Sunday Post #amreading #amjoy

Sunday Post @kimbacaffeinate #amreading #amjoy

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

           LOOKING FORWARD TO FEBRUARY

My brother(above) with the snow blower.

This week it snowed all over again.  When you live in Minnesota, every snow is your first, even though you’ve been through so many winters.  Every year seems to have a different impact. One year, I remember my car had to be jumped, three times. Another year the snow reached higher than my head 😄and I had to get to an appointment but I got stuck in the alley and there were dozens of my neighbors trying to help shovel out the snow because they knew the plows wouldn’t get out there fast enough.  

One year, there were icecles on every tree branch and every surface it seemed. One year, my car got stuck on the 169 bridge and it started slipping downward. and if it had slipped anymore it would have been greeted by a hundred cars that were all backed up-waiting to go over the bridge.

CURRENTLY

Reading:  The Spite Game by Anna Snoekstra, The Adults by Caroline Hulse, The Answers by Catherine Lacey,The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, The Ghost Notebooks by Ben Dolnick,The Only Story by Julian Barnes, The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose, Touch by Courtney Maum, Sunburn by Laura Lippman

Listening: Listening Haunted nights by Ellen Datlow, All Aunt Hagar’s Children by Edward P. Jones, The Heart goes Last by Margaret Atwood

Watching:Nothing this week 

ON THE BLOG

Sunday: The Sunday Post

Up Coming:

Interview with Writer

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

Brittni Chenille #amreading #amjoy

Britti Chenille is with me this morning to talk about herself and her new book.

5 FUN FACTS ABOUT BRITTNI CHENELLE 

 1. She lives in South Korea. It's true. She does most of her updates in the morning or at night to account for the time difference. She also infuses most of her novels with her observations about Korean culture. 

 2. She's a Type 1 Diabetic. She uses an insulin pump for survival and refers to her diabetes as "Beetie" which is what inspired her children's book "Life with Beetie". When she wants something from her parents she tells them, "My Beetie hurts." It's a trick that has never failed her. 

 3. She doesn't really BELIEVE in fiction. Despite all the; Dragons, Elves, and Magic present in her novel "Involuted the Tale of the Red Ribbon Tree", Brittni INSISTS that it's a true story. 

 4. She's OBSESSED with dark chocolate. She made me put that in and would also like me to inform you (on an unrelated note) that her birthday is in May.

5. Sorry guys, she's married. If you ask her, she'll tell you her husband saved her life but every time someone asks "how?" she gives a different reason. I've overheard her give about 4 different reasons, but I bet she has more. He must be an amazing guy.

What makes your main character special?

 She has no idea who she is or what she is capable of. Her sense of self is earned throughout the trials she faces. Her first impressions of every character she encounters is wrong and that goes for her impression of herself. 

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

 Harry Potter. They could use a bit of diversity at Hogwarts. 

What is the hardest thing about writing your current book?

 Crippling self-doubt. 

What were you like in high school?

In high school, I was a barrel of contradictions. I was the captain of the varsity basketball team but hung out with the "goth" kids. I admired the theater kids most of all. I never felt like I really belonged anywhere as most kids feel at that age. 

via GIPHY

Do you find feedback from writers’ critiques helpful?

ABSOLUTELY. Critiques are amazingly helpful. I definitely learn and grow from criticism. It's one of the reason editing is my favorite step in the process, HOWEVER, that doesn't mean I don't cry myself to sleep whenever I get a bad review. ;) 

Book trailer (above) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4MVpsLZEt4


Links to reach Brittni:

Amazon

Goodreads

Facebook

Sue Seabury #amreading #amjoy

Sue Seabury is here with me to talk about her newest novel, Pop Goes the Weasel.  Sue enjoys writing, reading,chocolate and her kids, although not always in that order. For some reason she lives near Baltimore, where she divides her time between her desk and the kitchen. Sue's newest novel Pop Goes the Weasel is available Free, for a limited time only: May 17, 2019 on Amazon.  So please click This and I do not Love Thee Dr. Fell is also available from May 17-19 check it out by clicking on This

Sue, what are your ambitions for your writing career?

To hit the top of the New York Times best-seller list and stay there for long enough to buy a private island, of course. 

I once had dreams of getting on the Oprah show, but that's off the air, so then I thought, maybe Letterman would be charmed by my rapier wit, but then he retired. In case there's a conspiracy afoot, I won't mention my next hopeful, but her name rhymes with 'Melon DeVeneris.'

Which writers inspire you?

I'm an omnivore when it comes to reading. I love fiction, non-, memoir, you name it, so: Erma Bombeck, Dave Barry, Christopher Moore, Mary Roach, Agatha Christie, Nora Ephron, Jane Austen, Alan Bradley, Helen Fielding...So many, it's hard to know where to stop.

Where did you get the idea for your latest novel?

I went on vacation to Maine and the town was so darned cute with its overflowing window boxes and cedar-shingled houses, I just had to turn it into a crime scene. I also miss Murder, She Wrote, and I think it's time someone brings it back. I'm willing to take the starring role. I've got a bike. I just need a cute wicker basket to stick on the front and then I'm ready to go.

What drew you to write in this genre?

I love a good murder mystery but never thought I was smart enough to write one. But then I said to myself, Self, what kind of self-limiting trash talk is that? And so I gave it a shot. It's even harder than I originally thought.

How much research do you do?

Tons. Google is my best friend. Sometimes he lies, but that just keeps things interesting.

Last question Sue, what is your editing process?

What editing? I use Jessica Fletcher's method of tapping it out in my spare time on an old-fashioned typewriter and then just handing off the first draft to the publisher. 

via GIPHY

Seriously, I go through 3 distinct phases:

1) Exhilaration. This phase lasts from the moment I type the words 'The End' to when I start rereading from the beginning, then it quickly moves to phase II which is:

2) Despair. Hair-pulling and crying are usually involved. Phase II can last for months or years. At some point, either when I'm cried out and/or bald, I can advance to the final phase:

3) Teeth-gritting. Get it done at any cost, including a broken neck (feels like).

Thanks for joining us Sue.  

More about Sue:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SueSeabury

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/sue.seabury.5

website: https://thetechnopeasant.wordpress.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sue-Seabury/e/B00AOLIBTM

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SueSeabury

Sunday Post

Sunday Post @kimbacaffeinate #amreading #amjoy

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

           LOOKING FORWARD TO February

This week has been incredibly cold. ⛸🍨❄⛄🏔 Schools were closed throughout Minnesota.  In Princeton, they were sending their residents to hotels with the promise of a space heater. There was an increase in Uber rides and I picked up a good dozen people this week.  And saw a few on the side of the road in a need of a jump. I remember driving one person from Minneapolis to Maplewood and I got the campus sized tour of 3M.

 It’s crazy how the cold ❄❄❄brings people together.  In our building, talks of the weather was the norm as residents gazed outside with weary faces.  

I managed to get out one night and stay at the Holidayinn, (Eagan) and soaked in the hot tub where the only sounds from the outdoors was wind and planes taking off every ten or so minutes.

Lastly, I went to an art exhibit last night with a group of friends and we got all dolled up and it had feminist art at place called Artbox .

Readers, if you enjoyed the holidays or got an interesting gift, let me know in the comments below.

CURRENTLY

Reading:  The Pisces by Melissa Broder, Red Clocks by Leni Zumas

Listening

Watching: The Crown (on Netflix)

ON THE BLOG

Sunday: The Sunday Post

Up Coming:

Interview with Writer

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

Interview with Eliza Gordon

 Eliza wrote Dear Dwayne with Love , a romance.  The main character is Dani who has had a major crush on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson since she was young . She writes The Rock in unsent letters and later, as she grew older, in a private blog.  Dani must get into great physical shape for a charity event sponsored by her crush. The winner of the event will get a walk-on part in his next movie. So she joins a gym where she is to work with super-hot trainer Marco.

Eliza writes stories to help you believe in the Happily Ever After; Jennifer Sommersby, her other self, writes young adult fiction. Both personalities are represented by Daniel Lazar at Writers House.



And onto the interview...




Eliza, what are your ambitions for your writing career?

Sunday Post

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

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEPTEMBER

This week I sold my abandoned car that hadn't been functioning well.  I had a group of homeless stack claim to it a couple weeks back and I was more than ready to get rid of it. I also have to go to Chicago this week for travel and so it's good to take care of all these things before the snow comes. 
It's also my birthday this week so Yay me for setting my Chicago trip so close to my birthday.

Readers, if you want to comment-do so at the bottom of this post.

CURRENTLY

Reading: 

Listening: All of Haruki Murakami's works

Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich

Watching:  Youtube clips on Expats in South Korea

ON THE BLOG

Up Coming: Lots of interviews with screenwriters and musicians in October.  Stay tuned.

Interview with writer, Melion

Writer Melion is with me today.  Melion’s short stories have appeared in, or are forthcoming in, Deep Magic, Fantasy Scroll Magazine, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, Cast of Wonders, Scarlet Leaf Review, Havok, and T. Gene Davis’s Speculative Blog. Check out her haphazard blog: https://delusionsofsanityblog.wordpress.com/

And onto the interview...

Melion, when you develop characters do you already know who they are before you begin writing or do you let them develop as you go?

My main characters and my secondary characters are largely fleshed out before I begin writing. Small aspects of them may change, or they may develop in ways I hadn’t initially anticipated, but I have them mostly constructed by the time I start writing.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever researched?

A lot of writers make quips about how their Google searches probably put them on a no-fly list somewhere, but I don’t think I’ve researched anything eyebrow-raising. I’ve researched the stages of decomposition, but I think that’s pretty standard for writers. Right? Please tell me that’s standard, because I didn’t perform that search in an incognito window.

If you could have dinner with three authors (living or dead), who would they be and why? Do I get to have dinner with the three authors all together?

If so, I choose G.K. Chesterton, Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe. Then I could sit quietly and observe as literary geniuses interact. I would love to see what sorts of conversations those three would have if brought together. This is, of course, assuming that conversation remains civil and nobody flips over a table.

What are two major pitfalls you’ve experienced as a writer, and how did you handle them? The first being that I innately suck at writing. What?

I’m not supposed to admit this? Well, I’m admitting it because, if I can overcome that pitfall, I can overcome anything else. I have works on floppy disks (yeah, those were once a thing) that I’ve destroyed because the writing was just wretched. The characters were bland, the narration was overwrought and heavy-handed, and, worst of all, nothing happened. Seriously, it was like visiting with a crazy cat lady.

For me, it was a matter of practice—a great deal of practice—and a willingness to listen to the advice of people who do know how to write. I’m still trying to improve and better myself, but the consistent and determined practice is slowly paying off. I’ve sold some stories to publications, and I’ve written scenes which have made readers cry.

My second pitfall is a lack of boldness. It took me years to work up the nerve to submit anything because I thought success happens to other people. I’ve since wised up and learned that success happens to people who get off their butts and try. Yes, failure happens to them, too, but so does success. So now I get up off my butt and I try. I still fail, but I do occasionally succeed, and that makes it worth the risk.

If you could live in any fictional world, which would you choose? Why?

This depends. Am I still a common, average, nobody-knows-who-you-are little human? If so, I think I’ll stick to living here where I at least have air conditioning, antibiotics and inalienable rights (hey, despite being boring, I recognize when I have a good thing going for me). But that isn’t really an interesting answer, is it?

Since I’m a writer, let’s find something interesting. Uh . . . I choose the world of Redwall. But only if I can be an otter. The otters are great: they’re fun-loving, dependable, fierce. Besides, they swim about all the time and eat ungodly amounts of spicy food with no mention of horrifying aftereffects; additionally, they always seem to find the opportunity to go adventuring. Sign me up as an otter, and I’ll gladly defend Redwall Abbey.

That's all the time we have today readers. Thanks for joining me Melion.

More about Melion: When not writing things, she still lives with one spouse, two dogs and an acceptable amount of chaos. She is occasionally found playing with swords, studying martial arts, and lifting weights. Other times, she hides with a book and an energy drink as she avoids the tumbleweeds of dog hair overwhelming her house.

Sunday Post #amreading #amjoy

Sunday Post @kimbacaffeinate #amreading #amjoy

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

                            LOOKING FORWARD TO JANUARY

So I went to the Saint Paul winter carnival and I got to see some of the behind the scenes of the ice sculpture process.  I also had a friend who made a snow sculpture and got first Prize in the competition.

I'm also still driving for Uber. I got this idea from a writer to put a notepad in the passenger seat compartment of my car for my Uber clients to fill out.  I don’t know if you ever filled out a slam book when you were in high school but the concept sort of reminds me of that.  It’s basically a book that asks readers random questions to keep them engaged and talking throughout their ride. Like, what is your favorite pet?  Or what comes to mind when you think of the name:Trump? (of course with a question like this you’ve got to be careful because discussions can get very political I found out.  But this helps with maintaining a positive atmosphere and maybe ensure a tip.

I also submitted an application for Minnesota's Fringe Festival. There's a lottery system for any playwrights to get chosen. I hope my name is drawn.

CURRENTLY

Reading:  The Buyside by Turney Duff, The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman

Watching: Nothing, too busy

On the Blog

This week: Hoping to interview a few authors