Fiction Scribe

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe, Ms. Pinkston.

Let’s start with getting to know you a little better. List five things you feel define you as a person.

Naps
Movies
Books
Spending insane amounts of time on the computer
Loving my family

It sounds like you and I have a lot in common.

Where did the inspiration for Season of Sacrifice come from?

My main characters are my great-great-grandparents, and I’ve heard stories about them my entire life. Their experiences were incredible and they’re considered celebrities of early Utah history. When I came across the family history books that had been written about them, I knew I wanted to write their story but in a more personal way.

Season of Sacrifice touches on the subject of Mormonism. Were you worried (in writing and in publishing) about prejudice against the book for that fact alone?

Writing about Mormonism wasn’t an issue. I write for and in the Mormon/LDS market all the time. The concern came in the fact that my great-great-grandfather was a polygamist, and with the FLDS Church being so prevalent in the news right now, I was anxious that people understand the difference between the LDS Church, to which I belong, and the FLDS Church, which is an entirely different organization and has nothing to do with my church at all.

Unfortunately, those in the media have been trying to lump the two churches together and some of the backwash from the FLDS Church has been splashing on us, but they are two separate and distinctly different churches and while we feel compassion for those families who have been displaced, we don’t share the same ideologies. Anyone who practices modern-day polygamy in our church is promptly ex-communicated.

Benjamin Perkins, one of the main characters, is also your ancestor. What brought you to writing about his life? Was the task of breathing life into a man who had lived in comparison to a character of your creation daunting?

(I already answered some of this above)

You know, it was daunting and yet not. I wanted to write his character in such a way that it would honor him without making him seem too good to be true, and it was a challenge to represent him in a way that felt true to life. I never met him, so it was all guesswork and intuition. At the same time, because I had his life story and journal, it was fairly easy to construct him. It definitely was different from writing a character that was completely invented by me. I don’t have to worry about offending anyone with a misrepresentation when I invent the character myself.

What are your dreams for your writing? Where do you see yourself in five years both as a writer and as a person?

As a writer, I plan to have at least four more books completed. I’m not at my happiest unless I’ve got a project going. As a person, I’d like to be a little less insecure and a lot skinnier.

HAHA. I would like to be a lot skinnier and less insecure as well.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you have been given/learned in your life as a writer?

To take criticim. You’ve got to be willing to let others read what you’ve written, and then you’ve to to carefully analyze what they tell you.

Sometimes they’ll tell you something that just doesn’t fit with what you’re doing, but most of the time, their comments will have merit and you need to listen. I would not have accomplished anything without the help of the people who read for me. They save me from scads of silly mistakes.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers here?

Just that it’s been a pleasure to meet them!

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. I wish you great successes with Season of Sacrifice.

Thank you for hosting me. I appreciate it.

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe, Ms. Riley.

Let’s start with getting to know you a little better. List five things you feel define you as a person.

Defining characteristics for me are honesty, integrity, intelligence, compassion and spirituality. When I think of these defining characteristics I am reminded of the things I have learned through training with the military and with my profession as a Registered Nurse. Integrity and Trust are essential ingredients in all areas of my life.

Where did the inspiration for Embittered Justice come from?

Inspiration for the book started when I had the personal misfortune of spending time in a court room. I listened carefully as cases were presented and the fates of defendants were left in the hands of the defense, prosecution and a judge. The types of cases were diverse but the single common element was about making a deal or plea agreement. I watched in horror as the conversations in the hallway were whispered about what a defendant would accept and how lives would be changed forever.

It didn’t seem to matter what the elements of the cases were; only that the outcome was based on the networking experience of the attorney. The secretive proceedings would cast doubt in my mind on the legitimacy of the system that had no respect for the defendant, innocent or guilty. Legal or administrative bodies with strict ruling and secretive proceedings metaphorically are sometimes called star chambers. This term is intended to cast doubt on the legitimacy of proceedings in the judicial system.

Your main character, Jennifer, moves to a tightly knit community in Norfolk, Virginia. Do you have a connection with Virginia? Why that location?

Yes I lived in Norfolk Virginia a few years ago while on Active Duty and wanted to move there again to be close to my son. I chose Norfolk as the main location in Embittered Justice because I had the opportunity to witness the court room proceedings there and I am familiar with the area.

Tell us a bit about Jennifer. Is she a part of you or someone completely different?

Jennifer is definitely part of me and all the characters in the book are similar to people I know. Jennifer Campbell is a Registered Nurse and moves to Virginia to be near her son after a tour on active duty as a mobilized reservist in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Her dream of living near the beach and managing a company come true when she moves to Norfolk.

Mysterious things start to happen to Jennifer when she buys the dream house and her life will never be the same. Jennifer had always been able to deal with any crisis in her life with ease until now. The once stoic woman becomes an emotional wreck and her stable life unravels as she fights for justice. She has never been dependent on anyone in her life but finds that she must accept assistance from those that love her to get through a horrible situation.

What are your dreams for your writing? Where do you see yourself in five years both as a writer and as a person?

My dreams for writing are to be able to write full time and write several books and maybe a movie deal…it is nice to dream. Of course I want to be a best selling author, doesn’t every author have that desire? Through the process of writing Embittered Justice I have discovered my own weaknesses as an author and strive to improve with every book.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you have been given/learned in your life as a writer?

Write the story…get the editing finished when you have it completed. Write the way you speak and the process is much quicker. Don’t worry if your first book isn’t accepted some of the best writer’s books were not accepted…at first. Don’t give up; the world is waiting for your story.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers here?

Check out my website at http://www.michaelariley.com and watch the Book Trailer of Embittered Justice. A personal autographed copy is available on my website.

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. I wish you great successes with your tour and Embittered Justice.

Hello and welcome back Fiction Scribe, Ms. Roberts. Seeing as we’ve met before, why don’t we get right to talking about the book?

That works for me. And thanks for having me back.

You’ve written the book Bikini Season. Now that’s what I call an interesting title. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

Here’s how I like to sum it up. This is a book about girlfriends, diets, chocolate and cheating. Since one of the characters is sure her husband is starting an affair with the office hottie, I’ll leave it to readers to discover whether the cheating refers to diets or husbands. :)? The book follows the adventures of four friends who wind up turning their cooking club into a diet club.

What inspired Bikini Season? Where did the idea begin?

My editor actually inspired the diet club. She though it would be fun to have a book about women who all go on a diet together and transform themselves. I was actually doing something along those lines with two girlfriends, so this sounded like a fun book idea to me.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

Probably Kizzy, the woman who loves to cook and has a very indulged appetite. That’s me. I have a very hard time saying no to my taste buds. Also the scary diet pill adventure that Angela has in the book was taken from my own experience. I learned that there is no shortcut to fitness.

What is your favourite part of the book?

Probably the scene where Angela pole dances for her husband a la Jamie Lee Curtis in true lies. Not so racy though, and definitely funnier.

What are you working on now?

Actually, I’m just finishing up my third book for St. Martin’s Press, called “Love in Bloom” about three women who meet at a community garden and become friends. It’s full of gardening tips and should be a fun read.

What are your dreams for your writing?

I want to follow in the footsteps of my two friends and mentors, Debbie Macomber and Susan Wiggs. I admire those two women greatly. Not only are they successful writers, they are humble and down-to-earth.

When you’re not writing novels, what do you do? How do you find time to write?

Fortunately, writing is my only job, so I don’t have to juggle it around other work. That helps a lot. My life is busy. I’m active in my church and community. We built and moved into a new house this last year and I’m to my eyeballs in landscaping. But I can always find time to play. I love playing games and going dancing, hitting the movies and reading a good book. As writers, I think it’s very important that we support our industry. Buy books!

What would you say to writers who want to have your same successes in writing?

Read a lot and study the writers you admire. Read books on writing and take classes. Never fall into the trap of thinking you’ve arrived. We’re all learning. Always.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thanks so much for having me. It was a pleasure to visit with you.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Daily.

Hi! Thanks so much for having me with you.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

Probably in the crib. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing — from goofy songs about fruit to love stories about my 4th grade teacher to my pre-author career as an advertising copywriter.

You’re currently on virtual tour for Fifteen Minutes of Shame. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

I’m not only on a virtual tour, I’m on a 22-city tour as well.

FIFTEEN MINUTES OF SHAME is a story about Darby Vaughn, a small-town girl turned dating guru. She’s finally landed the life she’s always dreamed of: A handsome, charming husband shes crazy about, a fabulous home in an exclusive neighborhood, a bestselling dating book, and tax-deductible pedicures.

Thousands of women have attended Darbys famous Dreamgirl Academy and followed her man-snagging advice to the letter, in hopes that their lives will turn out just like hers. But when she finds out her husband is cheating, her publicity-perfect world spins out of control. Not only is the most humiliating moment in her life splashed across every supermarket tabloid and celebrity gossip show, but her reputation as Americas favorite love expert is shot.

Her book sales have tanked, her publisher has canceled the rest of her tour, and her love life has become fodder for late-night TV. To make matters worse, the ex-wife Gigi keeps feeding the media frenzy in hopes of furthering her own reality TV career.

If Darby takes her philandering husband back, she will be breaking her own most cardinal law of relationships (Never stay with a cheater!), and her career will be over. If she sticks to her own rules, shell lose the only man she has ever truly loved. As her marriage and career fall apart, Darby learns that even dating experts get their hearts broken, and that when it comes to matters of the heart, none of us are in complete control.

What inspired you to write this book? Where did the idea begin?

The week before my dating advice book, Stop Getting Dumped! was first published, a very prominent dating expert was going through a very public divorce, and she was really taking a lot of heat in the media. At the time, my husband and I had just been married a few years — I remember having this moment where I thought about how awful it would be to go through one of the most difficult times in your life with the entire world watching — and the idea for Fifteen Minutes of Shame was born.

As I developed the story, a lot of the funniest scenes dealt with the world of television — the disparity between how something (and some people) look on TV, versus in real life, has always been hilarious to me.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

I’m a lot like Darby, the main character. Shes a funny, somewhat klutzy dating expert who wants to see everybody get a little piece of happily ever after. The trait we share is that we both tend to trust our brains over our hearts.

What is your favourite part of the book?

The TODAY SHOW scene, for certain. Darby’s biggest dream is finally coming true — she’s appearing on the TODAY SHOW, and Matt Lauer informs her that her husband is leaving her for another woman. Darby throws up on national television and then passes out. It’s one of the funniest scenes in the book, and it’s the moment when Darby’s entire existence is turned inside-out.

A trailer is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBRRYCJgaWA

What draws you about writing about relationships?

I’m always searching for patterns in people’s behavior, some overarching theme to explain WHY they are what they are, or why they do what they do. In general, I have a strong need to figure things out. Relationships are so fascinating to me because they’re such a wild card — the decisions we make in our relationships , sometimes our every brain cell will tell us to run in the other direction, and we stay. Sometimes our brains lead us one way, and our hearts another — it’s always interesting to me to watch that play out.

Are there any authors who have inspired you in your writing?

My favorite authors are Jane Austen, Delia Ephron, Nora Ephron, Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, Oscar Wilde, and Kristin Harmel. I loved Freakonomics for the writing. I’m particularly fond the girls at the Debutante Ball Eileen Cook, Danielle Young-Ullman, Jenny Gardiner, Jess Riley and Gail Knopf-Baker. I love Eats, Shoots and Leaves for the punctuation stickers in the back. Liberating Paris by Linda Bloodworth Thomason was a revelation, and Michael Alvear, Lisa Earle McLeod and Lenore Skenazy crack me up.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a new novel, titled THE TRUTH ABOUT GOSSIP. I’m still early in the process on this book, but its a humorous, edgy story about someone struggling to overcome superficiality and preconceptions.

What are your dreams for your writing?

My biggest dream for my writing has come true — when someone says to me how much they loved Fifteen Minutes of Shame or my first book, Stop Getting Dumped!, and that they stayed up all night because they couldn’t put it down. Those are the reactions that every writer lives for.

Like most authors, I dream of the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list. Mostly, I hope I’m as grateful for the experience of being published as I am today.

When you’re not writing novels, what do you do? How do you find time to write?

When I’m not writing novels, I’m writing dating advice books (my new one, How To Date Like a Grownup, comes out in December). I also do a weekly relationships advice segment on DAYTIME, a syndicated morning TV show.

Do you have any advice for writers?

What separates working writers from wannabe writers is sticking it out, getting it done, whether your muse is on vacation or not. Don’t give up when it gets hard it gets hard for everybody.

I recommend that anyone wanting to write books starts by getting the best writing job you can swing (newspaper, magazine, advertising copywriter) where you are surrounded by, and hopefully supervised by, writers who are far better than you are. Learn everything you can, and write every single day. Then, be brave and put your work out into the world.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be here today! Great questions!

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Mr. Robles. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

I grew up in a tough New York City neighborhood. My mother was a divorced high school dropout. We were extremely poor but my mother never blamed our circumstances on anyone but herself. She told me we were poor because she had made poor choices and she taught me that the keys to rising above poverty were education and hard work. She never told me my ancestry or my poverty made me weak or helpless or could prevent me from succeeding in America. She never led me to believe I was a victim. I grew up believing in the American Dream.

Of course I knew there was bigotry and prejudice. I was keenly aware that there were people who thought less of me because of my Spanish ancestry. But I didn’t buy into the negative stereotype; I didn’t become prejudiced against myself.

I never gave a thought to the idea that the cards were stacked against me: poor, Puerto Rican, fatherless, drug and gang infested neighborhood, segregated high school. I just pushed on, pursuing the dream my mother had promised. My mother’s teachings of pride and hope and self reliance became the inspiration for my children’s book, Joey Gonzalez, Great American.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

The story idea came a little over two years ago when I learned about World Ahead Publishing and its line of conservative children’s books. The concept of teaching conservative values through children’s literature intrigued me.

The story I wanted to tell would deal with a controversial subject: affirmative action. World Ahead seemed to be a publishing house that would have the vision and the courage to handle this subject. I wrote the story, submitted it and crossed my fingers.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your book, Joey Gonzalez, Great American. Could you tell us a bit about the book? What inspired you to write this book? Where did the idea begin?

I would like to answer these questions together as they are closely related.

Over the years I have watched affirmative action take an ugly turn. It has become politically correct in America to believe that blacks and Hispanics are inherently inferior and that they must have special preferences in order to compete. Worse yet, black and Hispanic children are being led to believe these negative stereotypes.

I wrote Joey Gonzalez, Great American to bring an alternative message to children. The story takes the negative stereotypes and turns them around, teaching children that Spanish and African ancestry are not weaknesses but sources of strength. The Spanish explorers came across the ocean without any affirmative action.

African slaves had the opposite of affirmative action. They withstood terrible hardships with nothing to defend themselves but their innate strength, courage and intelligence. The Buffalo Soldiers were freed slaves who served in the U.S. Army and were great Americans.

The story uses images that are inspiring and affirmative to teach kids that they have the potential to be great because they have the greatness of their ancestors inside them.

This book is a bilingual book. Was it always in your mind to write it that way? Why did you choose to make it bilingual?

I believe children of any ethnicity would enjoy reading the Joey Gonzalez story but I wrote it mostly for Hispanic and black children. Several months after signing the contract it occurred to me that many of the children who would benefit from this story might have parents who would feel more comfortable reading the story in Spanish.

Also many Spanish speaking parents want their children to be bilingual and would enjoy having a bilingual children’s book to teach them both languages. Fortunately, World Ahead Publishing agreed.

What draws you about writing for children?

Children are the key. They are the future. Joey Gonzalez, Great American could help to create a generation of kids who understand that to judge people by their ancestry is prejudice even if it’s done with good intentions. This would go a long way toward bringing about what this country needs and craves: true reconciliation and true equality for Americans of every color and ancestry.

Are there any authors who have inspired you in your writing?

Katharine DeBrecht. Her first children’s book, “Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!” made me start thinking about writing Joey Gonzalez, Great American to challenge the affirmative action mindset.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m doing the hardest part of writing, promoting the book.

What are your dreams for your writing?

I’d like to create at least one more children’s book.

When you’re not writing children’s stories, what do you do? How do you find time to write?

I have lots of time to do anything I want. I’m retired. I love to go on long distance, overnight bicycle rides. With the sun on my back, with 50 miles behind me and 50 miles to go, that’s when I’m happiest. That’s also a good time to “write” – let the ideas flow and the dialogue take form. I probably should carry a recorder.

Do you have any advice for writers?

Write from your heart. Write with courage. Don’t pull any punches. Don’t try to hide behind your words. That seems to have worked for me.

Thank you very much for your time.

You’re welcome. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

Today we have a special interview with author Orna Ross who is currently virtually touring for her book Lovers’ Hollow. Today Orna is here to answer a few questions here in the post.

If you would like to ask her anything, please feel free to leave a comment.

When did you start writing?

When I wrote the first words of my first novel, Lovers Hollow? When I wrote my first nonfiction book? When I published my first article, the day somebody actually paid me for putting words together? When I took English lit at college and used to lie in my single bed, words chasing each other around my brain? When I wrote a poem in secondary school that my teacher read out to the rest of the class? When I read What Katy Did in primary school and copied out a few lines?

I still love the way they sound good. It was something about limes I remember. I didn’t even know what limes were back then – but they sounded exotic and exotic was what I wanted and what reading gave me. When I first pulled my ABC together into meaning?

I am always amazed by writers who have a clear sense of beginnings and endings when it comes to their work. All of my work seems to overlap one into the other and I find it very difficult to say when something starts or stops. At the moment I am first drafting my first novel, editing my second and promoting my first.

How would you describe the writing you are doing?

I write historical fiction but the story is always told through a contemporary lens. I am interested in how the part plays itself out in our lives, our own past, and that of other people and the places we live in. My books are heavily layered and interconnected – getting that layering right takes me a lot of time.

Only the novel has the capacity to do this. Other forms – the short story, the drama (in which I include the screenplay), cannot move as a novel can in and out of different time periods, in and outside the mind, from the smallest thought of a single individual to the widest experience of whole societies, whole worlds. It seems to me that this capacity is what makes the novel uniquely valuable.

I enjoy novels that are a distillation of a single experience – but I think of them as long short stories really. The novelists I like best of those that write the biggies – Eliot over Austen, for example. Tolstoy over Turgenev.

In the writing you are doing, who would you say has influenced you most?

George Eliot. Edna O’Brien. Dickens. Winston Graham. Toni Morrison. Helen Dunmore. Sally Beaumon. Many writers who flowered during the women’s movement — Grace Paley, Marilyn French… And, like every woman who writes, the Brontës.

What are your main concerns is a writer? How do you deal with those concerns?

My main concern is to try to capture the subjective, complicated response we bring to all that life throws at us. I deal with this concern by ensuring that I sit down every day with it and do what I can to give it the fullest possible expression.

How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?

I grew up in Ireland where there is great focus on history but where the stories that are told about the past – our 800 years of oppression by the English, for example – never seemed satisfactory to me - too simplistic. Lovers Hollow grew out of my own family experience. My father’s uncle was shot in the Irish Civil War but nobody in the family ever talked about it. Our village was still divided still about this conflict, with families not speaking to each other, though it had happened 50 years before. The silence that swirled around the topic drew me to it. It’s the same with anything I have written since. Wherever there is silence, there is pain.

How many books have you written so far?

Two nonfiction books in the 1990s - Health and Travel How-To’s, that I don’t think about now. Bodymatters For Women and Get Up & Go: A Travel Survival Guide, both from Attic Press. Now Lovers’ Hollow from Penguin. A Dance in Time, also Penguin, will appear September next.

Do you write every day? How does each session start? How do you proceed? How, where and why does it end?

Yes. The session starts with FREE-Writing, then I pick up where I left off the day before. How it proceeds very much depends on what stage I am at. If I’m in the germination stage, it might just be notetaking or working on the index cards I use to plan out the plot. If I’m drafting, I’ll just write as fast as possible, accepting any words that come, knowing I can fix it up later. (I even write “Shitty First Draft” at the top of the page to give myself permission to get any old thing out.)

I try to leave each writing session longing to go on, itching to get going again tomorrow. Hemingway called it leaving some ink in the well. It gives you that sense of continuity you need when putting together a long novel

Is your writing autobiographical?

Every novelist gets asked this and it is very difficult to answer. Certainly - despite what some readers seem to think when a story is narrated in the first person - I can say unequivocally - and with some relief! - that neither Jo Devereux (Lovers Hollow) nor Izzy Mulcahy (A Dance in Time) is me. But yes, I share some experiences with them — brought up in small villages in rural Ireland, went to boarding school, lived in London for a while…

Most significantly I suppose, my great-uncle was shot in the Irish Civil War, in an incident very like that described in Lovers’ Hollow — though the reasons attributed in the book are entirely imagined.

While my experience of birth, family, marriage, children, death and so on differs from my characters’, something of me is in them — and vice versa.

Why do you use a pen-name?

There are a number of reasons why I write under a pen-name. Firstly, people outside Ireland find ‘Áine’ an impossible name to pronounce (it’s “awn-ya”, folks, not “ay-neh”) and my publishers agreed that a name that was easier for people to remember was a good idea.

Why Orna Ross?

I knew I wanted a pseudonym, something easy to read and remember. But what? I spent ages trying to think of the right one. Then, one day as I shouting up the stairs, calling my two children down to eat - ‘Orna! Ross! Dinner’s ready!’ - I realised: the perfect name had delivered itself to me.

Where Do Your Ideas Come From?

Sometimes it’s something I know I want to go into a book – and I’ll go to great lengths to get it just the way I envisage it. For example, I knew I wanted Jo to live in San Francisco in order to connect her to the liberation movements there, so I had to visit SF to research how the place felt (that was tough!). For A Dance in Time, I had to read every single word written by WB Yeats, Ezra Pound, Francis Stuart, Maud Gonne and Iseult Gonne and almost everything written about them – between them, those guys generated a lot of words.

Sometimes it arises out of other work I am doing – Nora’s experience in Enniscorthy Lunatic Asylum (Lovers’ Hollow) was based on a case study I came across in research I did for an MA thesis.

More often, the ideas arise, as if from nowhere, when I’m lying in bed, telling myself I should get up, or when I’m jogging or walking, or in the bath…. And I engage in two daily practices that keep them coming: FREE-Writing and meditation.

I never have a shortage of ideas — my challenge is to manage my time so that I can get them written up.

What Are You Working On Now?

A family narrative set during the New York City Draft Riots of 1863, a kaleidoscopic set of stories that explore money and war, sex and gender, family and race. Again, the historical story is told through a more contemporary lens (though the 20th century lens is also a historical moment at some distance from now).

The idea for this novel sparked during an evening course I took in American History while living in Knutsford, England. The story itself was shocking — of how a black man called Abraham Franklin was hung by an Irish mob, one of numerous atrocities against the black community by the Irish during the riot. After Franklin was cut down, sixteen-year-old Patrick Butler dragged his corpse down the street by the testicles. All to cheers from the onlooking crowd of Irish men, women and children.

As powerful as this story itself, were the feelings circulating in the classroom. The teacher and the (largely English) students were all uncomfortable about my presence in the room — as if the fact that I was born in Ireland in some way associated me with the actions of those people, in that distant place and time.

The novel tells the story of two families, one Irish, the other black, and plays out the myriad connections between them during this troubled time. There is also a front story in a more contemporary setting — 1970s New York City — where the flamboyant and dysfunctional McIntyre family is enduring a tragedy.

A baby is dead. Officialdom labels it a cot death but each member of the family - father, mother, twin sister and brother - knows it wasn’t an accident. Which one of them did it? The answer is only revealed to the reader in the last paragraphs – and it is strangely connected to the atrocities that happened during that long-ago riot.

The working title of this story is Three Days in New York.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years I see myself just where I am now: spending half my day writing and the other half encouraging others along their writing and publication pathways.

Lovers’ Hollow is historical fiction but told through a contemporary lens and it weaves backwards and forwards in time.

Effortlessly interweaving past and present, and building towards a compelling and surprising conclusion, Lovers’ Hollow ranges across three generations and two continents to deliver a page-turning exploration of love, revenge and the true nature of freedom.

Lovers’ Hollow – Press Reviews Summary

• SUNDAY INDEPENDENT: ‘A magnificent family saga… highly ambitious, engaging and evocative.’
• IRISH INDEPENDENT: ‘an impressive canvas… a captivating read… an achievement.’
• SUNDAY TRIBUNE: ‘…epic sweep…ambitious scope…an intelligent book.’
• EVENING HERALD: ‘A Haunting Tale… a gripping story.’
• IRELAND ON SUNDAY: ‘engaging and well-thought-out… the characters and mysteries will make you want to keep reading.’
• IRISH EXAMINER: ’succeeds admirably…retains interest throughout its considerable span.’
• EMIGRANT ONLINE: ‘A riveting story…vividly brought to life.’ See full review at www.emigrant.ie
• WOMAN’S WAY BOOKCLUB: ‘Orna Ross has mastered the art of suspense with her darkly portentous prose… I couldn’t put it down.’
• BOOKBAG: ‘ I read all 688 pages over a period of about three days – and this is a big, big story. It’s Orna Ross’s first novel, but it’s crafted with the skill of a veteran and the suspense is masterly.” www.thebookbag.co.uk
• BIBLIOFEMME: ‘An incredible debut that will have the reader absolutely enthralled.’ www.bibliofemme.com
• AMAZON: ‘Lovers’ Hollow will be a classic… [like] Gone With The Wind. It’s as broad in its scope as that. One of the best novels I have read in a long, long time.” www.amazon.co.uk

Hello everyone and happy Friday.

Today we have an interview of a different sort in that we are welcoming a poet here to Fiction Scribe. Please join me in welcoming her to the site and feel free to leave your own questions for her in the comments section.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Barnes. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

I’m a Florida poet, author, and humorist who graduated from Florida State University. Catch up with my latest news at www.charlottebarnesonline.com.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

I had always enjoyed writing when I was in school. I remember one assignment where we were to write our own epitaphs. I wound up with a tragic tale of dying from eating the cafeteria food.

I began writing again in 1996 when I was between jobs. It became an on-and-off thing. My first book was published in 2005.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your book of poetry. Could you tell us a bit about it?

“The Mansfield Lighthouse Cats” is my third book overall, but my first collection of poetry. It is a rather diverse collection covering everything from stray cats to loneliness to football.

What inspired you to write this collection? Where did the idea begin?

I didn’t initially set out to write a poetry collection. It collected over time. I usually start with a feeling or a scenario. Sometimes the poem comes to me bit by bit, and other times it flowers as though it came fully formed in my mind.

You’ll notice certain themes or elements recurring in a lot of my work—humor, loneliness, alienation, the search for meaning in life, etc.

Which poem is your favourite and why?

I prefer not to influence readers by naming any personal favorites. I prefer to hear the readers’ favorites. The one that I probably hear the most about from readers is the book’s title poem, “The Mansfield Lighthouse Cats.” It’s about a fictitious lighthouse in Florida where cats go when they want to get away from people.

I had the idea when I saw neighborhood cats coming and going through the bushes in the yard and I wondered what they did all days as they wandered the world.

What draws you about writing poetry?

I like to play with words to see what I can get out of them. I enjoy the rhythm. You’ll find that a lot of my poems rhyme. In a lot of ways, I think it makes it easier for the readers. I’m thinking of the folks who might read the poetry aloud.

Are there any authors who have inspired you in your writing?

I tend to lean toward classic poetry in my own reading. I enjoy Frost, Dickinson, Sandburg, Kipling, etc.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a children’s picture book manuscript. It’s called “Stella Ducktropolis” and it’s about a crime-fighting duck. It’s in the galley stages now. I’m hoping it’ll be out by summer. I’m also working on a new collection of poetry.

What are your dreams for your writing?

I would like to be able to do a book a year. It would be great to write full-time. What’s great about my work is that each book is different. I don’t write the same thing every time.

When you’re not writing poetry, what do you do? How do you find time to write?

When not writing, I enjoy watching football, reading, watching movies (action or comedy), or taking a nap. I write before work, during lunch, and on weekends. I’m usually too tired at night.

Do you have any advice for writers?

Write what you feel compelled to write, not what others tell you to write. Treat others with kindness and respect. Don’t let rejection get you down. Listen to motivational CD’s to keep your spirits/motivation up.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thanks very much.

Hello everyone. Today we welcome Tinisha Johnson to the site. She is the author of the mystery Searchable Whereabouts. I hope you’ll join me in welcoming her to the site.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Johnson. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

Thank you, I’m glad to have the opportunity to be present on FictionScribe.com.

I reside in Denver, Colorado. I’ve now been living there several years. And I’m married with two children. I knew I wanted to be a writer at the age of eleven. My first passion was poetry, and then short stories which later turned into finishing my first novel at the age of 23.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

Well, like I said, eleven is about the age I knew I was passionate about writing. English and creative writing were my favorite subjects in school.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your mystery novel Searchable Whereabouts. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

Yes, Searchable Whereabouts is the story of Rahkel Williams who’s trying to unravel the mysterious death of her beloved uncle. After his death, Rahkel begins finding clues into his life that has her wondering who was this man, she thought she knew so well.

Rahkel then hires a private investigator, Darrin Miller, which soon turns into a love interest. And after awhile strange things begin to happen, like people of interest in the case who turn up dead and Rahkel soon fears for her life and knows she can’t trust anyone. But she sets out to find the answer at all costs.

What inspired you to write Searchable Whereabouts? Where did the idea begin?

Well, I’ve always been a huge fan of mystery shows and movies. And I wanted to take on the challenge of writing a mystery novel. As far as where the idea to write Searchable Whereabouts came about– the idea really just evolved while writing it.

I didn’t have an outline before I started the book. Believe it or not, I just started writing with an idea of a mystery in mind. So I wrote and wrote and wrote, and eventually Searchable Whereabouts was born. I don’t suggest that though. I’d wish I started out with an outline first.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

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Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Silva. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

You mean, aside from being a bit off-center? Eccentric? Your typical too-much-going-in-my-pea-brain writer? Hmm…okay.

Well, for a living, I teach at several online universities and love it. I teach at three community colleges (Oregon, Wisconsin and Georgia) and two technical colleges. I love it, but that pretty much means I am on the computer all the time. I think that’s just made me love writing more because I write my first draft in long hand with a fountain pen.

Didn’t I mention eccentric?

What brought you into the world of writing?

My imagination, I suppose. I figured if I didn’t get these characters out of my head and onto paper, they would drive me insane. The truth is, the greatest disappointment of my childhood was the moment I realized I had to stop pretending. I think I was 15…lol…okay, maybe 13, but still, that’s OLD to be figuring out that you HAVE to leave your old pretend friends behind.

When I realized that I could actually bring them with me into the adult world through writing, my disappointment lifted and here I am! When did you start? I started a couple of years after I was a cop. A friend said, why don’t you write cop stories? I didn’t want to because I wasn’t a good one and preferred to leave that chapter behind me. (At that time, in the state of California, it took 9 months to become a licensed hair dresser, and 3.5 months to become a cop. What?)

However, the character of Delta Stevens refused to shush, so I had to write a book about her…and then 5 more.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your book Across Time. Could you tell us a bit about the book and what inspired you to write Across Time?

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Fiction Scribe readers, it is my pleasure to introduce you to this week’s interviewee, Chris Hoare. Chris is currently on virtual tour for his book and has honored me with some of this time.

Without further ado…

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Mr. Hoare. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

Hey – call me Chris.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

When I was young I couldn’t help but notice my mother was a voracious reader, and as I grew older I became a paperboy for the newsagents where she borrowed most of her books. I found novels there of adventure and excitement and formed a desire to emulate the authors who could captivate readers with their stories.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your book The Wildcat’s Victory. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

The second novel published in the Iskander series, it’s actually fifth in the scenario chronology, although two of the early novels were scrapped and will one day be rewritten. The stories follow the strong female protagonist, Gisel Matah, who becomes a security officer for a small group of modern people stranded in a 17th century world.

What inspired you to write The Wildcat’s Victory? Where did the idea begin?

The whole series started as some historical ‘what-if’ speculation. In the series I explore the effect of having an anachronistic technological revolution in a world of sailing ships, periwigged gentlemen, minuets, and ladies in crinolines (although Gisel rarely wears such encumberances). After Gisel makes a dangerous journey to escort young Yohan to an enemy city in “Deadly Enterprise”, I thought it time to portray her in a situation where she is more of a controlling player – until the odds mount against her.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

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Hello and welcome back to Fiction Scribe everyone. Today I have a special bonus Monday interview for you.

Please join me in welcoming author April Star to the site. She is the author of Tropical Warnings and is here to talk about her book as well as her life as an author.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Star. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

It’s always great to stop by here at Fiction Scribe and thank you for taking the time to interview me. At the risk of boring readers I will keep my introduction brief, which is difficult for a novelist! I live in Central Florida with my husband of 38 years and our three Maltese fur babies. I work at an RV resort which gives me a constant flow of inspiration.

I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved to South Florida when I was three-years-old. Shortly after my marriage, I quit my job as a teacher of emotionally disturbed children to travel with my husband, Jerry, whose work in the construction trade took us across America’s highways and as far North as Alaska and Canada. Our wandering’s continued for sixteen years until we finally settled down to mange an RV resort near the Florida Keys. You can take the girl out of the RV but you can’t take her out of the lifestyle!

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

I started writing before I could talk or walk. Really! My parents believe it had something to do with me falling on top of a metal toy typewriter when I was nine months old. With the carriage embedded in my forehead, my dad swooped me and my typewriter up and rushed me to the doctor. I was stitched up and the only long term affect was that of a writing addiction.

You’ve written the book Tropical Warnings. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

Tropical Warnings is the first title in my Wanderlust Mystery series. It’s about a south Florida campground manager who is being stalked by a psychotic and potentially deadly stalker. Laura Madison, my heroine hires a PI to help her in her quest to find out who the demented stalker is.

What inspired you to write Tropical Warnings? Where did the idea begin?

Primarily I was inspired by all the crazy happening’s that occur within an RV resort! Especially in the off season months. That’s when you get the campers who tell you they were on Jerry Springer because they are half human and half alien and so and so forth. Jerry and I had one such crazy that worked for us and had been caught stealing.

He was terminated and the cleaning crew was cleaning out the trailer the campground provided for him and discovered a picture of me under his pillow. How creepy is that? That’s when the story idea began to take root. I started to think about other experiences on the road and in campgrounds and before I knew it character’s, plots, scenes, and incidents were coming full speed ahead. That’s when I realized that a series (not a book) was being born.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

Laura Madison because I see myself as a strong woman who can be taken seriously both in business and in a relationship.

What is your favourite part of the book?

I was happiest with the element of suspense I created with the stalker. Many readers have told me that they could always figure out the whodunit in a mystery until they read Tropical Warnings.

What draws you about writing mysteries?

I think its always been the essence of the mystery of life itself. I’ve always been one who tries to figure out the “whys” and “what if’s” with life happenings, world events, as well as crime, wars, and fighting. I’m always truing to solve one problem or another and since this is often times an impossibility in real life, I get it out of my system in fiction.

According to your website, you have travelled a lot. How much does your travel and experiences come into your writing?

They come into play quite a bit, along with a very active imagination and a muse that is always asking, “What if…?”

Are there any authors who have inspired you in your writing?

Stephen King, Sue Grafton, Nora Roberts, to name a few. Any writer who has gone through the agony of defeat in the sense of rejection and came out knowing what the true thrill of victory is all about is always a deep inspiration to me.

What are you working on now?

Book three in my series, It’s Check Out Time. I recently got “the call” on book two, The Last Resort, which will be released in June of 2009.

What are your dreams for your writing?

To see Tropical Warnings and all remaining titles hit the Big Screen!

When you’re not writing novels, what do you do? How do you find time to write?

I like to read (of course) and work in my yard. I also love to take long walks along the beach for this is where I recharge my soul. I never “find” the time I need to write – I make the time. Writing is something I MUST do to survive, like breathing it is a necessity for my personal survival.

Do you have any advice for writers?

Write from your heart and open a vein. Write about that which fuels an excitement and passion within you. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t. You CAN! Like anything in life, first you have to want it, and then believe you can have it, and then go for it. All the rest will follow.

Thank you very much for your time.

You’re welcome. I enjoyed talking with you and meeting everyone here at Fiction Scribe.

Today we welcome Catherine Delors to the site to talk about her book Mistress of the Revolution as well as about what inspires her.

I hope you’ll join me in welcoming her to the site.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Delors. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

Well, I was born, raised and educated in France. I came to America as an adult and became an attorney in California. I have been practicing law for over ten years. Now I split my time between Paris and Los Angeles. It’s a fairly complicated life, but I like it this way.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

Mistress of the Revolution is my first book. I began thinking of it in late 2004. I wrote a few chapters at random and, before I knew it, I was hooked.

You are currently on virtual tour for your novel Mistress of the Revolution. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

Mistress of the Revolution is a fictional memoir by a French noblewoman exiled in England. It is supposed to have been written in 1815, at the time of the collapse of Napoleon’s regime. My heroine, Gabrielle, now middle-aged, reflects on her past. And political events once again overtake her personal life. It is the story of a woman who tries to keep her humanity through adversity.

What inspired you to write Mistress of the Revolution? Where did the idea begin?

The idea came from a conversation I had with my late father. We were talking about the name of a street in the little mountain town where I had spent all of my summers as a child. It was named, my father told me, after Pierre-André Coffinhal, Vice President of the Revolutionary Tribunal. I knew nothing of that character, though the street itself had always been familiar to me.

So I began to look into Coffinhal’s life. I found a perfect novel character, in fact. That immediately piqued my curiosity, about him, and about the whole French Revolution.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

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Today I have a bonus interview with the very interesting Nan Hawthorne.

I got the chance to ask her a little bit about everything from her novel to what her feelings are about self-publishing. Please take a moment to welcome her to Fiction Scribe, and enjoy the wonderful interview I had with her.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Hawthorne. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

Oh dear, where do I start? How about with the “vital statistics”? I live in the greater Seattle area with my husband and our beloved cats. I am 56 now. I grew up in Southern California and Southeast Alaska, and I have lived in other parts of the US.

I graduated from Northern Michigan University — see what I mean? English major, of course. I’ve had at least two careers besides the typical office drudge jobs. I was a big fish for a while in the little pond of non-profit management before I became a professional writer. Oh, and I am legally blind. No central vision at all.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

I was reading early, and at seven I announced to the world that when I grew up I was going to be “an authoress”! I wrote my first story about then, then in my teens I met my writing partner for “The Story” which my first novel is based on. I mostly let the writing go for years and years. I started writing for a “living” only about ten years ago. The web was the impetus.

You’ve mentioned your first published book, Loving the Goddess Within: Sex Magick for Women. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

I believe that what are often called patriarchal religions have had a vested interest in controlling what women do with and feel about their bodies. The only way to control how we did was by restricting us, and when that did not keep working, making us feel bad about our bodies and sexuality. I see the “matriarchal” religions like neo-paganism or just the mythology from matriarchal societies to be a source of healing.

That’s what my book is all about. Ideas for women to heal their sense of themselves specifically their bodies and sexuality.

Right now you’re working on a novel with the word ‘novel’ purposely in quotes. Can you tell us why that is and what the book is about?

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Hello everyone and happy Friday!

Today I have a wonderful interview to share with you. Author Deborah Woehr is here to talk about her paranormal novel Prosperity and about her writing. Please join me in welcoming her to Fiction Scribe.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Woehr. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

I started keeping a diary when I was 11 years old, but didn’t start writing novels after I turned 30.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your paranormal novel Prosperity. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

Prosperity is about an embattled psychic who is forced to solve a 79 year-old murder before she becomes the next victim.

What inspired you to write Prosperity? Where did the idea begin?

There were three things that inspired me to write Prosperity: the story of a lynching that occurred in my hometown of San Jose in the 1930s, the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, and the fate of people when they die.

The idea began with Amanda, who began sleepwalking to her husband’s grave shortly after he was murdered. Is she suffering from a nervous breakdown, or is she actually meeting up with her husband’s ghost?

What character do you relate to the most and why?

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