Amazing Grays: A Woman’s Guide to Making the Next 50 the Best 50 – author interview- Maggie Rose Crane

Paperback Writer welcomes Maggie Rose Crane, author of the self-help book, Amazing Grays: A Woman’s Guide to Making the Next 50 the Best 50 (FTA Press, April ‘08), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in January on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

WIN PRIZES!
As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Maggie Rose Crane has written an informative and engaging book for boomers who are unwilling to become feeble old women with boobs in their laps, dreams on the shelf, and “Memory Lane” their only destination. This book is for maturing women who are staking their claim as part of a dynamic and growing movement of ‘Amazing Grays’, women who want to challenge stereotypes about aging and create a fresh start for the second half of life – but aren’t quite sure how to pull it off.

When an epiphany in the hair salon convinced Maggie to try life without hair dye, she found herself face to face with the fears and questions that unsettle many maturing women living in a culture obsessed with youth and manufactured beauty…

Who am I now that I’m no longer young and fertile? Will I still be desirable as I age? Will I be invisible? Is this the beginning of the end? Is it too late to make a difference? And how on earth do I stop coloring my hair if I want to?

Balanced somewhere between a memoir and a how-to, Maggie uses her personal journey as a springboard to shatter stereotypes about aging. She shares her most poignant insights and experiences on what it means to be a woman “of a certain age,” and offers suggestions on how to mindfully chart a graceful course through the physical changes, emotional challenges and mental gauntlet of aging. With honesty, humor and plenty of research, Maggie lights the way for women who want to live with vibrancy and joy – regardless of their hair color!

Hi Maggie

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

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

Maggie: Sure. After kicking, screaming and sweating my way through menopause and the big 5-0, (and eventually coming to peace with it all) it occurred to me that I might be able to lend the baby boomer women coming up behind me a helping hand. Being a leading-edge baby boomer I’d didn’t have a lot of modern role models or new information to draw upon. Needing answers, I read every book and article I could get my sweaty hands on, walked the walk, confronted my fears about aging, learned to laugh about it all and confirmed that what’s inside us is so much more beauty-full than the package that carries us. Sharing all that just seemed like the right thing to do. My intention is to give women a roadmap so that they might age with more grace (and humor) than I did.

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

Maggie: It was kind of a soft light bulb moment. Writing a book was never on my list of “things to do”. The idea presented itself to me while I was on a 3-month silent spiritual retreat. (And yes – it’s rarely silent inside ones head) My focus was on practicing mindfulness and allowing life to unfold. One day, while sitting quietly in a meadow, it occurred to me that I could put all my hard won lessons, insights and experiences about my journey through midlife into a book to help women who were just beginning their own journey. Of course, my inner voices immediately proclaimed that that was a ridiculous idea – but then, I’ve learned not to believe those inner voices!

How did you come up with the title?

Maggie: I wrestled with this for a long time. In fact, this is a great lesson for all writers. My book was already at the printers titled: Going Gray Gracefully: A Fresh Perspective when another book was released called Going Gray. I panicked, got upset and eventually decided that the titles and focus of the two books were too similar to be published with almost the same title. Regrettably, I called the book back from the printers.

I hired a marketing specialist to help me. He pointed out that my book was much more dynamic than my original title suggested and didn’t suit it at all. He went so far as to suggest it was good that that other book had been published so I had the opportunity to change my title!

Together we hammered out the subtitle, “Making the Next 50 the BEST 50” but were stuck on coming up with the main title. One day, sitting at my desk – it just came to me…AMAZING GRAYS! It said everything I intended. I also added the addendum (Regardless of your hair color!) as I didn’t want women to think it was a book only for gray-haired women. Gray was a metaphor for aging, as well as hair color. I rewrote some of my content to reflect the new focus and, in retrospect, am SO pleased that other book was published when it was. If not, I may have been stuck with that misleading title. So, don’t be dismayed when things don’t go as planned. It could turn out even better!

How did you find an agent and publisher?

Maggie: I don’t have an agent and I made a conscious decision to self-publish. We had published my husband’s book, which has done quite well, so I knew what to expect. I wanted control over my content, cover, marketing and profits and knew self-publishing was the way to go. I did not take short cuts. I hired a professional editor; proofreader; cover designer and book layout designer. I had it professionally printed. As a result, I am very pleased with the quality and presentation of the book.

Who reads your work in progress?

Maggie: My editor. I also had a wonderful and willing group of boomer aged women who gave me feedback on my first draft. They helped me hone and clarify my message and I am forever grateful.

Who made a difference in the book’s quality?

Maggie: Again, it was the group effort, my editor and my willingness to listen to feedback.

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

Maggie: I wrote very part time the first couple of years, taking time to enjoy becoming a grandparent for the first time. I think it was about 2 years before I finally had a draft ready for review.

How long did it take from start to publication?

Maggie: Again, because I wrote very part time it took my almost 3 ½ years from inception to book in hand. Time well spent.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

Maggie: While it’s valuable to get feedback from others, pay attention to your own intuition. Remember, it’s your name on the cover. Hire a good editor, have your manuscript proofed and plan your publicity campaign well in advance. Believe in yourself – you are the messenger of the gift you have been given.

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

Thanks for having me! I’d love to make a special offer to your readers. Anyone who purchases Amazing Grays from www.maggiecrane.com during the month of January will receive an autographed copy, FREE shipping and a FREE bookmark with a quote affirming the powerful and amazing woman we’ve become.

AMAZING GRAYS VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ‘09 officially began on January 5 and end on January 30. You can visit Maggie’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in January to find out more about this talented lady!

Blood Harvest – Author Interview – Bruce Cook

Paperback Writer welcomes author Bruce Cook, author of the mystery/suspense book, Blood Harvest (Capital Crime Press, May ‘08), as he virtually tours the blogosphere in January on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

Leave a message and be in the running to Win Prizes. As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available.

About the Author:
Bruce Cook, who also writes under the pen name Brant Randall, has earned credits as writer, producer, or director on eleven independent feature films as well as commercials. He has written more than twenty screenplays, including the films Husbands, Wives, Money & Murder; Line of Fire; and Nightwish.

Since 1973 he has taught at a number of film schools, including USC, UCLA, and Los Angeles City College. Among his thousands of former students are Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons), actor Laurence Fishburne, Paramount VP of Marketing Lucia Ludovico, numerous directors and producers, six Academy Award nominees and winners, and twelve Emmy nominees and winners.

Book Excerpt:
Jackie Sue Palmer, age 13, testifies at an attempted murder trial-

The bailiff placed me in this little cubby next to the judge’s tall desk. They call it the witness box. Every eye was on me, and I felt like I was a move star or something. Which sits just fine with my own future plans.

I caught sight of the woman I had met in the bathroom, taking notes on a pad of paper, laughing all the while. She was sitting in the front row, right behind Andrew and Angus MacKay. There was a man unkown to me sitting next to my cousins. He was maybe thirty or so, not bad looking for a man of his age. I guessed he was their lawyer.

The judge looked over the end of his nose and right down my blouse. He gave a little smile to himself and motioned to the bailiff.

A Bible was placed in front of me.

“Place your right hand on the Bible, raise your left hand, and repeat after me,” said the bailiff.
“I’m left-handed,” I said. “Does that make any difference?” I gave an innocent look, the kind Mary Pickford is so good at.

The spectators in the courtoom laughed out loud at that, causing Judge Halbersson to rap his gavel several times and demand order.

“Which hand you use is not germane, Miss Palmer,” said the judge.

“Of course it’s not germane,” said I. “I’m an American, born right her in Potemkin County.”

That drew another round of guffaws from the gallery. I saw this was going to be a good crowd.

The bailiff glared at the citizens who were laughing. I though the judge might break either the gavel or the top of his desk. I put my eyes down and looked demure. At least I think I did. I was trying to.

The bailiff placed my left hand on the Bible. “Do you solemnly swear to tell…” “I most certainly do now swear. My parents raised me to be ladylike.”

Hi Bruce,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

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

BC: This novel grew from an incident related to me by my grandmother when she was in her nineties. She was a Scotch-Irish girl from rural New England, one of twelve children, though two died in infancy.
I knew she had married young, perhaps at sixteen, though she sometimes claimed she had been eighteen. She said that after her wedding day she never returned to her home town. I assumed that she eloped or otherwise angered her parents. At one point I asked if her parents disliked my grandfather, who I remembered as personable and charming. She claimed that they liked him very much. He was a perfect example of the immigrant success story. She came to America from Greece at sixteen, without any English and started working the next day. Within five years he owned his own restaurant, and in another five he added a chain of candy shops and drug stores.
“So why didn’t you ever return to your home town?”
“It was those dumb clucks.” She used this expression only when quite angry. “My brother-in-law didn’t think it right for a white girl to marry a non-white European.”
This was new territory to me, but when I read my grandfather’s immigration papers I found that southern Europeans—the Greeks, Spanish, Italians, and Turks—were classified thus until 1912. But it was her next revelation that stunned me.
It wasn’t dumb “clucks.” It was dumb “klux.” It was the KKK that had driven my grandparents from the town. This was not consistent with what I had learned in my history classes (if only they had been so interesting!), and so I began to research.

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

BC: Because my background is physics, math, and cinema, I am a strong believer in preparation. I outline the rough story, then research the topics that have come up, then put chunks of the information I have learned into the outline at the appropriate spot.

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

BC: Yes, I do. However even the details of the story have been planned, they often change as I write. Certain characters will turn out to be stronger than others and so I may bend the story in their direction.

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

BC: I write brief synoptic biographies of the key characters, no more than one page. As I think of other traits or bits of background information I add it to the bio. I “see” each character in my mind’s eye as an actor in a film. In some senses I can place that character in an imaginary scene and just watch what they would do, see how they would react.

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?

BC: I write myself, my family, my friends, and my enemies into the characters. When I observe a person on the street who has particular habits of speech, gait, and dress, that person can become an actor in my story.
But there is seldom a one to one correspondence between any fictional character and the people around me. Instead I borrow traits, then mix and match, put in a blender, puree, and half-bake.

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

BC: Jackie Sue is my favorite character. She is a precocious thirteen year old, just realizing the power she is going to have over men. She is loosely based on a trio of young women I knew in high school.
(Hmmm. I wonder where they are now? Perhaps I should Google…oh, I’m getting off topic.)

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

BC: After it was finished I sent it to the press that had published my first novel, Philippine Fever. They liked it and knew I would work hard at promoting it. Bingo, second book contract.

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

BC: I sent the ms to several agents who all rejected it with little or no comment. I eventually did secure an agent who sent it to the major publishing houses in New York. In short order I had seven rejections, but some of them included words of encouragement even though claiming the project was not right for them.
Philippine Fever was published by Capital Crime Press. After the majors had rejected the ms, my agent was out of ideas about seeking a publisher. I asked if she minded if I pursued small presses. She didn’t so I began talking to editors from small presses whenever I met them—usually at writer’s conferences.
Three small presses offered to publish Philippine Fever. The monetary differences in the offers were not great. I made my choice based on how well my book matched their catalog.

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

BC: My growth as an author has come from hearing directly from readers. It has taught me what seems to connect with them and what things just irritate folks (even though I thought those things were precious).

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

BC: Real history is a lot better than that stuff you slept though in high school and college. All you need to do is ask the people who were there what happened to them. Don’t rely on the reports of journalists or historians.

PBW: Do you have plans to write another book?

BC: My third book, Tommy Gun Tango, is due out in July 2009. It concerns the corruption of the Los Angeles Police Department in the early 1930s and the way they helped the movie studios cover up murders by stars.

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

BC: So far it has been great. I can answer the questions without dressing up, using gasoline, or brushing my teeth.

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

BC: Any bookstore can order it, since it distributed by all the regional subs. It is carried in some stores of the major chains. Amazon.

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

BC: www.brucecookonline.com

Thank you, Bruce 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.

BLOOD HARVEST VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ‘09 officially began on January 5 and will end on January 30. You can visit Bruce’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in January to find out more about this great book and talented author!

Perfect on Paper – Author Interview – Maria Murnane

Paperback Writer is joined today by Maria Murnane, author of the romantic comedy, Perfect on Paper (Wink’s Ink, February 2008), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in December and January on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

WIN PRIZES!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner(s) will be announced on December 31!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Maria Murnane is currently an independent business writer and works mostly with technology and financial services companies, but like the main character in her book, she used to work in sports PR. One day she quit her job and ended up in Argentina for a year, where she played semi-pro soccer and also wrote the first draft of what would eventually become “Perfect on Paper”. She has dedicated the book to any woman who has ever been on a really bad date or realized halfway through the workday that her skirt is on backwards.
Maria graduated with high honors in English and Spanish from UC Berkeley and received a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She lives in San Francisco and can be reached at maria@mariamurnane.com
Visit Maria’s website at http://www.mariamurnane.com/

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Anything can look perfect…on paper.

When her fiance calls off their wedding at the last minute, Waverly Bryson wonders if her life will ever turn out the way she though it would…or should. Her high-powered job in sports PR? Not so perfect. Her relationship with her dad? Far from it. Her perfect marriage? Enough said.

“Perfect on Paper” is a humorous tale of Waverly’s efforts to cobble the pieces of a broken yesterday into a brand new tomorrow. What does the future have in store for her? Will she finally find what she’s looking for?

Her dates? Cringe-inducing at times, definitely entertaining.

Her friends? Often amused, definitely supportive.

Her new crush? Possibly intrigued, definitely a catch.

The results? Hardly perfect, definitely just right.

 

The Interview

Hi Maria,
Welcome to Paperback Writer. Thank you for having me.

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

Maria Murnane: When we used to live in the same neighborhood, my good friend Alison and I would get together before work semi-regularly to go for a long walk, about an hour, which in the steep hills of San Francisco can be a great workout! Anyhow, we’d talk about everything under the sun and always referred to it as “free therapy”. A lot of the things we talked about on those walks were pretty funny, and eventually there was just so much material there that we started talking about trying to turn it all into a book about life as a single professional woman in San Francisco. I think part of me always thought it would be cool to write a book, but it was those walks with Alison that really got me thinking about doing it for real.

PBW: Do you plan your stories first with an outline or does it come to you as write it?
MM: When I first decided that I was going to write a book, I sat down and sketched out notes on what the main character would be like, who her friends would be, what her job would be , etc. Then I made some notes about other things I wanted to include in the book, including somehow weaving the greeting card idea into them, the infamous Brad Cantor character, funny bad dates, etc. Then I started making a brief outline for the plot, or at least the first part of the plot, because I honestly didn’t know where it was going to end up. But I knew enough about what I wanted to write to get me from about A to D (assuming an entire book was A to Z), so I just started writing and figured that I would figure it out as I went along.
Once I got going, the writing process was pretty regular. I was living in Argentina at the time and playing on a soccer team that took up most of my time during the day, so I would write for a couple hours every morning, and then a couple hours every evening. And in between I would jot down a lot of notes to myself on a little notepad. Many times I’d wake up in the middle of the night with an idea for something I wanted to include in the book, so I’d keep the notepad by my bed. I remember being on the bus when it hit me how I wanted to end the book, so I scribbled it down in another little notebook I had in my backpack, right there on the bus on the way to soccer practice. I think I was even standing up at the time.

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

MM: I knew in general, not with any detail at all. (See above)

PBW: Do you have a process for developing your characters?
MM: Not so much a process, more a style. I’ve realized how important it is for characters to show their personality through what they say, as opposed to telling the reader what a character’s personality is. As a writer, when you’re able to look at a line you’ve written and think “hmm, that doesn’t sound like something so and so would say,” then you know you’ve created a real character.

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?

MM: Oh yes, that would be Waverly (the main character). My friends all say that reading “Perfect on Paper” is like listening to me talk for 320 pages, so that should answer the question! I like to say that Waverly Bryson’s life is essentially my life—if my life were more exciting. Personality-wise we are very similar. For example, I tend to care too much about what other people think of me and of what I’m doing with my life, and I’m always making random observations like she does. I also tend to stick my foot in my mouth when I get nervous. But in other ways we are very different. My family situation is a good example of that—my parents are happily married and are extremely supportive of me, and I have two sisters and a brother who are awesome, as are their spouses and kids. Waverly missed out on the big family thing, but I felt it made the story more interesting to have her as an only child with a less-than-perfect relationship with her dad.

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

MM: Wow, love this question! I think it’s that there is so much of me and my life in the book—many of the funny things that happen to Waverly and her friends happened first in my real life, and it’s neat to see them as part of the story. I also put some small things in there just for fun. For example, the name of Waverly’s company is called KA Marketing. That’s short for “kick- ass marketing,” which is a total inside joke between me and Alison. A guy I once dated used to say that he had come up with a “kick-ass marketing plan” for his company, which made us cringe. So I put it in the book. And the whole scene about “dating disqualifiers” came from a time I had pizza with a soccer team I’d played for as a guest—and speaking of that team, it’s called the Rookies, which is also the name of the drink that dooms Waverly at the SuperShow. It was really fun putting little things like that in the book.

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

MM: After I finished the first draft, I came back from Argentina and was lucky enough to sign with an agent pretty quickly. She told me that she’d been waiting fora book like mine for years, and that mine was the funniest voice she’d heard in ages. She was pretty sure we’d get a two-book deal, so needless to say I was pretty exited. At that point it was all like a dream come true. I thought maybe I would even be on Oprah!
But when my agent shopped it to all the major publishing houses, the reply was pretty unanimous—no thanks. Apparently “chick lit” wasn’t selling well, so no one wanted to touch it unless it sounded really unique. And apparently mine didn’t.
Then my agent basically fired me. From Oprah to fired. Talk about an emotional roller coaster.
I cried for about three days, then spent about six months rewriting the book. Then I went to a writers conference and pitched it myself to four publishing houses and three agents, and they all said it sounded great and wanted to read it. So I was pretty excited again!
Then after a few more months I finally heard back from all of them with more or less the same story I’d heard the first time around: Great read. Great writing. Great dialogue, Great humor. Doesn’t stand out enough for us to gamble on though– sorry. In other words, no thanks.
I didn’t know what to do at that point, so for about six months I left the book sitting on my computer and started doing freelance writing for technology companies to start earning a decent living again. Then one day my dad (perhaps the nicest man on the planet) sat me down and handed me a book on self-publishing that he had read, along with a little plan he’d written for what I needed to do to publish on my own. He told me he loved my book and that I couldn’t let it go, so he was going to help me publish it myself. It nearly made me cry.
So I found a designer to do the interior and cover for me (www.authorsupport.com), got Alison and my other friends Somill and Christine to proofread the manuscript, wrote the back cover copy, had a family friend take my photo, and then finally submitted it all for publication to a “print-on-demand” company (Booksurge).
And now here we are! It’s been a long haul, and very difficult at times, but wonderful too because I truly have done it all on my own (with a LOT of help from my highly underpaid administrative assistant/PR rep, aka my dad). I remember telling my mom a couple years ago that if even ONE PERSON I wasn’t related to bought and enjoyed my book, it would make it all worth while. And now I’m getting emails pretty regularly from people I’ve never met telling me how much they loved my book. A couple months ago I saw a random girl at a café reading it—I seriously nearly had a heart attack.
So that is a very long answer to your question—I hope it wasn’t too long!
PBW: Not to long at all, in fact, I think it helps us to get to know you better as an author by elaborating on the process and your struggles on the road to being published.

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

MM: The response to my book so far has been amazing, so I am very hopeful that a publisher might pick it up. So if any of your readers out there who have enjoyed my book would like to help, here are three quick things they can do to help prove that there is an audience for my writing:
1) Write a review on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/098004250X
2) Become a fan on Facebook and write something on the wall (you can use the “share with friends” link here too if you want: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Perfect-on-Paper/26239620721
3) Post a comment on my Web site: http://mariamurnane.com/reader-comments/
Doing those three things would be fantastic—so thank you in advance to any of your readers who take a few minutes to help out!

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

MM: I hope readers enjoyed living Waverly’s world for a little while, and that the book made them laugh. I also hope they remember to tell their friends about it!

PBW: Do you have plans to write another book?

MM: A lot of people have asked me if I’m going to write a sequel—everyone seems to want to know what happens to Waverly! I would love to write another book, but it’s a ton of work, especially when you have to do all the marketing on your own– on top of the writing itself. So right now I’m focusing on trying to get “Perfect on Paper” picked up by a publisher. If your readers are interested in a sequel, please tell them to email me! I can be reached through my site at www.mariamurnane.com

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

MM: It’s been great! Fun way to reach a lot of potential readers, and everyone has been super nice.

PBW: Where can readers find a copy of your book?
MM: At www.mariamurnane.com or on Amazon. It’s also being sold at a few stores in San Francisco—they are listed on my Web site.
PBW: Do you have a website for readers to go to?
www.mariamurnane.com

Thank you, Maria 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.
The pleasure was mine. Thank you!

PERFECT ON PAPER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 officially begAn on December 1 and end on December 23. You can visit Maria’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in December to find out more about her latest book!

Cold Rock River – Author Interview – J.L. Miles

Paperback Writer is joined today by author J.L. Miles, author of the southern fiction novel, Cold Rock River (Cumberland House Publishing). She is on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In 1963 rural Georgia, with the Vietnam War cranking up, pregnant, seventeen-year-old Adie Jenkins discovers the diary of pregnant, seventeen-year-old Tempe Jordan, a slave girl, circa 1963, with the Civil War well under way.

 

 

WIN A GIFT CERTIFICATE: As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner(s) will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on October 30

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

J.L. (Jackie Lee) Miles, a resident of Georgia since 1975, hails from Wisconsin via South Dakota. She considers herself “a northern girl with a southern heart.” Her paternal grandfather was christened Grant Lee by her great-grandmother in honor of the many fallen soldiers on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. Ms. Miles is a former D.I.A.L. Systems Engineer for Baker/Audio Telecom, one of the premier forerunners of voice mail. In addition to systems application, she provided voice tracks for several major companies, including Delta Airlines and Frito-Lay Corporation.

You can visit her website at www.jlmiles.com

.

 

 

Hi Jackie Lee Miles

 

Welcome to Paperback Writer

 

 

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

 

J.L. Miles (JLM)   Cold Rock River was inspired by an incident in my own life. Like Adie’s sister Annie, my baby sister Vick choked on a jellybean when she was twenty months old. It was the week following Easter and we three older girls had our little baskets squirreled away. Our mother insisted we weren’t to drag them around the house, but she was gone for the evening and our daddy let us roam about, baskets in hand, to our hearts’ content. I don’t recall that any of us actually gave Vicki a jelly bean. More likely she picked on up off the floor. I do remember I panicked when I saw her put one in her mouth, and I tried to grab her. She started giggling and running as fast as her little legs would allow. The next thing I knew, she was choking and her face was blue. She survived, but as I grew older I was very much aware of how our lives would have changed had she not. One evening, lying in bed, something made me think of it; how fifty years had passed and yet the memory of that night was still as raw as fresh-skinned knees. I closed my eyes, ready to drift off, when I “heard” the opening lone of what became Cold Rock River. I got up to write it down, so I wouldn’t forget a single word. I was still at it the next morning. I had forty, maybe fifty pages. I realized then that this young, beautiful, delightful creature, who I chose to call Adie, might have something to tell me worth hearing. And if I was quiet and listened closely, maybe her ghosts would help me purge mine.

 

  

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

 

(JLM)I consider myself an organic writer from the start, in that I hear my characters voices when a story first begins and follow it from there without an outline. When I get to a certain point where I know where the novel is headed I usually follow an outline at that point forward. I understand there is no tried-and-true method, but following an outline does help insure that you know where you’re going. It provides for less rewrites.

 

(PBW) Do you know the end of the story at the beginning?

 

(JLM) Initially, Cold Rock River was to be the story of Adie Jenkins, seventeen and pregnant and unmarried during the early 1960’s. I know today if you’re in her condition, they throw you a shower. In those days they threw you out. I decided Adie would do some chicken farming to feed them when it became apparent Buck wasn’t going to be one she could count on. I went to the library to research Georgia chicken farming and stumbled onto the Slave Narratives. The complete collection— which contains more than two thousand first-person accounts—is housed at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. They were commissioned by President Roosevelt during the depression years, in order to record the journey of those freed slaves still alive. Writers ere sent across the nation to search for them. Their accounts are as fascinating as they are poignant. Over the years, there’s been a good deal of controversy as to their accuracy, based on the fact that some of the freed slaves were fearful or perhaps suspicious of the government—brings to mind “forty acres and a mule”—and hesitant to speak candidly regarding the treatment they may or may not have received at the hands of their sometimes still powerful former masters. The collective consensus is that somewhere amidst the vast amount of material lies the truth. After months of reading, reviewing, and re-examining all of the narratives I could locate, Tempe’s portion of Cold Rock River emerged. Her story, based on what I found, is remarkable. Everything that Tempe experiences was lifted from the lives of actual people who wore the chains and bore the scars of slavery. I won’t ever forget her; nor am I able to forget those I ‘met” through the narratives, who bravely shared their life stories so that Tempe could tell me hers.

 

(PBW) Do you have a process for developing your characters?

 

(JLM) Before I develop a character I “hear” their voice. After that it’s a matter of listening to them to see what they have to say. From what they say I can flesh them out and find out just who they are. It’s an ongoing process as a novel progresses.

 

(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?

 

(JLM) I guess you’re asking if my characters are real people. All I can say is that they are real to me, but I’m not writing memoirs—not yet anyway! But I do try to tap into my experiences with people in a way that portrays what I call truths of the human condition. If, in that process, I create characters my readers identify with, I’m very happy. I’ve done my job.

 

(PBW) What is your most favorite part about this book?

 

(JLM) When Adie discovers why she can’t marry Murphy when Buck comes home from the Vietnam War minus and arm and a leg. When she writes Murphy the letter to tell him that they just met too late, it broke my heart. In the letter when Adie writes, “I can never leave Buck. I want my children to grow up knowing the promises we make are meant to be kept,” I actually cried as I was hammering away at the keyboard.

 

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

 

(JLM) I already had a publisher by the time I had written this book. Even so, it was a five year journey without a paycheck. So I was blessed to have a publisher waiting once I finally finished it.

 

(PBW) What struggles have you had on the road to being published?

 

(JLM) There is an interesting story as to how I got published.

 

I went to this book conference. At the reception I literally bumped into Ron Pitkin, the president of Cumberland House Publishing. He was kind enough not to notice I spilled his drink and asked what I was working on. When I told him fiction, he promptly replied, “That’s a crap shoot.” Definitely not what I wanted to hear. I mean, I’d paid good money to come to this conference and he’s raining on my party, big time. “Well,” I said, “that’s too bad, because I have a dynamite opening line.” I was prepared to walk away, when he gently took hold of my elbow and said, “So what’s your opening line?”

 

“The morning I died, it rained.” Keep in mind this was long before The Lovely Bones.

 

“God! I want to see that book,” he said, doing an about face.

 

“Ah, I don’t have a book,” I said. “I have a great opening line and a hundred pages.”

 

He asked if I had it with me. “Of course. I’m getting it evaluated in the morning. It costs forty-five dollars.”

 

He told me to give it to him, he wouldn’t charge a thing. I immediately went to my room and brought back the pages. I had a prologue, and the last chapter and the epilogue along with the rest of it. It wasn’t finished, but I knew where it was going.

 

Mr. Pitkin thanked me and went on his way. Come Sunday morning with the conference over, everyone was checking out. I spotted Mr. Pitkin making his way toward me and thought, oh-oh, this is where he’s going to pull the rug out from under me and tell me to get a real job. To my surprise he handed me the manuscript and said, “I want this and I want it yesterday. Go home and finish it!” 

 

 

I figured if I took forever to finish it he’d never even remember that he liked it. I stayed up and wrote around the clock for the next five days, took the weekend off, stayed up again and wrote around the clock for the next five days and sent it off to Mr. Pitkin. I marked my calendar for three months, thinking it might take that long for him to get back to me. I started in on my second book. Just like all the books on writing said to do. The following Friday evening my phone rang. I answered. A voice said, “This is Ron Pitkin at Cumberland House and we’re going to bring your book out in hardback.” I said, “Ya? And I’m the tooth fairy.” And I hung up on him. The reason I did this is that the only person other than my husband who knew I’d sent off the manuscript was a good friend of mine who can mimic any voice he’s ever heard. He’d been going to this conference where I’d met Mr. Pitkin for years and has heard him speak many times. It had to be this friend playing a joke on me. Not a very funny one either. I wasn’t amused.

 

I went upstairs to comb my hair and put some lipstick on. My husband was starving and wanted to go and get something to eat. Poor thing, he probably was starving. I stopped cooking when the kids left home and I took up writing. No sooner did I get to the bedroom when the phone rang. This one has caller ID, the others don’t. I leaned over and saw CUMBERLAND HOUSE flashing on the screen. I’d hung up on Mr. Pitkin for real!

I picked up the handset, leaned into it and barely whispered “Hello?”

 

“What’d you hang up on me for?” he said. “Ah, it’s a long story, a very boring story,” I said.

 

“Well, we’re bringing out your book in hard back and bumping back our memoir piece on Dale Earnhardt (he’d been tragically killed), to make Roseflower Creek the lead book. What do you think of that?”

 

I was hyperventilating and finding it impossible to speak. I did my best. “Didn’t you say fiction was a crap shoot?” I asked

 

“Yes—and it is,” he said.

 

“Then I think your crazy or my protagonist got herself a miracle. What do you think of that?”

 

Mr. Pitkin laughed and said he’d be seeing me. This is a true story and a pretty amazing way to get published.

 

 

(PBW) What has been the best part about being published?

 

(JLM) Meeting all of the fans who read my books! They bring me so much joy.

 

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

 

(JLM) For me it’s not acceptable to simply write good stores. I feel compelled to include a gift with the writing; something readers can take with them that may make a difference in their life or the lives of those they love. It’s not enough to be entertaining. I need a reason or a purpose for the entertainment. It can be subtle and unobtrusive—I much prefer that it is—but it needs to be there.  I like to write good stories that warm hearts and question brains, then, add a little extra. It’s hard to put into words. I write poetry—not for publication, just for myself. I once wrote about what it was that I wanted to do with my life. It ended with, “Share truths, touch hearts, bring joy.” That’s what I’d like my writing to do.

 

(PBW) Do you have plans to write another book?

 

(JLM) After spending five years on Cold Rock River, I took a respite and wrote my Dwayne Series, a three-book southern anthology that’s two genres removed from what I have been writing. It’s Chick-Lit. I call it Grit-Lit, and it’s provided a nice respite.  It features Francine Harper, who is under felony assault charges for shooting at her husband Dwayne and his stripper/lover Carla from the Peel ‘n Squeal. Francine discovers her strengths and reclaims her dignity via a trial and many errors. The first book in the series Divorcing Dwayne debuted April 2008. Dear Dwayne arrives on the shelves April 1st, 2009 and Dating Dwayne will follow. I know it sounds backwards, but if you go to amazon.com and check out the synopsis to the series under Divorcing Dwayne (scroll down), it all makes sense.

 

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

 

(JLM) It has been a wonderful vehicle and I highly recommend it!! My ranking on Amazon.com is remarkable because of this tour.

 

(PBW) Where can readers find a copy of your book?

 

(JLM) All fine booksellers have access to it if they don’t have it in stock and can order a copy very quickly. Or readers can order on line at amazon.com, barnes&noble.com or at booksamillion.com.

 

(PBW) Do you have a website for readers to go to?

 

(JLM) Yes, please visit the website at http://www.jlmiles.com

And write to me at Jackie@jlmiles.com

 

Thank you, Jackie Lee Miles (aka J. L. Miles) 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.

 

 

 

COLD ROCK RIVER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 will officially begin on October 1 and end on October 30. You can visit J.L.’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktoursforauthors.wordpress.com in October to find out more about her latest book!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner(s) will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on October 30!

 

Blackbird, Farewell – author interview – Robert Greer

Paperback Writer is pleased to introduce our author for today, Robert Greer, author of the mystery novel, Blackbird, Farewell (North Atlantic Books, Oct. ‘08), as he virtually tours the blogosphere in November on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert is a native of Columbus, Ohio, who spent his formative years in the steel mill town of Gary, Indiana. He graduated from Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and subsequently earned degrees in dentistry, medicine and pathology from Howard University and Boston University. He is a professor of pathology, medicine, surgery, and dentistry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center where he specializes in head and neck pathology and cancer research. He also holds a masters degree in Creative Writing from Boston University and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Miami University, his alma mater. Greer has lived in Denver for thirty years. In 1986 he founded The High Plains Literary Review and continues to serve as its editor-in-chief. He is the author or co-author of three medical textbooks and over 125 scientific articles. His short stories have appeared in dozens of national literary magazines and his short story collection, ISOLATION AND OTHER STORIES, published in 2000 by The Davies Group Publishers, sold out its hardback printings and is now in trade paperback.

Greer has been involved in cancer research at the University of Colorado Health Science Center for more than thirty years. In 1983 his research group was the first in the world to report a synergistic link between smokeless tobacco use and human papillomaviruses in certain cancers of the mouth. That research foundation is the basis for the plot of THE DEVIL’S HATBAND.

In addition to writing, medicine, and research, Greer reviews books for a Denver National Public Radio affiliate, KUVO, and raises cattle on his ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

You can visit Robert on the web at www.robertgreerbooks.com

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Shandell “Blackbird” Bird has everything going for him, or so he thinks. Recently selected number two overall in the NBA draft, the six foot eight, 250-pound superstar has a gleaming new ride and a salary and athletic shoe contract that make him an instant millionaire. What he doesn’t have, is the ability to bury secrets from his past.

When Shandell is found shot to death midcourt, his best friend and college teammate Damion Madrid sets out to find the killer. Damion is well-meaning but naïve; luckily his godfather is gumshoe CJ Floyd. Floyd and his partner, Flora Jean Benson, are there to watch his back as Damion stumbles down a shadowy trail that leads to Shandell’s purported peddling of steroids and big-game point shaving. When he discovers a “Blackbird” he never knew and is able to put a face on Shandell’s killer, Damion finds himself in over his head. Will CJ be there in time to preven this godson from joining Shandell? Featuring the vivid characters and streetwise dialogue that have made the CJ Floyd series a critical and commercial success, Blackbird, Farewell is a punch-packing whodunit that exposes the dark side of the pro-athlete good life.

Hi Robert Greer,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

Paperback Writer (PBW)Will you share with us how you came up with the idea for this book?

Robert Greer (RG)The idea for my novel, BLACKBIRD, FAREWELL, came from my interest in exposing the dark side of the sport’s industry.

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

(RG) I outline approximately the first half of the book. I then write the book as if I am entering a new scene with each chapter. By the time I’ve written half of the book, the rest of the story has rolled around in my head so long that I know where I want to go from there.

(PBW) Do you know the end of the story at the beginning?

(RG) No, I don’t know the end of the story at the beginning of the story, although I do know largely how the characters will behave and the premise under which I’ll be writing.

(PBW) Do you have a process for developing your characters?

(RG) I do not have any set process for developing characters but I tend to enjoy writing minor characters with quirks more than I enjoy writing major characters.

(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?

(RG)There is a bit of me in my central character, CJ Floyd, the recurring bail bondsman hero in my mysteries. Much like me he is a loner and he is a pushover for sweet potato pie. Aside from those two characteristics I am not certain there is much more of me in my central character.

(PBW) What is your most favorite part about this book?

(RG) The favorite part of my book is always when I write the last word.

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

(RG) I was fortunate that I knew agents prior to publishing my first novel because of my short story writing.

(PBW) What struggles have you had on the road to being published?

(RG) I haven’t had a whole lot of struggles. The most difficult time that I’ve had in my writing life is the fact that I’m a physician and I’ve had to balance my writing life with that of being a pathologist.

(PBW) What has been the best part about being published?

(RG)The best part of being published for me is what I view as a task well done.

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

(RG) I would like most readers to carry with them the sense that they have an opportunity through my novels to explore the west and to also see a black hero in action rather than the all-to-popular black antihero.

(PBW) Do you have plans to write another book?

(RG) I certainly do. This is my tenth novel in the CJ Floyd series and I’ll soon be working on my eleventh.

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

(RG) My virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book has forced me to have to use the internet much more than I typically do.

(PBW) Where can readers find a copy of your book?

(RG) My book can be found in any book store, including independents, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Amazon.com

( PBW ) Do you have a website for readers to go to? www.robertgreerbooks.com

Thank you, Robert 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.

FAREWELL, BLACKBIRD VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 began on November 3 and end on November 26. You can visit Robert’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in November to find out more about her latest book!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner(s) will be announced on November 30!

October Book Pick of the Month – The Lost Diary of Don Juan

Paperback Writer’s pick for the October Book of The Month is The Lost Diary of Don Juan by Douglas Carlton Abrams. As a first time author Douglas Abrams has certainly written an intriguing novel surrounding the life of Don Juan. Having heard, but never really knowing the story of Don Juan this novel leaves nothing to the imagination, from the blood dripping sword fighting, the steamy love making to so many women and the evil forces of the Inquisitioner as he tries to tame the most wanted lover, this novel keeps you on the edge of your seat. I read the 21 page excerpt at the authors website and I can assure you that you won’t be satisfied just reading the excerpt pages and you will find yourself buying the book. You can find it here www.lostdiaryofdonjuan.com.

About the Book:
In a time of discovery and decadence, when the gold that poured endlessly into the port of Sevilla devalued money, marriage, and love itself, young Juan Tenorio was abandoned and raised by nuns. He grew up loving and worshipping all women, but a clandestine affair with one of the sisters forces him to leave the Church—and his plans for the priesthood—forever. Juan becomes a spy, as well as the world’s greatest libertine. But far from the heartless seducer that legend recounts, he seeks liberation and redemption as much as personal pleasure and gratification. He begins to keep a diary of his greatest adventures and the arts of passion he has mastered. The most dangerous adventure of all—the irresistible fall into the madness of love with the only woman who could ever make him forget all others—finally compels him to confess everything.

About the Author:
Douglas Carlton Abrams is a former editor at the University of California Press and HarperSanFrancisco. He is the co-author of a number of books on love, sexuality, and spirituality, including books written with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar, and Taoist Master Mantak Chia. He lives in Santa Cruz, California, with his wife and three children. In his life and work, he is interested in cultivating all aspects of our humanity —body, emotions, mind, and spirit. His goal in writing fiction is to create stories that not only entertain, but also attempt to question, enchant, and transform.

THE LOST DIARY OF DON JUAN VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 will officially begin on September 2, ‘08 and end on September 26, ‘08. You can visit the Douglas’ tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in September to find out more about him and his new book!
As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on September 26!

The Forbidden Daughter – Author Interview – Shobhan Bantwal

  

 

Paperback Writer would like to introduce our author for today, Shobhan Bantwal, author of the women’s fiction, The Forbidden Daughter (Kensington, Aug. ‘08). Paperback Writer caught up with Shobhan during her second virtual book tour for her second book. Her first book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion was for the novel The Dowry Bride.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Shobhan Bantwal is the author of THE DOWRY BRIDE and a freelance writer who writes for a number of publications including The Writer, India Abroad, Little India, DesiJournal.com, India Currents and New Woman India. THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER is her second book. One of her short stories will be featured in a charity anthology titled DREAMS & DESIRES 3, the proceeds from which will be donated to a battered women’s shelter by the publisher. You can visit her website at www.shobhanbantwal.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
When a young widow refuses to comply with her in-laws’ dictate to abort her unborn child, will her rebellion turn out to be the greatest mistake of her life, or a blessing in disguise? This is the story of one mother’s valiant fight to protect her daughters in a society that often frowns on female children, and the only man who will help her in her battle when the stakes become impossibly high.
THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER is woven around the hot-button social issue of vanishing girl children in contemporary India, where gender-based abortions and female infanticide continue to be practiced in some areas despite laws to ban the practices.

Hi Shobhan! Welcome back to Paperback Writer

Thank you for the warm welcome. It is great to be back, talking about my new book, THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER.

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

THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER emerged naturally as an extension, a follow-up to my first one, THE DOWRY BRIDE. Both subjects are interrelated. In a culture where daughters are often looked upon as burdens, mainly because parents have to spend a lot on their marriages (dowries, jewelry, and grand ceremonial weddings), girls sometimes face difficult lives. Over centuries, cultures like India have frowned on female children and embraced males, because boys are considered assets, future bread-winners, and caretakers of elderly parents and other family members.
THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER also seemed to fit right into my passion for socio-cultural and women’s issues.
Did you plan this story first with an outline or did it come to you as wrote it?

I started with a germ of an idea and not an outline, which is my typical writing style. I then crafted the story as I went along and let the characters do what they will. Ordinarily, even if I plot an outline, I never stick to it, so I prefer to meander and write by the seat of my pants.

Did you know the end of the story at the beginning?

To some degree I knew how tale would end, but the heart-stopping action that eventually led to the conclusion was not something I had envisioned. The drama and action in the last third of the book popped up in my mind as the story evolved.

Do you have a process for developing your characters?

I don’t have any process or proven formula. It is usually the plot that swirls in my mind before I visualize the characters. My characters fit my plot, and not the other way around.

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

Sometimes, certain characters’ dialogues or their attitude is where I see glimpses of myself. Actually, my friends tend to notice the similarities between my characters and me.

What is your most favorite part about this book?

My favorite portion is the scene where the hero locates the kidnapped baby and the resulting emotions that reduce a strong man like him to tears.

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

After I had polished up the manuscript to a point I considered ready-to-go, I first did an agent search. After I was able to sign on with a reputable agent, she marketed it to various publishers on my behalf. As you know, traditional publishers rarely accept material unless it comes from a trustworthy agent.

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

Finding a good agent was very challenging. But I find that marketing the book is the biggest hurdle. The publisher does do some marketing, but the bulk of the PR and sales effort has to come from the author. That becomes both expensive and time-consuming, and often frustrating.

What has been the best part about being published?

For me, the wonderfully positive feedback from readers who loved my book and are looking for more of my books is the most gratifying part of being published.

What do you want readers to remember and carry with them after reading The Forbidden Daughter?

I would like to leave my readers thinking about the characters and what might happen to them after the book is finished. A good book leaves readers wondering about the characters long after they have put the book down, and that is what I would like to see. In fact, many of my readers have asked me after reading my first book, THE DOWRY BRIDE, if I would write a sequel because they could not help wondering what happened to the hero and heroine. Lots of my readers have asked for a sequel. That is a great feeling.

Do you have plans to write another book?

Yes, my publisher has offered me another contract, so I will be writing a third book. At this time I have some ideas but nothing concrete yet.

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

My last year’s tour to promote THE DOWRY BRIDE was a positive experience. I enjoyed it and the bloggers who hosted me were friendly and upbeat and supportive of my writing.

Where can readers find a copy of The Forbidden Daughter?

THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER is available at all nationwide and Canadian bookstores and online booksellers.

Do you have a website for readers to go to?

Yes, my website is www.shobhanbantwal.com. Besides book information I have award-winning short stories, articles, excerpts, book trailers, recipes, and photos on the site.

Thank you, Shobhan 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 for inviting me to your blog.

THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 will officially begin on September 2 and ends on September 26. You can visit Shobhan’s tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in September to find out more about her and her book!
As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on September 30!

A Worthy Muslim – Author Interview – Amir Makin

Paperback Writer welcomes author Amir Makin, author of the nonfiction book, A Worthy Muslim: Quranic Tools Needed to Overcome Oppression and Imperialism in Order to Institute Justice (A.I.C. Publications, May ‘08). Amir is on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amir Makin found Al Islam on an unexpected yet fruitful journey to Africa. Having always been intrigued with issues of the oppressed masses, he quickly learned how this way of life directed all to defend and protect the indigent from tyranny while preserving the dignity of the dispossessed. Since that time, he has instilled in himself and advanced the type of analysis that leads to positive change throughout society. You can visit his website at www.unworthymuslim.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
This material provides an examination of the Islamic way of life and offers solutions to problems concerning situations of injustice which underprivileged minority communities in different parts of the world regularly experience. Socioeconomic issues such as racism, poverty and legal system imbalances are analyzed. The author compares these issues with the religious texts of Islam and identifies imperative tools needed to successfully overcome and conquer them. What does Islam say about tyrants? Why is Islam not a religion? The answers offered here address these questions and more.

This book explains how oppressed communities can handle and overcome oppression by seriously examining the practice of true Islam. The author analyzes the difference between what is incorrectly perceived as Islam and the way of life called Al Islam while also detailing how different prophets implemented Quranic teachings when standing against injustice. Information is then used to examine real world situations of oppression that occur in today’s climate with a particular emphasis on the disadvantaged and impoverished of American society from not only a socioeconomic standpoint, but a psychological and spiritual vantage as well.

Hi Amir Makin

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

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

First, let me thank you for allowing me to share this information with your readership. In writing A Worthy Muslim: Quranic Tools Needed to Overcome Oppression and Imperialism in Order to Institute Justice I first got the idea when I began to notice a lack of concern among some but not all within the Muslim community to be committed to work for socioeconomic and political independence with the same veracity as they were to look for a job. I began to realize that they had problems seeing a connection between Middle East or Iraq or Africa, terrorism and how they relate to our condition here at home. Partly as a result of this, I noticed that several people were getting the impression that Muslims were not supposed to get involved in social, political and economic development. So I asked myself is there a way I can address this and get people to understand the facts on Sunni Muslims at the same time? After analyzing and agonizing over this I narrowed it down to several key points designed to prove that not only Muslims have this duty, but also how to carry out that duty. The logical solution was to write a book for all to read and ponder.

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

I actually toyed with the idea for years, and I thought surely someone would come along with a unique perspective and show the diverse applications of the Qur’an when dealing with heavy issues such as internalized oppression. But none ever did. After searching for what appeared to be forever, I finally arrived at the conclusion that since I recognized the issue, I must accept my duty to address it and try to change as much about it as possible. At the time I began to write the book it was Ramadan (the month of fasting) so I was completely focused on putting as much detail as I could possibly explain.

How did you come up with the title?

By studying the process of human development I began to realize that everything happens in stages as the Qur’an states and I began to understand how to recognize those stages. I began to examine certain social problems every society has dealt with in human civilization such as racism, war, and poverty. I realized that certain people were more disaffected by them than others, but all of these problems remained consistent throughout human history. Even though all societies have their own systems, there had to be a way to sum up these systems in a few words. All civilizations and their governments want history to remember them as being extremely important, so they stress or in some cases force their citizens to adopt a pride or absolute loyalty to them. However, a person can’t have this if they feel their very humanity has been devalued. In other words, everyone must have their own sense of self worth. So it became a way to communicate the message that those whom any society has devalued are seen as priceless treasures according to the Qur’an. This message has not been communicated as well as it could have been in today’s world. This book draws that parallel.

How did you find an agent and publisher?

The great thing about A.I.C Publications, LLC which stands for the Active Institute of Consciousness is that they pride themselves on publishing literature dedicated to not only uplifting those most left out or considered outcasts but also examines their conditions, and develop strategies designed for them to improve their situations. For me finding A.I.C Publications, LLC as not only a publisher, but also as an agent was like a hand to a glove.

Who reads you work in progress?

My first critic is my wife. She’s pretty good about catching some of the little things I overlook or take for granted. Once I’ve gotten past her critiques I perform another read of her suggestions before my work goes to editing.

Who made a difference in the book’s quality?

I would have to say the same people that inspired it initially. When I was initially trying to discover a way to reach them specifically, I would run some of the precepts past a few individuals that had no knowledge of the subject matter. Once I was able to establish that I wrote in a language where those unfamiliar with the content could easily understand the book, I knew was close to completion. This technique forced me to write the book with a non Islamic audience in mind. It’s really ironic when you think about it.

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

It took me one year to complete a draft I was happy to let others see. It’s extremely amazing and quite funny at the same time. I was writing a book for all the to see, and yet I was hesitant about letting others view it!

How long did it take from start to publication?

Two years total from start to finish. It truly was a labor of love that I plan to do again and again. I’m currently planning on releasing three new titles in 2009.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

Develop your goal which should be to finish your book. Make sure you give 110% and the rewards will reach beyond your imagination. As this is Ramadan, I’m offering an opportunity for a book giveaway which will conclude at the end of Ramadan (projected date is October 2, 2008). This will require reader participation of which the complete details can be found on my blog. Thanks again.

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

A WORTHY MUSLIM VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 will officially begin on September 2, ‘08 and end on September 26, ‘08. You can visit Amir’s tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in September to find out more about him and his new book!
As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on September 26!

Sam’s Quest – Author Interview – Ben Furman

Paperback Writer is pleased to announce our author for today Ben Furman, Furman is author of the young adult fantasy adventure, Sam’s Quest for the Crimson Crystal (Black Hawk Press). Leave a comment while the author is on his virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion and you might just be a winner. Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops.

About The Author:

Ben, a former FBI counterterrorism chief, has drawn on this experience to write about high-tech terrorism, chemical, biological, and nuclear threats, and transnational criminal cartels. During his career he investigated kidnappings, extortions, bank robberies, led SWAT teams and was the FBI counterterrorism chief assigned to address threats against the United States by terrorists of all stripes.
He also writes fantasy adventure novels with positive messages for the young adult, juvenile market.
He is the Rexus CEO, a corporation that conducts international corporate investigations involving industrial espionage, internal theft, business due diligence and background screening.
You can visit his website at www.blackhawkpress.com.

 
About the Book:

Samantha Mae Costas “Sam” is nobody’s idea of a hero. She is constantly teased about her thick glasses, her small size, and her asthma attacks are embarrassing and difficult to control. When Sam is forced to spend the summer on her grandpa’s farm she thinks things can’t get much worse.
Deep in the caverns below the farm, Prince Buznor, a young Awok, is on a life-and-death mission to save his world. He has to find Sam and prove to her that only she can find and control the Crimson Crystal… the one weapon that can defeat the evil threatening his people.
To reach the Crimson Crystal Sam must journey through the hostile Land of Geffen, face hordes of catacomb dwarfs, vicious vampire bats and deadly monsters. Can Sam overcome her fears, her doubts, and find the Crimson Crystal in time to save the Awokian world?

 

Hi Ben,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

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

Sure. Initially it was scribbled in an effort to impress a girl. Didn’t work, though! Here’s the back story.

On the first day of my fifth grade history class a cute girl with long red hair and green eyes entered the room and sat a couple of rows away from me. Samantha instantly became my favorite girl’s name. I wracked my brain trying to come up with something to impress her. Johnny, who was sitting directly behind Samantha, refused to switch places with me. Our history teacher’s cataracts had restricted her field of fire to the first row seats, which would have given me adequate cover, but no sale.

I could draw and spin a pretty good tale. A fantasy adventure story-boarded with drawings of the characters – that was the ticket! As the project gained speed I heard the whispers. Samantha had asthma! Asthma? Was it contagious? I looked it up. No! I added an aspirator to the drawing that Samantha used to spray in the eyes of the villain, thus defeating him and saving Innerworld! I slipped the finished story on her desk and held my breath as she read it, shoved it inside her desk, and turned around to smile at Johnny, who had just pulled her hair. She never acknowledged me, and feeling like a complete dunce I retrieved the story the next recess. Thankfully, at the end of the school year Samantha moved away, ending my gnawing embarrassment.

Time zipped past and two daughters and two granddaughters later I decided to write a trilogy detailing Samantha’s adventures. My mother had kept every scrap of paper generated by her kids and she had packed away the story and the drawings in one of her empty shoe boxes. The original story with the positive message was still viable, and the core characters, Sam, Buzz and Patch, made their way into the book.

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

I outline. I need a roadmap to guide me along, but there’s plenty of room inside it to freely maneuver. But I find that I can get too wacky if I don’t stay within the boundaries of the outline, and the story doesn’t play out correctly.

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

Yes. In fact I write the ending, which normally includes the “hook” of the story, before starting the first chapter. This helps me stay focused as I journey from chapter to chapter toward the conclusion.

Do you have a process for developing your characters?

I begin by considering them real with a complete history, whether or not they are human or non-human. Then I do very detailed bios of the main characters, including some that are secondary. I put them into a location or situation in the story to let them bounce around, which further shapes their personalities and interpersonal relationships. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but I know the characters histories and how they fit before I start to write. That makes it “more funner” as my daughter used to say.

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

Not on purpose, especially in the young adult fantasy series. I do pop up now and then in my counter-terrorism thrillers. But sure, some of who I am seeps into the characters. They display traits that we recognize and all have experienced. Prince Buznor, who accompanies Samantha on her quests, resonates with me. He has a tendency to short fuse situations rather than consider the possible adverse ramifications. At his age I did the same, and I think we would have been best buddies.

What is your most favorite part about this book?

The point at which Sam overcomes the doubts and fears that have plagued her throughout her life. This happens when she successfully fends off the attack of the catacomb dwarfs and grows into the Seeker, the one that’s foretold in Awokian legend. Afterward she moves toward the final confrontation with her evil protagonist, not with cockiness, but confident that she has a chance to prevail.

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

I had a great New York literary agent, who pushed my stuff like crazy. But just when I was starting to get some traction with the mainstream publishers, he had a heart attack and died. Rather than start all over again – finding an agent was tough initially and finding a new one even tougher – I picked up the threads and had a go of it on my own.

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

The buyers for the major bricks & mortars were gun shy because I didn’t have an agent or a publisher, but they did like the stories. They bought enough during the initial orders to help me defray the costs of editing and printing, and encouraged me to find a publisher. A number of publishers’ doors were slammed; there’s still interest from Simon & Schuster in converting the story to a graphic novel, and I was able to easily “gen up” a lot of interest from backroom, two steps ahead of the marshal outfits. I looked around to see if there were any decent small houses that I could buy, and then concluded I’d be better off forming my own company. That’s what I did. Now I’m touting my material, but soon I’m bringing onboard some very talented writers that have great stories to tell.

What has been the best part about being published?

Legitimacy. The publishing business still functions, mostly, using its 1916 business model. Its credo holds that thou are the illegitimate offspring of a back alley $40 hoe (not the farm implement) if you try to invade their territory without an agent, or shudder, are self-published. Now as a member of the “club” I find myself embracing these same snobbish tendencies. I’m joking – no calls, please!

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

The message: One doesn’t have to be perfect to succeed. After all, even Superman has a weakness. Sam proves the point. Despite debilitating asthma, small size and youth (11 years), she overcomes what initially appear to be insurmountable obstacles. She keeps churning, doesn’t give up, vanquishes her evil protagonist and saves the day.

I received a letter from Catherine, 10 years old, who made all the late hours and effort to write the book worth it. She said, “…Samantha didn’t let her asthma get her down. I won’t let my diabetes get me down either.” Says it all.

Do you have plans to write another book?

Yes. Sam’s Quest is a trilogy. The second, Sam’s Quest: The Royal Trident, Book 2 is finished and will be released soon. The third, Sam’s Quest: The Catacomb of Evil has been outlined (yes, the dreaded outline and character development) and set aside as I work to complete Chimera, a counter-terrorism thriller. The Devil’s Darning Needle, my first counter-terrorism book is on the shelves.

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

It’s been work, but good work. I’ve been able to share the back-and-forth with kindred souls, those who share my passion for reading and writing. I look forward to visiting again when the second Sam’s Quest book is released.

Where can readers find a copy of your book?

It’s available in all the book stores, Amazon.com and Borders.com. The book is also available as an audio book and as a downloadable book. You can hear excerpts by visiting my website, and download for free “Hail Samantha,” sung by Telegu the Red Dragon.

Do you have a website for readers to go to?

Yes. www.blackhawkpress.com

Thank you, Ben 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.

SAM’S QUEST FOR THE CRIMSON CRYSTAL VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 will officially begin on September 2, ‘08 and end on September 26, ‘08. You can visit the Ben’s tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in September.

One Small Victory – Author Interview – Maryann Miller

 

 

 

Paperback Writer is pleased to announce our author for today, Maryann Miller. Maryann is author of the Romantic Suspense Novel, One Small Victory (Five Star, June ’08). A diverse writer of columns, feature stores, short fiction, novels, screenplays and stage plays, Maryann Miller has won numerous awards including being a semi-finalist at the Sundance Institute for her screenplay, “A Question of Honor”. More recently she placed in the top 15 percent of entries in the Chesterfield Screenwriting Fellowship with the adaptation of her mystery, “Open Season”

About the Book:

Life can change in just an instant. That’s the harsh reality that Jenny Jasik faces when her son, Michael, is killed in an automobile accident. She is a single mother with two other children, Scott and Alicia. Ralph, her ex-husband, left her six years ago for a younger woman. He moved to California and has all but abandoned them. He does
send child support, which, coupled with the profits from the florist shop Jenny owns, keeps them fed and sheltered in an old frame house. When Jenny sees an item in the newspaper about a special task force forming at the local police department, she goes to the station and demands to be part of that team. She stands firm in the face of
objections from Chief Gonzales. He finally agrees to let her work with them as a Confidential Informant if she passes a physical fitness test and a psychological screening. He also tells her that if she works with them it will be in the strictest confidence. She is to tell no one. Not her kids. Not her mother. Not her best friend. No even her dog. As the weeks pass and Jenny gets deeper into the drug scene, hiding what she’s doing from everyone becomes harder and harder. How many more lies
can she tell to explain why she stays out half the night? Then there’s the problem of Ralph. Scott has been dumping his frustration on his father, and Ralph threatens to start action to get the kids if Jenny doesn’t stop whatever it is she’s doing.

Further complications arise when Chico, the dealer Jenny has been buying from, disappears. The DEA agents report that unusual things are happening at the ranch where the Main Man does his business. There is concern for the safety of all involved in this sting. Jenny is offered a chance to get out, but she stays.

A plan develops to take down the Main Man, and for Jenny, that moment can’t come soon enough. All she has to do is get the details of the big buy recorded and the police can arrest the Man. That scene unravels quickly, and Jenny is forced to shoot a man who is turning a gun on her. This was not part of the plan and definitely not something that Jenny wants to tell her children or her ex-husband.

Maybe Michael will understand.

 

 

Hi, Maryann Miller,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

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

One Small Victory was inspired by a true story about a woman who infiltrated a drug ring and helped bring down the main distributor in a rural town. I read a short news item about her in the paper and was immediately intrigued by all that she had done, especially since she bullied her way onto a drug task force while grieving for her oldest son who was killed in a car accident. Drugs had been found at the scene, and this was the woman’s first exposure to the seriousness of the drug problem in her small town. When I read the news story, I just knew I had to write about this incredible woman.

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

The characters come to me first, and the plot is often developed from a real incident, like with One Small Victory and Play it Again, Sam. As I am letting the characters come to life in my imagination, I do make lots of notes and do a rough outline, but it is not nearly as detailed as other writers’ outlines. I often know what needs to happen, just not how it is going to happen. Getting there is half of the fun of writing, and often the characters will dictate the means of accomplishing the goal.

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

I have a general idea of how it should end, but, again, nothing detailed.

Do you have a process for developing your characters?

I guess it is a process of sorts. My characters usually appear and start talking to me. Somewhat like meeting someone new at a party and connecting on several levels. I’ve taken creative writing classes and read tips on how we should write full bios of our characters so we get to know them, but I have never found that process workable for me. I do keep notes on each character, so I can make sure I have back-story consistent. That also helps when trying to come up with something to make the character more three-dimensional. But, other than the notes, I don’t write a lot about the characters in advance. I just let them come and we get to know each other along the way.

It is said that authors write themselves into their characters. Is there any part of you in your characters and what they would be? It is true that there is sometimes a little bit of the author in characters. After all, they come from the author’s world view and experience. However, I think it is wise to work hard in second and third drafts to make sure the characters are more true to themselves than to us as authors.

What is your most favorite part about this book?

One of my favorite parts is the scene where Jenny and her police liaison, Steve, are at a park that hosts outdoor art shows. This scene was never planned; I just needed a place for them to meet away from town so they wouldn’t be seen. I had been to this park once and for some reason just thought it would be neat for them to meet there. In an effort to make it less typical – it has more appeal to women than men – I made it Steve’s idea to meet there and gave him the connection to the park through his deceased wife. Writing the scene was like visiting the park again, and I worked hard to make the area real for the reader. This is one of the scenes that deal with an attraction between the two characters, and again, I went against what is most typical in commercial fiction. I think what happens between them is special and meaningful, but not ordinary.

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

I didn’t start marketing the book until I had finished the third draft.

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

Oh, gosh. Let me count the ways…. Success in publishing is one part talent, one part tenacity, and one part luck. So many times I have been in the right place, but a second or two late. And like so many authors who are writing good books, but not something that is going to end up on the NY Times best seller list, I’m finding the markets shrinking.

What has been the best part about being published?

Hearing from readers who have enjoyed the story or article is absolutely the best part of being published. We all write for a variety of reasons and hope to make some money along the way, but the driving force for most writers is a desire to see our words in print and know that people are reading them. If we can connect on an emotional or intellectual level, then we have achieved what we set out to do.

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

After reading One Small Victory, I hope readers will be inspired by this woman’s courage the same way I was.

Do you have plans to write another book?

I am working on the second book in a mystery series that Five Star is considering. The first book Open Season is finished, and I am about halfway through the writing of Stalking Season. The series features two women homicide detectives in Dallas. Think Lethal Weapon in Dallas.

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

This has been a blast. It has been so much fun meeting new friends and making all these connections. This could get addictive. Wait! It is.  And the staff at Pump Up Your Book Promotion has been wonderful to work with. I am not a techno whiz and Jaime helped me with some things that were probably above and beyond the norm.

Where can readers find a copy of your book?

One Small Victory can be ordered from online bookstores, as well as standard bookstores. Five Star markets heavily to libraries, so readers can also request their local library order a copy.

Do you have a website for readers to go to?

My website is http://www.maryannwrites.com

Thank you, Maryann 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 for hosting me here. I appreciate the opportunity to visit and talk about my book.

ONE SMALL VICTORY VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 will officially begin on September 2, ‘08 and end on September 26, ‘08. You can visit Maryann’s tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in September to find out more about her and her new book!
As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on September 26!