Thursday Thirteen – Thirteen Things about Sally Koslow’s Books – With Friends Like These

Join Sally Koslow, author of the women’s fiction book, With Friends Like These (Ballantine Books August 2010), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in August on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

About With Friends Like These

When Quincy, Jules, Talia, and Chloe become New York City roommates in the early nineties, they become fast friends despite their drastically different personalities. Now, nearly twenty years later, their lives have diverged as much as they possibly can within one city: Quincy is mourning a miscarriage and lusting for the perfect Manhattan apartment; Jules, a woman with an outsize personality, is facing forty alone; Talia, married and the mother of a four-year-old, is her family’s reluctant breadwinner; and Chloe faces pressure from her hedge fund manager husband to be more ambitious. As these women grapple with the challenges of marriage, motherhood, careers, and real estate, they can’t help but assess their positions in life in comparison to each other–leading them to envy and disillusionment. Honest and entertaining, and written in Sally Koslow’s trademark wry, vivid prose, With Friends Like These asks serious questions about what makes female friendship endure, and to whom a woman’s loyalty most belongs.

13 Things about Sally Koslow’s Books

 Sally Koslow’s books….

1. Will make you laugh
2. …and possibly cry. In a good way. They have a lot of heart.
3. Reveal flawed characters whose imperfection will remind you of your friends (and maybe even you.)
4. Offer chewy insights about life.
5. Might show you how to be a better friend (With Friends like These)…
6. or how to live more fully in the present (The Late, Lamented Molly Marx)…and
7. give you the inside-baseball of how a magazine runs (Little Pink Slips)
8. Are excellent book club fodder, especially With Friends like These and The Late, Lamented Molly Marx
9. Are built on the infrastructure of a mystery (The Late, Lamented Molly Marx) although the real mystery isn’t whodonit.
10. Explore emotions associated with motherhood (The Late, Lamented Molly Marx and With Friends like These)
11. Might teach you a Yiddish word or two,
12. Yet always include references to the Midwest.
13. May look like chick lit, but aren’t.

 

ABOUT SALLY KOSLOW:

SALLY KOSLOW is the author of The Late, Lamented Molly Marx and Little Pink Slips. Her essays have been published in More, The New York Observer, and O, The Oprah Magazine, among other publications. She was the editor in chief of both McCall’s and Lifetime, was an editor at Mademoiselle and Woman’s Day, and has taught creative writing at the Writing Institute of Sarah Lawrence College. Her latest release is With Friends Like These. The mother of two sons, she lives in New York City with her husband. You can visit Sally Koslow’s website at www.sallykoslow.com. 

Read an Excerpt!

Chapter One

Quincy
“A fax hit my desk for an apartment that isn’t officially listed yet–you must see it immediately.” Horton’s voice was broadcasting an urgency reserved for hurricane evacuation. But in 2007, anyone who’d ever beaten the real estate bushes would be suspicious of a broker displaying even an atom of passivity. Shoppers of condos and co-ops in Manhattan and the leafier regions of Brooklyn knew they had to learn the art of the pounce: see, gulp, bid. Save the pros and cons for picking a couch. Several times a week Horton e-mailed me listings, but rarely did he call. This had to be big. “Where is it?” I asked while I finished my lukewarm coffee.

“Central Park West.” Horton identified a stone pile known by its name, the Eldorado, referring to a mythical kingdom where the tribal chief had the habit of dusting himself with gold, a commodity familiar to most of the apartment building’s inhabitants—marquee actors, eminent psychotherapists, and large numbers of frumps who were simply lucky. With twin towers topped by Flash Gordon finials, the edifice lorded it over a gray-blue reservoir, the park’s largest body of water, and cast a gimlet eye toward Fifth Avenue.

“I couldn’t afford that building,” I said. If Horton was trying to game me into spending more than our budget allowed, he’d fail. While the amount of money Jake and I had scraped together for a new home seemed huge to us–representing the sale of our one-bedroom in Park Slope, an inheritance from my mom, and the proceeds from seeing one of my books linger on the bestseller list–other brokers had none too politely terminated the conversation as soon as I quoted our allotted sum. What I liked about Horton was that hewas dogged, he was hungry, and he was the only real estate agent returning my calls.

“That’s the beauty part,” he said, practically singing. “You, Quincy Blue, can afford this apartment.” He named a figure. We could, just. “What’s the catch?” In my experience, deals that sounded too good to be true were–like the brownstone I’d seen last week that lacked not only architectural integrity but functional plumbing.

“It’s a fixer-upper,” Horton admitted. “Listen, I can go to the second name on my list.”

“I’ll see you in twenty minutes,” I said, hitting “save” on my manuscript. I was currently the ghostwriter for Maizie May, one of Hollywood’s interchangeable blow-dried blondes with breasts larger than their brain. While she happened to be inconveniently incarcerated in Idaho rehab, allowed only one sound bite of conversation with me per week, my publisher’s deadline, three months away, continued to growl. I hid my hair under a baseball cap and laced my sneakers. Had Jake seen me, he would have observed that I looked very West Side; my husband was fond of pointing out our neighborhood’s inverse relationship between apartment price and snappy dress. As I walked east I called him, but his cell phone was off. Jake’s flight to Chicago must be late.

Racing down Broadway, I allowed myself a discreet ripple of anticipation. Forget the Yankees. Real estate would always be New York City’s truest spectator sport, and I was no longer content to cheer from the bleachers. Two years ago, my nesting hormones had kicked in and begun to fiercely multiply, with me along for the ride. We were eager to escape from our current sublet near Columbia University. I longed to be dithering over paint colors–Yellow Lotus or Pale Straw; flat, satin, or eggshell–and awash in fabric swatches. I coveted an office that was bigger than a coffee table book and a dining table that could accommodate all ten settings of my wedding china. I wanted a real home. I’d know it when I saw it.

Horton, green-eyed, cleft-chinned–handsome if you could overlook his devotion to argyle–stood inside the building’s revolving door. “The listing broker isn’t here yet,” he said, “but you can get a sense of the lobby.” A doorman tipped his capped head and motioned us toward armchairs upholstered in a tapestry of tasteful, earthy tones. Horton unfurled a floor plan.

I’d become a quick study of such documents. “It’s only a two-bedroom,” I said, feeling the familiar disappointment that had doused the glow of previous apartment visits. Was the fantasy of three bedrooms asking too much for a pair of industrious adults more than twelve years past grad school? Jake was a lawyer. I had a master’s in English literature. Yet after we’d been outbid nine times, Jake and I had accepted the fact that in this part of town, two bedrooms might be as good as it would get.

“This isn’t any two-bedroom,” Horton insisted. “Look how grand the living room and dining room are.” Big enough for a party where Jake and I could reciprocate every invitation we’d received since getting married five years ago. “See?” he said, pulling out a hasty sketch and pointing. “Put a wall up to divide the dining room, which has windows on both sides, and create an entrance here. Third bedroom.” He was getting to how cheap the renovation would be when a tall wand of a woman tapped him on the shoulder.

“Fran!” Horton said as warmly as if she were his favorite grandmother, which she was old enough to be. “You’re looking well.”

The woman smiled and a feathering of wrinkles fanned her large blue eyes. The effect made me think that a face without this pattern was too dull. “Did you explain?” she said. Her voice was reedy, a piccolo that saw little use. She’d pulled her silver hair into a chignon and was enveloped in winter white, from a cape covering a high turtleneck to slim trousers that managed to be spotless, although they nearly covered her toes.

“We were getting to that, but first, please meet my client, Quincy Blue. Quincy, Frances Shelbourne of Shelbourne and Stone.”

I knew the firm. Frances and her sister Rose had tied up all the best West Side listings. I shook Fran Shelbourne’s hand, which felt not just creamy but delicately boned. She stared at my sneakers and jeans long enough for me to regret them, then turned her back and padded so soundlessly that I checked to see if she might be wearing slippers. No, ballerina flats. Across the lobby, elaborately filigreed elevator doors opened. Fran turned toward Horton and me and with the briefest arch of one perfectly plucked eyebrow implored us to hurry. When the doors shut, she spoke softly, although we were alone. “The owner’s a dear friend,” she said. “Eloise Walter, the anthropologist.” She waited for me to respond. “From the Museum of Natural History?”

I wondered if I was supposed to know the woman’s body of work and bemoaned the deficiency of my Big Ten education.

“Dr. Walter is in failing health,” she continued, shaking her head. “This is why we won’t schedule an open house.” Every Sunday from September through May, hopeful buyers, like well-trained infantry, traveled the open-house circuit. Jake and I had done our sweaty time, scurrying downtown, uptown, across, and down again, with as many as a dozen visits in a day. Soon enough, we began seeing the same hopeful buyers–the Filipino couple, the three-hundred-pound guy who had the face of a baby, a pair of six-foot-tall redheaded teenage twins who spoke a middle-European tongue. By my fifth Sunday, in minutes I could privately scoff at telltale evidence of dry rot. Silk curtains draped as cunningly as a sari could not distract me from a sunless air shaft a few feet away, nor could lights of megawatt intensity seduce me into forgetting that in most of these apartments I would instantly suffer from seasonal affective disorder.

“You’ll be the first person to see this one,” Horton added by way of a bonus. I could feel the checkbook in my bag coming alive like Mickey’s broom in Fantasia.

When we stepped out of the elevator on the fourteenth floor, Mrs. Shelbourne gently knocked on a metal door that would look at home in any financial institution. From the other side, a floor creaked. A nurse in thick-soled shoes answered and raised an index finger to her lips, casting her eyes toward a shadowy room beyond. The scent of urine–human, feline, or both–crept into my nostrils, followed by a top note of mango air freshener. “Doctor’s sleeping.” My eyes strained to scan a wide room where old-fashioned blinds were drawn against the noon sun. An elderly woman, her hair scant and tufted, was folded into a wheelchair like a rag doll, despite pillows bolstering her skeletal frame. Dr. Walter looked barely alive. Mrs. Shelbourne placed her hand on my arm. “We shouldn’t stay long in this room. I’m sure you understand. Alzheimer’s.”

“I do–too well,” I said, rapidly beholding the high ceiling and dentil moldings, while memories of my mother, scrupulously archived yet too fresh to examine, begged for consideration. I pushed them away even as my mind catalogued herringbone floors withan intricate walnut border and the merest wink of a crystal chandelier. Mrs. Shelbourne grasped my arm and we hurried into a small, dark kitchen with wallpaper on which hummingbirds had enjoyed a sixty-year siesta. In front of the sink, which faced a covered window, linoleum had worn bare. There were scratched metal cabinets and no dishwasher, and I suspected the stove’s birth date preceded my own. I thought of my unfinished chapter, and cursed my wasted time.

Halfheartedly I lifted a tattered shade. “Holy cow,” I said, though only to myself. Sun reflected off the park’s vast reservoir, which appeared so close I thought I could stand on the ledge and swan-dive into its depth. Far below, I could see tree tops, lush as giant broccoli. The traffic was a distant buzz. I felt a tremor. The subway, stories below? No, my heart. Picking up my pace, I followed the brokers through the spacious dining room and down a hall where I counted off six closets. I peeked into a bathroom tiled in a vintage mosaic of the sort decorators encourage clients to re-create at vast expense. We passed through a starlet-worthy dressing room and entered a bedroom into which I could easily tuck my current, rented apartment, with enough space to spare for a study. As Mrs. Shelbourne pulled the hardware on draperies bleached of color, I could swear that a strobe had begun to pulse. From the corner of my eye I saw a black cat slink away while Horton kicked a dust bunny under the bed, but I took little note of either. As I stood by the window, I was gooey with the feeling I’d experienced when I first laid eyes on the Grand Canyon.

The silvery vista spread casually before me might be the most enchanted in the entire city. I closed my eyes, traveling through time. Women were skating figure eights in red velvet cloaks, their hands warmed by ermine muffs. Bells jingled in the evergreen-scentedair as horses waited patiently by sleighs. I blinked again and the maidens wore organdy, their porcelain skin dewy under the parasols shielding their intricate curls. I fast-forwarded to my girlhood and could imagine the large, glassy pond below was the crystal stream beside my grandparents’ log-hewn cabin in Wisconsin’s northern woods, the bone-chilling waters of Scout camp, perhaps Lake Como of my honeymoon scrapbook.

Beside this champagne view, the fifty-four other apartments I’d considered seemed like cheap house wine, including the possibilities that cost far more–almost every one. I pulled myself away from the window and looked back. Walls were no longer hung with faded diplomas, nor was the carpet worn thin. Mirroring the reservoir, the room had turned gray-blue. I saw myself writing at a desk by the window, lit by sunbeams, words spilling out so fast my fingers danced on the keyboard like Rockettes. This time my manuscript wasn’t a twenty-year-old singer-actress’ whiny rant. It was a novel, lauded by the critics and Costco customers alike.

I could see myself in this room. My face wore deep contentment. The bed was luxuriously rumpled, since a half hour earlier Jake and I had made love, and now he was brewing coffee in our brand-new kitchen, as sleekly designed as a sperm. Perhaps he’d already gone out to bike around the park or was walking our shelter-rescued puppy. Tallulah, the little rascal, loved to chase her ball down our twenty-foot hall.

In every way, I was home. Then I snapped out of it. I was wearing my real estate heart on my sleeve, all but drooling. Quincy Blue, you dumb cluck. I sensed Horton looking at me as if he were a cannibal in need of protein, and checked to see if he and Fran had excused themselves to decide whether they should triple the apartment’s price or merely double it. We walked past another bathroom, this one housing a tub as long as a rowboat, ambled back through the dim hallway, and ended in the living room.

“The view’s even better from here–a pity we can’t pull up the shades,” Mrs. Shelbourne whispered as she walked toward the statue slumping in the wheelchair and greeted her. “Hello, Eloise dear.” She took the woman’s listless hand. “It’s Frances. I wish you could sit at that piano”–she pointed to a piece of shrouded furniture–”and play me Chopin.”

The woman emitted a dry rattle, craned her neck toward Mrs. Shelbourne, and smiled. She was missing several teeth.

“If you wish,” she said clearly. Suddenly Dr. Walter tried to raise herself in the wheelchair. “If you would be so kind as to assist me.” The nurse lumbered to her side. On her aide’s sturdy arm, Dr. Walter walked toward the piano, her posture better than my own. She settled on the cracked black leather stool and stretched her knobby fingers. I covered my mouth with my hands, afraid I might gasp. Her hands fondled the ivories and began to play an unmistakable Chopin mazurka. The Steinway was out of tune andthe pianist wore a faded housecoat, but Dr. Walter’s rendition pleased her audience to the point that even Horton was wiping away tears. The concert continued for almost twenty minutes and then, as if someone had pulled a plug, the pianist’s hands froze. Like a small child, she looked around the room, confused. I was afraid she, too, might cry.

We clapped. “That was exquisite,” Mrs. Shelbourne said hoarsely as the nurse helped her patient back to the wheelchair. “Simply exquisite.”

Dr. Walter closed her eyes and in less than a minute was sleeping. Mrs. Shelbourne thanked the nurse and hurried Horton and me to the elevator. I waited for his chatter, but it was she who spoke. “Tell me your story. I can see from your face that you have one.” She looked at me as if she were the dean of women.

Ni’il the Awakening – author interview – Jame Boyle

click on the book to purchase at Amazon

James Boyle has been writing fiction and poetry for most of his life. He was born in North Carolina, but lived in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Washington, before his family settled down in Oregon when he was fifteen. He graduated high school there and received a degree in literature and writing from the University of Oregon. In 2003 he returned to Gold Beach, where he now makes his home. For the past five years, he has been a volunteer organizer for the South Coast Writer’s Conference. His debut novel,Ni’il: The Awakening, was an award-winning finalist in both the 2010 Indie Excellence Book Awards and the 2010 International Book Awards, both for horror fiction.
You can find James at www.jamesboylewrites.com

Excerpt:

His mouth was very dry and he stepped into the short line at the student run concession stand. Th e line moved quickly, and within a minute or two, he stood at the counter.
“Hi,” A young girl smiled at him through a mouthful of braces. “What can I get for you?”
He ordered a soda and waited while the girl dispensed it from the fountain.
“You’re the Chief of Police, aren’t you?”
Dan nodded. “Guilty.”
The girl giggled and waited for the foam to subside on his drink. Dan watched her, smiling. Th e girl was probably sixteen, or seventeen. She could have been quite beautiful, and probably would once she got used to her own sexuality. Her hair was thick and curly, her body curved in all the right places and with the firmness of youth. Right now though, she wore too much make-up and her miniskirt and sweater were a touch too tight. With age would come subtlety. Maybe.
“Should I know you?”
“You gave a speech to my class last year,” the girl said and set the paper cup of soda on the counter. “On drugs.”
Dan gave her his money. “Was it any good?”
She shrugged and gave him his change. “It was okay. I already knew most of the stuff you talked about.”
“Oh well,” he said. “At least I didn’t put you to sleep.”
She giggled again.
He thanked her and stepped outside to take a quick look around the school. The night was calm and starless, absolutely quiet but for the muffled cheers from the gymnasium and the distant rumble of surf. He could smell sea salt and popcorn.
The sidewalk led around the side of the gymnasium and he followed it, walking casually, neither slow nor hurried. He sipped his cola and scanned the parked cars and dark buildings for anything unusual. He’d found through experience that the unusual was usually easiest to spot and unusual for a reason.
He rounded the back of the building. The sidewalk ended and he found himself walking across asphalt that was both the access road and parking lot for the teaching staff when school was in session. School, however, was not in session and the parking areas were empty.
The calm darkness was peaceful, if a little spooky. Even in adulthood, he had not outgrown the feeling that the school was supposed to be full of young voices. He had spent many hours among these buildings. Seeing it dark and empty felt like a Twilight Zone episode where everyone else on the planet had been killed.
As he passed between the main building and the dark mass of the shop building on his left, a furtive movement caught his eye. It was unusual. There was no legitimate reason for anyone to be back here.
His senses went on high alert, but he did not change his pace or attitude.
He continued past the spot where he’d seen the motion and used his peripheral vision to examine it more closely. Again, he saw motion, a shadowy silhouette ducking behind the back of the building. Someone was trying to hide from him.
He kept his pace even and nonchalant until the neighboring music building hid him from the suspect’s sight. Then, as quickly and quietly as possible, he slipped next to the wall of the music building and doubled back until he was almost at its edge. A security fence ran along the back side of the buildings. If the suspects wanted to escape, and they thought he had kept going, they would emerge from between the buildings. They had nowhere else to go.
He could probably reach out and grab them.
For a few moments, he heard and saw nothing. He waited. Then, came soft footsteps from around the corner. Approaching.
He readied himself. It was probably just some kids sneaking a beer, or a joint, but it could just as easily be a burglar or vandal.
The footsteps reached the edge of the music building and stopped just around the corner. They must want to double check that Dan had really kept going.
He stayed where he was, pressed flat against the wall. When in doubt, let the other guy make the first move.
Laughter. Deep bass laughter sounded from around the corner. They, he, was laughing! Something about it made his flesh crawl and the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.
“Ni’ilshanla,” A voice pronounced.
He knew he was there.
Dan fumbled for the small pistol he wore on his belt. With the pistol gripped in tight in both hands, he leaped away from the wall and around the corner. “Police! Hands where I can . . .”
No one was there.
He quickly scanned the area between the buildings, then carefully moved up to check behind both the Shop and the Music building. No one was there either. He was alone.
He lowered his pistol and leaned back against the wall of the music building. His hands were shaking and his heart pounding. Had he imagined the whole thing? Somehow, he found that hard to believe. He was not prone to hallucinations, at least he hadn’t been in the past. But how else could he explain what he’d seen and heard with what he’d found when he’d rounded the corner?

He had no idea.

Hi James,

Welcome to Paperback Writer.
Thanks for having me.
Q: Would you share with us how you came up with the idea for your book?

A: I will do my best. I don’t remember having a specific idea so much as a character and a situation. I had created the character of Police Chief Dan Connor in an earlier sketch and thought he would be a good fit for the horror story I wanted to write. From there, I let the story take me where it would.

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

A: It was a series of light bulb moments, one after the other over a period of months. I didn’t so much build the story as find it. Or that’s how it felt.

Q: How did you come up with the title?
A: The current title is not the original one. At first, I simply called it Ni’il, taken from a foreign phrase used in the book. However, several people (including my editor) observed that no one knew what that meant, and were therefore, less likely to give it a chance. After much thought, brainstorming, etc. I decided to add “the awakening.” It seems to have worked out.

Q: How did you find an agent and publisher?

A: I decided to publish this on my own. I had submitted it to several publishers and one asked to see the full manuscript. After holding it for a year, they politely turned me down. At that rate, I decided, I could be dead before a commercial publisher actually got it into print.

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

A: About a year.

Q: What’s your favorite time of day to write?

A: Late at night/ early in the morning. There are fewer distractions. The phone never rings; no one comes to the door; everyone else in the house is asleep. I turn off all the lights but that at my desk and write in a cocoon of darkness.

Q: Do you have a writing routine? Daily goals (# of pages, word count) or a
specific ritual you do to jumpstart the writing muse?

A: Nothing that specific. As you can tell, I am something of an intuitive writer. I’ll often begin the session wanting to finish a particular scene, or group of scenes, but it isn’t a hard and fast rule. The only real strict rule I have is a piece of advice Hemingway gave to a young writer as a way of defeating writer’s block. That is to always stop writing for the day when you know what you’re going to say next. That way you’ll have something to start with next time. That rule has served me well.

Q: With all that you have encountered on the road to publication what advice
would you give to new authors?

A: Believe in yourself. Believe in your talent and craft. There will be times when writing can be a very discouraging avocation. Listen to your critics, glean from their words whatever can make you a better writer and ignore the rest. If this was easy everyone would be doing it, right?

Thank you, James, for stopping by Paperback Writer. I wish you continued success with your tour.

Tinisha Nicole Johnson author of Lessons Learned: Loving Yourself as a Black Woman on Virtual Book Tour in April

Tinisha Nicole Johnson, author of the nonfiction book, Lessons Learned: Loving Yourself As A Black Woman. Lessons Learned: Loving Yourself as a Black Woman, will be on tour during the month of April. Follow along with her tour by visiting her tour page.

Lessons Learned discusses many of the issues and concerns women in their twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties face in their personal and professional life from sexism, racism, hair, balancing family, relationships, and much more. The book highlights ten life lessons that are of top priority when it comes to a black woman’s emotions, personal perceptions, and life in general. The book is written to inspire women of all ages, and invite them to realize that real happiness begins from the inside out. Although written specifically with the black woman in mind, many of the concepts in the book would benefit any woman

You can visit Tinisha Nicole Johnson at her website

Watch the video trailer for Lessons Learned: Loving Yourself as A Black Woman

Humorous Author Richard Arneson Virtually Tours With His Book Citizen Dick

Click Here to Buy this Book

Paperback Writer welcomes on this first Monday in April, humor novelist Richard Arneson, author of the novel, Citizen Dick.

Richard Arneson’s thirteen years working in corporate America drove him up a tree―literally. Once he escaped the telecommunications industry after ten years of service, he built a tree house―ostensibly for his two young sons―installed electricity and cable TV, and set out to fix himself, deciding that dealing with the memories of working in the goofy-as-hell world of corporate America could only be accomplished by getting them down on paper. CITIZEN DICK is the result. Arneson is currently working on his next novel, THE TREE HOUSE, which, ironically, is not being written in his tree house but in the cab of his 1950 Chevy pickup truck. He lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife, a two-time cancer survivor who can’t remember why she married him, and their two young sons. He plans on building a second story on his tree house in the summer of 2010, one large enough to accommodate a baby grand piano and two dental chairs. Find out more about CITIZEN DICK by visiting the website at

Hi Richard,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

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

A: I definitely need some type of outline to start with, but when I think about how Citizen Dick ended up when held up against the original outline, it’s pretty amazing how many circuitous routes it took to get there. It’s like somebody giving you directions to a restaurant, but you take a slightly different route because it’s more interesting, but you still end up at the right restaurant. I knew where point B was, but I didn’t know exactly how I was going to get there.

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

A: I do. I have to know where I’ll ultimately end up. As I mentioned above, I’ll take any number of routes to get there, but I have to know where I’m going. When I review what I’ve written the day before, I always ask whether or not it supports the story, whether or not it’s forwarding the plot and characters to ultimately get to point B. If it doesn’t—even if I think it’s brilliant writing—I’ll cut it out. If it doesn’t forward the plot, it’s really wasting the reader’s time.

Q: Do you have a process for developing your characters?
A: I like to visualize them, then hear how they talk, determine what part of the country—or world—they’re from. I love character building probably more than anything else in writing. I love to think about what type of person they are, then build a life behind them, let the reader know why they are the way they are and why they do the things that they do.

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: I’m definitely in many aspects of Dick Citizen, especially his belief that things even out, that if you have a super high in life then there must be a super low to counter balance it. I don’t believe that as much as I used to, but, around the time I was in college, that was something I thought about a lot. I think I sabotaged myself on several occasions, even opting out of potentially good experiences because of what I thought might be lurking around the corner. God, I read that and it sounds so pitiful. But it was, for a long time, the way I thought about things.

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

A: I loved writing the chapter about the big corporate sales kickoff, which was based on the dozens or so that I’ve actually been to. They’re so moronic, and the only thing the salespeople really want to do is get drunk and laid. But before they can, they have to sit through inane presentations and these silly, sorority-like skits in which senior executives perform in an attempt to make their thousands of subordinates in the audience believe that they’re really good, fun people after all.

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

A: I began looking for a publisher after I completed the first draft, even though it was about 700 pages (the final book is about 400 pages). But I knew I was onto something, even though dozens and dozens of re-writes awaited.

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

A: I think giving somebody’s opinion too much weight has probably been the toughest thing. When I’ve heard something negative, I take it too personally, then start to doubt myself. But when I go through the Citizen Dick, I’m glad I didn’t change anything. I was very selective when it came to editing out parts that I didn’t think forwarded the plot, so I’m very comfortable with the finished product. And I remind myself that there were people who hated certain pieces of literature, even though they went on to be—for the most part—critically acclaimed. You can’t please all of the people. You’ve got to keep reminding yourself of that.

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

A: Seeing the finished product, then flipping through the pages and thinking, Wow, this is mine. This all came out of my head. It’s definitely one of the 3 or 4 biggest accomplishments of my life. It’s the most proud of myself that I’ve been in, well, maybe ever.

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

A: I’d like them to remember the characters, even more so than the plot. I hope that I’ve crafted characters they’ll take with them, that they’ll remember. I like to imagine readers saying to themselves, or to others, “Is that a real Kent Battdarfen or what?”

Q: Do you have plans to write another book?
A: Yes, I’m currently working on The Tree House, which is loosely based on my experiences building this very “controversial” tree house that I built for my sons. I say controversial because my neighbor—a real sweetheart of a guy—hated the project so much that he called Code Compliance on me and tried to get the project shut down.

I admit that I got carried away with the tree house, eventually extending conduit out to it, then putting in air conditioning, cable TV, a phone line and an Ethernet jack. In fact, it’s where I wrote the majority of Citizen Dick. My kids don’t spend nearly as much time up there as I do. It’s really an office more than anything, which makes my neighbor hate it even more. In fact, he won’t refer to it as a tree house. He calls it a lookout tower. Weirdo.

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

A: It’s currently available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com and Borders.com. It’ll be in stores around the first of the summer.

Q: Do you have a website for readers to go to?
Absolutely. It’s http://www.citizendickthebook.com.

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

http://www.citizendickthebook.com.

The Wounds Have Healed…The Scars are Bleeding – Author Interview – Lindon King

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“The Wounds Have Healed…The Scars Are Bleeding”! is an insightful work of non-fiction from author Lindon J. King. This work is designed to provoke thought as well as educate the reader about the aftermath of slavery in America and the West Indies. Set out as a tribute to the forefathers who had been able to survive the brutal Middle Passage only to be sold as slaves in America and the West Indies. Slavery not only physically affected the lives of those who were captured but also mentally affected them for generations to come.

Hi Lindon, Welcome to Paperback Writer.

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

Lindon: My observation and analysis of the way in which we treat each other and address the issues and concerns that life throws our way, catapulted me into our past. Our forefathers laid the foundation for us to build upon, and they certainly would not be pleased if their labor goes in vain. The very thought of their courage and accomplishments inspired me and I came up with the idea to write this book.

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

Lindon: No, this was not a light bulb moment. I thought about this for a longtime and often wonder about the impact the book will have on our lives.

Q: How did you come up with the title?

Lindon: I came up with the title by associating the struggles of our forefathers with our present concerns and the avenues we take to address them.

Q: How did you find an agent and publisher?

Lindon: I do not have an agent so I hand to work on my own. I went online and found information on a number of publishers. I did some research on the ones I selected then eliminated the ones I was not impressed with. My manuscript was accepted by a few publishers but I decided to go with Rosedog Publishing because their agent was very persistent, knowledgeable and easy to work with.

Q: Who reads you work in progress?
Lindon: My wife my children along with other family members and friends have been very supportive to this end, and in many other areas of the publication.

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

Lindon: My publisher Rosedog Publishing, did an excellent job with the cover design. This plays a very important part in the book’s quality.

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

Lindon: It took me approximately two months to complete the first draft

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

Lindon: It took nine months to complete the book, three months of writing and six months with the publisher.

Q: Do you have any advice for new authors?

Lindon: Yes, I do. My advice to new authors is; Believe in yourself ad never doubt not even for a minute. When there is no one around to encourage you, you have to learn how to encourage yourself. Do not quit and never give up.

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

Thank you very much for having me. God bless.

About the Book:
“The Wounds Have Healed…The Scars Are Bleeding!” is a compelling work that blends history with social commentary. Given its timely message, Lindon J. King’s work may appeal to a wide variety of readers. Have you struggled with weight, wellness, addictions, relationships or work? This spiritually based book is set up with the idea that when you begin reading it, it will lull you comfortably into motivation and creating changes “now”. Essentially, when you open the book you are on a journey and as you read you have opportunities to “drive” or apply these ideas into your life. The book is set up as a no-excuses approach; if you say you believe in scripture you can’t pick and choose when to apply scripture to your life; its immediate connection which also, helps take immediate action. You may be comfortably motivated but it may bring upheaval and some hard truth to swallow, so be prepared for no-excuses scripture to change your life.
Lindon King’s THE WOUNDS HAVE HEALED…THE SCARS ARE BLEEDING virtual book tour will officially begin on March 1 and end on April 30. You can visit Lindon’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of February to find out more about this great book and talented author!
Tags: blog tour, book promotion, inspirational, inspirational books, inspirational religious, lindon king, online book promotion, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, religious, spiritual, spirituality, the wounds have healed…the scars are bleeding

Rebel in Blue Jeans – Author Interview – Beverly Stowe McClure

Paperback Writer would like to welcome Beverly Stowe McClure, author of the young adult novel, Rebel in Blue Jeans (Twilight Times Books, Oct ’08), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in January on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

LEAVE A COMMENT AND YOU MIGHT JUST BE A WINNER!

As a special promotion for all our authors and commentors, 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 comment on our authors’ blog stops. Your name will be entered into the raffle and a luck winner will receive a winners notice at the end of the month.

About the Book:

What’s a girl to do when her mother runs away with the drummer in a rock band, her friendly relationship with the boys on the neighboring ranch starts to change, and a handsome college guy takes an interest in her? Sixteen-year-old Rebel Ferguson faces these challenges with courage and humor and decides to do three things:
1. Bring her mother home where she belongs.
2. Show her neighbors, Will and Sully Garret, she’s not interested in a serious relationship with either of them.
3. Prove to the Garrets, and to herself, that Rick, the cute college guy, is a gentleman.
Nothing turns out the way Rebel plans, however, and she discovers that people are not always what they seem, and she’s a lousy judge of character. If only humans were as trustworthy and dependable as her puppies, cat, and horses. Can she forgive everyone who has disappointed her?

Hi Beverly,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

Thank you for inviting me. I’m happy to be here.

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

BSM: You bet. In today’s world many children and teens live in single parent homes. We hear a lot about how children are affected. We tend to think that teens are older and can deal with grown-up situations. The teen years, though, are hard, and teens face many challenges in their lives, one of them being torn between a mother and a father they love, but sometimes have to choose between. Rebel faces such a dilemma.

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

BSM: I seldom outline, but like to let the story flow naturally. The way the characters act, the things they say and do sometimes surprise me. If I get stuck in a story, I might type possible scenes of what could happen in the next chapters, but no strict outline.

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

BSM: I generally have a rough idea of how I want the story to end, but my characters often take me in a different direction. I’m very flexible.

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

BSM: I usually fill out profile sheets for them, basic stuff at first: hair color, eyes, age, etc. Then as I write I get to know my characters better and add more detailed information, like things they like, things they hate, their family life, their goals, etc. For my latest work-in-progress, I’m letting the characters write in journals to tell me their thoughts and what’s going on in their lives. I found this idea on a message board and really like it.

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?

BSM: Consciously, I don’t pattern my characters after me, but in looking at some of them, I’d have to say they might be a little like me. If my main character is shy, that’s me, and I try to make her brave and outgoing the way I wish I had been. My latest heroine, Rebel, is me in that she loves animals, which I do.

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

BSM: One of my favorite parts (I have many) is the scene where Rebel is visiting her mother and new boyfriend and what Rebel discovers while she’s there. I’m not telling what because you have to read the story to find out.

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

BSM: When the book was complete.

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

BSM: It’s been a long and discouraging road, as it is for many writers. I started my career by writing magazine articles for children and a few of them were published. My book manuscripts were rejected, over and over and over. The big New York publishers were not interested. I was encouraged, however, when a couple of my stories received nice letters and the editors asked for revisions and then a second look. After months of rewriting and resubmitting, each of them was returned. I just was not querying the right publishers, I decided. It took awhile, but I finally found the perfect home for my first young-adult novel, Twilight Times Books. Lida has published two of my books, with two more under contract. Also, and this is cool, the chapter book I’ve revised for several different editors now has a home. It will be published in 2010.

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

BSM: For me, I think having a reader tell me how much she liked the book and when is the next book coming out, and I should write a sequel made all the years of frustration and hard work worthwhile. (I haven’t written a sequel, but may someday.)

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

BSM: I think I’d like for readers to remember that for every situation in our life we have choices. Like Rebel says “What was that serenity prayer? Something about accepting the things you cannot change….”

PBW: Do you have plans to write another book?

BSM: Oh, yes. In fact I’ve just finished a young-adult contemporary that I’m shopping to agents. I’m also working on another young-adult contemporary and a middle-grade ghost story.

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

BSM: It has been fantastic. Cheryl has lined up some awesome blog visits. The interviews have been great. And I hope my guest posts have given readers a small glance into why and how I write. I don’t consider my books just for teens, but for everyone from 12 to 100 that likes to read.

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

BSM: Amazon.com and Twilight Times Books

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

BSM: Yes. Please visit me at http://beverlystowemcclure.wordpress.com

http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com

And Rebel has a blog: http://rebelinbluejeans.wordpress.com

Thank you, Beverly 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.

My pleasure. Rebel and I have enjoyed every moment of chatting with you, and we’re always glad to answer your questions.

The Rebel In Blue Jeans Virtual Book Tour ’09 officially began on January 5 and will end on January 30. You can visit Beverly’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in January to find out more about this talented author!

Recovering Me, Discovering Joy – Author Interview – Vivian Eisenecher

Paperback Writer welcomes Vivian Eisenecher, author of the how to book, Recovering Me, Discovering Joy: Uplifting Wisdom for Everyday Greatness (KTW Publishing, Nov. ’08), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in January on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion

Leave a Comment win a Prize:

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.

Book Excerpt:

Recovering Me, Discovering Joy is for anyone who has ever had to forge ahead after a negative life event. If you have ever had to bounce back from a failed relationship, convalesce from an illness, recoup any kind of loss, or just recover from a bad day, then this book will be beneficial. It will help you with your recoveries, and it will help you move on to live a richer, easier and happier life.

Recovering Me, Discovering Joy takes a good honest look at how I, my husband and countless others have used recovery not as a disadvantage, but as an opportunity and springboard to an improved life. We learned that it’s not about recovering to normal – it’s about recovering to a better normal…from anything.

This book is about my transformation from a depressed, anxiety-laden alcoholic to a successful, grateful and joyful woman. For me, it took my total collapse and complete failure to finally understand that I wasn’t just battling alcoholism, I was fighting two other distinct disorders as well. Believe it or not, this realization paved the way for me to finally enjoy life. Until then, my life had been a struggle, an uphill climb within the grim-looking landscape of my mind. My newfound love for life was such a complete turnaround that, to benefit others, I wanted to commit to paper pivotal parts of my journey. It took the diagnosis and successful treatment of not only alcoholism but also my chronic low-grade depression, called dysthymia, and my social phobia or S.A.D. (Social Anxiety Disorder) for me to recognize that these two lifelong disorders were ‘triggers’ for my alcoholism. They were the ugly underbelly of the beast. Substance abuse was a mere symptom of two underlying disorders that were not discernible to anyone, not even me.

All my life, I had wondered why everything seemed so hopeless, why my life seemed so meaningless, and why I was unable to experience any real joy. Along with that, I had a deep, lifelong fear of encountering people who I deemed ‘better’ than me (anyone with more money, better educated, etc.). Even though I had never known anything different, somehow I knew the way I felt wasn’t right. I had no idea that I was depressed and anxiety-ridden until I was curiously (and serendipitously) treated for both conditions.

Hi Vivian!

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

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

VE: I had an incredible life transformation and I wanted to give other alcoholics a chance for a better life, too. I had suffered from dysthymia (a chronic low-grade depression) and social anxiety most of my life and it compromised my goals, my habits, and my attitude which severely impacted my life. These ailments developed into full blown alcoholism and it took months in various rehabs for me to realize that I suffered from co-occurring, diagnosable and treatable illnesses. It took the sudden clarity of thought in recovery for me to realize that I had a tremendous amount of experience to share. And I knew others would benefit from my discernment.

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

VE: I thought about it for a very long time because I had to make sure I could explain to others what happened to me in a way that would make sense. In rehab, it was suggested that we journal and I’ve always loved words. I started reading and researching and found my experiences validated by everything I read.

PBW: How did you come up with the title?

VE: For the longest time the title was going to be: All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Recovery. But as I continued to write, joy had become such a big part of my life that I felt it was important to include it in the title. Also, as I worked on the book, it became more and more evident that there were really two parts. 1) about my recovery from anxiety, depression and alcoholism and 2) about how I’d found a much better way to live.

PBW: How did you find an agent and publisher?

VE: I searched for both an agent and a publisher and when that didn’t work out, I realized that what I had written was important enough for me to move forward and self-publish. My passion is to help reduce the stigma of substance abuse and mental illness. So, I knew I had to get my book out to the public.

PBW: Who reads you work in progress?

VE: Recovering Me, Discovering Joy is broken down into a number of different parts so it was really easy for me to take various sections to three different writers’ groups. My writing was well received and that encouraged me to keep it up.

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

VE: Just off the top of my head, I would say that the person most responsible for improving the quality of my book was Geoff Whyte (www.whyteink.com.au). He lives in Australia but even being on the other side of the world he was a terrific find.

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

VE: About a year. It took that long because I wasn’t exactly sure how the whole idea would shake out.

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

VE: About three years. I had to set it down for awhile to make sure that I was comfortable enough in my sobriety to become vulnerable to criticism.

PBW: Do you have any advice for new authors?

VE: Writing a book is a great accomplishment but an equally important part of publishing is the marketing. Be sure and save enough of your time talent and treasure to make sure that your voice is heard.

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

RECOVERING ME, DISCOVERING JOY VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 officially began on January 5 and end on January 30. You can visit Vivian’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in January to find out more about this talented lady!

Messiah Interviews: Belonging to God – Author Interview – Jerry Pollock

Paperback Writer welcomes the New Year with our special guest Jerry Pollock, author of the spiritual/religious novel, Messiah Interviews: Belonging to God (Shechinah Third Temple, Inc., Jan 09). Jerry is promoting his book by way of a virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion and they are offering a way 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 BOOK:
Ever since the Creation of Adam and Eve, man has grappled with knowing whether life exists after death. Because humans achieve the possible, while God accomplishes the impossible, only the Creator knows our fate and destiny at the End of Days. Scientist Jerry Pollock weaves his MESSIAH INTERVIEWS story of an imperfect life on Earth with an imaginative account of being interviewed in Heaven to be the Messiah. The writing becomes a testament to Divine morality, and to finding truth and sincerity in one’s heart.

As readers embark on a journey of knowledge and understanding, they’ll join Jerry on an exploration of the implications of biblical history on our modern world. Through a series of unexplainable events, Jerry empowers readers to decide if an additional personal spiritual effort is worth making in this life, in order to possibly gain entrance to an uncertain futuristic Garden of Eden, the Messianic Age. In a process of the dreamlike interviews with biblical personalities―the angel Gabriel, Methuselah, Chanoch, Seth, King David, Moses, Jacob, Abraham and the prophet Isaiah―Jerry is forced to bear his soul and his own hidden demons.

As human beings, we are all flawed. That’s how the Creator made us. During the course of reading the book, readers have the opportunity to ponder the improvement of their own imperfections, in order to meet the requirements set out in the Messiah Interviews for admission into a future blissful life at the End of Days. The book is God-centered and discusses, briefly or at length, various topics, including The Ten Commandments, Creation, Evolution, Good and Evil, Primal Therapy, Bipolar Disorder, Resurrection, Aging, Twelve Tribes of Israel, Monotheistic Religions, Third Temple, Messiah, and the Messianic Age.

EXCERPT:
The Archangel Michael is speaking in Heaven:

“We have deliberately chosen a sinner: you, Yoseph, who has knowingly cheated in science. Yet, you have publicly repented and confessed your sins to your Stony Brook University administration; and sent letters of apology to the former institutions that you attended. Moreover, you have expressed your heartfelt remorse and your sincere regrets for all of your sinful actions in your published book, Divinely Inspired: Spiritual Awakening of a Soul, for all to see. We have intentionally chosen someone who has suffered horrifically, yet has the potential through his suffering to look inside and understand human nature. We also have especially not chosen a tzaddik, the wisest, most righteous, and perfect of men. We are testing the potential of a simple imperfect man. If you succeed in answering our questions, you will become King Messiah, and return to earth to take your place at the End of Days. If our assessment of you is that you are not the person, we had in mind, then we will have failed once again in finding the true Messiah.”

Hi Jerry,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

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

Thank you for your welcome. I am happy to talk about the Messiah Interviews. This answer is going to be a long one, so brace yourself.

I think that I need to provide you with some background before I can answer your question. You might say that the idea to write the book dates back to 1982. I am going to include The Voice chapter (it’s relatively short) to kick off my answer. I wrote the following words in my first Title, Divinely Inspired: Spiritual Awakening of a Soul which was published in 2003 and will come out as a paperback second edition on January 1, 2009. Because, I talk about additional Divine experiences in Messiah Interviews, I include this Voice happening in the Messiah Interviews, due out also on January 1, 2009).

“By the late fall of 1982, I had divorced Rhea, been promoted to full professor at Stony Brook University, and was planning to marry Marcia on Christmas Eve of the following year. My life focused around Marcia, our five children, scientific research, and Primal Therapy. I was heavy into my feelings, now that the therapy was so much a part of me. For the previous year, I had recorded all of my feelings, and by the fall of 1982, I had filled up seven research laboratory notebooks with my handwriting, each book consisting of three hundred pages. There was a lot of repetition and I seemed to have reached a plateau in terms of making further progress. In an unusual display of frustration, I brought the seven notebooks to the edge of my Poquott loft and proceeded to throw all of them in one thrust onto the floor below. I felt like Moses smashing the first set of Tablets on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. Moses had become enraged when he came down Mount Sinai and discovered that the Israelites had built the Golden Calf. The sounds of the books crashing were subdued by a loud and strong male voice that was definitely external.

I heard the words very clearly, ‘And you shall be Mine.’ I remember being both startled and afraid, because I neither knew whose voice this was nor could I figure out how the voice got into my cottage. There was no bipolar disorder or manic depression back then, so I couldn’t blame the voice on the illness. It was about two weeks later when I heard the voice again. This time the words were slightly different: ‘And you shall have.’ Could this be the true voice of God, I thought. However, I didn’t dare tell anyone what had happened, not even Marcia, until ten years later. I simply ignored these mysterious events and went on with my life, but the words of the voice never left me. Why did this happen? I had no explanation. I kept the books, recording my Primal feelings, for many additional years before dumping them in the garbage along with my three Primal Therapy textbooks. I was to discover twenty years later that I would need these books again.”

In late 1998 and early 1999, as well as scattered visualizations for several years subsequently, I was blessed with incredible Divine experiences that prompted me to write Divinely Inspired in 2003. The Voice that I heard twice in 1982, I heard a third time in January of 1999. I won’t give you the details and spoil your fun but the Voice said, ‘This is not of me.’ For some of the other spiritual experiences I did not understand in 2003, I bring you new interpretations in 2009 in the Messiah Interviews. Divinely Inspired is like a prequel for the Messiah Interviews and I would recommend reading Messiah Interviews first. During womb regression in 2007, I was blown away when I experienced surviving my own abortion. I was saved by Divine intervention which you can read about in the Messiah Interviews.

Although Divinely Inspired, a spiritual memoir, was prompted by these spiritual experiences, Messiah Interviews was not. Once I had those experiences in late 1998 and early 1999 in both Long Island, NY and in South Florida, I began my spiritual journey. I have been crawling up the spiritual ladder and as my knowledge and creativity has grown and developed, I saw a need to write the Messiah Interviews. The book allowed me to bring the Bible to life and to relate it to our modern world and the future world of the Messianic Age. I did not want to use the Messiah Interviews as a platform to preach. Rather, I wanted to empower the reader to improve his character in this life in order to be admitted into a second Garden of Eden, the Messianic Age. I wanted the reader right there with me answering the same question as Yoseph, the main character being interviewed to be the Messiah.

I am a Professor. I am never short on words. My apologies to the reader and to Paperback Writer.

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

It comes to me as I write it. I never thought of it this way, but that’s exactly what happens. My mind is turning as I write and I’m connecting and interrelating. My first draft is very close to my final draft. In my former life, I was a research scientist and I had to write research grants and scientific publications. Sometimes, I would jot things down and then bring the pieces together. I kind of did this with the Messiah Interviews as I had about ten years of spiritual research to condense and draw from. But I have no outline. I am very much a mental person though after 25 years of Primal Therapy, I am very much a feeling person.

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

Not at all. My mind is continually turning and the writing comes naturally.

Do you have a process for developing your characters?

Yes, I did in the Messiah Interviews. The two main characters, Yoseph and Yinnon, are based upon my life and the biblical interviewers, like Moses and King David, are portrayed the way I interpret them upon my readings of the Bible. Sometimes, I surprise myself about what I write about them. It’s a mixed bag, but I hope that the reader gets a pretty good idea about the characters in the dialogue exchange of the Messiah Interviews. The book by the way would be well suited as a theatrical play.

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

Absolutely true. I think that this makes many books interesting. All of me is in the main characters and I would like to think that some of me is even in the biblical interviewers. For example, when Moses interviews the main character Yoseph, his topic is mainly the Ten Commandments. In the book, there is a Time Line Therapy where Yoseph regresses to a past life and becomes Moses carrying the Tablets of the Ten Commandments down Mount Sinai. I struggle with following the Ten Commandments, but inch by inch I crawl up the spiritual ladder. It’s interesting that man thinks he doesn’t have to follow the Ten Commandments. However, man cannot nullify what God has commanded him to do. He can at his own risk choose not to follow these commandments, but be aware that we are all accountable to God.
What is your most favorite part about this book?

In the first quarter of the book, I write about the past and the present. My favorite though is the rest of the book when the Interviews to be the Messiah actually take place. Yoseph is interviewed by the angel Gabriel, the seven shepherds – Methuselah, Chanoch, Seth, King David, Moses, Jacob, and Abraham- with the final interview going to the Prophet Isaiah. All interviewers are actually real characters of the Bible. The plot of course is fictional. It is thought that the seven shepherds or the seven princes will assist the Messiah at the End of Days. The first eight interviews take place in the Third Temple in Heaven while the last interview takes place in the future Third Temple on earth to be built at the End of Days. Our past, present and future will come to a screeching halt at the End of Days and then a second Garden of Eden life begins again in the Messianic Age with a Christian (Jesus) or Jewish Messiah.

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

On this book, I decided from the start that our nonprofit organization, Shechinah Third Temple, Inc. should be the publisher. In my first title, Divinely Inspired, I unsuccessfully sought out a publisher but wound up self-publishing for lack of interest in Divinely Inspired, a spiritual memoir. My own personal belief is that an author can do everything he needs to market his book without a publisher except get himself into the Chain Bookstores. For that you need a publisher or distributor. I won’t kid you. It’s expensive and time consuming to do it yourself, but you do maintain control of your book.

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

None, now that I go through our own publishing company.

What has been the best part about being published?

Well, it’s not the money because you lose big time unless you are a best selling author, which I am not. You have to do things in life that are for your personal satisfaction. We all need praise and recognition to varying degrees. In my case, I’m able to be proud of my accomplishments and also feel that I have given back to the Creator for his Divine Intervention in my life. I am lucky to be here and wouldn’t be without God’s Divine Providence. As time progresses, I am more and more on a spiritual high.

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

Several things related to improving your moral character. Human morality is different than Divine morality. God values truth in your heart most of all. God can see into your heart and into the crevices of your mind and He is the keeper of the scorecard. If you want to enter the second Garden of Eden in the End Times, then you are accountable to God. We all know the difference between right and wrong. It’s choosing right over wrong that is the problem. The subtitle of the Messiah Interviews is Belonging to God. Belonging to God means being a Holy person. What do I mean by Holy? It’s in the Messiah Interviews, but it means to follow the Ten Commandments, don’t hurt anyone physically, emotionally or intellectually, show kindness and mercy, act with humility, stand up for justice, strive for righteousness, do kind deeds for others, honor your ancestors who went before you, and give your praise to the One God. God has always had Covenants between Himself and man since the Creation of Adam and Eve. God has held up His end of the bargain but man has broken the Covenant many times over. It is up to man to restore the Covenant.

Do you have plans to write another book?

Not right now. I’m too busy with the marketing of the two titles. One should read the Messiah Interviews first and then the prequel, my spiritual memoir, Divinely Inspired. I would like to write another book to complete the trilogy. I’ll need God’s help to do it because it would be his biography dictated to me. I can dream.

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

Well I haven’t done the whole tour but I love answering questions. It gives me a chance to explore my creativity. Sometimes, I’ll give the same answers to the same question, but for the most part I try and come up with unique answers. One thing you will get with me is honesty and truth. With the publishing of Divinely Inspired, my life is an open book. Some of it is pretty ugly and pretty scary. Publicly discussing my imperfections is gut wrenching and talking about my suicide attempts still sends chills down my back. Couple that with abortion survival, neurosis in a dysfunctional family, migraine headaches, unyielding anxiety, muscle pain, adult Bipolar Disorder and Divine miracles and you’ve got one hell of a story published.
The Messiah Interviews is more about the future while Divinely Inspired focuses on the past and present. The bible comes alive in the Messiah Interviews and the reader is empowered right alongside Yoseph to answer the questions being posed by the biblical interviewers. I wanted also to give the reader knowledge that he or she might not have about Jewish spirituality, which I feel is the Ten Commandments. The religion of Judaism incorporates these Ten Commandments but in my humble opinion, the Ten Commandments are not religious.

Where can readers find a copy of your book?

Well eBooks for both titles are already published as Kindle, Mobipocket, Adobe Digital Editions and Microsoft. The paperbacks come out officially on January 1, 2009, but you can already purchase these on Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com, the Authors Bookshop, the Authors Den, and also the paperbacks can be ordered at any bookstore. We will have an audio book of the Messiah Interviews by the end of January. You can find links on our website and blog. There is also an interview with Reader Views on the Blog as well as a Radio Show with Inside Scoop Live. You will have to forgive me. I’m 67 and am just now learning how to Blog. If readers have trouble in this economy purchasing the books, please email me at jerrypollock@bellsouth.net and we shall work something out. I can send signed books.

Do you have a website for readers to go to?

Yes. You can enter either through http://www.shechinahthirdtemple.org or http://www.thirdtempleinfo.com Shechinah means Divine Presence. We are a nonprofit committed to the brotherhood of man through God’s Third Temple. As the prophet Isaiah said, “My Temple shall be a House of Prayer for all peoples.”

Thank you, Jerry 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.

And thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to have a dialogue. I feel that I am reliving the writing of the Messiah Interviews all over again with your questions. Be well and take care.

The MESSIAH INTERVIEWS VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ’09 officially begin on January 5 and end on January 30. You can visit Jerry’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in January to find out more about this great book and talented author!

Full Body Orgasm – Author Interview – Oscar Naval

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paperback Writer welcomes our author for today Oscar Naval, author of the Personal Growth / Mind-Body-Spirit book, Full Body Orgasm: Your Energy to Love, Health, Wealth and Happiness on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion! Grab a cup of coffee and donut and read along with us as we find out what the author has to say about finding balance in life and how he came up with the idea for this book.

Leave a comment and 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:

“Finding balance in all aspects of life has given me the happiness that has eluded me for most of my life. It has given me a life that was once only dreamt potential. By taking responsibility and owning my problems I have been able to find peace within myself. And, by honoring truth with humility I have found a new lease on life. Real friendships, love, and companionship are what I had hoped for, dreamt, and have found.”

About the Book:

FULL BODY ORGASM is about feeling unrestrained joy and pleasure in every way, everyday!
This book takes a holistic view of the meaning and the function of the orgasm in the broader sense of the word as it relates not only to sexuality (the body) but in the mind and spirit as well. Living in a physical world where you may commute to work, buy groceries, cook the meals, pay the bills, raise your children, clean the house and go on vacations, you can balance and live a life of peak experiences in everything you do.
The full body orgasm (FBO) is continuous joy and pleasure that opens the doors of peak experiences in all aspects of life. In other words, if you can fully experience that energy of an FBO, then you will experience joy and pleasure in everything you do in life.

 

 

Hi Oscar

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

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

I wrote the book because, as a Body-centered Psychotherapist, many people over the years have asked, “How do I create loving, joyous, and pleasurable peak experiences every day, in every way in my life?”

You know how most people are just getting through life? They’re just surviving in their career, business, financial life, well-being, and their relationships. They are accepting a life of mediocrity and not having what I call the “Full Body Life Experience” or what I coined the “FBO Life” for short. A graphic term, but perhaps the best way to communicate to those “Doubting Thomases” how extraordinary it is possible to feel each and every day.

The orgasm – physically, mentally, and spiritually – is as natural as the Earth revolving around the sun. It is a birth rite to have unrestrained joy and pleasure in everything you do. For most people the orgasm may be analogous to a sneeze – a pelvic sneeze, if you will. There is a slight build up and then, “Ah-choo!” It’s over – and so goes their life too.

I have a vision that “if everyone swept their own doorstep we would live in a cleaner, brighter world”. In other words, clean up your own personal act and there will be an end to war, famine, and strife. Closer to home there would be an end to domestic violence, suicides, and more love in the family.

There is a need for everyone to know, understand, and experience the quest for life of true happiness and joy. Not that bottled champagne- cork frivolity that one feels when someone cracks a particularly funny joke kind-of joy – but that effervescent, undeniable, long lasting joy that oozes from some people in the most contagious way. I wrote the book so people could benefit from a complete, balanced, and joyous FBO Life.

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

About 12 years ago after years working in Silicon Valley as technical writer, trainer, and engineer I felt burnt out. At that time I was drawn to go to Comdex, the largest consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas. I went looking for something, anything to fulfill me. I went, I thought, to discover the latest technology to further my technical career.

I did not feel as though I belonged as I walked through the rows and rows of trade show exhibits. So I decided to go to the nearby state park, “The Valley of Fire”, for a hike where I got lost.

The Las Vegas area receives about six inches of rain a year and it got all of it that day and night. As I shivered uncontrollably, I knew I was in the first stages of hypothermia. Soon my mind was wandering and I asked myself, “If I were to die this night what would my life have meant?” A little voice kept answering, “Nothing.”

I knew that my life would never be the same after this experience.

Within weeks I was separated from my wife of 10 years, and I was selling off of the dream house, furniture, and all the “stuff.” I traveled aimlessly trying to find something. I did not know, what I did not know that I needed to find. I started traveling, visiting the landlines of the druids, meditated at the standing stones in Ireland and Wales, saw the oracle at Delphi in Greece, and had my head in the clouds in Sedona, Arizona.

In my searching, I discovered the meditative underwater world. I became a Scuba instructor in Florida and worked as a dive instructor in Hawaii. There
I discovered the soothing land of the Hawaiian Islands and the mystical world of the natives. I studied the Hawaiian ideals of the family, spiritual energy of Mana, Hono’Pono Pono, and later became a Lomi Lomi massage therapist. Spiritual growth and my health also became important.

Through all these experiences, my personal relationships were still faltering. I had various dysfunctional love relationships and numerous meaningless sexual relationships. All of this left me empty and alone.

I came to Australia on a tourist visa with a Scuba dive buddy to dive the Great Barrier Reef. After several meaningless relationships, I visited Byron Bay in New South Wales for the millennium and played an active part in the community celebration. From there, my path led me to Western Australia, where I felt the pain of yet another failed relationship. I had reached the lowest part of my life. I wanted to know how I could achieve happiness.

I was introduced to Core Energetics Body-Centered Psychotherapy. It is the integration of personal therapeutic processes for the mind, body, and spirit.
For the first time in my life, I was confronted with getting in touch with the pain of the emptiness inside me. Although I went to the darkest, ugliest depths of myself, I discovered a freedom in my soul. I decided to stay in Australia and focus mostly on my personal growth to find the real me. I had to get back to my central core and discover the truth about myself. I faced the demons from my childhood hurt of not having a father and the distorted, neurotic way I had approached relationships.

By finding help I was able to allow myself to feel. Feel the truth of who I am. Feel the truth in a given moment. Feel that life was meant to be lived to the fullest joy and pleasure in everything I did.

I knew that somehow and someway I needed express myself by means of my personal growth. The point in my life I made up my mind I was going to become a published author was 12 years ago when that little voice kept answering that my life meant “Nothing.”

 

How did you come up with the title?

I knew that I was going to write a personal growth book based on my Body-centered Psychotherapist training and practice. When I first approached possible publishers and marketing people about the book concept, I started talking about personal growth and body-mind-spirit. I pitched a few titles at them and basically they all yawned.

They said to come up with at least 25 titles and subtitles for the book. I started with “Balancing Wisdom and Energy” and one concept had a picture of my then 2 year old son with the title “Finding Your Inner Child”. When I got to over 25 titles, I started to think about the core information that my book was to based on and remembered one of the required readings was “Function of the Orgasm” by Reich and my book is about harnessing life’s joyous energy. One of the dictionary definitions for orgasm (beyond the sexual reference) is ‘unrestrained joy and pleasure.’ Suddenly “Full Body Orgasm” as a title made sense.

 

How did you find an agent and publisher?

The book, “Full Body Orgasm – Your Energy to Love, Health, Wealth, and Happiness” was not rejected since it is essentially self-published with Morgan-James Publishing and LifeSuccess Publishing.

 

Who reads you work in progress?

Not only is my wife, Lisa an inspiration in my life, she was able to help read and edit my work.

 

Who made a difference in the book’s quality?

Again my wife, Lisa an inspiration in my life, she was able to help read and edit my work. Also, my friend and clinical psychologist, Mary Goslett gave me many ideas and said I need to describe the psychological concepts in an easy and humorous manner. That’s when I expanded the character description in terms of the TV show character’s in “Friends”.

 

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

It took about 6 months.

How long did it take from start to publication?

It took about a year.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

JUST DO IT! The only caveat to ‘Just Do It!’ is to do it with passion and fun.

My intention for you is to live a life of unrestrained joy and pleasure in everything you do.

You can reach Oscar at his website; www.FBO-Book.com

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

 

FULL BODY ORGASM VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ’08 will officially begin on September 2, ’08 and end on September 26, ’08. You can visit Oscar’s tour stops at http://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 http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on September 26!

Emotionless Souls – author interview – David Grant

 

 

David Grant is our guest author today at Paperback Writer, and he shares with us his journey to being published.

 

Emotionless Souls Synopsis:

Disaffected tourists idle through the streets and bars of Paris and Dublin. Office workers suspect each other of stealing cocaine at the Christmas party. Human Resource officers interview the stripper they frequent for a position in the firm (or at least they think it’s that stripper). Pickpockets get pick-pocketed. Nobodies stage emergencies to save the day. Mediocre porn stars murder their co-stars to increase DVD rentals. Executives drop Ecstasy during the board meeting and realize their affection for the touch of their supervisor’s shirt. Comics drop shrooms in the restaurant’s sauce to get laughs from even the toughest of Monday night crowds.

  

 Hi David,

 

Welcome to Paperback Writer

 

 

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

 

[DG] Emotionless Souls, my short story collection, contains 20 tales varying from corporate pranks to dreams of leaving a mark in the adult movie industry.  I started writing short stories as a way to break from writing novels.  Eventually there was enough interest in many that I was able to package them into this book.  My ideas usually come from my surroundings, I spend a lot of time in corporate environments and this translates into a back drop for many of my stories.  Others, come from that special dark place inside that really makes to me is true fiction.

  

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

 

[DG] I will outline at a high level.  It’s strange, but I need an ending before I begin.  More strange is that I rarely use the initial ending, but do keep it as a crutch.

 

Do you have a process for developing your characters?

 

[DG] For my characters they take on their role as the story dictates.  Starting stories, I rarely have an idea of a character, rather a story, and then I think about what type of person fits.

 

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

 

[DG] Absolutely.  The satirical and humorous parts of the stories are directly related to my personality and how I view the world.

 

What is your most favorite part about this book?

 

[DG] The way all of the stories relate to one another.  This was never the point, in fact all were written separate without the thought of pulling them together.  Each story takes a character in a dark place and watches them find redemption (at least in their mind) in the most unconventional ways.

 

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

 

[DG] All of the stories were completed prior to publishing with Brown Paper Publishing.

 

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

 

[DG]  It was difficult to get someone to read my first novel, Corporate Porn.  Whether you go through agents or publishers, you find a saturated market.  However, that being said, I am an example of keep writing and be persistent, it will happen.

 

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

 

[DG] First off, Emotionless Souls is meant to be entertaining.  Yes, there is a transgression side to my writing, but I do believe my humor puts a unique twist on the darkest of issues.

 

Do you have plans to write another book?

 

[DG] Bleach|Blackout, my rock and drug fueled double novel is now available through Offense Mechanism, an imprint of Silverthought Press.  Bleach details the character, Jeremy returning home to the Midwest for the holidays, reliving past New Year’s Eve parties, leading up to the mother of all parties.  Blackout, the sequel takes the reader two years after Bleach.  The crew is in Las Vegas for an incredible bachelor party and wake up with the worst possible hangover: A police officer standing over them with guns drawn.

 

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

 

[DG] So far I have been very impressed.  Pump Up Your Books has been able to find the correct places for my work to be reviewed and displayed.  I have been pleased with the results.

 

Where can readers find a copy of your book?

 

[DG] brownpaperpublishing.net, davidsgrant.com, amazon.com, and the other usual suspects.  My books are also available at the following NYC bookstores: Book Court (Brooklyn), St Mark’s Bookstore (Manhattan), and Drougas Books (Manhattan).

 

Do you have a website for readers to go to?

http://www.davidsgrant.com

 

 

Thank you, David 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.

 

EMOTIONLESS SOULS VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ’08 will officially begin on May 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow David’s tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in May. Leave a comment on his blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of his tour! One lucky winner will be announced on this tour page on May 30!