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Showing posts from 2007

[Interview] Kristen Collier

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Kristen Collier 's first children's book, Joy the Jellyfish (Dragonfly Publishing, 2007) is a 24-paged picture book that tells the story of an almost invisible and shy jellyfish called Joy who is on a mission to make new friends. The picture book was followed by Dreamchaser (Guardian Angel Publishing, 2007), a novel for young adults which Kristen co-authored with her husband, Kevin. In a recent interview, Kristen Collier spoke about her concerns as a writer. When did you start writing? Five years ago, in September, I was at the library waiting to take a test for a job. I’d heard that if you wrote your goals down you were more likely to achieve them, so I took out the only piece of paper in my purse -- an envelope -- and wrote on the back of it my goals. The next day the story for my novel King of Glory came to mind. And now, five years later, I finally have a publisher, not for my novel, but for a picture book called Joy the Jellyfish . What did you do to achieve

[Interview] Karl Stuart Kline

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Poet and author, Karl Stuart Kline is a past president of Epilepsy Concern, a coalition of self-help groups; a past president of the Greater Miami Avicultural Society and a lifetime honorary member of the Florida Sheriff’s Association . He made his debut as an author in 2004 with the publication of Poison Pearls , an 88-paged collection of poetry and prose which explores issues that include forced labor, modern-day slavery, human trafficking and prostitution. He followed this up with Going Without Peggy (PublishAmerica, 2005), another collection of poetry and prose about his marriage of 17 years and the bond that existed between him and his first wife, Peggy; her struggle with breast cancer and the effect her death had on him. His latest book, Brain Stemmed Roses (PublishAmerica, 2006) is also a collection of poetry and prose and includes some of his early work from the 60s and 70s as well as poetry about romance and friendship in Eastern Europe and a section dedicated to his

[Interview] Sheila Roberts

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Sheila Roberts lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three children. She has been writing since 1989. Her debut novel, On Strike for Christmas was released from St. Martin’s Press late this year.. Currently, she is working on a second novel. In a recent interview, Sheila Roberts spoke about her writing. When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? I don’t know that I ever officially decided. I was writing stories in the third grade. As an adult, I was still writing. I probably realized I wanted to be published when I was in my early twenties. How would you describe your writing? Women’s fiction probably describes it best. I definitely write for women since I write about things that are important to women, like relationships. And chocolate. You can’t forget chocolate. I’ve written all kinds of things over the years under different names, but On Strike for Christmas is my debut in women’s fiction, and I’m very proud of it. I think St. Martin’s Pr

[Interview] Peter Tomlinson

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Peter Tomlinson is author of The Petronicus Legacy series of books. So far, the series is made up of three novels: The Stones of Petronicus (Bewrite Books, 2004); The Time of Kadrik (Bewrite Books, 2006) and The Voyages of Delticos (Bewrite Books, 2007). He has also published four poetry volumes: Whispers in the Dust (Hengist Enterprises, 1999); Reflections in the Rock (Hengist Enterprises, 2000); Echoes in the Stones (Hengist Enterprises, 2001) and Tunnels of the Mind (Bluechrome, 2004). His two short stories collections, To Tell the Tale (2000) and The Short Straw Society (2002) where both published by Hengist Enterprises. In a recent interview, Peter Tomlinson spoke about his writing. How would you describe your writing? For about ten years I concentrated on writing poetry and have had nearly 300 poems published by about 80 small press magazines in the U.K. and abroad. I continue submitting poetry to numerous magazines in the U.K. and abroad. I prefer poetry

[Interview] Dennis N. Griffin

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Crime writer Dennis N. Griffin has written and published six novels and three non-fiction books about Las Vegas police and organized crime history. Four of his six novels, The Morgue (1996); Red Gold (2000); Killer In Pair-A-Dice (2001) and Blood Money (2002) were published by AuthorHouse while the remaining two, One-Armed Bandit (2002) and Pension (2004) where released through Publish America. His three non-fiction books, Policing Las Vegas (April 2005); The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law vs. the Mob (2006) and Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness (2007) were all published by Huntington Press. In a recent interview, Dennis Griffin spoke about the work he is doing. When did you start writing? I began writing my first manuscript in 1994, following my retirement from a 20-year career in law enforcement and investigations in New York State . My motivation at that time wasn’t money or fame. It was solely to tell the story of

[Interview] Dyan Garris

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Dyan Garris is a clairvoyant, musician and author. She has written and produced six music compilations, among them, A Healing Journey: The Voice of the Angels CD , Reflection and Patterns . Her books include The Book of Daily Channeled Messages , Voice of the Angels Cookbook: Talk to Your Food! Intuitive Cooking and A Healing Journey: Spiritual Journey Cards , which were all published by Journeymakers, Inc. during the course of this year. In a recent interview, Dyan Garris spoke about the work she is doing. When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? Writing has always been an outlet and a way to express the many reflections of what is deep in my soul for as long as I could put pen to paper. I can't remember a time when I didn't write, draw or express on paper. I think I first knew I had a talent for it and a love for it in ninth grade Creative Writing class. When everyone else would cringe at a creative writing assignment, I would be ecstatic. My teacher tol

[Interview] Sam Smith

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Sam Smith is one of the most versatile writers currently living and working in Britain today. He has written and published over a dozen novels, among them, The Care Vortex (BeWrite Books 2002), The End of Science Fiction (BeWrite Books, 2004) and We Need Madmen (Skrev Press, 2007). His poetry collections include To Be Like John Clare (University of Salzburg Press, 1997), Pieces (K.T. Publications, 2001) and Rooms and Dialogues (Boho press, 2005). His sole nonfiction book, Vera and Eddy's War (BeWrite Books, 2002), recaptures a British working-class couple's experience of World War II. In addition to this, Smith publishes Original Plus books. He also edits The Journal (once The Journal of Contemporary Anglo-Scandinavian Poetry ) as well as BeWrite Books' " The Select Six " poetry column. In a recent interview, Sam Smith spoke about his writing. How would you describe your writing? I tend to switch between genres… thrillers, SF, and mainstream… which is pr

[Interview] Shobhan Bantwal

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Novelist and playwright, Shobhan Bantwal has a master's degree in public administration from Rider University and works for a government agency in New Jersey. She was born and raised in Belgaum , a small town in Southwestern India and moved to the United States, as a young bride, in an arranged marriage. The Dowry Bride (Kensington Books, 2007) is her first published novel. Bantwal also writes plays in Konkani , her mother tongue and performs them on stage at Indian-American conventions. Her short fiction and other articles have been published in newspapers and magazines that include India Abroad , DesiJournal.com , Sulekha.com and New Woman India . In a recent interview, she spoke about her writing. How would you describe the writing you are doing? The Dowry Bride is my first book. It was published by Kensington Books on August 28. The book is based on India's notorious dowry system and its atrocities but it also tells a tale of hope, triumph and the resilience of the hu

[Interview] Elena Dorothy Bowman

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Elena Dorothy Bowman is an honors graduate of Fitchburg College where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and Management. She grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts and spent 25 years working as an aerospace software engineer. She now writes full time and serves as an officer in the Massachusetts Chapter of the National League of American Pen Women . Her books include Sarah’s Landing: Contact (Writer’s Showcase Press, 2002); The House On The Bluff (Write Words, Inc., 2006) and Gatekeeper’s Realm (Write Words, Inc., 2007) . In a recent interview, Elena Bowman spoke about her writing. When did you start writing? I have been writing off and on since way back when it only cost a dime to go to the Saturday Matinee, or any other time I could scrape up the price of a ticket. And in most cases when the ending was not to my liking, I felt compelled to go home and rewrite it. I discovered I enjoyed writing stories… putting words down on paper gave me a sense o

[Blog Review] Doris Lessing, Nobel Prize Laureate

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On Oct. 11, the Swedish Academy announced that Doris Lessing (87) had won the Nobel Prize in Literature . Most bloggers reacted to the news by recounting meetings they have had with Lessing and by discussing the influence her writing has had on them as individuals and as writers. They also discussed some of Lessing’s books and the themes she explores in her writing. A few reacted by reviewing what has been said in newspapers about Lessing and her books. An even smaller minority, like T. K. Kenyon, the author of Rabid — used the news to launch a diatribe against the “self-appointed literati and men” who had unfavorably criticized Lessing’s science fiction. There was an almost unanimous agreement that the award was well-deserved and long overdue. Nury Vittachi , author of The Feng Shui Detective responded by revealing how, a few years ago, he had gone to a book signing Doris Lessing was hosting and about how she was holding one of his books when he approached her table. “