Too Many Visitors for One Little House – author interview – Susan Chodakiewitz

Paperback Writer is pleased to introduce our Author for today, Susan Chodakiewitz, author of Too Many Visitors for One Little House.

Hi Susan Chodakiewitz,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

Q: Will you share with us how you came up with the idea for this book?

A: Too Many Visitors for One Little House is based on the wild summer that we moved to our new house and every aunt, cousin, uncle and great uncle — decided to visit –ALL– at the same time. I tried to persuade some visitors to come another time but they would not hear of it. My sister was already on her way with 4 kids, a husband and housekeeper in a giant BOUNDER…the biggest camper you ever saw. My sister-in-law was determined to make a clean slate after a divorce was already at the airport plane with her 3 kids with her kids and housekeeper when the call came that THEY also were coming! My parents stowed aboard my sister’s camper to SURPRISE me…and they dragged my newly arrived uncle from Russia along, to show him the USA! On one of my many trips to the grocery store that summer a scraggly dog followed me home. I guess he sniffed the truckload of yummy food I was bringing for the BIG family at home!

The whole summer was very chaotic and bigger than life… I thought I would write the story as a humorous novel or a movie script…Didn’t realize it would become a picture book… that was a surprise to me.

Q: Do you plan your stories first with an outline or does it come to you as write it?

A: I don’t outline when I write a children’s book. I do outline when I write musical theater, Came move on with out that step. But with children’s book I allow the story to flow. Usually I sit down and write the first draft in one sitting. Sometimes the story takes on a new direction takes totally surprises me.

Q: Do you know the end of the story at the beginning?

A: I start out with a story line, a character or a concept first. Then I think of an ending that has a payoff emotionally. That helps me develop the story line. The ending may change of course as I develop the story and learn about my characters.

Q: Do you have a process for developing your characters?

A: I write the first draft with a title, a storyline in mind, the characters and an ending in mind. I don’t realize that I don’t know the characters at this point. As soon as I get to a point of not knowing which way to take the story I realize – I don’t know my characters. They I start figuring out the characters. ALMOST every problem is solved by knowing my characters better. What do they like? What do they hate? What are they afraid of? What is their strength? What is their weakness? What is their dream? This knowledge comes later as I re-write and re work. I also like to develop a back story for them…what were there parents like…etc.

Q: It is said that authors write themselves into their characters. Is there any part of you in your characters and what they would be?

A: Of course! I use my own life and family as substrate for my children’s stories. There is a lot of humor and craziness in my family life.

Q: What is your most favorite part about this book?

A: I love the part where the scraggly dog appears and is attracted to this joyful home. I also love the part where the neighbors boogie-to-the-beat despite their apparent uptight nature. But my favorite scene is the scene with all the family dancing and playing music together. That is A LOT like my home life.

Q: When in the process of writing your book did you begin to look for a publisher?

A: It took about a year of crafting and tweaking before I dared to send it out to publishers.

Q: What struggles have you had on the road to being published?

A: Many rejections as everyone who writes can attest to.

Q: What has been the best part about being published?

A: The best part of being published is having readers and getting feedback that readers love your book! When a parent tells me how much their kid loves reading my book, or that it is the book they ask for before going to bed, or that they sing the repeating chorus around the house…That is a GREAT feeling of accomplishment. Makes all the work worthwhile. It is a wonderful feeling to know you have impacted a child in some way and brought them joy through reading.

Q: What do you want readers to remember and carry with them after reading your novel?

A: Too Many Visitors is a joyful story about the fun and happy chaos of family. One of my readers wrote me that after reading this book to her grand kids she suddenly appreciated her family more and that though she sometimes found her family annoying to be around, experiencing the joy of family from reading the book made her appreciate how blessed she was to have family that cared. That is something I would love readers to carry with them after reading my book.

Q: Do you have plans to write another book?

A: Two books in the wings. Dogstoyevsky – about a dog who wants to be a writer but can’t find his own artistic voice because he doesn’t believe in himself enough and gets confused by listening to everyone but himself about what it takes to write well.

I am also working on a sequel to Too Many Visitors for One Little House featuring the dog as a main character.

Q: Would you care to share with us how the virtual book tour experience with Pump Up Your Book Promotion has been for you?

A: Dorothy Thompson is very professional and an excellent promoter. I would do it again!

Q: Where can readers find a copy of your book?

A: The book is available at Amazon.com, select Barnes and Noble books stores and accessible through the Booksicals website www.booksicals.com

There is also a musical version of the book which is downloadable now on the website. download for FREE until through Dec 31. The Booksicals Repertory Company performs the book at schools, libraries and special events – encouraging a love of reading through the arts.

Q: Do you have a website for readers to go to?

A: Visit www.booksicals.com to read my blog, get Nanny’s delicious apple strudel recipe from the book, get arts and crafts ideas for the kids, listen to the musical version of the book as well buy the book .

Thank you, Susan Chodakiewitz for sharing your book and characters with us today. It has been a pleasure and I hope you have had a successful virtual book tour.

Daughter of Narcissus – author interview – Lady Colin Campbell

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Wednesday and our author Lady Colin Campbell, author of the biography/psychology book, Daughter of Narcissus (Dynasty Press Ltd, October ‘09).

About the Book :
Daughter of Narcissus is a stunning analysis by Lady Colin of her own dysfunctional family positioned at the heart of upper class Jamaican society from the middle of the 20th century to the present day. Covering the end of the British Colonial Age and the rise of a liberated generation, whilst addressing the narcissistic personality of her mother, the author brilliantly interconnects the sociological, political and personal. As she dissects the family dynamics lying beneath the appearance of wealth and power, Lady Colin’s understanding of personality disorder is revelatory: compelling the reader to comprehend the destructive and tragic reality concealed by rational language and behavior.

Set against a backdrop of glamour, wealth and fame, this compulsive book is both a fascinating history of one socially prominent family, and a uniquely detailed analysis of narcissism, its manifestations and how to survive them in order to lead a purposeful and affirming life.

Hi Lady Colin Campbell, or Georgie as she prefers to be known.

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

Q: Would you share with us how you came up with the idea for your book?

A: I wish I could claim credit for the idea for Daughter of Narcissus, but I cannot as it was not actually mine. I was in New York staying with a dear friend and we were talking to the eminent psychoanalyst Dr Erika Freeman about our narcissistic mothers when Erika suggested I write
about mine. Although I was initially horror stricken by the thought
of doing something so invasive of my mother’s privacy, Erika argued that she had every confidence that I could do the subject justice and, since my mother as dead, I would not actually be violating her privacy.

Q: Was it a light bulb moment or something that you thought about for a very long time?

A: It took me quite a few weeks of thought before I decided that I might be able to run with Erika’s idea. I then needed to see what my sisters’ attitudes were, for they were a part of the story and I would not have proceeded with the book had they been against it. To their credit, neither of them tried to block me and both of them have been supportive in their own ways.

Q: How did you come up with the title?

A: I had described my mother previously as a daughter of Narcissus and I thought the description was not only apt and succinct but would make a good title. Fortunately my publisher agreed. Not all my other books bear titles that I came up with – I have no problem with my own ideas being shot down if others seem better.

Q: How did you find an agent and publisher?

A: I have had three agents in my working life. The first I met through Barbara Taylor Bradford. The second was recommended through another agent. And the third I met through a friend of a friend. My agents have usually found my publishers, though my present publisher found me, so to speak.

Q: Who reads your work in progress?

A: No one reads my work in progress. The publishers of my first two books did look at the first parts of the manuscripts, but when they saw that I was handling the material competently, they let me get on with things without interruption. Since then, I have been my own critic – I write and rewrite until I am satisfied that I am communicating what I want to. And only then do I tick the box and move on to the next part.

Q: Who made a difference in the book’s quality?

A: Once I had finished Daughter of Narcissus to my satisfaction, I handed it over to the editor, Ken Hollings, for him to do the chopping and changing, and to clean up the inevitable grammatical errors to which that all writers are prone.

Q: How long did it take you to complete the first draft?

A: The first draft took me about twenty-one months to write, after which I began the honing and polishing process for another few months.

Q: How long did it take from start to publication?

A: The book took about two and a half years from start to finish, and the production process has taken another nine or so months.

Q: Do you have any advice for new authors?

A: I am not a great one for giving advice, as I feel that each person’s circumstances are different, and what is appropriate for one person might not be so for another. But I would encourage all prospective writers to stick to their guns and not allow rejection to deter them.
Some of the greatest bestsellers of all time have been rejected time and again. The Day of the Jackal was rejected 42 times, if memory serves me correctly, and that was at a time when writers were utterly dependent on publishers and book shops. This is not necessarily so any
longer: The internet will most likely change publishing in the next few years in ways that we will find difficult to imagine right now.
Already writers can self-publish and web-promote their works and that trend, I suspect, will give new writers options they would not have had in days gone by.

Thank you, Georgie, for stopping by Paperback Writer on your virtual book tour. I wish you continued success through the rest of you tour.

About the Author

Lady Colin Campbell is a highly successful and prolific author of several books, including London and New York Times bestsellers, and has been a prominent and often controversial figure in royal and social circles for many years. She perhaps is best known for her international bestselling book Diana in Private, 1992, and her subsequent extended and revelatory biography of the Princess of Wales, The Real Diana published in 2004. She has written books on the Royal Family, been a long term columnist and appeared numerous times on TV and Radio as an experienced Royal Insider and expert on the British aristocracy. In 1997 she published her autobiography, A Life Worth Living, which was serialized in The Daily Mail. Born in St Andrew, Jamaica, she was educated there and in New York, where she lived for seven years. She is connected to British royalty through common ancestors and marriage. She has two sons and lives in London.

You can visit Georgie online at website: www.dynastypress.co.uk or blog:
http://Ladycolincampbell.blogspot.com

Dispel the Mist – author interview – Marilyn Meredith

Happy Friday and thanks for stopping by Paperback Writer. If you haven’t seen our latest Thursday Thirteen, Thirteen Things to Know about Deputy Tempe Crabtree from the novel Dispel the Mist scroll down to below this post, but be sure to come back here and read the interview with the creator of Deputy Crabtree and find out how author Marilyn Meredith came up with the idea for her latest book.

About the Book:

A Tulare County Supervisor, with both Native American and Mexican roots, dies under suspicious circumstances. Because of Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s own ties to the Bear Creek Indian Reservation, she’s asked to help with the investigation. To complicate matters, besides the supervisor’s husband, several others had reason to want the woman dead.

Tempe has unsettling dreams, dreams that may predict the future and bring back memories of her grandmother’s stories about the legend of the Hairy Man. Once again, Tempe’s life is threatened and this time, she fears no one will come to her rescue in time.

Hi Marilyn,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

Q: Will you share with us how you came up with the idea for this book?

A: While I was researching information for the previous Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery concerning Big Foot, I came across information about the Hairy Man on the Internet. As it turned out the Hairy Man is our local Indians legend similar to Big Foot. In a place called Painted Rock, there are pictographs (paintings) of the Hairy Man is wife and a child. Of course I was curious and was invited by the local college’s anthropology class to go with them on a field trip to the Painted Rock. That’s all it took, I knew Tempe would indeed have an encounter with the Hairy Man which happens in this latest mystery, Dispel the Mist.

Q: Do you plan your stories first with an outline or does it come to you as write it?

A: Though I don’t do what someone might call an outline, I take a lot of notes before I begin. I did my research about the Hairy Man then I had to figure out how he could be in a mystery that Tempe would have to solve. There are several sub-plots in the story as well as the murder mystery.

Q: Do you know the end of the story at the beginning?

A: I have a vague idea how the book will end, though often it doesn’t work out quite like what I had in my head. As I’m writing more ideas arise and I just them down as I go along so I don’t forget. Sometimes I get ideas in the night and I definitely need to write them down or I won’t have a clue in the morning.

Q: Do you have a process for developing your characters?

A: Because I’m writing a series, I have ongoing characters I know a lot about. However, the ones I need to develop are the murder victim and the people important to the victim including the suspects, and of course the murderer. I come up with the names, descriptions, individual characteristics and write them all down before I ever begin.

Q: It is said that authors write themselves into their characters. Is there any part of you in your characters and what they would be?

A: Because my heroine is much younger than I am and part Indian, which I’m not, the only part of me that is in her character is how she feels about things. I’m a woman, a wife, and a mother, so those are things about her that I can relate to and write about.

Q: What is your most favorite part about this book?

A: You can probably tell that I am crazy about the Hairy Man. I found legends about him that I’ve included in the book. There have been fairly recent sightings by credible people—just like with Big Foot. Do I believe there really is a Hairy Man? Why not.

Q: When in the process of writing your book did you begin to look for a publisher?

A: Mundania Press has been publishing all my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries so it was merely a matter of sending them a query and then the manuscript.

Q: What struggles have you had on the road to being published?

A: I’ve struggled mightily along the way. My first book was rejected nearly thirty times before finding a publisher. The editor who finally took it moved on to another publisher when I was ready to send in another book, and the new editor wasn’t interested. I’ve had two publishers die, been involved with three dishonest publishers, and had one publisher decide to give up the business.

Q: What has been the best part about being published?

A: When I’ve spent so much time writing a book, of course I want to have people read it. When a reader writes and tells me they loved the book, that makes it all worthwhile.

Q: What do you want readers to remember and carry with them after reading your novel?

A: I hope that readers will like Tempe and understand her struggles as a female law enforcement officer in a male dominated profession—and the prejudice she faces as both a woman and an Indian. Tempe is as real to me as any of my relatives or friends and I hope she seems real to those who read about her.

Q: Do you have plans to write another book?

A: I already have another Tempe book finished and with the publisher. Because I write two series, the other is the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, I am always a year ahead and write two books a year.

Q: Would you care to share with us how the virtual book tour experience with Pump Up Your Book Promotion has been for you?

A: I enjoy doing virtual book tours and have done several with Pump Up Your Book Promotion—the questions are fun to answer and of course I love talking about my book and my characters. I’ve always been well taken care of on these tours.

Q: Where can readers find a copy of your book?

A: Dispel the Mist is both an e-book and a trade paperback. The book can be purchased directly from the publisher: http://www.mundaniapress.com or from any bookstore online or it can be ordered through your local bookstore.

Q: Do you have a website for readers to go to?

A: My website is http://fictionforyou.com and my blog is http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

Thank you, Marilyn Meredith for sharing your book and characters with us today. It has been a pleasure and I hope you have had a successful virtual book tour.

About the Author:
Marilyn Meredith is the author of over twenty-five published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Dispel the Mist from Mundania Press. Under the name of F. M. Meredith she writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series. No Sanctuary is the newest from Oak Tree Press.

She is a member of EPIC, four chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, WOK, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. She was an instructor for Writer’s Digest School for ten years, served as an instructor at the Maui Writer’s Retreat and many other writer’s conferences. She makes her home in Springville CA, much like Bear Creek where Deputy Tempe Crabtree lives. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com

Thursday Thirteen – Thirteen things to know about Deputy Tempe Crabtree

Could you name Thirteen Things about your favorite character from any novel? Today, author Marilyn Meredith enchants us with Thirteen Things about her character, Deputy Tempe Crabtree from the novel, Dispel the Mist.

About the Book:
A Tulare County Supervisor, with both Native American and Mexican roots, dies under suspicious circumstances. Because of Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s own ties to the Bear Creek Indian Reservation, she’s asked to help with the investigation. To complicate matters, besides the supervisor’s husband, several others had reason to want the woman dead.

Tempe has unsettling dreams, dreams that may predict the future and bring back memories of her grandmother’s stories about the legend of the Hairy Man. Once again, Tempe’s life is threatened and this time, she fears no one will come to her rescue in time.

Thirteen Things About Deputy Tempe Crabtree
1. Tempe is Native American and the resident deputy of Bear Creek, a mountain community in the Southern Sierra.

2. She’s married to Hutch Hutchinson, a minister, who isn’t always happy when Tempe uses Indian mysticism to help solve a case.

3. As a young widow, she raised a son by herself until he was a teenager and she married Hutch. Blair is now in college studying Fire Science.

4. Tempe has disturbing dreams with scary images. Though she doesn’t understand them, often they foretell the future.

5. Former adversary, Detective Morrison, has come to rely on her to help him solve puzzling cases—especially if they involve Indians. What he doesn’t understand is because she doesn’t live on the reservation and wears a uniform, the Indians don’t trust her anymore than they do him.

6. Tempe remembers legends told to her by her grandmother when she was a child. These legends are about a creature similar to Big Foot. Tempe isn’t sure what to think about such a creature. Surely, he couldn’t possibly be real.

7. When a popular county supervisor with roots in both the Indian and Mexican communities dies under suspicious circumstances, Detective Morrison calls Tempe in on the case.

8. Tempe and Hutch decide it’s time they buy cell phones even though there is no service in much of the area where they live, including most of the Indian reservation.

9. A friend on the reservation takes Tempe and Hutch to the Painted Rock to see a five-hundred to a thousand year-old pictograph of the Hairy Man.

10. While helping with the investigation, Tempe finds there are many who not only had a reason for wanting the supervisor out of the way but also had the opportunity to make it happen including her husband, a community leader, her sister, and even Nick Two John.

11. Native American Nick Two John is responsible for Tempe’s awakening to the spiritual side of her heritage. He’s also a good friend, confidante, and ally.

12. Tempe helps a young woman with Down Syndrome who wants to become more independent and move out of her own mother’s home, though the community care facility where she wants to go is targeted by a malicious vandal.

13. A phone call directs Tempe to the Painted Rock site on a dark and rainy night, putting her life in danger.

To learn more, read Dispel the Mist, by Marilyn Meredith, available from http://www.mundania.com has an e-book and trade paperback, as well as other online and regular bookstores.

About the Author:
Marilyn Meredith is the author of over twenty-five published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Dispel the Mist from Mundania Press. Under the name of F. M. Meredith she writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series. No Sanctuary is the newest from Oak Tree Press.

She is a member of EPIC, four chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, WOK, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. She was an instructor for Writer’s Digest School for ten years, served as an instructor at the Maui Writer’s Retreat and many other writer’s conferences. She makes her home in Springville CA, much like Bear Creek where Deputy Tempe Crabtree lives. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com

The Broken Teaglass – Author Spotlight – Emily Arsenault

The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault

Paperback Writer spotlights Emily Arsenault, author of the fiction book, The Broken Teaglass (Delacorte Press, Sept. 09), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in October on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

About the Book:
The dusty files of a venerable dictionary publisher . . . a hidden cache of coded clues . . . a story written by a phantom author . . . an unsolved murder in a gritty urban park–all collide memorably in Emily Arsenault’s magnificent debut, at once a teasing literary puzzle, an ingenious suspense novel, and an exploration of definitions: of words, of who we are, and of the stories we choose to define us.

In the maze of cubicles at Samuelson Company, editors toil away in silence, studying the English language, poring over new expressions and freshly coined words–all in preparation for the next new edition of the Samuelson Dictionary. Among them is editorial assistant Billy Webb, just out of college, struggling to stay awake and appear competent. But there are a few distractions. His intriguing coworker Mona Minot may or may not be flirting with him. And he’s starting to sense something suspicious going on beneath this company’s academic facade.

Mona has just made a startling discovery: a trove of puzzling citations, all taken from the same book, The Broken Teaglass. Billy and Mona soon learn that no such book exists. And the quotations from it are far too long, twisting, and bizarre for any dictionary. They read like a confessional, coyly hinting at a hidden identity, a secret liaison, a crime. As Billy and Mona ransack the office files, a chilling story begins to emerge: a story about a lonely young woman, a long-unsolved mystery, a moment of shattering violence. And as they piece together its fragments, the puzzle begins to take on bigger personal meaning for both of them, compelling them to redefine their notions of themselves and each other.

Charged with wit and intelligence, set against a sweetly cautious love story, The Broken Teaglass is a tale that will delight lovers of words, lovers of mysteries, and fans of smart, funny, brilliantly inventive fiction.

Book Excerpt
How did a guy like me end up in a place like this?

Excellent question. It’s the very question that ran through my mind on my first day on the job, and for many weeks hence. How the hell did I get a job at the offices of Samuelson Company, the oldest and most revered name in American dictionaries? In the end, this might strike you as the greater mystery—greater than the one I’d later find in the company’s dusty files: How does a clod like me end up in training to be a lexicographer?

Now that you’ve paused to look up lexicographer, are you impressed? Are you imagining lexicographers as a council of cloaked, wizened men rubbing their snowy-white beards while they consult their dusty folios? I’m afraid you might have to adjust your thinking just a little. Imagine instead a guy right out of college—a guy who says yup, and watches too much Conan O’Brien. Imagine this guy sitting in a cubicle, shuffling through little bits of magazine articles, hoping for words like boink and tatas to cross his desk and spice up his afternoons.

Don’t get me wrong. When I first got the job, I was pretty excited. I’d been starting to doubt my employability, since I’d majored in philosophy. Admittedly, I’d applied for publishing jobs on a whim, having heard some English majors talk about it. No one at the big New York companies bit at my résumé, but someone at Samuelson must have liked all the A’s on my transcript in heady-seeming topics like Kant and Kierkegaard, and they called me just in time—just as I was starting to thumb through pamphlets about the Peace Corps and teaching English in Japan. My interview was with one Dan Wood, a pale, bearded middle-aged guy who didn’t really seem to know how to conduct an interview. He mostly just described the defining process quietly, peering at me occasionally as if trying to gauge my reaction. I guess I didn’t make any funny faces, because two days later Dan called me to offer the job.

Excerpted from The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault Copyright © 2009 by Emily Arsenault. Excerpted by permission of Delacorte Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

About the Author
Emily Arsenault has worked as a lexicographer, an English teacher, a children’s librarian, and a Peace Corps volunteer. She wrote The Broken Teaglass to pass the long, quiet evenings in her mud brick house while living in rural South Africa. She now lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, with her husband. You can visit Emily Arsenault’s website at http://emilyarsenault.com/.

What People are Saying About Rain Dance – Author Interview – Joy Dekok

“This book is a must read for all women. Although it is a fictional story the author has brilliantly captured the many issues that women struggle with and offers hope that can only be found in Jesus. She also shows how looking beyond our own circumstances can bring blessings into our lives and the lives of others. I’ve ministered to broken women for over twenty years and I’m thankful for resources like Rain Dance that will reach women who are hurting and give them hope.” – Sue Liljenberg, International Director, Healing Hearts Ministries International

“Rain Dance is truly a prodigious book…a must read.” – Ane Mulligan, Editor, Novel Journey

Paperback Writer welcomes our author for today, Joy DeKok, author of Rain Dance as she joins us on her virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

Hi Joy,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

Q: Will you share with us how you came up with the idea for this book?

A: Although she didn’t mean it this way, Louisa Mae Alcott once said, “Housekeeping ain’t no joke.” I was cleaning house and the idea crossed my mind and never let go.

Q: Do you plan your stories first with an outline or does it come to you as write it?

A: I love using index cards – one for each chapter with a few sentences on it. That’s enough to give me an outline and still leaves lots of room for creativity.

Q: Do you know the end of the story at the beginning?

A: Usually, that’s all I know for sure. While the index cards fill in some of that during my brainstorming session, I know a lot of what I jot down is going to change.

Q: Do you have a process for developing your characters?

A: Once I have the story cards completed I fill out an index card for each character. I used to get really detailed here, and while it was fun, it bogged me down and kept me from the real writing. I know the basics. As the character or story reveals something else to me, I’ll write what I learn on the card. I sometimes end up with an additional card for my main character.

Q: It is said that authors write themselves into their characters. Is there any part of you in your characters and what they would be?

A: Yes – I did this with Rain Dance. I didn’t want to and that’s part of the reason I resisted writing it for over a year. Jonica is me. Putting so much of myself on the pages was risky for two reasons: author intrusion is very big no-no and if the readers didn’t like her, they wouldn’t like me either. I prefer following the rules so becoming a rule breaker was difficult.

In my next novel, there’s a little bit of me here and there in the book, but not so much in one character.

Q: What is your most favorite part about this book?

A: When the characters dance in the rain.

A: When in the process of writing your book did you begin to look for a publisher?

A: As soon as I started writing it, I started talking about it at writer’s conferences to other writers and editors. The content raised a lot of eyebrows and editors were sure a first time novelist had no business writing an issue-based book. I kept writing it – it is the story I was given to write at that time – once I said yes.

Q: What struggles have you had on the road to being published?

A: Rejection is tough even when it’s in a form letter where it’s not personal. I received three interesting rejections though. At one point a publishing house wanted the novel and I’d been told by an editor I’d be offered a contract after their readers came back with their thoughts. One of those readers was especially negative although the others were positive. They decided not to take the book. Later, two large publishing houses rejected it with positive notes and both encouraged me to self-publish and even recommended a company. Two agents also said wonderful things about the book and encouraged me to consider self-publishing as well. So, I did. Eventually, I asked a small writing group I belong to if they’d read and endorse the book. I’d forgotten one of them was an editor. She liked the book very much and said she wanted to publish it. The truth is, without the first part of the journey, the second part would not have happened. Standing back and seeing the whole is exciting.

Q: What has been the best part about being published?

A: It’s a dream come true. I think we sometimes believe dreams will just happen or they are nice things to think about, but are not things we actually get to live. I’ve come to believe if you can dream it and are willing to do what it takes, it can be your reality.

The other best thing is readers. Oh my goodness the readers! They write me and tell me their stories and through them every single question I had about the story, the characters, or my writing in general has been answered positively.

Q: What do you want readers to remember and carry with them after reading your novel?

A: There is hope and healing in life and it often comes at times and from places we least expect it.

Q: Do you have plans to write another book?

A: Yes. I have an untitled series brewing. Book one is nearing the rewrite stage (a favorite part of writing for me – where I play before I polish).

Q Would you care to share with us how the virtual book tour experience with Pump Up Your Book Promotion has been for you?

A: I’m enjoying the different interviews and opportunities to guest blog, write about writing, and even share my favorite recipes. This is fun. The ideas Cheryl has found are a combination of the creative as well as in my genre and/or niche. I’ve especially appreciated the way she’s taken me outside of my preconceived boundaries. I am enjoying this immensely and will be hiring her again in 2010 when my next book (non-fiction) releases.

Q: Where can readers find a copy of your book?
www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, as well as all online and local bookstores. They can get a signed copy from me a www.raindancebook.com

Do you have a website for readers to go to?
www.joydekok.com or www.raindancebook.com

Thank you, Joy for sharing your book and characters with us today. It has been a pleasure and I hope you have had a successful virtual book tour.

Thank you – it’s been a blast!

About the Author
Joy DeKok and her husband, Jon, live in Minnesota on thirty-five acres of woods and fields. Joy has been writing most of her life and as a popular speaker shares her heart and passion for God with women. In addition to writing novels, she has also published a devotional and several children’s books.

Visit Joy online at: http://www.joydekok.com/, http://www.believe4kids.com/, and http://www.gettingitwrite.net/.

Silk Flowers Never Die – author interview – Stella Mazzucchelli

Paperback Writer introduces our author today, Stella Mazzucchelli, author of the biography/psychology book, Silk Flowers Never Die (Dynasty Press Ltd, October ‘09), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in October on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

About the Book: Silk Flowers Never Die is an important and intensely personal memoir, powerfully showing with humanity and humor, the difficulties that exist for any family trying to cope with schizophrenia and mental distress. In a compelling story that reveals how much stranger than fiction fact is, Stella Mazzucchelli describes her determination to preserve her son from the worst effects of mental illness, while his young wife is dying of cancer.

In the process of trying to rise to these challenges, Stella is transformed from a beautiful, over-protected Society woman with alcohol issues, to an impressive, courageous earth-mother who now campaigns to reduce the stigma attached to mental illness by using her privileged position to positive effect. This moving book is informative on a host of subjects, ranging from the lifestyle of the International Super-Rich to the profundities of facing terminal illness and mental disease. Due to its intelligence, insight, and compassion the appeal of this amazing story and struggle should be universal.

Hi Stella,
Welcome to Paperback Writer and thank you for joining us today.

Q: Would you share with us how you came up with the idea for your book?

A: I had an urge to share the devastation I felt when my son was diagnosed with schizophrenia and reassure those who were in a similar position as mine that they were not alone. To those who have no idea what a family lives through, I wanted to enlighten them on: the loneliness and secrecy accompanying mental illnesses, the anguish of seeing loved ones plucked out of a normal world and without warning descend into one of voices, phobias and torment. I believe that it is through lack of knowledge that society shies away from the word “schizophrenia”. I know, I was one them until it happened to my son. I’m sure that by lifting the cloak of ignorance that surrounds mental illness, we will help reduce people’s fear and highlight the fact that the majority of sufferers are sensitive and talented human beings. My son happens to be one of those giving persons. Not only did he cope with his own illness, he managed to nurse his wife Naomi after the birth of their daughter when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. My aim is to nudge away the darkness so that mental illness can be seen in a more compassionate and gentle manner. I felt that the quickest way to make myself heard was through my writing. That was the beginning of ‘Silk Flowers Never Die’.

Q: Was it a light bulb moment or something that you thought about for a very long time?

A: My drinking was something I knew I needed to change. The hangovers and my blurry mind impeded my abilities.

Q: How did you come up with the title?

A: The title was the easiest, I came upon it even before I started the first page. My son and his Japanese wife Naomi were both of the Buddhist faith and staunch believers in Feng Shui. One of Feng Shui’s principal rules is to never offer fresh flowers to a patient, because if a bud tilts its head and withers it brings bad luck. Even dried flowers are a bad omen as they were once alive and of course are now dead. Therefore, wanting to offer Naomi (my daughter-in-law) a gift during her last days of terminal cancer in the hospital was a very difficult task. She no longer ate, clothes were unnecessary and reading was out of the question. Scouting the area close to the hospital, I came upon a quaint little boutique that offered scents, candles and colorful objects. The moment I spotted a cluster of silk Lillis I thought ‘Silk flowers never die’ and of course bought an enormous bouquet. Little did I know that according to Naomi’s Japanese belief, if one took silk flowers to a patient in the hospital, it meant that he or she would never leave alive.

Q: How did you find an agent and publisher?

A: Through a friend.

Q: Who reads your work in progress?

A: I test it on my friends and my mother, who unfortunately passed away before my book was published.

Q: Who made a difference in the book’s quality?

A: I think I would have to give credit to my mother and son for assisting me with the quality of the book.

Q: How long did it take you to complete the first draft?

A: If I’m not mistaken a couple of years. I did not have the luxury of writing without the telephone ringing, loads of kids gallivanting around and my dog wanting to sit on my lap.

Q: How long did it take from start to publication?

A: It took five years. If I had tucked myself away in a silent and calm environment, I am sure that it would not have taken me that long.

Q: Do you have any advice for new authors?

A: Do not doubt yourself. If you have a story to tell, tell it with “heart”. Don’t try and impress people with incredibly long words, move fast and be sincere. Most people prefer simplicity instead of having to reach for a dictionary to decipher a meaning.

Thank you, Stella for stopping by Paperback Writer on your virtual book tour. I wish you continued success through the rest of you tour.

About The Author:
Stella Metaxa Mazzucchelli was born in Athens, Greece and married, aged eighteen, Riccardo Mazzucchelli, the famous Italian businessman. During their twenty-two year marriage, they lived in Zambia and London, where she became a well-known figure on the social scene, and had a brief and successful modeling career at the unusual age of 28. Fedele is their only child. After their divorce, Riccardo married Ivana Trump in 1995, though the marriage was short lived. Stella now lives in Athens where she brings up her granddaughter Katerina. As well as being involved in the property and renovation business, which ensures she maintains connections with London, she is also a tireless campaigner for the better understanding of schizophrenia and mental illness. Silk Flowers Never Die is her first book.

You can find Stella online at www.dynastypress.co.uk and at her blog www.dynastypress.co.uk/news.html

Double Out and Back – Author Interview – Lisa Lipkind Leibow

Paperback Writer welcomes our guest author today, Lisa Lipkind Leibow, author of the mainstream novel, Double Out and Back (Red Rose Publishing, August 2009), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in September on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

About the Book: Not every woman who rides the fertility treatment roller coaster winds up like Octomom!

Who will find friends, family, and fertility?

Three women’s lives are intricately intertwined, as Amelia Schwartz and Summer Curtis struggle with the complex dynamics of intrafamily embryo adoption, and Chandy Markum strives to make her patients’ dreams a reality.

After more than a decade, of mourning her parents’ deaths, anal-retentive Amelia Schwartz decides to take control of her life, pursuing single motherhood via embryo adoption. While her fertility doctor, Chandy, is preoccupied with the destruction of the cosmopolitan Cape Town of her youth and her first love in apartheid-torn South Africa, believing all is lost, her niece, a young, married, overachieving attorney Summer Curtis, juggles zealous career ambitions, demanding bosses, and friction with her husband over family and fertility issues. They must confront the painful reality that, no matter what technology humans devise to manipulate reproduction, prolong life, and construct family units, they have not yet mastered control over their beginnings and endings.

Thrown all into this is one story that can make or break. Are you up to it?

Hi Lisa Lipkind Leibow,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

Q: Will you share with us how you came up with the idea for this book?

While I worked as an attorney and my husband and I set out to try to have a baby, I listened carefully to the warnings and advice from my doctors. I have always had an extremely vivid imagination. And, if anyone who has ever been a patient, understands the information physicians must disclose every time they prescribe a treatment or medication. My wheels started to turn. Soon, I found myself ruminating over what would it be like if ALL of these remote-chance risks happened?

Q: Do you plan your stories first with an outline or does it come to you as write it?

Double Out and Back came to me as I wrote it. I had a general idea of where the plot would take me, but not a detailed outline. I wrote scenes as they came to me, and later went back and wove together all of the pieces of the puzzle in the best way I could. Once I took a look at the whole picture, I weeded out parts that didn’t serve the plot, and added more where I saw holes. There are so many layers. Every time I added something new or subtracted a segment, I combed through the entire manuscript again to make sure that new information was consistent with what comes before or after. I learned so much from this process, and I am building my current works-in-progress with more of an outline. I am constantly adding new tools to my writer’s toolkit and pushing myself to delve deeper into the craft of writing fiction.

Q: Do you know the end of the story at the beginning?

Funny you should ask me that. I actually thought I knew the end of the story when I set out. However, when it came down to it, the ending turned out to be completely different from what I initially envisioned.

Q: Do you have a process for developing your characters?

I spend a lot of time getting to know my characters before I set out to animate them in a written scene. I “interview” them and craft detailed back stories for them. Much of this never makes it into the story. But knowing a character’s motivations and how they would react in a given situation based on their past experiences helps me to make a character come alive on the page when I drop them into the plot.
For me, writing fiction is a lot like method acting. A director might give an actor a five minute explanation of what his motivations should be to utter one line of dialogue. And these motivations permeate the performance, coming through with facial expression, posture, gesticulations, and inflection of the actor’s voice. Someone watching the performance can infer a lot about an actor’s motivations and emotions without a lengthy narrative explaining where he’s coming from. When I write prose, I work hard to balance dialogue and narrative to give the reader a vivid, sensory experience with realistic, fully-drawn characters.

Q: It is said that authors write themselves into their characters. Is there any part of you in your characters and what they would be?

This is nothing I set out to do. However, in retrospect, I suppose each of the main characters carries some of me with her. For example, I gave Summer a career as an attorney, because I knew that world. I gave Amelia a sentimental longing for the past, because I, too, miss my relatives who are no longer around. Finally, I probably projected some of my fears of empty nest-syndrome onto Chandy. These are just some of the little qualities and influences of my own psyche that unintentionally permeate almost every character I write.

Q: What is your most favorite part about this book?

This is a really difficult question. I am so close to the manuscript, the plot, the characters, choosing a favorite part is almost impossible. I can tell you, however, my favorite parts to write were those set in South Africa. It gave me a chance to hone my skills at researching and writing historical fiction, to bring to life a place and time I did not experience firsthand. I think I did okay, too. On at least two occasions, when I discussed my book with them, readers have been surprised I don’t have a South African accent!

Q: When in the process of writing your book did you begin to look for a publisher?

One of the biggest challenges for me in writing a story is figuring out when I’m finished. In fact, I could probably have spent lifetime writing and rewriting Double Out and Back, tinkering with the prose in an unending quest to perfect it. However, there came a point when my characters seemed to shout, “Leave us alone!” That is when I decided the novel must be done. It is then, and only then, I wrote The End at the bottom, and started to shop the manuscript.

Q: What struggles have you had on the road to being published?

Across the globe, publishers, literary agents, and bookstores are struggling to anticipate and manage the rapidly changing business of books. The biggest challenge for me was to chart a course for targeting queries to agents and publishers who might take a chance on a first time author in this industry in transition. I spent so much time honing my creative writing skills. Shifting gears to business-mode to market the work takes a completely different set of skills. I struggle to toggle my brain between business-mode to creative-mode.

Q: What has been the best part about being published?

My favorite part about being published is contact with readers. I have already had the pleasure of participating in a couple of book club discussions of my book. It is always a thrill for me to hear others discussing and analyzing the actions of my characters as if they were real people. It means I have done my job! I have been contacted by several other book clubs to join them. I’m looking forward to it.

Q: What do you want readers to remember and carry with them after reading your novel?

Do whatever you can to achieve your goals, but realize that some things are beyond your control. This is the meta-message or theme of Double Out and Back.

Q: Do you have plans to write another book?

I routinely share that I’m perpetually almost-finished with my second novel. I also have a first draft of a young adult fantasy novel awaiting my attention, as well as several other projects in the research phase.

Q: Would you care to share with us how the virtual book tour experience with Pump Up Your Book Promotion has been for you?

The blog hosts on this tour have asked fascinating questions and have made me think about my writing life in a whole new way! My initial excitement over this tour, related to the premiere of Double Out and Back as an e-book (print book is coming soon). I’m hoping it’s an effective way to reach my audience. Blog readers are the most likely readers of electronic books on e-readers, iPhones, handheld devices, or your computer screen. However, I’m having so much fun, I may do it again to promote the print release!

Q: Where can readers find a copy of your book?

The best place to purchase Double Out and Back is at Red Rose Publishing. It is (or soon will be) also available at Fictionwise, All Romance, Book Stand, Mobipocket, My Bookstore and More, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

Q: Do you have a website for readers to go to?

Sure. I hope readers will visit me at http://www.LLLeibow.com. I also have a blog Lisa Leibow’s Fodder for Fiction, and contribute regularly to a group blog The Roses of Prose. I’m so glad you invited me to be a guest at Paperback Writer. This has been great.

Thank you, Lisa Lipkind Leibow for sharing your book and characters with us today. It has been a pleasure and I hope you have had a successful virtual book tour.

Meggie’s Remains – author interview – Joanne Sundell

Join Joanne Sundell, author of the historical romance novel, Meggie’s Remains (Five Star, Sept. ‘09), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in September on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

About The Book:
Meggie’s Remains is a romantic suspense unlike any other. Meggie struggles with far more than meeting the man of her dreams. In fact, she’s scared to death when she does. This story could happen to any woman, in any time. It is you. It is me. It is private … but must be told.

Afraid of men, afraid for her sins, afraid for her sanity, and right now afraid for her life, Meggie McMurphy flees Boston once the fiendish terror–so long stalking in her nightmares–surfaces in the light of day. She escapes west to Denver in the wild Colorado Territory, hoping to lose herself among the multitude of townsfolk. The year is 1874.

Twenty-five years old, alone, and near penniless, Meggie struggles to find honest work and to keep the dark secrets of her past just that: a secret. Not so easily done when the handsome, foreboding westerner Ethan Rourke, stumbles upon her on a snowy Denver street. Why it’s as if he’d stepped right out of the pages of her beloved romance, Jane Eyre! Safe to encounter such a man on the romance page, it is certainly unsafe, even deadly, for her to encounter such a man in the flesh. Men belong … six feet under, six feet away … where to stay safe, the devil must stay!

Hired as a teacher, not in Denver, but in an isolated mountain town in rugged Ute country, Meggie is determined to make a home for herself in Hot Sulphur Springs. There she keeps up her masquerade as Rose Rochester, yearning for a normal life–for companionship and even love–all the while knowing it’s only a matter of time until the monstrous changeling from her nightmares will find her, killing any possibility of a life at all.

Hi, Joanne,

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

Q: Will you share with us how you came up with the idea for this book?
Meggie’s Remains, my first completed manuscript and fourth sale, is near and dear to my heart. The title changed from Columbine Captive—for obvious reasons—to Day Dreams ~ Haunted Nights, but at the end of the day, became Meggie’s Remains. You might ask what this means, and well you should. Is Meggie dead, buried six feet under, never to take another breath, or is Meggie so shattered, it’s hard to take the next step in life? Number two is closer to the truth. My focus and interest rests solely in the nineteenth century, the Victorian Era. For the average romance heroine, life wasn’t easy. I can’t imagine the challenge to have lived and tried to love during such a restrictive, repressive time. When I first thought of writing romance, I thought of Jane Eyre and its classic romantic themes, wanting to pay tribute to this quintessential romance novel. What makes us root for Jane? Why do we care about her, and about Edward? How did the pair overcome impossible obstacles and find their happy ending?
Living in the West, in the Colorado Rockies, I realized the beauty all around me was a character befitting any romance novel. My first heroine would have to be a woman trying to make it in the rugged west. I decided to bring Jane Eyre to the American West and see what might happen if I took Jane’s situation and made it worse … and then worse. Ever curious about how a nineteenth century heroine might have dealt with sexual trauma and upset, I wanted to peel away the pretty layers in classic romantic theme and character, and show the not-so-pretty events that can happen—the dark, complex, emotional path a heroine’s life can take, suddenly, without warning, and with no guarantee of survival. In Meggie’s Remains, Meggie’s life mirrors Jane’s in many respects, but the mirror shatters when Meggie’s life takes a turn away from romantic conflict, toward dangers that Jane Eyre never faced. Beyond the suspense, I wanted to capture the romance, the moment when passion ignites between heroine and hero. Such is the stuff of which romance novels are made!

Q: Do you plan your stories first with an outline or does it come to you as you write it?
Drawn first to the history, I know that after I dive into research, my story and characters will be born out of that history. Once my characters begin to form, I’m led to more research, of course, and then I begin to plot out story and character in more detail. It’s ever a dynamic process as I never quite know where the story will take me once I begin the day’s writing.

Most of my time in writing historical romance is spent on the research side. I usually spend three to five months collecting and organizing my research, making charts, working on timelines and plotting out my storyboard. It’s a magic moment when I know that I can stop looking for my characters and story because suddenly the story begins unfolding in front of me, born out of the history found. I do have to keep my research close as I ever need to look up this date or that name or factoid. Research gathering is definitely the fun part of writing for me.

Meggie’s Remains was my first completed manuscript but fourth sold. I had a lot of re-writing to do to get it right. I understand that most “first” manuscripts need a lot of work. I’ve mentioned in an earlier answer that my love of Jane Eyre led me to create Meggie’s story, but in addition, I needed to research Colorado history. I live in the Rockies and was able to draw on first hand sights and sounds as well as visiting local libraries and historical societies. Meggie’s Remains is set in Denver and in Hot Sulphur Springs and I hope I’ve captured the all-important sense of place.

Q: Do you know the end of the story at the beginning?
I usually have an idea of the ending, at the beginning. When my heroine, in particular, begins to form, her story jumps out at me and doesn’t veer too much from those first thoughts, from the beginning of my manuscript to the end.

Q: Do you have a process for developing your characters?
I do meticulous research, storing every little detail I find, every one! Then, when my characters begin to “jump out” at me, I allow them to evolve naturally.

Q: It is said that authors write themselves into their characters. Is there any part of you in your characters and what they would be?
I love old-fashioned romance. I suppose that’s me, even in this modern 21st century. You bet, when my heroine finds her passion and falls in love with her hero, I imagine myself in his strong arms, right along with her!

Q: What is your most favorite part about this book?
The threads of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, woven into Meggie’s Remains, presented a challenge which made the writing of this novel all the more fun!

Q: When in the process of writing your book did you begin to look for a publisher?
Meggie’s Remains, my first completed manuscript was a labor of love, years in the making. I would enter my synopsis in writing contests, join critique groups for feedback, send in the first three chapters to this agent or that publisher; expecting little from the process. Of course, I grew as a writer, gaining needed feedback, and of course, I didn’t like the rejection letters. Meggie’s Remains is my fourth sale, made only after serious re-writes, and helped along by my experience of selling three books prior to.

Q: What struggles have you had on the road to being published?
I underwent many of the same struggles we all have in trying to become a published author. Rejection is never easy, never fun but … it helps us develop the tough skin we need in this tough industry!

Q: What has been the best part about being published?
Knowing that my characters will ever live in historical romance print!

Q: What do you want readers to remember and carry with them after reading your novel?
I would hope readers will appreciate old-fashioned theme and character in Meggie’s Remains, much as they already appreciate the quintessential romance, Jane Eyre. Historical romance, full circle.

Q: Do you have plans to write another book? Right now I have to turn my time and attention to my Civil War series, The Quaker and The Confederate, coming out next May and September, respectively.

Q: Would you care to share with us how the virtual book tour experience with Pump Up Your Book Promotion has been for you?
I’ll be able to give you a better answer, after my September tour. I must say, so far I’ve enjoyed the easy communication and professional treatment I’ve received from Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

Q: Where can readers find a copy of your book?
Meggie’s Remains can be found at many libraries. If the book is not available, ask your librarian to order it and likely he/she will. Meggie’s Remains is available at amazon.com and on-line at any bookstore. ISBN: 978 1 59414 788 3
If readers go to my website, www.joannesundell.com, they can easily order. If readers would like to contact me, author@joannesundell.com, I’d be happy to snail-mail a copy!

Q: Do you have a website for readers to go to?
Of course. www.joannesundell.com www.blogspot.com/joannesundell www.myspace.com/joannesundell

Thank you, Joanne, for sharing your book and characters with us today. It has been a pleasure and I hope you have had a successful virtual book tour.

Than YOU very much,

Joanne Sundell

About the Author:
Born in a tiny hospital in rural Virginia, tucked snugly away in a bureau drawer, Joanne ever cherishes her country beginnings. Fond memories of toddling along after her older sisters along the Appalachian Trail, catching tadpoles in the local creek bed, chasing after lightening bugs, or falling asleep to the evening hum of katydids, remain with her still, despite the family move to more urban Arlington where Joanne spent her formative school years, and then on to Richmond for college. Though nursing was her chosen vocation, her chosen avocation has ever been the romance novel. Joanne grew up reading romance, falling in love with heroes and heroines from Regency England to the American West, from London’s pubs to Colorado’s ski slopes, loving that moment when the hero and heroine meet and fall in love. That moment to Joanne is the moment when Jane Eyre meets Edward Rochester, when Elizabeth Bennett meets Mr. Darcy—that’s the heart-stopping, passionate moment for Joanne in romance. That moment is what led Joanne to attempt traditional, old-fashioned, historical romance. Her first sale was in 2005 and since then, she’s sold five more historical romances to Five Star-Gale, Cengage Learning, in their Expressions line. Her books have been reviewed nationally by such notables as Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, and Romantic Times. With her three children grown and off on their own adventures, Joanne now lives part-time in Colorado and in California with her husband and their entourage` of felines and huskies. Joanne’s writing groups include Romance Writers of America, Colorado Romance Writers, Los Angeles Romance Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and Women Writing the West. You can visit her on the web at www.joannesundell.com.

Night of Flames – Author Interview – Douglas W. Jacobson

A World War II history enthusiast, engineer, business owner and author Douglas W. Jacobson, joins us today at Paperback Writer. Doug is author of the historical fiction novel, Night of Flames: A Novel of World War Two.

About the Book: In 1939 the Germans invade Poland, setting off a rising storm of violence and destruction. For Anna and Jan Kopernik the loss is unimaginable. She is an assistant professor at a university in Krakow; he, an officer in the Polish cavalry. Separated by war, they must find their own way in a world where everything they ever knew is gone.

Anna’s father, a prominent intellectual, is deported to a death camp, and Anna must flee to Belgium where she joins the Resistance. Meanwhile, Jan escapes with the battered remnants of the Polish army to Britain. When British intelligence asks him to return to Poland in an undercover mission to contact the Resistance, he seizes the opportunity to search for his missing wife.

Through the long night of Nazi occupation, Anna, Jan, and ordinary people across Europe fight a covert war of sabotage and resistance against the overwhelming might of the German war machine. The struggle seems hopeless, but they are determined to take back what is theirs.

Hi Doug,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

PBW: Will you share with us how you came up with the idea for this book?

I have always been interested in WW2 history. When my daughter married a young man from Belgium and move there, we started traveling tom Europe several times a year. We became very close friends with our Belgian in-laws who were children during the German occupation of Belgium. There personal accounts of those times were my inspiration to write Night of Flames.

PBW: Do you plan your stories first with an outline or does it come to you as write it?

I start out with a rough outline (mostly in my head) and then keep changing it as I write. As the characters begin to come alive the story flows along with them.

PBW: Do you know the end of the story at the beginning?

Yes. Although how I get there changes many times while I’m writing.

PBW: Do you have a process for developing your characters?

I usually know what type of person I want for a particular character, especially the major ones. But I find as I write their personality just evolves. Sometimes the characters turn out quite different than I had imagined at the beginning.

PBW: It is said that authors write themselves into their characters. Is there any part of you in your characters and what they would be?

I’m not sure I would be the best judge of that. I would hope most of my characters are far more interesting people than I am.

PBW: What is your most favorite part about this book?
I have several favorite parts but they all have to do with my two main characters becoming involved in covert resistance organizations.

PBW: When in the process of writing your book did you begin to look for a publisher?

I waited until I was finished with the last draft.

PBW: What struggles have you had on the road to being published?
I of course received numerous rejections from both literary agents and publishers before finally connecting with my publisher.

PBW: What has been the best part about being published?

I love talking with interested readers about the book and about the historical events that make up the framework of my story. I enjoy meeting people who, like me, are interested in the heroic actions of the common people who were caught up in this enormous conflict.

PBW: What do you want readers to remember and carry with them after reading your novel?

I want them to remember the quote that I used in the front of the book, which I believe says in a few eloquent words what Night of Flames is all about. The quote is from the legendary French Field Marshal of WW1, Ferdinand Foch, who said, “The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”

PBW: Do you have plans to write another book?

I am currently finishing up a second historical novel set in Europe during WW2. This story deals with one of the most notorious war crimes in history.

PBW: Would you care to share with us how the virtual book tour experience with Pump Up Your Book Promotion has been for you?

The tour began on September 1st, but so, far I have found Dorothy Thompson to be wonderful to work with She is very thorough, well organized and very creative.

PBW: Where can readers find a copy of your book?

On-line at Amazon and Barnes and Noble and anywhere books are sold. They can also contact the publisher direct at www.mcbook.com

PBW: Do you have a website for readers to go to?

Yes I do. They can visit me at http://douglaswjacobson.blogspot.com

Thank you, Doug for sharing your book and characters with us today. It has been a pleasure and I hope you have had a successful virtual book tour.

Thank you. It was my pleasure.

About the Author:
His debut novel, Night of Flames: A Novel of World War Two was published in 2007 by McBooks Press, and was released in paperback in 2008. Night of Flames won the 2007 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD from the Wisconsin Library Association. Doug has also published articles on Belgium’s WW2 escape organization, the Comete Line; Poland’s 1st Armored Division; and the liberation of Antwerp. Doug has just completed his second novel set in Europe at the end of WW2. You can visit his blog at www.douglaswjacobson.blogspot.com