BookZone: What inspired you to write your first book?

I was ill with mononucleosis and had to stop going to college for a semester. The pain, fatigue and other strange symptoms seemed to stay the same long after the mono was gone. I couldn’t go back to school and was seeing many different doctors to try and figure out what was going on. It was such a dark period for me and writing was so therapeutic. Even after I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia it was still a dark time and writing Soul Sisters made me feel better. So I guess my inspiration was Fibromyalgia, weird but true!

BookZone: Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

I promise its plot is something you’ve never read before in the vampire genre!

BookZone: I believe that every author infuses his or her book with a piece of himself or herself. What piece of you would you say resides within the pages of your book?

Since the book is about twins who love each other unconditionally but are totally different people, I have to say each twin is a different side of my personality. Ani is definitely my alter-ego. She’s a sassy, shoot first ask questions later kind of girl. Where Dana is laid back, loves alone time and is more reserved. They’re both equal pieces of me and it was fun to write that.

BookZone: What did you learn about yourself while writing this book?

That I clearly have multiple personalities, but really, what author doesn’t?

BookZone: Lol. So true. How did you come up with the title?

It would be a spoiler to tell that. However, the key to the title is the story.

BookZone: Who designed the cover?

My amazing friend who owns Strong Image Editing. The cover is everything I wanted and more!

BookZone: What would equate success for you, with regards to the release of this title?

• Purchases
• Kudos on your writing skills
• Message received by intended audience
• All of the above?

Actually none of the above. I define success as putting out a product you’re proud of. Everyone is not going to like your book so if just one person says I love it–you’re successful in my opinion.

BookZone: Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?

Before working on the ending of the Soul Sisters Trilogy, I’m releasing a ghost novella called Good Ghost Gone Bad. It is very adult and more gritty than the Soul Sister series. The novella follows a ghost who died as a result of a brutal murder and she out to get violent revenge against her killer. I’m really hoping people will like it as it is my favorite piece of work so far.

BookZone: What piece of advice would you give to first time authors?

Write from your soul without fears, make sure your work is edited and you have great beta readers, NEVER let negative reviews make you doubt yourself but always continue to grow!

BookZone: Fabulous advice! If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

My laptop, kindle and Dr. Pepper. I like my alone time so a cell phone would not be necessary. Wow, that sounded anti-social. LOL.

BookZone: That’s ok. I soooo, know what you mean. Favorite Candy?

Snickers

BookZone: Favorite smell?

Hot Coffee first thing in the morning!

BookZone: Pet peeve?

People who assume that because they don’t like a book no one else will.

BookZone: Coke or Pepsi?

Coke all the way. I love the extra bite it has.

BookZone: Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

Merry Christmas, I will give you the stink eye if you don’t. lol

BookZone: How do you react to a bad review?

I don’t read reviews anymore. They’re important but I don’t use them to influence my writing  so I don’t really read them anymore.

BookZone: Spoken like a confident person. If you were a super hero what would your kryptonite be?

Nacho Cheese, I love it so much!

BookZone: Do you see writing as a career?

Yes, I’m currently writing full time as I’m working on making my writing my career.

BookZone: Niceee. What do you do in your free time?

Read or watch something good on Netflix but mostly read!

BookZone: Do you have anything specific that you wish to say to your readers?

Thank you so much for supporting my work. Without you, my writing would be nothing!

BookZone:  Thanks so much for talking with us Janiera!

About the Books:

Title: Dark Expectations (Book 2 in the Soul Sisters Trilogy)

Author: Janiera Eldridge

Release Date: October 31, 2012

Synopsis: With Ani taking her place as queen, there are some enemies lurking she could never imagine! There’s a secret compound in California that wants to know the secrets to making a vampire or werewolf. When they kidnap Ani during a trip back to California they might actually get what they want. Her sister Dana, her lover Diego and other vampires do everything they can to get her back. If they don’t succeed, they face being controlled completely by the human race forever! Dark Expectations is the exciting sequel to Soul Sisters that’s full of adventure, danger and what it means to be queen!

Buy Links:

Amazon (Paperback & Kindle)

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13640540-soul-sisters

Title: Soul Sisters (Book 1 in the Soul Sisters Trilogy)

Author: Janiera Eldridge

Release Date: October 18, 2012

Synopsis: Soul Sisters is an urban fantasy novel about African-American twin sisters Ani and Dana who have a rather unique secret: one sister is human while the other is a vampire. While the sisters have lived peacefully with each other for many years one fateful night will change both their lives forever. When a drunken man tries to attack Dana (the human sister) Ani (the vampire sister) protects her sister with all of her ferocious power. However, when the vampire’s leader Donovan finds out about the public display he calls for the sisters to be assassinated for disobedience. Ani and Dana now are in for the fight of their lives to protect each other as well as the lives of their dedicated friends who have joined them on their mission for survival. If Dana and Ani can make it through this time of uncertainty, Ani can take her new place as vampire queen. Soul Sisters is expected to be a trilogy; The book also features a multicultural cast of characters that brings a new edge of chic to the vampire world!

Buy Links:

Amazon (Paperback & Kindle)

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13640540-soul-sisters

Janiera enjoys feeding her book addiction when she’s not writing. She is also a book blogger at Beauty and Books where she mixes being a book nerd with keeping things chic. When not reading or writing she is freelance writing in the entertainment industry. When trying to relax she likes a huge yard sale on a Saturday morning, rainy days to read by and nacho cheese is her kryptonite. Soul Sisters is her debut novel.

Connect with Janiera via Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and her Blog. 

BookZone welcomes Author, LeRon L. Barton who is on tour with At the Water Cooler Virtual Book Tours promoting his debut title, Straight Dope: A 360 Degree Look Into American Drug Culture. LeRon did not choose an easy topic to begin his foray into the literary world, however, he wanted to make an impact and he wanted to keep it real. He took the time to answer some questions for us about himself and why he writes. Please get comfortable and enjoy:

BookZone: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

LeRon: I have always loved to write, ever since I was a young child. Creating my own comics, writing poetry, to writing scripts, and finally my first book. Writing has always been a part of my life.

BookZone: What inspired you to write your first book?

LeRon: Writing a book has always been a goal of mine. Being a writer, I have always felt that a book would be the ultimate task.

BookZone: Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

LeRon: Straight Dope exposes the reality of drugs in America without any biases.

BookZone: Why this subject matter…why now?

LeRon: I have always wanted to write something that was real and with drug use so rampant, I feel that Straight Dope is so current. With my first book, I wanted it to hit hard and to make an impact.

BookZone: I believe that every author infuses his or her book with a piece of himself or herself. What piece of you would you say resides within the pages of your book?

LeRon: I am all over the book (laughs). Seriously, when I am asking the person the questions, sometimes I may say, “Damn” or ‘Wow.” But when you hear the answers, there was only one way to respond.

BookZone: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in this book?

LeRon: I wanted to speak with some police officers and lawyers to make the book more well rounded, but I believe that it is fine the way it is.

BookZone: What did you learn about yourself while writing this book?

LeRon: That is a good question…

BookZone: How did you come up with the title?

LeRon: I wanted a title that would catch people’s attention and also pertain to the subject of the book.

BookZone: Who designed the cover?

LeRon: My man David Valin. I sent him a couple of pics and we worked around the concept. David is great. You can contact him at: gbdavid1@yahoo.com

BookZone: How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?

LeRon: My book has not come out yet, but I do not know. Maybe scream out from the rafters? LOL

BookZone: If readers get nothing else from your book, what is the one takeaway that you hope they do not miss?

LeRon: That Straight Dope is real, uncut. It is realistic, unbiased, and presents people talking about a very important subject. Straight Dope is not political, just real.

BookZone: Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

LeRon: The opportunities that have come forth and the new ones that will come. It feels great to be a published writer.

BookZone: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

LeRon: My ex gf. She was and still is one of my biggest supporters.

BookZone: What would equate success for you, with regards to the release of this title?

• Purchases
• Kudos on your writing skills
• Message received by intended audience
• All of the above?

LeRon: All of the above. I really want to be respected as a writer. The money and the sales are good, but at the end of the day, I want to be looked at as a great writer that can open the door for other artists – writers, painters, filmmakers….

BookZone: What did you want to be when you grew up…was author on the list?

LeRon: I originally wanted to be a stuntman, but then I realized that they get hurt (LOL). Then I wanted (and still do) to be a race car driver. I have always been fascinated by Formula One racing and have always thought those guys were real fly. I am just not that great of a driver (ask any of my friends), but there is always driving school…… LOL.

BookZone: Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?

LeRon: In the summer I am releasing, “It’s Good To Be Alive,” a free project that consists of pictures, essays, and poetry celebrating life. I wanted to write something light after Straight Dope. Everyone will be smiling and everything will be happy.

In November, I will be releasing, “All We Need Is Love,” a book similar to Straight Dope that talks about dating, marriage, and every kind of relationship – from  first time love, long distance, interracial, long distance, newly married couples, everyone.

BookZone: What piece of advice would you give to first time authors?

LeRon: Never give up. If this is your dream, then never give up and keep going. There is an audience for every kind of writer. Also, don’t be afraid of constructive criticism. Most of the time, people just want to help.

BookZone: Is there any piece of advice you would like to ask from any of our veteran authors who may stop by?

LeRon: How do you market your book successfully?

BookZone: What book are you reading now?

LeRon: 25^th Hour by David Benioff and books on Malcolm X. He is my hero.

BookZone: If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

LeRon: Books, Ipod, and nice blanket. LOL

BookZone: If you could jump into a book and live in that world… which would it be?

LeRon: You know, I have always thought that “Le Morte Darthur” was the greatest story that has been written. But, I don’t know, maybe “The Great Gatsby,” or “One Hundred Years in Solitude.” I have always liked Pilar. Ha!

BookZone: Hidden talent?

LeRon: I am a pretty good dancer and cook.

BookZone: Me too (dancing) not so much (cooking) Favorite Candy?

LeRon: Snickers. A girl in high-school used to call me that. And then corn candy.

BookZone: Favorite smell?

LeRon: A freshly showered woman…

BookZone: Favorite scripture/quote?

LeRon: I have a few:

• “It can’t rain all the time” – The Crow
• “Be Like Water,” Bruce Lee
• “I am all that I have met,” Malcolm X

BookZone: Pet peeve?

LeRon: Tardiness!!! I hate when people are late. Value my time please!!!!!

BookZone: Guilty Pleasure?

LeRon: Karaoke. I love to get up and make a total fool of myself.

BookZone: TV or Movies?

LeRon: Hmmm, that is a good question. The quality of movies are horrible these days, and there are some really good writing on TV, so I will go with TV.

BookZone: Coke or Pepsi?

LeRon: Coke, always.

BookZone: Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

LeRon: You know, in the privacy of my home, Merry Christmas. But at work/school, Happy Holidays.

BookZone: What was your favorite children’s book?

LeRon: Anything by Dr. Seuss. I think he was a genius. People do not realize how tough it is to write something compelling and that catch a child’s imagination.

BookZone: What book(s) has most influenced your life?

LeRon: Non Fiction, The Autobiography of Malcolm X. It has shaped the way I live my life. I look at things from an aspect of before I read it and after I read it. Confessions by Saint Augustine of Hippo, because he is another of my heroes and I could relate to it in so many ways.

Fiction, definitely Portrait of An Artist As A Young Man by James Joyce. I thought (and still do) that his form and technique was the best I have ever read. The Great Gatsby is my fave book of all time and then Of Mice and Men and the poetry of Langston Hughes. The rhythm he had, it was just, wow…..

BookZone: How do you react to a bad review?

LeRon: You have to take it in stride. It is not gonna kill you. It is just someone’s point of view. Hey, I am pretty sure people slandered Hemmingway’s work, so don’t take it personal.

BookZone: Well said. If you were a super hero what would your kryptonite be?

LeRon: Beautiful women. LOL.

BookZone: You have won one million dollars what is the first thing that you would buy?

LeRon: I would buy my Mom a house. Every young man wants to buy his Mom a house.

BookZone: True Dat. Do you have a specific writing style?

LeRon: I think that I am influenced by Joyce, Chris Clairemont, Hughes… But I specific style? I don’t know. Hopefully.

BookZone: Which authors have influenced you most and how?

LeRon: Joyce, Hughes, Marquez, Clairemont, Sir Thomas Mallory, Studs Terkel (of course).

BookZone: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about his/her work?

LeRon: My fave author is James Joyce. His technique and form are just unbeatable.

BookZone: Do you see writing as a career?

LeRon: Yes. This is what I was meant to do.

BookZone: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

LeRon: Not this book, but I have a couple of ideas for future projects that will need me to hit the road.

BookZone: What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?

LeRon: My Mom told me, “Self-doubt has no place in your mind.” I think about that a lot and just push on.

BookZone: What’s your favorite season/weather?

LeRon: Fall because the trees and sky are just beautiful. Plus fall has the best fashion!

BookZone: Yeah, we see you rocking the turtleneck…lol. What do you do in your free time?

LeRon: Write (LOL). Read, explore, meet up with friends, travel, take pictures, workout, and just try to be the best LeRon I can possibly be.

BookZone: Give us a glimpse into a typical day in your day starting when you wake up till you lie down again.

LeRon: Okay, I probably wake up around 7 am and start checking emails. I cannot sleep in. My Grandfather would always say, “Boy if you’re up, get up.” LOL. I then turn my phone on, grab some water and go to the gym. If this is a non-work day, then I would write a little, go to brunch and grab some champagne (because it is brunch!), take a train to SF or Oakland, walk around, meet up with friends, and try to have tons of fun!

BookZone: In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with?

LeRon: Marquez. He is probably the world’s greatest living writer.

BookZone: If you had to choose, which author would you consider a mentor?

LeRon: My high-school teacher Stan Banks. He would always encourage me and I get a lot of my poetry reciting style from him.

BookZone: Are there any new authors that have caught your interest?

LeRon: I am still reading the classics, so unfortunately not.

BookZone: Name 3 top items on your bucket list.

LeRon:

• Go on an around the world trip
• Pay for someone’s meal anonymously
• Buy a Ferrari (seriously).

BookZone: If you got a TV/movie deal, what would the names in yo ur cast line up look like?

LeRon: That is a good question. I like Taye Diggs, Thandie Newton, Christian Bale, and Oliver Matinez. And we can have Mark Romanek direct it. I love his style.

BookZone: If you were given the opportunity to go back to the past or to the future, which would you choose and why?

LeRon: My dream has always been to live forever. If I had a chance, I would love to go back to the 70’s during the disco era. My Mom loved disco and I love house music. Just the love that was going on back there…

BookZone: Do you prefer a bunch of small gifts or one big expensive one?

LeRon: That is a good question. Big gifts…..

BookZone: In the 1999 film, The Matrix, the main character Neo is offered the choice between a red pill and a blue pill. The blue pill would allow him to remain in the fabricated reality of the Matrix. The red pill would lead to his escape from the Matrix and into the “real world”. If you were given such a choice, which pill would you choose and why?

LeRon: I have always been about truth and reality, so I will would go with the red pill. Don’t feed me crap, I want the real.

BookZone: I hear that. Do you have anything specific that you wish to say to your readers?

LeRon: Thank you all for checking out this interview. Straight Dope is my first book of hard work, grind, and determination. I believe that everyone will find something that they like when reading it. Mainline Publications and I will continue to push the line and release edgy, innovative projects. I have a lot of stuff in the pipeline, so stay tuned. You will not be disappointed.

BookZone: We are sure we will not be. Thanks LeRon!

About the Author

My name is LeRon L. Barton and I was born in Kansas City, MO in 1978 (totally dating myself – LOL). Like any Midwestern person, I wanted to come to California. Why? Because of the weather and the beaches, duh! After going to school for IT and moving from San Diego to The Bay Area, which I absolutely love, there was a void in my life. I broke down and admitted to myself, I am an artist!  All my life I knew that I wanted to be a writer, well a stuntman, then a race car driver (I still want to!), but finally settled on using the power of the written word. I have written poetry, short stories, essays, and two screen plays, but I have always wanted to write a book. The idea for Straight Dope came because I wanted to create something real and impact–something about which I had knowledge. Where I come from, in my neighborhood, circle of friends, and way of life, drugs have always been around. Instead of taking a judgmental view of the topic, I wanted to have people tell their own story as I listened. I just didn’t want to talk to law enforcement and get this uniform answer on drugs in America, I wanted a well rounded look into drug culture, hence the title, Straight Dope: A 360 Degree Look into American Drug Culture. This is my first book, but definitely not the last. I hope to continue to release projects that will make people take a step back and listen, learn, and as they say around my way, “Recognize, realize, and analyze.”

About the Book

Straight Dope is a book that asks the simple question–why are drugs so entrenched in America’s society. Instead of doing the same ol’ rigamarole song and dance and interviewing talking heads and experts, Straight Dope gets to the heart of the matter and talks to the people at ground zero–the drug addicts whose lives revolve around getting high; the criminals who profit off the misery of the addicts; the teachers who deal with children in drug abused homes; the drug counselors who try to balance breaking the addicts’ cycle of addiction while dealing with the bureaucracy of government politics; the legal marijuana growers’ battle against tobacco companies and how to thrive in the growing industry; and the parents’ issue of how they will prepare their children to just say no.

Inspired by the late great Studs Terkel’s many works, Straight Dope is comprised of raw, uncut hard hitting interviews about the participants experiences, thoughts, opinions, and outlook on drug abuse—why  or why not drugs should be legal, and how the government is handling the war on drugs.

Removing nearly all of the questions, the interviews are more like monologues, allowing the reader to feel as if the subject is just, “talking,” instead of your standard interview.

In addition to the real life accounts, Straight Dope also contains spoken word pieces compiled of biting social commentary, as well as my own personal reflections comprised of my experiences with drugs.

Purchase the Book Online at:

Amazon.com: Kindle / Paperback

Connect with the Author Online via:

• Email: info@mainlinepub.com
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/leron-barton/1/b/2b7
• Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/ninjagaiden78/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MainlineLeRon
• Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/channels/mainline
• Website: www.mainlinepub.com
• YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/MainlinePub

Enter the Giveaway

Join the Tour in Progess:

Once you sign up with your email or facebook login you are ready to start bidding. You are given a cute avatar and once you join an auction, you can see all the other bidders, their names and their bidding amounts and they occur. No long drawn out waiting as with eBay, the bidding is lively, the items are fabulous and the final bid is usually completed in an average of 2-3 minutes.

Sounds like fun? View the video below, signup and enter the giveaway!

How it Works

We’ve just discovered an addictive new auction site called Tophatter, where buyers bid for sellers’ unique goods in fast-paced virtual auction rooms. From crafts and DIY projects, to antiques, jewelry, home décor and much more, there’s no limit to what you can discover on Tophatter.

With live auctions every day, sellers get to showcase their wares from around the world to a community of thousands of buyers, and answer questions via chat as the clock ticks down. Each lot sells in an average of two minutes, so buyers must bid quickly!

Tophatter’s auctions become interactive live events where buyers and sellers can hang out, chat, and win. Led by the esteemed Sir Wendell Wattington and his animated family, Tophatter auctions keep the fun rolling in.

Also, for readers of BookZone, Tophatter wants to give you $10 off your first $11 purchase!

Enter the Giveaway below:

• Review
• How It Works
• Product/Company Facts

Review

It’s not often that I get an opportunity to review a product that is so closely aligned to my needs. When this opportunity presented itself, I jumped on it with excitement. Despite the fact that I’m not the most techy person about apps, I read the directions and figured out how to download the free android app just for this assignment.

Why?

I’m so glad you asked!

September 2013 will make two years since my life was changed in a devastating manner. After having surgery to amputate both her legs above the knee, it was necessary to find an alternate solution for my mom’s care. Even with the CNA that I had coming in to assist me four hours a day during the week, I could not cope with the round the clock care that was necessary for my mom’s wellbeing. All of the research and book knowledge in the world could not help me at that point, it had become more than I could handle and I had to admit that and make the hardest choice of my life–choosing a nursing home that would become the new permanent home for my mom.

I thank God daily for my best friend Sue, who is a caretaker at heart. After the passing of her husband two years ago, she looked around for someone to assist and she picked me! At that time I was the choir director at my church, attending Bible classes, working full time at a 9-9, and part time blogging, when I could squeeze it in.

She had been through the deterioration of her mom’s mental condition and the nursing home selection process three years earlier and was a gentle rock, guiding me through the process as I balked at breaking a promise I had made to never place her in a nursing home. Neither of us had anticipated the onset of alzheimers and the end result of many years of being a diabetic.

We found the perfect nursing home–one that is faith based and noted for a low tolerance for patient neglect / abuse. They were patient with me as I waded through tons of paperwork, silent tears rolling down my face. She was placed there on August 15th–my birthday.

A month later, I felt vindicated as I saw the great care she received. Four months later, I made a video of her wheeling around in her wheelchair like a pro. Then one day, going home in a cab after a visit with her, I had an epiphany! We were paused at a red light and a funeral procession crossed the intersection in front of us. I had been weeping silently in the backseat trying to ignore the cab driver who sensed something was wrong and tried to cheer me up by talking too much.

As I saw that hearse go by, God dropped a message into my spirit that helped me make a 180 in my outlook. You see, the funeral party were mourning someone who was dead, yet I was mourning someone who was alive. God showed me that although the sharp woman that I grew up was now dead to me, the person herself was still alive, just going through a new stage in her life. I needed to take my focus off of what was and focus on what is. She lives and I still have time to appreciate and get to know who she is now.

What a fabulous message and right on time. Since then I have taken pictures of her and a few videos to memorialize her accomplishments over the past two years. Saving Memories Forever has taken me to a new level in that aspect. Not only do I have videos and pictures, now I have a virtual relative online, available for the next generation as well as our relatives overseas.

Last week Sunday was a very lucid day for my mom, so I asked her some questions and she answered to the best of her ability and I recorded them on my android phone and uploaded to the website. I am very excited about this site and app! Just think how many people can make awesome memories and have relatives out of the country, like we have, access the memories right from their home office. This app makes the perfect addition to the family reunion site that I have begun creating to pull families and histories together before they are lost.

I’d give the site four thumbs up…but I’ve only got two!

How It Works

The app and the site are very intuitive to use, here are some images of the steps:

Step One

Step 1: Create a virtual relative and add a picture to it. (This can be done on the phone or via the website.) Once that is done, click on the arrow to go to the next stage.

Step Two

Step 2: This screen guides you into choosing what time frame for which you wish to create a memory. This begins at 0-12 and goes up to 56+. Then there is also the option to choose topically, like favorite songs, philosophy, religion etc.

Once you’ve chosen you then click on the arrow to go to the next stage.

Step Three

Step 3: After you choose a time frame or topic, the next screen takes you starter questions that will help the memories flow–from there you click on the arrow to go to the next stage.

Step 4 – Recording

Step 4: This is the fun stage. This is where the recording occurs. You or your subject can then begin speaking on the topic chosen. Once the recording is completed. You have the option to play it back right away and either re-record or upload the memory to site then begin all over again creating a new memory for the same virtual relative or a new one.

Product/Company Facts:

 

Product Facts:

There is a free version available as well as a premium version for $3.99 a month or $40 a year. With the premium version everything is unlimited. With the free version you are able to use the free Android or iPhone apps, record and upload MP3 files that are 25Mb or less from your PC to website, add photos of the storytellers and add tags to stories. Limitations to use of the free version are as follows:

• Only two storytellers permitted.
• Only ten listeners permitted monthly.
• Only able to listen to five stories per day.
• Unable to use tags to search for stories
• Unable to add photographs to stories
• Unable to attach word documents
• Cost of $12.95 to download zip file of all your stories

 

Company Facts:

• Saving Memories Forever is the winner of the Project Innovation award
• Active duty military personnel receive free premium subscriptions
• Saving Memories Forever is the brainchild of Harvey and Jane Baker who realized upon completion of family chart that it really needed some work. Harvey is an electrical engineer by trade and generally a techy guy who figured out a way that a smartphone and a website could work in conjunction to ensure that others would not have the problem of a family history filled with holes. With the use of Saving Memories Forever, families can create their history as it occurs.

NOTE: I was only able to find the android app on Google play. The iPhone app is available on iTunes and Google play.

As an avid reader, libraries and book stores have been my favorite places to go  for as long as I can remember. I’ve always had a feeling a peace and quiet while surrounded by books. I love the smell of them, the crisp sound a page makes when it’s being turned and the fact that I can get sucked into the world that the author has created and forget who or where I am.

This led me to open my own online book store in 2001, I figured that since I had had problems finding books for my daughter as a child and teen that my research would assist with the book store. It did for awhile. I had orders from people who were delighted to find multicultural books all in one place. I had done the hard work for them so the orders poured in. Alas, I did not have a backup plan for 9/11 and although I made it through 2002, I ended up having to close my business in December of 2003.

That being said, you would think that I would be totally averse to the online arena where books are concerned but that is not so. Were I still living in New York where transportation is easy or I could walk to the library or book store with ease, I might have had problems with the transition. However, living in bucolic Whitehall, PA and being car-less, lends itself to adjustment quite easily.

Once I got tired of waiting for the bus, I graduated to cabs then finally broke down to asking fellow church members for rides. When I tired of asking people for rides and missing out on my favorite series, I began to explore the possibilities of the ebook. You see, ebooks were not a part of my repertoire when I sold online previously, ebooks were not yet popular. In 2004…I experienced the drought and gravitated to ebooks. At first the quality was not so great. My hopes were also dashed because the series that I followed had not yet graduated to ebooks.

By 2005, editors were making good money because the quality of the ebooks improved and I was hooked. Mainstream publishers began to see the trend and then began making their books available in ebook format, however, the prices were more than I was prepared to pay for a book that could be erased with a virus. (Which is what has happened to me on two occasions.)

All in all, I enjoy the fact that one small device, like a kindle, can carry around thousands of books which I can have at my disposal anytime I wish. No cluttered bedroom or living room to make me feel claustrophobic and I have countless books to read.  What else can I say but whether brick and mortar or strictly online–book stores are awesome!

I grew up as the youngest of eight on a small beautiful island off the coast of South America. Having the title of “the youngest” wasn’t something I had aspired to, it just was. That position in the family hierarchy had its blessings and its curses. The blessings entailed being protected and coddled by everyone for my own good, whether I understood it or not. The curses entailed being shut down, poohed poohed and told that I should be seen and not heard because I was just a child.

Not one to give up easily, I found ways around those things. I read a lot and journaled to express all the things I wanted say that I wasn’t allowed to because no one wanted to hear it. When I did get the opportunity to speak, I seized the moment and spoke as fast as I could to get my thoughts expressed before the thought killer “shut up!” could be tossed out.

Now before you start going, you poor baby, I will confess that I can talk. I could talk back then and I can still talk now. Now, they encourage you go to classes for a while and give you a nice license afterwards and call you a speaker or a minister. So you are empowered to do what you do naturally anyway. I’m like a 007-ette, Licensed… to… Speak…lol.  Na Na Na Nahhhh,  Na, Na Nahhh!

Now that I’m licensed to speak, I’m speaking out for all the “babies” of the families who were shut up, shut down and put into place one moment, then spoiled and coddled the next for their own good. What I didn’t understand at the time was that there was a method or a secret behind the coddling and the protectiveness for my own good—but I was too young to yet understand the reason.

I guess the same way I didn’t understand being coddled and protected for my own good, it’s the same way I feel about the coupon craze spreading around the Internet. I just don’t get it. They are always for products I don’t use or more expensive than I’m accustomed to using, however, every other site I visit I see an invitation to download X-amount of coupons and save.  While the adult in me realizes that there is a method or secret behind the coupon system that makes it work. The little girl or “baby” in me still says, “I don’t get it!”

I read posts in the comment section about saving as much as $100 off with Dell coupons and all that I see when I see coupons is my nose, because I go cross-eyed. So if anyone out there feels benevolent enough to share the secret or method behind couponing with me. Don’t be shy, stop on by. Help the coupon challenged.

From the Back Cover:

Accompany Eugene Uttley on a mythological “hero’s journey” to another world and back again, and join him as he articulates the prize that he won there–The Ultimate Boon.

Through his struggles in coping with schizophrenia, Uttley has come to know what he wants. Now he just needs to figure out how to get it.

This experimental open letter includes original and appropriated prose, poetry, song, prayer… memoir, travelogue, sketches of Uttley’s present-day life, and literary exegesis. Its many sources and topics are ranging, but circle always back to the overarching theme of recovery from mental illness through better knowledge of self and becoming more whole, a complex process both mental and spiritual, which entails increasing awareness of connectedness to the greater whole, the infinite.

An Excerpt:

[Looking again at Joseph Campbell’s many steps in the hero’s journey, I come to the step called The Ultimate Boon. It is the penultimate step in the quest, the achievement of the goal, the winning of the prize. It is not the end; there are five or six steps after it, including The Crossing of the Return Threshhold and The Freedom to Live, which is overcoming the fear of death. But what Campbell says about The Ultimate Boon is very interesting. It’s about God (or gods and goddesses) being the custodian of the prize. He says what the hero finds himself seeking is not God, but God’s grace, a “sustaining substance”:

"This miraculous energy-substance and this alone is the Imperishable; the names and forms of the deities who everywhere embody, dispense, and represent it come and go. This is the miraculous energy of the thunderbolts of Zeus, Yahweh, and the Supreme Buddha, the fertility of the rain of Viracocha, the virtue announced by the bell rung in the Mass at the consecration, and the light of the ultimate illumination of the saint and sage. Its guardians dare release it only to the duly proven."

I have the sense of having proven myself. Not to any mystical guardians or even to God, but to myself. I lasted the course of my year-long psychotic break and, like Job, I did not blame or curse God or my fate. I countenanced the loss of my station, my ability to work – and of practically all my possessions – with fairly good humor and temperament, if I do say so myself. And after I had endured the mental and spiritual maelstrom long enough, say nine months, I dedicated all my energies to making myself well. I had whipped myself into decently good shape by the time I finally sought professional help. All the medical people I’ve come into contact with and told my story to congratulate me on the work I’ve done to overcome my symptoms, and I take those congratulations to heart. Taming the lions of dysfunctional thinking, mastering and shepherding oneself, is not an easy task. Now I’ve just about got myself jumping through hoops.

By the grace of God, I know what I want. You guessed it: to be whole. To be mentally and spiritually whole and to cultivate an ever-keener awareness of connectedness to the greater whole. I’m not saying I’ve accomplished these goals. In fact. I’m pretty sure they’re not the kind of goals one ever quite achieves. But knowing them as goals, and being in the process of working towards them is sweet relief from the restlessness of heart I had as a youth. It’s a hollow feeling, not knowing what you want. To know is to have that hollowness filled, that vacant space occupied by a worthy ideal. Wisdom warns against desire, but there is power in wanting, power that can fuel the will and keep lit that precious torch, hope.

INvoke

knowing is hard to trust
for facts take faith
and faith I find
in short supply
but ficts I got
in spades

Thisclaimer

Now and again am I
of a mind to write
yet what have I to describe
who have known but a moment
of no moment and none
other than this?

In these two poems from the old chapbook, I see the aimlessness I felt at that time. Obviously it irked me enough to spur me to write about it. No facts, just ficts. Those ficts became trouble. Being delusional was like living fiction. Now, with faith, facts are easier to come by. Faith is a foundation, a solid base on which to build. In Thisclaimer there is a humility I like, but also that aimlessness. “What have I to describe?” Why, the workings of my mind! The goofy profundity of selected great works and the glorious trivia of the day-to-day...]

Enter to win a copy of The Boon or $15 in books from The Book Depository!

Title: Good Ghost Gone Bad

Author: Janiera Eldridge (Check out her other books on Amazon)

Synopsis: Brianna Moreno was an average 22-year-old women who loved shopping, hanging out with her friends, and making more career plans . . . until the night she was brutally and unexpectedly murdered.

Now she finds herself trapped in the ghost world while residing on earth. The problem is, her killer can see all of his ghostly victims and enjoys taunting them as much as he does killing them. Brianna soon finds out that her killer has horrible new plans concerning her family.

Brianna meets up with a few of her killer’s past victims to hatch a plan so terrifying, the entire town will never be the same again.

Brianna is a good ghost gone bad; the good-girl side is gone forever!

*This book is not a YA read. 18+ only for sex, strong language and strong violence.

Add it to your TBR list: Goodreads 

Cover Artist: Janiera Eldridge

1. Your debut novel, Cephrael’s Hand was the winner of The Written Arts Award for both the best fiction and the best Sci-Fi/Fantasy categories–congratulations! So tell us, what was the inspiration behind this story, and can you tell us a little bit about it?

I started the first version of Cephrael’s Hand when I was going through a difficult time in my life. I needed the cathartic joy that I’d always found in writing. I didn’t set out to write a novel—just to write. That first draft had no planning, no world-building, no design. It was pure creative inspiration. And it was awful!

But the characters… I had brought them into being, and they insisted that they had a story to tell. It took my growing as a writer—and over a million words tossed into the trash—to finally tell their story properly.

Cephrael’s Hand is the result of a philosopher’s approach to fantasy. It’s the story of one man’s steadfast determination to save the realm he swore to protect, and his willingness to do anything it takes to accomplish that end—even to betray those he loves. It’s the story of the unlikely pieces (men and women) who unknowingly fall beneath his shadow, and of the players who follow him. Ultimately, it’s a story of salvation.

I see fantasy as a metaphor for life in this world. We all face tests of our honor. We’re all working to accomplish our goals and flourish and prosper. Few of us set out to do evil. Yet evil is done. Goals are abandoned. Integrity is compromised. We totter precariously on thin wires as we move through the labyrinth of life. I strive with my series to illuminate those wire-thin paths, that we might find solid ground beneath them.

2. Without giving away too much, can you reveal what’s in store for the readers when they crack open Cephrael’s Hand?

If you listen to my critics—too many characters! But this is an epic fantasy dealing with a conflict that spans multiple kingdoms. It takes a team to save the world.

Hopefully you’ll meet interesting characters and a world you can easily find your own place within. You’ll discover pirates, princes, star-crossed lovers and philosopher-soldiers. You’ll see many characters who are not as they appear, and a few who are exactly as they seem. You’ll find adventure on a perilous road with prince Ean val Lorian, and farcical escapades with Trell of the Tides and the pirate Carian vran Lea.

You’ll often wonder who is good and who is evil—because most villains in real life are cloaked in shades of gray.

3. Can you tell us more about some of the key concepts that inspired the world of Cephrael’s Hand?

The story is crafted out of many of the philosophies I’ve studied. As I was planning Cephrael’s Hand, I had been reading about game philosophy. Game philosophy speaks on the importance of games in our lives and takes a look at their composition (barriers, purposes and freedoms) and their anatomy (pieces, players, maker of games). It’s a compelling concept with abundant applications, and I became immediately interested in exploring the ideas more via the story of Cephrael’s Hand.

Balance is another concept that threads throughout the story. Exploration of this idea comes out of my study and practice of yoga. If ever a concept permeates our lives, the pursuit of balance is one. Whether seeking to balance work and parenthood, our social commitments and our private lives, or even just the juggle of that list of a thousand things we’ll never get to, every one of us is seeking balance in some fashion. Placing this concept within the framework of a fantasy story embellishes it with a magical lure.

4. The Cephreal’s Hand constellation plays an important role in the book. Is there a real life constellation that plays a similarly important role in your life?

I can’t say that a particular constellation is important to me personally, though I’ve studied Astrology for many years. But I’m drawn to the idea, both scientifically and philosophically, that we are all connected somehow with each other and the broader universe. String Theory and General Relativity play to this idea from the perspective of science. Certainly, if we are connected to the stars in some esoteric way, then the actions of the stars can impact us. Astrology believes this, and the graphing of natal charts proves an underlying truth in this ancient, mystical and often misunderstood science. Philosophies far and wide declare that we’ve descended or separated from a universal oneness and teach karmic values with the intent of helping us return or re-ascend to that harmonious state.

The concept of Balance in Cephrael’s Hand stems from this idea of universal connectivity.

5. Ever since a linguist named Tolkien came along, language has been a very important aspect of the epic fantasy genre. What inspired the various languages in Cephrael’s Hand?

The desert languages are based on Farsi or Arabic, depending on the tribe. Farsi is one of the oldest languages still in use today, and its traditions lent themselves well to the Kandori culture, which is one of Alorin’s oldest races. Likewise Arabic, being originally a language of the nomadic tribes, seemed the correct base from which to draw the language of the Akkad.

Even older than both of these languages in my novel is Old Alaeic, which is the original language of theangiel, the Maker’s blessed children, and of the two original races: the zanthyrs and the drachwyr. Old Alaeic draws primarily from Gaelic root words. I chose Gaelic because the language maintains some of the earliest roots of our Indo-European linguistic heritage. Its spellings and pronunciations are almost universally reminiscent of mythological beings from ancient times and are often associated, especially in the fantasy genre, with elves, Druids or other mystical races.

6. Which other authors have served as influences and inspiration for your own work?

I love lyrical writing, so my bookshelves host an eclectic mix (albeit heavily weighted with fantasy and science fiction). Those who first come to mind from the fantasy genre are Anne Rice, Patrick Rothfuss and Jacqueline Carey, all of whom carry on a great and fabulous romance with the English language, much to the ecstasy of millions. Being able to string words like pearls into a story that reads at times like poetry in motion seems the greatest pinnacle of storytelling skill.

7. It’s been said that one of the most time-consuming processes of writing epic fantasy is world building. Without giving too much away, what are a few of your favorite world aspects and what inspired them?

As I wrote in a recent guest post, world-building and the magic system developed for the world are intimately connected. We can’t really describe a fantasy world without talking about the magic that rules it, because so much of what we understand about the world derives from our understanding of how the physical laws of the world work.

In creating my world of Alorin, I established five “strands” of the lifeforce known as elae. These strands are a way of describing and codifying the lifeforce which is the source of energy in the world, but they are only one way of describing it. While most of the viewpoints I am writing from agree with describing the lifeforce in terms of “strands,” there are other races in Alorin who have codified it differently, darkly, or with less purity for lack of philosophical simplicity.

I love exploring different viewpoints and imagining how each would describe a universal energy. I love examining the cultures that seek to describe this energy and how their ideals might alter their understanding of it. For example, the Adept race believes that Adepts are born with the ability to work one of the five strands, but only one. Yet some of the “Wildling” races are known to be able to innately work more than one strand.

The Fhorgs race works blood sacrifice to fuel their magic. Would their magic work without such sacrifice? The Adepts believe that it would. Yet within the Adept philosophy, a working of magic requires faith both in the existence of power and in one’s ability to manipulate it. If the Fhorgs don’t believe themselves able to wield the lifeforce without letting blood, it follows that magic would become unavailable to them simply because of their lack of belief. Moreover, because the Fhorgs don’t limit their ideas of their magical ability to a five strand approach, it’s possible they might achieve more through the wielding of it–or not. These are existential questions for these two races, questions which set them at odds with each other. Questions from which derive conflicts and persecutions, intrigues and betrayals.

Such explorations fuel both world-building and magic-system building, because their delineation establishes how the world works, how the people of the world interact with the energy that fuels it, how they interact with each other, and how they use the energy itself to work arcane acts.

8. You grew up in a house full of musicians, but your creativity emerged in the form of writing. Have you always felt called to write?

I always thought I would end up with a career in music like the rest of my family. I grew up harboring such an appreciation of these accomplished, classical musicians all around me, it seemed a natural course to follow in their footsteps.

Instead, I stumbled into writing the way one sometimes bumps into providence, colliding with it accidentally. I happened to take a creative writing class in high school. My creative writing instructor believed the best way to teach writing was to send her students out to actually write. So I did—hundreds of pages over the next few years. Writing became both an outlet for my creativity and the escape reading had always provided. I know I share that love affair with many authors.

9. At one time or another, most writers hit the wall and their work stalls because of the dreaded writer’s block. What do you do to get around or over this mental wall to resume writing?

Usually I turn to music—either composing it or listening to it. If I can find a great new song, sometimes that will help inspire me out of the hole. When a scene just isn’t working, I’ve learned to go back to where I was last doing well in the story and scrap everything that came after. It’s an agonizing process, but often necessary.

10. The Dagger of Adendigaeth, Book 2 in your series, has just been published. How has your vision expanded from book 1 to book 2, and what kind of creative growth have you experienced in your process this second time around?

We grow as writers with every novel—at least I believe that’s the goal. Many of the things I gained in writing The Dagger of Adendigaeth are intangible, ineffable understandings of myself and my creative process. I think of those times of being fabulously, fantastically stuck and the final moment of inspiration that launched me out of that depressing well. I think of the plot twists that came to me completely without warning, and the absolute magic that is the creative process.

The thing I loved most about writing this book was being able to explore so many viewpoints—especially the viewpoints of those characters who might be viewed as antagonists. But I don’t and never have seen them that way. It’s my greatest purpose in writing this series to be able to show the motivations and ideals that mold and shape each character. The more we can understand each other, the closer to a peaceful coexistence we will find, whether in the microcosm of our lives or the broader political and religious zones.

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Cephrael’s Hand eBook edition is just 99 cents this week. What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes.

The prizes include a Kindle Fire, $450 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment–easy to enter; easy to win!

To win the prizes:

1. Purchase your copy of Cephrael’s Hand for just 99 cents
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest on Novel Publicity
3. Visit today’s featured social media event

About Cephrael’s Hand: Two brothers find themselves on opposite sides of a great battle, neither knowing the other is alive… A traitor works in exile while preparing for the disaster only he knows is coming… A race of beings from beyond the fringe of the universe begin unmaking the world from within… And all across the land, magic is dying.Cephrael’s Hand is the first novel in the award-winning series A Pattern of Shadow and Light.Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the author: Melissa McPhail is a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid Fantasy reader. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, their twin daughters and two very large cats. Visit Melissa on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

DESCRIPTION:

In a world of war and mayhem, a woman awakens on a train without memory or identity and her world becomes a twisted nightmare when she’s attacked by fleshless, undead cannibals.

After taking the name of the notorious outlaw, Neasa Bannan, she uncovers a horrifying conspiracy engineered by Doctor Saul, the psychopathic mastermind behind the Confederacy’s deadly flesh-hungry weapons. A homicidal gunslinger, a jilted lover, and a brotherhood of killers emerge out of Neasa’s tragic, blood-soaked past while the living dead ravage the land.

With the fate of her identity and self-image in the balance, Neasa must decide: save the Union from the undead menace, or surrender to Saul’s vision of ultra-violence.

Vincenzo Bilof is an author from Detroit, Michigan, and the recipient of SNM Horror Magazine’s “Literary Achievement” award in 2011. Vincenzo has published more than twenty short stories, including appearances in SNM Publishing’s Bonded by Blood IV: Scarlet Sunset, Zombie Buffet from Open Casket Press, and Frightmares by Dark Moon Books. Vincenzo has also authored two zombie novels: Nightmare of the Dead from Severed Press, and Under a Red Sun from Open Casket Press. Forthcoming anthology appearances include Psycho Cinema from Pill Hill Press and I’ll Never Go Away Vol. 2 from Rainstorm Press.

To learn more about Vicenzo check out his blog, Amazon Author Page or follow him on Twitter.

To support Vincenzo you may purchase a copy of Nightmare of the Dead in Paperback ($9.99) or Kindle ($2.99) format.

I am a color coordinating maven, so I will admit that the above photo caught my eye because I knew the colors would go well with my blog’s color scheme. It was only after the fact when I saw the photo enlarged that I realized that the centerpiece actually contained live goldfish. Now that’s what I call a unique. If you’re going for unique when it comes to your wedding centerpieces…there’s an idea right there.

Although I did have a fun flash of a kiddie or two trying to “fish” while their adults are distracted by the food and festivities…lol. I guess with every brilliant idea comes a risk or two…it all depends on how much of a risk you’re willing to take to make your day fun, fashionable and fabulously you!

Every bride and groom wants their wedding to be the perfect wedding, especially the bride, because most women dream of what their wedding will be like from girlhood onward. If said girl is a reader, she has probably read countless romantic novels and literally or figuratively highlighted the romantic ideas for just this moment in time. She has probably paged through numerous wedding magazines as a teen and as an adult searched the Internet for ideas that will ensure that her day will be just so.

In her research, she has discovered the merits of the unity ceremony and has presented the idea to her groom-to-be and he loves it, the only decision is whether they wish to utilize candles or sand. Although they both symbolize the eternal nature of the joining of marriage and two lives becoming one and forming a new unbreakable mosaic…the question was which one to choose to make their day perfect.

Nothing is more guaranteed to jerk you out of your rosy ring flashing glow than getting down to the nitty gritty that is wedding planning. However, in order to have the wonderful day you desire, it is a necessary task–so why not make it as enjoyable a task as possible?

You and your spouse-to-be can set your ground rules and deal breakers, decide which family members you will go to when you just cannot come to an agreement and then you’re ready to begin! One  of the decisions that can make or break the impressions with which your guests are left is choice of the gift of appreciation.

You want something memorable as well as something that says, “Thank you for coming.”  Wine wedding favors say all that however, not all brides and grooms can agree on that as their choice. What about you? Yes or No?

Wedding planning can be a stressful endeavor for the bride and groom, as well as those close to them. Some brides and grooms may choose to do the work themselves considering it a joy, and some may choose to hire a wedding planner. Whichever way you choose to go, it will mean that you will have more time on your hands to enjoy the time leading up to your wedding, however, you will still have to make the large decisions…such as…additions to proceedings that would make it truly unique and truly yours. For e.g. a unity sand ceremony.

This is a unique addition that involves colored sand, three containers,  one large and two smaller ones made of either glass or plastic. The bride and groom pours different colored sand into the large container in the middle and they blend into a new color symbolizing the newness and blending of their life together.

If you’re like me and have been losing and gaining the same twenty-nine pounds for the past five years, you’ve realized that your body is fighting you. It may be fighting you because like me, you work a sedentery job so you don’t get enough exercise. It may be fighting you because like me, you just don’t like that many vegetables. It may be fighting you because, like me, you eat all hours of the day and night because you have a weird sleep pattern.

Whatever your reason may be…your body has gotten used to having stored fat and every time you go to lose the weight, like me it is first water loss, a bit of fat, then it heads for my muscle mass. HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) a naturally produced hormone in the human body takes care of that. Administered in small doses, it targets the fatty areas in the body by helping your body to break down the fat it’s been storing.

The good news is, although it is a hormone produced by pregnant women, it is safe for usage by both men and women in small amounts.