“Why me?” How often have we asked that question when bad things happen? Did Mary ask that question when she was told she was going to give birth to the Son of God? We all know how the birth of Christ came about. He was conceived and born of a virgin. But sometimes I think we distance ourselves from how it must have really been for Mary. Or, at least I do. Think about this. She conceived back in the day when having a child out of wedlock was one of the biggest shames any woman could suffer. Not like today. In today’s world a woman having a child without the benefit of matrimony is not really considered an oddity. However, back then, women who gave themselves to a man not their husband were stoned – to death. Now, not only is Mary unmarried and pregnant, but she tells her family that an angel came to her and the child is from God and not of man. What were her parents thinking? Can you imagine that kitchen table conversation? Then there is Joseph. He needed an angle to come to him to tell him to stand by his betrothed.
So, next time you look to the heavens and ask “Why me?”, think about that very young, innocent woman who was asked to conceive, carry and give birth to the One who would save us all, without the benefit of being united in Holy Matrimony first. If that isn’t enough, and you still think your burden is heavy, then think about what that innocent baby went on to do as a man. Could anyone have suffered more than Him?
I know we all have our challenges that weigh heavily on our hearts. They include loss of jobs, children with illnesses, parents with dementia, our own health issues to overcome, and several other problems that are the first thing that we think about in the morning and the last thing on our mind at night. And, it is so easy to “say” we turn our concerns and worries over to God. But, how often do we snatch them right back up as soon as we are done praying? We can have all the faith in the world. Be the best and strongest Christian (I know I am not) still worry. It is human nature to do so.
So, that was, and still is, my New Years Resolution – to meet each challenge in my life with a smile and a thank you, God, for being there for me and hoping to carry me through whatever wonderful or trying times I may face in 2010. Oh, it will not be easy and almost impossible to thank God when a parent’s mind is not what it used to be, or you don’t know how you are going to pay the mortgage, or a child is ill and continues to suffer from illness and your hands are tied. But, that is what we have prayer for. God wants us to come to Him when things are tough and good. In the bad times he is there to lessen our burdens.
This is Powerful Prayful Sunday. I welcome any prayer requests or praises in the comments and will remember each of you in my prayers each day this week.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Spotlight on: J J Dare
Author of: False World
Publisher: Second Wind Publishing
ISBN 1935171380
November 22, 2009
Thriller
Available from Second Wind Publishing and Amazon
The second book in the Joe Daniels' trilogy continues where False Positive ends as Joe continues his mission to destroy those who have destroyed his life. As the world changes, Joe's search for justice takes on a global urgency and he races to find answers before deadly answers find him. Beginning in a secluded town in the middle of nowhere, it is not long before Joe is traveling across the country and, ultimately, across a collapsing world on his quest for vengeance. The world is not what you see. And neither is Joe.
AMY: Thank you for joining me. What else would you like to share with us regarding your book?
JJ: False World, the second book in the Joe Daniel’s trilogy, picks up where the first book, False Positive, ends. We begin in the town of Normal and end up on the other side of the world.
AMY: Were there any surprises that came about while you were writing False World, or did your story stick with the plan you had set?
JJ: I wrote the ending first, then the beginning. To fill in the middle (the meat of the story), I kept asking myself how I would handle certain situations. I was surprised at my own answers.
AMY: What inspired you to write this book or these particular characters?
JJ: I was inspired by the writer’s eternal question, what if? What if everything in the world was controlled? What if war was really a conglomerate run like a co-op? My main character is based on a composite of military men I’ve known (including my father and brother) and partly from my own inner soldier.
AMY: Tell the readers about your writing journey and how you ended up with your publisher.
JJ: I’ve written short stories most of my life. From 2003 to 2005, eleven of my short stories were featured on Rutger Hauer’s website along with stories from other inspiring writers. In 2007, I entered a writing contest. Although I didn’t win, my story interested my current publisher, Second Wind Publishing. The rest is history!
AMY: If there is one piece of advice you could give an unagented / unpublished author, what would it be?
JJ: Never, ever stop writing, whether it’s for family, friends, or the world.
AMY: Besides False World, which we highlighted here, have you published other books or are there some that are yet to be released?
JJ: The first book in the trilogy, False Positive, was published in October, 2008. I’ve been published in Second Wind’s Romance Anthology, Love is on the Wind, and in the Mystery Anthology, Murder in the Wind. I have many books I’m working on right now in different genres: romance, sci-fi, horror, drama, non-fiction, and humor. And of course, more mystery/thriller/suspense novels.
AMY: How can we find you on the internet (facebook, twitter, myspace, blog, website addresses)
JJ:
http://www.jacketblind.com/
http://www.janadana.myspace.com/
www.facebook.com/jan.d.linton
http://www.jjdare.wordpress.com/
AMY: Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers?
JJ: I like to talk to people from everywhere. My curiosity is limitless – everyone I meet is interesting, everyone has stories to tell.
AMY: Is there anything you would like to ask the readers?
JJ: What type of character in a story do you strongly identify with and why?
AMY: Readers, are there any questions you would like to ask J J Dare?
J J Dare has been generous enough give away an autographed copy of False World. I am sorry but this is limited to U.S. residents only, due to the cost of postage. If you would like a chance to win the book, simply comment and leave your e-mail address. A winner will be picked at random and announced Saturday night. Good luck.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Congrats to Linda and Jeanette
First of all, I am so sorry for the delay in getting this blog posted. There have been computer issues, but that is behind me now.
J. Conrad Guest has been kind enough to offer up 2 - yes, I said 2 - copies of his book. He choose the following winners:
LINDA GLAZ and JEANETTE LEVELLIE.
I need Linda and Jeanette to both send me their snail mail address to amydetrempe at gmail (dot) com.
Thanks for visiting the blog everyone.
J. Conrad Guest has been kind enough to offer up 2 - yes, I said 2 - copies of his book. He choose the following winners:
LINDA GLAZ and JEANETTE LEVELLIE.
I need Linda and Jeanette to both send me their snail mail address to amydetrempe at gmail (dot) com.
Thanks for visiting the blog everyone.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Spotlight on: J. Conrad Guest
Author of: Backstop: A Baseball Love Story in Nine Innings
Publisher: Second Wind Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-935171-31-7
Release Date: January 2010
Genre: Romance
Available from Second Wind Publishing and Amazon (for Kindle, too); can also be ordered through the major brick and mortar stores
You know Backstop. He plays the catcher’s position for any team in a
ny city in America with a major league ballclub. You cheer him when he delivers, and boo him when he doesn’t. You’ll cheer for Backstop, both on and off the field, as he plays the most important game of his career—haunted by the ghost of his father, who passed away before Backstop achieved stardom—and fights to win back the heart of the woman he loves more than the game.
AMY: Thank you for joining me. What else would you like to share with us regarding your book?
JCG: Hi, Amy. You’re welcome and thank you for sharing your corner of the Internet with me. Backstop is the autobiography I wish I could’ve written, sans the infidelity aspect. My childhood dream was to play baseball, but like Backstop’s parents, mine would have none of that. So I started with my own childhood―yes, my dad was a Marine Corps DI and several recollections of Backstop’s youth are from my own―but where I let my dream die, Backstop pursues and achieves his.
AMY: Were there any surprises that came about while you were writing Backstop, or did you stick with the plan you had set?
JCG: My original intent with Backstop was to depict the power of lies. Originally, I envisioned a jealous teammate of Backstop’s concocting a lie about an affair that never took place, thereby jeopardizing Backstop’s marriage. But I’ve always been fascinated by what, in today’s modern era of fiction, is known as the “antihero.” He’s not always heroic, not even particularly likeable at times, but he always does the right thing (even if he does so kicking and screaming). In the end he redeems himself.
In life, heroes fail. Some, like Tiger Woods, fail abysmally; after all, they’re human. I think our society in general is too quick to affix that hero status upon athletes and actors and actresses. Sadly, too few are deserving, while the real heroes—the father who takes a third job to put food on the table for his children, or the single mother who overcomes breast cancer to raise her family—we rarely read or hear about in the news. But that’s a whole other topic. The key to writing an antihero, of course, is to make the reader care enough about this often unsympathetic character to keep turning pages. I wouldn’t put Backstop into the category of an antihero. Unlike the antihero for whom we root to succeed, we root for Backstop to not fail; yet once he succumbs to temptation, we root for his redemption. At least, that is what I hope from the reader.
So, maybe a third of the way into Backstop, I chose to veer from the pure-hearted protagonist who would become a victim of a vicious untruth, and have him, in a moment of weakness, betray his wife of 12 years. The story ultimately becomes one of redemption and forgiveness—yes, in order to truly forgive, one must forget.
I think the reader is in for a few surprises along the way, too, but I’ll leave those for him or her to encounter on their own.
AMY: What inspired you to write this book or these particular characters?
JCG: Having realized I was never going to play major league baseball, I suppose it was inevitable that I would one day write a novel with a baseball theme. Backstop is a sort of alternate reality for me. In the title character I see the person I once wished to become, had I the courage to reach out to make my dream come true. My parents meant well, wishing to spare me the disappointment that comes with falling short of achieving a dream, but their lesson—that I should avoid risk—has also had a negative impact on my life, on some of the choices I’ve made along the way.
What also inspired me was my relationship with my father. We were never close, until the last year of Dad’s life, while he waited for cancer to claim his life. He’s been gone now nearly 12 years and I still find myself seeking his approval. Like me, Backstop puts questions to a man who, in death, is as adamant about withholding answers as he was in life. My father appears in a lot of my work, but always post mortem. My work in progress, however, is in part about a son’s efforts to connect with his father before he succumbs to cancer, proving the old adage that writers write from experience.
AMY: Tell the readers about your writing journey and how you ended up with your publisher.
JCG: My fiction tends to be literary. Elmore Leonard claims to leave out of his text all those long narratives he envisions his readers skipping over. But I love rich narrative. Backstop’s storyline is a simple one: a man’s efforts to make his dream come true while trying to connect with a deceased father, finding girl, losing girl, winning girl back. Yet the structure I employed—a baseball love story in nine innings—is anything but formula. Telling a man’s life story in flashback during game seven of the World Series, and bouncing from present to past and back again is complex (and I had one or two detractors along the way tell me it wouldn’t work), I think is rewarding for the reader.
Backstop wasn’t an easy sell. Despite a number of encouraging rejection letters, most publishers/agents were reticent about taking me on. I was told there is no market for baseball novels—try searching on Amazon using “baseball” as your keyword. Some of the most popular sports genre movies are about baseball: Field of Dreams, The Natural, For Love of the Game and The Rookie all started out in print. Who can forget Bull Durham?
I was convinced I had a winner in Backstop and I wasn’t going to self-publish. I tried that route when my publisher for the first edition of January’s Paradigm went bankrupt and I found I didn’t have the financial resources to make it a success.
Last April, Second Wind Publishing invited me to send my entire manuscript and by September we inked the deal. I cringed, initially, when I learned Backstop would appear as part of their Beckoning Books Romance imprint. I certainly don’t consider myself a romance novelist, yet many of my favorite novels have romance themes. There is a large market for romance novels, so I hope Backstop finds an audience. There is also enough baseball in Backstop to appeal to baseball purists as well.
Working with Second Wind has been a great experience. No heavy-handed ultimatums about changing this character or that one, revising this scene, deleting that one. They’ve offered suggestions (some I’ve taken, others I’ve rejected). They were patient as I continued to revise and polish, always encouraging me. I found it ironic that, just before Christmas, another publisher to whom I’d submitted Backstop last February finally sent me an email turning me down. Yes, I thumb my nose at publishers who advise against simultaneous submissions. No writer can afford to wait 10 months for a rejection letter.
AMY: If there is one piece of advice you could give an unagented/unpublished author, what would it be?
JCG: Assuming you have talent, further assuming you’ve gone through several rewrites, have revised and polished, have had more than one trusted reader give you their reaction and suggestions for improvement and have revised and polished some more, my advice is the same advice I’ve heard from almost every successful writer, and that is to employ another essential tool from the writer’s toolbox—perseverance.
If I recall correctly, Rowling endured nearly 100 rejections before Harry Potter was picked up. Publishing is incredibly competitive, perhaps never more than in today’s economic environment. There is no easy road into print, save for self-publishing. Expect twists and turns, to be turned down. But learn from your rejection letters—a handwritten comment that you have talent is gold because it tells you that you’re on the right track. If you have talent, it you have a good manuscript, you will likely find a home for it, but only if you employ perseverance.
AMY: Besides Backstop, which we highlighted here, have you published other books or are there some that are yet to be released?
JCG: January’s Paradigm is available on Amazon. I’ve written a companion novel, January’s Penitence, which I plan to submit to Second Wind in a few weeks, as they embark upon including a science fiction/fantasy imprint. I have a novella I’m currently shopping and another novel in progress. Information on and excerpts from all of these can be found on my website - http://jconradguest.com/.
AMY: How can we find you on the Internet (FaceBook, Twitter, MySpace, blog, website addresses)?
JCG: I have a Website - http://jconradguest.com/, and a FaceBook page; I appear on Goodreads, LinkedIn, and I Twitter. My fiction appears on a number of Websites—just Google me.
AMY: Is there anything you would like to ask the readers?
JCG: You know, there is. Writers write, in part, to connect with an audience. Sadly, all too often our only connection comes at the end of the month, when we receive our royalty statement. That said, I’d like to ask your readers to connect with me, and all their favorite writers. Please, stop my Website, sign my guestbook (I promise not to spam you in return for your generosity), check out my blog; leave a comment or two on those entries that move you. Let me know what you think. Writing is a solitary endeavor, but after a piece is finished, a writer wants to know that they’ve connected with you!
AMY: Readers, are there any questions you would like to ask J. Conrad Guest?
J. Conrad has been generous enough give away an autographed copy of Backstop: A Baseball Love Story in Nine Innings. I am sorry but this is limited to U.S. residents only, due to the cost of postage. If you would like a chance to win the book, simply comment and leave your e-mail address. A winner will be picked and announced Saturday night. Good luck.
Publisher: Second Wind Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-935171-31-7
Release Date: January 2010
Genre: Romance
Available from Second Wind Publishing and Amazon (for Kindle, too); can also be ordered through the major brick and mortar stores
You know Backstop. He plays the catcher’s position for any team in a
ny city in America with a major league ballclub. You cheer him when he delivers, and boo him when he doesn’t. You’ll cheer for Backstop, both on and off the field, as he plays the most important game of his career—haunted by the ghost of his father, who passed away before Backstop achieved stardom—and fights to win back the heart of the woman he loves more than the game.AMY: Thank you for joining me. What else would you like to share with us regarding your book?
JCG: Hi, Amy. You’re welcome and thank you for sharing your corner of the Internet with me. Backstop is the autobiography I wish I could’ve written, sans the infidelity aspect. My childhood dream was to play baseball, but like Backstop’s parents, mine would have none of that. So I started with my own childhood―yes, my dad was a Marine Corps DI and several recollections of Backstop’s youth are from my own―but where I let my dream die, Backstop pursues and achieves his.
AMY: Were there any surprises that came about while you were writing Backstop, or did you stick with the plan you had set?
JCG: My original intent with Backstop was to depict the power of lies. Originally, I envisioned a jealous teammate of Backstop’s concocting a lie about an affair that never took place, thereby jeopardizing Backstop’s marriage. But I’ve always been fascinated by what, in today’s modern era of fiction, is known as the “antihero.” He’s not always heroic, not even particularly likeable at times, but he always does the right thing (even if he does so kicking and screaming). In the end he redeems himself.
In life, heroes fail. Some, like Tiger Woods, fail abysmally; after all, they’re human. I think our society in general is too quick to affix that hero status upon athletes and actors and actresses. Sadly, too few are deserving, while the real heroes—the father who takes a third job to put food on the table for his children, or the single mother who overcomes breast cancer to raise her family—we rarely read or hear about in the news. But that’s a whole other topic. The key to writing an antihero, of course, is to make the reader care enough about this often unsympathetic character to keep turning pages. I wouldn’t put Backstop into the category of an antihero. Unlike the antihero for whom we root to succeed, we root for Backstop to not fail; yet once he succumbs to temptation, we root for his redemption. At least, that is what I hope from the reader.
So, maybe a third of the way into Backstop, I chose to veer from the pure-hearted protagonist who would become a victim of a vicious untruth, and have him, in a moment of weakness, betray his wife of 12 years. The story ultimately becomes one of redemption and forgiveness—yes, in order to truly forgive, one must forget.
I think the reader is in for a few surprises along the way, too, but I’ll leave those for him or her to encounter on their own.
AMY: What inspired you to write this book or these particular characters?
JCG: Having realized I was never going to play major league baseball, I suppose it was inevitable that I would one day write a novel with a baseball theme. Backstop is a sort of alternate reality for me. In the title character I see the person I once wished to become, had I the courage to reach out to make my dream come true. My parents meant well, wishing to spare me the disappointment that comes with falling short of achieving a dream, but their lesson—that I should avoid risk—has also had a negative impact on my life, on some of the choices I’ve made along the way.
What also inspired me was my relationship with my father. We were never close, until the last year of Dad’s life, while he waited for cancer to claim his life. He’s been gone now nearly 12 years and I still find myself seeking his approval. Like me, Backstop puts questions to a man who, in death, is as adamant about withholding answers as he was in life. My father appears in a lot of my work, but always post mortem. My work in progress, however, is in part about a son’s efforts to connect with his father before he succumbs to cancer, proving the old adage that writers write from experience.
AMY: Tell the readers about your writing journey and how you ended up with your publisher.
JCG: My fiction tends to be literary. Elmore Leonard claims to leave out of his text all those long narratives he envisions his readers skipping over. But I love rich narrative. Backstop’s storyline is a simple one: a man’s efforts to make his dream come true while trying to connect with a deceased father, finding girl, losing girl, winning girl back. Yet the structure I employed—a baseball love story in nine innings—is anything but formula. Telling a man’s life story in flashback during game seven of the World Series, and bouncing from present to past and back again is complex (and I had one or two detractors along the way tell me it wouldn’t work), I think is rewarding for the reader.
Backstop wasn’t an easy sell. Despite a number of encouraging rejection letters, most publishers/agents were reticent about taking me on. I was told there is no market for baseball novels—try searching on Amazon using “baseball” as your keyword. Some of the most popular sports genre movies are about baseball: Field of Dreams, The Natural, For Love of the Game and The Rookie all started out in print. Who can forget Bull Durham?
I was convinced I had a winner in Backstop and I wasn’t going to self-publish. I tried that route when my publisher for the first edition of January’s Paradigm went bankrupt and I found I didn’t have the financial resources to make it a success.
Last April, Second Wind Publishing invited me to send my entire manuscript and by September we inked the deal. I cringed, initially, when I learned Backstop would appear as part of their Beckoning Books Romance imprint. I certainly don’t consider myself a romance novelist, yet many of my favorite novels have romance themes. There is a large market for romance novels, so I hope Backstop finds an audience. There is also enough baseball in Backstop to appeal to baseball purists as well.
Working with Second Wind has been a great experience. No heavy-handed ultimatums about changing this character or that one, revising this scene, deleting that one. They’ve offered suggestions (some I’ve taken, others I’ve rejected). They were patient as I continued to revise and polish, always encouraging me. I found it ironic that, just before Christmas, another publisher to whom I’d submitted Backstop last February finally sent me an email turning me down. Yes, I thumb my nose at publishers who advise against simultaneous submissions. No writer can afford to wait 10 months for a rejection letter.
AMY: If there is one piece of advice you could give an unagented/unpublished author, what would it be?
JCG: Assuming you have talent, further assuming you’ve gone through several rewrites, have revised and polished, have had more than one trusted reader give you their reaction and suggestions for improvement and have revised and polished some more, my advice is the same advice I’ve heard from almost every successful writer, and that is to employ another essential tool from the writer’s toolbox—perseverance.
If I recall correctly, Rowling endured nearly 100 rejections before Harry Potter was picked up. Publishing is incredibly competitive, perhaps never more than in today’s economic environment. There is no easy road into print, save for self-publishing. Expect twists and turns, to be turned down. But learn from your rejection letters—a handwritten comment that you have talent is gold because it tells you that you’re on the right track. If you have talent, it you have a good manuscript, you will likely find a home for it, but only if you employ perseverance.
AMY: Besides Backstop, which we highlighted here, have you published other books or are there some that are yet to be released?
JCG: January’s Paradigm is available on Amazon. I’ve written a companion novel, January’s Penitence, which I plan to submit to Second Wind in a few weeks, as they embark upon including a science fiction/fantasy imprint. I have a novella I’m currently shopping and another novel in progress. Information on and excerpts from all of these can be found on my website - http://jconradguest.com/.
AMY: How can we find you on the Internet (FaceBook, Twitter, MySpace, blog, website addresses)?
JCG: I have a Website - http://jconradguest.com/, and a FaceBook page; I appear on Goodreads, LinkedIn, and I Twitter. My fiction appears on a number of Websites—just Google me.
AMY: Is there anything you would like to ask the readers?
JCG: You know, there is. Writers write, in part, to connect with an audience. Sadly, all too often our only connection comes at the end of the month, when we receive our royalty statement. That said, I’d like to ask your readers to connect with me, and all their favorite writers. Please, stop my Website, sign my guestbook (I promise not to spam you in return for your generosity), check out my blog; leave a comment or two on those entries that move you. Let me know what you think. Writing is a solitary endeavor, but after a piece is finished, a writer wants to know that they’ve connected with you!
AMY: Readers, are there any questions you would like to ask J. Conrad Guest?
J. Conrad has been generous enough give away an autographed copy of Backstop: A Baseball Love Story in Nine Innings. I am sorry but this is limited to U.S. residents only, due to the cost of postage. If you would like a chance to win the book, simply comment and leave your e-mail address. A winner will be picked and announced Saturday night. Good luck.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Powerful Prayful Monday
Good afternoon. I am running a little behind today.
I have been blessed with being able to pray for each of you and I hope to continue the practice. However, my Powerful Prayful Monday will turn into Powerful Prayful Sunday next week.
This change is made for a couple of reasons
1. Sunday is a great day to reflect over the past week and thank God for the many blessings
2. Sunday is the perfect day to prepare for the week to come without the rush that usually accompanies Monday.
3. I now post on a second blog every other Monday and the two are conflicting.
My other blog can be found at http://www.ladyscribes.blogspot.com/. This blog began two weeks ago, formed by my critique group and focuses on writing. Already some great posts have been added. The one I posted today asks the question of how important is Historical Accuracy is in a romance novel. I would love to hear your thoughts.
In the mean time, please post your prayer requests below so I can continue to pray for you.
Have a blessed week.
I have been blessed with being able to pray for each of you and I hope to continue the practice. However, my Powerful Prayful Monday will turn into Powerful Prayful Sunday next week.
This change is made for a couple of reasons
1. Sunday is a great day to reflect over the past week and thank God for the many blessings
2. Sunday is the perfect day to prepare for the week to come without the rush that usually accompanies Monday.
3. I now post on a second blog every other Monday and the two are conflicting.
My other blog can be found at http://www.ladyscribes.blogspot.com/. This blog began two weeks ago, formed by my critique group and focuses on writing. Already some great posts have been added. The one I posted today asks the question of how important is Historical Accuracy is in a romance novel. I would love to hear your thoughts.
In the mean time, please post your prayer requests below so I can continue to pray for you.
Have a blessed week.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Spotlight on: J.B. Kohl and Eric Beetner
Authors of: One Too Many Blows to the Head
Publisher: Second Wind Publishing
Available from Second Wind Publishing and Amazon and The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles
Kansas City, 1939.
In a world of fixed fights and mob influence Ray Ward and his brother Rex are two of.jpg)
the only clean fighters in town. With Ray in the corner and Rex in the ring they are headed for the big time. Until that fateful night. Now Ray has a score to settle using a lifetime of lessons in how to fight back.
Dean Fokoli is a detective with a new partner, an alcoholic wife and a guilty conscience. At least the boxer on the radio who just got beat to a pulp won’t end up in his homicide file. But when the dregs of the crooked fight world start turning up dead, Fokoli is on the hunt for the killer. The chase will take him to the underbelly of the Kansas City night and hopefully keep him one step ahead of his past.
AMY: Thank you for joining me. What else would you like to share with us regarding your book?
JB: As readers know, this book was a collaborative effort between Eric and me. We’ve talked a lot about the fact that we’ve never met, the art of collaboration, how our relationship works.
But beyond that, it’s important to keep in mind that writing is still writing. Eric couldn’t put my words to the paper for me and I couldn’t put words to the paper for him. There has to be the drive in a writer somewhere to get it done.
Eric and I were preparing to post for another blog this week and in the discussion he mentioned the fact that having someone else out there expecting pages from him was a great motivator. I’d have to agree with that. And I guess I’d like to point out to that Eric, unlike me, is a very clean writer. He doesn’t mince words. His writing is truly noir, complete with the grit and darkness that goes along with it. I’d have to say his writing influences my own—pushes me to refine a little bit.
ERIC: And JB is a much better technical writer, as in less mistakes and dumb errors. So she keeps me honest with some of my bad habits.
AMY: Were there any surprises that came about while you were writing One Too Many Blows To The Head, or did your story stick with the plan you had set?
JB: I’d have to say that we outlined the whole story from day one. We worked from that outline and refined / re-did it as needed, so there were no big character epiphanies for me. I think what was most surprising was how well we got along and how well we wrote together. I’ve heard so many bad things about collaboration including the “What are you crazy?” when I told people I was writing a book with someone else. Writing the book was fun. And I can’t wait to get the next one out there.
ERIC: It was nice having an outline we believed in and stuck to. I am not a good re-writer. I like to get it right the first time or usually I never take the time to go back and fix it, I just move on to the next thing. So if the first draft was full of holes I doubt it ever would have gotten finished.
AMY: What inspired you to write this book or these particular characters?
JB: Fokoli is a character I’ve had on tap for a few years. I like the characters that have some bad habits, that maybe aren’t all that likable . . . the folks you wouldn’t necessarily sit down and talk with.
I’d been saving him for a story where he’d be put to good use. As for the plot: that’s all Eric. I was initially pretty scared when he sent me a sketch of his character and the crime. I thought “Boxing? Oh hell.” (Don’t tell him I said that. He’s very sensitive.) But once we started writing it ended up being incredible.
ERIC: JB and I met through our love of film noir and boxing is a common theme. There is very little actual boxing in the book though. My grandfather was a boxer in the 1930s and I stole his name for the book. Although he made a living punching people in the face I don’t think he ever reached the heights of violence that my fictional Ray does in the book. I hope not.
AMY: Tell the readers about your writing journey and how you ended up with your publisher.
JB: Wow. There’s not too much to tell about this. All writers know what hard work it is to get a book out into the world. We started the book in June of 2008 and finished it in October. I have to go back and check the dates on the files every once in awhile to make sure I haven’t been accidentally sniffing paint or some other substance . . . writing it went very quickly. Eric had a very busy job and I write full time so it made sense that I would do the querying. Querying is very unglamorous. And heart wrenching at times. But like all determined writers, we knew we had something good. And it’s nice to be associated with Second Wind.
ERIC: Rejections become expected so I don’t get that upset about them. I’m much more surprised when someone actually agrees to publish something. It’s incredibly humbling especially for a small press because you know it is only a tiny group of people doing it for next to no money. It’s up to us to put a few dollars in the company till so that more books can find a home.
AMY: If there is one piece of advice you could give an unagented / unpublished author, what would it be?
JB: It’s easy to lose sight of the joy of writing and all that goes along with it. The reality is that writing can be work at times. Procrastination is much easier than sitting down and getting words on paper. If I sit down with the thought in my head “I’ll never be as successful as Stephen King” then my next thought is invariably “Why bother?” So my advice is just write. Write what you like. Write because you find joy in it.
ERIC: Exactly. If it ceases to become fun – stop. There are plenty of books out there. You need to be satisfied and creatively fulfilled even if no one ever reads a word you write. But if you keep at it you will only improve and good work truly does find a home.
AMY: Besides One Too Many Blows To The Head, which we highlighted here, have you published other books or are there some that are yet to be released?
JB: My first book, The Deputy’s Widow, was published in January of 2008 through Arctic Wolf. It’s a book set in 1948 upstate New York and, naturally, is a detective novel.
Here’s the synopsis:
1948 is drawing to a close and things couldn't be much worse for Private Detective Hamilton Baker. It starts with a simple phone call from Diana Kramer, a smooth tongued woman who begs the detective to find letters she's written to her lover, Sheriff's Deputy Chester "Chet" Ferrebee. Chet is to wed another woman this afternoon and Diana, the scorned mistress, wants the letters back where they belong.with her. Hours after the wedding, when Chet turns up dead in a roadside motel room, his bride beaten beyond recognition and unable to remember anything, Baker fears his client is somehow involved. As he searches for the letters, he unwillingly digs into the past of the sleepy town of Crane Haven and uncovers the dangerous secrets of a group of men who shattered a young girl's mind, as well as her chance for happiness, years ago.
ERIC: And it’s really GOOD! I read that and it was what made me contact JB and send her one of my stories which is how this all got started. I’ve had many short crime stories published on several webzines and have a few shorts coming out in anthologies. I have two solo novels that I am shopping around too. And coming soon is another book JB and I are working on together now.
AMY: How can we find you on the internet (facebook, twitter, myspace, blog, website addresses)
JB: Some of the places you can find us are: MySpace at myspace.com/jbkohl.and.ericbeetner, jbkohl.wordpress.com, www.jbkohl.com
ERIC: my writing home page is ericbeetner.blogspot.com which has links to all my shorts. We’re on Facebook as well both individually and as a fan page for the book.
AMY: Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers?
JB: I just want to say thanks for reading books published by independent publishers. It’s so nice that there are readers out there who look for something different . . . there are all kinds of writers writing all genres out there and thanks to independent publishers and the readers that support them writers have the opportunity to have their words read. So thanks!
ERIC: I just want the readers of your blog, Amy, to know this is a very different book. I love that you are willing to help us promote a book that is miles away from what you write. But hey, a great story is a great story be it romance, crime, sci-fi or otherwise. Our book is not for the faint of heart but it is a compelling read, or so I’ve heard.
AMY: Is there anything you would like to ask the readers?
JB: I’m always interested in hearing from readers. What sorts of genres do you read? What are your favorite books or authors? As a writer I read constantly and I love to talk about reading as much as I love to talk about writing. Send me your thoughts any time.
ERIC: Me too. Hearing back from and meeting readers, virtually or not, is a great reward to writing which is such a solitary act. I want to know what readers like in a series. I don’t typically read a lot of series work but the mystery field is crowded with them. What’s the appeal? We’re working on a sequel right now and I want to get it right.
AMY: Readers, are there any questions you would like to ask JB or Eric?
JB and Eric have been generous enough give away an autographed copy of One Too Many Blows to the Head. I am sorry but this is limited to U.S. residents only, due to the cost of postage. If you would like a chance to win the book, simply comment and leave your e-mail address. A winner will be picked and announced Saturday night. Good luck.
Publisher: Second Wind Publishing
Available from Second Wind Publishing and Amazon and The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles
Kansas City, 1939.
In a world of fixed fights and mob influence Ray Ward and his brother Rex are two of
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the only clean fighters in town. With Ray in the corner and Rex in the ring they are headed for the big time. Until that fateful night. Now Ray has a score to settle using a lifetime of lessons in how to fight back.Dean Fokoli is a detective with a new partner, an alcoholic wife and a guilty conscience. At least the boxer on the radio who just got beat to a pulp won’t end up in his homicide file. But when the dregs of the crooked fight world start turning up dead, Fokoli is on the hunt for the killer. The chase will take him to the underbelly of the Kansas City night and hopefully keep him one step ahead of his past.
AMY: Thank you for joining me. What else would you like to share with us regarding your book?
JB: As readers know, this book was a collaborative effort between Eric and me. We’ve talked a lot about the fact that we’ve never met, the art of collaboration, how our relationship works.
But beyond that, it’s important to keep in mind that writing is still writing. Eric couldn’t put my words to the paper for me and I couldn’t put words to the paper for him. There has to be the drive in a writer somewhere to get it done.
Eric and I were preparing to post for another blog this week and in the discussion he mentioned the fact that having someone else out there expecting pages from him was a great motivator. I’d have to agree with that. And I guess I’d like to point out to that Eric, unlike me, is a very clean writer. He doesn’t mince words. His writing is truly noir, complete with the grit and darkness that goes along with it. I’d have to say his writing influences my own—pushes me to refine a little bit.
ERIC: And JB is a much better technical writer, as in less mistakes and dumb errors. So she keeps me honest with some of my bad habits.
AMY: Were there any surprises that came about while you were writing One Too Many Blows To The Head, or did your story stick with the plan you had set?
JB: I’d have to say that we outlined the whole story from day one. We worked from that outline and refined / re-did it as needed, so there were no big character epiphanies for me. I think what was most surprising was how well we got along and how well we wrote together. I’ve heard so many bad things about collaboration including the “What are you crazy?” when I told people I was writing a book with someone else. Writing the book was fun. And I can’t wait to get the next one out there.
ERIC: It was nice having an outline we believed in and stuck to. I am not a good re-writer. I like to get it right the first time or usually I never take the time to go back and fix it, I just move on to the next thing. So if the first draft was full of holes I doubt it ever would have gotten finished.
AMY: What inspired you to write this book or these particular characters?
JB: Fokoli is a character I’ve had on tap for a few years. I like the characters that have some bad habits, that maybe aren’t all that likable . . . the folks you wouldn’t necessarily sit down and talk with.
I’d been saving him for a story where he’d be put to good use. As for the plot: that’s all Eric. I was initially pretty scared when he sent me a sketch of his character and the crime. I thought “Boxing? Oh hell.” (Don’t tell him I said that. He’s very sensitive.) But once we started writing it ended up being incredible.
ERIC: JB and I met through our love of film noir and boxing is a common theme. There is very little actual boxing in the book though. My grandfather was a boxer in the 1930s and I stole his name for the book. Although he made a living punching people in the face I don’t think he ever reached the heights of violence that my fictional Ray does in the book. I hope not.
AMY: Tell the readers about your writing journey and how you ended up with your publisher.
JB: Wow. There’s not too much to tell about this. All writers know what hard work it is to get a book out into the world. We started the book in June of 2008 and finished it in October. I have to go back and check the dates on the files every once in awhile to make sure I haven’t been accidentally sniffing paint or some other substance . . . writing it went very quickly. Eric had a very busy job and I write full time so it made sense that I would do the querying. Querying is very unglamorous. And heart wrenching at times. But like all determined writers, we knew we had something good. And it’s nice to be associated with Second Wind.
ERIC: Rejections become expected so I don’t get that upset about them. I’m much more surprised when someone actually agrees to publish something. It’s incredibly humbling especially for a small press because you know it is only a tiny group of people doing it for next to no money. It’s up to us to put a few dollars in the company till so that more books can find a home.
AMY: If there is one piece of advice you could give an unagented / unpublished author, what would it be?
JB: It’s easy to lose sight of the joy of writing and all that goes along with it. The reality is that writing can be work at times. Procrastination is much easier than sitting down and getting words on paper. If I sit down with the thought in my head “I’ll never be as successful as Stephen King” then my next thought is invariably “Why bother?” So my advice is just write. Write what you like. Write because you find joy in it.
ERIC: Exactly. If it ceases to become fun – stop. There are plenty of books out there. You need to be satisfied and creatively fulfilled even if no one ever reads a word you write. But if you keep at it you will only improve and good work truly does find a home.
AMY: Besides One Too Many Blows To The Head, which we highlighted here, have you published other books or are there some that are yet to be released?
JB: My first book, The Deputy’s Widow, was published in January of 2008 through Arctic Wolf. It’s a book set in 1948 upstate New York and, naturally, is a detective novel.
Here’s the synopsis:
1948 is drawing to a close and things couldn't be much worse for Private Detective Hamilton Baker. It starts with a simple phone call from Diana Kramer, a smooth tongued woman who begs the detective to find letters she's written to her lover, Sheriff's Deputy Chester "Chet" Ferrebee. Chet is to wed another woman this afternoon and Diana, the scorned mistress, wants the letters back where they belong.with her. Hours after the wedding, when Chet turns up dead in a roadside motel room, his bride beaten beyond recognition and unable to remember anything, Baker fears his client is somehow involved. As he searches for the letters, he unwillingly digs into the past of the sleepy town of Crane Haven and uncovers the dangerous secrets of a group of men who shattered a young girl's mind, as well as her chance for happiness, years ago.
ERIC: And it’s really GOOD! I read that and it was what made me contact JB and send her one of my stories which is how this all got started. I’ve had many short crime stories published on several webzines and have a few shorts coming out in anthologies. I have two solo novels that I am shopping around too. And coming soon is another book JB and I are working on together now.
AMY: How can we find you on the internet (facebook, twitter, myspace, blog, website addresses)
JB: Some of the places you can find us are: MySpace at myspace.com/jbkohl.and.ericbeetner, jbkohl.wordpress.com, www.jbkohl.com
ERIC: my writing home page is ericbeetner.blogspot.com which has links to all my shorts. We’re on Facebook as well both individually and as a fan page for the book.
AMY: Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers?
JB: I just want to say thanks for reading books published by independent publishers. It’s so nice that there are readers out there who look for something different . . . there are all kinds of writers writing all genres out there and thanks to independent publishers and the readers that support them writers have the opportunity to have their words read. So thanks!
ERIC: I just want the readers of your blog, Amy, to know this is a very different book. I love that you are willing to help us promote a book that is miles away from what you write. But hey, a great story is a great story be it romance, crime, sci-fi or otherwise. Our book is not for the faint of heart but it is a compelling read, or so I’ve heard.
AMY: Is there anything you would like to ask the readers?
JB: I’m always interested in hearing from readers. What sorts of genres do you read? What are your favorite books or authors? As a writer I read constantly and I love to talk about reading as much as I love to talk about writing. Send me your thoughts any time.
ERIC: Me too. Hearing back from and meeting readers, virtually or not, is a great reward to writing which is such a solitary act. I want to know what readers like in a series. I don’t typically read a lot of series work but the mystery field is crowded with them. What’s the appeal? We’re working on a sequel right now and I want to get it right.
AMY: Readers, are there any questions you would like to ask JB or Eric?
JB and Eric have been generous enough give away an autographed copy of One Too Many Blows to the Head. I am sorry but this is limited to U.S. residents only, due to the cost of postage. If you would like a chance to win the book, simply comment and leave your e-mail address. A winner will be picked and announced Saturday night. Good luck.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Powerful Prayful Monday 1/11/10
Good morning, everyone. It is a beautiful day. Yes, even rain, snow, ice and frigid temperatures are beautiful. It is all part of God's nature and His plan. Let's begin another week of praying for each other by pouring out your hearts in the comments.
Congrats DESTRELLA
Destrella has won Christine's book. Please send her your address and full name so she can send it to you. Her email is christinehusom@aol.com.
Friday, January 08, 2010
Spotlight on: Christine Husom
Spotlight on: Christine Husom
Author of: Murder in Winnebago County
Publisher: Second Wind Publishing
ISBN: 978-1935171058
Release Dates 09/08 and 08/09
Genre: Mystery Thrillers
Available from Second Wind Publishing, Amazon.com, Target.com and Minnesota bookstores
Murder in Winnebago County features an unlikely murderer in a small Minnesota town. The clever murderer leaves a growing chain of apparent suicides. As Sergeant Corinne “Corky”Aleckson follows her intuition to solve the cases, she enlists the he
lp of Detective Elton “Smoke” Dawes. What she doesn’t realize is the killer is keeping a close watch on her. Will she be the next victim?AMY: Thank you for joining me. What else would you like to share with us regarding your book?
CHRIS: It is a fairly fast paced thriller, slightly more action-driven than character-driven, but people have told me they feel like they might run into those characters on the street—they are that real to them.
AMY: Were there any surprises that came about while you were writing Murder in Winnebago County, or did you story stick with the plan you had set?
CHRIS: Yes, I had a few surprises. I couldn’t let the killer murder the person I had intended to be the second victim because I liked her so much. So I thought, okay, she’ll be the third victim then, and I still couldn’t kill her off, so I had to choose another victim instead. Another big surprise was in Corky’s love life. I planned for it to go one way, then she found herself attracted to someone that surprised even her. You never know what may happen when you create characters. Like our children, they don’t come with instruction manuals.
AMY: What inspired you to write this book or these particular characters?
CHRIS: My father died under somewhat suspicious circumstances. Since we didn’t have a good explanation for his manner of death, I begin to think, what if it wasn’t an accident, what if it was murder? I pondered why a person would kill another, specifically, in this case, a retired judge. In fairly short order, I had a cast of Winnebago County characters.
AMY: Tell the readers about your writing journey and how you ended up with your publisher.
CHRIS: It took me close to five years to write the book. I wrote the first half in a couple of months, put it away for five years because of other commitments, picked it up and finished it in another few months. I searched for an agent on and off for years, without success. Finally, my daughter encouraged me to enter an on-line crime writer’s contest and that’s where I met my publisher. It’s been a whirlwind of events ever since!
AMY: If there is one piece of advice you could give an unagented / unpublished author, what would it be?
CHRIS: The pat answer is “don’t give up”, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. Get a number of people from different walks of life to read your work and give you honest an critique. If you are looking for an agent, or a publisher, be sure to research them well to see what type of work they are looking for. Follow their specific guidelines on how, and what, to submit to them. If they want a synopsis, a bio, and the first 30 pages, don’t send an outline and the whole manuscript. Network with other authors and people in the publishing business. Oops, that’s more than one piece of advice.
AMY: Besides Murder in Winnebago County, which we highlighted here, have you published other books or are there some that are yet to be released?
CHRIS: Yes, the second book in the Winnebago County mystery thriller series was released in August, 2009. An Altar by the River will come out in 2010.
AMY: How can we find you on the internet (facebook, twitter, myspace, blog, website addresses)
CHRIS: The pat answer is “don’t give up”, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. Get a number of people from different walks of life to read your work and give you honest an critique. If you are looking for an agent, or a publisher, be sure to research them well to see what type of work they are looking for. Follow their specific guidelines on how, and what, to submit to them. If they want a synopsis, a bio, and the first 30 pages, don’t send an outline and the whole manuscript. Network with other authors and people in the publishing business. Oops, that’s more than one piece of advice.
AMY: Besides Murder in Winnebago County, which we highlighted here, have you published other books or are there some that are yet to be released?
CHRIS: Yes, the second book in the Winnebago County mystery thriller series was released in August, 2009. An Altar by the River will come out in 2010.
AMY: How can we find you on the internet (facebook, twitter, myspace, blog, website addresses)
CHRIS: My website is www.christinehusom.webs.com. Check out my publisher at www.secondwindpublishing.com . Look for me by name on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and at the Second Wind Publishing Blog on Wordpress.
AMY: Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers?
CHRIS: I am very grateful for the joy and blessings being published has brought. I have met wonderful people in this industry—both in person and on-line--who are supportive, helpful, and optimistic about the business. I am especially grateful to my family and friends, my publisher and other Second Wind authors, and my readers—they’re the reason I’m writing the third book in the Winnebago series.
AMY: Is there anything you would like to ask the readers?
CHRIS: Not a question, but a request—please don’t hesitate to contact me with any comments or questions at christinehusom@aol.com. Thank you, Amy for your first class blog and for inviting me to be here. And thanks to each of you for stopping by.
AMY: Readers, are there any questions you would like to ask Chris.
Christine Husom has been generous enough give away an autographed copy of Murder in Winnebago County. I am sorry but this is limited to U.S. residents only, due to the cost of postage. If you would like a chance to win the book, simply comment and leave your e-mail address. A winner will be picked and announced Saturday night. Good luck
Monday, January 04, 2010
Powerful Prayful Monday 1/4/10
I am sorry for the late posting today. I was hoping to be inspired with something deep and meaningful to begin the new year with, but it didn't happen *sigh*. So, how about as a New Years Resolution we vow to pray often, for each other and ourselves and for the strangers we pass on the street. And, to pray each and every day for the requests and praises listed in the comments.
You guys have been such in blessing to me in listing your requests, and praying for me even though I have not asked for it. Please know it is always appreciated because there are times I have really needed some prayers. Who doesn't need prayers.
Also, if you are an author of historical romance, you may want to stop by a new blog that was just started today - www.ladyscribes.blogspot.com.
Have a Blessed New Year
You guys have been such in blessing to me in listing your requests, and praying for me even though I have not asked for it. Please know it is always appreciated because there are times I have really needed some prayers. Who doesn't need prayers.
Also, if you are an author of historical romance, you may want to stop by a new blog that was just started today - www.ladyscribes.blogspot.com.
Have a Blessed New Year
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