I'll Put 3 Chips on God 
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 I’ll Put 3 Chips On God – just in case there is one

Welcome to my blog Preeti.  Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions about yourself and your first book.

Q.  Preeti is an unusual name.  What is the origin?

A.  It is of Indian origin and it means “love” or “affection”. 

 

Q. Tell us about your latest work—title, genre, etc.

A.  My newly published book is called I’ll Put 3 Chips On God – just in case there is one.  The book is about Spirituality, analyzed from an agnostic point of view.  I take a look at common spiritual concepts such as the Ego, the Soul, Karma, Detachment, Heaven, God, Meditation, Vegetarianism, and Astrology, and examine them from an objective, “devil’s advocate” point of view.  In other words, I analyze these ideas from all angles, including the possibility that they are valid, and the possibility that they are not.  I do come to some conclusions at the end of the book, but it is less about preaching and more about the use of logic when exploring Spirituality.

Q. What draws you to your genre(s)? Why is this type of story compelling to you?

A. Well, let’s see—I was getting close to my 40s, was in the middle of a divorce, and was realizing that my numerous entrepreneurial attempts were not working and I would have to return to the corporate world.  That was enough for me to dive headfirst into the lap of Spirituality!

When I did, I realized that a lot of existing material is written from a “purist” point of view, i.e. the idea of Karma or Detachment is not questioned, rather the focus is on how to incorporate these concepts into one’s life. I wanted to take a step back because I was not sure whether I even believed in these ideas in the first place. 

So I had to do my own analysis of all that I came across.  I wrote the book because I simply wanted to share whatever knowledge I’ve acquired with those who might think similarly to me. 

Q. What is your writing process like? Do you map the whole thing out or do you just let it unfold?

A. This is my first book, so my writing was pretty juvenile at first.  I had written short articles for local newspapers before, so I wasn’t a complete novice.  However writing a book is much more challenging.  There is more opportunity to ramble on and not be clear and concise when trying to make a point.  I tried writing my first draft almost three years ago, and it was awful.  I made another attempt a year later.  Then one day, I was reading a book that was written very naturally, with a lot of humor, and I realized that the “voice” of the author was similar to the “voice” in my head.  No, I was not a crazy person, what I mean is that the way he wrote was the way I thought.  And I realized that if I simply write whatever I am thinking, without trying to formalize or alter it too much, I can communicate much better.  So that’s what I did, and voila! . . . the words started flowing.

Q. What kind of research was involved?

A. None really.  I write this from an everyday, layman perspective. 

I had been exposed to all of these concepts as I was growing up, so there was a lot of learning that took place indirectly in the past.  But when it came time to write the book, I simply presented whatever thoughts and questions had accumulated over the years.  There was almost no research done for this, except for me referring constantly to the Thesaurus to avoid sounding like a repetitious parrot with a three word vocabulary!

Q.  Is there any part of your Indian heritage that has influenced your writing?

A. As I mentioned, a lot of the discussions that I bring to the book stem from my background.  We weren’t a particularly religious household, but I did attend a fair number of lectures, celebrations, and temples as a child.  As you will see from reading the book, I do make a lot of references to Hindu and Buddhist beliefs because those are what I’ve learned and analyzed over the years. And while I come to the conclusion that many of them seem logical, I also cover those I don’t find to be so, like the ability to wear precious gems or special colors to ward off negative energy.  Or Meditation which seems a great idea in theory (and I know genuinely works for others), but is a practice I’ve never been able to master.

Q. What would be some advice you would give to aspiring authors?

A. Give yourself time to “forget” the manuscript while writing.  It was REALLY tempting to just edit quickly and get the book out.  It’s exciting to see your name in print, after all.  However I made myself resist, and took the time to set aside the book for 2-3 months between edits.  That really made a world of difference as to how I was able to revise and improve the book. 

Q. Could you share some of your marketing strategies?  Which ones are the most effective in your opinion?

A. I’m planning to offer the printed copy to some local bookstores on consignment.  In addition, I’ve done some postings on a few booklover sites, and I’ve also posted a fundraising project on a few crowdfunding sites.  My objective was not to raise money, truthfully, I did it to expose the book to people.  It worked in that I got a few supporters who learned about the book through those campaigns and are now interested in reading it.

However I don’t really plan to do much more in the way of marketing.  I am not even sure I’ll be writing another book, unless this does well and people want me to expand on what I’ve presented.  I always had it in my mind to write this particular book, because I felt I had something to say on the topic.  But it was one of those things I thought I’d do in retirement or “later”.  It wasn’t actively on my agenda.  However the Universe presented a set of circumstances that led me to have the time and desire to write the book now.  So I did.  Where the book goes after this, and how well it does, I will leave to destiny, and to God!

(If there is one.)

Q.  Any closing remarks?

A.  I’d love to offer a complimentary copy of the EBook to your readers, downloadable at:  www.3ChipsOnGod.com/EBook

There are also some excerpts available to read on the site.  I am very interested in hearing everyone’s feedback, so I hope they will take the time to write me, or to post an honest review on Amazon.  It would mean a lot.

Lastly, I want to thank you for taking the time to learn about the book, and for the opportunity to introduce myself.   I’ve enjoyed sharing my experiences.

Thanks Preeti for taking the time to share your knowledge with us. We appreciate you and your work.

Good luck with your current and future publications.

READERS:  Do not forget to leave a comment and be entered in the drawing for a free, signed copy of 3Chips on God.  Preeti is generously offering two copies.  So leave a comment and contact details to enter the drawing.

For more information: 

Email:                preeti@3ChipsOnGod.com                    

Purchase:         Amazon, Barnes and Noble        

Blog/Website:   http://www.3ChipsOnGod.com     

Please go to the comments button below in white box next to the time to interact with our Author and other readers.

Tears for the Mountain

Welcome to my blog Chris. I and my readers are intrigued to learn about your book Tears for the Mountain and your mission to Haiti.  Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and share your experiences.

Beautiful Haiti Sunset

 

Q.  Chris, is ‘Tears for the Mountain’ your first book?

A.  Yes, Tears for the Mountain is my first book.

Q. Please tell us about your book—title, genre, etc. — and why you wrote it?

A.  Tears for the Mountain is a non-fiction book about a medical mission trip to Haiti in 2010 after the deadly earthquake there.  It is the story of a team I worked with whose job was to deliver 20,000 pounds of medical supplies to hospitals affected by the quake.  Along the way we dealt with gangs of roving bandits, heard heartbreaking stories of survival, and worked with a notorious Haitian warlord. 

I wrote the book because I wanted to raise money for the orphanage in Port-au-Prince where we worked.  A portion of the proceeds goes to New Life Children’s Home, which has been taking in children from the streets since the 80’s.  I also wanted people to get a feeling for what relief work is really like.  It’s not a book that says “look at all the wonderful things I’ve done, I’m a great person.”  It just covers what something like this feels like, including the bad, the ugly, and the funny.

Haiti after Earthquake 2010

 

Q.   What draws you to your genre(s)? Why is this type of story compelling to you?

A.   When I started thinking about writing the book I researched what else had been written about Haiti, and I was disappointed to find that there were either fictional stories that included the earthquake or books written by high-level people.  No one had put together a piece on what it was like working on the ground.  It is one thing to read the UN envoy’s thoughts on the disaster, but it’s another to read what it was like to be working in the post-disaster environment.

The story is compelling to me for two reasons: first is that is raises money for orphans.  To me, that really is the most important part of the book.  The second thing is that the book just gives an honest look at what relief work is like, and I try to place the reader in my shoes during the journey.  Part of my writing style is to describe the settings in as much detail as possible, and I’ve received a lot of feedback from readers that said they felt as though they were there with us.

 

Q.  What is your writing process like? Do you map the whole thing out or do you just let it unfold?

A.  The writing process for this book is a lot different from a novel.  Since its non-fiction, you don’t have the option of adding pieces that didn’t happen; you are bound by fact.  Because of that, I was able to base the book around notes I took when I was in-country.  I usually keep a log or journal when I travel, and it’s been helpful for me when I’m trying to remember the name of the town I went mountain climbing in Mongolia or the restaurant in Nice I went to for my honeymoon.  So it made sense to me to keep a journal when I was in Haiti, and I based a lot of my information on those notes.

I was also fortunate that Dr. Stephen Schroering, the orthopedic surgeon in the book, was able to go over the manuscript prior to publication.  It really helped to tell a story that more than one person lived through.

Q.   What kind of research was involved in writing your book?

A.   Going to Haiti during a disaster. 

One interesting thing about the book was reconciling what we heard/saw on the ground with what the ‘official’ reports were like after.  For example, there was a big scandal that an aid agency had been smuggling children from Haiti to the Dominican Republic.  The UN found out about it and came down hard on the aid agencies.  The news was broken by a major news outlet – CNN or someone else big.  But when we were on the ground, I heard leaders of other aid agencies saying that these guys had been doing this for years, that the UN knew about it, and that it was only a big deal because someone was putting it in the news.  That made for interesting research a year later when I started writing because I had a degree of doubt as to what was accurate and what was the official story that the major agencies were telling. 

Q.   How much of YOU makes it into your characters?

A.   A great deal.  I normally try to keep myself out of books, but in this case it was impossible.  This experience did make me enjoy writing about settings I have been to before, which is something I have used in my other books.  This book is very different, however, and it is all about one world event seen through my eyes.

Q.   How do you balance the need to have time to write with the needs of family, society, etc.?

A.  You know, if you love writing, you’ll make time for it. You have to enjoy the creative process more than watching ‘Project Runway’ or else you’ll decide to spend your time watching TV instead of writing.  It’s all about priorities, and you have to decide what is most important to you.  I use all my spare time to write – when I’m in the shower, I’m thinking about the next scene I need to put down.  When I drive, I’m thinking about the holes in the plot of the book I’m outlining.  And whenever I have 10 minutes free, I’m on my laptop putting down words.  You just have to be disciplined about it.

Q.   Have there been any authors in particular, that inspired your writing?

A.   I probably re-read “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller every year.  I also have great admiration for Herman Woulk’s work, which still is gripping and captivating half a century later.  Any book that grips me and makes me want to read more than eat or sleep interests me.

Q.   Is there a story you want to tell behind or about your work(s)?

A.   Dr. Schroering and I had lunch a few months back and he was telling me about another trip he took to Haiti this year.  He had been trying to meet up with a priest who is also a physician in Haiti, and on this trip they had the chance to connect.  When Dr. Schroering arrived, the priest was in the middle of mass, and there were 4 bodies laid out in the middle of the church.  He realized it was a funeral mass, so he waited quietly until everything was done and the service was over.  When he met the priest he said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had a funeral today.”  The priest replied, “This is Haiti.  Every day I have a funeral.” 

I think everyone forgets what the situation is like on the ground there, and I am hopeful that this book is a reminder that people still need your help.

Q.  Have you been back to Haiti since your mission of mercy in 2010?

A.  I haven’t been back to Haiti since, but I have done a great deal of work with some of the children that we met on that trip.  Dr. Schroering and I worked to bring back a young boy whose legs were infected by wounds caused by sickle cell anemia.  The hospital where we worked had one of the best wound care centers in the nation, and we were able to get him treatments to heal his legs.  If he had not had access to the hyperbaric oxygen treatments there, both of his legs would have been amputated.

  

Q.  Do you have continued contact with New Life Children’s Home in Haiti?

A.  I do.  Miriam is hard to get a hold of because she is always on the go, but fortunately I am able to speak with her and Dr. Schroering.  Social Media also makes it really easy to keep track of them because you can go on Miriam’s Facebook page and see where she is.  It makes me giggle when I think that most people use FB to show what movies they’re going to or what night clubs, and here’s Miriam showing what part of the mountains of Haiti she’s in, and she’s posting pictures of her and children being rescued.

Q.  Has any particular child or children, of all who you met at the orphanage, had an impact of your life?

A.  This might sound like a cop-out, but they all have an impact on you.  I mean, when you see a 9-year old who has just had his leg amputated and is learning to walk on crutches, you can’t avoid feeling something.  Every child who told me about their parents dying, babies who were scarred for life from the earthquake…they’re images that you can’t forget, and they’re people you can’t stop wanting to help.

Q.  Please tell us how your experience has changed you?

A.  There are a lot of things that changed.  First is that I can never look at another story about relief work the same way again.  It’s not glamorous; there aren’t these wonderful experiences that play out like a Hollywood movie.  It’s hard work, you are dirty and tired, and it’s an emotional rollercoaster.  I’m not sure why we always try and make stories out to be more than they are, but for some reason, we try to make relief work seem perfect, and it’s not.  There are a lot of mistakes that NGOs and governments make, and we should be willing to acknowledge them and try to fix them. 

I also learned that there are some pretty wonderful people in the world, and some pretty awful people in the world.  The media members that I met who were there to get a story and not to help really made me sick.  When I think about them, I actually still get physically angry.  There is a fundamental human emotion to help those you see who are in trouble, and the members of the media who were there just didn’t display that. They showed a complete lack of compassion or caring for their fellow human beings, and frankly, I will always be disgusted by that.  On the flipside, seeing people who dedicate their lives to helping strangers is a religious experience.  When I say that Miriam Frederick is the Mother Theresa of Haiti, it’s not just a tag line.  I really mean that she is someone who is a wonderful example of what each of us should strive to be every day.

The last thing that I think changed within me was my view on American society.  Before I went to Haiti, it dominated the news, and it was all anyone was talking about.  When I returned, it was as though someone had changed the channel and we were talking about other things, but for me, I couldn’t get over what I saw there.  I was really sad that we, as a people, have moved to this culture where we move from topic to topic quickly instead of seeing things through.  I fully understand that most people couldn’t find Haiti on a map or tell you more than 3 facts about the country, but it just bothers me that millions of people donated money, pretended to care about what was happening, and then forgot the next day.  We need to have better character than that and see things through to completion.

Q.  You say you have ‘taken a break to write fiction’; do you plan on another similar mission and subsequent book?

A.  Did Dr. Schroering pay you to ask that?  Every time I have lunch with him, he asks me the same thing!  When I think about writing non-fiction, I want to write stories that have a purpose, that I can connect with, and that develop naturally.  The idea of going to Haiti to write a second book seems a little…forced to me.  I’m sure it would be a good book and it would sell and have lots of good information in it, but there’s just some part of me that feels it would be wrong to do that way.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think non-fiction has to develop organically, and if it turns out that I went to Haiti with Dr. Schroering again and felt compelled to write a book, I would.  But I can’t plan on it happening.  You can’t plan your life-changing events.

Q.  What other projects are you currently working on or about to start?

A.  I have taken a break from non-fiction and am writing a 4 book fictional series.  The thing I like most about fiction is that you can just make it up!  If someone says, “Hey…that can’t really happen like that,” you can tell them it’s just fiction.  It’s a liberty I did not have with Tears for the Mountain.

Q.  Which is more satisfying, writing non-fiction or fiction?

A.  That’s like asking whether homemade apple pie or homemade ice cream is better!  They’re both fantastic, and I find writing both of them satisfying, but in different ways.  Fiction is satisfying because it is creative.  Fiction is the depths of imagination.  Fiction is trying to weave a story where there was nothing before, forging your own path on a blank page.  The only guide when you write fiction is the picture in your mind, and the limits are just what you can dream.  Non-fiction is beautiful because it is a reflection of life.  It is real.  There are no exaggerations, no Hollywood gimmicks to make you feel something artificial.  Non-fiction happened.  It is much harder to write, and every sentence is a struggle because you have to ask yourself, “Is this 100% true?  Can someone misinterpret what I’m saying here?”  With fiction, none of that matters because you’re making it all up!  If you write a novel and someone says, “Hey…that can’t happen!” you just tell them, “Dude…its fiction.” 

Writing each has its own pleasure and pain, but if I had to choose one, it would be non-fiction, with a slice of apple pie on the side.

Q.  Could you share some of your marketing strategies?  Which ones are the most effective in your opinion?

A.  This book has been successful mostly by word-of-mouth.  I was lucky enough to get CBS to do a story on the book, and I think we have a nice promotional video that shows what Haiti really looks like – not just the devastation, but also how beautiful it is.  But really, having people go out and tell their friends and family about the book is the best thing.

Q.  What would be the top five, (or 3 or 1 or however many) things you would tell aspiring authors?

A.  I would first tell people to ask why they want to be an author and what they think they’re going to get from it.  I have had a few people tell me that they want to quit their jobs and write, and I hate to burst their bubbles and tell them that there are few full-time writers who make good money.  For most writers, it’s a one or two-project thing that will not fully support them.  So if it’s an escape from your current situation, it’s a long shot.

The second thing I would tell aspiring authors is that they need to write.  Don’t get stuck in over-editing work.  Don’t get me wrong – it needs to be edited and look professional, but for me, writing new material is the most important thing.  This business is all about having new books/articles/stories being published, and you can’t do that if you spend 7 years on the same book. 

The last thing I would mention is that you need to just keep going.   It’s not uncommon to get hundreds of rejection letters before you have one person even acknowledge your existence.  Just push through it and keep querying. 

Again, thanks Chris for taking the time to share your book, thoughts, and experiences with us. We appreciate you and your work.  I understand that you have a new book ready for release ‘The 8^th Doll’.  Congratulations and good luck with your current and future publications.

For more information: 

Email:                 E-mail: crakunas@Hotmail.com                       

Purchase:           Amazon, BN, Book Depository    

Blog/Website:     www.facebook.com/chrisrakunas

Video:                 https://vimeo.com/42841856

Please go to the comments button below in white box next to the time to interact with our Author and other readers.

Interview with David LeRoy

Welcome to my blog David.  Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions about yourself and your book The Siren of Paris.

Q. Tell us about your latest work—title, genre, etc. — and why you wrote it?

A.  The latest happens to be my first novel and that is The Siren of Paris.  I wrote this book to shed light on an entirely different point of view on World War II.  The main character is a young art student who was born in France but raised in America.  He becomes trapped by the war. Due to survivor’s guilt, after his friend dies in the sinking of the RMS Lancastria, he returns to Paris for the duration of the war.  His decision leads to his nearly complete destruction, leaving him, after the war, an utterly changed person.

Q. What draws you to your genre(s)? Why is this type of story compelling to you?

A. The people I discover in my research, hands down.  The history is interesting and dramatic, but my key interest is how my characters change in response to those driving circumstances.  I am attracted to underdogs, or the unlikely hero.  For instance, among the more unlikely heroes I ran across in my research was a British nurse named Joan Rodes.  She rescued 19 men from the sea at Saint-Nazaire on June 17th, 1940 when the RMS Lancastria sank.  She is known among the survivors of the tragedy as the Angel of Saint-Nazaire.  I decided to give this historical figure a large role in my book, similar to the role Molly Brown had in Titanic.  But Joan Rodes is a very different character from the larger than life Molly Brown.  She lost the baby she was carrying two days later and was sick for the next two years.  What attracted me to her is that she is a wounded hero, and I think this is the type of character that can be very healing. 

Q. What is your writing process like? Do you map the whole thing out or do you just let it unfold?

A.  I am something of a control freak when it comes to writing, and this is likely due in part to my past jobs in project management.  Once I have the basic plot and characters down, I write out a three-page summary of the story and test the emotional structure of the book at that level.  Then, after making changes, I move on to writing a complete first rough draft of the novel.  From there, I add more details, emotional content, description and dialog as needed as I work through the drafts of the story.  Actual writing seems to be only a very small part of my process.  Re-writing is the majority of my process.  Once I have solved any pacing or tension issues, and all of the chapters and scenes of the story flow as I want them, I begin fine tuning the editing until I had it off to a copy-editor.  Here is the control freak part; throughout the entire process, I am tracking everything on a large MS Excel worksheet so I know exactly where I am at in the writing of the book.  Yes, I let things unfold through a highly structured and controlled method. 

Q.  What kind of research was involved in writing your book?

A.   Most of my research for this book was reading various other books on the subject of Vichy France, or World War II With that said, books published just after the war, up to 1965, had far more rich details that I could use in my story.  Books written after 1965 seemed to emphasize the political aspects of the war, and would not include the mundane details which actually bring the time period to life.  I also read all of the major French newspapers from 1938-1939.  I wanted to know if a common everyday person would have recognized the size and scope of World War II approaching.  The frightening thing is that I don’t think they would.  The papers have headlines about this or that crisis with Germany, but they really are just like our modern paper headlines about the Middle East or various social political crises.  Over time, I am sure people would become desensitized to the news or even dismissive. And the papers would go back and forth between highly urgent headlines and just everyday normal news.  I expect that instead of anticipating a new war, many people had just come to expect that each crisis would be resolved just like the last one.  Of course, that is not what happened, but I wanted to understand exactly what my characters would see, hear and read as World War II engulfed their lives. 

Q.  How much of YOU makes it into your characters?

A.   I suspect far more than I realize.  My undergraduate degree is in Philosophy and Religion; therefore I am accustomed to dealing with questions that have no answers.  Instead of glossing over these questions, I focused upon them in this story and tried to put the reader directly in front of the moral dilemmas people would face during the war.  I have my own experience with survivor’s guilt and posttraumatic stress disorder. It was not difficult for me to know exactly how surviving the sinking of the RMS Lancastria and later Buchenwald would torment Marc.                                                                                                                              
 Q. How do you balance the need to have time to write with the needs of family, society, etc.?

A.  I am single and without children, so it is not too difficult.  However, balancing my artwork with writing is a challenge.  They are both creative processes, but I use completely different parts of my brain for writing vs. painting.   Plus, because of the stories and characters I am attracted to, it is not practical for me to produce multiple books per year. 

Q. Have there been any authors in particular, that inspired your writing?

A.  I suppose Hemingway, but I am more likely influenced by John Steinbeck.  But here is an unlikely one, and that is the American landscape photographer Ansel Adams.  Before I took up painting, I used to spend a lot of time with fine art in the form of black and white photography, and Ansel Adams taught about the need, in photography, to pre-visualize your image as you are taking it, down to the type of negative you are creating and what it will look like as a final print.  When I am writing, putting together a scene, I am completely pre-visualizing that scene in my mind’s eye.  This is the most exhausting aspect of writing for me, because I have to see it in my mind first, which requires creating it from my imagination and then describing what I am seeing through words that communicate this vision effectively to the reader.  Sometimes I pull it off, and other times I struggle, but I learned this technique from a photographer instead of an English professor.

Q.  Is there a story you want to tell behind or about your work(s)?

A.   The story behind The Siren of Paris is a spiritual story of rising above betrayal and survivor’s guilt.  For a World War II novel written over 70 years later, that is a unique story, because most of our modern World War II novels focus upon a hero’s victory over the Nazis or some secret mission that somehow helps to turn the tide of the war.  My own personal experience with survivors and veterans of the war is that time has healed the wounds very slowly.  For instance, survivors of the Lancastria sinking are still trying to get the government to at least declare the ship to be a protected war wreck.  My own personal hope is that there will be healing one day, even if it happens outside of the realm of the living.  The war did tear the fabric of our human life over 69 million times. 

Q. What other projects are you currently working on or about to start?

A.   The next story will be smaller in scope than this epic war novel, but poignant all the same.  I will be examining the choices and decisions that a Mayan orphan has to make after the death of her mother in San Cristobal de la Casas Mexico.  Currently, I am in the middle of my research for this story, and I expect to have a finished product in 2013. 

Q. Could you share some of your marketing strategies?  Which ones are the most effective in your opinion?

A.  Marketing is a terribly long race.  In the past, I have run a few half, full, and even one ultra marathon.  I am just starting out in this race, and my own goal is to pace myself and maintain a consistent level of activity.  Eventually, I will reach my target audience of readers, but from my perspective, although social media might help, achieving this goal takes time, effort and patience.  This is likely not the answer a new author wants to hear, but I think one of the problems new authors are having with marketing is unrealistic expectations of a small amount of activity within a short period of time.

Q. What would be the top five, (or 3 or 1 or however many) things you would tell aspiring authors?

A.  First: read a wide range of books about the craft of story creation.  Be on the lookout for new releases, and revisit the books that resonate with you the most from time to time.  In other words, develop a library of tools at your disposal.  

Second: Learn to experiment with your characters.  Don’t get locked into only one set of decisions, but try out a scene involving several sets of possible choices.  I use a square method to identify possibilities.  I draw, on a piece of paper, a giant square with a cross through it. 
Then, on the left side, both above and below, I have “fear,” and then on the right side, I have “desire.”   I use this template to explore my character‘s choices.  For instance, Marc must struggle with leaving Paris before the Germans arrive.  He has fear of leaving, fear of staying, desire to leave, and desire to stay all at the same time as he struggles to make the right choice.   I take the issue, and then look at how both fear and desire might influence a character’s choices in a given situation.

Third: you should embrace editing early in your process.  Toss out the ego, and get used to the idea that what you have written is not brilliant and can always be improved upon.  It is not easy to do and can be very discouraging, However, the reward is that both your story and writing exceeds what you would otherwise be capable of.   Personally, I found it easier to strip to pose nude for an art class than to allow others to read my writing.  If you do it often enough, it no longer feels so strange.  I am using this analogy for a reason, because both posing nude and being edited are both highly vulnerable experiences.  If you are anxious about editing, that is natural, but don’t let it prevent you from embracing it, because if you become the shy sensitive writer, your craft will suffer for it later.

Again, thanks David for taking the time to share your knowledge with us. We appreciate you and your work.

Good luck with your current and future publications.

 

For more information: 

Email:            egl9sun@sbcglobal.net                          

Purchase:      Amazon Kindle Edition

Blog/Website: www.thesirenofparis.com

http://bookpromotionservices.com/2012/05/22/siren-of-paris-tour/

Please go to the comments button below in white box next to the time to interact with our Author and other readers.

Happily Ever After

Short Stories from Mum's Collection

Another story from Mum's collection is available at Smashwords.  Go to the link below to download.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/206253 

The First Day on the Canals

Hatton Locks

 The longboat is picked up and training is given on two relatively easy locks.  Moor up for the night and nice dinner in a pub ready for the start of the trip next day.  We are told by a fellow boater that the next part of the journey involves the 21 Hatton Locks.  No problem we think!

There are 21 sets of locks altogether and they raise the Grand Union Canal to a height of 45 metres/144 feet, over a distance of 2miles/4km. For a narrow boat to make the climb it takes, between 3 to 5 hours, depending if they went singly or in pairs.

Well we did it under the 3 hours with help.  A young couple in their 30's with a small boat.  However, the wife was 7-8 months pregnant!  But that did not stop her from winding up the sluice gates, opening the heavy lock gates, and steering the boat.  If anything, she put us to shame with her energy and abilities!

After fourteen more locks we decide to call it a day and moor up for the night.  All four of us tired out, wet from the several down pours, and ready for a nice drink and pub dinner.

At Lapwoth Locks

Wet Summer on the English Canals

A week holiday on a Longboat in the rain of England!

More to follow.

Summer with Friends

Time with Friends

Must be Noon in Valletta, Malta.  The canon is fired.

 In the days of the Knights this was a hospital with your own bathroom.  Each arch is a bathroom for each hospital bed!

A ride through the Azure Window.

Only in Malta!  A view from the balcony.  Beautiful horse learning the ropes for the Malta Trot Racing.

A Bed of Knives

Welcome to my blog Elizabeth.  Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions about yourself and your books.

 

Q. Tell us about your latest work—title, genre, etc. — and why you wrote it?

A.  My latest work is A Bed of Knives.  Before I became a writer, I was a keen reader.  I read The Secret History by Donna Tartt and this story stuck in my head.  When I wanted to write a contemporary romance, I remembered the story and decided to use friendship and love as the theme of the story, using two threads, one light and one dark, to explore these themes.

Q.   What draws you to your genre(s)? Why is this type of story compelling to you?

A.  I’m drawn to good writing in any genre and like to write books that go a little beyond a single genre in order to add richness and texture to my stories.

Q.  What is your writing process like? Do you map the whole thing out or do you just let it unfold?

A.  I spend a lot of time thinking about my characters and don’t write anything until I understand how they tick.  Once I know them well enough, I place my characters into a difficult or unusual situation and the story unfolds without much interference from me, the writer. 

Q.   What kind of research was involved in writing your book?

A.   For A Bed of Knives, I researched the working conditions and pressures of top restaurants, the lifestyle of UK soccer players, antiques and various cancer treatments.

Q.   How much of YOU makes it into your characters?

A.  I think there is a little bit of me in quite a few of my main characters, but I will never divulge which bits or which characters.

Q.   How do you balance the need to have time to write with the needs of family, society, etc.?

A.  I’m lucky enough to be retired from full-time work now and, after a lifetime of bringing up three children, over two marriages, and working full-time for most of my life, I love that I can now achieve my ambition of writing books that will entertain my readers.

Q.   Have there been any authors in particular, that inspired your writing?

A.  Dorothy Dunnett, a well-known Scottish writer of historical fiction is (now sadly deceased) is someone I have admired all my adult life.  I also love Jilly Cooper’s writing.  There are many, many more writers I love, but I think these two have had the most influence on my own writing style.

Q.  What other projects are you currently working on or about to start?

A.  I’m currently working on a sequel to my second book, Meggie Blackthorn. Meggie Blue takes up Meggie’s story four years on, when the swinging sixties were in full flow.  I’m also writing a raunchy contemporary romance that will be published under another pen name when the time comes.  That’s proving to be a lot of fun.

Q.  Could you share some of your marketing strategies?  Which ones are the most effective in your opinion?

A.  First, having utter faith in the quality and high standard of writing and editing of your own work is most important.  There are no short-cuts to producing a professional book. After that, persistence and a willingness to work consistently to achieve your writing aims.  Next, never give up.  Ever.

Q.  What would be the top five, (or 3 or 1 or however many) things you would tell aspiring authors?

A.  The first three things I would tell an aspiring author would be Read, Read and Read Some More – particularly in the genres you want to write in.

Next, use correct grammar and spelling and don’t try to be too clever by overwriting just to show you know a lot of long words.   

Then, write a brilliant, original story that will enthrall potential readers.

Finally, Edit, Edit and Edit Some More – and if you cannot do it yourself, get a professional to help.

Again, thanks Elizabeth for taking the time to share your knowledge with us. We appreciate you and your work.

Good luck with your current and future publications.

For more information:  

Email:   Info@elizabethjasper.com                        

Purchase:    All three available on Kindle, Lying in Wait is available in paperback through Amazon and all good retailers.

  Blog/Website:   http://www.elizabethjasper.com  http://elizabethjasperwriter.wordpress.com      

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