INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR OF "UNDER-HEAVEN" TIM GREATON

Hi Tim, thank you so much for doing this interview with Great Minds.

Thanks so much for inviting me today, Kitty. I really appreciate it and can only say it is an honor to spend time with you and your readers.

We have been honored to have the opportunity to review your novel and there are some questions we'd like to ask you for our readers. My first question is, some of your stories have appeared in national magazines over twenty years ago. Can you tell us about a couple and what publications they were in?

Years ago, I owned a lakefront cottage. Unfortunately, one winter it was broken into and all my early computer files were taken. Fortunately, I have a mother who saved a few of the magazine issues with some of the more entertaining items. One piece I did was for “Child Life.” It was called “The Super Loop,” a fun article teaching children how to make an airplane out of straws and paper strips. Another was published in “The Single Parent.” That story “Dad, Grog, and Me” was told through the eyes of a boy who came home from school each day to have his father tell him his stuffed monster Grog had been running through the house all day, had lost some tools, had stolen a book, or had just been causing general mischief. After a while, the little boy started to believe that maybe his toy really was alive. Though fiction, I remember thinking it would have been just the sort of thing my father might have done had he thought of it. After all, this was the same man who stapled my clothes to the floor…with my seven-year-old self still in them.


It is said that your true passion is fiction writing, what genre would best describe your writing style?

My novels “The Santa Shop” and “Under-Heaven” are what I would call mainstream emotional. “Zachary Pill, The Dragon at Station End,” is a young adult (to adult) fantasy. My “Ancestor” books are pure horror. I’ve been told “Bones in the Tree” is female dating or chick lit. One of my latest stories, “The Pheesching Sector,” is straight science-fiction. My childhood was what some might kindly call a train wreck. My way of escaping that difficult period was to read, literally for hours each day. Even though I had a library just two blocks from my home, they had only so many books in each category, so I wound up reading books across every genre…which is probably why I feel comfortable crossing boundaries as a writer. Besides, for me all stories are about characters. When I’m writing, I’m seeing through my characters’ eyes, feeling what he or she feels. It doesn’t matter what circumstance (genre) you place people in, they’re still people and still have reactions similar to yours and mine. I’ve occasionally compared writing to acting…though if my neighbor Stephen King is any example, we writers might act better on the page than on screen.

(Note to Stephen: I still love your cameos. Your “Sons of Anarchy” appearance was wonderful.)

You have a book out called "The Santa Shop" which is perfect for this time of year, can you tell us more about that book and the thought process behind writing it?

I grew up just a few thousand feet from the Androscoggin River in Maine, which was an open sewer back then. It wasn’t a happy time for me. I don’t blame my parents; they did the best they could, given they both came from dysfunctional families and yet had somehow created six children in as many years. Unfortunately, they were not only saddled with raising all six of us on a very limited income, they also had to do it while disliking each other—a lot. So, when their domestic war zone became too heated (a daily occurrence), I used to slip away down the railroad tracks and sit on a bridge overhanging the river and watch filthy brown foamed water bob and splash over the falls. Those were sad times.

A bridge very much like that one became the center point for my “The Santa Shop” story. Though Skip Ralstat, the main character, only visits his bridge toward the end of the book, once there, he winds up experiencing the sheer weight of all my fifteen years of childhood hopelessness. It’s a scene that I think will stay with most readers long after the story ends. Beyond that pain-filled bridge scene, however, “The Santa Shop” was my attempt to explain what would happen if one of the many mysterious conspiracies we often hear about was actually bent toward goodness, toward helping people rather than hurting them. Skip Ralstat gets swept up into one of those good conspiracies.

The book we are reviewing is called "Under-Heaven" what was the reason for writing this story and how many of your book ideas do you get from your real life experiences?

For me, this story was first and foremost about family loyalty. I asked, how far would I go to protect the people I loved? Would I die for someone? And, if I did, would my loyalty end there or would it go on into the afterlife? In “Under-Heaven” a nine-year old boy, Nate, learns the meaning of family ties after he dies. He also discovers the helplessness of seeing his sister continue to live and suffer back here on Earth. Though “Under-Heaven” gave me a unique vantage point from which to explore just how much family means to me, I can’t say those characters were based on anyone I knew. Nate’s flashbacks, however, take place in my home state of Maine, so I was able to infuse them with a lot of downeast reality. I think, by the end of the novel, most readers, even those who have never been to the Northeast, will feel as if they have actually visited 1940s coastal Maine.

Have you ever given any thought to screen-writing, and if so what is the one book you've written that you'd like to see on the silver screen, besides "The Santa Shop, which I hear is being considered for movie production?

“The Santa Shop” sat at Hallmark Studios for two years but ultimately never quite made it onto the screen. My agent really felt we were on the cusp, but the A-list actor he had been counting on to accept the primary role passed. So far no one else with enough clout has stepped up to accept the part. A screenwriter is currently working with that story now, though, and he has a pretty good track record, so my fingers are crossed.

Because it involves more action than the first story, I think the second book in the Santa Conspiracy series “The Red Gloves” would make a better movie. It is just as emotional but because the main character is a police detective, the story has a lot more action. Though I would love to see “Under-Heaven” on the big screen, I fear it would require too many special effects to make it affordable. Of course, if a studio wanted to spend a hundred million on it, I could be convinced.

I recently looked at the screenplay for Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds,” just to see how the writer pulled it off. Ultimately, I don’t think I’d have the patience to learn a new presentation right now. Better to leave the script work to the many very talented writers already plugged into Hollywood.

Congratulations by the way! You also do a lot of speaking engagements at schools and other gatherings. What has been your favorite engagement and what was the question you have been asked along the way that has been the most memorable?

I think my most enjoyable experience so far was at the Saco Middle School in Maine. There, a focus group of young readers reviewed “Zachary Pill, The Dragon at Station End.” I was able to ask questions about the book and learn how they perceived the various facets of the story. It was amazing to see how many of my scenes they got, but it was also eye-opening to see how many they misunderstood. Ultimately, those students gave the book a B rating. The final version of that novel clarified the confusing scenes for them and took all of their comments into consideration, so I believe it’s now at A level.

I think my favorite question so far was from a little girl no higher than my kneecaps. She wanted to know if she could ever become a novel writer even though she was a bad speller. I could have talked about the beauty of editors and spellcheck programs, but ultimately I picked four picture books from the shelf behind me and asked her how long it would take her to read those books. She said about a month. I handed her the four books and said, “If you read this many books every month…by the time you’re an adult, you’ll be one of the best writers in your whole city.” She had those same four books in her hand when I left the classroom half an hour later.

What have you got going right now as far as writing and when can we expect your next book to be available?

Wow, that’s a loaded question. Like most writers, I have way more projects planned and brewing than I could likely get to in a lifetime, so I will limit the response to the next few nearly complete projects. “The Red Gloves” which is the second novel in the Santa Conspiracy series will be available in late-2011. “Heroes With Fangs” is a children’s book based on my YA Zachary Pill series. That will be available in Spring of 2012.

Tell us about your family, how do they feel about your writing?

I have to admit that I have been very fortunate. My wife is nothing short of an angel on Earth and my three children are amazing. My oldest, a daughter, just graduated college and has started on a preschool teaching career path. My middle son is in college and doing very well. My youngest son has often joked he is going to star in the first “Zachary Pill” movie and that he will also be designing the first “Zachary Pill” video game. They have all been supportive of my writing career.

It seems that your choice of writing spans quite a few genres looking over your work, what would be your favorite genre to read?

Though, as mentioned, I have read and continue to read in many genres (the result of having so many writher friends and acquaintances), my favorite genre will always be fantasy. From the day I read “The Hobbit,” my heart has been with all things fantasy and magic. I think what I like most about fantasy is that there are no limits, not for the readers and not for the writer. If you can imagine it and fit it into a workable plot, the readers will love you for it. Though I’ve had my challenges as a writer, imagination has never been a problem.

Lastly, do you have any advice you'd like to share with other aspiring authors?

I saw a news documentary recently about sports and music child prodigies. The narrator was making a case that the older children in every class have the best chance of becoming leaders in those fields—not because of natural abilities, but because they have the most mature bodies and minds in their classes, therefore at an early age they likely do well enough to become teacher/coach favorites. Ultimately, these oldest children get more training and practice time than any of the other kids. But here was the most important point for me: each of the most successful musicians and athletes studied had amassed over 10,000 hours of practice time. The point of the entire documentary was to say that anyone with 10,000 hours of practice can be a prodigy at anything. I believe this is true, so my point is that writers write…all the time, every spare minute. If you don’t have your 10,000 hours of writing, rewriting, and editing experience, you need to get to work. Sure, some writers get lucky, write the perfect story at the perfect time, but the rest of us…well, we had to put in our 10,000 hours.

Thank you so much Tim for being a guest for Great Minds Literary Community. I hope to have the pleasure of interviewing you again in the near future! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving & Christmas Holiday!

Thank you for allowing me to join you here. I had a great time, and I wish you and your readers the best of holidays as well.
VIEW THE TRAILER FOR "UNDER-HEAVEN" HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z05VBzfDNxg

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"UNDER-HEAVEN" BY TIM GREATON
It's two o'clock in the morning here and I just finished Tim Greaton's novel "Under Heaven." I could not go to bed until I wrote this review and you will soon understand why. There is so much emotion in this book that you can't help but feel it in the depths of your soul.

Perhaps it's that the story has so much to do with children and the tragic demise of young Nate, or perhaps it's simply the spiritual elements that have just the right amount of religious undertones to truly make you think... and wonder. What happens to little Nate makes you feel a mixture of hurt, sadness, and anger at a whole new kind of prejudice that a lot of us likely never even knew existed. But, the part that brings the wonder is watching his story in "Under-Heaven" develop alongside that of another young boy named Jesse.

By the time you get to the end you won't believe the connection the two share and as much as you try to figure it out you never will. I loved this novel and urge you to read it. It's a beautifully written story with a cinematic quality you can see play out perfectly in your mind's-eye. Frustrations will form as you try hard to figure out what the two stories have in common, but it's the good kind of frustration that keeps you riveted to the book until the very end.

I give it 5 Ravens!

Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud / http://www.greatmindsliterarycommunity.moonfruit.com/


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"LITERARY STUFFINGS" THANKSGIVING GIVEAWAY INTERVIEW SERIES (BRIAN HAYDEN)

Thank you again for donating a book for the "Literary Stuffings" giveaway. Can you tell us more about the book you donated?

My book, "Death:Living To Talk About It" is a memoir. In 2007 I was in hospice, waiting to die. Well, I didn't die, but it caused me to ask a lot of questions. Why, at the young age of 35 years did I have a heart attack? What did I do to push myself into hospice when I was less than 54 years old? I recounted my life, and through this introspection found out lots of things.

This time of year is usually a warm and happy time with friends and family, how do you usually spend Thanksgiving every year?

We change up a lot. Always spending the holiday with old friends and family. Sometimes at our house. But like Hemingway, Thanksgiving for us is a movable feast.

Can you remember one of your most happiest Thanksgivings?

Just this past Thanksgiving. To the surprise of many, I was still alive. Thanksgiving was at our house and was a warm, loving time.

What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?

My wife's food. She is a wonderful cook. I just am addicted to the food. ALL OF IT!

Some families have traditions they do every year, does your family have a tradition that goes along with Thanksgiving?

At somepoint at the table, we all go around and tell what we are thankful for.

Food is always one of the biggest things about this time of year, do you have a favorite desert or even a recipe you'd like to share with us?

Yes, and no. Yes I have a favorite dessert - berry cobbler. It is a secret family recipe so I am not at liberty to share.

There are so many ways to cook a turkey, does your family have a special way of getting the big bird ready, perhaps a special ingredient or stuffing?

Oh my. I am not sure what my wife does to the stuffing, but is my favorite food. I could discard all of the other food and just eat the dressing.

After eating all that food and settling in for the evening what do you do with the time that's left before bed?

Usually watch TV. Football.

Is there any other information you'd care to share with us about your books that are out now or any upcoming novels?

My book is a story full of hope and inspiration. For excerpts and links to purchase, go to www.brianhayden.com

Thank you so much for your time Brian and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR OF "DEAD PEN PALS", DAVID DIAMANTE
Hi David, thank you for doing this interview. After reading over your bio, I wanted to ask you first about your beekeeping. How did you get started doing that and have you ever been stung badly?

Thanks, Kitty. It’s a pleasure to have this opportunity. I got started in beekeeping in my 30s, but the seed was planted when I was a boy. My uncle kept bees on his farm, and my aunt was terrified of honeybees and wouldn’t let me go near them. When a friend mentioned he was keeping bees and asked if I’d be interested, I jumped at the opportunity to get started. I’ve been at it 20 plus years, and I have been lit up a few times. Nothing serious, because I’m pretty methodical. You can’t keep bees and not get stung on occasion.

Have you always lived in Virginia?

My family moved to Virginia when I was 5 years old. It’s home and I love it here.

I saw the picture of you and Ben together and actually just had to use it for this interview. I was wondering if Ben was also a muse of sorts for you.

My wife and I took in foster dogs for the Virginia German Shepherd Rescue group for several years. We’d take care of rescued dogs until they found good homes. We had to stop because we kept adopting them. I have a weakness for older males that most people don’t want to adopt. Ben weighed 79 pounds when he arrived. The harder I tried to fatten him up, the worse he got. He was diagnosed with canine Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI). In English, his pancreas does not produce the enzymes required to digest food. He was starving to death. We put enzymes on his food now, and let it sit for 30 minutes. He’s up to 112 pounds, eating predigested food. He’s the best natured boy we have ever adopted. He is also the only dog I’ve seen that uses his dewclaws as opposing thumbs to hold bones. I’ve read that is primate behavior! Ben gives me all of my writing ideas.

Tell us about your book "Dead Pen Pals" what was the driving force behind writing this novel?

The basic premise of Dead Pen Pals is that there is no anonymity on the Internet, and that people are often not who or what they say they are. That 22-year old blonde hottie who calls herself Buffy, just might be a 58-year old, bald, plumber named Earl. I like police procedurals, and I like my bad guys to be real bad and crazy too. I also wanted to throw in the internal politics that affects government agencies, including law enforcement. I wanted Dead Pen Pals to be a fun, sometimes irreverent, read.

What is your idea for your next novel and when can we expect it out?

I’m working on a sequel with the same cast of characters (except for those who got knocked-off or are in prison). The working title is Dead Rock Stars, and I’d like to have it finished by spring.

I’ve also been working on a piece of historical fiction about a spy at the beginning of the Civil War. Here in the Shenandoah Valley, I’m surrounded by the ghosts of the men and women who lived through that struggle. The research is hard going, however, because I get sidetracked so often. I’ve been reading first-hand accounts of John Brown’s raid, trial and execution. The pictures they paint are eye opening.

What genres have you thought about writing in?

I like to write what I like to read. Crime Fiction and Historical Fiction.

Who are some of your inspirations in the literary field?

I’m all over the place. Ross Thomas, Evan Hunter (and all his pen names) Stuart Woods and Tony Hillerman, to name a few. Patrick O’Brian showed me that you can go back in time with enough research and effort. His Aubrey-Maturin series about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars is a wonderful work of 20 novels that reads like an epic tale.

You are also a fire protection/code consultant, what does that job entail and have you ever had to shut anyone down for not following the code?

I spent 25 years in a municipal fire department in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., as a firefighter, fire officer and a fire prevention officer. During my time in the fire prevention bureau, I did have to order the evacuation of a few places and had to take a few people to court. Most folks are cooperative and try to do the right thing, but there is always that 2% that need outside motivation.

I retired and work now as a fire protection consultant. My books Fire Prevention Inspection and Code Enforcement and Fire Prevention Principles (Delamr-Cengage), are used by colleges and fire marshal academies.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years as far as your writing goes?

I want to keep plugging along. Writers don’t write because we want to. We write because we have to.

Lastly do you have any advice you'd like to share with other aspiring authors?

I saw a Tom Clancy interview shortly after Clear and Present Danger sold over a million copies. The TV reporter commented, “It must be great to have the gift to write like you do.” Even then, Clancy was a crabby, irascible guy. He responded, “What I have is the gift of persistence, not the gift of writing.” I never forgot that.

Thank you again for taking the time to do this interview with Great Minds David, I hope to have the opportunity again sometime in the near future!



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INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR OF THE "RYS RISING SERIES", TRACY FALBE

Being an independent writer, I have heard many say they enjoy it because they have a wider range of creative license. In other words, you aren’t molded by a publishing company and can pretty much write what you want and what you intend to without expecting someone to try and change it. What do you think about that?

I’ve been writing fiction since 1997 and I spent years querying agents and publishers. At the time, I wanted to have a publisher pick me, but I was always worried the publisher would then want me to change something. I always dreaded that possibility. Eventually I decided trying to find a publisher was a stupid waste of time and became an indie writer. To be honest I love producing my work my way, and it’s a relief to never have to worry about being asked to change something. I’ve continued to write novels since publishing my first series, and I can say that writing as an indie makes me feel free and creative. I never think will a publisher like this? I only think two things: 1) Do I like it? And 2) Do I think some readers might like it?

When did you first realize your dream of writing and what led you to create your novel series?

I always wanted to write stories since I was a kid in grade school. I always imagined my name on the cover of novels. The thought that it might be hard to write a novel never occurred to me. I wrote two novels when I was a young teen. I’ve never did anything with them, but when I was 25 I started writing fiction again with a serious commitment to my dream of being a novelist. As for what led me to create my series, it began as a desire to write a fantasy novel. Then I discovered that the story got bigger and bigger and I had to split that first novel into two books. Then I dreamed up more things to happen and wrote two more novels. Those four novels became The Rys Chronicles. For the past 7 or 8 years I’ve been developing a prequel series called Rys Rising. I’ve published two novels for that series and plan to publish two more over the next year.

Who are some of your inspirations?

As a writer I was early on inspired by Frank Herbert. I was an adolescent when I read his famous novel Dune, and it was the first book that had multiple characters and multiple settings and bounced around among interwoven scenes of action. I was delighted by the elaborate narrative, and it opened my mind to greater possibilities as a writer. Of course, I credit J.R.R. Tolkien with my love of fantasy. The Lord of the Rings is a tremendous literary work that will survive the ages. In recent years I have also been very taken with the classic novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The imagery and nuances he employs in his writing have taught me a lot. He knows how to go deep and make people feel real.

What kinds of movies were your favorites as a kid? Being a fantasy did these movies have an impact on what you decided to write about?

Oh I loved anything that was fantasy and sci fi! I loved Star Wars, Clash of the Titans, Star Trek, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. I would walk to the video store and rent The Empire Strikes Back over and over. These movies definitely kindled my love of fantasy. When I was kid girls would tease me because I liked boy movies, and I would just think “You’re boring!” I just loved all that action and excitement. It was so much better than real life. Fantasy has always been my coping mechanism. I don’t know how people who don’t like such things get by.

You said you grew up in Mount Pleasant. I know this is where the Andy Griffith Show was filmed. Can you tell us a bit about your experiences growing up there?

Wow, you must be thinking of a different Mount Pleasant than my hometown in Michigan. No television show was ever shot there. There are several MountPleasants in the United States so don’t feel bad for the mistake. Law enforcement shoots people where I come from.

You said you had a fantasy of running off and joining the circus. What did you see yourself as doing if that dream had come true?

I totally remember when this fantasy started. I was probably about eight years old and I saw on TV the movie The Greatest Show on Earth starring Charleton Heston. Oh what an exciting life that looked like. There were elephants and horses and you got to put on a show and everyone lived in little houses on wheels. I of course wanted to be someone in the show who did tricks riding horses. I wanted to take care of the animals and wear skimpy clothes and stay out all night!

You earned a journalism degree from California State University, Chico. Did you ever work as a newspaper journalist?

No I never pursued a job at a newspaper, but I have not ruled it out. In school they taught us how a journalist has to start at a small market paper and work for peanuts and then try to get a job at a medium sized market and work for a little better money and then try to get a job in large market to earn anything approaching a living. I was never interested in that ordeal. Plus they taught us in school that if you actually wanted to have a career and make money then you had to do public relations, which unfortunately tends to put you on the side of evil. Also I graduated in 2000, which was probably the last year that anyone thought a career for a journalist was possible. All that aside, studying journalism is a wonderful degree that gives you great professional skills. It also very much taught me about writing and I still apply the principles I learned in college. The journalism degree also gave me ethical and legal training that is applicable to my publishing business. I’m very glad I studied journalism and am proud of my degree.

Have you ever thought about writing in other genres and if so what would they be and why?

I’ve often thought about writing a sci fi space adventure because I enjoy such things. I’m not sure if I’ll ever do it. Another genre I very much enjoy is westerns. I love novels written by classic authors like Zane Grey and Louis Lamour. I lived in Nevada for two years and California for 12 years, and I dearly love the Western United States. I love the epic landscapes and all the clichés of the genre. I don’t know if westerns even have a market anymore, but I honestly love them and think I could write some smashing adventures.

What is your next big project as far as writing and when can we expect to see it out?

I still have a lot of work to do to finish the Rys Rising series. I expect to publish the next novel New Religion: Rys Rising Book III in February 2012. New Religion is completely written. I’m happy with the novel but it still needs a thorough editing. I estimate that I have about another 100 hours of work to put in on it. Then I have to finish writing the fourth and final novel Love Lost. That novel is half written, so realistically it will be the last half of 2012 before it is published.

Do you have advice for other authors that you’d like to share?

I wish I knew the secrets to success, but I can offer some advice. Always write because you love doing it. Yes, it’s work, but it should be work you love. Don’t procrastinate. I guess writers are famous for procrastinating, but it’s best to write consistently. I believe it’s a skill like a muscle. It needs to be used to be strong. Once you decide to publish your work, make it available in many places, not just Amazon. Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple iBooks, and Sony offer great markets as well. I am distributed into these ebook retailers through Smashwords.com, but some of them will work directly with indie authors too. Also always make sure you have a website or blog of your own. Don’t just rely on a Facebook page. If you’re serious about your career, you need to have your site that is not controlled by the whims of another company.

Falbe’s newest novel Savage Storm: Rys Rising Book II is an ebook available worldwide at:

Falbe’s website http://www.falbepublishing.com/braveluck/savage-storm-rys-rising-book-ii.html
Kindle US http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0060WV96Q
Kindle UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0060WV96Q
Kindle Germany https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0060WV96Q
Kindle France https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0060WV96Q
Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/99999

And coming to more retailers soon.


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THANKSGIVING INTERVIEW FOR "LITERARY STUFFING" WITH AUTHOR MIKE KEARBY

Thank you again for donating a book for the "Literary Stuffings" giveaway. Can you tell us more about the book you donated?

First, let me say thanks for including me in your "Literary Stuffing." I also enjoy joining with people and organizations that promote reading. My donated books make up a trilogy that are based on true events from Post Civil War Texas. The stories all asked the same question. What would happen to a former slave who believed that the Emancipation Proclamation actually gave them the same rights as whites during the time period?

This time of year is usually a warm and happy time with friends and family, how do you usually spend Thanksgiving every year?

Our families have a rotating "meeting house" where we all gather. The gathering actually includes our in-laws as well. From as long as I can remember, Thangsgiving was the holiday where everyone came "home" and enjoyed time spent with one another.

Can you remember one of your most happiest Thanksgivings?

Actually, one of my great childhood memories was receiving my first dog from my father one Thanksgiving. I was six years old. at the time. The dog, a puppy, was a Boxer, I called him Buckshot.

What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?

Sitting at the dining table where everyone shares and listens to all of the great stories from our "growing up" times.

Some families have traditions they do every year, does your family have a tradition that goes along with Thanksgiving?

Our only tradition is "everyone must gather together" at Thanksgiving.

Food is always one of the biggest things about this time of year, do you have a favorite desert or even a recipe you'd like to share with us?

Being from Texas, the only constant in our dinner is that cornbread dressing must be present. The tradition of eating cornbread dressing goes back several generations.

After eating all that food and settling in for the evening what do you do with the time that's left before bed?

We traditionally close out the day with a competitive round of board games.

Is there any other information you'd care to share with us about your books that are out now or any upcoming novels?

My latest, Dead Man's Saddle is due out December 1. It is currently available in Kindle and ePub formats at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Briefly, it is the story of injustices to Tejanos in Texas after the revolution.


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"LITERARY STUFFINGS" THANKSGIVING GIVEAWAY, INTERVIEW SERIES (VICTORIA FOYT)

Thank you again for donating a book for the "Literary Stuffings" giveaway. Can you tell us more about the book you donated?

Revealing Eden (Save The Pearls Part One) is a Young Adult
Fantasy/Sci-fi/Adventure/Romance novel?the genres are as blended as the family guests at my Thanksgiving table.
In a post-apocalyptic world where resistance to an overheated environment defines class and beauty, Eden Newman?s white skin brands her as a member of the lowest social class, the weak and ugly Pearls. Doomed unless she mates soon, Eden hopes a Coal from the dark-skinned ruling class will save her. But when she unwittingly compromises her father?s secret biological experiment, perhaps mankind?s only hope, Eden is cast out?into the last patch of rainforest and into the arms of a powerful beast-man she believes is her enemy, despite her overwhelming attraction to him. To survive, Eden must change?but only if she can redefine her ideas of beauty?and of love. Along the way, she receives some beautiful insight from her virtually adopted aunt Emily Dickinson.


This time of year is usually a warm and happy time with friends and family, how do you usually spend Thanksgiving every year?

In the mornings we drop off food and canned goods at the convention
center for the annual dinner for the homeless. Then we have a dinner at home with family and friends. It?s warm, simple, and sweet.

What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?

For me, the best thing about Thanksgiving is sharing with those I love, and embracing gratitude. Before we eat our turkey dinner, each of us takes a moment to say aloud what we are grateful for, and I?m always touched by how lucky we are to have each other.

Food is always one of the biggest things about this time of year, do you have a favorite desert or even a recipe you'd like to share with us?

I'm a lousy cook, but I do make a mean pecan pie. As intuitive as the writing process is for me, I feel more at ease with the precision of baking than the ?art of cooking.? Every year, I chop pecans and mix with dark karo syrup and lots of sugar, eggs and a bit of vanilla?it never fails to please!


After eating all that food and settling in for the evening what do you do with the time that's left before bed?

At the table we often play word games after we eat. Later, when the tryptophan from the turkey kicks in, making us sleepy, we watch a favorite movie. Last year we saw: Gone With The Wind. I have always loved Margaret Mitchell?s novel, and I have to admit, the way in which Eden and Bramford romantically spar in Revealing Eden is not too different from the classic misunderstandings between Scarlett and Rhett!

Is there any other information you'd care to share with us about your books that are out now or any upcoming novels?

Please visit www.SaveThePearls.com, and watch the videos in which ?Eden Newman? talks about her life and fears and hopes. It?s not too hard to imagine that one day our world may end up like hers, too harsh to support our holiday tradition.

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"DEALERS OF LIGHT" BY LARA NANCE
This story was amazing and another extremely creative authors insight into supernatural's that have not been touched upon. I found it imaginative and new. The characters in this book are somewhat like angels in some aspects but with a very ancient twist that makes their lineage more of a mystery. I loved the way the author used aspects of the Incan race in her story and I believe this is the first novel I have ever read that dealt with 'energy vampires'. One thing that really drew me in was the fact she did not make her characters invincible as though they were god's instead they had the very real possibility of losing their life by any means and one of their biggest flaws was the want and need to help others to the point they risked their own self.

Cara was the kind of heroine you wish you could be, she was a fantastic character creation with just the right balance of 'go get 'em' attitude mixed in with the ability to have a real fear of the evil the dealers of light had to fight in order to save mankind. I completely fell in love with Rolf, who wouldn't! I could picture him so vividly with the way he was described, somewhat brooding, yet sensitive and warring with an inner turmoil that kept him from wanting to get too close to Cara at the same time longing for that companionship he'd lost so long ago.

Lara Nance is a wonderful writer with the ability to give her readers exactly what they want, the characters are so real that you find yourself believing in the unbelievable. A really great read worthy of your time. I give it 4.5 Ravens!

Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud / http://www.greatmindsliterarycommunity.moonfruit.com/


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INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR OF "SHIT THAT PISSES ME OFF" PEG TITTLE

Hi Peg, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. I learned from your bio that you have a lot of experience in philosophy, what are some of the things you have taught and in turn what have you learned?

Mostly I’ve taught Critical Thinking and applied ethics courses -- Business Ethics, IT ethics, and Contemporary Moral Issues.

I’ve learned that thinking critically is very difficult and most people would rather not do it. Bertrand Russell’s comment comes to mind: “Most people would rather die than think, and many do so.” I put that in my CT text -- Critical Thinking: An Appeal to Reason -- which has just been published by Routledge for use in CT courses across the country. It’s a mandatory course at most universities and colleges in the States. I wish that were true in Canada.

Actually, I wish philosophy were taught in the high schools, like it is in Britain. We are so behind in that respect. I read Sophie’s World which was written by a Norwegian and thought it really odd because the philosophy was at a first-year university level, but the character and story was geared for young adult. I later found out that since philosophy is taught in the lower grades, most young adults in Europe, or at least in Scandinavia and Britain, are at our first-year level in philosophy. Puts us to shame.

And rightly so. It’s appalling that we don’t teach our teenagers how to think critically and how to determine right and wrong. And these are the fundamentals of philosophy. Most people don’t get that. They think philosophy is all about esoteric woolly and totally irrelevant birdbrain stuff. Couldn’t be more wrong. Yes, some philosophy is like that. But mostly philosophy is all about getting to the root of things; it’s about thinking clearly and coherently about – everything. Philosophy is the discipline that asks why. Which is far more basic and important than when, where, who, what, and even how most of the time. Which is what all the other disciplines deal with. (I’m speaking very generally of course and the historians and sociologists and chemists out there will fume, rightly insisting they too ask why…)


You have written several other books that deal in philosophical thought, tell us more about those books and where we can find them.

What If…Collected Thought Experiments in Philosophy is a handy little collection of the classic thought experiments with a one-page explanation of the point of it. For example, here’s one pulled at random:
Imagine a space traveler who lands on an unknown planet and encounters a race of beings utterly unlike any he has ever seen or heard of. If he wants to be sure of behaving morally toward these beings, he has to somehow decide whether they are people, and hence have full moral rights, or whether they are the sort of thing which he need not feel guilty about treating as, for example, a source of food. How should he go about making this decision?

There’s also Ethical Issues in Business: Inquiries, Cases, and Readings. The essays in there are getting dated, but the introduction is still quite good (if I do say so myself!). There are a lot of business ethics profs who just make that intro part of their coursepack.

And there’s Should Parents be Licensed: Debating the Issues. That’s the most controversial, of course. I did several radio talk shows when it came out – very exciting stuff. And still, very important stuff! I mean, really, you need a license to fix someone’s toilet, but not to turn a baby into a mature human being. And if you want to adopt, you have to meet all sorts of qualifications, but if you want to raise a kid who’s your own DNA, you don’t have to be qualified at all. Where’s the logic in that?

Quickest way to find them is go to my website (www.pegtittle.com) and click on the cover, then to the purchase link. But I think they’re all available at all the usual online stores – Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and so on. Though Shit that Pisses Me Off is also available at smashwords. And it's only $2.99, whereas the others are considerably more, being print books published by big publishers...


When did you decide that philosophy was something you wanted to pursue?

Grade eleven. I remember the moment well. One of the topics we could choose for our essay in History was the continuity from Socrates to Plato to Aristotle. I’d heard of these people and had this idea they were wise. Worthy. Important. Anyway, I chose that topic and over the course of a weekend, submerging myself in the assignment, surrounding myself with books, I realized that’s what I wanted to do with the rest of my life: just read, write, and think.


Tell us more about your book, "Shit That Pisses Me Off" and what was the drive behind it.

The ‘drive’ was all the shit that pisses me off!! There are just so many things people say and do and believe that don’t make any sense at all. And worse, they harm other people, those not-a-leg-to-stand-on beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors affect other people in really serious ways. And that pisses me off! We have a moral obligation to think about what we do. Everything. From calling each other ‘Ms.’ and ‘Mr.’ – which is essentially calling each other uterus-person and penis-person – and how awful is that? What does it say that we divide and label people according to their sex, all the time, before we do anything else – we consider it polite for pete’s sake!! To casual day at the office – why does our boss have the right to tell us what we can and can’t wear? When it has nothing to do with our job performance? To – oh well, you get the point. There’s so much. The weather report. Women’s fiction (so-called). Jury duty. Hockey brawls. There’s 25 in all in the book.

You've also done a lot of work such as serving on the ethics committee of the North Bay General Hospital and working in many positions such as mental health, detention centers, women's shelters and even a small newspaper, can you elaborate on some of these positions and tell us some of the things you encountered while there?

Way too much to say here. Unfortunately, most of my experiences were frustrating. I’d like to be able to say they were fulfilling jobs and I made a difference. But they were not. And I didn’t.

Tell us about your screenplays you have written and what they were about.

Well, I won’t go into detail about all of them. Short synopses are available at my website (www.pegtittle.com). But I will mention two of them. “Exile” was motivated by a kind of person I’ve met all my life (I think we all have) who seem to think life is a free ride, people who are the first to harp about their rights and never once mention their attendant responsibilities. And by (philosopher) Rousseau’s notion of the social contract. I postulate a very near future in which this is the three-strike law: first crime, you get rehab – help, a second chance; second crime, you get prison – punishment pure and simple; third crime, you’re simply kicked out, permanently exiled to a designated remote area, to fend for yourself without the benefits of society – if you don’t accept the rules of our society, fine, go somewhere else and live, make your own society (if you can).

“What Happened to Tom” was motivated by (philosopher) Judith Jarvis Thomson’s famous thought experiment, “The Violinist”. This guy wakes up to find his body’s been hijacked and turned into a human kidney dialysis machine – for nine months. It’s an allegory, of course, for forced pregnancy (aka, inability to obtain contraception or abortion). I think, lamentably, that men in particular don’t get it; they think getting pregnant, having to stay pregnant, is no big deal, when in fact it is life-altering. Literally. So the story shows Tom’s life unraveling in a big, and permanent, way. All because of this one event, this unintended, unwanted, event. (That could have been prevented.)

Both screenplays have placed in competitions, though neither has been optioned, so I’m hopeful about the novelized versions.

What is your next big project and when can we expect to see it out?

More Shit that Pisses Me Off. Expect it in the new year.

Have you ever thought about writing in other genres perhaps fiction of some kind?

I have thought about it, but I think I’m more comfortable with non-fiction; I like critical commentary more than I like plot, characters, setting, and so forth.

That said, I am thinking of turning the two screenplays mentioned above into novels.

What is the one thing you are most thankful for in your life?

Hm. Just one thing? A body, complete with brain, that works well.

Do you have any advice you'd like to give other authors?

Think. About everything.

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"LITERARY STUFFING" THANKSGIVING GIVEAWAY INTERVIEW SERIES (KATHLEEN S. ALLEN)
Thank you again for donating a book for the "Literary Stuffings" giveaway. Can you tell us more about the book you donated?

I've actually donated three. AINE and the sequel, FAERIE FOLK are about a high school girl who discovers she is a faerie on her sixteenth birthday and travels to Ireland to claim her destiny. AINE is about her when she first finds out the truth and FAERIE FOLK is about a dark faerie named Grianne who wants to kill Aine in order to become the faerie queen. The third book I donated is NINA and Nina is a 17 year old girl who's father is blamed for setting an explosion at a chemical plant that kills over 100 people. Nina is sure her father, who is now on the run, didn't do it and she sets out to prove his innocence. On the way she finds out something about her past that turns her world upside down. And, no, she's not a faerie! Nina takes place in Quebec, Canada. I visited there a few years ago and fell in love with it. I was in Montreal for three days and in Quebec City for five days. I loved Quebec City, the people were so friendly, the streets were filled with interesting shops and restaurants and I took a ride on a boat down the St. Lawrence River! It's so filled with history I soaked it all up! So, I decided to set one of my books there. You know what they say about writers, be careful or you'll end up in my novel!

This time of year is usually a warm and happy time with friends and family, how do you usually spend Thanksgiving every year?

It all depends, usually I just make a dinner for me and my daughters (twins in college) and we watch movies. If my daughters are not with me, it's just another day for me. One of my traditions is to make sweet potatoes with marshmellows on top.

Can you remember one of your most happiest Thanksgivings?

Well, maybe the most memorable. I burned the sweet potatoes and smoke filled the kitchen. LOL. I put the sweet potatoes with marshmellows under the broiler to cook the marshmellows a bit and forgot about them! When the smoke alarm went off, I knew what happened. Needless to say, we went without our sweet potatoes that year.

What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?

Four day weekend with my daughters.

Some families have traditions they do every year, does your family have a tradition that goes along with Thanksgiving?

No, we avoid the shopping and crowds and just chill out.

Food is always one of the biggest things about this time of year, do you have a favorite desert or even a recipe you'd like to share with us?

I mentioned my sweet potatoes. Peel and cook potatoes in a saucepan, when they are done, mash them with butter and brown sugar. Put them into a baking dish. Sprinkle tiny marshmellows on top and put under the broiler until the marshmellows are brown. They brown up quickly so keep an eye on them! I also make homemade cranberry relish with cranberries, sugar and oranges. I put the cranberries in a food processor along with some orange juice, swirl them around, add sugar to taste and there you go!

There are so many ways to cook a turkey, does your family have a special way of getting the big bird ready, perhaps a special ingredient or stuffing?

Usually we cook salmon for our Thanksgiving dinner. We aren't big fans of turkey.

After eating all that food and settling in for the evening what do you do with the time that's left before bed?

We watch movies. We are big movie fans so we like to watch whatever we can. We make a batch of hot air popcorn with butter and settle in to watch something. If there is a new movie out we want to see, we'll go to the cinema, otherwise we are at home. It all depends on the weather. Thanksgiving in Michigan can be snowy!

Is there any other information you'd care to share with us about your books that are out now or any upcoming novels?

I just released a murder mystery called IF IT'S MONDAY, IT MUST BE MURDER! from Gypsy Shadow Publishing. It's available as an ebook on Amazon. I have a YA historical called FITZROY: THE BOY WHO WOULD BE KING about the illegitimate son of Henry VIII if you like historical fiction. I have a YA faerie novel called LORE OF FEI coming out in April, 2012 from Muse It Up Publishing. All of my books are available on Amazon. I also have a website that lists my latest news. It's http://www.gaelicfairie.webs.com. I have book trailers on You Tube. I have fan page on Facebook as Witch Hunter. I am on Twitter as @kathleea.

I just finished another historical YA inspired by the King Arthur legend and another YA that is a space opera also inspired by King Arthur. I am busy doing NaNoWriMo---30 days and nights of literary abandon---writing a vampire novel. I have a contemporary YA novel about a girl who feels invisible, It has a humourous slant to it. My agent is shopping that one around to editors/publishers.

Thanks for interviewing me!
Take Care, Kathleen


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