time, another galaxy. The mysterious crime lord Thrull has aspirations beyond controlling the underworld in a single corner of the galaxy.  Thrull wants to bring the galaxy under one rule and build a legitimate Galactic Empire.  For years he has been training an army of his followers and building his own private Armada.  But he knows he must also find the Staff of Rahgorra, a weapon of mythic power. To keep Thrull from finding the Staff the Galactic Security Bureau, peacekeepers of the galaxy, has pressed back into service a banished agent.  Chameleon Del Rey was expelled from the GSB for avenging the death of a friend and for practicing the forbidden art of Jai Kin.  Now he must train a young apprentice to use Jai Kin and find the Staff of Rahgorra before Thrull does in order to avoid a war that will stretch across the galaxy.

This is the exciting premise of Mark Oetjens’ new science fiction novel, The Staff of Rahgorra (Conquer Publishing).  We interviewed Mark to find out about his new book!

Thank you for this interview, Mark. Can you tell us what your latest book, The Staff of Rahgorra, is all about?

The Staff of Rahgorra is a science fiction action-adventure. The crime lord Thrull wants to rule galaxy but he knows he must first find the mythical weapon known as the Staff of Rahgorra. Cam and his apprentice Kayo, agents of the Galactic Security Bureau, are determined to stop Thrull by finding the Staff first and avoiding the war that Thrull threatens. Along the way there’s space battles and firefights and all sorts of questionable aliens and unsavory allies.

Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?

Thrull is absolutely driven to build a galactic empire. Thrull’s supporting characters are mostly young disciplined military officers that he trained himself, though there are a few rogues among them. Cam, on the other hand, is about to retire. The last thing he wants to do is stop Thrull, but he knows he must. His apprentice Kayo, his old Galactic Security Bureau friends, and a host of questionable characters support Cam.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

Thrull is loosely based on the character Toranaga from Shogun. I think Cam is more me (or what I’d like to be) than I care to admit. A lot of the supporting cast is based on friends, family, and acquaintances. As far as the aliens in the novel, most are loosely based to on real animals or things I’ve seen in movies.

Are you consciously aware of the plot before you begin a novel, or do you discover it as you write?

As an author I think you have to know the general plot and how a work is going to end before you start writing. That being said, you definitely have insights into characters and revelations along the way. I always know where I’m going, but exactly how I get there is anybody’s guess.

Your book is set in another galaxy.  Can you tell us why you chose this galaxy in particular?

I wanted the novel to be completely fresh. By fresh I mean having none of the history or assumptions or hang-ups of humankind. What better way to do that than to start from scratch.

Does the setting play a major part in the development of your story?

Absolutely. Having a brand new galaxy to play in gave me the freedom to create a history and a mythology that was vital to the development of the story.

Can you give us one of your best excerpts?

Thrull did not react as a side door of the observation lounge hissed open. He continued to watch the shuttle’s approach as the sound of boots striking the cool marble floor echoed through the lounge. His visitor finally came to a halt two meters behind and just to the left of him. After more than a minute, when the shuttle had almost reached the landing bay’s magnetic doors, he glanced up to see Tok’s reflection in the glass.

“You have news for me,” he said gruffly. It was not a question.

Tok seemed to stiffen his posture. “We just received word that the transport has arrived,” Tok said.

Thrull nodded. “Has the rest of the trap been set?” he asked. This he phrased as a question.

“Yes, Sire,” he said. “Linu contacted us an hour ago. She and the Talon should be here within the hour.”

Thrull turned to face Tok. “Good,” he said. “Tell her I want to see her as soon as she gets here.”

“Certainly, Sire.”

Thrull paused, looking the young man up and down. Hard to believe it was almost fifteen years ago that he had first taken them under his wing. Tok had been the youngest, only nine. He taught them everything he knew. They became his family, his thirty children. And now, after just fifteen years, he had gone from a mysterious upstart with a band of teenaged commandos to the verge of taking over the galaxy. “Would you please escort our guest up here. I’ll be in to see him shortly.”

Thank you so much for this interview, Mark.  We wish you much success!

Thank you for having me.

Tags: book campaign, book promotions, Mark Oetjens, online book promoion, online book promotion, Pump Up Your Book, science fiction, science fiction author, science fiction book, The Staff of Rahgorra

One day little Nicholas wandered away from his mom and his sister while they were out shopping because he has always felt mostly invisible in comparison to his sister Holly.  Little Nicholas meets an old man sitting on a bench at the mall.  This old man tells Nicholas he is Santa Claus and that he is very sick and dying.  Santa Claus also tells Nicholas he will now be the new real Santa Claus and the elves would be in touch with him shortly.  Little Nicholas believes this old man a hundred and ten percent that he is to become the new real Santa Claus. Enjoy this journey into a little boy’s imagination as he struggles in a world of doubt, continuously striving to turn non believers into believers. I believe my son is the new real Santa Claus no matter what other people may believe. The question is, do you believe?

This is the exciting premise of Kristy Haile’s new holiday fiction novel, I Am Santa.  We had a chance to interview Kristy to find out about her new book and her feelings on having the real Santa Claus living under her own roof.

Q: Thank you for this interview, Kristy. Can you tell us what your latest book, I Am Santa, is all about?

Kristy: In I AM SANTA!, a four-year-old boy named Nicholas meets a sick old man in a shopping mall who says he is Santa Claus. After some conversation, the man tells Nicholas that he will be the new real Santa. Nicholas persuades his mother to buy him a Santa suit, which he wears all year long, describing to his family his late-night trips to the North Pole.

Some people react negatively to Nicholas, while others ask him what he will bring them for Christmas; still others tell him and his mom that seeing such a jolly little Santa makes their day. His mother decides to support him and let him wear the suit all year, because she wants him to be free to dream and to believe he can be anything he wants to be.

Q: I understand your son gave you the idea to write the book.  Can you tell us what happened?

Kristy: Even though ‘I AM SANTA’ is a fictional book it is based upon the true life story of how my son became the new real Santa Claus. Beginning when my son Ty was only 2 1/2 years old he began to tell me that he was the new real Santa Claus. Upon my son’s insistence I bought him his first Santa suit which he has worn year round ever since. Soon after that my son Ty began to tell me all about the elves, the reindeers, the North Pole and all about being the new real Santa Claus.

I began to keep a journal about all of his fabulous North Pole adventures, which eventually became the basis for ‘I AM SANTA!’

Q: Speaking of Ty, he has been on TV, is that right?

Kristy: Yes, Ty has been given the opportunity to be an actor on numerous television shows such as Dexter, Criminal Minds, The Office and Desperate Housewives just to name a few. Ty enjoys being an actor and has a lot of fun on set.

Q: Does Ty go with you to promote your book offline and, if so, do people ask him if he’s the real Santa Claus?

Kristy: Yes, Ty attends book signings with me. At the book signing events Ty draws a Santa picture in the back of the book and signs the book as well.  He is also looking forward to on camera interviews since he enjoys being in front of the camera.

People do ask him if he is Santa whenever he has his Santa suit on.  He happily replies, ‘Yes’ whenever he is asked.

Q: Does having the real Santa Claus living right at your house make home life interesting?

Kristy: Having Santa Claus as my son makes every day fabulously interesting and fun.  I never know when he will tell me something new about the North Pole or being Santa.

Life tends to be continuously happy around our house.

Q: Do you remember if the writing of I Am Santa came easy for you or did you ever hit writer’s block?

Kristy: Since ‘I AM SANTA!’ is based upon the imagination of my son as well as upon our real lives the writing came fairly easy.  I organized the fabulous stories Ty had told me about being Santa Claus which provided me a good basis to write with.

Whenever I would feel as if I may get stuck and I wasn’t sure about what should come next, I would simply ask Ty and he would give me plenty of information to continue on with.

Q: Do you plan on writing more books?

Kristy: Yes, my son Ty and I plan on writing a series of I AM SANTA! books.  In fact we have already begun writing our next book together.  Plus we are planning to do an IAM SANTA! children’s book as well.

Q: Finally, I like to ask authors this question.  What is your passion?  What is it that you’re more passionate about than anything else?

Kristy: I am truly passionate about helping people in need. I have been blessed and I like to help others in any way I can. I was able to complete my patient requirements for dental hygiene thanks to homeless people.  I would go out onto the streets of Boston as well as shelters to recruit patients for myself.  I didn’t have much but I would pay for their cleanings and I received so much back in return.

Getting to know my homeless patients helped me in so many different ways and I will be forever grateful to them for the opportunity of getting to know them.  It truly made me a more compassionate and understanding person.

Q: Thanks for the interview, Kristy.  Do you have any final words?

Kristy: Always believe in your dreams.

You can find out how to pick up your copy of I Am Santa by visiting the author’s website at http://iamsantabook.com/

Tags: Believing, blog tours, book campaign, book promotions, book publicity, book tour, Christmas, Christmas book, Christmas gifts, holiday books, holiday gifts, holidays, I am Santa, Imagination, Kristy Haile, online book tour, Santa, Santa Claus, virtual book tours

Title: Toto’s Tale
Author: K.D. Hays & Meg Weidman
Publisher: Zumaya Thresholds
Publication Date: August 25, 2010
Paperback: 248 pages
ISBN: 1936144611
Genre: Children’s Middle Grade Fiction

PURCHASE HERE!

Toto the terrier and his pet girl Dorothy have their world turned upside down by a cyclone that rips their house from ground and spins it into the land of Oz. In this strange place, cats grow way bigger than they should and they speak the same language as Dorothy. So now Dorothy spends her time talking to a giant cat, a walking scarecrow, and a hollow man made of metal.

The five of them follow a brick road to see the Great Lizard who is supposed to give them something. Although Toto is hoping for a pork chop, he will settle for a trip back to Kansas. But when they reach the Great Lizard (who turns out to be a big human head), instead of helping them, he sends them out to kill a witch.

Toto enables them to survive attacks by killer bees and mad wolves, but the annoying monkeys with wings prove too much even for him, and the monkeys are able to carry him and Dorothy to the witch’s castle.

Once there, he realizes the witch is after the shoes that Dorothy picked up when they first landed in Oz. He also realizes that the witch can be destroyed with water. It becomes a race to see if the witch can trick Dorothy into giving up the shoes before Toto figures out how to melt her.

But even if he destroys the witch, they still have to figure out how to get home…

Excerpt

Can you tell us how long you’ve been writing and how your journey led to writing your latest book, Toto’s Tale?

Kate: I started writing fiction seriously in 1999 when Meg was a little over a year old. I finally had an idea for a book I thought I could finish! The first draft took about two years, written mostly at night when Meg and her brother were asleep. As the kids got older, it became easier to find time to write for a while, but now everyone’s schedules are so busy that it’s just as difficult to make time for writing as it was when they were small. I’ve written five historical novels and two contemporary mysteries – the historicals under my name, Kate Dolan, and the contemporaries under the pseudonym K.D. Hays. Toto’s Tale is my eighth book and my first children’s book. It’s also my first book with a partner.

Meg: It’s my first book, period.

About the Authors

K.D. Hays and Meg Weidman are a mother-daughter team who aspire to be professional roller coaster riders and who can tell you exactly what not to put in your pockets when you ride El Toro at Six Flags. Meg is studying art in a middle school magnet program. For fun, she jumps on a precision jump rope team and reads anything not associated with school work. K.D. Hays, who writes historical fiction under the name Kate Dolan, has been writing professionally since 1992. She holds a law degree from the University of Richmond and consequently hopes that her children will pursue studies in more prestigious fields such as plumbing or waste management. They live in a suburb of Baltimore where the weather is ideally suited for the four major seasons: riding roller coasters in the spring and fall, waterslides in the summer and snow tubes in the winter. Although Meg resents the fact that her mother has dragged her to every historical site within a 200-mile radius, she will consent to dress in colonial garb and participate in living history demonstrations if she is allowed to be a laundry thief.

Their latest collaboration is a wonderful book titled Toto’s Tale.

You can visit their website at www.totostale.com.

Tags: book spotlight, children's book, K.D. Hays, Meg Weidman, Toto's Tale

Today we’re happy to be reading Marilyn Meredith’s mystery novel, Invisible Path, the latest book in her Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. Marilyn will be with us for the next three days and will be giving away a copy of her book at the end of her stay on Wednesday. Announcement of winner will be posted on Thursday.

To become eligible to win, all you have to do is ask a question or leave a comment on all three days. One lucky reader who comments with their email address is put in a pot to win the book. However, you must sign up for our email updates.

To recap:

•ask a question or leave a comment on all three days
•leave your email address
•sign up for our email updates in the top left hand sidebar

That’s all there is to it!

Day Three: Literarily Speaking Book Club Selection: Invisible Path by Marilyn Meredith

While Tempe’s son, Blair is home from Christmas break, he and his roommate from college do a bit of snooping to find out about the para-military group who’ve been seen driving through town. When a young popular Indian is found dead near the recovery center on the reservation, Tempe is called in to help with the investigation. Another Native American but a newcomer to the rez, Jesus Running Bear, is the only suspect. A hidden pregnancy, a quest to find the Hairy Man, and a visit to the pseudo soldiers’ compound put Jesus and Tempe in jeopardy.

Read the excerpt:

Despite it being Wednesday, Tempe knew as soon as her radio blared to life, and her cell phone rang at the same time, she wouldn’t make it home for dinner.

The dispatcher informed her a body had been discovered on the Bear Creek Indian Reservation and she was directed to go there as quickly as possible to help Cruz Murphy, the reservation’s Public Safety Chief, preserve the scene. The location was reported to be near the Bear Creek Recovery Center, which was located about a quarter mile past the Painted Rock site that sheltered ancient pictographs. The recovery center was at the end of the main road that passed through the reservation.

The cell phone call was from Detective Morrison with the same message, except delivered in his usual curt manner. Once she told him she was already on her way to the crime scene, he added, “Find out what you can from the Indians and let me know. I’ll be out there as soon as I can.”

Though the relationship between Tempe and the detective had improved somewhat over the last year, he still had the mistaken notion that because she had Native American blood in her veins, any Indian would respond to her immediately and tell her everything she wanted to know.

Because it was December, it was already dark as Tempe sped along the narrow curving road to her destination. She’d taken the road often enough in the daytime to know that ranches and homes were tucked in here and there—though at this time of night, she caught only glimpses of lighted windows as she raced by. She had her emergency lights turned on, along with her siren, just to warn of her approach.

Finally she reached the carved and painted wooden sign that announced she was entering the Bear Creek Indian Reservation. Tempe knew that a reservation was first created at the eastern end of Dennison in 1857 in order to gather together scattered bands of Indians, but as the town grew, it became inconvenient for many of the local citizens to have so many Indians as neighbors. In 1873, by presidential order, a new location for the reservation was established on 54,000 acres, much of it mountainous.

Narrow and winding, the road continued with dwellings on either side, scattered in the valleys and across the hillsides. She passed the turn-off to Bear Mountain Casino but slowed down as she drove through the part of the rez that contained the public safety building and the medical center. Two churches perched on a hillside off to the left. Across the way were the child-development center and pre-school and the building that housed the tribal council. Other community services and the new fire station were located on other side streets. Once past the hub of the rez, Tempe drove by more homes spread farther and farther apart and deeper into reservation land.

When she passed the place where the old lumber mill once operated and was now used for rodeos and Pow Wows, she knew she was getting close. The asphalt ended and she continued driving. On her right were the huge boulders that created the cave that protected pictographs of the legendary Hairy Man and his family, as well as other colorful Indian symbols.

The Hairy Man was a Yokut legend considered sacred to the tribe. She knew he was also believed to be powerful medicine. When Tempe was a little girl, her grandmother told her stories about the legend. Over the years, many Indians reported sightings of the Hairy Man.

Tempe had experienced her own encounter with the Hairy Man. The startling event wasn’t something she’d shared with anyone except Hutch and Chief Murphy. During the investigation of the murder of a county supervisor a few months earlier, she’d learned more about the Hairy Man. When she’d been trapped by the supervisor’s killer, the legend had saved her life.

As time passed, the memory of the event became less and less real—sometimes she wondered if she’d imagined the whole thing.

Ahead, red, blue and white lights flashed from emergency vehicles: the Bear Creek Public Safety truck that Chief Murphy drove, an ambulance, and a fire truck. Numerous people milled about in the shadows.

She parked behind the other vehicles. She didn’t see the vans belonging to either the coroner or the crime scene investigator. Before Tempe even had her door open, Chief Murphy appeared out of the shadows, striding toward her. Cruz Murphy’s mother was Yanduchi like Tempe, but his father was Irish—hence the unusual surname. His skin, hair and eyes were dark, but his features displayed more of his Irish heritage. Muscular, he filled out his tan uniform.

She slid out of the truck, and hurried toward him. “Chief Murphy, good to see you. What’s going on?”

“Cruz, please. I think we know each other well enough by now to be on a first name basis.”

“Cruz it is.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Tempe. The victim is from the reservation. The crime scene has been seriously contaminated. One of the residents of the recovery center discovered the body. Once he set off the alarm, the staff and other clients were all over the place. Soon as I got here, I shooed everyone away and cordoned off the area with tape. Too late, I’m afraid.”

“Has the crime scene investigator been called?”

Murphy nodded. “And the coroner. They should arrive fairly soon.”

Since they had to come all the way from Visalia, it would be awhile. “Have you identified the victim?” Tempe followed Murphy toward the crowd of spectators.

“A young Indian named Danny Tofoya.”

His name sounded vaguely familiar. “You say he lived here on the rez?”

“Yes, he and his extended family are long time residents.”

“Any suspects?”

“There are plenty of rumors. People are saying a young man named Jesus Running Bear probably did it.”

“Who is he?”

Book Club Questions:

1. Though Bear Creek Indian Reservation is a fictional place, it is based loosely on the Tule River Indian Reservation which is real. As a reader, do you like to read about Native Americans and perhaps learn a bit about how they live in modern times?

2. Because the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series is a mystery series, there is always a murder. In this one, the murder victim is a young man who lived on the reservation and was quite popular. Of course things are not always as they seem at first. As a reader, do you like to follow along as the main character tries to solve the mystery?

3. Jesus Running Bear is named as the first suspect. Tempe is known for not accepting the first and most easily pointed out suspect in a murder case. If you were the main person investigating a case like this, would you look for others who might have had a motive to kill the murder victim?

Answer either of the questions below in the comment box to become eligible to win a free copy of Invisible Path on Thursday!

Stay tuned tomorrow for the announcement of the winner of a copy of Invisible Path by Marilyn Meredith!

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Dina Kucera, author of EVERYTHING I NEVER WANTED TO BE

Everything I Never Wanted to Be is the true story of a family’s battle with alcoholism and drug addiction. Dina’s grandfather and father were alcoholics. Her grandmother was a pill addict. Dina is an alcoholic and pill addict, and all three of her daughters struggle with alcohol and drug addiction—including her youngest daughter, who started using heroin at age fourteen. Dina’s household also includes her husband and his unemployed identical twin, her mother who has Parkinson’s Disease, and her grandson who has cerebral palsy. On top of all that, Dina is trying to make it as a stand-up comic and author so she can quit her crummy job as a grocery store clerk. Through it all, Dina does her best to hold her family together, keep her faith, and maintain her sense of humor.

Everything I Never Wanted to Be includes a number of horrific events. But in the end, it is an uplifting story with valuable lessons for parents and teens alike, and a strong message about the need to address the epidemic of teen drug addiction in our nation.

It’s a book that can change behavior and save lives—and make you laugh along the way.

We had a chance to talk to Dina about her new book.

Q: Thank you for this interview, Dina. Can you tell everyone what your latest book, Everything I Never Wanted to Be, is all about?

Dina: My book is about a family.  A family that is swimming in drug and alcohol addiction and at the exact same time looking for every opportunity to have a laugh.

Q: Is this your first book?

Dina: Yes! It’s very exciting, right?!

Q: What compelled you to write down your own story about addiction?

Dina: If I was going to look at the addiction problems my three daughters were drowning in, I had to look at the fact that I also have struggled with addiction and that I may have contributed to their problems.  It’s not a pleasant thing to look at.

Q: Were there mixed reactions from family and friends when you told them your plans to write a tell all book?

Dina:  I didn’t tell them.  I did tell my husband and my daughters and they had a say as far as what to leave in and what to take out.  But I didn’t tell extended family.  That would create a ’too many cooks in the kitchen’ ordeal.

Q: Did you ever come to a point in your book where you said ‘this is too hard…I can’t do this’? Can you tell us which part that was?

Dina: Yes.  It was a very dramatic scene.  I had an all out breakdown.  I was sobbing and screaming and I took everything I had ever written and began to tear them to shreds and put them in a giant garbage bag.  (I told you it was very dramatic, It was like a Meryl Streep in Sofie’s Choice but there were no small children involved) So the next morning, after the complete meltdown, I decided I may have over reacted.  But all my work was in the garbage on the curb.  My youngest daughter Carly says, “You feel better.”  My eyes were swollen and I was embarrassed at my behavior.  I said, “Yeah.”  She handed me the little red computer gadget that holds all my work and my book.  She handed it to me and said when I began to flail about in my office she saw it and took it without me seeing her.  She gave it back to me on the promise I would not roll over it with the car.

Q: They say alcoholism runs in a family and the gene gets passed down from generation to generation. What are your views on that?

Dina: I believe that there is something, somehow that is passed down from one generation to another.  Coupled with the idea that when you live from the time you are born to the time you grow up, you are surrounded by alcohol and drug users.  It looks very normal when you are in it.  It almost becomes the thing that you do automatically.

Q: I’d like to talk about your childhood. What was it like?

Dina: I know that my childhood was a little strange.  But I actually have more amazing childhood memories than I do bad ones.  We were poor, (as the saying goes) but every one we knew was poor.  We still had great fun.  Digging in ditches and running on the dirt roads in to the night.  It was good fun.  Leaving in the morning and coming home as the sun goes down covered in dirt and mud and ditch slime.  Great memories!

Q: In the ninth grade, you decided to quit school. Can you tell us why and what did you do after that?

Dina: Because I was smart enough.  I did not need any more knowledge.  And I proved I was ready for the world by getting a paper route and then working horrible menial jobs for the next thirty years.  Why get an education when you can work as a maid in a cheap motel with other maids that don’t speak English?  Why get an education when you can bartend in a seedy bar dressed like a whore?  It made sense at the time.

Q: At what point in your life, did you hit bottom?

Dina: Like any drug addict or alcoholic worth their salt, I have hit bottom several times.  My worst experience at the bottom is when my two teenage daughters were beginning to use alcohol and drugs.  When I would confront them, as a parent, a drunk parent, they would literally roll their eyes at the idea that this drunk would have the nerve to give them advise.  And they were right.  I was insane.

Q: How do you believe you pulled yourself out of it? Was it survival? Was it faith? Was it something bad that happened to one of your children that made you say “I’ve got to get help” or “I’ve got to stop this roller coaster ride”?

Dina: It was faith in God mixed with how disgusted I was with myself.  I took one step, one task, one word at a time, until it became more natural.  I cried a lot, but I continued on until I felt better than I had in my entire life.  Then I really let the kids have it with the advise because I was now standing on solid ground.  I liked feeling like a parent who was actually saying something they were forced to listen to with a certain level of respect for me.  I am still giving them unwanted advise.

Q: This has been a wonderful interview, Dina. Your strength is inspiring to everyone who has worn your shoes and your ability to find humor is so encouraging. Do you have any final words?

Dina: I believe in you and I believe in me.  If you want to write a book, write it.  One step at a time, one word at a time. Write with your heart and write with your unique voice.  Don’t change your voice.  Don’t write like other people.  Write like you.

Also.  Don’t marry for money.  Marry for hotness.  The money may follow.

You can find out more about her book at www.everythinginever.com or visit her personal website at www.dinakucera.com.

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Today we’re happy to be reading Marilyn Meredith’s mystery novel, Invisible Path, the latest book in her Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. Marilyn will be with us for the next three days and will be giving away a copy of her book at the end of her stay on Wednesday. Announcement of winner will be posted on Thursday.

To become eligible to win, all you have to do is ask a question or leave a comment on all three days. One lucky reader who comments with their email address is put in a pot to win the book. However, you must sign up for our email updates.

To recap:

• ask a question or leave a comment on all three days
• leave your email address
• sign up for our email updates in the top left hand sidebar

That’s all there is to it!

Day Two: Literarily Speaking Book Club Selection: Invisible Path by Marilyn Meredith

While Tempe’s son, Blair is home from Christmas break, he and his roommate from college do a bit of snooping to find out about the para-military group who’ve been seen driving through town. When a young popular Indian is found dead near the recovery center on the reservation, Tempe is called in to help with the investigation. Another Native American but a newcomer to the rez, Jesus Running Bear, is the only suspect. A hidden pregnancy, a quest to find the Hairy Man, and a visit to the pseudo soldiers’ compound put Jesus and Tempe in jeopardy.

Read the excerpt:

 “What do you know about those weekend soldiers?” Blair asked, leaning back in the chair in the kitchen. Tempe’s son was home from college for the winter holiday. His chest had filled out, his shoulders seemed wider—and his blond hair was cut short and bleached even lighter thanks to much time spent in the sun. He’d inherited none of his mother’s Native American coloring or features.

Tempe had no idea what he was talking about. “What weekend soldiers?”

“I went up to the fire station early this morning to let them know I’d be here for awhile if they needed my help. After I parked, what looked like a military convoy passed me heading toward the mountains. Four jeeps, two trucks with canvas covers, all in camouflage.”

“Strange. I’ve never heard about the Army or the Reserves doing any training around here.” Tempe poured herself a cup of coffee. “Have you had breakfast?”

“Oh yeah. Where’s Hutch?”

Smiling, she sat across from her son at the small oak table in the wooden cottage she had inherited from an aunt and shared with Hutch since their marriage several years ago. Knowing Blair would be home for a few weeks filled her with happiness. “He’s at the church working on his sermon for tomorrow.” Tempe’s husband was the pastor of the only church in the mountain community of Bear Creek located in the mountains of the Southern Sierra where she was the resident deputy. “He hoped if you didn’t have plans we could do something together later. Of course, I’ll have to go on duty at four.”

“Still don’t get weekends off?”

She shook her head. “Nope, nothing much changes as far as my job goes.”

“Maybe we can do something fun, but Mom, I’m still curious about these pseudo soldiers.”

“How can you be sure they aren’t real soldiers?”

“A bunch of reasons. I called Chief Roundtree and asked him what he knew. He’s noticed them too and called the National Guard Armory in Dennison. There are no known maneuvers in this part of the Sierra.”

Roundtree was the Fire Chief at Bear Creek’s fire station solely manned by volunteers. He also was a Yanduchi and a good friend. He’d been a volunteer fireman since he’d turned eighteen and while holding down various jobs. Tempe had encouraged him to apply for the position of Fire Chief.

Tempe sipped her coffee and thought a bit. “Maybe they’re going somewhere to play paintball.”

“Could be, I suppose. When I was in high school we used to play paintball in one of my friend’s dad’s orange grove.” A frown marred Blair’s handsome face. The older he got, the more he resembled his father. What a shame Blair never had the opportunity to know his dad. A highway patrolman, he’d been killed by a drunk driver when his son was only three. “I think you ought to check them out, Mom. No telling what they’re up to. Maybe they’ve got a pot farm going.”

Tempe considered that idea. Marijuana gardens were discovered quite often in the mountains, especially on State and National Forest land. “Maybe, but usually the guys that do that wouldn’t want to draw attention to themselves by driving through town as a group that’s so easily identifiable.”

“I still think you ought to check them out.” Blair scooted back his chair and stood. “I’m going to start doing my laundry. If Hutch comes home fairly soon, we could drive up in the mountains and see if we can find where these guys are hanging out.”

She knew it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but Tempe didn’t say that. Instead, she offered, “Sure, since the weather is still so pleasant, a drive in the mountains would be nice. I’ll give Hutch a call and tell him our plans and I’ll put a lunch together.”

Book Club Questions:

1. Where I live in the foothills of the Sierra, I’ve seen people dressed up like soldiers driving Jeeps and trucks who weren’t connected to any real military groups heading up to the mountains. Though I didn’t know what they were doing, it was enough to make me want to write a story about them. Have you ever seen any pseudo military groups where you live? And if so, do you know anything about them?

2. Tempe’s son Blair has always loved being a firefighter. In the mountains of the Sierra where I live, we have a volunteer fire-department that not only fights wild fires and house fires, but also goes on medical emergencies. What kind of fire protection do you have where you live?

3. In California, the growing of marijuana is an on-going problem. We often hear the helicopters flying overhead as they search for hidden pot farms in the foothills and mountains. What do you think might be the danger for civilians who come across marijuana growing on state or federal lands?

Answer any of the questions below in the comment box to become eligible to win a free copy of Invisible Path on Thursday!

Stay tuned tomorrow for Day 3 of Literarily Speaking’s Book Club Selection: Invisible Path by Marilyn Meredith!

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The First Page is one of Literarily Speaking’s newest features. Here we get a glimpse into an author’s work and what better place to begin than the first page? Authors share their first pages and answer a few questions about why they started their books off the way they did. Today we welcome Nicholas Oliva, author of the nonfiction spiritual book, Finding God: To Believe or Not to Believe (Old Line Publishing).

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Finding God: To Believe or Not to Believe
by Nicholas Oliva
The First Page

I waited a long time to begin writing this book.  The incidents contained within occurred in October 2004, while at a hospital in Nevada.  There are a few reasons why I chose to wait this long to tell my story.  the first and most influential was the reasoning that by taking a stand on what I experienced and believe, I would have many detractors and people who would attack me in order to perpetuate and bolster their own beliefs and/or lack of beliefs and use me as an example.  In order to fully explain what I’ve gone through, I will have to touch upon religion, morality, and ethics.  My eschatological theme is actually non-religous and promotes the energy within as Godly, not the looking outward, by seeing with the eyes of the world.  I always have been skeptical of near-death experiences or NDE.  So it was with much skepticism I examined the empirical evidence of charts confirming the flat-line of my heart while in intensive care.

Thank you for visiting us, Nicholas. Can you tell us what your book is about?

Finding God: To Believe or Not to Believe is merely one human’s perspective and life experiences I am sure will mirror many other beings on this planet. To answer the question “why?” we must begin to understand who we are and what our limitations are. To be so arrogant as to have all the answers is the beginning of any normal human exclusionary, and possibly violent, action against those who would do harm in order to force others to believe as they do. No sword or bullet will convince any fanatic to change their mind. However, the defining point for a fanatic is a relative term in this world. Those who do nothing to stop this behavior can be just as guilty as the fanatic they allow to perpetuate such violence by tacit approval.

I waited a long time to begin writing this book. The incidents contained within occurred in October 2004, while at a hospital in Nevada. There are a few reasons why I chose to wait this long to tell my story. The first and most influential was the reasoning that by taking a stand on what I experienced and believe, I would have many detractors and people who would attack me in order to perpetuate and bolster their own beliefs and/or lack of beliefs and use me as an example. In order to fully explain what I’ve gone through, I will have to touch upon religion, morality, and ethics. My eschatological theme is actually non-religious and promotes the energy within as Godly, not the looking outward, by seeing with the eyes of the world. I always have been skeptical of near-death experiences or NDE. So it was with much skepticism I examined the empirical evidence of charts confirming the flat-line of my heart while in intensive care.

Much of what I think goes back to a search for meaning I have been drawn to throughout my life, beginning at a very early age. I was an altar boy, studied Latin, and planned to become a priest until the Pastor I adored, and everyone in the parish loved, committed multiple acts of sexual abuse to me and others over a period of four years. Those acts changed my thought process about the sanctity of the Church and the real questioning began in earnest for me. The idea of such a tidy and pious devotion to a religion containing more holes than Swiss cheese, as well as a whole horde of other accepted dogma of Catholicism, brought me to a silent, but pervasive, pensiveness.

All of this being said on such a heady subject, I have tried to write this in a non-scholarly, at times humorous and hopefully interesting, but easily digestible way. I’m sure there will be some indigestion occurring with those who will remain opposed to logical thought, irrational fear, and immovable theology. Bon appétit to those of diverse palates.

The first page is perhaps one of the most important pages in the whole book.  It’s what draws the reader into the story.  Why did you choose to begin your book this way?

Actually the “first” page is the Introduction and I chose to twist things around so that the reader could get an idea of what was to follow certainly wasn’t going to be predictable in the least. This is a book about spirituality, my own Near Death Experience, and religions. The following is how I began the book…..the surprise is who I quoted:

No sword or bullet will convince any fanatic to change their mind. However, the defining point for a fanatic is a relative term in this world. Those who do nothing to stop this behavior can be just as guilty as the fanatic they allow to perpetuate such violence by tacit approval. The following is from a speech made by a very conservative man in 1981 in the United States Senate Chambers:

On religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this Supreme Being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God’s name on one’s behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both.

I’m frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in “A,” “B,” “C” and “D.” Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me?

And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of “conservatism.”

That man was Senator Barry Goldwater from Arizona.

In the course of writing your book, how many times would you say that first page changed and for what reasons?

It never changed at all.

Was there ever a time after the book went to print you wished you had changed something on the first page?

No

What advice can you give to aspiring authors to stress how important the first page is?

The first page sets the tone for the entire book. If you cannot get the reader’s interest in the very beginning chances are you are not providing a “hook” or a point of view that is compelling.

What prompted you to write this book?

Don’t you think that if people would wake up and realize that life is so short that they could put aside their differences and follow “the Golden Rule” and just do unto others as they would have done unto themselves?  “If” is the key word in this question. “If” is a small word with huge implications. One of the quotes I use in the beginning of my book is from Star Trek II. “How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn’t you say?” Most would “not say” as they fear the unknown, no matter how imminent it is going to be and allow that fear to seep through in myriad ways that are not healthy or good for society as a whole. Hence our worldwide situation of swallowing that bitter pill to prevent those fears from taking our psyche over and to begin dealing with each other with compassion and understanding without judgments over which God we chose. It is a tough road to traverse but as society develops the technology that will decide our ultimate future, we need to live in the now and take care of ourselves and those that we love.

Another primary reason for writing this book was to try and create a bridge for people of different spiritual beliefs (or none) to come together and understand that each has their own path. For example, if we take away any possibility for life after flesh, does it make any difference in how one acts in this dimension? If one is an atheist or a Christian should they not act to make the choice for the betterment of society as a whole?

“To believe” is a leap of faith and no one should deny anyone that faith as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else and if one does not have that faith then they can be just as humanist as Mother Theresa. I realize it is a daunting task to ask such polar opposite thinkers to come together but what I am saying is logical. My god doesn’t beat your god and if you don’t have one doesn’t mean that you are a horrible human being. Society needs to enlighten or lighten up on the essence of being human. In geologic time we have been here but seconds and we need not be so arrogant to those of our own species as if we have the answers to all salvation and they are heathens not worthy of being on this earth. Being religious does not mean that you live in a spiritual way. Spirituality is of the human mind and is a way of life not a ritual to practice on Sundays. Love is the greatest gift that we have. Sharing it and being selfless is the hardest part of accepting that gift. I am grateful to be able to be here now…and really that’s all I can ask for. We really are all in it together and I’m trying to convince people of that very fact….one mind at a time.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

Much of what I think goes back to a search for meaning I have been drawn to throughout my life, beginning at a very early age. I was an altar boy, studied Latin, and planned to become a priest until the Pastor I adored, and everyone in the parish loved, committed multiple acts of sexual abuse to me and others over a period of four years. Those acts changed my thought process about the sanctity of the Church and the real questioning began in earnest for me. The idea of such a tidy and pious devotion to a religion containing more holes than Swiss cheese, as well as a whole horde of other accepted dogma of Catholicism, brought me to a silent, but pervasive, pensiveness.

The process began at age ten. My natural ability to speed read had me zipping though texts and encyclopedias in my parent’s spare room. My punishment when I was bad or disobedient—go to the spare room! Little did they know I liked to be alone in the spare bedroom. Never show your hand when you’re that young. I learned encyclopedic history at an early age and I never could seem to rectify the history of man and the religious aspects of what was daily living within the Church’s doctrines. None of it ever made any sense to me. The kernel of why stood firm in my mind when I was dismissed as a harmless, shy altar boy patronized by those ‘holy’ disciples of God’s word, but never taken seriously. I also had an analytical and legal mind early on.

On Sundays my parents hammered me to mow the lawn (one of my least favorite activities which I think eventually caused the development of my ‘Bubble Boy’ allergies). One of the Ten Commandments was no servile work on the day of the Lord. I told my parents it was a mortal sin to work on Sundays and I wasn’t going to do it. I wasn’t going to burn in hell because I broke one of the Commandments. Well, this motivated them to proceed to the Pastor and explain their frustrations with me. He told them the commandment applied only to work done for money. When my mother and father confronted me and told me what the Priest told them, I replied “You give me an allowance based on my chores so that’s for money and it’s still a sin.” They just looked at me and walked away dumbfounded. Then my father started ordering me to do it on Saturdays beginning the next week, but with my point won, I didn’t raise any more fuss.

I am not on a Crusade to get even or destroy anything or anyone I can. I am not trying to hurt people of any faith. I’m trying to get them to understand they are responsible for their actions, not the Lord, who conveniently makes those of said devoutness able to justify in their own minds incredibly horrible things they do to one another. I’ve made my peace with Father Richard and his sexual abuse many, many years ago. It had subconscious effects on me that have taken years for me to realize, nonetheless. Some of which resulted in a twisted perspective and a mentality that has been a gift for me and created a normal insanity I enjoy on a day to day basis. In fact, I know I’m just as damaged as everyone else out there, in my own way, and that way allowed me the ability to handle immense troubles and “face piles of trials with smiles” as the Moody Blues put it.

I have no ill will toward people of faith, none whatsoever, as long as my own beliefs and faith are respected. We can talk and debate any points at all without judgments, but I have yet to find anyone not judging in a prejudicial manner to enable an intelligent conversation. I mean no harm to good Christian people, or to anyone of any religion. If their religion gives them the strength to carry on with the true selflessness of what that faith should always be founded upon, then dominus vobiscum, or peace be with you. I have no gripe or groans over anyone who lives their life within what they preach, as long as they preach peace, love, and understanding. The issue I approach in this book is one of exclusion for those of non-like minds, not those of no faith or zealots (that term came from religious fanatics who would kill for their faith –Zealots).

If we all could keep our fear, greed, and pride at bay we could accomplish great things in the course of human history. It’s not too late. It begins with convincing one mind at a time. We can agree to not agree as long as we put the weapons down, stop the hate of those we don’t understand, and always allow for doubt – always. Once you think you have it all figured out, you’ve lost the battle. Life is a series of unending educational experiences. Don’t shut them out by holding steadfast to anyone’s dogma which doesn’t include you as the force and spirit behind it all. You are what counts. You are the only one who can make a difference in the world about you.

If you could leave the world with one piece of advice, what would it be?

People should take good wishes from anyone and whatever sources that may be based on illusions of what anyone may think “God” is. Those good wishes are still good deeds and not a road to hell as many atheists want to believe. They do not want to believe it because they do not want to validate anyone’s religion because they think that if they allow any piece of that religion then they are acknowledging all of it. And atheists have a point in that they are highly discriminated against by those of religion.  They have a tougher road to hoe than Wiccans. I think they should be called naturalists, not atheists, as it is closer to what they ascribe. They believe in the natural order of things. There are also different levels of what constitutes atheism. I think that many become hostile as a result of the backlash that is given to the negative connotations of the word atheist and what it implies to most people.

I think that good thoughts are good deeds and a prayer is hopefully also a good thought. I seriously doubt most even know what god they’re praying to as members of the same faith have different mindsets of what that deity is in their minds. My point in all this is that love in all aspects trump any and all dogma, non-believing, or any “Word of God” that tell you to hurt anyone else in the name of that religion. As far as I’m concerned in my book (literally) caring for a human being without conditions is a wonderful thing and far supersedes any and all other beliefs or actions. Too bad few do exactly that, but there are people out there trying. Hope should replace faith and perhaps we’d be on the higher road.

I know of many people who will not have an opportunity to enjoy family and close friends because of petty bickering. I know of others whose pride allowed the opportunity to be lost, probably forever, over nothing but misconceived and misdirected anger. Life is not like the movies with the sun-setting, happy ending, and all being well. It is tough and hard to swallow at times, but hope is the only answer there is regardless of what you believe and what god you pray to, if at all. Try to never assume, always give the benefit of the doubt to all, in order to live the life of a real human being. It can be the beginning of a new beginning. Scattering love and happiness is worth the effort, those seeds will grow, I assure you. One must have love for one’s self to be able to spread love unconditionally.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

“Dreams are the substance of reality.” (Henry Miller) Dreaming is what gets me through to tomorrow. They can take hold with little things and it is the little things that add up to the big things that can happen. I’ve learned long ago that what happens sometimes is beyond one’s control, but how one reacts is the true measure of whether happiness exists after the dream is reached. After all a dream is no longer a dream if it is now reality. One should always watch for what one dreams. They may come true. Keep rowing that boat down the stream, merrily.

Tags: atheism, author tours, blog tour, book marketing, book promotions, book publicity, christianity, do you believe in god, enlightenment, faith, Finding God, Finding God To Believe or Not to Believe, god, life after death, NDE, near death experience, Nicholas Oliva, nonfiction, online book tours, philosophy, Pump Up Your Book, religion, self awareness, spiritual, spirituality, the bible, virtual book tour

Today we’re happy to be reading Marilyn Meredith’s mystery novel, Invisible Path, the latest book in her Deputy Tempe Crabtree series.  Marilyn will be with us for the next three days and will be giving away a copy of her book at the end of her stay on Wednesday.  Announcement of winner will be posted on Thursday.

To become eligible to win, all you have to do is ask a question or leave a comment on all three days. One lucky reader who comments with their email address is put in a pot to win the book. However, you must sign up for our email updates.

To recap:

• ask a question or leave a comment on all three days
• leave your email address
• sign up for our email updates in the top left hand sidebar

That’s all there is to it!

Day One: Literarily Speaking Book Club Selection: Invisible Path by Marilyn Meredith

While Tempe’s son, Blair is home from Christmas break, he and his roommate from college do a bit of snooping to find out about the para-military group who’ve been seen driving through town. When a young popular Indian is found dead near the recovery center on the reservation, Tempe is called in to help with the investigation. Another Native American but a newcomer to the rez, Jesus Running Bear, is the only suspect. A hidden pregnancy, a quest to find the Hairy Man, and a visit to the pseudo soldiers’ compound put Jesus and Tempe in jeopardy.

Read the excerpt:

“Jesus, I need to talk to you.”

My grandma was the only one who could get away with pronouncing my name like Jesus in the Bible. My friends say it like “Hay-soos.” Grandma didn’t like it when she heard someone say my name like that. She usually corrected whoever it was by saying, “My grandson is not Mexican, he is Indian. His name is Jesus Running Bear.”

I don’t know what inspired my mother to give me such a name, and she wasn’t around to ask.

Grandma fixed her small dark eyes on me. When she smiled her eyes became crescent moons. She wasn’t smiling now. Whatever it was she wanted to say, it had to be important.

I put down the bowl I’d gotten out of the cupboard. Breakfast would have to wait.

“You’ve been thinking about something a lot. Something that’s going to give you problems.” Grandmother’s face was round, weathered, and brown as a nut. Her gray hair was pulled straight back and arranged in a bun. Wiry strands escaped and poked out around her ears and the nape of her neck. She wore a man’s red plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, over a pair of faded blue jeans. Beneath the baggy clothes, she was slim and muscled. Her toes peeked out from a pair of worn leather sandals.

I loved my grandma; after all she was the one who raised me after my mother left me alone while she went on a three day drunk. My uncle found me and brought me to grandmother’s house where I’ve been ever since. No, I don’t miss my mother because I don’t even remember her. I only know what I’ve been told about her—not much of it good.

I wasn’t sure what kind of problem Grandma meant. Sure, I’d been going down to the beer joints with my cousin and friends even though I knew she didn’t want me drinking. Maybe that’s what this was about. I respected my grandmother, but I hadn’t obeyed her warning about never touching alcohol. She hated alcohol. Grandfather had died from drinking too much. Maybe my mother was dead too. No one had heard from her in years.

“Come. Sit down.” She motioned to the chair where I usually sat. In front of her was a cup of tea. “We’re going to find out exactly what is going on with you.”

I sat on the edge of the seat. She was going to do some weird Indian stuff. We were Miwok—though we didn’t live on or near a reservation. We lived in a small town in the foothills above Modesto which is in the Central Valley of California. Frankly, I didn’t know much about my heritage except what my grandma told me.

She was an amazing woman, and could do so many things. I was proud of most of what she did. She knew how to gather herbs that could cure most sicknesses. She wove beautiful baskets that she sold at Pow Wows and to tourists in gift shops in Yosemite and other places.

When I was a kid, she took me on camping trips into the back country. She could out hike me even today. But I wasn’t crazy about all the Indian stuff she did that I didn’t understand.

Grandma stared into the cup and began speaking in her native language. That’s what she always did when she was concentrating on something.

She lifted her head and fixed her eyes on me again. “You’re looking for a girlfriend. That’s it, isn’t it?”

Well, sure. What young guy isn’t trying to find a girl? But for once I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut.

Again, she peered into the cup. “I see all kinds of women. Be careful not to choose the wrong one. If you do, you’ll be miserable.”

She stared and her eyes looked funny, like she was seeing something far, far away.

I squirmed, wondering where this was leading. Maybe she already had someone picked out for me.

“I see a pretty girl with a nice figure. She has long straight hair, clear down to her waist. She’ll wiggle her plump bottom and you won’t be able to think. Women have power–especially young pretty ones. Don’t you so much as give her more than a passing glance. If you do, you’ll be miserable your whole life.” Grandma didn’t look up.

In my mind I could see the pretty girl walking down the street, her shiny black hair swinging back and forth like her hips.

After a few minutes my day dream ended when Grandma said, “There’s another one. Short and skinny like I was when I was young. But beware, she’s nothing like me. This one is sneaky. She’ll act like she cares for you when she has lots of other men.”

Interesting. This was more fun than I’d expected.

Book Club Questions:

1. This selection is from the first chapter of Invisible Path and the introduction to one of the major characters. He has an usual first name, do you think that having a name like that affected his life?

2. Do you have any one in your family or know anyone who makes predictions?

3. What kind of girlfriend do you think Jesus Running Bear would have preferred?

Answer either of the questions below in the comment box to become eligible to win a free copy of Invisible Path on Thursday!

Stay tuned tomorrow for Day 2 of Literarily Speaking’s Book Club Selection: Invisible Path by Marilyn Meredith!

Tags: author tour, blog tour, blog tours, book blog tour, book club, book club selection, book tour, book tours, Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, Invisible Path, Marilyn Meredith, mystery, online book promotion, Pump Up Your Book, virtual author tour, virtual blog tour, virtual blog tours, virtual book tour, virtual book tours

Join Kristy Haile, author of the holiday family fiction novel, I Am Santa (Happy Bean Publishing), as she virtually tours the blogosphere November 15 – December 17 ‘10 on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

One day little Nicholas wandered away from his mom and his sister while they were out shopping because he has always felt mostly invisible in comparison to his sister Holly.  Little Nicholas meets an old man sitting on a bench at the mall.  This old man tells Nicholas he is Santa Claus and that he is very sick and dying.  Santa Claus also tells Nicholas he will now be the new real Santa Claus and the elves would be in touch with him shortly.  Little Nicholas believes this old man a hundred and ten percent that he is to become the new real Santa Claus. Enjoy this journey into a little boy’s imagination as he struggles in a world of doubt, continuously striving to turn non believers into believers. I believe my son is the new real Santa Claus no matter what other people may believe. The question is, do you believe?

This is the delightful premise of Kristy Haile’s new holiday fiction novel, I am Santa.

Californian Kristy Haile earned an Associate’s degree in Dental Hygiene from Northeastern University in Boston and then worked as a hygienist in Massachusetts and California. She moved from her hometown of Turlock, CA to Los Angeles, where her two children became actors on TV (The Office, Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives), movies (Chihuahua: The Movie) and in commercials. At age 4, son Ty came to believe he was Santa Claus. Haile kept a journal of the funny and unusual things her son said and did over the next two years, as well as of people’s reactions to his self-identification as the “new real Santa Claus.” That journal was the basis for her latest book, I Am Santa. You can visit the ‘I AM SANTA!’ website at www.iamsantabook.com to connect with Kristy.

To find out where Kristy will be appearing on her virtual book tour Nov. 15 – Dec. 17, 2010, visit her official tour page at Pump Up Your Book here.

Pump Up Your Book is an innovative public relations agency specializing in virtual book tours for authors looking for maximum online promotion to sell their books.  Visit our website at www.pumpupyourbook.com to find out how we can take your book to the virtual level!

Tags: Christmas, Christmas book, Christmas books, Christmas gifts, family fiction, holiday books, holiday family fiction, holiday fiction, I am Santa, I am Santa Virtual Book Tour, Kristy Haile, Santa, virtual book tour

Join Shelly Frome, author of the murder mystery novel, The Twinning Murders (Beckham Publications), as he virtually tours the blogosphere November 15 – December 17 ‘10 on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

Shelly Frome is a Professor Emeritus of dramatic arts at the University of Connecticut. A former professional actor and theater director, his writing credits include a number of national and international articles on acting and theater, profiles of artists and notable figures in the arts, books on theater and film and mystery novels.

His books include The Art and Craft of  Screenwriting, Tinseltown Riff, Lilac Moon, The Actors Studio, Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Playwriting:  A Complete Guide to Creating Theater and his most recent, The Twinning Murders.

The Twinning Murders is a modern day classic mystery centering on the ventures of Emily Ryder, a thirty-something rambler and tour guide.

The story opens just before she embarks on this year’s Twinning ritual exchange. It’s between her historic New England home and its sister village deep in Dartmoor, a wild upland area in the west of the county of Devon, England. Emily becomes personally involved in a suspicious death..

A few days later, at the Twinning itself, her main client meets the same fate. As Emily’s world continues to unravel, and though she has little help, she finds herself compelled to piece together the games being played on both sides of the Atlantic.

To find out where Shelly will be appearing on his virtual book tour, visit his official tour page at Pump Up Your Book here.

Pump Up Your Book is an innovative public relations agency specializing in virtual book tours for authors looking for maximum online promotion to sell their books.  Visit our website at www.pumpupyourbook.com to find out how we can take your book to the virtual level!

Tags: a novel for anglophiles, blog tour, book promotions, book publicity, book tour, cozy mystery, female amateur detective, mystery, mystery in the moors, New England mystery, novels about preserving the environment and open space, novels about the preservation of historic villages, novels about the threat of developers, novels that center on a trip to the U.K., online book promotion, online book tour, Pump Up Your Book, Shelly Frome, The Twinning Murders, tour guide mystery, trans-Atlantic mystery, travel mystery, village mystery, virtual book tour

The First Page is one of Literarily Speaking’s newest features. Here we get a glimpse into an author’s work and what better place to begin than the first page? Authors share their first pages and answer a few questions about why they started their books off the way they did. Today we welcome Bronwyn Storm, author of the romance novel, Ethan’s Chase (The Wild Rose Press).

…………………………………………………….

Ethan’s Chase
by Bronwyn Storm
THE FIRST PAGE

The cloying smell of almond syrup skittered along the tendrils of mist rising from Chase’s cup of steamed milk. She snorted in disgust. Either the server at the coffee-shop had given her amaretto flavoring when she had asked for hazelnut or, distracted with her thoughts of work, she’d grabbed the wrong cup. Searching in vain for a garbage can, Chase rounded the street corner and collided with something hard and solid—a wall, or a door. Then she realized walls and doors didn’t come with cashmere coverings, nor did bricks or wood possess that spicy, masculine scent that tickled her nose.

She retreated backwards and stared in dismay as the milk soaked into the man’s clothing. Steam rose from the black cashmere, a wispy indictment of her inattention. Serves me right for being distracted, she thought with shame, her gaze lifting to inspect the stranger beneath the coat. The breath caught in her throat as her lips parted in raw feminine awe. She gulped and closed her mouth before she started to drool. Now was not the time to be salivating over a guy. But Chase couldn’t help it. He stood well over six feet, with dark blond hair, and a lean, sculpted face reminiscent of Michelangelo’s David.

“I’m so-so sorry.”

He didn’t say anything, but his eyes—an intense, mind-boggling shade of electric blue—stared at her with such sensual concentration, her thoughts scattered into the December winds. She cleared her throat and tried again.

Welcome Bronwyn! Can you tell us what your book is about?

This is from the back cover: Still wounded from a disastrous love affair, advertising executive Ethan Phillips has spent the past five years outwitting Cupid with a series of dekes and fakes. Who knew the tricky cherub would get wise? Rather than piercing Ethan’s heart with an arrow, he douses it with amaretto-flavored milk. A quick visit to the drycleaner and a stern lecture on the dangers of gorgeous, charming women, and he figures he’s made another clean getaway. But when the sexy woman turns out to be Chase Logan, his new systems programmer, Ethan’s got nowhere to run. Her charm, humor and intelligence soon have his heart racing and his libido revving. Suddenly, the man who spent his time running from Cupid, is looking to borrow a few arrows. Ethan’s ready to give chase and pursue love. Will he catch the heart of his programmer or just be left catching his breath?

The first page is perhaps one of the most important pages in the whole book.  It’s what draws the reader into the story.  Why did you choose to begin your book this way?

I had a few things I needed to accomplish with the first page: 1) Have Chase and Ethan meet (2) Have them meet in a way that doesn’t benefit Chase (3) Have them meet in a way that would trigger bad memories for Ethan.

Plus, I wanted a meeting that could happen in real life, but wasn’t a bar/dating scene. I remembered from my years at university, how often people would slam into each other. I mean, we were all bleary-eyed and punch drunk from exams, papers, and carting around books that weighed more than an entire NFL team.  So, I figured literally running into someone would work.  I had a couple of friends who met their boyfriends that way, and I thought, heck, Chase has got to try and chat up Ethan…and because it’ll be fun, I’m going to make it all go wrong for her.

Which is okay. I mean, nothing ventured, nothing gained…it’s embarrassing, but she can get over the rejection….yeah right. He turns out to be her newest and biggest client.

Heh, heh.

Let the fun begin.

In the course of writing your book, how many times would you say that first page changed and for what reasons?

Wow. Well, the version that eventually went to the publisher was edited ten times, and before that, I must have tried at least fifteen different ways of getting them together.

It changed for some of the following reasons:

1. Flying monkeys only worked in The Wizard of Oz.
2. Making her a ninja-spy was me living vicariously through a fictional character.
3. Like mother said: it’s only funny until someone loses an eye.
4. I couldn’t find a rhyme for “coefficient of cubical expansion.”
5. It’s a romantic comedy. I want readers to laugh because the writing’s funny, not because the prose is clunky and horrible.
6. The haiku had too many syllables.
7. The Matrix already took my idea.
8. The Secret Service didn’t approve of the first line.
9. Even my dogs and cats groaned at the opening.

10. It violated String theory.

Was there ever a time after the book went to print you wished you had changed something on the first page?

Hee hee hee.  Uh, you know you’re asking an over-achieving, Type A, neurotic perfectionist, right?  I don’t know any authors that can’t think of ways (even after the book is published) that they could have made their novel better.

What advice can you give to aspiring authors to stress how important the first page is?

You know, here’s the thing, it IS important, but at the same time, as writers we really over think this stuff.  We get wrapped up in the mechanics and our inner-editor starts swallowing steroids and beating the crap out of us, and pretty soon, we’re under the desk, stuffing ourselves full of chocolate, and muttering, “Find your happy place. Find your happy place.”

Oh. Wait.

Is that just me?

My advice is this: when you’re writing that first draft, write for yourself. Go ahead. Make your heroine a butt-kicking ninja-spy who regularly violates string theory, pokes bad guys in the eye, and can rhyme “coefficient of cubical expansion” while reciting a haiku.

I mean, why not?  The first draft is only for you, the writer.

Once the story’s finished, THEN worry about how that first page reads.  Send it to people you trust. Better yet, sent it to people you don’t trust.

Go back to the books you LOVE, and read with a discerning eye. How did they start their story? How did they set up the conflict/plot in the first-five pages? What did this author do that kept you turning the pages?

Then try to do it—not copy it, but follow their “formula,” by which I mean: did they start with a funny line that made you laugh silly? Can your story start with a funny opening?  Did the author open with the character in the midst of some issue that pulled you in?  Can your story start with your hero/heroine in the midst of a big issue?

Fill yourself with chocolate, tea, chips, and cookies, and write.  Writing will always save you because you can change stuff, edit pages, delete scenes. But if you don’t sit down and write, then you have nothing, no pages, and then where will you be?

So, write, write, and write some more.

Bronwyn Storm

www.bronwynstorm.com

Tags: blog tour, book publicity, Bronwyn Storm, Ethan's Chase, online book tour, Pump Up Your Book, romance, romance author, romance book, romance novel, virtual book tour

5 Things You Should Know About Amanda Wolfe

Tags: abuse, Amanda Wolfe, Amanda Wolfe Virtual Book Tour, author publicity, author tour, autobiography, Beneath the Silver Lining Trilogy, Beneath the Silver Lining Trilogy by Amanda Wolfe, Beneath the Silver Lining Trilogy Virtual Book Tour, blog tour, book blog tour, book campaign, book marketing, book promotion, book publicity, book tours, child abuse, emotional abuse, Non-fiction, online book promotion, Pump Up Your Book, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, virtual blog tour, virtual book tour

We have a special guest today!  Bronwyn Storm, author of Ethan’s Chase (Wild Rose Press), is here to talk about writing romance.  Visit Bronwyn on the web at www.bronwynstorm.com.

What I Really Needed To Know, I Learned From Romance
by Bronwyn Storm

I have a high school degree, university degree, and I use Degree antiperspirant. (The last part doesn’t have much to do with education, I just want you to know that if we ever meet, I’ll smell nice.).  School’s done a lot for me. I learned math and science, geology and anthropology, and I learned in a bind, regular potato chips broken into a bowl of macaroni and cheese can satisfy most of your daily nutritional requirements.  But the wisdom that lasts, the stuff that’s stood the test of time, all that came from reading romance.

1)      Equality—When it comes to the human experience, it doesn’t matter if the hero was a pauper and the heroine was a princess. In love and life, we’re all equal. It’s true, too.  It doesn’t matter if you’re the C.E.O or the waitress, the flat tire is a pain, puppies will still make you smile, and being stuck in the elevator with the Know-It-All from Human Resources drives you crazy.

2)      Beauty is Found Within—Romance is often criticized because the heroes and heroines are objects of perfection. What the critics don’t realize is that the novel is told through the eyes of the hero, who loves the heroine, and the heroine—who, conveniently enough—loves the hero. In love, we are all beautiful. To the one who adores us, we are the personification of perfection.  Hey, I’m all for playing with make up and going nutty when in the stores and surveying the array of bright and shiny eye shadows, but at the end of the day (sorry, cosmetic companies), it’s not the make-up on the woman, it’s the woman under the makeup. The one who loves her, loves her for who she is, not what she wears.

3)      Versatility—The dining table is good for more than just eating dinner. Romance makes us look at everyday objects in a different, slightly naughty way, and thank goodness.  Between the cameras on the street, the auditors going over our taxes, and Santa Claus making his yearly list, we’re all doing our best to be good.  It’s nice to have the freedom to be a little naughty.

4)      Eccentricity—In school we had to conform.  Same thing, sometimes, with business.  On the outside, away from the school walls (and the bricks and mortar of our company building), eccentricity is the stuff of joy and laughter. From Janet Evanovich’s Grandma Mazur character to Vicki Lewis Thompson’s drool worthy (and deliciously nerdy) Jack Farley, it’s the people off the grid who add spice and flavor to this, the wild soup we call life.

5)      Breathing—No matter how bad the Black Moment in the story, no matter how terrible everything looks for the hero and heroine, readers know to just inhale, take a breath because it’ll get better as long as we keep flipping the pages.  Same thing with life.  Just breathe.  Make a choice and flip the page, and keep flipping until you get your happy ending.

6)      Persistence—And speaking of which, Happy Ever After comes on the last page, not the first.  The hero and heroine have to wade through struggle and turmoil, ask themselves some hard questions and get some harder answers, before they get their happy ever after. In other words, they have to persevere.  So it is with real life.  Happy Endings aren’t for sissies. They’re for the people who’re willing to stick through the ups and downs, and be persistent.

7)      Humor—There’s nothing quite as sexy in romance as the hero/heroine with a kick-ass sense of humor.  Laughter. It breaks tension, breaks down barriers, and relieves stress. It releases endorphins, massages your organs, and bonds us in a social network.  In everyday life, nothing is quite as endearing as the person who makes us laugh.  We look forward to seeing them. They light up a room and leave us glowing. A sense of humor will save our sanity and—depending on how fast we can think on our feet—save our job when our boss walks in and catches us doing a dead-on impression of his chicken-walk.

8)      Honesty—A romance isn’t a romance until the characters have talked to each other, revealed their secrets, and accepted each other, as is.  Life’s like that, too. There’s something releasing, something that opens up our inner-space when we find the honesty in ourselves and accept it in those around us.  Sure, our mothers drive us crazy because they’re always offering (unsolicited) advice, trying to lend a hand…but sometimes, in those rare but glorious moments when we can step past our irritation and annoyance, we see their nagging for what it is: an expression of love, one human being reaching out to another and hoping for nothing but prosperity and protection for the children they love.  Honest relationships are what give us security and courage, and when the world’s cruel and heartless, they’re what give us that soft place to fall.

9)      Resilience—When it comes to romance, heroes and heroines always remind me of those clown toys from the 80s. Remember those? You’d bop ’em and they’d drop, but then bounce back.  Romantic heroes and heroines are the same way.  No matter the obstacle or the conflict, they recover and keep going. Every failure just seems to make them better, stronger people.  Resilience.  It’s the magic armor that protects us—not from failures or setbacks—but from the most defeating thing of all: giving up.

10)  Love Matters—In the end, the heart wants what it wants, and as long as you follow your heart, good things happen.  It’s a great philosophy, not just for romance but life, too. Follow your passion when it comes to work, to hobbies, to where you want to live, and who you want to live with. In the end, the sages were right: love is all you need.

Tags: blog tour, book publicity, Bronwyn Storm, Ethan's Chase, online book tour, Pump Up Your Book, romance, romance author, romance book, romance novel, virtual book tour