Fiction Scribe

Hello! Welcome to Fiction Scribe.

By way of introduction, what are five words that you feel describe you best?

The five words people use most often to describe me are thoughtful, caring, considerate, intelligent, and creative.

You’re currently on tour with your book No Teachers Left Behind. Will you tell us briefly about the book?

No Teachers Left Behind is a realistic fiction novel that describes the feelings of a public middle school staff. It is told from the viewpoints of teachers (and a single administrator) who really want to change the world. Unfortunately, these staff members are hampered by various things and various people. The story is told through emails, poetry, and brief conversations.

The title is a play on ‘No Child Left Behind’. Why did you choose to go with that title?

Over the years, the phrase ‘No Child Left Behind’ has been tossed around and associated with the United States’ educational system. It hints that our children are being left behind; that they are being let down by schools (specifically by teachers).

As a hard working teacher, surrounded by many other hard working teachers on a daily basis and in communication with many others, I wanted to express the idea that perhaps the students aren’t the only ones being left behind. Perhaps, it’s the teachers who are being left behind, being that we are the ones who are underpaid, overworked, and under supported.

Why did you choose to write under the pen name HBF Teacher?

HBF Teacher is who I am. I am a Hopeful But Frustrated Teacher who is trying not to give up on my dream of helping to make the world a better place.

I chose a pseudonym for two reasons: 1) There are bound to be some people who see too much of themselves in No Teachers Left Behind and 2) Everybody loves a good mystery. Last month, I got a really good laugh when I overheard a couple of teachers who worked at my school discussing the novel and wondering who would ever write something like that.

Was there a specific event or epiphany that led you to decide to write a book on this subject?

Teachers deal with so many things on a daily basis. We have students who consistently misbehave. The misbehaviours range from light incidents of talking back and distracting others to more serious issues like bullying and weapons.

We also have parents who live in a state of denial and believe their children can do no wrong, administrators who have no idea what it’s like to teach today (not ten or twenty years ago when they taught), and so much more. All those things added up to a huge boiling pot. That pot overflowed and became No Teachers Left Behind.

Do you feel that the negative things teachers have to deal with are overlooked in today’s world?

I definitely think the negative things are overshadowed by the problems the students encounter each day in school (and this is not to be taken lightly). Then there are also other issues in the world that are more newsworthy. Sometimes I feel like I only hear about teachers in the news when there’s the occasional bad apple who breaks the law or when test scores aren’t as high as some politician think they should be.

What do you think are the causes of the teacher situation?

For a while now, I don’t believe students in the United States have been as academically successful as they should be. As a result of this failure, I recognize there is a need to delegate blame. Nobody is willing to say the students aren’t applying themselves enough and that the parents aren’t following through.

When you eliminate those two options, this leaves the blame to only the school system and its lowest rung on the ladder, the teachers. As a result of being the bad guys and gals, teachers are now put under so much pressure and given so much responsibility and so many tasks that there is really very little time left for them actually teach.

Are there any solutions?

Teachers should be allowed more input into what goes on in their classrooms. It’s kind of insane that the people who don’t teach are the ones who make educational policies.

Other possible solutions include higher salaries to recruit and maintain effective teaching staffs and smaller classroom sizes. Students and their parents should also be held more accountable for grades and behaviour. The only excuse cannot be that teachers are not doing their part.

What do you want readers to take away from reading your book?

I want them to know that the majority of teachers actually wake up with a plan to teach each day, and they don’t go to bed at the end of the day without having a plan for tomorrow. Teachers do care, and they do work. It’s time for others to share in the responsibility of educating our children.

What are you working on now?

The sequel to No Teachers Left Behind. There is still a great deal about teaching that I want to share.

Thank you very much for your time. I wish you the best with No Teachers Left Behind.

***
HBF Teacher has been a public school Middle grades teacher for three years. Before that, HBF substitute taught for two years. HBF has also worked as a live-in nanny and an accounts payable representative.

You can find HBF online at http://www.noteachersleftbehind.info/

Hello Ms. Keen! Welcome to Fiction Scribe.

By way of introduction, what are five words you feel describe you the best?

Determined; Creative; Artistic; Disciplined and Loyal

You’re currently on virtual tour with your book Journal According to John. Will you tell us briefly about the book?

The novel is about a recently divorced man who begins to keep a journal to make sense of his failed marriage and his dysfunctional life. Early on he realizes that his mother, the curator of a gallery that specializes in steel art and other nontraditional works, has largely shaped his thoughts and his actions. He also comes to the conclusion that her ongoing promiscuity is the reason that he is emotionally challenged and so he blames her for much of his failures. But just how much can he blame her for his current state of affairs?

The journal assists him to confront painful thoughts and dreams and provide fuel for his writing. In the midst of keeping his journal he also realizes that he wants his wife back. But can he convince her to come back to him? The questions are many. Will John discover the reasons for his dysfunctional situation? And in the end, will the journal help him to improve his life?

Where did the initial inspiration for Journal According to John come from?

I wanted to write a convincing and emotional story from a male’s perspective about a mother-son relationship. But I wanted to do it in an unconventional way which is where the journal entries came in. My inspiration came from my imaginative “what if” mind but the idea for using journal entries as device in the novel probably came from my own experience with journaling.

Now, the obvious question: Do you keep a journal?

Yes, I do keep a journal. I like to record my thoughts, observations and reactions to everyday and special events. I find it interesting to reread some of the things that I have written and see how much my views on the matter have changed. My journal also provides me with a place to work through and analyze concerns and decisions.

What do you hope readers will take away from reading your book?

I hope readers will see that holding on to past hurts can be harmful to their well being. Another thing that the novel shows is that we are all responsible for the outcome of our lives in spite of what others may have done to us.

Do you think keeping journals is a good way to work through trauma and other issues?

I think keeping journals is a good way to work through trauma and other issues. It’s probable a very traumatic time for many people given the economic climate, and so a journal could be a therapeutic tool. In writing down our thoughts we confront the issue, connect to our inner selves but we also find a sense of release. Our words on paper also allow us to make some analysis of the actions we need to take and help us to focus.

What journaling does is make things clearer and help us to discover things that may be in our subconscious. It gives us the opportunity to break the issues down piece by piece which will gives us different angles to work with. Journaling also help us to be more objective about the issues we are facing because it takes it from our subjective minds. On paper we can distance ourselves from our words and be more objective.

Of course there is also the reflecting part of keeping a journal. Time has a way of altering our views on a particular issue and it’s possible to see this transition in our journals. Reflection is important because we will see the disposition of our minds and we can take even more effective action if necessary.

Did you have any trouble writing from the male perspective?

It was a challenge. The writing of the character was not the trouble. The trouble came when I started to ask myself if I could write an authentic man with all the masculinity it demanded. In addition to this, I was using journal entries to tell this male character’s story.

I was asking myself if men really wrote in journals. But there was a method to the madness because the entries served as a device to facilitate John’s subjective viewpoint and to provide a contrast to his quest for his manhood.

In the end, I reminded myself that there were all kinds of men out there and so John does exists in some way. Plus great characters are a contrast in themselves.

What is your writing space like?

It’s a small space but it’s filled with some of my favorite books. William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies, Virginia Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse and Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird are just a few of the books that I see each day. They give me added inspiration to write. I also have a vase with water lilies on my desk. Somehow the sight of something growing and alive always gives me a sense of renewal which I try to transfer to my work.

I have two balls that I roll in my palms to relief stress especially when I obsess over an issue that I am writing about. Or I’ll use them when I am taking a break from a heavy subject matter. The space is always neat because I cannot write in any sort of clutter.

Do you have a writing schedule you keep to or do you write when you have the time?

I write when I have the time because I still work full time. However, whenever I have free days and weekends, I tend to write mostly in the mornings when I feel my best and do my best work.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

I would tell aspiring writers to never give up on their dreams even when there are obstacles in the way. They should also write as much as possible to hone their skills. And lastly, they should believe in their work and others will join in this belief.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I hope that readers will enjoy my work and that they will find the characters relatable and engaging.

Thank you for your time, Ms. Keen. I hope you see great success with your book Journal According to John.

Hello Mr. Kays! Welcome to Fiction Scribe. By way of introduction, tell us five words you feel describe you best.

Analytical, focused, satirist, observant, fragrant.

You’re currently on virtual tour with your book Virtual Vice. Can you tell us briefly about the book?

In short, the book follows the rise and demise of a sociopath, Scott White, who transitions from the organized crime of the Cali Cartel to the organized crime of Wall Street. He begins his professional life as one of the largest cocaine distributors on the West Coast. When the DEA closes in, White evades apprehension and launders the drug money by founding an Information Technology startup, Metropoleis III Multimedia. Certain organized crime contingents remain silent partners in his new business. MIII is a Seattle based broadband content provider, streaming audio and video from live rock concerts to subscribers over the Internet.

Although business is thriving, its CEO soon falls back to old habits, structuring MIII as a Ponzi scheme and embezzling from investors. When White is found out, he flees Washington for Arizona and mounts a similar scam. As external scrutiny, and civil and criminal suits mount, CEO White begins to come unhinged, as do his progressively more crazed and bizarre business ventures.

Targeting the Sedona market, he attempts to tap into the New Age zeitgeist. After several false starts, he uses his broadband media delivery system to back an equally opportunistic religious huckster in peddling a New Age theology to the masses via the Internet. The cybervangelists garner the attention of a global press for all the wrong reasons. The klieg lights quickly put White’s silent partners ill-at-ease and all hell breaks loose.

You mention in your biography that you are an ‘intellectual property attorney’. Will you tell us a bit more about what you do?

I work in the Information Technology sector, primarily with software developers, performing trademark and copyright review and related transactional matters. Essentially, the objective is to protect the original work product of an engineer from theft by a third party. The same body of law protects an author’s writing from plagiarism. Prior to that I worked in the field of entertainment law doing IP work, contract review and putting together deals.

I have been around computers and technology since my childhood in the 1970’s, and have always had a passion for the cutting edge of IT. That enthusiasm is reflected in my writing and will be a focal point in my next book, Mainstream. Regardless of topic or genre, I believe that in order to maintain relevance, it’s essential for writers to stay current with social and technology trends. If one doesn’t, the exercise becomes one of narcissism and not one of art or utility.

How much does your occupation play into your writing?

My legal background played a major role in writing this book for two reasons. Firstly, the book is a legal thriller involving a complex trial and the legal maneuvering that entails. Secondly, the novel is creative non-fiction and 85% factual: it’s largely autobiographical and explores my daily work as a lawyer in both the entertainment and IT sectors. That said, I’m not the focus of this book. The protagonist is Ponzi scheme con man, Scott White.

The context within which I practice law, particularly the colorful characters in the entertainment business, make this and future books engaging. The book’s focus is people, perspective, pathology and psychology. Not the legal system. I do not find the law, as a profession, interesting enough to merit a book. I think the subject has been exhausted in popular culture by the myriad of talented authors like Grisham and Turow, motion picture and television drama. It’s reached saturation levels.

I will always have that experience and skill set to draw upon, but am trying for something more inventive. The next book will also involve a character that is an outlaw and, as such, the law comes into play, but has a lesser role, because the protagonist is more skillful in circumventing it.

If you were a character in your book, who would you be?

I am a character in the book, so that’s an easy one: Ian McKenzie.

Are you allowed to tell us about what true events your novel is based on?

Yes, because the client effectively waived his attorney-client privilege by aggressively soliciting counsel to perpetuate a criminal enterprise. The book is creative non-fiction and 85% factual. It was inspired by my representation as a lawyer of a most unpleasant client during an eighteen month period, Gregg Scott Luce. The client, a former drug trafficker, allegedly laundered drug money through the IT startup, Millennium III Corporation (MIII), after the DEA shut down his previous venture.

MIII was a Seattle based broadband content provider, streaming audio and video from live rock concerts to subscribers over the Internet. Although business was thriving, its CEO soon fell back on old habits, structuring MIII as a Ponzi scheme. Aggravating the problem, Luce, as acting CEO, embezzled money.

Seven years after the founding of MIII, I was retained as counsel to review intellectual property issues in August of 2001. Approximately twelve months into my work, original note holders began contacting me, expressing concern that they had received no annual statements from MIII — for that matter, no communication at all from the board of directors or corporate officers for several years.

More troubling, to a man, every investor had demanded buyback upon maturation of their convertible note loan agreements in 1997. Luce refused to honor the promissory notes. The paper trail showed Luce used money from the non-accredited investor pool to line his own pockets, and money from new investors to pay contracted employees that held stock options; thereby, perpetuating the ruse. A textbook definition of the classic Ponzi scheme: using money from new investors to pay dividends to original investors.

I approached the CEO with my concerns. He was non-responsive, as was the board. As I dug deeper into the CEO’s history, unearthing a deep list of accounting firms, law firms and contractors owed money, I came to learn that one of Luce’s tricks was to secret money in his attorneys’ client trust accounts, knowing that the lawyer would be obliged to release the funds to Luce as client, regardless of whether the money was dirty. In addition to confronting shareholders with Luce’s malfeasance, I reported his actions to attorney general offices in two states. Formal investigations into Millennium III and its CEO commenced.

Luce fled Washington State and setup shop in Arizona. He laid the groundwork for a second Ponzi scheme, this time focusing on holistic cures, naturopathy and controversial quasi-medical procedures. Con men will often select a business where product and performance are difficult to quantify and grade. The New Age market lent itself perfectly to this model.

After his last remaining anchor investor pulled funding in 2007, Luce relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He had now reinvented himself as a sort of schizoid renaissance man: part shaman, fitness guru and self-proclaimed “Internet genius”. As surety in case his genius fell short of the mark, Luce misappropriated the intellectual property of a group of Santa Fe and German technologists to defraud a Los Angeles music industry venture capitalist out of $500,000. He was ultimately found out and relocated to Huntington Beach.

In an ironic twist, life has mirrored fiction to an extent: in the book, MIII establishes a New Age church and exploits gullible parishioners. I recently learned that Luce partnered with a real estate developer and is in the process of establishing a New Age “church” in Hawaii.

Do you feel that technology-centric books – crime or otherwise – is a growing genre?

I believe so. Crime thrillers have always enjoyed a large following . . . and a measure of disdain by those that review books. I think, in part, because the perception is that they are less “literary” and more accessible to the reader looking for escapism and entertainment, and not an exercise in Aristotelian criticism. The genre is less threatening to the average Joe; hence, their popularity. The general perception amongst academics that crime thrillers are devoid of artistic/literary merit is a fallacy.

Few college lit professors or NYT critics could knock out a novel comparable in quality to any one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s masterworks. The nice thing about crime thrillers is that their authors, as populists, are attuned to the zeitgeist; they do not work in a vacuum. This is the reason you see more books in this genre now set in the historical context of emerging technology: relevance.

Their popularity, as with all crime thrillers, is also attributable to an element of schadenfreude. This phenomenon is exaggerated during times of economic recession: people take perverse comfort in knowing there is someone else out there worse off. If only due to sociopathology.

Do you ‘find’ time to write or do you ‘make’ time to write? What is your routine like?

I write full time. Lawyers are wordsmiths by trade and training and we write for a living: that’s at the core of our work. I still consult as an intellectual property attorney, but am focusing most of my time and efforts on creative writing. I took a sabbatical from the practice of law to devote myself entirely to turning out this book in a two year period.

I’m presently working on my second novel, also a work of creative non-fiction. I write mainly by day, as I am task oriented and treat the process seriously, as I would any 9-5 job. I am also a night owl and tend to do my best creative work in the evenings. Often I’ll come up with a new story arc or character in the evening then hammer out the details during the day.

What are you working on now?

A novel focusing on the shifting roles of sexuality and erotica in American culture with the introduction of the Internet. How erotica made the Net commercially viable and drives much of the innovation in ecommerce and technology today. A look at the colorful pioneers in this market sector and how they left irrelevant the Hugh Hefners, Bob Gucciones and Larry Flynts of the world.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

In general terms, no. By that I mean do not seek counsel on what to write — write what you feel compelled to put to paper. Write what you must; not what you think you should or is expected. Don’t seek input along the way. That will either inflate or emaciate your ego and neither is healthy. Finish the book then hire the best editor you can afford, heed her advice and let the self-flagellation begin.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to thank the readers for their interest in Virtual Vice, and Fiction Scribe for being a valuable asset to the literary community.

Thank you very much for your time, Mr. Kays. I wish you great success with Virtual Vice.

***
Jason M. Kays is an intellectual property attorney with fifteen years experience in both information technology and entertainment law. Kays is an accomplished jazz trumpet player and his passion has always been music, technology, and convergence of the two in today’s digital age. This is his first novel.

You can visit Jason online at http://www.virtualvice.net/

Hello, Ms. Wada. Welcome to Fiction Scribe.

By way of introduction, what are the five words that best describe you as a person?

“Kid-sized adult with kid-sized dreams.” I didn’t make it to five feet (or 100 lbs.), and my imagination hasn’t shrunk much as I’ve aged.

You’re currently on virtual tour with your book For Cory’s Sake. Can you tell us briefly about the book?

Cory is a planet. Its native inhabitants have been enslaved by Fear, in the form of a Bomb that can end their world. A group of caring outsiders have formed a coalition to save Cory; they call themselves “the pre-invasion conspiracy.” For Cory’s Sake focuses on a single family within the conspiracy.

William Bentler is a single father, and a criminal rebel. He is devoted to his children and to the struggle for Cory’s freedom. His love for his children and planet is deep and sometimes conflicted.

William’s compassion and quiet courage eventually attract an important and unexpected ally. The family and their valuable friend struggle onward; making choices and sacrifices, taking risks and accepting hard consequences. In the end, they learn how to gain freedom by conquering fear—for Cory’s sake.

By the synopsis alone, your book sounds amazing. Who is your intended audience and what do you hope your readers take away from reading your book?

As with all books (I suppose), some have loved it and others not so much. I will tell what actual readers have said about For Cory’s Sake, and let the visitor decide if she or he’s in the market for this read. My story has been called unique, original and different; enough so that it can be hard to wrap the mind around at first.

It is not a fluffy read, but is meaningful and worthwhile in its (moderate) heaviness. Thematically, it focuses on fear and on freedom; and on the desires, choices and sacrifices that move a people from one state to the other. The story’s thread of corporal violence is executed in a more subtle than graphic manner (and, I will add, is absolutely necessary to the story I decided to tell).

I would definitely like readers to take some thing or things away, from their reading of For Cory’s Sake; but I will leave it to the individual reader, to come away with whatever she or he wants.

How has this story changed from its original conception to published book?

As I was revising For Cory’s Sake, I deliberately strengthened a lot of themes. In particular, “the thread of corporal violence” and important contrasts between the two main father characters became stronger and more meaningful. As a result, the story became more cohesive and clear as to what it was “about.”

From the description – I haven’t yet had the opportunity to read the book itself – it sounds like For Cory’s Sake could easily go into commentary about the current state of our actual world. Do you wander into the realm of that sort of commentary in this book? Do you think/wish this book encourages people to take a closer look at the world around them?

I did write symbolically about realities in this world. In For Cory’s Sake, threats, fear, violence and the fear of violence are all used as means of control. The voice of an entire group of people is suppressed, necessitating outside champions to speak in their behalf.

A father has perfect physical control over his son, but can he keep his soul? And can a father with children moving in multiple different directions still keep all of their loyalties tethered to himself—simply with love? Finally and most importantly, the main plot twist of For Cory’s Sake (which I’ve been told is good), deals with the ultimate freeing power of certain specific, essential pieces of Knowledge.

I will tell you that as I was revising For Cory’s Sake, I was also obsessing over the problem of millions of current human lives who have been affected in profound ways by what we term “child abuse.” This knowledge should give ample context to the themes of For Cory’s Sake!

What are you working on now?

For now I am working on getting the word out about For Cory’s Sake’s existence and nature; and I also started something called “Bentler Universe” on my blog. This latter project is a chance to get to know/follow my family characters as they interact with each other on a “Facebook”-ish type “wall.” I (they?) post frequently, and most of it is light-hearted stuff about tomato wars, teasing and other family memories and dynamics.

What is your writing routine like?

When I write, I write for 2-8 hours a day, total, before and/or after my bill-paying job.

I am going to give you an exclusive, now, since I very recently came up with a yearly schedule. My bill-paying job is in retail, in a sector of retail in which “holiday season” lasts about 6 months, and holiday season is very, um, taxing.

I have decided that to be a responsible employee, and to prevent excessive stress and burnout for myself, I will write like crazy during the “off-season” (approx. February through July), and just catch up with my reading, and work on staying balanced and sane, during holiday season!

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

To aspiring writers: If you aspire to write, you should write. Other than that, I’m still a rookie. If I were in baseball I’d be keeping my mouth shut and my ears open and lugging others’ equipment around in a Hello Kitty(TM) bag.

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

My blog has become a good jumping-off point for learning more about my book (and, if you’d like, myself). It has a widget that will let you read a 5-page excerpt of For Cory’s Sake (with “flipping pages”!); and links to my Twitter page and child abuse website. And, of course, the Bentler family is interacting on its “wall” into infinity . . . http://www.forcoryssake.blogspot.com

Thank you for your time. I wish you great success with For Cory’s Sake.

***
Carolyn Wada is the oldest of seven children raised by two wonderful, supportive parents. She has a deep interest in children’s issues. In particular, she is interested in supporting organizations that help child survivors of abuse.

Royalties from For Cory’s Sake will be donated to organizations that provide services to abused, neglected or exploited children.

More information about this aspect can be found via www.outskirtspress.com/ForCorysSake.

Hello, Mr. Weston. Welcome to Fiction Scribe.

By way of introduction, what are five words that you feel describe you the best?

Eclectic, inquisitive, serene, smitten, happy

You are currently on virtual tour with your book First Night. Will you tell us briefly about the book?

First Night is a ghost story for the holidays.

It is set in Boston on New Years Eve, during the First Night Festival. It is about the ghost of a 17th century Puritan girl, Sarah Pemberton, who meets two teenage sisters from San Diego, Alex and Jackie, and enlists their help in fighting the charge of witchcraft that has been brought against her.

Along the way, the book delves into Boston history and landmarks; one critic dubbed it a history mystery, which I think has a nice ring to it.

You mention on your website that you have lived in many places. What draws you about Boston?

I arrived in Boston after enjoying the warmer climates of Dallas and Phoenix for a while, so it was a shock to the system. Coupled with the traffic, it didn’t endear itself to me at first, and I only expected to be here for a couple of years. That was 25 years ago. But I had an epiphany of sorts (one New Years Eve, actually), and realized that Boston was the embodiment of everything that had drawn me to America in the first place: the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the American Dream, etc. I’ve loved the place ever since.

How much has your travel influenced your writing?

Well, it had a direct influence on First Night (and its follow up), because the book is half mystery, half travelogue. My goal in the Alex and Jackie series (as well as telling a good yarn) is to pay homage to these wonderful places that I’ve been lucky enough to spend time in. So, without the travel there would be no book.

Beyond that, it was the accident of travel that spurred me into writing fiction in the first place: I was running a consulting company (hence the travel), and had done some business writing, but when I had the opportunity to live in Luxembourg for a while, I decided to take a sabbatical from the company. I love what I’m doing so much that my sabbatical has now morphed into a new career.

If your life were a young adult novel, what kind of character would you play?

As a child I wanted to be Jim Hawkins from Treasure Island. Not that I’m a match for swash-buckling pirates, but I love discovery, puzzles and mysteries. I think it was the first of those, discovery, which has been the driving force behind everything I’ve done, including my writing.

What are you working on now?

The sequel to First Night:

Prior to First Night, I had an idea for a story set in Luxembourg, but I didn’t have all the characters finalized. When Alex and Jackie appeared in First Night, I knew that they were perfect for this other story, so I resurrected it. It is called the Elf of Luxembourg. In this one, Alex and Jackie get mixed up with some vampires and the search for El Dorado, as well as the Elf of the title. The girls also get to roam the street of Luxembourg, which is a beautiful city in a beautiful (if tiny) country. If all goes well, I expect it to be published before the end of the year.

Do you have any advice for aspiring YA writers?

As Polonius said to his son, Laertes, ‘to thine own self be true’: Write from the heart about what you believe in, because if you’re not passionate about your work, you can’t expect your readers to be either.

Secondly, tell people about your writing: This is not boasting – it’s time management. For example, I’ve told so many people that my next novel will be published by the autumn that I’ll look foolish if I now miss that deadline. So the more people I tell the more incentive I have to keep writing.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

First Night, the novel, would not exist if not for Boston and the First Night Festival, and I must thank them for supplying me with such wonderful material to work with. For those that do not know, the heart of the Festival is the First Night Inc., a non-profit Organization that works year round so that our year end party is a success. I would encourage everyone to visit Boston, especially for New Years Eve.

But in the meantime, I’d equally like to encourage every to visit the good people at First Night, at their web site: http://www.firstnight.org.

Thank you very much for your time, Mr. Weston. I wish you the best of luck with your book First Night.

Thank you for inviting me.

*JM says: I love this book cover.

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe, Christian!

Great to be here, thanks.

List five words that define you as a person.

Consistent.
Contradictory.
Random.
Giraffe.
Sarcastic.
Rebel.

Tell us about your collection of short stories, Empty Rooms Lonely Countries.

Empty Rooms Lonely Countries collects a sampling of my short stories from the last ten years. They are autobiographical, but please don’t let the word turn you off. The stories move from Tampa, Florida to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to London, England to Paris, France and eventually end up in Wroclaw, Poland, with plenty of places in between.

Find out how I ended up wandering the streets of Krakow with the United States Secret Service. Discover how I officiated a wedding with an army of lesbians. Wonder how I accidentally drove to a wrong state. Gasp at the monster which lives in the basement on Geneva Street. The stories jump genres, from horror to humor to romance to drama. Individually, the stories explore love, loss and redemption, and collectively, they combine to tell a larger story about someone who lost his way and eventually comes in from the cold.

Garrison Keillor wrote that “love has brought a great many people to safety”, and if that’s true, this is one man’s journey to safety.

What inspired the title of your book?

The title is the name of the jam my grandmother used to make. No, that’s not right! Actually, it’s from a more recent piece I’ve been working on. It’s meant to reflect people, what we are and what we become. When we are born, we are an empty room. When we die, we are a lonely country. Out of context, it sounds pretentious and slightly morbid.

Do you have a favourite short story out of the twenty-seven included in the book?

That’s tough. On my website, I’ve been doing commentaries to the stories from the book in the order they appear, and I’ve been horrified to discover how some of the stories don’t hold up for me or aren’t as economical as I’d like them to be, and because the stories are so personal, I can recognize mistakes that the reader might not. Because of this, my favorite story keeps changing.

I have love for “Geneva Street” for a variety of reasons. I love how it works as a horror story – monster and all – without ever reverting to fiction. I love how personal the story is with the family history and childhood details. And most of all, I love how everyone keeps coming back to the ending, trying to figure it out. So, my favorite story today is “Geneva Street”.

What or who started you on the path to becoming an author?

At the risk of repeating myself, a lot of it had to do with my mother, who let me stay up late on weekends to work on my writing, and who was both kind and strict enough to give me my first deadline. At the time, I really wanted to be a comic book artist.

On top of my art classes in school, I even had three hours of private art lessons a week to achieve this goal. I wrote and drew my first comic book, and when it was over, I realized that I loved the writing more than the art. From then on, my interest was in writing, specifically short stories.

What would you say is the most difficult thing about being a writer?

The most difficult thing about being a writer is finding the time to actually do it. Life has a wonderful way of distracting you with obstacles. But it gets done one way or another. And to be honest, if that’s the most difficult thing about being a writer, then I should consider myself lucky.

If you could do it all again, what – if anything – would you do differently?

I’m not that kind of person. Because my stories are based on my own experiences, it was important for me to have had the life I’ve lived in order to be where I am now.

What/where is your ideal writing environment?

A lot of you are going to cringe at this, but it’s Starbucks. I’ve written about this on my website because a Starbucks has finally opened up where I live (Wroclaw, Poland). Before then, I had to go to Berlin or Vienna to do some quality writing, which really isn’t financially viable.

When I lived in the States, I was at a Starbucks daily, and I could sit in a corner for hours writing. Most of Empty Rooms Lonely Countries was written in a Starbucks. There is something about the environment and the frappuccinos that works for me like a highly caffeinated muse. In fact, I’m answering these questions at a Starbucks right now.

I should start asking people where they are when they are answering my questions.

When you’re not writing, what are you doing?

On a given week, I’m teaching seventeen 90-minute lectures at two different universities and a high school, which does wonders for my voice. So, it’s safe to say if I’m not writing, I’m probably teaching. If I’m not writing or teaching then I’m spending time with my lovely wife, walking my awesome dog, riding my nerdy bike, or baking sweet delicious pies.

Sweet delicious pies? Mmmmm… Where were we?

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

That will make me 45 years old. I imagine when I’m not in a fetal position and crying at this realization, I will still happily be living in Europe and hopefully promoting another book that no one will read.

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

I would like to thank everyone who has bought the book. I can’t properly communicate how thrilled I am every time I see a copy sold. And for those who are still debating whether to buy the book or not, I’m having a contest to give away $1000 if I manage to sell 1000 copies of Empty Rooms Lonely Countries by the end of this year. I have a long way to reaching the goal, but I believe I can do this with your support.

And don’t forget to check out my website (www.emptyroomslonelycountries.com) where you can read more stories, commentaries, and comics, as well as get information on how to enter the contest.

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. I wish you great success.

Thank you. This has been a lot of fun.

Hello, Mr. Vom Scheidt! Welcome to Fiction Scribe.

To get to know you and ‘warm up’ for the interview, how about telling us five words that describe you as a person?

I don’t think I can come up with five words.

I think the best way I can describe myself is that I try to maintain integrity in my life and my work that comes from struggling with questions that have no answers.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your book Coming for Money. Can you tell us briefly about the book?

Coming For Money is a literary novel that evolves from my first-hand experience as a director of an international investment firm.

It attempts the telling of a fictional story, truthfully drawn from my experience of the industry and its people.
It also asks the questions … How much money is too much? And how fast is too fast in life?

It is told through the life of a central character, Paris Smith, who is a rising star in his investment firm. As he steps onto the top rungs of the corporate ladder, he is caught between his need for fulfillment and his need for understanding; between his drive for power and his inability to cope with his growing emptiness where there was once love.

When his wife disappears from the core of his life, his loneliness and sense of disconnection threaten to overwhelm him. When he tries to compensate by losing himself in his work, he stumbles off the treadmill of his own success, and is entangled in the web of a fraudulent bond deal that threatens to derail his career and his life.

Forced to put his personal life on hold while he travels nonstop between Toronto, Singapore and Bangkok to salvage his career, he is deprived of the time and space to mourn the absence of his wife and regain his equilibrium.

In the heat and turmoil and fast money of Southeast Asia, half a world from home, and half a life from his last remembered smile, he finds duplicity, friendship and power — and a special woman who might heal his heart.

Why write? What draws/compels you to write?

Life.

Why literary fiction and not another genre?

Because it’s not enough to tell what; I also need to tell why.

I also think that it is important to tell the complete story in a way that will let others in our increasingly isolated society know that they are not alone.

If you were a character in Coming for Money, who would you be?

I don’t think I could see myself as anyone other than author.

What prompted you to write this book as a first-person account instead of in a third-person perspective?

I needed to capture the emotional and interior life the central character as much as I needed to capture the central character’s progress through the events of the story.

This was not merely a structuring device.

I needed to write from personal experience; I needed to write from what I know best.

In this novel, I’ve written as truly as possible of the world of international finance — not with the over dramatization so common in film and television, but with an intimate telling through a first-person narrative … of what it can be like to labour in the world of money spinning … of how the money’s immense leverage for triumph or disaster doesn’t so much corrupt people as corrupt the way they treat each other … of how the relentless demands of the money so often deprive you of sufficient time and energy to live through the events of your emotional and interior life.

This brought me to a first person voice.

You mention in your biography that you are the director of an international investment firm. How in the world do you make time to write?

It is a constant challenge. Not merely because I work bottomless days, which makes it difficult to find the time to write; but also because the work I do in finance is innovative, and leaves me drained of a lot of imagination and creative energy.

The compensation, I suppose, is that it is an extremely varied and stimulating life.

I write on weekends, sometimes in early morning, sometimes on long flights.

What are you working on now?

A new novel … and several new investment ventures.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Write.

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

I’ve tried to craft a fast-paced, readable novel. I’ve tried to make the details fascinating. And I’ve tried to portray characters that are real, and not easily forgotten. But, above all, I’ve tried to write a deeply felt story about the isolation of today’s society, the prices great and small paid for success and the damages resulting from the ruthless exercise of financial power.

The result, I hope, is an engrossing story about a man who refuses to capitulate to the darkness in his journey into the light.

Thank you very much for your time. I wish you the best of success with Coming for Money.

***

F. W. vom Scheidt is a director of an international investment firm. He works and travels in the world’s capital markets, and makes his home in Toronto, Canada. He is also the author of a new book, Coming for Money (Blue Butterfly Book Publishing), a remarkable and provocative novel about the world of international finance and the human quests for success, understanding and love. To find out more about his book, visit http://www.bluebutterflybooks.ca/titles/money.html.

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe Mr. Sandell!

Thank you! I am very glad, and excited to stop by and visit your blog today. I think we are going to have lots of fun!

List five words that define you as a person.

That is a great way to get all your blog readers to get a broad brush stroke of me. Let me see here I would probably say: enthusiastic, fun-loving, creative, male, and adventuresome.

Tell us briefly about the books you have published.

Well, I have been so blessed to have published two fantastic stories The Wager and The Christmas Rose. Both stories center around the journey the protagonist of each story takes.

The Wager is an emotional, intense, and thrilling journey of Marvin Simon. Marvin lost his wife, job, happiness, dreams, and plans. His life which was everything he ever wanted sadly gets away, in the blink of an eye. Buried in the valley and darkness of pain, missed expectations, and failure Marvin is greeted one night by a mysterious guest who offers him a deal he cannot resist, Marvin can gain a lifetime of happiness if he gives up his only son. Join Marvin on his incredible heartfelt journey as he experiences the consequences of his choices, lies, betrayal, and even murder as he learns what true happiness is all about.

The Christmas Rose is a heart-felt journey taken by Jasmine Reese. Jasmine learns the invaluable lesson of how to cope with pain as she experiences more pain than few people can ever imagine. However, Jasmine is the recipient of a great gift, she is granted the opportunity to go back and right the wrongs of her past. Her journey is inspirational, her will is continually persevering, and her story will be a Christmas classic for years to come.

You mentioned that you twenty-two years old. Can you tell us a bit about how you got into the publishing world at such a young age?

Well, one of the biggest reasons why I decided to write a novel is because I spent long periods of time analyzing how I spend my free time, and I came to the conclusion that my free time could be spent for something far more constructive than video games, sitting on the couch watching television, or looking at trash on the internet.

I will say that writing a novel has taught me a great lesson of hard work and perseverance. Breaking into publishing can happen at any age with a good story, and I wrote my first story between my freshman and sophomore years of college. I had a dream of publishing a book, so after I finished writing The Wager I sent it off, and a few months later I was signing the contract. But, persistence, hard-work, and a very gracious God helped me break into print at such a young age.

What would you say is the most difficult thing about being a writer?

EDITING! EDITING! I’ll stop beating around the bush and say editing;). I have found my Achilles’ heal in writing and I would say that is editing. I do believe this is something I am improving on continuously, but I honestly have to say I have a long way to go. If I made the rules about writing and grammar I would personally make it easy on everyone and make each book one long sentence.

I think that would make writing fairly easy, but it may make reading fairly difficult. Publicity was something I found confusing at first, mainly because I didn’t know how to do it. The Internet makes it easier to publicize, and I am very thankful for that. So, to answer your question in case you were unsure, the most difficult part for me is editing.

If you could do it all again, what – if anything – would you do differently?

I would have started earlier. I think the earlier you start the more you can learn. So, I probably would have pushed my first published date from twenty to around seventeen. I would also have read more. Personally, I think that is where you can learn a lot, from reading other authors.

You expand your vocabulary, you find styles that work, you learn how to build romance, you fashion suspense and thrilling moments, and you learn how to unpack a good story. I’m beginning to read more now, but I do have some serious catching up to do.

You also mentioned that you are donating some of the royalties from your book sales. Could you tell us a bit more about that and why you chose to go that route?

One of the big reasons why I got into writing is because it does lead itself to the opportunity to give something back. I have been so blessed to sponsor a child from India with Compassion International, and I think this has been one excellent experience. I have decided to give 1/3 of my royalties to help fight Leukemia.

I chose to go that route so I could give young people with this terrible disease a chance at life, at love, at scoring the game winning goal, at graduating from high school, and at fulfilling their dreams. If only one life was changed through my writing or my money donated to charity, I would say my writing career has been a huge success.

Do you have any interesting writing habits/quirks?

I write at night 95% of the time. I usually have with me a cup of tea, coffee, and soda when I write. I always write watching a movie, sports, or television show. Right now as I type I am sitting in a very odd position on this leather chair. Also, I do not outline at all my writing. I just go with the flow!

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

My advice is three part: 1. Never put all your eggs in one basket. Writing is so unpredictable that you always need to have something else to do. 2. Have people criticize and offer advice, there is always room to improve. Take the criticism gracefully, evaluate it, and see if this criticism can help improve your story.3. Write a story that is exciting, unpredictable, makes sense, and has one surprise ending! If a reader can guess your entire story they don’t have to take the time to read it.

When you’re not writing, what are you doing?

I love playing sports, reading comic books, hanging out with friends, I have a great girlfriend, I have an awesome family, and I enjoy trying new food, ideas, and adventures!

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

I have a wonderful girlfriend, I cannot thank God enough for this great opportunities to touch lives through writing, and my parents are the inspiration behind every word. My email is brianwrites15@yahoo.com, my website is www.christianthrillernovels.com, and you can buy my books on Amazon right here.

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. I wish you great success.

Hello, Ms. Storm! Welcome to Fiction Scribe.

By way of introduction, tell us five words that words that describe you as a person.

Wow, five words. I like that. Lessie: schizophrenic, loud, easy-going, adventurous, story-teller.

You’re currently on virtual tour with your book , Synarchy. Can you tell us about the book?

In their quest to dominate the world, a powerful crime family, the Terenzios, discovers who the real players are that control the planet, and just how far they’re willing to go to keep their hold on humanity. Because of sheer arrogance, and the fact that they may be the only ones who can, the Terenzio family decides to fight back. Now, they’ve got until December 21st, 2012, to stop a sinister, centuries old plan and give Earth a choice it was never given before.

What got you started on writing this book?

Synarchy was the culmination of a very personal journey for me, and that urge every writer has whose got a story to tell that just has to come out. I don’t just want to entertain, I want to mix in what I think are some important concepts for our times. Ideas that take us out of the mundane and into the possibilities of the fantastical.

It is my intent that someone will read Synarchy, find something in there that perks their interest, go look it up and it will be the catalyst that starts them on their own journey of awakening.

If you were a character in your novel, what would your character be like?

My character would be the investigative journalist; knows everyone, mildly manipulate, busily putting the events taking place onto paper.

Who was/were your biggest influence(s) in your early writing life?

I actually didn’t have anyone that really influenced me. I’ve just generally always had the urge to write something, and I’ve stuck with it, even when I didn’t know I wanted to seriously pursue this as what I’m going to do with my life.

What do you feel is the most important thing for a writer to remember?

First thing’s first; tell an awesome story.

What are you working on now?

The big project right now in between marketing and promotion for Book One, is getting Book Two finished. I also want to write Stefano’s story but I want it to be a graphic novel so I’m starting to collaborate with a comic artist who is a good friend of mine. We’ll see what comes of that.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

On an island, juggling a small publishing company and an online RPG that rivals WoW (World of WarCraft), in between lots of traveling. I love to travel.

When you’re not writing, what are you doing?

Playing with my dog, reading, meditating, or out and about in the French Quarter and Marigny causing trouble.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I want to thank you, JM, for giving me the chance to swing by and chat with you! And I hope your blog visitors enjoy reading Synarchy as much as I did writing it.

Thank you for your time. I wish you great success with Synarchy.

________________
Would you like to win a copy of this book? Leave a comment telling me what kind of character you would be if you were in a mafia family style novel.

*Winner will be announced July 2nd.

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe Ms. Stacy-Deanne!

Thanks for having me! I’m honored and I am a fan of the site!

What are five words you feel define you as a person?

Kind, loving, sensitive, talented, dreamer

Tell us briefly about your books.

My first book, “Divas of the New Millennium” was published in 2005. It’s a compilation, biography music book showcasing some of today’s hottest female singers.

My second is the novel “Everlasting” published in 2007 by Simon and Schuster. It’s the Romeo and Juliet of today centering on two Latino teens falling in love despite their families being connected to rival gangs.

My third is “Melody” (2008) is a mystery/suspense and thriller about a young woman who sets out to prove that her sister’s new boyfriend is dangerous. Simon and Schuster also published it also.

Why write? What does creative writing mean to you?

I write because I have to. It means everything to me. Writing is who I am. It’s my entire world. If I didn’t write I might as well not be on this earth.

When/where do you write best? What is your ideal environment?

I write in my den. That’s the best place for me and where my computer is, LOL! The environment is messy around my station because I have all my papers and notes everywhere. But that’s how I like it!

What would you say is the most difficult thing about being a writer?

That once you’re published and have obtained readers and recognition, your work is open to any and everybody to be criticized or loved.

What would you like writers to take away from reading your books?

I’d like them to see that I am a writer who does not compromise my style or my beliefs. I stand by my writing and would not sell out any of my ideas for anything. I think all aspiring writers should never be ashamed to be themselves and not think they must write like someone else. Being unique, as well as talented is the key.

If you could pick any author to collaborate with, who would it be?

Kay Hooper! She’s my favorite author.

Do you have any interesting writing habits/quirks?

I guess a habit would be that I like to write mainly in the wee hours of the morning. It’s best for me because this is when everyone’s in bed and it’s so quiet.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers out there?

Develop a VERY thick skin, research the industry and realize that writing the book is only a small part of becoming a published author.

When you’re not writing, what are you doing?

I’m a homebody and I write-full time so usually I’m always writing. I stay around the house. When I’m not writing, I’m watching television, brainstorming about book ideas, reading, searching the net or listening to music.

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

I would like anyone who hasn’t read my work to read it! LOL! I would like my current fans to know that the detectives in “Melody” are getting their own series so look out!

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. I wish you great success.

Thanks so much for having me!

http://www.stacy-deanne.net
http://www.myspace.com/stacydeanne

Hello Mr. Aaron! Welcome to Fiction Scribe.

Tell us five words that describe you as a person.

Curious. Smart. Insecure. Multilayered. Stressed.

Do you have a favorite character in Gauntlet?

Absolutely. That would be Turbee.

If the world was under massive terrorist threat, in what role would you work best? (Spy, military official, detective…)

Cyberspace detective!! (if they needed one)

Who or what got you started in the world of writing?

I have always written, as a lawyer. About ten years ago I was receiving counseling for a bout of depression brought on by a bad divorce. The neuropsychiatric tests the therapists ran evidently put me in a category of people who should be writing books. So I did.

What is the most useful piece of writing-related advice you have ever received?

Every story must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Plain, simple truth.

What are you working on now?

The same thing every writer does. You publicize the published book like your life depends on it. You work on the next book (Counterplay) and pray that you get a contract for it. You start thinking about the book after that.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Ten years from now I would like to have fifteen published books, and would be content to spend 50% of my time as a lawyer, and 50% of my time as a writer. I don’t want to give up either one.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with the readers out there?

Yes. Writing is viral. It sucks you in, and can control your life if you don’t have enough discipline. Make sure you know what you’re doing before you start!

You can visit Richard Aaron at his website.

Hello and welcome back to Fiction Scribe Ms. Statham! We previously met you while you were on your virtual tour for Dominic: http://www.fictionscribe.com/hazel-stathams-dominic/

Thank you for inviting me back to your blog. I have had two other books released since Dominic and this is the third.

You are currently on virtual tour with your recent release: Lizzie’s Rake. Please tell us about Lizzie and the book she’s in.

Can a rake reform his ways and truly love? Lizzie’s head tells her one thing, her heart another.

Miss Elizabeth Granger – Lizzie – is very much a girl of her time and is the victim of circumstance. Her profligate brother gambles and loses all at the gaming tables before taking a ship to the Americas, leaving her to deal with the dire consequences of homelessness for herself and her two siblings. Despite possessing a resolute spirit, upon hearing of the new owner’s intent of selling their home, she is hard pressed to find a solution to the situation.

Maxim Beaufort, Earl of St. Ive, finding himself in possession of a property so far removed from London thinks only of disposing of the burden it presents and is astonished when he receives a message from his secretary that the sale is not as straightforward as he envisioned. Travelling to the property in Yorkshire, he meets the inhabitants of Briarfield Hall and thus begins the events that forever change the course of his life.

Irresistibly drawn to Lizzie he shoulders the burdens of the family and fills the role of benefactor, but experience has taught Elizabeth not to trust and Maxim’s reputation as a rake thwarts all his attempts to win her over. However, he is widely known as ‘The Indomitable’, a name that was not lightly earned and although his path is one fraught with dangers, he is none-the-less determined to win her over.

Can Lizzie risk all and learn to trust or will the consequences of Maxim’s former life drive them even further apart?

If your life were a romance novel, what kind of heroine would you be?

I would like to think I would make a strong heroine, but I must confess to a soft heart. However, I understand Lizzie’s plight and reluctance to trust. Experience can leave a lasting impression that is difficult to dispel.

What is your ideal romance hero?

Tall, dark and with a presence. An erudite man who is capable of almost anything and can cope in any situation. One that takes responsibility. However, such a man must have a vulnerable side and have the elusive ability to show his emotions. Add to this a sense of humor and you would have my perfect hero. Quite a tall order, I know, but surely there must be just one man out there that would fill the role.

If you could do it all again, what – if anything – would you do differently?

I would have more self-confidence and belief in my ability.

What would you say is the most difficult thing about being a writer?

For me, it is putting my work out there and waiting for the readers’ response. I enjoy the process of writing and creating my own historical world, but I don’t write to a formula and it’s difficult to gauge public reaction to my work.

If you could pick any author to collaborate with, who would it be?

It would have to be Georgette Heyer as I very much admire her work and like nothing more than when my work is compared to hers. I love her wit and ability to bring the Regency world to life within the pages of her books. She has a talent that has inspired many authors to follow in her footsteps.

Do you have any interesting writing habits/quirks?

I like to write when the house is empty and quiet. I dislike distraction of any kind. Inspiration comes at all odd hours and I have been known to start writing at midnight and carry on to the small hours.

Do you have any advice for aspiring romance writers out there?

Believe in yourself and remember that you have achieved what so many have only dreamed of - you have written a book! Don’t let rejection get you down and remember that one publisher’s slush pile is another publisher’s treasure chest. Research which publishing house is actively seeking what you write and you will have far more chance of success than sending out random queries.

The minute you put pen to paper, you become a writer. Enjoy the process and write what you know and care about.

When you’re not writing, what are you doing?

Usually spending time with my family and our various animals. We are a small but close family and enjoy being together.

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

I love to hear from my readers and promise to answer all their comments and questions.

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. I wish you great successes with Lizzie’s Rake.

Thank you for your very kind interest in my work.

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe Ms. McGaha!

List five words that define you as a person.

Creative, strong, steadfast, loyal, tough.

Could you tell us briefly about your book, Blood Line?

Truck driver, Joshua Kaine and his wife, Jessie, enjoy the freedom of the open road until one night on a lonely country road Josh is attacked by a rabid dog. After killing the animal, Joshua becomes very ill, but quickly recovers. Weeks later, when the full moon rises and Josh begins howling, the trouble has just begun.

Drawn by an unknown force, Joshua finds himself in a remote mountain area at The Gathering where he meets Garan, a gray wolf who has walked the earth for thousands of years, and Joshua learns the rabid dog was actually a werewolf and his clan is now after Josh.

On the run, hunted by a clan of werewolves, and searching to undo his plight, Josh ventures into the swamps of Louisiana in search of an old, black woman who holds the key to his existence. Josh is pushed to the limits, and when the merciless werewolves kill his wife, the hunted becomes the hunter.

Tell us about Joshua and Jessie.

Josh and Jessie are high school sweethearts who married right after graduation. They drive a big truck cross country and are very happy with their lives. That all goes awry one night after hitting a wild animal that turns out to be a werewolf.

If you were a shape shifter, what animal or being would be your alternative form?

I would be a mountain lion. I could run and jump and climb and stalk other beings without them knowing…that would be awesome!

What began your interest in the romance genre?

Reading it. My daughter, Lisa and I used to read 12-14 romance novels a week each. We lived in a small town with a one room library and actually read every novel they had!

If you could do it all again, what – if anything – would you do differently?

I would have started earlier, learned more about the business of being an author because all I wanted to do was write. It never occurred to me I’d be spending more time promoting than I would spend writing.

Do you have any interesting writing habits/quirks?

LOL…sure I do, but they will go to the grave with me!

Do you have any advice for aspiring romance/paranormal romance writers out there?

Learn your craft, keep learning, never stop! Join as many writers groups as you can, ask questions, and polish, polish, polish your manuscripts.

When you’re not writing, what are you doing?

Usually promoting, which is the one thing I detest more than anything else.

What are you working on now?

I am in the middle of edits on my new book, Calen, the first in the My Soul To Keep Trilogy, and I have a new vampire book in the works.

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

I really appreciate being here today and I hope that everyone who reads Blood Line will send a comment to my publisher and let us know what they think. Reader feedback is a valuable resource for writers and we appreciate it any time a reader takes the time to let us know what they think of our work.

For more information, visit Rie at www.riemcgaha.com or read her blog at http://riesreviews.blogspot.com/
www.youtube.com/NovelsByRie

Hello, Ms. Quick! Welcome to Fiction Scribe.

To get to know you, tell us five words or phrases that describe you the best.

Wow – only five? Okay – funny, determined, honest, loyal and cute as heck. Oh that’s seven. Sorry. Cut out any two, but leave cute as heck. I like the fantasy

You’re currently on virtual tour with your book Cynthia and Constantine. Could you tell us a little about the book?

CYNTHIA AND CONSTANTINE is a historical romance from the Wild Rose Press.

Briefly:

Lady Cynthia of Abertaine is trapped. Not only has her fiancé, Sir William Leyborne, not been back to the castle for over ten years, but she’s also not a titled Lady. Lord Simon of Cowell, a renegade warlord aligned with Mordred against Arthur and his Knights, has declared himself sovereign over Leyborne Castle and everything that once belonged to Sir William– including Cynthia. Sir Constantine, Knight of the Round Table, has come to the shire to give Cynthia the news that her fiancé has fallen in battle.

With him is William’s oral will giving all he owns to Cynthia as though they had been wed. But when he finds Cynthia and discovers the shire under the control of an evil warlord, he knows he cannot leave without first driving Simon and his soldiers from the land. Drawn together by an attraction older than time, Cynthia and Constantine soon discover that though a vow made by a knight’s honor has brought them together, it may just also cost them their lives.

What are the best and worst things about writing romances?

The best thing is I get to make us handsome, perfect men who don’t exist.

The worst thing is that they don’t exist.

Seriously though, the best thing is I get to tell a story that I have had rolling around in my head and people like to read it. That to me is amazing. Hen I first started writing, I as sure only my family would want to read my books. Then I discovered other people do, too. I am always humbled and amazed at that.

The worst thing is finding the time to write. I have a high-powered daytime job and it’s getting harder and harder to do find free time at the end of a long, hectic day. I have to tell myself – three pages, Kathye. Just write three pages at least.

Do you write under a pen name? Do you feel romance authors should/need to write under pen names?

I have a pen name when I write with a writing partner. Patt Mihailoff and I write urban fantasy as P. K. Eden. We are both romance writers by heart, but wanted to find an alter-ego for our fantasy stories.
I really think authors have to decide for themselves if they want a pen name.

For me, I like writing under my own name. Some authors are uncomfortable writing romances under their own names and some are afraid that it might affect their day careers. I work for government, and as long as I don’t get the romance phrasing mixed in with the Whereases and Hertofores, I think I’m okay.

If your life was a romance novel, what kind of heroine would you be?

My life is a romance novel. I’ve been married for twenty-nine years to a man I adore. Just like in a novel, it has been up and down at times, but I suppose after all this time no one would put up with either of us, and I don’t have the time or energy to break someone new in.

As for what kind of heroine would I be, I think it would have to be someone comedic and not perfect. Flaws and humor make you interesting. Perfection gets boring after a while.

What are you working on now?

I’m multitasking. I have a sequel to CYNTHIA AND CONSTANTINE to write. If I remember correctly, I left Jane in the hayloft with Sir Braden. She may or may not want to come out, but I do have her story to tell. It will be Book 2 in the Brother Knights Series called BRAEDEN AND JANE.

Then P. K. Eden has a series to begin called the GRIMM PROTECTORS. It’s an urban fantasy series with a storybook twist. There will be one book set on each of the 7 Continents (provided the readers and the editor don’t get tired of it early).

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

I would like to be writing my 50th romance with the first Pulitzer Prize for Romance on the mantel and a few Lifetime Movies on TV. Yeah, wouldn’t we all?

I hope to still be writing. I know I have at least 10 more years of stories inside my head.

What do you feel is the most important piece of advice for aspiring romance writers out there?

Never give up if your heart is truly in your writing. Keep your eyes on your dream and don’t stop until you reach it. Failure is simply quitting before you realized how close you were to success. I wish I would have said that. But I didn’t. Right now I’m not sure who did, however.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the Fiction Scribe audience?

Yes and you’re even going to love it or hate it. There seems to be no one in the middle.

Believe it or not, the concept for Cynthia and Constantine sprung up during a season of American Idol. I work for county government and once a month 7 of us get together to have lunch. We call it the Lusty Ladies Lunch Group. We keep in touch via email.

During this particular season, Bo Bice and Constantine Maroulis were competing. Two of the Lusties choose these guys as their favorites. While we didn’t agree on who should win that season, we did all agree that they had ‘romance book cover’ hair; the kind of hair Knights in Shinning Armor had in days of yore.

Well one thing lead to another and we began to serialize a story about them. We named our hero Constantine and his lady was Cynthia, one of the Lusties. We gave Sir Constantine a brother, Sir Braeden and his lady is named Jane, another Lustie.

The story just evolved on a weekly basis with email scenes going back and forth until I had 100 pages.

We thought that was the end of the adventure until I decided to flesh out Constantine and Cynthia’s story and turn it into a 55,000-word book. I was fortunate enough to have the Wild Rose Press express interest in the novel and then publish it.

And yes, you’ll either love this or hate this, but the antagonist of the story is named after one of the American Idol Judges. I’m sure you can guess which

Thank you for your time. I wish you great success with Cynthia and Constantine.

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe Mr. March!
List five words that define you as a person.

A. Adventurous, creative, sensitive, persistent and willing to risk.

Tell us about They Plotted Revenge Against America and how it went from idea to published book.

A. The idea for the book was inspired by America’s invasion of Iraq. Having lived and worked in the Middle East, and understanding the mentality of the people, I knew there would be repercussions. It was not just the unwarranted invasion by America, but another action that would create the desire for revenge.

In the west, many view collateral damage as unavoidable, but to the people of the region, “an eye for an eye” is part of their psyche and their religion. The stalemate between Israel and Palestine in reaching a peaceful settlement is part of that same mentality. I knew that efforts for peaceful solution would be further jeopardized by America’s actions.

The perception that America supports Israel, right or wrong, but still wants to be seen as an “even-handed” broker, is no longer a reality. I felt that the victims of these aggressive acts would either take action themselves or find an organization that would satisfy their need for revenge. My story was intended to inform. To alert the average American about the root cause of the problems and that they were no longer secure so long as injustice prevailed.

Also, acts of revenge may not always be with guns or explosive devices, but could take on an entirely different form of weapon. I felt that it was important to understand the possible consequences in the form of a novel. The characters are fictitious as well as the mission, but the events written about are real.

If you were a character in your book, who would you be?

A. David Levy.

What would you say is the most difficult thing about being a writer?

A. To write a story that is conceivable and believable, a story that is well balanced, and have interest to the reader.

If you could pick any author to collaborate with, who would it be?

A. Steve Berry

Do you have any weird writing habits/quirks?

A. None that I can think of. I write when I’m inspired. I don’t force myself to write.

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

A. Not to rush to completion.

When you’re not writing, what are you doing?

A. Doing physical activity, i.e., hiking, working in the garden, doing projects around the home and helping others.

What are you working on now?

A. Putting the final touches to my latest novel, “Journey into the Past.” It is a romance novel – a change of pace for me. The main characters are taken on a journey through time where they experience the plight of a 15th century love affair.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

A. Enjoying what I can of my life. I’m 70 years old.

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

A. If you are referencing my book, I would suggest that they read it with an open mind and realize that there are always two sides to a story or a problem.

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. I wish you great successes with They Plotted Revenge Against America.