Haunted – author interview Douglas Misquita

Haunted Book Tour

 

About Haunted

FBI Special Agent Kirk Ingram’s life is torn apart when his family is brutally murdered before his eyes. Devastated physically and psychologically, he vows to destroy organized crime in all forms.

In the Eastern bloc, a rogue dictator state is stockpiling Citex, a deadly nerve agent…

Across the globe, an international trade house funnels Balkan organized crime activities through its business channels and now hatches a plot to distribute Citex to major cities in the world, creating a nexus with terror that threatens to bring the world order to the point of anarchy.

And only one man stands in the way of global terror and paranoia. One man seeking redemption and waging a personal battle against the demons of his past.

Get your adrenaline rush as the plot unfolds breathlessly from the gritty streets of Los Angeles to the remote fringes of Russia, from the depths of the Pacific to the skies over Panama and from the sun baked desert to the exotic villages of Costa Rica.

 

Interview

 

Q:  Give us an example of a typical writing day.

A typical ‘day’ has me thinking of a particular scene or a sequence of events in the story I’m telling. I will run over a scene many times in my head, trying to visualize it from different perspectives or ‘camera angles’ as I call it. I’d then do a quick mental-linking of that scene with other parts of the story to see if I find any gross flaws that a reader could come across or question. Once I’m satisfied, I start typing it out when I get back from work.

 

Q:  Do you write on a computer or with pen/pencil and paper?

I used to write on single rules exercise books until I got my first battered laptop. One side of the LCD screen was smashed but I somehow learned to use it and type out the first draft of ‘Haunted’ my debut novel. Now it’s at my desktop that I write my stories. Occasionally I’ll do a fishbone sketch of the story so that I can see how it looks from a high level.

 

Q:  Who is your favorite author, and why?

Favorite author would be Michael Crichton. He inspired me to write. He put down such a believable story in Jurassic Park that I wanted to hold readers in the palm of my hand and transport them to the places and events in my mind.  He’s also the only author I think, who had such a firm grasp on the science behind the story.

 

Q:  Where do you write from? (location and description)

I write at my computer desk. I have a view straight down at a painting of Hollywood actors sitting on the construction spar of the Empire State Building with Arnold munching a burger. Outside, I can look up and down my street. Oh and recently, my guitars are behind me.

 

Q:  Have you ever abandoned any books/novels in progress?

Plenty… but there were always parts from those stories that I used or learned how to do better over time. I also learned how to write a better and interesting story from the get-go (even to my eyes) so that I too was continuously engaged with the story.

 

Q:  How did you feel holding your book in your hands for the first time?

It felt great… I’ve actually blogged about that first experience but left out the emotions welling up part. You can read about it here… http://douglasmisquita.com/blog/2011/01/22/i-had-a-dream/

 

 

Author Douglas Misquita

About Douglas Misquita

Douglas Misquita is a thriller writer from India.

The desire to write and tell entertaining stories was inspired by Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park. A series of short stories followed through school, college and university eventually culminating in the first full length novel ‘Ingram’ which was reworked, retitled and released as ‘Haunted’ which has been very well received by fans of the genre.

Douglas currently works in the wireless telecommunications industry and besides writing, plays guitar and sings with a group of music enthusiasts, is a movie buff and enjoys traveling to places steeped in history.

Find out more at www.douglasmisquita.com

 

Pump Up Your Book Announces March ‘11 Authors on Virtual Book Tours

Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Tours

Join a talented and diverse group of 26 authors who are touring with Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Tours during the month of March 2011.

 Follow these authors as they travel the blogosphere from March 1st through March 25^th to discuss their books. You’ll find everything from memoirs to business books, historical novels to thrillers, children’s books to young adult novels and more!

 The month of March is filled with returning authors. Lisa Gardner is back to promote her latest Detective D.D. Warren novel, “Love You More.” Also returning is Lou Aronica and his fantasy novel, “Blue,” Dr. Jennifer Freed with “Lessons from Stanley the Cat,” Diana Gabaldon with her historical romance sci-fi adventure novel, “Outlander,” Cynthia Kocialski’s business book, “Start Up from the Ground Up,” James LePore’s thriller, “Anyone Can Die,” and Allan Leverone and his thriller, “Final Vector.”

 Pamela Samuels Young continues her virtual book tour for the legal thriller, “Murder on the Down Low,” and coming back for her eighth virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book! is F.M. Meredith. She’ll be promoting the latest book in her Rocky Bluff P.D. series, “Angel Lost.” Kath Russell is back to promote her coming of age historical, “Deed So.” Elle Newmark is back with a new book, “The Sandalwood Tree.” Sheila Hendrix also returns with her YA paranormal, “The Betrayal.”

 Memoirs come to you from Barry Fixler and Megan van Eyck, while historical novels are being promoted by John Milton Langdon and Paula McLain. Other fiction titles come to you from Laurel Dewey, Emily Sue Harvey, and Laina Turner-Molaski. Also on tour is Kristina McMorris and her women’s fiction novel, “Letters from Home.”

 Barbara Barnett tours with “Chasing Zebras: The Unofficial Guide to House, M.D.,” while Caitlin Rother promotes her true crime book, “Dead Reckoning.” Also on tour in March are Borneo Tom McLaughlin, Emma K. Piers, and Hayley Rose. Turner-Molaski will also tour during the second half of the month with, “The MS Project: Orange is the New Pink”, her MS awareness anthology. A portion of the proceeds from book sales will go to support the MS Society.

 Visit Pump Up Your Book! on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/PumpUpPR#p/a/u/1/PfxzbLrX7Zw  to view a video trailer introducing our authors on tour in March.

 **Pump Up Your Book is a virtual book tour agency for authors who want quality service at an affordable price.  More information can be found on their website at www.pumpupyourbook.com or you can contact me here for tour package information.

Gracious Living on Social Security – Author Interview – Valerie Kent

With today’s economy some of us can barely live on our regular income let alone even thinking about a retirement income or social security. However, Author Valerie Kent found that she must have been doing something right when so many of her friends remarked at how well she lived on a minimum income. Thus, the idea for her retirement memoir/self-help book was born Gracious Living on Social Security (Tree Farm Books).

ABOUT THE BOOKGracious Living is an easy-to-read decade-long journey that offers tips and suggestions on how senior citizens can stretch their dollar and get the most for their money. Eleven chapters cover every important aspect of living together, from the wedding preparations to where to live. Key considerations follow each chapter for quick reference: considerations like where and when to buy clothing, choosing a place to live and juggling your finances. Artist Jeff Nitzberg adds his unique touch with original drawings introducing each chapter.

ABOUT THE AUTHORAt eighty-eight, Valerie Kent is the survivor of a long lifetime spent adjusting to dramatically evolving worlds. She moved from Britain to the United States in 1933. Valerie began at the age of forty-six the drawn-out process of education – seven universities – that would generate, initially, a career as a drug and alcohol counselor for troubled women, then a decade as a celebrated college teacher and – ultimately – a final, exultant marriage. This is her story.

INTERVIEW

Hi, Valerie Kent.

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

Glad to be aboard.

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

A: The writer and publisher, Burton Hersh, a good social friend, remarked at how well we lived on a fundamentally minimum income. Out of that came Gracious Living on Social Security.

Q: How did you come up with the title?

A: The title recommended itself. So many people commented on our elegant life style and demanded to know our thousands of secrets that I embarked on Gracious Living.

Q: How did you find an agent and publisher?

A: The whole idea was a recommendation of the writer and publisher, Burton Hersh, who nurtured this project and oversaw the publication within his own enterprise, Tree Farm Books. No agent was involved.

Q: Who reads your work in progress?

A: My husband Rick and Mr. Hersh kept me on track.

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

A: Imaginative editing and design by Burton Hersh and George Pequignot kept us on course. We were impressed by the brilliant, biting, and hilarious illustrations by Jeff Nitzberg.

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

A: Perhaps a year.

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

A: Almost two years.

Q: Do you have any advice for new authors?

A: Writing is hard work and the publication process is sometimes maddening. Sell insurance.

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

Thanks for giving me a chance to share a few ideas. For more detail about Gracious Living and me, look at the Tree Farm Books website, http://www.treefarmbooks.com.

Valerie Kent’s GRACIOUS LIVING ON SOCIAL SECURITY VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 officially began on July 6 and will end on July 31. You can visit Valerie’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of July to find out more about this great book and talented author!

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.

First Night – A Jackie and Alex Adventure – Author Interview – Tom Weston

First Night Book Excerpt – A Jackie and Alex Adventure
“And to drink?” asked the waitress.

“I’ll have a beer, if I may?” replied Sarah.

“Can I see some ID please?” asked the waitress. “Sorry, but we have to check.”

“She’s just joking,” interrupted Alex. “She’ll have some water, like us.”

“Surely, you are not going to drink the water?” asked Sarah. This world differed so greatly from her world, but even these people must know the danger of drinking the water?

“Yes, why not?”

“Do you want to die of the colic or worms of the brain?”

“We have something called sanitation now,” sniped Alex. “If you’d had it in the seventeenth century, you might still be alive.”

“Or dead!” offered Jackie.

“Or dead, yes, absolutely,” amended Alex.

About The Book:
Alexandra O’Rourke, aged 16, is not a happy camper. It’s New Year’s Eve. She should be partying in San Diego with her friends, but instead she is stuck in Boston, with just her younger sister, Jackie, for company. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she is being haunted by Sarah, the ghost of a seventeenth century Puritan. Oh, and there is the small matter of the charge of witchcraft to be sorted out.

Armed only with big shiny buttons and a helping of Boston Cream Pie, the sisters set out to restore the Natural Order. Can Alex solve the mystery of the Devil’s Book? Can Jackie help Sarah beat the sorcery rap? And can they do it before the fireworks display at midnight? Because this is First Night – and this is an Alex and Jackie Adventure.

Interview:

It is a great pleasure to have our young adult author Tom Weston here at Paperback Writer.

Hi Tom Weston,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

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

A: I had just written a screenplay called Fission, based on the real-life story of the scientist Lise Meitner, and the race for the nuclear bomb. Now, that story began in 1906 and ended in 1968, and included two world wars and the collapse of an Empire. It was very much in the mold of the epic or mini-series genre: quite serious and dramatic and high-brow.

When that was completed, I thought that it would be fun to go in exactly the opposite direction, and see if I could come up with a story where all the action takes place in just one day, something light and whimsical. And I was in Downtown Boston on New Year’s Eve when I realized that Boston and the First Night Festival would make the perfect backdrop for the story.

First Night also began as a screenplay, but as it progressed, and the story began to take on a life of its own, I realized that it was becoming a bit darker and heavier than I originally planned. I needed to address that; so I put the screenplay on hold and turned to the novel.

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

A: The simple answer is yes to both questions. I outline first, and then create a sketch that is about 20% of the finished work, so I can test it for continuity and pacing. But when it comes to fleshing it out, that’s when the characters take over and push the story in different directions than I expected.

So the mechanics of the plot: the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘when’ – those things are sketched before I begin writing in earnest. But once I’m deep into the text, I’m often surprised by the ‘why’. If there is a message in the story – that is not planned but evolves.

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

A: Yes, I usually have a mental picture in my head, not of the words, but as if I was watching a movie. In the case of First Night, before I began writing we created a little five minute animation of the ending. I didn’t even have names for the characters yet, but I knew how the story would end.

So I start with the ending and then work out a route that takes me there. As I said, occasionally the characters like to take a detour, and I have to round them up and get them back on track. Sometimes, it’s like herding cats.

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

A: I don’t do character profiling. I prefer to define my characters through dialogue and by what they are thinking. So although the book is written in the third person, much of what the characters are thinking is in the first person; and they will share their thoughts with the reader, but not necessarily with each other.

The interesting thing for me about the characters in First Night is the way in which the roles of Protagonist and Antagonist are interchangeable, depending on the preferences of the reader. The first protagonist was Sarah, as I wanted to tell a ghost story from the ghost’s point of view. But as the story progressed, there was quite a tug-of-war between Sarah and Alex for top billing. I’m still not quite sure who won.

But this is just how this book turned out – I can’t say that I have a consistent methodology.

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: They are all my alter-egos. The clinical term is Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), Fiction Writers are lucky that they have an outlet for this behavior.

My friends and family think that they see familiarities between the characters and other people – that is mostly imagined and coincidental. So they say, ‘ah, you are Uncle Jim’. And the answer is yes, but no more so than any other character.

If there was a character I related above all in First Night, it would be Alex. Going back to the question of character development, she was the one most changed by the experience. In this respect, she was the proxy for my own voyage of discovery.

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

A: The end (ha, ha). No, but really, I find the ending very moving. I did when I wrote it and still do every time I re-read it. Authors are supposed to be god-like when it comes to their characters, but I found that they had a destiny to fulfill, and that I couldn’t change or interfere with their destiny, as much as I may have wanted to.

The fun thing for me, apart from the logistics of the journey, is in presenting the readers with an ending that may surprise them, but also engages them.

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

A: From my prior life as the head of a consulting company, I had written business books, and I had already gone down that road of finding an agent and a publisher, and failed miserably. It was no big deal because what I was writing was fairly niche stuff for people that were clients or potential clients, so I was able to circumvent the process and interact directly with the customer.

First Night was my first non-business book, so I repeated the hunt for an Agent/Publisher when I had the galley copies to send out, with equally miserable results. The cliché in publishing is that the first 99 rejections prepare you for the ultimate acceptance. I wasn’t prepared to wait that long. In many ways, First Night is also a niche book, being set in Boston during New Years Eve. So I knew that there was at least a local market for the book that I could tap into, even if a national market failed to materialize.

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

A: From the publisher’s perspective First Night is a difficult book to categorize. It is part ghost story and part history lesson – a History Mystery one reviewer called it. It’s a story with teenagers, but a lot of my feedback has been coming from parents. “Unique – like no other book I’ve read,” said another reviewer. So where to place it on the bookshelf is a problem that most publishers don’t want to deal with. They weren’t about to create a new category called tom weston.

So I created my own. We formed tom weston media to handle the publishing of not just the books, but also the audio and video projects that we are planning. With the new dynamics of the Internet, this isn’t necessarily a Don Quixote delusion; we already had the business acumen. And we have marketing at the local level that is aimed at Bostonians and visitors, as well as traditional book buyers.

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

A: The response from the readers has been fantastic. From people I would never otherwise meet. I had an email from an elderly lady, an octogenarian, who told me that she had been reading the novel in bed, unable to put it down, and at 2:00AM, when the ending was revealed, she ran around the bedroom, punching the air in jubilation. To realize that this little story has that kind of impact is just incredibly humbling and rewarding.

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

A: The book begins with a quote: ‘Everything is connected.” At its heart, First Night is about faith and trust, and things for which we have no tangible proof, but may still influence our actions; because there is a reason for everything, even when we do not understand the reason.

I’m hoping that my readers, while reading the book, are saying, “Why did that happen? I don’t understand it.” This was intentional on my part, not to confuse or misdirect them, but because I wanted them to trust that by the end of the book, they will come to see that everything is connected and makes sense after all.

Q: Do you have plans to write another book?

A: There is an Alex and Jackie sequel, The Elf of Luxembourg, which is planned for publication before the end of the year. Structurally, it has much in common with First Night, being another tale of the supernatural and lot of history, this time about Luxembourg. This one has vampires instead of ghosts. And it’s Jackie that is scheduled to be the protagonist, but I’m sure that Alex will put up a fight before then end.

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

A: Two things have taken me my surprise, albeit pleasantly:

First, I was a little surprised at the amount of effort it has taken. Before turning to writing full time, I did a lot of public speaking, and I almost never prepared my remarks beyond a punch-line or two. My style is to improvise and be spontaneous. So I sort of had this idea that I could just turn up and chat. And of course it doesn’t work that way. The written and spoken words are different mediums, and I’m fully aware that what I write may remain in the blogosphere long after the tour is over. So, I’m trying to engage my brain before I speak, and that is a fairly new experience for me, but equally satisfying.

Second, I was surprised by the diversity of questions and approaches of my hosts. Some things at first seemed trivial or surreal, but when taken in the context of the whole tour, it all turned out to be both fun and educational (from my point of view). Not only did I get to chat about the book, but I also got to resurrect the characters for a while. I’m fond of my characters, so that was nice.

The Virtual Book Tour is a reflection of what I was saying about the dynamics of the Internet. Writing is a satisfying pastime in itself, but if we are to reach beyond our own four walls, we also have to think about this as a business. Most books, even those published by the large houses, will fail to turn a profit. To cut costs, publishers are taking fewer chances and shifting the responsibility for marketing a book back onto the author. So I think the lines are starting to blur between traditional publishing and self publishing. And the author, who wants to sell books as well as write them, has to put on the business hat.

Having access to things like the Virtual Book Tour helps to level the playing field for us little guys.

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

A: The book is on sale on-line at places like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, as well as from our own web site. And as Ingram is the distributor, it can be ordered at practically any bricks and mortar book store that doesn’t have a copy on the shelf. We’ve also signed up for publishing via the Espresso Book Machine (EBM), which means you can go into any library or store that has an EBM machine and get a copy printed while you wait.

It is available in Hard Copy (ISBN 978-0-981-94130-1), Paperback (ISBN 978-0-981-94131-8) and e-Book (ISBN 978-0-981-94132-5), including Amazon Kindle.

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

A: www.tom-weston.com

Thank you, Tom Weston, 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.

Tom Weston’s FIRST NIGHT VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 officially began on July 6th and end on July 31st. You can visit Tom’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of July to find out more about this great book and talented author!

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 Pursuit of Something Better – Author Interview – Dave Esler and Myra Kruger

Paperback Writer would like to introduce our authors for today, Dave Esler and Myra Kruger, authors of the business/leadership/business ethics book, The Pursuit of Something Better: How an Underdog Company Defied the Odds, Won Customers’ Hearts, and Grew It’s Employees into Better People (Esler Kruger Associates, Inc.), as they virtually tour the blogosphere in July on their first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

About the Authors:
Dave Esler and Myra Kruger combined their 30 years of corporate communications, human resources, and consulting experience as Esler Kruger Associates in 1987. Their consulting firm focuses on culture change, organizational surveys, and executive counsel on effective leadership. They are based in Highland Park, Illinois and can be reached at http://www.eslerkruger.com/.

About the Book:

The Pursuit of Something Better tells the story of the transformation of U.S. Cellular from a thoroughly ordinary company—ranked eighth in its industry and in danger of extinction—into an organization that is loved by employees and customers alike, and a proven winner by every measure.

Even more impressive is how this transformation took place. U.S. Cellular focused on the “soft stuff” so often discredited by conventional business wisdom; values and heart; inspirational and empowering leadership; motivation by values, not fear; ethics and integrity and an insistence on always doing the right thing. Most of all, U.S. Cellular thrived by obsessively putting the customer, and the quality of the customer experience, first.

The Pursuit of Something Better is also the story of Jack Rooney, the unconventional CEO who had the vision to see the limitations of the traditional business model a decade before it imploded, and the courage to replace it with something much, much better.

Hi David and Myra,

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

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

A: We have consulted for corporations, government and non-profits for 30 years. In that time, we have surveyed more than a million and a half employees. We have had one-on-one interviews with thousands of leaders. In gathering all that research, the evidence became overwhelming that there really is a better way to engage employees and achieve results that the traditional model that has been in place for centuries. We occasionally sighted that rare organization or that unusual leader who understood that most of the employees in their organizations were alienated from their enterprises, and that there was tremendous untapped commitment and creativity being left on the table. We kept searching, and then we had the wonderful opportunity to engage with Jack Rooney, who shared our belief and was determined to put such a model into place.

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

A: We discussed it and kept notes on it for about 5 years.

Q: How did you come up with the title?

A: The title, The Pursuit of Something Better, evolved very naturally from the results that U.S. Cellular has accomplished through their business model. The incredible commitment of the work force, the love employees have for the company, the pristine ethical climate in the organization all are truly something better than we have ever observed.

Q: How did you find an agent and publisher?

A: We received a referral from a U.S. Cellular employee who read the book and wanted to see the story become public.

Q: Who reads your work in progress?

A: We engaged a book editor, Catherine MacCoun, after the finished draft to help us edit it for publishing.

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

A: We owe the printing quality to a good friend who runs a printing company in Chicago.

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

A: We worked on the draft off and on for about 8 months.

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

A: A little more than a year.

Q: Do you have any advice for new authors?

A: Believe in your story so you can tell it with conviction, specifics, example and glee.

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

Dave Esler and Myra Kruger’s THE PURSUIT OF SOMETHING BETTER VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 will officially begin on July 6 and end on July 31. You can visit their blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of July to find out more about this great book and talented author!

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.

Beyond the Code of Conduct – author interview- K.M Daughters

Join K.M. Daughters, authors of the romantic suspense novel, Beyond the Code of Conduct  (Wild Rose Press), as they virtually tour the blogosphere in June on their first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

FBI Agency Brass and Sullivan family connections force Special Agent Bobbie Leighton into an undercover operation with inactive Homicide Detective Joe Sullivan.

Posing as a cattleman and his arm-candy wife the couple is assigned to infiltrate NY attorney Bradley Sterling’s illegal operation. Suspected of baby trafficking, Sterling maybe be connected with Joe’s brother, Jimmy Sullivan’s murder.

How do Bobbie and Joe adhere to their professional code of conduct living under the same roof? Can they forget their personal history, ignore their volatile feelings for each other and ensnare their target when they might be next on Sterling’s victims list?

 

 

 

Hi K.M. Daughters,

 

Welcome to Paperback Writer

 

 

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

A: Secondary characters in the first book in the series thought the story was about them!  We were curious about their fate.  Did they get back together?  Did Bobbie find the career fit that had eluded her in the past?  Did Joe adapt to inactive status as a former homicide detective because of his injury?  As we searched for answers the seeds of a plot took root and bloomed.

  

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

Because we’re a team an outline works best for us. 

 

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

Q: Yes, we do, conceptually.  But the last sentence is written in sequence and it is the last thing we write.

 

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

Q: We create life histories for our primary characters, sometimes from young adulthood, sometimes from childhood depending on their internal conflicts and baggage when the story opens.  We don’t use the majority of their back-stories in the story itself, but we have a layered, complex understanding of who they were and are before we begin developing plots.

 

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: Very little of our personalities are written into our heroines, or heroes for that matter.  The restaurant choices they make, the settings where they live and work, and maybe their sports team allegiances might have something to do with our personal biases.

 

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

A: It is so hard to pick just one!  Especially without giving away the action.  Let’s just say the ending.

 

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

A: We already had selected our intended publisher, The Wild Rose Press, since we published Book 1, Against Doctors Orders, with this wonderful company.  Our contract stipulates first right of refusal on the series, and we were hopeful they’d be interested in Book 2 as well.  Thankfully they were – as well as Book 3, Capturing Karma, which we just contracted to The Wild Rose Press. 

 

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

A: Uncertainty in the face of difficult odds of finding the right Editor who heard our unique voice and thought it held promise. 

 

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

A:  Every single thing.

 

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

A: We hope readers perceive our characters as “real people”, accessible, relatable.  Our writing is emotional and we hope readers experience emotions along with our characters.  We’re not happy unless we make each other cry during our read-throughs.

 

Q: Do you have plans to write another book? 

A: Book 3 is in edits now and our work in progress is book 4.  We have a rough premise for Book 5, the conclusion of The Sullivan Boys Series.  We also plan a single title, mainstream fiction.  Recently we’ve played with some ideas for a paranormal romance series, also.

 

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

A: Crazy, wonderful and full of daily delights.  Dorothy Thompson is remarkable. 

 

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

A: Online in digital with a click through to Amazon at the publisher’s site: http://tinyurl.com/qwgpsp  At Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/cbunqh or Barnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/dco3cn or any local bookstore can order it for you – ISBN#1-60154-544-4

 

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

A: Yes, we welcome visits often and invite readers to sign up for our mailing list, too.  http://www.kmdaughters.com

 

Thank you, K.M. Daughters 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.

 

BEYOND THE CODE OF CONDUCT VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 will officially begin on June 1 and end on June 26. You can visit K.M. Daughters’ blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of June to find out more about this great book and talented authors!
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 Pyewiz and The Amazing Mobile Phone – Author Interview – Herbert Howard Jones

Paperback Writer would like to introduce our author for today Herbert Howard Jones, author of The Pyewiz and the Amazing Mobile Phone. Herbert is on his first book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion and as part of his virtual book tour you have a chance to win prizes.

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: Journey to a frozen planet to find a long lost twin an amazing crystal phone with incredible powers and a cunning old pirate wizard who must be stopped.

Schoolboy Terry Mctrain thinks the new tenant in his parent’s guesthouse is strange. Stranger still is the reason why she is here. Then Terry learns about a twin brother he never knew he had, kidnapped by a pirate wizard years ago. Baffled by all this, Terry realizes there’s a mystery to be solved, and a secret to be uncovered. But when he discovers that the fate of the world is also in his hands, he wonders..

Could this turn into the adventure of a lifetime?

Perhaps, but unless Terry and his friend Will travel to the other side of the solar system to solve this puzzle there’s a danger that the world would be destroyed, and his twin brother lost forever.

Hi, Herbert Howard Jones,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

Q: Will you share with us how you came up with the idea for this book?
A: Thank you for asking me. But unfortunately, there was nothing profound about the stimulus for my book, which came quite unexpectedly, early one afternoon, in the form of a workman that I had employed to remove some junk. But it was his manner, the way he held himself, his appearance, his aura, which reeked of the sea and planted the thought of The Pyewiz in my head! He was the very incarnation of a fictitious character yet to be born on paper. He had two help mates with him, Terry and Will, and they too became the young protagonists in my swashbuckling adventure. I also borrowed ideas from Tolkien, but not too blatantly that you would notice. But he did invent the ultimate adventure travelogue, and I used this format in my book. I also wanted to write the book as a kind of cathartic therapy and see what I would come up with.

Q: Do you plan your stories first with an outline or does it come to you as write it?
A: I think that it is essential to have an outline, and then fill in the details as you go along. Once you know what your parameters are, you know when you are out of bounds. I believe that it keeps everything tight and under control.

Q: Do you know the end of the story at the beginning?
A: The end of the book is surely the back story, isn’t it? The book in hand is the sequel to the back story! First you work out the character’s motivations and reasons for their actions, and then you tuck this away somewhere, and start work on your novel, which deliberately leaves out these very elements. Then at the end of the book, you tack on the back story. So you really have to know the end, even before you get to work on the book itself. Well for certain types of fiction, anyway. But if you don’t keep your readers guessing, which is what this method achieves, then you may as well stick to writing letters!

Q: Do you have a process for developing your characters?
A: The J.R Rowling method is the best in my view. She kept note books, and wrote notes about them, what they looked like, what they wore, and what their general preferences were. She built up a character dossier, and got to know her characters so well that she knew how they would behave in any situation. This gave her characters consistency and believability. I use this method myself. But it also helps to draw a little picture or caricature of them too. Then there really is no going back. The character springs to life and there is nothing you can do about it, other than finish the story. Because obviously, it is the characters who are the true authors of your tale.

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: Yep, I’m Terry! I felt closer to this character than any of the others. I could never be the Pyewiz. The guy’s karma would freak me out for one thing!

Q: What is your most favorite part about this book?
A: The Pyewiz conducts mock war games to keep his crew on their toes. Terry and Will find themselves getting enmeshed in this. They manage to commandeer one of the galleons and play loud rock music over the PA system! I thought this might tickle some readers.

Q: When in the process of writing your book did you begin to look for a publisher?
A: At the end of the project, which probably isn’t the wisest thing to do. But I hate the idea of writing story proposals. I don’t think I could cope with the pressure if one of them was taken up.

Q: What struggles have you had on the road to being published?
A: The usual round of rejections, bouts of self doubt, envy of those who are published, tendency to subscribe to conspiracy theories about the industry, formation of sweat beads on forehead when opening agent’s letters, nightmares, inane looping of self-talk; was it the folder? Yes it was the folder; I knew I shouldn’t have used that yellow folder with the Homer Simpson logo on it! Rollercoaster’s have an easier time! Aside from all that, there is a feeling that the industry is oversubscribed, and that it would doing agents a big favour if people stopped writing books for a while. I also don’t think it’s healthy for authors to get too wrapped up in their brainchild. I think you have to distance yourself emotionally from it, and at an appropriate time, let it go! The mental, emotional and physical struggles of an author are truly the struggles of the damned.

Q: What has been the best part about being published?
A: The reaction of people around me. I have been invited to quite a few dinner parties since getting into print. Also, I’d say handling the book for the first time in the knowledge that the British Museum has a policy of keeping a copy in their archives. Well, they used to, and it’s a damn nice thought!

Q: What do you want readers to remember and carry with them after reading your novel?
A: I want them to say to them, ‘I can’t wait for the movie’. No, seriously, I want them to think fondly of The Pyewiz, despite his failings as a human being. And I hope this doesn’t sound big headed, but it is surely ever writers dream to have their characters creep into twenty-first century culture as mini icons of sorts. If not, my book is big enough to be used as a door stop! Either way I can’t loose!

Q: Do you have plans to write another book?
A: Well I’ve set myself a target of writing 500 pages a year, which equates to two books year. At the present time I am writing the sequel to my first book, entitled, The Pyewiz and The Sons of Terrafirma, and I’m tapping out my first occult thriller about an unusual archaeological find which has curious implications for the heroine of the story.

Q: Would you care to share with us how the virtual book tour experience with Pump up Your Book Promotion has been for you?
A: Simply thrilling! It is also a great honour to be on the same promotional pages as Barry Eisler and Jamie Ford! These guys really are the top guns, and so with any luck some of their talent will rub off on me! And by way of a quick infomercial, let me tell all authors out there to immediately down tools and sign up with Dorothy Thompson’s agency right now! Pumpupyourbookpromotion has to be the best value for money PR outfit on the internet. I’m happy because there are already there are over 18,600 listings for the word ‘Pyewiz’ on Yahoo, and it is all down to Dorothy Thompson. I even made the Chicago Times and libreria universitaria! Thank you Dorothy and partners!! Also, it really is fun to be given carte blanche to write anything you like and have it posted on all these sympathetic blogs. I’ve really indulged myself. If Dorothy will have me again, I’ll sign up with her like a shot.

Q: Where can readers find a copy of your book?
A: From Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk also Amazon.com.jp (I do actually have a Japanese character in the story), Barnesandnoble.com, Powells.com. Whsmiths.com, to name but a few.

Q: Do you have a website for readers to go to?
A: Yes indeed, http://www.science-fiction-fanatsy.com and http://www.solarsystemtales.com

Thank you, Herbert Howard Jones 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 Rebecca for taking such a kind interest in my work.

THE PYEWIZ AND THE AMAZING MOBILE PHONE VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 will officially begin on May 4 and end on June 26. You can visit Howard’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in May and June to find out more about this talented author!

No Teachers Left Behind – Author Interview – HBF teacher

Paperback Writer is pleased to announce our author for today, Hopeful But Frustrated Teacher (HBF Teacher), author of the realistic fiction book, No Teachers Left Behind (2nd Avenue Publishing, 2009.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

HBF Teacher has been a public school Middle grades teacher for three years. Before that, HBF substitute taught for two years. HBF has also worked as a live-in nanny and an accounts payable representative.

Today when not nurturing young minds, HBF enjoys travel, photography, culinary arts, and the cinema. The Cohen Brothers and Tyler Perry are among her favorite artistic contributors.

You can find HBF Teacher online at http://www.noteachersleftbehind.info.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Explored through a series of poems, emails, and brief conversations, NO TEACHERS LEFT BEHIND is a fictional yet realistic look at the frustrations of middle school staff.

Hi HBF Teacher,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

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

HBF: My own personal frustrations and disappointments as a middle school teacher led me to write this book.

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

HBF: Writing a story to me is like interacting with a force in which you have only minimal control. I always try to start with a plan in mind, but then the characters just become real. When this happens, they write their own stories, and I merely become a viewer in their lives.

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

HBF: I rarely know the ending of the story at the beginning. The characters decide their own endings.

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

HBF: There is no real process. For some weird reason, I tend to create names first, and then the characters develop. Sometimes they are huge exaggerations of people I have met in my lifetime, but not often.

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?

HBF: Yes I do believe that authors write themselves into their characters, and I am no exception to that. There is a part of me in most of my characters. In No Teachers Left Behind, I am definitely all of the teachers who want to make a difference yet feel that they can’t.

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

HBF: I love all the humorous email conversations. Laughter is indeed the best medicine, and laughing helps me keep my job.

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

HBF: I always knew that I wanted to go with Createspace, a division of Amazon, because it was the quickest route to publication. No Teachers Left Behind is a story that I really feel people should read so I wanted to have my book published as quickly as possible.

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

HBF: No struggles really because writing is one of my passions. The hardest parts, if any, are finding the time to write and then coming up with clever ideas to market the book. There are so many books published each day that you really have to find a way to make yours stand out, and this is necessary even before the book is actually published.

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

HBF: The best part about being published is holding the first copy of your book in your hand. It means that you’ve completed what you’ve started, and that’s a wonderful feeling.

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

HBF: Remember that teachers are people too, and for the most part, we’re actually nice people who care about our students and want to see them become successful. No one has ever become a teacher because of greed and a desire to be adored by millions.

PBW: Do you have plans to write another book?

HBF: There’s always a story to tell, and I already have ideas for a sequel to No Teachers Left Behind. I also have plans to write a young adult novel.

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

HBF: I am really enjoying my experience with Pump Up Your Book Promotion. The people are wonderful to work with, and my name and my book title – well they are popping up everywhere on the web.

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

HBF: Readers can purchase a copy of my book at Amazon.com.

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

HBF: Readers can learn more about me and No Teachers Left Behind at http://www.noteachersleftbehind.info

Thank you, HBF Teacher 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 NO TEACHERS LEFT BEHIND VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 officially begin on May 4th and will end on May 29th. You can visit HBF Teacher’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of May to find out more about this great book and talented author!

Keys to Living Joyfully – Author Interview – Sheri Kaye Hoff

Paperback Writer welcomes author Sheri Kaye Hoff, author of the inspirational non-fiction book, Keys to Living Joyfully (Createspace, Aug. ’08), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in March on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sheri Kaye Hoff resides in Parker, CO with her husband and three children. She is a Life Coach and owner of the Sheri K Hoff International Coaching Company. She teaches college classes as an adjunct faculty member and has earned her Master of Arts in Organizational Management. Her new book, Keys to Living Joyfully offers ways of living a meaningful, successful and joy filled life.
Ms. Hoff is a personal and executive life coach. Spirituality is a vital part of her life’s work. Prayer and meditation are integral pieces of her daily ritual, which enables her to pursue her life’s passions and live a truly joyful life.
Her words on faith are derived from her own Christian walk and spiritual self-discoveries. Her action steps mix faith and years of leadership training, mentoring, and management. Sheri Kaye Hoff suffered the tragic death of her younger brother when she was a teenager and struggled for years to rediscover the capacity to feel joy and to enjoy her successes. She has a heart felt desire to pass on her knowledge and discoveries that have led to a truly transformational life. Ms. Hoff publishes a free weekly inspiration newsletter, Coach Sheri’s Weekly Inspiration Tips. The Sheri K Hoff International Coaching Company also offers:

* Teleclasses.
* Webinars
* In person small and large group Coaching
* Corporate Training
* Keynote speaking
* Seminars
* Individual Career and Life Coaching (For a limited time- receive a free introductory one hour life coaching session)
You can visit her website at http://www.lifeisjoyful.org.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Keys to Living Joyfully is an inspirational book on experiencing joy, peace, passion, and energy in daily life. It is designed to demonstrate the powerful roles of thoughts, action, and faith. The book is a merging of Sheri Kaye Hoff’s spiritual life and lifelong interests in leadership and motivation. The ideas presented in the book are techniques and processes that have worked for the author and clients. Foreword is written by Michele Caron, creator of MyLIfeCoach.com
The book, Keys to Living Joyfully, was born out of a heartfelt desire to share the keys that lead to living a transformational life. Ms. Hoff is a personal and executive coach working with individuals, small businesses, and corporations. Her words on faith are derived from her own Christian walk and spiritual self-discoveries. Her action steps are a mix of faith, love, leadership skills, and management experience. Chapters include topics such as: Is your heart thinking right and how to tap into intrinsic motivation. This book, Keys to Living Joyfully, offers the techniques and insights that move people towards more peace, joy, energy, and passion in everyday life.

INTERVIEW:

Hi Sheri,

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

Thank you. I am happy to be here.

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

I lost my brother when we were teenagers. For years after my brother’s death, I felt numb and thought I did not deserve to be truly happy ever again. I read hundreds of books on leadership and motivation. When I went deeper into my spiritual life, I experienced a way to merge my personal leadership skills and my spirituality. My life clicked into place. I became truly happy, and I felt so free. I wanted to share my keys with others. I hoped that people would be inspired to tap their sources of joy. This desire eventually became my book idea, though it took me awhile to recognize that it was a book idea.

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

The topic of living joyfully is something that I thought about for a long time and I always knew that I would write a book someday. In the spring of 2008, I lessened my workload to devote time to work on a book idea. I thought I would write a fiction novel and had a few ideas. Every time I thought about it, though, I felt blocked. I went to bed one night thinking about different book ideas and I woke up in the middle of the night realizing that I needed to write an inspirational book and I knew what my approach would be. I would mix my personal quest in finding more joy with sound personal leadership techniques. I knew I wanted to write in a way where readers felt like I was talking directly to them in a personal way, kind of like the way that I talk with my coaching clients or friends. The true inspiration did seem to be a light bulb moment.

How did you come up with the title?

Again, this seems to be a similar pattern for me, I had fallen asleep at night thinking and praying about several different ideas. My primary thought was to call it Life is Joyful, which is my website name (www.lifeisjoyful.org). When I woke up the next morning, I knew it should be Keys to Living Joyfully. Then, I googled the name and searched on Amazon to make sure that no other book had exactly that same title. I could not find any matches, so I kept it and it never changed after that.

How did you find an agent and publisher?

I journaled and prayed about how I should have my book published. I researched several different methods. I bought Dan Poynter’s Self Publishing Manual. I decided that I wanted to have my book available fast, so I chose self-publishing and then researched print on demand options. I decided to go with createspace.com. They are a subsidiary of Amazon. I ordered a proof copy and was impressed with quality. Overall, I have been very happy with createspace.

Who reads your work in progress?

I have a few trusted people. Michele Caron, owner of mylifecoach.com is one of the people that I trust to read works in progress. I also have some friends who are highly regarded professionals. I trust them to give me their honest opinions.

Who made a difference in the book’s quality?

I have a friend who is the head of the visual media program at a college and she gave me great book cover advice and referred me to a superb graphic designer. I also had toyed with idea of putting my picture on the cover, since I have seen so many people do this. My friend’s advice to me was to not do it, unless I was Oprah. I laughed at that advice, but decided not to put my picture on the cover. I have nothing against people who do have their pictures on the cover; it just seemed to be the right choice for the message in my book. For future books, I may change my mind. I also had my friend look over my template for the book’s interior to make sure that it was professional quality. Before I designed the interior of the book, I studied many different book interiors for things that I liked and did not like. Once she gave her nod of approval, I knew that I had a high quality piece. My friend gave me all of this help at no cost. The graphic designer who designed the book cover cost about $700. It was well worth the money. I wanted a book cover that was as high quality as my message, and I wanted to be very proud of it.

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

The first draft took about three weeks. Then, I edited it for content for another two and one half weeks. When I was getting ready to publish, I edited carefully for typos and other errors. Still, though when I ordered my first proof copy, I found many errors. It is quite different to be looking at something in your hand than it is to be looking at it on a computer screen. I spent hours and made the appropriate changes. My second proof copy was the final that ended up being published.

How long did it take from start to publication?

My book, Keys to Living Joyfully, from start to publication, took five and half months.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I say go for it. Write about something you love and something that inspires you. Do it because you love to do it, not because you think you should do it. If you have a great story or message, the world needs to read it. You are giving the world a great gift. Along the way, mastermind with a few really good people to make sure you don’t develop tunnel vision and miss something important. Enjoy the process.

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

KEYS TO LIVING JOYFULLY VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 officially begin on March 2 and end on April 29. You can visit Sheri’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in April to find out more about this talented author!

Keoni’s Big Question – Author Interview – Patti Ogden

Paperback Writer is hosting today a wonderful children’s author, Patti Ogden, author of the
Christian children’s picture book, Keoni’s Big Question (Capstone Productions). Find out how she came up with the idea for the book and if writing another book is in her future plans.

ABOUT THE BOOK:A boy who seeks answers about God’s presence in everyday life, finds his friend held the key to his revelation all along. This gripping tale follows a pair of dear friends on a fishing trip that turns dangerous, then miraculous, and leaves Keoni with more answers then he ever dreamed possible! Every child wonders why we can’t see God. Keoni’s Big Question makes the answer easy to understand.

INTERVIEW:

Hi Patti,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

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

I was inspired to write this story after hearing a story told by William Branham about a little “lad” who was very curious and no one seemed to have the ability to answer his questions he had about God.

Do you plan your stories first with an outline or does it come to you as write it?
It usually comes as I am writing for the picture books. For YA literature, I do outlines for the plots and subplots.

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

Yes, usually it is already formed in my mind.

Do you have a process for developing your characters?

Yes, but it is a thought process, not one placed on paper. I try to open up my mind to imagine my character as a real person and define its entire personality.

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

I do think that is true. The spiritual side of the Old Fisherman character seemed to take on a part of my feelings of protection and moral mentoring that I do as a grandmother.

What is your most favorite part about this book?
That’s an easy one! When Keoni receives his revelation of God’s presence. His excitement is contagious in the story and I still get thrilled for Keoni during that part of the book.

What has been the best part about being published?

The best part of being published is to see the manifestation of a creative thought process in a tangible form. Amazing!

What do you want readers to remember and carry with them after reading your picture book?
It is my hope that children will learn that they can have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus on their own level. Their experiences with God don’t need to be through their parents or another adult especially when help from an older person is not available during times of trouble or helplessness. It’s my desire to teach them how to communicate with God on their own. I want them to understand that God hears and answers their prayers. He can be touched, reached and seen in the beauty that surrounds us.

Do you have plans to write another book?
“Shamgar and the Ox Goad” is scheduled next. I am very excited about it! It is a very imaginative tale of the little known story of Shamgar, who was only mentioned twice in the Bible, yet greatly used of God. Taken from one verse in the book of Judges, this is a story of one man and how he delivered Israel from the hand of the Philistines. This is the first volume in our Untold Heroes of the Bible series and is a powerful, intriguing story that teaches children the virtues of Godly character and faith.

“Momma, Am I Pretty?” is about a young girl who deals with her first experience of religious persecution and how the wisdom of her mother helps her through her emotional reaction. Illustrator and designer Robert Sauber is busy working on this project and we hope to have this one out by late summer.

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 awesome. The folks at Pump Up Your Book Promotion are wonderful to work with and they really take time with you to find out the best ways to help you market your book for a particular target audience. I can highly recommend it.

Where can readers find a copy of your book?
Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Bookch.com and your local bookstore.

Do you have a website for readers to go to?

Yes we sure do. http://www.Capstone-Productions.com.
Thank you, Patti 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.

It’s been my pleasure! My best wishes to all.
Patti

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
As an enthusiastic Sunday school teacher, there was only one thing Patti Ogden did not enjoy about the teaching experience; too often, her lessons would end with the children not grasping the concepts that they were intended to teach. With a genuine heartfelt desire to reach children’s soul realm, she unleashed her God-given creativity and began to break down her lessons into simple terms – added excitement and drama – and suddenly she saw the “lights go on!” Soon the kids were asking questions and wanting to know more!

With a background in journalism and a sincere burden to help kids seek their own spiritual growth, she is now the author of Keoni’s BIG Question and two other Christian children’s books due to be released in 2009.

She was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Patti is a devoted wife to her husband Jeff, of 35 years, mother of two and grandmother to five darlings that fill her life with joy. She and her husband Jeff enjoy life on their eleven acre hobby farm in Oregon, Illinois.

THE KEONI’S BIG QUESTION VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 will officially begin on April 1 and end on April 30. You can visit Patti’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in April to find out more about this talented author!