HERE I GO AGAIN. Another interview, this time with David Welch, author of Stop The Insanity, on Blog Radio this Monday, March 25, 2013. Looking at America's propensity for reelecting incumbents, David is obviously a fan of Albert Einstein who famously quipped that “Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results”. Thus, it is no surprise that David wants to interview me on the subject is books and politics. Books are safe. Politics? Not so much. I feel that I am standing on the edge of the Serbonian Bog.

What's that (I hear you cry)? It was a favorite reference of my professor of contracts in law school. According to Wikipedia: “Serbonian Bog Arabic:مستنقع سربون‎) relates to the lake of Serbonis(Sirbonis or Serbon) in Egypt. Because sand blew onto it, the Serbonian Bog had a deceptive appearance of being solid land, but was a bog. The term is metaphorically applied to any situation in which one is entangled from which extrication is difficult. The Serbonian Bog is identified as Sabkhat al Bardawil, one of the string of "Bitter Lakes" to the east of the Nile's right branch. It was described in ancient times as a quagmire in which armies were fabled to be swallowed up and lost.”

Politics, a quagmire? Yes, that about sums it up.

I used to enjoy discussing politics. I grew up near Washington, D.C., where every child was weaned on the subject. I learned how to read between the lines of editorials almost before I could interpret Dr. Seuss. Now? Not so much. Few people tolerate opposing views as they once did. Political foes are tantamount to archenemies.

Why would I subject myself to this? Simple. I'm a masochist. I have never shied away from any political discussion. That's why I have so many “friends” (he said with a smirk).

Which book will we be discussing? Actually, all of mine touch on politics. (Like I said, a masochist.) During this interview, we'll be discussing Rebels on the Mountain, my tale romance and action/adventure during the time of Castro's Cuban revolution. Inasmuch as revolution, indeed all acts of war, are full contact politics, this interview should be interesting.

Please join us at Blog Talk Radio at 7:00 pm PDT on Monday, March 25, 2013. Look for the Books and Politics show. A recording of the live broadcast will be available at the same website.  

AMAZON INCORRECTLY LISTED Rebels on the Mountain as non-fiction when it was first released at the beginning of 2012. Granted, it's based on historical events and possibly presents them more accurately than self-serving histories of Castro's revolution written by propagandists. It also deals honestly with racial bigotry in America that greatly influenced U.S. Foreign policy towards the island nation. Famous personalities such as Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Ernest Hemingway, and Fulgencio Batista appear in it, and much of the dialog attributed to them is taken from their own writings. But still it is a work of fiction.

Rebels on the Mountain is an epic tale of a forbidden romance set in the time of Fidel Castro's insurrection to depose the U.S.-backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista. An interracial couple, a Cuban mulata with African roots and an American soldier/spy, seek a safe haven in a world in which their love is not welcome in either of their native lands. Based on historical events, it reveals men and women fighting and loving amid the chaos and uncertainty of revolutionary Cuba. The action and adventure flows from the mountain camp of the Fidelistas at the eastern end of the island to the halls of wealth and power in Havana at the western end. Familiar personalities play their roles in Rebels on the Mountain, including Ernesto Che Guevara and Ernest Hemingway. Lesser known though equally important characters such as Camilo Cienfuegos, arguably Fidel's most important lieutenant, and Herbert Matthews, the reporter from the New York Times who introduced America to the Cuban insurrection, influence the revolution as well as the underlying love story in Rebels on the Mountain.

Most know how the revolution ended, but few understand how a band of three hundred outcasts and outlaws defeated a modern, well-equipped and well-trained army of forty thousand, and elevated Fidel Castro to the heights of power in the Caribbean or how the United States lost control of the island nation. That is the surprise that Rebels on the Mountain delivers.

FEW CAN WRITE a good story until they've lived one. It's impossible to describe pain and pleasure, success and failure, joy and angst, without having lived them. Thus, it is no surprise after reading The Year The Music Changed, that the author, Diane Thomas, has lived an interesting story of her own. Debilitated by an unexpected infection that nearly cost her life, Diane was forced to abandon her journalistic career and her home in Georgia, and relocate with her family to healthier climes in New Mexico. There, she began to vent her creative forces on fiction. We are the beneficiaries of her journey.

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability).

My debut novel, THE YEAR THE MUSIC CHANGED, published by The Toby Press in 2005.

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

Set in 1955, it is told as a year-long correspondence between a shy teenage girl who wants to be a poet and a young country singer on the way up, whose name is Elvis.

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

The main characters are Achsa McEachern, a 14-year-old Atlanta girl whose mouth is disfigured by a scar from an operation to correct her congenital hare lip, and Elvis, a young Mississippi singer on the way up whose name is Elvis. Yes, that Elvis. I would like them to be played by two unknowns in a small, independent film.

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

The year is 1955. Isolated at school by her intelligence and a disfiguring facial scar, troubled at home by disturbing undercurrents in her parents' marriage, 14-year-old Achsa McEachern seeks solace in the tunes and rhythms on her radio. After hearing a record by an unknown 20-year-old country singer named Elvis Presley, she fires off a deceptively self-assured fan letter, probably his first, telling him he is going to be a star. Insecure in the world he is entering and burning with a desire to succeed, Elvis answers her and enlists her to teach him how to "talk good." The ensuing correspondence chronicles their coming of age as artists (she wants to be a poet) and individuals. Able to confide in no one else, they share with each other their most private dreams and fears. Elvis becomes Achsa's sounding board as she watches her beautiful, emotionally distant mother and her sternly religious father lurch toward tragedy, confronts her own scarred mouth and faces a shattering loss. The young singer's responses reveal his fierce, aching innocence in the year before his star burst forth and offer a glimpse into the grassroots history of the early days of rock and roll.

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

The novel was inspired by my parents, although they are mostly not like the parents in the book, except that my mother was heartstoppingly beautiful and my father was deeply religious. Obviously I exaggerated these characteristics in the book, and invented the difficulties in their relationship.

What other books have you written?

My second novel, IN WILDERNESS, involves a doomed relationship in an isolated mountain setting between a 20-year-old boy who was a soldier in Vietnam and is suffering from what would be diagnosed today as PTSD and a 38-year-old professional woman with a mysterious and devastating illness, which would be recognized today as pesticide poisoning, who has fled to the mountains to die. It is currently with an agent. My novel-in-progress, FINGER COVE, takes place in a mountain resort/retirement community that is running out of water.

Which authors inspired you, your style?

Books that inspired THE YEAR THE MUSIC CHANGED included To Kill a Mockingbird, for tone and atmosphere; The Diary of Anne Frank, for depth of character; and Catcher in the Rye, for teenage angst.

Where can we learn more about you and your books?

You can find out more about me and my books at www.dianethomas.net

How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.

I am on Twitter @dianethomaswrit and also on Facebook and LinkedIn

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

My writing is like meditation. I value it for the process of doing it and would continue to do it even if I knew I would never again get published in my lifetime. I am so pleased to have found it.

Claude Nougat is an excellent writer with a mission. I don't think that she became aware of it until well along its path and recognized that her work had a theme: transitions, especially the transition from middle age to retirement. When she looked around her, she discovered a whole generation accompanying her into it. In fact, this generation, the Baby Boomers, is a significant bubble in the population metric. Now, Claude's transition has taken her into a new role, that of a generational leader. 

Claude writes intelligently of the challenges of surviving a transition and she has gathered a following of authors who now share her vision. I was happy to have this opportunity to have Claude join us and talk about her watershed book, A Hook In The Sky.

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability).

A HOOK IN THE SKY! It’s in a fast rising new genre: Boomer lit. It features a [baby] boomer as a main character but it’s not limited to a mature audience, the book tells an inter-generational story, with young people in there too! Sub-genre: a slice of life, romance, suspense and more! Available on Amazon exclusively (KDP Select), at least for the moment – both as an ebook and paperback.

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

A dashing retiree tries to become an artist to the dismay of his much younger wife and that’s only the beginning of his troubles…

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

George Clooney is the dashing retiree (who else?) and Julia Roberts, with her cool smile, his much younger wife.

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

Robert, the protagonist, is a top level manager, just retired from the United Nations. He is French, his wife is American. She runs a chic contemporary art gallery in Chelsea and when he turns to painting, she is appalled by his artwork…so conventional and academic! They fight over art but what is at stake is their marriage. Soon they separate, other women appear in Robert’s life, including a sexy young thing, deeply troubled. He paints her passionately but…No spoilers! There are many “buts” in this story: let me just say that Robert’s world collapses around him before he can rebuild it!

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

My own life experience! Yes, I know, I’m not a man and my marriage is fine…but I went through many of the same experiences: I reached a top level in the UN Agency where I was working and when I retired I decided I wanted to paint. Like Robert, my mother was a professional painter, I learned the techniques from her and I wanted to renew with a childhood dream. Believe me, I love to paint, you step into another world! Painting is a little like poetry – I think different parts of the brain are solicited, it’s more deconstructed than writing a novel that requires structure. And just like Robert in the novel, I hit the brick wall of contemporary art: either you go into conceptual art or you’re left on the outside, ignored, a non-entity. Of course, I knew a lot about the contemporary art world because my daughter is one of the managing directors of a major art gallery in London. What I learned about that very difficult, closed world I applied to my novel.

What other books have you written?

My first book was in Italian, a book for children in the Roald Dahl manner, published 20 years ago by a small press in Rome. The next one, still in Italian, was a paranormal/historical romance published in 2007. Then, once I had set aside my painting, I jumped into self-publishing in 2011, starting with a New Adult series called The Phoenix Heritage (3 books so far), plus two collections of short stories (Death on Facebook and Twisted) and a participation in a poetry anthology, Freeze Frame, edited by British poet Oscar Sparrow and published by Gallo Romano in 2012. I’m in there along with five other poets, two British and three Americans. Imagine, I’m the only continental European and not even a native English speaker! I tell you, those poets are awesome, I feel a little like the ugly duckling among them but I was very pleased, I felt honoured that they would have me in their fold and that they liked my poems! FREEZE FRAME is available on Amazon and it comes with a free audio book.

Oscar feels that the digital revolution gives readers a unique opportunity to hear the poets say their poems. That was a little scary for me because I have a slight French accent in English…

Which authors inspired you, your style?

Roald Dahl, I mentioned him already. Then I love the Russians: Tolstoy, Dostoievsky, Bulgakov, Solgenytsin and especially Gogol. Dead Souls is my favourite! I’m also very fond of the French from Voltaire to Proust and I love authors who straddle several languages like Nabokov or Graham Greene – I guess I feel a certain empathy because I also function like them in many languages (French, Italian, English, Spanish…)

Where can we learn more about you and your books?

Amazon, the Big Zon hosts my author page

Then I have three blogs, one for my views on current affairs, publishing and art. That’s inching up to 20,000 page views/week…From there you can hop over to the blog I maintain to present my books and to share my tricks in cooking (yes I love to cook, especially Italian and Belgian cuisine!) 

Also check out my book trailer, it was done by a talented Polish film maker Magda Olchawska and it contains some of my paintings:  It’s got a very catchy tune, I love it (I picked it – yes, that’s my kind of music!)

How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.

Twitter @claudenougat 

Facebook

Google+

Pinterest

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Yes! I’m knee-deep into Boomer lit and it’s not just all about my boomer novel, far from it! There’s a super-active Goodreads Group discussing this hot new genre (I’m the moderator) and we got over 200 members, really nice people, many very talented authors, in less than 3 months. We’ve just started a Facebook fan page that’s meant to be an information page – I hope it becomes the go-to page for those curious about Boomer lit – and of course we’re on Twitter (@BoomerLit), who isn’t? Our Group is busy reading one boomer book/month, exploring the confines of boomer lit – we’re finding that it’s extremely varied, it ranges from comedy to dark, noir stuff. Interested? Here’s the link to the Group. Do come over and tell us what you think of Boomer lit! I’m saying that to your readers, Jack, because I know you already came over! Oh, by the way, the Group read A Hook in the Sky last month and it was hotly debated. Not everyone liked my protagonist but I don’t mind, it means he’s very real! And that makes me very happy! 

And since I’m still talking, I’d like to take this opportunity Jack to thank you for having me on your fun Blog Hop!

The entertainment industry has been mining the works of Tolkien, Anderson, Swift, Shelly, and countless other great writers of fantasy for inspiration to produce films and games in recent years. In the process, they have inspired a new generation of writers to turn their hands to this popular genre. Steven Vincent joins their ranks with Dawn of the Knight I. Join me as we meet this young author and learn what he has in store for us.

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability). 

"I'd love for you to check out Dawn of the Knight I - Xeltian Invitation. It's a 560 page fantasy novel available on the Kindle, and hopefully it will be in print soon!"

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

"As a heart-twisting plague washes across the three regions, Egon Skysong becomes the only one willing to oppose the immortal Xeltian Knight."

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

"The main characters are Egon, Aewulf, and Adela. To describe them briefly, Egon is a boy who leaves the remote fishing nation of Catalene in search of the knight's title; the only way he can fulfil the final promise he made to his father. He struggles to fit in, and this forms the core of his sometimes comical struggles. Aewulf may seem like a foolish Elf, and that's because he is; but deep inside he struggles with a past he cannot recall. Finally, Adela is the princess of Hemford, but she is forced to abandon this life early on and learn to relax her stubborn, quick-tempered personality.

As far as who they would be portrayed by, I really wouldn't know! I would prefer new talent so the viewers would see the character for who they are, rather than actors pretending to be them. Of course, I'm a big fan of Scarlett Johansson, so if she was willing to play Adela I wouldn't complain!"

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

"You learn early on that the Xeltian Knight has been attacking humankind for generations, but now he's spreading a heart-twisting plague that corrupts the ideals and nations of even the purest kings. Egon is the only one willing to stand against this ancient war master and his mysterious goals, but he must first learn to walk his own path and draw strength from those he vows to protect. So as you see, the story is a lot about change, for better or for worse, in oneself or in others."

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

"I just wanted to write a story about knights! The first draft was finished in a month, but I didn't like it and set it aside for a year. I finally came back to it with all new ideas, and took another year to edit and revise it. The book turned out so much better, and had so many hidden lessons that I hadn't even planned on."

What other books have you written? 

"I actually have two other high fantasy series, plus a science fiction novel I want to self-publish later this year." 

Which authors inspired you, your style? 

"I really wasn't ever inspired by books, but movies like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (I read the book after the movie), and video games like Legend of Zelda helped shape the way I tell stories." 

Where can we learn more about you and your books? 

"You can check out my writing blog, where I post updates about my work and also interview other great authors. Or, you can head over to Amazon and check out Dawn of the Knight for yourself. 

True Knights Blog 

How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. 

I'm always on Twitter, I try to keep up with Facebook, and I'm on Goodreads, too! I'm always up for a conversation. 

Steven Vincent's Twitter

Steven Vincent's Facebook:  

Steven Vincent on Goodreads:  

Is there anything else you would like us to know? 

"Well, it's my hope that Dawn of the Knight will be available in print in the coming months, but that all hinges on the success of a Kickstarter project for it. I'm hoping with so many great people out there, I'll have the help I need to meet my goal. That's still a while away though."

Enjoy this brief interview with a new author, Joseph Mackey.

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability). 

My book is called FOOLS! FOOLS! Is an entertainment/humor book. It can be found on Smashwords or Amazon.

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

Set between 2003 and 2008 FOOLS follows the adventures of Joseph Mackey and David Chandra, as well as the misadventures and actions of various fools.

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

Me and my friend Dave Chandra are the main characters aside from assorted fools. I would like to see Jim Carrey portray me and Kal Penn play Dave. I think they are both exceptional actors and Jim Carrey is the funniest man alive.

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

In 2003 I meet Dave Chandra and he tells me about a man who drops his suitcase down the toilet. We quickly become friends. After that we go on adventures such as stopping robberies, catching the insane, and hanging out with the Pillsbury Dough Boy. We see and record a lot of stupid things happening which is the focus of the book. The story ends in 2008.

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

This book started out as a joke between me and my friend Dave Chandra. When I was in college we laughed about it and I didn't work on it until 2006, a year after college was over. I was unemployed at the time and I thought it would be a good project. It took about a month to write on paper but the inspiration took considerably longer.

What other books have you written? 

None yet, but I am in the process of writing a follow up or sequel.

Which authors inspired you, your style? None at the time although my friend Heather Dickson is a writer and she inspires me.

Where can we learn more about you and your books? 

You can find out more about me and my books on my Twitter, Smashwords, and Facebook pages listed below.

How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. 

You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook  as well as Smashwords.com

Is there anything else you would like us to know? 

This book was a lot of fun to write and I am glad to have done so. I loved doing it, and this book makes me laugh every time I pick it up. Hopefully many other people will do so too. At the present time, I am writing a follow up that is a direct sequel. It will take me longer as I have other responsibilities now, but it is a great work in progress.

Charles Ray has been writing fiction since his teens when he won a Sunday school magazine short story writing contest. From the late 1960s to the early 1980s he did freelance writing, cartooning, and photography for magazines and newspapers in the U.S. and Asia. From 1978 to 1981 he was editorial cartoonist for the Spring Lake (NC) News, a weekly newspaper in a small town just outside Ft. Bragg, NC where he was stationed with the army. In 2008, he wrote a book on leadership, Things I Learned from My Grandmother About Leadership and Life. In 2009, he returned to his first love, fiction, with the publication of Color Me Dead, the first in his mystery series about a private detective in the Washington, DC area, a place that he has made his home since 1982. He has since written several fantasy novels, two more books on leadership, and a photojournal of his stay in southern Africa from 2009 to 2011.

A 20-year veteran of the US Army, Ray retired from the military in 1982 and joined the U.S. Foreign Service, where he continued to travel around the world, keeping notes and writing about his travels and experiences. In 2012, he retired from government service and now devotes full time to writing, photography, art, and public speaking. He lives in suburban Maryland, just outside Washington, DC with his wife Myung.

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability).

Dead Men Don’t Answer, latest in my Al Pennyback mystery series, available at Amazon.com in paperback and for Kindle, as well as other retail book sites.

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

When a woman’s fiancé, supposedly killed six months previously in a car bombing, answers his telephone, the woman goes to Al Pennyback for help explaining how the impossible could have happened.

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

The main character is Al Pennyback, a retired army officer turned private investigator, who works in Washington, DC on cases that the police have either given up on, or ignored in the first place. In a movie, this is the type character Denzel Washington plays.

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

Al takes the case, which gets him involved in the African immigrant community in Washington, and the world of corporate greed and scandal. A ghost from his past, his last military special operations mission that went horribly wrong, comes back to complicate his life, at the time he learns that the woman’s fiancé might not be dead, but might, in fact, be a murderer.

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

This particular book didn’t take too long, since it’s the 14th in the series. The first one, though, took more than four years to write, and rewrite, and rewrite. I’ve lived in the DC area for 30 years, and while I like most of the work that’s been written with DC as a setting, I got tired of the only characters being spies, politicians, and high-powered lobbyists, and decided to do a series about ordinary people.

What other books have you written?

In addition to the Al Pennyback series, I’ve done a series of YA historical novels about the Buffalo Soldiers, set in the period after the Civil War in Texas and New Mexico, five fantasy novels (two sword and sorcery and three urban fantasy), three books on leadership, and a photo journal on my stay in southern Africa from 2009 – 2011.

Which authors inspired you, your style?

I read everything, and probably unconsciously copy my favorite authors when I write. The writers whose style I most admire are Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, and Robert B. Parker. Each is different, but in some ways similar, in that they focus more on telling a good story than trying to impress with fancy words or overlong descriptive passages.

Where can we learn more about you and your books?

Information about my books can be found in a number of places:

My blog: http://charlesaray.blogspot.com, which has a store where they can be bought, my Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/charlesray/, which lists them, and they’re mentioned occasionally on my other blot at http://charlieray45.wordpress.com/ . As I mentioned previously, they’re also on Amazon.com and other retail book sites.

How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.

I’m pretty active on social networks, with a Twitter account (https://twitter.com/charlieray45), a Facebook author page (http://www.facebook.com/CharlieRay45) , Google+ (https://plus.google.com/u/0/#106101898215720668007/posts/p/pub), and LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=18410940&trk=tab_pro) where I participate in a number of different groups, including several related to writing and publishing.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I’ve been writing fiction since I was 13 and won a Sunday school magazine short story contest. During the mid-60s through the early 80s I did a lot of newspaper and magazine writing, photography, and art; including a stint as editorial cartoonist for the Spring Lake (NC) News, a small weekly paper near Ft. Bragg, NC where I was stationed in the army. For me writing is not just a pastime, it’s something I feel compelled to do. I don’t write for the money or the publicity, although, I don’t turn down royalty checks and I get a bit of a rush when I encounter people who’ve read and like my work, and I save all the nice emails I get from readers. Okay, maybe I do write for the notoriety sometimes. I’m currently working on my 28th book, and soon as it’s done, I’ll start on number 29.

Meet author Laura Libricz as she discussed her new novel, The Master and the Maid.

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability).

I have a few works in progress but only one is finished and independently published. It’s called The Master and the Maid, a historical novel set in 17th Century Germany and is available as e-book at Amazon and Smashwords.

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

Forced into the service of the rich patrician Sebald Tucher, Katarina arrives at his country manor and the care of a mysterious newborn baby is thrust on her, entangling them all in a violent religious clash between two families.

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

The story is told from the viewpoint of three characters: Katarina, a 24-year-old bar maid; the patrician Sebald Tucher; a young Dutchman named Pieter. I would like to see a less-than-perfect actress play the role of Katarina; a real woman, so to speak. I would have liked to have seen Johnny Depp play Tucher--I like his work in historical films but I’d really like to see some new, fresh talent instead of A-List actors and actresses.

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

In 17th Century Germany on the brink of the Thirty Years War, 24-year-old Katarina is traded to the patrician Sebald Tucher by her fiancé Willi Prutt in order to pay his debts. Forced to move into the Tucher country estate, Katarina is met by a crazed archer, Hans-Wolfgang, carrying a newborn baby under his cloak. He tells her a confused story of how his beloved was executed by a Jesuit priest for witchcraft right after the birth and makes Katarina swear on her life to protect the child. She could fall in disfavor with her master. She could be hunted by the zealots who killed his beloved. Can Katarina’s love for the baby and Sebald Tucher’s growing desire for her keep the wrath of the zealots at bay?

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

This project started as sort of a personal joke. I moved to Germany in 1991 and touring around Franconia with my less-than-perfect German comprehension, I understood one thing over and over: this castle / church / village was destroyed in the Thirty Years War. What wasn’t destroyed in the Thirty Years War? I asked myself. I started to research, came across so much information and the horrors of this devastating catastrophe just blew my mind, really. I started to look for novels in the English language, found next to nothing and decided it was time for me to write them! I got down to some serious writing in 2009 and just published the first book in September 2012. The first drafts for the second and third book have been written quicker but now the fun begins with the revisions.

What other books have you written? 

The Soldier’s Return, the second book in this series, is in the revision stage and I hope to have it published by June 2013. This book revisits Franconia in 1626 when the troop movement really begins to heat up. Ash and Rubble is the third and final book in this series and I just finished the first draft in November with NaNoWriMo. The year is 1632 and Franconia is completely laid to waste. The trick is to pry some hope out of this sort of situation.

Which authors inspired you, your style?

As a kid, I loved Kurt Vonnegut. I also loved Tolkien and all sorts of fantasy. As an adult, I find there’s no one author or genre that inspires me. I read anything and everything. (I am notorious for laying books away half-finished, though.) I always learn from different styles, points-of-view, crossing-the-line, and so on. 

Where can we learn more about you and your books? 

I post short stories and articles on my blog: http://lauralibricz.blogspot.de/

Here’s my link at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/264468

Here’s my link at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Master-Maid-Heavens-Ponds-ebook/dp/B009AQ6GXU 

How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.
Here I am at Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraLibricz

Google+: https://plus.google.com/111831453603731460298/posts/p/pub

Is there anything else you would like us to know? 

It took me a long time to reach this point in my life that I could undertake such a serious project. I had started writing stories in the past and always just filed them away or burned them and I never believed that I could actually finish a novel. I am so grateful that I never completely axed the dream or gave in to that negative inner voice that tells us we can’t do something. 

Lester Picker of Havre de Grace, Maryland, is a nature, travel, and landscape photographer and writer. Meet him in this brief interview as he discusses his novel, The First Pharaoh, now available on Amazon.

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability).

The First Pharaoh, a work of historical fiction. It is available on Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks, and all other major platforms.

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

The First Pharaoh follows the life, battles, court intrigues and loves of King Narmer, the man who united Upper and Lower Egypt into one nation in 3,100BC, a civilization that was to last for 3,000 years.

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

There is King Narmer himself, who we get to know intimately, from his birth under the "wings of Horus" into his final years. I'd have to leave the acting decisions (since we see Narmer as a precocious child, an adult and an elderly man) to Steven Spielberg or Peter Jackson. There is also Anhotek, King Narmer's vizier and shaman. I imagine he would be played by a distinguished actor, like Ben Kingsley.

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

We are all familiar with the Ramses Kings, as well as Tutankhamon, and Hatshepsut. They reigned during Egypt's heyday. But what has always intrigued me is the question of how did Dynastic Egypt start? The fact is that Egypt was a collection of small villages, with Upper and Lower Egypt constantly fighting with each other. In the span of a generation, one man, King Narmer, united both kingdoms into one mighty nation. It is that man and his incredible vision that always fascinated me.

From his birth under what Anhotek believes to be the protection of Horus, through his education and his painful relationship with his father, King Scorpion, we watch Narmer mature under Anhotek's loving hand. After he ascends to the throne, we follow Narmer's courtship and marriage to Neith-Hotep, as well as his internal Royal Court battles with his nemesis, Queen Mersyankh.

Finally, Narmer achieves the long-sought dream of Unification, yet all is far from well in the Two Lands, as Mersyankh plots to undo all he has done and to establish her own son on the throne.

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

When I was a child, my father would take me to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where I was fascinated by ancient Egypt. When I was a University faculty, I was a consultant to the Egyptian government. Despite all the marvelous ruins from later periods, I was always captivated by the Unification story that set Egypt on a path to greatness. So, I researched more and more and was fortunate to have two wonderful Egyptologist mentors to help with my research. Finally, after more than five years of research, I sat down to write, which took another year. I describe the process on my website.

What other books have you written?

I have written a sequel to The First Pharaoh, titled The Dagger of Isis. It follows the life of Meryt-Neith, King Narmer's great-granddaughter. She was, in fact, the very first female ruler of a united Egypt. She had to have been amazing, since her large tomb and its holy placement indicate she was revered. I am now in the process of writing the final book in that trilogy, about the last King of the First Dynasty, during a time of turmoil and transition.

I have also written two works of general fiction, which I have been told are more in the genre of women's fiction. The first is called Sargent Mountain, which concerns a woman who finds out years after the death of her husband that he had been unfaithful for fully half of their marriage. Worse yet, the affair was with one woman, as different from the protagonist as any two women can be. The book is a story of love, betrayal and the bonds of family and friends.

My other book of general fiction is called The Underground. It describes how Lisa, a New York Times reporter, finds out after the death of her beloved father, that her mother had been brutally murdered in a subway tunnel. But why did her father, who had adopted her from birth, hide this from her for her entire life? Who were her true birth parents? What were her roots? In her struggle to uncover the truth, Lisa uncovers one mystery after another. In the end she finds out the true meaning of family… and love.

Which authors inspired you, your style?

I was blessed to spend a day with John Steinbeck when I was 15 or 16. I always loved his writing. But there were also many others along the way who inspired me, as well as contemporary authors who I enjoy.

Where can we learn more about you and your books?

My writing website is: www.lesterpicker.com. My Amazon Author Page is: http://www.amazon.com/Lester-Picker/e/B009E6U9R0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1356725668&sr=1-2-ent

How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.

I am on Facebook and Twitter and Linked-In.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I am also an award-winning nature and wildlife photographer, with credits in National Geographic books and magazines, as well as dozens of others. In 2011 I was honored to receive the Canada Northern Lights Award for Best Travel Photography. My photo site is: www.lesterpickerphoto.com 

Melanie Robertson-King lives in Ontario, Canada. Her debut novel, A Shadow in the Past, was released in September, 2012. Join us now for a brief interview with this breakout author.

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability).

A Shadow in the Past is a YA Crossover set in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that was released in September 2012.

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

When a contemporary teen is transported back through time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past.

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

Since my Scottish heritage is so important to me and my novel is set in Scotland, then the actors playing my main characters would also have to be Scottish.

Sarah Shand is a typical nineteen year-old girl dealing with peer pressures and boyfriend woes that is, until she finds herself transported back to the year 1886. So for the role of Sarah, I would choose Shirley Henderson, who played Isobel Sutherland on the TV series Hamish MacBeth.

Robert is a kind and gentle man unlike the boys Sarah grew up with, and totally opposite of her ex-boyfriend who recently dumped her for her best friend. Robert, would have to be played by John Hannah who starred in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Rebus and MacCallum and many other programs/movies.

In addition to these actors being Scottish, they physically resemble my characters, although that’s not where the visualization for them came from.

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself thrust back into the past. There she struggles to keep her real identity from a society that finds her comments and ideas strange and her speech and actions forward, unlike Victorian women. When Sarah verbally confronts confining social practices, including arranged marriages, powerful enemies commit her to a lunatic asylum. After falling in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, Robert Robertson, she must decide whether to find her way back to her own time or to remain in the past with him.

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

I had just finished reading the first four books in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series and had fallen in love with them. The storylines were good, the characters were strong, believable and I was able to identify with them, not to mention the settings were great (I mentioned my Scottish heritage being important). 

A friend and co-worker, also a DG fan, thought I could write something like that (I’d written a number of short stories but never anything as long as a novel) so I thought why not and wrote a novella called Sarah’s Gift. Years later, I dusted off that early manuscript and gradually turned it into a full length novel for a creative writing course I was taking. While I was working on this, I was also working full time. Once the course was over and a number of unsuccessful attempts at getting a publisher, I shelved it again. It wasn’t until 2011 that I pulled it out and worked on it with an eye to publication again. By now, I had a better title – A Shadow in the Past – and in October of that year, I had a piece that was worthy of pitching to an editor. I did, was asked to submit and a short time later was offered a contract.

But how long did it take? I would say, from the very humble beginnings, if I was to have worked on it steady (40+ hours per week) it would have taken two-three years but because of the breaks in between it was closer to eleven years.

What other books have you written?

I’m currently working on the second book in the series, tentatively entitled Shadows from her Past, which was originally part two of my published novel. While I was working on finding my voice and the genre I was most comfortable writing, I wrote another complete manuscript and the beginning and end for another. But with the revisions my only published novel went through on its journey, these others don’t fit anymore, but they might eventually see the light of day with new characters, revised plots and possibly written under a different pen name.

Which authors inspired you, your style?

From the time I could read, I almost always had my face stuck in a book so probably any of the authors I’ve read had some influence – Lucy Maude Montgomery, Anna Sewell, Harper Lee, George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King but probably most of all, I would have to say Diana Gabaldon since reading her books were the trigger that got me writing. I can’t give her credit for the Scottish setting since I used the area where my father was born for that.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I live in Eastern Ontario, Canada in the Thousand Islands area in a city on the shore of the St. Lawrence River. If you stand on the sidewalk in front of my house, and look south, you can see the river and New York state on the other side.