Damien Black @LifeofaBastard1 #amreading #amjoy

Joining me today is Damien Black. Damien wrote Life of a Bastard, a Coming of Age story about life in Foster Care during the 70s, 80s, and 90s. 

 Damien, give us an insight into your main character. What does he do that is so special?

My character is Javier Soto who at the time of these journals would have been about 13 to 19 years old with some social workers' notes dating earlier he is life. The events of Life of a Bastard Vol. 1 take place between 1972-1987. His internal hope to keep surviving in the "New York City Foster Care System" is what makes him unique and for me, it is not only a real story about life in foster care but a coming of age tale. 

I like your story idea of a child surviving the foster care system.  Especially in New York.  I myself was in foster care for a short time and eventually adopted so this is definitely an intriguing story.  I wonder if it's anything similar to White Orleander by Janet Fitch.  Now that was a novel I really sank my teeth into.

__________________________________________________________________________

via GIPHY

What drew you to write in these genre?

I believe in writing what you know; I love reading coming of age stories and talking with people about growing up. 

I love coming of age stories too.  My most recent coming of age story has to be The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

  Would you hire someone else to format, edit, or create artwork for your novel, how would you select them and how much weight do you put on reviews?

 I am happy with the illustrations by Laura Caiafa it captures the hidden innocence of Javier Soto. As for editing, this was a hard editing job because making sense of journals from a young person and finding a flow was a daunting task. Keeping the language and point of view of a child/teenager was very important. Vol. 2 will need another round of editing, so I am looking. 

I bet reading so many journals really helped you gain empathy for the foster care system and those kids who live in the system everyday.

Do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?

Promote early, let the reviews be organic and connect with other people who write and review.   

 What do your fans mean to you?

Meaningful, because they took the time out to buy my book and read it and enjoy it, so if I do have fans of the book I hope I can discuss the book with them. 

Thanks Damien for joining me.

Thanks Trin for having me.

More about Damien's work:

Life of a Bastard Vol.1

“A Coming of Age Story in New York City’s Foster Care System”

Book Series by Damien Black

Illustrations by Laura Caiafa

"An uncensored account of Javier Soto’s life as he journeys through foster care. The story tells of a deserted child, robbed of his innocence and tossed through the evils of a 1980s’ American society. With survival becoming the ultimate goal, will he ever break free from the world of institutionalization? "

Visit http://www.lifeofabastard.com 

Ebook and Paperback Links 

#Amazon #Kindle, #iBooks, Barnes & Noble #Nook, and #Booklocker 

https://twitter.com/lifeofabastard1

https://www.facebook.com/lifeofabastard/

Questions and Media Inquiries 

contact@lifeofabastard.com 

Readers, please comment below and tell Damien what you think about his new book.

Weekend Warriors #wewriwa

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 boy enters their lives and the children are an endless journey to make sure this boy doesn't get into any further trouble or cause their parents to lose their fostering license.  This is a snippet from my novella, "Oh Brother."

***

“Well, hello,” said the wrench wielding man. His two front teeth gaped up at me, while his larger than life sneer told me we were in trouble.

He tapped his wrench against his palm, “What do we have here?”

“I'd say we have a bunch of minors up to no good," said the third man.  His bald head gleamed from the summer's heat. He took out a dirty handkerchief and wiped it.

“What ever shall we do with these minors?” asked the first man.

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

August

I went on vacation to Wisconsin.  You got to love the lakes there.  They seem to call out to you, swim in me, sail on me. Come into the conservatory and park by the dock.  In fact, dock wherever you want.  Wouldn't it be cool if everywhere you went you could dock?  Docking is so much different than walking or perching yourself somewhere. The subtle flow of the water makes you ask a question like: Do I want to stay here?  Cause if i don't I can easily just float away. Float, float, float away just like that. And everything you do is made choice by the lake which steers you away calmly.

I had a few friends text me their whereabouts during my trip.  They were either taking a meditation class or enjoying a Backstreet Boys concert.  Other friends were discussing music or smiling into video calls, saying hi, waving even, while I pointed at the lake.  Isn't communication great?

We also stayed at the Hilton in Wisconsin Dells and swam in the hotel pool.  You just have to swim in hotel pools, don't you?  You just have to take in everything on vacation.

We also watched a group of people who had rented a pontoon boat and had a party. They back flipped and jumped off the pontoon that also substituted as a cafe.  Honestly, it looked like a cabin that could be an outhouse in the middle of the lake.

Other than that the trip was pretty great.  I hope to remember Mt Olympus and the looks on people's faces as ten foot waves came and picked everyone up and distributed them somewhere else in the pool.

CURRENTLY

Reading:  Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera, The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Listening: The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon, Geekerella by Ashley Poston,Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult

Watching:  Girl Boss on Netflix.  Finally a show that combines my two loves: Fashion and Online Shopping! Also watching Ozark and Game of Thrones.

  

ON THE BLOG

What Happened:

(Not a whole lot so I'll talk about last week)

Wednesday: Posted #WordlessWednesday and some pics that related to my trip to Chicago a while back.  Visited places like Grant park and took double decker tour.

Up Coming:

Wednesday:Wordless Wednesday

Sunday:Weekend Warriors 

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

m

#WordlessWednesday

#WordlessWednesday (Chicago trip)

#WeWriWA #YA

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 boy enters their lives and the children are an endless journey to make sure this boy doesn't get into any further trouble or cause their parents to lose their fostering license.  This is a snippet from my novella, "Oh Brother."

***

I pulled the bus' stop cord, and the bus driver skidded to the curb.

Bachman's flower shop stood across the busy boulevard, and we got off and jaywalked across the street when there was a gap in the traffic flow.

Honk, honk.

"Get out of the way" yelled a driver in a pickup truck, as we crossed the second one way track intersection. His fist was extended out the window.

"Hey, you shut the hell up," said the bus driver in our defense.

“Thanks driver,” I said, giving a short wave.

“Don't mention it kid.” He said out the window, and sped away.
***

Readers, feel free to comment below.

#WordlessWednesday San Diego trip

Do You have a Goal?

Do You Have a Goal?

This is a blog hop.  You're more than welcome to join. All you need to do is read and follow the guidelines on this site
Jen, Brittney, and Misha are co-hosts of the hop.

My writing goal this year is to submit my novella by December to a publisher. 

 I have been working on this book for like two years.  Two Years!!!! Can you believe it?!  It's consisted of hundreds of writers' feedback, researching, editing and drafting.  It's been my baby even before my baby was born( which was only a 10 months ago) **chuckles to self**

This is how I plan to do it.

1.Finish writing book by August.  I take no prisoners, this has got to happen.

2.Edit some more

3.Learn more about publishing and what's behind it from September to November and then submit queries and submit to publishers.

Thankfully, I'm part of a critique group that consists of 20 members in Minneapolis.  I've been in this group for about three years.  Its helped me learn about some of my strong and weak points in my writing.   We all have em' folks.  I'm just glad I found out mine sooner than later, that's not to say I can overcome them quickly but I'm working on it.

Readers, please comment below.

I've just posted a new blog: {#ThursThreads #amwriting #flashfiction #amjoy} {https://t.co/8KjRWzQy2q}

I've just posted a new blog: {#ThursThreads #amwriting #flashfiction #amjoy} {https://t.co/8KjRWzQy2q}

— trincarl (@trincarl) July 27, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/trincarl

#ThursThreads #amwriting #flashfiction

This is Week 275 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Want to keep up each week? Check out the this site #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook and the Community on Google Plus.

This is my entry: 

Come into the woods, come into the woods.

The ghost story had begun with a young camper who was part of a group that had serious problems with the truth. What the hell happened? No one knew for sure but some say a young camper's curiosity had gotten the better of him. One night he heard a woman’s voice beckoning to him.

Help me. Help me.

He couldn’t refuse to help her. Her words were marked by shrieks and pleas. He left his cabin and followed a path that led to the beach. He knew he shouldn’t stray from the path. Camp counselors had reminded him of this over and over again. Beware of ghosts, they said. Seeing he had no choice, if he wanted to save the woman, he strayed off the path and entered the woods. After a while, he realized he was lost. He could no longer hear the woman’s voice. Shadow beasts were said to have found him and ravished his body. Insects sucked his blood only for them to later evolve and turn into the blood sucking mosquitoes that we have today. Many other campers throughout the years strayed off the path in their curiosity, despite this boy’s perilous fate. But they, too disappeared. Swarms of mosquitoes are here to remind campers to never stray from any path again.

@trincarl

224 words

theglobaldig.blogspot.com

Readers, please comment below.

#WeWriwa #YA

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! This is a blog hop.  Share  an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sundays. 

 wewriwa.com

This is a snippet from my novel, Oh Brother:

The next morning, I had to make a critical decision: Fruit Loops or Cocoa Puffs?

“Don't follow me today,” Burns announced before he grabbed the Cocoa Puffs and finished off the box.

“I don't know what you mean,” I said playing innocent.

I reached for the Fruit Loops so I wouldn’t be left with Dad's Shredded Wheat.  I took my time pouring them into the bowl making sure it was filled to the max.

“Oh, I think you know what I mean,” he continued, “otherwise you wouldn't have left this.”  He pinned down a to do list in front of me.  It read:

-Follow Burns

-See what he’s up to

-Get gum

I smiled after the last one.

Readers, please comment below.

Down the Twirly, Swirly List of Decadent Recipes.

Down the twirly, swirly list of decadent recipes.

http://www.cakespy.com/  by Jessie Oleson Moore writes a very cute site, the writer finds herself to be a detective seeking sweetness in everyday life.  She puts little cartoon smiley faces on most of her  desserts giving real emotion to your favorite dessert.  Here are the surprises that I found today and desserts I never heard of: and a few that I may or may not ever try including chocolate avocado pie, mini coconut pancakes, breakfast nainamo bars. 

www.wednesdaychef.typepad.com  Here is a great dessert blog by Luisa Weiss.  Much of Weiss desserts are from Berlin and one dessert recipe is called Yotam Ottolenghi's Raspberry Meringue Roulade dessert. Luisa also has desserts recipes like Dimply Plum cake and Better Than Robert Redford.  I love the fact that she includes the Robert Redford dessert because I have written many stories on the beloved cake including My Momma Makes it Better documenting my experiences with the cake. I guess its more than the name of the cake that attracts me.  There is also a Ukrainian Honey Cake recipe on her site as well.  Overall the blog is very nice.   I love how the writer decides she's going to go about the art of baking  I've been struck by the baking bug that shows up so reliably each year when the sticky, swollen days of summer come.

#WordlessWednesday Mount Rushmore

#WEWRIWA #YA

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! To sign up visit this site: wewriwa.com and  share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. 

This is a snippet from my novel:

Zion and I adjusted our backpacks. It was a short hike to the junkyard and we played a game of eye spy.

“I spy with my little eye a husky boy,” I said.

“Sam Burns,” Zion answered.

“I spy a bad kid.”

“Burns again.”

“I spy a teenager with shit for brains."

"Burns."

We enjoyed this little banter all the way to the junkyard.

When we got to its huge gate Zion peeked in. “All clear.”

Readers, please comment below.

#WordlessWednesday (California Trip)

This month has been pretty eventful. Last weekend I went to the Garden Center for Yoga.  I was a bit late so I crept in with my mat and found a place front and center.  I've done this for many years now, but this is the first time I was asked to repeat mantras in a foreign language for fifteen minutes with my eyes closed.  The instructor patiently reminded yogis that people can do anything they put their mind to.  I had twelve of words memorized by the end of the session, including matadori, natadori, senatami, etc. 

Speaking of entertainment, I've been lovin' Matt Steffanina and his dance moves on YouTube. Matt invited Kevin Hart as a guest choreographer, if you can imagine Kevin as a dancer.  Sorta unbelievable. Of course he was adding his spin on things, if you know what I mean.  It would be a dream of mine to meet Kevin or Matt. If you want to check it out.  Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6lp8K9jKSQ 

I had my reservations about Kevin at the beginning of his career, but I learned to take what comedians say with a grain of salt.

I also just came back from San Diego, California and decided to write a little list for prospective travelers.

Things to remember in San Diego:

-Pack lots of sweaters.  The ocean is cold and paddling without a jacket at sunset might just give you a chill.  You don't want your lil' one tuckered down at the front of a surf board like a baby bird with their arms slid inside their life jacket, while you do all of the paddling. 

-If you go kayaking on the bay, the person in the lead is probably a bit faster at paddling than you are and may just have you winded by the end. Although, keeping up with them is not such a bad idea as this builds stamina and a competitive spirit.

Some things you might not expect to see on a sunset paddling experience

Drones flying overhead at night being chased by seagulls who follow them as if they were enemy birds trespassing on their territory.  

You may also see the lights to very expensive homes.  This is very pleasing, visually.

Be in the know

-Friends and Family rates at discounted hotel stays may not be cancelled online within 24 hours but if you talk to a receptionists over the phone, they might be able to cancel it for you, especially if you're an employee.

-Also talk to desk personnel when you come in about bad hotel stays you've had in the past.  Say something like "You hope this hotel stay will be a good one." (wink wink.) The receptionist might add you to their text messaging service and frequently text you throughout your stay.

-Compliment air hostess/es at the beginning of your flight on their makeup, hair, jewelry, etc.  This also applies to male hostesses.  Giving compliments may lead you to an extra snack, smile or bag of peanuts and/ or beverage.
-Avoid flight personnel who help customers print their itinerary, as later you'll be asked to check in your too big, bag, even though other flyers managed to avoid checking there's.

Well April's been great so far.  Check back on another Sunday Post and I'll be sure to share even more.

CURRENTLY

Reading:  Slouching Towards Bethlehem By Joan Didion and The Reason You're Alive, by Matthew Quick

Listening: Food by (comedian) Jim Gaffigan, In the Country (Filipino Short stories) by Mia Alvar, The Lonely Hearts Hotel, by Heather O'Neill,
The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell By (comedian) W. Kamau Bell

Watching:  Siren (Mermaid series),The Billions, and The 911 on xfinity cable.

ON THE BLOG

What Happened:

(Not a whole lot so I'll talk about last week)

Actress Maren Ward was interviewed

Saturday: Weekend Warriors post

Up Coming:

Friday: Interview with actor Luke Daniels, who has narrated over 450 audiobooks, including ones by Nora Roberts and Stephen King.
Saturday:Weekend Warriors 
Sunday:Sunday Post

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

Wordless Friday (Google Headquarters) My ideal workplace

Weekend Warriors #wewriwa

Welcome to my Weekend Warriors post.  Every Sunday a group of writers post eight to ten sentences from excerpts of their writing or 150 words of poetry.  To join sign up here :   www.wewriwa.com.

This is my excerpt from a  Horror story I'm working on called Camping:

One didn’t have to see Piggy to hear him. His loud exhales between each phrase were a part of his asthma that made him carry around his inhaler in his shirt pocket.

“Well, (exhale) I just thought, if we (exhale) could get a phone signal, then we might be able to alert someone of the (exhale) power outage,” said Piggy.

“And who would you have us alert?” asked Terrence, the bully. “Your mother?”

A few snickers all around.

“What does Piggy, wiggy need his wanket? Does Piggy wiggy need swa-one to tuck him in at night?" asked Terrence.

This is an audio version of the story if you have the time to listen.

I knew I wasn't alone in writing and narrating my own stories.  But I came across this site made by a professional narrator who publishes writers' work to youtube.  Submission guidelines can be found at http://talltaletv.com/submission-form  .  A colleague by the name of Abhishek Sengupta just got his work published.

Readers, please comment below.

D de Carvalho joins the Global Dig

Today I'm interviewing writer D. de Carvalho

D. is a native of far-flung locations, and a grade A student of life, Carvalho developed his passion for fine foods and erotic encounters at a young age. He is proud to be a practicing member of the BDSM community, as well as a self-confessed and widely acknowledged grumpy old man.

In the Hot Pink series, D. de Carvalho serves up a smorgasbord of hot ‘n spicy erotic tales with no holds barred. Whether you savor sweet romance or crave the delicious tang of dark desire, Carvalho caters with tales to tempt every taste. Each sexy story arrives with a side order of humor, sprinkled with a touch of suspense, paranormal or mystery.

And onto the interview...