Weekend Writing Warriors #amwriting #amediting #amjoy

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write!  Sign up on the website:Wewriwa.com and share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday.

Weekend Writing Warriors #amwriting #amediting

  Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write!  Sign up on the website:Wewriwa.com and share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday.

P is for Plays #AtoZchallenge via @trincarl

My theme for the #AtoZchallenge this year is anything Writer(ly).  It's important as a writer to see arts and performances.  Therefore, these are plays that I've been to in the past ten years that have been adapted from books.  Readers, I included the sites of these performances in case you're ever in Minnesota and are inclined to see a play.

Beauty and the Beast youth performance 
Where? Sabes, JCC in St Louis Park, MN
Memory:A teenage actress played the role of Gaston and she was so incredibly funny with her fake beard and the way she flexed her muscles.

Michigan Writer, Helga Gruendler-Schierloh #amreading #amjoy

Writer, Helga Gruendler-Schierloh is with me today to discuss her writing. Helga is a bilingual writer with a degree in journalism and graduate credits in linguistics.

Writer, Jacqueline Levering Sullivan #amreading #amjoy

Writer, Jacqueline Levering Sullivan is with me today to discuss her writing. 

Weekend Writing Warriors #amwriting #amediting

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write!  Sign up on the website:Wewriwa.com and share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday.

Weekend Writing Warriors #amwriting #amjoy

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write!  Sign up on the website:Wewriwa.com and share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday.

No one likes it when their family life changes.  This is particularly hard for the Radtke's.  A troublesome girl named Tracey enters their lives and the children are an endless journey to make sure this girl doesn't get into any further trouble or cause their parents to lose their fostering license.  These are snippets from my second novella in the series, "Oh Tracey."

Last week

“Keep calm,” I whispered aloud to myself. “This doesn’t sound right.”

Zion heard me and said, “You know why it doesn’t sound right? Cuz it ain’t right. “We’ve been hiding behind this here dumpster in front of this here mall for an hour and I ain’t seen shit.”

There was no one coming out of the shop and no one on the street except for a few cabbies waiting patiently for customers to come out.

“Wait for it," I said.

All of a sudden, Tracey walked out of a store in a bright green sweater and red shiny shoes not so dissimilar to the ones Dorothy often wore. She looked over her shoulder several times.

‘Give it a break no one's following ya’ I wanted to say to her except for us that is.

This week

She pulled out a cigarette from her zebra skin purse.
“Told ya she smoked.”
“Shut up,” I said to Zion.
He threw up his hands.

Tracey stepped down from a curb onto the street and shielded her eyes. No one was coming at first and then a red Buick bull dozed its way towards us in the opposite direction. It was 1998, Jay-Z was streaming out the window. Tracey jumped back onto the curb. “Gosh dang it, Rishi,” she yelled. She tapped on the hood and then opened the back door and got into the backseat.

Readers, feel free to leave a comment below.

Writer, Ellis Shuman #amreading #amjoy

Ellis Shuman is here with me to discuss his writing and his newest work, The Burgas Affair. Originally from Sioux City, Iowa, Ellis has been living in Israel since the age of fifteen. He served in the Israeli army, was the founding member of a kibbutz, and currently reside on a moshav outside Jerusalem. He lived and worked in Bulgaria during the years 2009 - 2010. 

#Sundaypost @caffeinatedbookreviewer.com

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted  @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things  received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

JANUARY

Another great week.  Had dinner at Noodles and Company. Korean Spicy Noodles seem to me my new favorite.  

I'm going on week two without any Mountain Dew and only binged on caffeine slightly with a shot of espresso at the Black Dog Cafe. 

Which reminds me.  We've got a few more writers joining us for Green Line meetup in St. Paul.  This week was a  retired micro biology professor who amazed us with his nonfiction.

I got one step closer in figuring out my paperwork for the IRS, due to an error which may leade me to fill out an amended return for 2015. darn!

CURRENTLY

Reading: My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout, The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

Listening: 

Let's Just Say It Wasn't PrettyBy Keaton, Diane

Watching: Incidious 2, a movie.

  

ON THE BLOG

What Happened:

  Posted a snippet from my novella for Weekend Warriors.  

Up Coming:

Sunday:Weekend Warriors (a blog hop that showcases your writing in progress)
I'm also hopping to attend Red Bull Crashed Ice On January 18th:Ice skaters compete in a Downhill World Championship competition.(it's going to be cold outside!!!!!!!!!)

Readers if you want to comment, please do so below.

#Wewriwa #amwriting #amediting

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write!  Sign up on the website:Wewriwa.com and share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday.

#Wewriwa #amwriting

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write!  Sign up on the website:Wewriwa.com and share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday.

Weekend Writing Warriors #amwriting #amediting #amjoy

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write!  Sign up on the website:Wewriwa.com and share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday.

Writer, KC French @kcfrenchwriter #amreading

KC French picture (above)

KC French is here with me to discuss her writing and her process. KC was born in Valencia, California.  From a young age she was obsessed with books and found that stories provided places for her to escape to.

#Sunday Post #amwriting @CaffeinatedBookReviewer

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted  @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things  received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

December

I went to Chaska, Minnesota. Nothing like seeing christmas lights set to trap music.

Also, people have been so giving to me lately.  I received a holiday card with an overdue candy cane from a woman who was going door to door giving them out.  And I live on the 10th floor so she realllllly made her rounds this year.  I also got a picture frame with one of those candid models inside that looked strikingly like my cousin Heather.  

I found out I have a certain likeness towards practical joker, Jack Jones.  Not only do we share the same exaggerated laugh but we also love to go up to people and ask them if they will kiss us.  Check him out sometime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uApD6VVcnYY

CURRENTLY

Reading: Hot Milk by Levy, Deborah, Americanah

By Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, 1977-

Listening: Scrappy Little Nobody By Kendrick, Anna, Almost Interesting

The Memoir By Spade, David, The Andy Cohen Diaries:

A Deep Look at A Shallow Year By Cohen, Andy, Elon MuskTesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for A Fantastic FutureBy Vance, Ashlee

Watching:  The Good Doctor on Xfinity.

  

ON THE BLOG

What Happened:

Writer, Robert Walton was interviewed

Posted a snippet from my novella for Weekend Warriors.  Shout-out to Diane Burton who also posts for #wewriwa

Up Coming:

Wednesday:Wordless Wednesday

Sunday:Weekend Warriors 

Readers if you want to comment, please do so below.

Weekend Warriors #amwriting #amjoy

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write!  Sign up on the website:Wewriwa.com and share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday.

No one likes it when their family life changes.  This is particularly hard for the Radtke's.  A troublesome girl named Tracey enters their lives and the children are an endless journey to make sure this girl doesn't get into any further trouble or cause their parents to lose their fostering license.  These are snippets from my second novella in the series, "Oh Tracey."

Last week's

Ms. Ames-”

“Miss? Now, that’s a new way to say it.”

“Look, I’m here-” she coughed, “Because I’m looking for your foster sister, Tracey.” She seemed frustrated that the introduction was taking so long.

My face fell. “Oh gosh, what has Tracey done now?”

The screen door screeched as Ms. Not-a-reporter opened it wider and looked under my arm inside the house as if she’d find Tracey somewhere behind me.

She straightened herself and then put her hand into her coat pocket and took out a card, “This is my business card.”

This week

“This is my business card,” the woman said.

On the front it said, Ms. Patty’s handbags in curly letters with a big cat in the right hand corner. On the back it said nothing.

“Ms. Patty?” I said in amusement.

She patted her hair. “Why yes?”

“Um, you may want to meet my Uncle Roger. He has a little printing business and he may be able to help you out with your little business cards.”

She stared at me smug and said, “Shouldn’t you be in school or something?”

Readers, feel free to comment below.

#California #Writer Robert Walton #amreading #amjoy

Writer Robert Walton joins me today to discuss his current writing. Walton is a life-long rock-climber and mountaineer.  He's made numerous ascents in the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite. 

Weekend Warriors, #amwriting

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write!  Sign up on the website:Wewriwa.com and share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday.

#WewriWa #amwriting #amediting

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write!  Sign up on the website:Wewriwa.com and share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday.

#California @Writer_MDNeu #amreading #amjoy

MD Neu is with me today to discuss his writing and love for books. Neu is a Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel.  Living in the heart of Silicon

Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated with what could be.
Read more

Midwest writer:Jessica Fishman @amreading @amjoy

Writer, Jessica Fishman is here with us to talk about her writing and her newest novel Chutzpah and High Heels. 

 Having grown up in calm, dreary, and cold Minnesota, Jessica decided to give up the comforts of American life in the Midwest and move to a land in the Middle East that is full of idiosyncrasies, terrorists, and beautiful, olive-skinned men.

When she arrived in Israel, at twenty-two years old, she was a wide-eyed immigrant hoping to survive on idealism, ideology, and optimism.

Robert @gately1776 #amreading #amjoy

Robert Gately joins me today on TheGlobalDig.  Robert was was born in 1946 in Lynn, Massachusetts.

@AlexisSDuran joins the Global Dig #amreading #amjoy

Alexis Duran is joining me today. Duran was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. At the University of Oregon, her fascination with people and relationships led her to major in Sociology, but her main love has always been creative writing. She's worked in museums, finance, film production and for several performing arts organizations. Her favorite job so far has been inventorying the collection of a haunted Victorian Mansion. She is the author of the Masters and Mages and Edge of Night m/m fantasy series as well as several stand-alone romances. Her fiction has won awards including the Rupert Hughes Award from the Maui Writers Conference. She lives with one dog and four and a half cats. She is currently working on the next Masters and Mages novel and always has several new ideas brewing.
is with me today to talk about herself and her writing career.  

What motivates you to write?  

Short answer—survival. Seriously, this is a hard question for me because I’ve felt compelled to write since I was a kid. For me, writing is kind of like breathing- I just have to do it. I guess it’s a bit of an obsession. To not write would be akin to giving up an essential part of myself. It’s not like I have a burning message I need to get out there, I just love to write and immerse myself in story. This quote from Ray Bradbury pretty much sums it up for me:  You must stay drunk on writing so reality does not destroy you.

If you could talk to any famous writer, what would you say?  

I’d love to have a conversation with Tom Robbins. I’d like to tell him he saved my life by showing me it was okay to be silly, outrageous, weird and wild on the page. In other words, it was okay to be me. I didn’t have to copy “great” writers. I didn’t have to craft perfectly elegant sentences or profoundly deep, earth-shattering prose. As a matter of fact, the less I tried to do those things the better writer I became. Reading Jitterbug Perfume was a profoundly liberating experience for me as a creative person.

What have you learned the most about feedback from your work this past year?  

I've learned that characters I love are not necessarily beloved by readers! I think this might mean I have a thing for villainous heroes, or possibly my idea of a flawed hero is a bit more of a bad boy than a knight in shining armor. I do love my knights too. I think the takeaway from this for me is to be more aware of the all the different perspectives readers bring to the story. Not that a writer can make everyone happy, nor should we even try, but it doesn't hurt to really think about my characters actions from several view points, not just my own. That's another thing I love about writing. It always encourages me to grow and understand more about the people I share this world with.

What do you think of “trailers” for books, and do you have a trailer/will you create one for your own work?  

I honestly don’t think about them. I’m not saying they’re not cool or effective, I just don’t have the time or resources to branch out into that area of marketing yet, and I have to say, I’ve personally never been swayed by one. I'm the kind of person who doesn’t have much patience with watching ad videos, so there's that.

Do you think that giving books away free works and why?  

Free books, as part of a larger strategy, can be an effective means of getting your name out there and drawing in new readers. People will take a chance on an unknown (to them) writer if it’s a freebie, and lots of book promotion sites are out there to help promote giveaways. But you have to be careful—you don’t want to devalue your work for no return.  So while it makes perfect sense to offer a tie-in short story or the first book in a series for free in order to kick-start interest, I wouldn’t  recommend just putting your first stand-alone novel up for free and hoping it generates interest. Sure, people will download it, but they might not read it! Try to wait until you have a backlist so the people who do read it and enjoy it will be able to find something else by you to spend their money on. Or, you could try putting up some free flash fiction or short stories to build interest in an upcoming release.

 If you could drop in on a book you read as a kid which book would it be?  

No doubt about it—The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. I remember crying when I finished the Narnia books. I wanted to live there so badly. I still do, which might sort of explain the writing addiction.

What have you written?

Lots! I currently have eight books out in the gay romance/fantasy genre. I have two series going; The Masters and Mages books, which are high fantasy, and Edge of Night, which are contemporary fantasies set in Seattle. I recently participated in a multi-author project called Order of The Black Knights released by Dreamspinner Press. I’m currently working on a new series of gay shifter romance mysteries, which is a total kick in the pants to write, and a twisted fairy tale set in the same world as Gryffon Hall, a fantasy of mine that has been very popular.

s

Find Alexis at:

www.alexisduranblog.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8332457.Alexis_Duran

http://twitter.com/AlexisSDuran

http://www.loose-id.com/authors/a-f/alexis-duran.html

http://www.facebook.com/alexis.duran.18294

Readers, if you have any comments please write them below.

Missouri Writer @WilliamReyland #amreading

Writer, William Reyland is joining me today.  William is the author of Sons of Isan, Taking Refuge in a Thai Temple.

#WordlessWednesday #amtraveling #amjoy