tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89119915055190477492024-02-07T03:55:54.512-06:00Mike's Blog & NotesMike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.comBlogger210125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-37019539199057607872013-12-24T10:14:00.000-06:002013-12-24T10:14:19.102-06:00Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-51109846399110127012013-11-27T07:24:00.002-06:002013-11-27T07:24:51.197-06:00Our nation’s Thanksgiving: A time to thank God<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OUR NATION'S FIRST Thanksgiving Day took place on November 26, 1789.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a religious event.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To the
chagrin of the anti-religionists among us today, on September 25, 1789, the
first act of Congress after framing the Bill of Rights, which prohibited an
establishment of religion, was to pass a resolution requesting that the
President of the United States recommend to the people a “Day of Public
Thanksgiving and Prayer.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
Resolution is clear evidence that our Founding Fathers never imagined that the
language of the Establishment Clause they had just adopted in the Bill of
Rights would someday be interpreted by the Supreme Court as creating a “wall of
separation between church and state” and used to ban God from the public
square. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Washington
enthusiastically agreed to the Resolution of both Houses of Congress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his Proclamation dated October 3, 1789, he
began: “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of
Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to
implore His protection and favour; …”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nowadays,
Thanksgiving in America is a joyful celebration; a day to spend with family and
friends; a day to eat turkey; a day to watch football and Thanksgiving Day
parades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But at this time of great
turmoil around the world, it is important that we reflect on the reasons for
our Nation’s First Thanksgiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this
Thanksgiving Day, please, take time to thank God for the many blessings we
enjoy in this amazing land of ours, and to think about, and implore God’s
protection, over the men and women serving in our Armed Forces who stand the
lonely guard, in rough and faraway places, so that we may enjoy this
Thanksgiving Day far from the sounds of war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below is the
first National Thanksgiving proclamation issued by President Washington. Please
take a moment to read it. Click <a href="http://www.thomasmore.org/first-thanksgiving-proclamation-given-george-washington">here </a>to see the actual Proclamation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-59540876417977523712013-11-24T23:42:00.000-06:002013-11-24T23:42:14.528-06:00Conscience rights under the Obama Administration, next on Faith on Trail<div align="justify">
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ON MAY17, 2009 President Obama gave the commence address at the University of
Notre </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Professor Charles Rice</span></td></tr>
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Dame and was awarded an honorary degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The invitation was controversial and was opposed by the local Catholic
Bishop and 80 other U.S. bishops across the nation, as well as numerous members
of the faculty at Notre Dame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During his
address, the president said: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Let's
honor the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">conscience</b> of those who
disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure
that all of our health care policies are grounded not only in sound science,
but also in clear ethics, as well as respect for the equality of women." How
well did he do in honoring the conscience rights of those who disagree with
abortion? This week on Faith on Trial Charles E. Rice, Professor Emeritus at
Notre Dame Law School, will grade the president on that promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Professor Rice is the author of the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What Happened at Notre Dame</i> and the
forthcoming <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Contraception and Persecution</i>.
Listen to Professor Rice this Tuesday at 9 a.m. and re-broadcast at 9 p.m.
(central) on Iowa Catholic Radio, 1150 AM, 88.5 & 94.5 FM and streaming
live on IowaCatholicRadio.com.</div>
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Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-6472306261355775932013-11-22T10:10:00.000-06:002013-11-22T10:10:34.490-06:00Where were you 50 years ago today? Do you know who else died that day?<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">EVERYBODY
ALIVE 50 years ago will remember where they were when they heard the news of
President Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This weekend there will be numerous
television specials on the assassination and its continuing affect on the
United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But did you know that on
the same day President Kennedy (b. 1917) died the great Christian apologist C.
S. Lewis (b. 1898) also died? Lewis, you might recall, was a prolific author
who penned such classics as The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, the
Great Divorce and the Screwtape Letters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ironically, Aldous Huxley (b.1894) also died on this date 50 years ago. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-69849840095462138882013-04-15T00:01:00.001-05:002013-04-15T00:01:41.977-05:00Great time at Ankeny Library's Author Fair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend Bob Dunbar (R) and me Saturday</td></tr>
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A big, big thank you to Joy King and the staff of the Kirkendall Public Library in Ankeny for the great Authors Fair Saturday. Great event and all who were there really enjoyed it. Thanks again, Joy, and your entire staff.</div>
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Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-31317149019924039062012-10-25T08:58:00.000-05:002012-10-25T08:58:36.533-05:00Iowa Author Fair this Sunday
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl0iYS57qgcNUaYj5OC-uoJHkgwIBPLYokqvv3MKfuE75Ycq373AeQ7DaqntWycztuR9didKYRF4o8bz3EdFOoMn4deGeVRhtkT_0G-SfH9Q0VDqKV-CtcsOeI5nqg6rhb8xsDuyGJoS4/s1600/Pen+&+Ink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl0iYS57qgcNUaYj5OC-uoJHkgwIBPLYokqvv3MKfuE75Ycq373AeQ7DaqntWycztuR9didKYRF4o8bz3EdFOoMn4deGeVRhtkT_0G-SfH9Q0VDqKV-CtcsOeI5nqg6rhb8xsDuyGJoS4/s200/Pen+&+Ink.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will be one of many, many authors taking part in the Iowa
Authors Fair this Sunday (Oct. 28) – part of the WOW! Wonder of Words Festival!
– at Capital Square in Downtown Des Moines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We will be signing our books from 1 to 5 p.m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are free, stop by and say “hello” and
maybe buy a book or two.</span></div>
Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-7486256680916320702012-10-08T23:35:00.000-05:002012-10-08T23:36:50.329-05:00Monday With Mike: Romance author Maggie Rivers<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THE FOURTH OF the other authors at our Friday’s book signing at Chololaterie Stam is Maggie Rivers who I would say is the “ring leader” of the signing. Maggie was born and raised in Alabama and started developing her writing career at an early age by first making squiggles on paper that only she understood but were a story to her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later she would use her brother’s typewriter to hunt and peck out stories. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She sold my first piece of writing in her early twenties to a parent’s magazine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is how she tells the rest of her story”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“After graduating from high school, I joined the U.S. Air Force to see the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I served my entire time in Texas as a nurse (so much for seeing the world). While there, I did attend college, majoring in Journalism and Elementary Education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After leaving the Air Force, I moved to Tennessee where I met my present husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a handsome son and two grandchildren (a boy and a girl).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We moved to Iowa which is now our home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After moving to Iowa, I again attended college, majoring in Photography and Criminal Justice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“I love writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's actually hard work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to connect your "tushy" to a chair in front of a computer (typewriter, or whatever it is you use) for hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My friend and fellow romance author, Emma Robuck, e-mails the word "BICHOK" to me during the day which means "butt in chair, hands on keyboard".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Writing is a solitary job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can go for days without seeing anybody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You get lost in</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the world you're creating, talking with the people you create.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess it's like pretend play, except I'm pretending to be a type of God, creating my own universe and throwing whatever disasters at my characters I can think up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Believe me, I can think up some pretty great disasters, too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“In addition to writing, I am also an award-winning photographer and specialize in nature and wildlife photography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My love of photography developed in my early years as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started out by making my pets (8 beagle hounds, one German shepherd, one squirrel monkey and a half dozen cats) sit still long enough for me to take black and white photos of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After high school, I furthered my photographic studies while serving in the U.S. Air Force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then, I have attended the Rocky Mountain School of Photography's Nature Photography Workshop Series at Wildeyes in Kalispell, Montana, and graduated from the "Beginning Nature Photography Course" and the "Advanced Nature Photography Course" taught by Joe and Mary Ann McDonald at Hoot Hollow in McClure, Pennsylvania.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have continued my photographic studies by completing college level courses in photography and by attending photographic workshops and seminars held by such well-known nature photographers as John Shaw, John and Barbara Gerlach, Harry June, Rick Hobbs and Ty Smedes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a field contributor to Nature Photographer magazine and a member of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). I have won numerous awards and was selected to participate in the "Faces of Iowa" project which was exhibited at the Des Moines Art Center before traveling around the State of Iowa.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Maggie has co-authored the books in the Stilettos series with Deanne Rowe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maggie’s web page is </span><a href="http://maggierivers.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">http://maggierivers.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Plus, there’s one more little “secret” that Maggie and I share … but you’ll have to come to the book signing to find out!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember, <strong>4-7 p.m. Friday, October 12, Chololaterie Stam, 2814 Ingersoll, Des Moines.</strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maggie, Deanne, Ann Morris, James Seloover and me … make it a date!<o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
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Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-24318431679500861402012-10-01T16:31:00.000-05:002012-10-01T16:32:44.398-05:00Mondays With Mike: Romance Author C. Deanne Rowe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQqj-7u9CZK5LbuL3aMup32V4U0khKbpZYCpfu1OM9k5ELtTeVgBLAyejtYdbOtl2UpE70lqb_lljG2FrArd3WaMYH6H73IaefpOPlHQfi-AKSTcA7vkBoYaUgPO-qpXto97RZnN6Sac/s1600/WOL-Headshot21-300x291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQqj-7u9CZK5LbuL3aMup32V4U0khKbpZYCpfu1OM9k5ELtTeVgBLAyejtYdbOtl2UpE70lqb_lljG2FrArd3WaMYH6H73IaefpOPlHQfi-AKSTcA7vkBoYaUgPO-qpXto97RZnN6Sac/s200/WOL-Headshot21-300x291.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;">THIS WEEK IS the third in the series about the other four authors who will be joning me Friday October 12 at Chololaterie Stam, 2814 Ingersoll, Des Moines from 4-7 p.m. C. Deanne Rowe is a prolific writer who has co-authored a number of books in the Stilettos Series: <em>Mrs. Clause Wears Stilettos, Venus in Stilettos</em>, and <em>Stilettos (Flip Flops) in the Sand</em>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Here is waht Deanne says about how she got involved in writing: "Growing up in Oklahoma I was always the dreamer. . . . I learned when I was young it was easier for me to put my feelings down on paper than to express them in spoken form. I started writing poetry and short stories to help express those feelings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> "After thousands of thrips to the bookstore and many writing related books later I finally got up the nerve to register for a romance writing class through our local school system.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> "I joined a local writing group, which has since dissolved. Several of us stayed together and formed our own group called Saturday Writers. I became a member of Romance Writers of America, Iowa Romance Novelists and Two Rivers Romance Authors. I also belong to a group of women named Plotters Anonymous and a Critique group where I believe I have learned the most to further my writing career."</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZAov47V7MfIXlmNCYwRfNIOgrpobldxNo5Wo8ok_JSL0B640O8B3Yz51_S8E_8uiGjaO9Yk1OuilYTEt_OybSK-E4MtP-kex9EImGR9lo18Zyw56Q0lBErIoaQ1HdTWdz-dN0NMdsmk/s1600/CowboyTemptation-300-bc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZAov47V7MfIXlmNCYwRfNIOgrpobldxNo5Wo8ok_JSL0B640O8B3Yz51_S8E_8uiGjaO9Yk1OuilYTEt_OybSK-E4MtP-kex9EImGR9lo18Zyw56Q0lBErIoaQ1HdTWdz-dN0NMdsmk/s1600/CowboyTemptation-300-bc.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Her latest book is <em>Cowboy Temptation -- Colt and Cassy</em>. It is about a woman who returns to her family's farm to care for her ailing grandfather. When her grandfather is murdered, she discovers evidence that leads her to believe that a trusted farmhand may be responsible and she has to balance her feelings for the farmhand with the evidence that shows him to be guilty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> You can check out Deanne's website at </span><a href="http://www.cdeannerowe.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">http://www.cdeannerowe.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Deanne will join authors Maggie Rivers, Ann Morris, James Selover and me at Chololaterie Stam October 12. We'll be signing our books and I'll have my two murder mysteries, <em>Murder Most Holy</em> and <em>End of the Line</em>.</span></div>
Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-842489913613484802012-09-24T15:15:00.001-05:002012-09-24T15:15:44.385-05:00Mondays With Mike: Ann Morris bilingual children's author
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> THIS WEEK'S MONDAYS with Mike features a second author
who will be joining me at the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5 Author
book signing <span style="color: black;">Friday <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">October 12, at Chololaterie Stam, 2814 Ingersoll, Des Moines – from 4 to
7 p.m. She is Ann Morris and writes bilingual children’s picture books.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Ann is an Iowa native who writes from the heart and
relates experiences with her young son, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and
imagination. She writes a Spanish version of her books, as she knows they may
be used as children's picture books as well as incentive reading for Language
Learners. She is bilingual and has multicultural interests. She has a passion
for unity and diversity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Mommy
and Mikel Go for a Walk / </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Mikel y Mami dan un Paseo </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">is
based on a true story held in Ann’s heart for over a decade. Mikel is her son,
now an adult. The spirit and the events of the story are true. This book is
dedicated to Mikel, her first inspiration.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6rzmiiL650GxMHxGZdSc385LMLhooxoFd4uLtqVhWMdg4vS1y-3JUzzm8Y6kymbHANDXg8MoHeflgBYBrFNCuMluWpn9rrjRsA6_k-1iuTfeZs-y7rS9og5aRY6dtdHyGkul2SPQMbA/s1600/ResizeImageHandler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6rzmiiL650GxMHxGZdSc385LMLhooxoFd4uLtqVhWMdg4vS1y-3JUzzm8Y6kymbHANDXg8MoHeflgBYBrFNCuMluWpn9rrjRsA6_k-1iuTfeZs-y7rS9og5aRY6dtdHyGkul2SPQMbA/s1600/ResizeImageHandler.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> She is working on a second
book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Flowers and Butterflies / Flores y Mariposas</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> also in both English and Spanish.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> She is currently she is a self employed <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Bilingual Children's Author and Spanish
Language Consultant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She attended </span>Wartburg
College; Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain and Humboldt High School.</span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">She has a website at <a href="http://annmorrisauthorsite.com/">http://annmorrisauthorsite.com/.</a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Ann will be joining me and fellow authors, James
Seloover, Maggie Rivers and C. Deanne Rowe at Chololaterie Stam on October 12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will have both of my murder mysteries, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder Most Holy</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">End of the Line </i>available for sale
(discounted)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span> </div>
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Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-87286927328527542782012-09-17T13:48:00.001-05:002012-09-17T13:48:29.187-05:00Mondays With Mike: Author James Seloover
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>OKAY, OKAY, I’M temporarily (perhaps permanently)
bringing back Mondays with Mike to introduce you to the authors who will be
joining me <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friday </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">October 12, at <br />
Chololaterie Stam, 2814 Ingersoll, Des Moines – from 4 to 7 p.m. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The first author is James Seloover and here is a
bit of a bio for him:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He
was raised in northwest Oregon, and graduated from Knappa High in Knappa, Oregon
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Realizing that he was stagnating in the lowest
professional ranks of a part-time pot-washer, he enlisted and spent four few
years with the Air Force in the field of electronics maintenance, four more in
college earning a BS in Businees Administration, then on to the world of
mid-management in retail for an excruciating amount of time. Then it was on to
Spokane Community college to learn web development and to the Oregon Department
of Forestry, and finally with the Department of Administrative Services in Des
Moines. He had a short stint as a long-haul flat-bed truck driver in the
western states between retail and Spokane Community College.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Convinced of the fortunes to be had in the literary
field, James wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://jamesseloover.com/jamesseloover/buybooks/index.htm"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">A Bed of
Needles</span></a></i>. Riding the crest of the ripple of <em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Needles</span></em>', success, he
squandered scant time and is well into the next book, tentatively titled, <em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Never Say Always</span></em>, due for
completion in 2012. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
story in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Bed of Needles</i> is of two
teenagers who became involved in a sexual relationship and believed they could
handle it. The could not. They both made mistakes and both suffered. Both
suffered abuse, the girl's from the family she grew up in. The boy's from the
girl. Their entire relationship occurred during their short time together in
high school and time the boy was in the military. He joined the military
because of the marriage and their circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
book, dealing with domestic abuse while the main character is enlisted in the
Air Force, coencides with both "Domestic Abuse Month," approaching in
October, and with Veterans Day in early November. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is violence, sex, and adult language. It
is not a book for minors. It does have its humorous parts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>James’
web site is </span></span><a href="http://jamesseloover.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">http://jamesseloover.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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forget: Friday October 12 at </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chololaterie Stam, 2814 Ingersoll, Des
Moines – from 4 to 7 p.m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hope to see
you then and I’ll have copies (discounted) of my two murder mysteries, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder Most Holy</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">End of the Line</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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week: more authors!</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-79361148330701293392012-09-10T15:59:00.000-05:002012-09-10T15:59:11.784-05:00Chocolate, books and authors<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Five author book signing!</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">SAVE THE DATE</span></h2>
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<strong>October 12, 2012<br />Chololaterie Stam, 2814 Ingersoll, Des Moines<br />From 4 p.m.
to 7 p.m.</strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Five authors, book signings and chocolate!</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Watch this page for more information</strong></span></div>
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Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-23579017953294417392012-04-19T22:43:00.000-05:002012-04-19T22:43:15.132-05:00New interview of ME up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpVePufcr2yNYBd6NgoUDotcdrikchRurGK6_gwrKu4wTVvW8Qfi8jQ1TNlHoCsmdxBDQ8wnhCA6xRs-epz2wRBhUp-qbuc67SCgqiuJ82X0xKh856y-yb4E1GmuzDenKeVQpmInRdMs/s1600/Lake%2520Sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpVePufcr2yNYBd6NgoUDotcdrikchRurGK6_gwrKu4wTVvW8Qfi8jQ1TNlHoCsmdxBDQ8wnhCA6xRs-epz2wRBhUp-qbuc67SCgqiuJ82X0xKh856y-yb4E1GmuzDenKeVQpmInRdMs/s400/Lake%2520Sunset.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">OKAY, OKAY, I’VE been out of the loop a bit lately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My work at the church increased significantly when my pastor became ill and later died, had a busy Christmas season after which I developed some type of near pneumonia that took my voice for about three weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, just as things were getting back to normal, a big death in my family: my mother died.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anyway, now that things are starting to get back to normal (again), I’m getting back into the writing grove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My two works in progress are my third Parker Noble murder mystery, and something a bit different for me: the story about a little girl who sees a vision in a churchyard.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m also getting busy getting my first book, <em>Murder Most Holy</em>, ready for e-book distribution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hope to get more regular interviews back up.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And, speaking of interviews, check out the one I gave to the Writers of the Lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This just went up on their website: <a href="http://www.writersofthelake.com/dock.html">http://www.writersofthelake.com/dock.html</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take a look and let me know what you think, and check out their great web site while you are there. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">PS – In addition to everything else, I’m becoming a radio “star.” More about that later.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-81160419518723002022011-10-24T07:51:00.000-05:002011-10-24T07:51:38.124-05:00Mondays With Mike: Sparkle Abbey and a New Mystery Series<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBZp2gRBOUOzKn5-gJe6_golYBy8-7VQmn4OZLT3VYeAFJYBvOh1kgGXmds9EUrwYsIYowNvpyTOusfE_doV_5cEAw6OEM1jqqk8Ls2fOcplawlpxvdMnPvPPZzpQ2rsevnG0NIx7Ixo/s1600/SparkleAbbey-AuthorPhoto-2-Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBZp2gRBOUOzKn5-gJe6_golYBy8-7VQmn4OZLT3VYeAFJYBvOh1kgGXmds9EUrwYsIYowNvpyTOusfE_doV_5cEAw6OEM1jqqk8Ls2fOcplawlpxvdMnPvPPZzpQ2rsevnG0NIx7Ixo/s400/SparkleAbbey-AuthorPhoto-2-Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Lee with Sparkle (l) and Anita with Abbey</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">PEOPLE WHO KNOW me know that I love animals so when I found two local writers authoring a new <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Pampered Pets Mysteries”</b> I had to find out more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The writers are Mary Lee Woods (Sparkle) and Anita Carte (Abbey) who write under the name … well, you guessed it … Sparkle Abbey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their first book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperate Housedogs</i> (how’s that for a title!) will be released next week, so please meet Sparkle and Abbey.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Welcome, both of you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First tell me a little bit about you as Sparkle Abbey then something about Mary Lee and Anita.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Sparkle Abbey:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We write the Pampered Pets mystery series together as Sparkle Abbey. We're also friends and neighbors so you'll often find us writing at ML's dining room table or at our local Starbucks. We live in central Iowa, but if we could write anywhere, you would find us on the beach with our laptops and depending on the time of day either an iced tea or a margarita. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Here’s a little bit about each of us: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mary Lee is an avid reader and supporter of public libraries. She lives in Central Iowa with her husband, Tim, and Sparkle, the rescue cat. In her day job she is the non-techie in the City of Des Moines IT Department. Any spare time she spends reading and enjoying her sons and daughter-in-laws, and four grandchildren. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In Anita’s day job, she works for a staffing company in sales and marketing. She also lives in Central Iowa with her husband and four children, son-in-law, grandchild and two rescue dogs, Abby and Chewy. Her family is glad all the years of “fending for yourself” dinners of spaghetti and frozen pizza have finally paid off even though they haven't stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mary Lee is President and Anita is Vice-President of <a href="http://www.sinc-iowa.com/">Sisters in Crime – Iowa</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did you decide to team up to write?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SA: We had belonged to the same critique for several years and had been writing and submitting separately. This was a concept we came up with together and so we decided to team up on the series.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what are the mechanics of writing as a team?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexeUW7xixgK_yYDzcdQ6Wp0ryK8tm-b_-F9DqabdtzIYOa757Cztl3oTTooXfQVRSOTH7o9cRgsMEX22gUErE35Sndm-l_tRXGf4C610FfltfFP67mqHrPTBSfvkJzVAdKHVbt2tiy2I/s1600/294085_175654072514506_100002097439352_385133_1391794456_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexeUW7xixgK_yYDzcdQ6Wp0ryK8tm-b_-F9DqabdtzIYOa757Cztl3oTTooXfQVRSOTH7o9cRgsMEX22gUErE35Sndm-l_tRXGf4C610FfltfFP67mqHrPTBSfvkJzVAdKHVbt2tiy2I/s1600/294085_175654072514506_100002097439352_385133_1391794456_n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SA:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve taken a unique approach to co-writing. The Pampered Pets Mystery Series features amateur sleuths who are cousins. Books 1 & 3 star Caro Lamont, a psychologist turned pet therapist, and books 2 & 4 star Melinda Langston, a dog boutique owner. We share the Laguna Beach setting and some quirky secondary characters. Also, the cousins have cameos in one another’s books. We work closely together on the outline and we frequently work across the table from one other.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did you come up with the name “Sparkle Abby”?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SA: When our publisher asked us to choose a pen name we chose to use Sparkle Abbey because we liked the idea of combining the names of our two rescue pets - Sparkle (ML's cat) and Abbey (Anita’s dog). Our other choice was “Chewbacca Matisse” our other pets but Sparkle Abbey seemed a little catchier.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have either of you written “solo”?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SA:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve both written solo for several years and have each won writing contests but this is the first fiction publication for either of us. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you tell me a little about your upcoming Pampered Pets mystery series?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand the first book in the series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperate Housedogs</i> is being released the first of November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you give me a teaser on it? And the upcoming books in the series, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Get Fluffy,</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kitty, Kitty, Bang, Bang</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yip Tuck</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SA:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperate Housedogs</i> (Nov 1, 2011):<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHCZWvzFQ2B4Y2vvooaJgza4K0jlkrnqgCh0Wtiyc41V0IDSx8Y4MAgc0mEZFIEB29r5c6UDWGVs1iV4bHPGdMu-1tucOY8oecl-Qe8mVhYkI0QwdOIJxWnuyINCCgYLiD37UbJ0BAz0/s1600/305195_183683175044929_100002097439352_411361_1598747981_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHCZWvzFQ2B4Y2vvooaJgza4K0jlkrnqgCh0Wtiyc41V0IDSx8Y4MAgc0mEZFIEB29r5c6UDWGVs1iV4bHPGdMu-1tucOY8oecl-Qe8mVhYkI0QwdOIJxWnuyINCCgYLiD37UbJ0BAz0/s320/305195_183683175044929_100002097439352_411361_1598747981_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Caro Lamont, former psychologist turned pet therapist makes a house call to help a client with his dogs, she expects frantic dogs, she expects a frantic dog owner, she even expects frantic neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What Caro doesn’t expect is that two hours later her client is dead and she is knee deep in murder doo doo. Now with a killer on the loose, her best friend, Diana, in jail, and the police suspicious of her motives, Caro is chasing her tail, sniffing out a killer, and hoping the killer doesn’t find her first.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Get Fluffy</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> (Early 2012):<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Disgraced Texas beauty queen, Melinda (Mel) Langston owns Laguna Beach’s Bow Wow Boutique. Mona Michaels, Mel’s most despised client, owns a star dog, Fluffy, who's worth millions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Mona is found whacked in the head with Fluffy’s Daytime Emmy, everyone wants Fluffy…except Mel. And someone won't stop at murder to get what they want. Secrets...Blackmail...Kidnapping... Mel is like a dog with a bone. But can she dig up the truth before the killer buries her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Kitty, Kitty, Bang, Bang <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When Caro's friend and neighbor, Kitty Bardot, is found gunned down on Pacific Coast Highway just minutes after leaving a star-studded holiday party at the posh Laguna Montage, the police are stumped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The popular Hollywood publicist was well-loved by not only her clients but everyone in the art community and the police seem ready to call Kitty a road rage casualty. But when Laguna art patrons begin contacting Caro with catty tidbits of information that hint at a scandal in Kitty's past, Caro is determined to get to the bottom of who shot Kitty.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yip Tuck: <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Laguna Beach's top plastic surgeon, Jack O'Doggle drops dead in front of the Mel’s shop the Bow Wow Boutique. The last person to see him alive was his blind date and Mel’s best friend…Darby. Mel and Darby put their amateur sleuth skills to the test once again as they expose the doctor's double life as a drag queen named “Jackie O” and the long list of performers who wanted top billing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What started each of you writing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ML: I started writing because I loved reading so much. Like many authors it seems like I’ve always written in one form or another, but it was really my love of mysteries that started me thinking I’d like to try my hand at writing one. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anita: I love reading and storytelling. Even in my everyday life, when I’m recounting what happened throughout the day, it’s a story. In the 5th grade there was a class assignment to create a book, which had to include a story and a book cover. I still have that book. It’s bad, but I love it. After that I must have been bitten by the writing bug. I wrote poems, songs, and novels. But it wasn’t until 1998 that I started writing toward the goal of publication<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M: What are your writing habits? In other words, do you write each day, morning, evening, etc.? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ML:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d like to have more time to write. My life is very full and that’s a wonderful thing! However, with crazy busy family life and crazy busy work life, I find writing is mostly an evenings and weekend pursuit. I do try to write a little or plot a little everyday to keep my head in the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anita: Since I work fulltime, I don’t always have large writing blocks. I write after work and on the weekends. I found I really can be creative while writing under a true deadline.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have any special marketing plans or contests for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperate Housedogs?</i><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SA: We do have some special marking plans! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We will a guest at Joanna Campbell Slan’s Facebook Halloween Party sometime between 9:00 PM and midnight. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4W9pq03r70sK2yhXToclf1jAA8DA7Lp8bptHWFa1Kpl8lwOTaFRlI5ujUOETa7VdI4Jeaf-XIGrFDITgWQX7TERQyrfxn3wtvBofFyIIoCyn08BENphxwBYa9w4eZbXJEq1MqN4Cv24/s1600/306038_159600080786572_100002097439352_338527_997250_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4W9pq03r70sK2yhXToclf1jAA8DA7Lp8bptHWFa1Kpl8lwOTaFRlI5ujUOETa7VdI4Jeaf-XIGrFDITgWQX7TERQyrfxn3wtvBofFyIIoCyn08BENphxwBYa9w4eZbXJEq1MqN4Cv24/s320/306038_159600080786572_100002097439352_338527_997250_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We’ll be hosting a “Yappy Hour” dog walk from <strong>5:00 to 7:00 PM on November 11th</strong> in Des Moines’ Historic East Village which will benefit Raccoon Valley Animal Sanctuary and Rescue. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We also will be partnering with the ARL of Central Iowa on their “Raise Your Paw” auction for naming rights to feature a lucky bidder’s pet’s name in an upcoming Pampered Pets book. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any hobbies, etc. for spare time? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SA: What spare time? LOL We both have very active family lives and so pretty much any time not spent working or writing is family time. If we had more time, we both love to travel. Maybe someday. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M: How can readers contact you? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SA: Readers can reach us through our website at <a href="http://www.sparkleabbey.com/">www.sparkleabbey.com</a> or via email at <a href="mailto:sparkleabbey@gmail.com">sparkleabbey@gmail.com</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, if readers are interested in other books featuring furry friends, we have a website that lists other mystery authors with pet-themed books at: <a href="http://www.petmysteries.com/">www.petmysteries.com</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Our books are available through your local bookseller or on Amazon or Barnes and Noble online; and all are available in e-format for Kindle or Nook. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiZTCWpdSFjCcYKVWze0fDWg1u5JNhj5uD0Bc4yz5bVo7q2WiFg2HwGkd50aGqDwRU92MJAQVltlyGq2lHaQsm8QL8ufgbaqUKklAWhawywbHr7BUhIwg1qId1Y9Fk0swEZCTi9Mub7o/s1600/find_pet.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiZTCWpdSFjCcYKVWze0fDWg1u5JNhj5uD0Bc4yz5bVo7q2WiFg2HwGkd50aGqDwRU92MJAQVltlyGq2lHaQsm8QL8ufgbaqUKklAWhawywbHr7BUhIwg1qId1Y9Fk0swEZCTi9Mub7o/s320/find_pet.png" width="284" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you give us some information on the book launch for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperate Housedogs</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SA:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, here it is: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The book launch will be <strong>November 1st</strong> at the <strong>Des Moines Public Library Downtown </strong>(1000 Grand) at <strong>6:30 PM.</strong> We’ve partnered with the <strong><a href="http://arl-iowa.org/">Animal Rescue League of Central Iowa</a></strong> for the launch and so they’ll also be on site with some information. We invite readers and writers to join us for a short talk, booksigning, and some giveaways. For those who live too far away to make the launch, we’re inviting those who would like to participate in a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperate Housedogs</i> “flash mob” where sometime on November 1, they visit Amazon or Barnes & Noble and check out what the book’s about and if they like what they see they - “Like” us. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d like to thank you both for taking the time to be with me today; good luck on the launch and the entire series.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SA: Thanks so much for inviting us! As you can tell, we’ve had a lot of fun writing the books and we’re pretty excited about the launch of the series.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-18507091632869268762011-10-17T08:57:00.000-05:002011-10-17T08:57:25.997-05:00Mondays With Mike: Novelist and Freelancer Angela Roe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFyzAmHyJ2kjEIyHL5yAK-3LTTXW8oXnfqpvF2saOn_VTMGpc8MUHU9oLVKLZp6rDys7slfqcBumRrS6LTPjVcMgxK_L8IiBv85HJ134EnLvVcDRm9Na5sSfFQdG40U8Gm5R9G44fgmY/s1600/59.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFyzAmHyJ2kjEIyHL5yAK-3LTTXW8oXnfqpvF2saOn_VTMGpc8MUHU9oLVKLZp6rDys7slfqcBumRrS6LTPjVcMgxK_L8IiBv85HJ134EnLvVcDRm9Na5sSfFQdG40U8Gm5R9G44fgmY/s320/59.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">IN ONE OF my first writers groups I met Angela K. Roe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Angie was not only a good writer; she was an excellent editor and made numerous suggestions to my early manuscripts which contributed greatly to their success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is a romance novelist, freelance writer, and a freelance photographer. She has a variety of published Ebooks and online articles based on topics as diverse as home improvement, ballroom dancing, fitness, marketing and research, computer programs and business associations. She also provides SEO copy to industry-leading Web content providers and is happily married to her best friend. She and her husband share five children, nine grandchildren, a dog and a fish and what she terms “a crazy rollercoaster of a life and we depend on each other to make through the laughter and the tears.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Welcome to my blog and thanks for joining us today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, can you tell me a little bit about your novels <em>This Montana Man</em>, and <em>It was Snowing</em>?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoEA1SuNUMVPWMBozzdbYsWDfbXxC-dI3md2zGRxN4r8owkcJTBvQAPAcUxDtoTwWsYGFD_AW_Gxo_4-9wnBNlbMd4OqaMOxGeEAf4dzrZfQ3DbHgTav4qqVkWx485Tbd7pIlxs0GR2c/s1600/68.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoEA1SuNUMVPWMBozzdbYsWDfbXxC-dI3md2zGRxN4r8owkcJTBvQAPAcUxDtoTwWsYGFD_AW_Gxo_4-9wnBNlbMd4OqaMOxGeEAf4dzrZfQ3DbHgTav4qqVkWx485Tbd7pIlxs0GR2c/s1600/68.png" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Angela: <em>This Montana Man</em> is a romance novel about a writer who rents a rundown house on the land of Jamie Overton so she can hide from a crazed stalker while she writes her next book. The romance doesn’t stay on the pages of her book, though and the stalker finds her in a small Montana town. See how the town rallies around her to keep her and her handsome landlord, Jamie, safe. <em>It Was Snowing</em> is a short story that shines a light on a marriage, during one of the most stressful times a marriage, can endure the loss of twins through miscarriage. This one is a personal story as it's a true recounting of what my husband and I went through in March of 1999.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And your other books: <em>The Creeps, The Journey</em>, and <em>Carried Away</em>?</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18EjqjIdDMPmzQcV4-ivIVDRyChFGCNOmlzTW-p7bwXpc1Ttfr3kx4cPfl6dArYujym1-zfZcBbDx_AcO2n1CXryt7WB53X5DskMcbt7fzQwSAEqX9v_GdGxwYwsrs6lnIwxFIBVfkJY/s1600/54.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18EjqjIdDMPmzQcV4-ivIVDRyChFGCNOmlzTW-p7bwXpc1Ttfr3kx4cPfl6dArYujym1-zfZcBbDx_AcO2n1CXryt7WB53X5DskMcbt7fzQwSAEqX9v_GdGxwYwsrs6lnIwxFIBVfkJY/s1600/54.png" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A: <em>The Creeps</em> is a collection of short stories, all with a twist. There are 4 short stories that range from the murder of a pediatric nurse to a Halloween story about a bookstore that's a neighborhood favorite. <em>The Journey</em> is a single short story about what happens after you die, or at least my hope of what happens after you die. This is another one that's near my heart as I wrote it as a way to say goodbye when my grandmother passed away. <em>Carried Away</em> is a collection of short stories about the passengers on a cross-country train. When I see trains, I always wonder who is on them and why, what their stories are and where they're going so I wrote about them. It's an on-going series with another set to come out at the end of October. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have another book under contract with <a href="http://www.echelonpress.com/">Echelon Press</a> entitled <em>Stormy Encounters</em> that's set to come out sometime in mid-2012. I'm thrilled to be under contract with it and I'm working with a terrific group of people.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>M: How did you get published? In other words, what was your road to getting your books before the public?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkugtRESOPXgHaqzzSqMnimu60dif6TILYBuzRPuyu6uYddPIX-WUWY8idirt3HxrcR8FVo9tLnfnvOG93tjgUR8qC98XBxWGiie_H1Tlja6AKT-NJYMk9uMjai70XmYiY8eQP3vbzzA/s1600/55.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkugtRESOPXgHaqzzSqMnimu60dif6TILYBuzRPuyu6uYddPIX-WUWY8idirt3HxrcR8FVo9tLnfnvOG93tjgUR8qC98XBxWGiie_H1Tlja6AKT-NJYMk9uMjai70XmYiY8eQP3vbzzA/s1600/55.png" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A: I've listened to other authors whose experiences with traditional publishing were not positive or sometimes, even ethical. That combined with the lengthy time between acceptance and publication, led my husband and I to look into self-publishing. I'm fortunate to have a husband in the computer industry so he's very analytical and well-versed in formatting and other computer-speak processes. With a bit of time, he published my books. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What started you writing?</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A: I've always been a writer. According to my mom, I wrote before I knew how to write and would tell stories to anyone who would listen. When I'd get upset as a child, I'd rewrite the reality of the situation to change the outcome. It was a pretty handy way to deal with two older brothers. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEkOy4FCRdGKf2iCHBbgViF3fNvTaGj8Wpzb3lurybvNSFaYfexjpYljzXtcvR1u_FCjFvOdVLpn2yjcX5O-lnClFW-Gvs5omzeBG5lMEAbvhCbO5SKwBLzkNc9_6wQ60fW8ocEQrTHE/s1600/29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEkOy4FCRdGKf2iCHBbgViF3fNvTaGj8Wpzb3lurybvNSFaYfexjpYljzXtcvR1u_FCjFvOdVLpn2yjcX5O-lnClFW-Gvs5omzeBG5lMEAbvhCbO5SKwBLzkNc9_6wQ60fW8ocEQrTHE/s1600/29.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>M: What are your writing habits? In other words, do you write each day, morning, evening, etc.?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A: For me personally, if I don't write every day, I lose interest in the story. Plus, I get distracted by day to day life and before I realize it, two years has passed and I'm still on page six. That being said, I'm also a deadline-driven person so being in a writer's group is a requirement. If I'm not held accountable by the expectation of presenting to a writer's group, I'm far more likely to get distracted.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything upcoming?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotk79bSwzWgo7_fC-kaRd5pjctAsrPYu-zoSUe-xOpzbwyWa0x4Mm4rRe4__knAJRmbHdKzwx91U49zkO_IavA9Tf2_cZ2BDuUYnkm8xYjC_14fE-eCHEZbYhPbk-r-IAnyafQmvN760/s1600/62.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotk79bSwzWgo7_fC-kaRd5pjctAsrPYu-zoSUe-xOpzbwyWa0x4Mm4rRe4__knAJRmbHdKzwx91U49zkO_IavA9Tf2_cZ2BDuUYnkm8xYjC_14fE-eCHEZbYhPbk-r-IAnyafQmvN760/s1600/62.png" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A: As I mentioned, Volume 2 of <em>Carried Away</em> is coming up at the end of this month and <em>Stormy Encounters</em> is due out mid-2012. I've got some collaborations planned with <a href="http://mikemanno.blogspot.com/2011/09/first-monday-guest-author-stephen-l.html">Stephen L. Brayton</a> in the works and I'm also outlining the second in the Walkers Ridge series. <em>This Montana Man</em> is the first in that series. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any hobbies, etc. for spare time?</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A: We're very active in church and in the neighborhood so there isn't much spare time in our lives. My husband sings in just about every choir in the church and I am active in a couple of the women's groups. We love to spend time with the kids and the grandkids and of course, the entire house is filled with books. I can always find time to read a good book!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can readers contact you?</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feel free to visit my website at <a href="http://www.angelakroe.com/">www.angelakroe.com</a>, my blog site, <a href="http://www.angelaroe.blogspot.com/">www.angelaroe.blogspot.com</a> or they can email me at <a href="mailto:angela@angelakroe.com">angela@angelakroe.com<o:p></o:p></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My books are currently only available in ebook form so those who only buy ebooks are in good shape. Purchase my books on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for your time.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-9632643158412446292011-10-16T22:32:00.000-05:002011-10-16T22:32:15.578-05:00Wendy Delsol Spotlight in the Des Moines Register<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObZ-GATR8fbjYwkg9WjagEWS_Kj5ksivUm8tDHFpUgY6gn8rs6yZII_XX1ZDpNmTNuftIegvYgXxyJtgLDsXuGtTnw98dEPE37WH1dhHQWgwSBhvO9Mp0hYimG81AE-i0ple6xg5cvSk/s1600/bilde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObZ-GATR8fbjYwkg9WjagEWS_Kj5ksivUm8tDHFpUgY6gn8rs6yZII_XX1ZDpNmTNuftIegvYgXxyJtgLDsXuGtTnw98dEPE37WH1dhHQWgwSBhvO9Mp0hYimG81AE-i0ple6xg5cvSk/s200/bilde.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="EN" style="color: #2c2c2c; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ONE OF MY writer friends, Wendy Delsol, was the subject of a feature in today’s <em>Des Moines Register</em>, which you can read <a href="http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20111016/LIFE/310160009/Spotlight-on-Wendy-Delsol">here</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wendy’s new book, <em>Frost</em>, will be launched at a party at the Des Moines Library this Tuesday, October 18 at 6:30 p.m., during the library’s Author Talk and Reading program. The public is invited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wendy is a member of our Published Authors Liaison group. You can read my interview with Wendy from last November <a href="http://mikemanno.blogspot.com/2010/11/mondays-with-mike-ya-author-wendy.html">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
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</div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-91311260289192987962011-10-10T07:57:00.000-05:002011-10-10T07:57:50.388-05:00Mondays With Mike: Children's Author Rebecca Janni<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vmavsIhzs9Md93w8HAu3zcGdoYml6roCj_9vzolOeg1kqGZhi4kp497oDJixM8DhfZx0pYCstjTBjWQTMjtXJtO2hHVnQkWUj1FSDsDWizy-xw4IFjbTdI1zB3A49nwCSc9bqMXWdw8/s1600/rebecca_janni.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vmavsIhzs9Md93w8HAu3zcGdoYml6roCj_9vzolOeg1kqGZhi4kp497oDJixM8DhfZx0pYCstjTBjWQTMjtXJtO2hHVnQkWUj1FSDsDWizy-xw4IFjbTdI1zB3A49nwCSc9bqMXWdw8/s1600/rebecca_janni.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ONE OF THE local writing groups I meet with is made up of traditionally published authors, we call it Published Authors’ Liaison (PAL) and we even have a <a href="http://palofcentraliowa.wordpress.com/">blog</a> and a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/PAL-of-Central-Iowa-Published-Authors-Liaison/120360087993690">Facebook</a> page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The group contains an eclectic group of writers which makes it so much fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week I’m pleased to have one of our PAL members, children’s author Rebecca Janni. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for taking the time to be with us today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can we start with a little background about you?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rebecca: I learned early on that biking was the best way to get around the neighborhood and reading was the best way to get around the world. On a bus ride home from school, I told a friend that I was working on a novel about a girl and her horse. I never finished the novel, but a horse of a different hoof shows up in<i> Every Cowgirl Needs a Horse</i> and <i>Every Cowgirl Needs Dancing Boots</i>, both published by Dutton Children's Books. I have two more picture books forthcoming and several projects on my desk. Today, I divide my time between volunteering, adjunct teaching, and writing -- all of which take a back seat to motherhood! I live in Iowa with my husband, four children, and a big-hearted dog named Mickey. I love to read and bike with my family, but not at the same time. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-5oqkI1R900JSqgvD7ENVqoIOFm2DqVajCqhOVJlEn2XCiNjrPcs0Sy62Ny56ILwQzHUvkB3amhM5qORCfe2PNM_HU1VktiJrCUV_pQmxQ4C3a61Q9j4teB6hxUJ0IZLUss6SMIDefI/s1600/61LzWkxBUVL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-5oqkI1R900JSqgvD7ENVqoIOFm2DqVajCqhOVJlEn2XCiNjrPcs0Sy62Ny56ILwQzHUvkB3amhM5qORCfe2PNM_HU1VktiJrCUV_pQmxQ4C3a61Q9j4teB6hxUJ0IZLUss6SMIDefI/s1600/61LzWkxBUVL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you tell me a little bit about the idea for your “every cowgirl” books?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R: My daughter – five years old at the time – had just learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. Riding was her new obsession. She came inside dressed from head to toe in her cowgirl finest, all out of breath and rosy-cheeked. “How's my bicycle cowgirl?” I asked, and I couldn't stop thinking about that character. Then, our family would go riding on the local bike trails, and I found myself telling the kids to “get back in the saddle” or “whoa!” On the longest rides, I even felt saddle sore!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M: What is the age range of your target audience?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3-8 years old</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is different about writing for children than other forms of writing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there any special challenges you face?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhotZVmCM5oAgKEZF7yy9VOfhzFD3qasqeEgNNw8LmAkxt6K5vF5YbB_FXuMroNa1QYFSGQiMv0K4uybWwDqgeQUBQuuUXm24fBnX6yzeSvWzoPcGUU8YXzoOQ4N0D1gitQRcSFwp8GswE/s1600/64054920_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhotZVmCM5oAgKEZF7yy9VOfhzFD3qasqeEgNNw8LmAkxt6K5vF5YbB_FXuMroNa1QYFSGQiMv0K4uybWwDqgeQUBQuuUXm24fBnX6yzeSvWzoPcGUU8YXzoOQ4N0D1gitQRcSFwp8GswE/s320/64054920_b.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R: I believe the best writing crosses genres. As an adult, I still love to read picture books and YA novels. And if I come across a breathtaking passage or something hysterically funny in an adult novel (something appropriate, mind you), I will share it my children right away.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But writing picture books does require an economy of words. It's a challenge that makes the stories stronger in the end. Like a poet, a picture book writer chooses every word carefully and leaves space for the illustrations to tell part of the story.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a picture book, like yours, how is an illustrator chosen and how well do writers and illustrators work together?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my experience, when a publishing house acquires a manuscript, they have an art director and an editorial team who choose the illustrator for the book. I couldn't be happier with the choices they made! Lynne Avril is a dream – an artist, a cowgirl, a musician and a lovely person. I think her artwork is the perfect fit for Nellie Sue's adventures. And Tracy Dockray, the illustrator for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jammy Dance</i> – is amazing too. I'm still in awe of the movement in her artwork for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jammy Dance </i>– these characters really do dance! </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M: How do you market you books?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUmanDtHJdndrS0zsfkhFaV7m3KjRxVy75YIIHWn1je_3lcCjTglFiomS9QfUMnIMJRLrfvZctNgHO7gRn3ekILoY1mR6pTqOvqTRNVp07GKVDxi1M_KZkn9liWbtGMfwGxRZgg3Ve_g/s1600/fourcowpokes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUmanDtHJdndrS0zsfkhFaV7m3KjRxVy75YIIHWn1je_3lcCjTglFiomS9QfUMnIMJRLrfvZctNgHO7gRn3ekILoY1mR6pTqOvqTRNVp07GKVDxi1M_KZkn9liWbtGMfwGxRZgg3Ve_g/s320/fourcowpokes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rebecca and "fans" at a local B&N</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm learning more about the marketing end of publishing from groups like PAL (Published Authors Liaison), SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators), DAWG (Des Moines Area Writers Group), and my own magical writing group, with authors Jan Blazanin, Eileen Boggess, and Sharelle Byars Moranville. And I try to say yes to as many events – online or in person – as I possibly can. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M: What started you writing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R: I was very young. Reading, I guess. I loved getting lost in stories, loved traveling to other places and walking in so many shoes, loved the magic in words. I suppose I decided I wanted to try my hand at it, creating magic from words. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M: What are your writing habits? In other words, do you write each day, morning, evening, etc.?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I write when my youngest is at preschool or after the kids are in bed . . . in the cracks, whenever I can.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything upcoming?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1uRXrwISoGpqqRWI-XuoQgnpZtlE0chFDXOZmmjkspVRcr0o3vBcEtmTMNImxardtBogmvLtUkLeYWaC9QDSVjlIxIOJpGHxwvJV0Dpw8Vbos-_0iqzamrMp7B0PEvCBJd1vobC0J6M/s1600/Jammy+Dance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1uRXrwISoGpqqRWI-XuoQgnpZtlE0chFDXOZmmjkspVRcr0o3vBcEtmTMNImxardtBogmvLtUkLeYWaC9QDSVjlIxIOJpGHxwvJV0Dpw8Vbos-_0iqzamrMp7B0PEvCBJd1vobC0J6M/s320/Jammy+Dance.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R: Yes, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jammy Dance</i> comes out February 14, with FSG and my third cowgirl book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Every Cowgirl Loves a Rodeo</i>, comes out in May 2012 with Dial Books for Young Readers.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any hobbies, etc. for spare time?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides horseback riding, I mean, bike riding? I enjoy hiking, traveling, singing, praying, reading, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can readers contact you? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There's an “email me” button on my website, <a href="http://www.rebeccajanni.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">www.rebeccajanni.com</span></a>.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are any of your books available in ebook form?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm so glad you asked. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Every Cowgirl Needs a Horse</i> is available on the Nook and soon to be available on the I-Pad. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you so much for taking time with us, and good luck with your upcoming releases.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you, it was my pleasure.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-72052394231214425852011-10-03T07:46:00.000-05:002011-10-03T07:46:15.652-05:00First Monday Guest: Report on Bouchercon 2011<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm8pR4UW_2t01pa643ZjwCthgY-yBNTSs-Omh0LnRozlG4-f0LYyB6xMfTnXX4bj0MioAhBnmGargiCD3CNpquqqZ9hge3ZSh49LiHlowQ2J3b4mwqjSiW-8PPF6uqxpy4i_w6Aj9ZCw/s1600/Jking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm8pR4UW_2t01pa643ZjwCthgY-yBNTSs-Omh0LnRozlG4-f0LYyB6xMfTnXX4bj0MioAhBnmGargiCD3CNpquqqZ9hge3ZSh49LiHlowQ2J3b4mwqjSiW-8PPF6uqxpy4i_w6Aj9ZCw/s320/Jking.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerry (R) with Johathon King</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By Jerry Hooten <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">THE WORLD’S LARGEST gathering of mystery writers (Bouchercon) was held in St. Louis, Missouri this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The event took place in the Renaissance Hotel, one of the finest hotels in St. Louis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guests of honor included, Robert Crais and Charlaine Harris as the American Guests of Honor, International was shared by Colin Cotterill and Val McDermid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The life Time Achievement Award went to Sara Paretsky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fan Guests of Honor were Kate Stine and Brian Skupin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Toastmaster was Ridley Pearson. Over 1600 people attended.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The convention hotel has been sold out for over a year, as well as some of the closer alternative hotels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I arrived at the Peach Tree Drury Inn on Thursday and after checking in, drove the short distance to the convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to park close to the hotel and became friends with the parking attendant over the four days I parked there.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the first writers I met was Jonathon King, author of the Max Freeman series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I first met Jonathon when he won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American author for his book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Blue Edge of Midnight</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Jonathon and I caught up with what was new with us and mutual friend, Michael Connelly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jonathon was on the panel for “The challenges of writing your next book”, which I attended also.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I ran into a few Iowa authors too, notably, Max Allen Collins, his wife Barbara, and Shirley Damsgaard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to sit in on their panels as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the panels were interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some I had to miss due to scheduling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It always happens that some that I would like to attend are scheduled at the same time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I had just finished reading Steve Hamilton’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lock Artist</i> before going to Bouchercon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran into Steve just before the awards ceremony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told him how much I enjoyed the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly after, he won an award for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met later, and he invited me to join him and his U.K. publisher and his agent in the lounge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was just a little awed to be in such distinguished company! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I have attended quite a few Bouchercons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was one of the best!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next year, it will be held in Cleveland, Ohio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve worked in Cleveland and like the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and there used to be an area called the Flats that was the entertainment center of the town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hotel will be the Cleveland Marriott Renaissance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you plan to attend, I’d highly recommend making your reservations now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More information is available about the hotel and the convention at: <a href="http://www.bouchercon2012.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.bouchercon2012.com</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><em>Jerry Hooten is the author of five mystery novels, his latest is </em>Hunter<em>, which is available in paper as well as e-book edition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can check out his Amazon page </em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jerry-Hooten/e/B003FEZCFG/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">You can also read my earlier interview with Jerry <a href="http://mikemanno.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html">here.<o:p></o:p></a> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Jerry’s webpage is <a href="http://www.jerryhooten.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.jerryhooten.com/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-542282004837168442011-09-26T06:36:00.000-05:002011-09-26T06:36:32.265-05:00Mondays With Mike: Author Marlis Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmt8iug5QtazxxsUvn9UZgz0aGRqM8-2uxFUbw0RGZgsZYSr-4WWfPUoM_0NnFCFqCOhgJplZbO1cUCpc3HJJCQ5jn1Urj_89lsSroLzaxE4mDS6jhxLJCRuGVMeV7YUa5tLj6HFuAXQ/s1600/Marlis+Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmt8iug5QtazxxsUvn9UZgz0aGRqM8-2uxFUbw0RGZgsZYSr-4WWfPUoM_0NnFCFqCOhgJplZbO1cUCpc3HJJCQ5jn1Urj_89lsSroLzaxE4mDS6jhxLJCRuGVMeV7YUa5tLj6HFuAXQ/s320/Marlis+Day.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">TODAY I’D LIKE to welcome an old friend, Marlis Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I met Marlis several years ago when I began attending mystery writing conferences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since our first meeting, our paths have crossed all too infrequently, but I’ve watched her progress from a single book to now five novels in print.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marlis says she comes from a family of storytellers … but rather than me telling the story, let me have Marlis tell it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for joining us today, Marlis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why don’t you pick up the story from there.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marlis:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did come from a family of storytellers. My earliest memories are of my mother reading to my brothers and me. I’ve always loved books; first as a reader, then as a writer. I taught middle-school English for over 30 years and read to all my students. When my own children left for college and the nest was empty, I began writing; first articles for magazines, etc, then my first novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have written two series … how did that come about?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div align="justify" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9Txn_k760V45zdhvuaBwu0jePY6z4N2UFsWM29KYxDTGuffnvwcNlvAthC-8e3QN6gQZ56lQvB7OwJJq7nmPjIB7SAwnKIwxPd9a043m09wBcy5RdRggXVqK2CYmahTMmUzaX218fag/s1600/why_johnny_died.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9Txn_k760V45zdhvuaBwu0jePY6z4N2UFsWM29KYxDTGuffnvwcNlvAthC-8e3QN6gQZ56lQvB7OwJJq7nmPjIB7SAwnKIwxPd9a043m09wBcy5RdRggXVqK2CYmahTMmUzaX218fag/s1600/why_johnny_died.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MD: My mystery series includes: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why Johnny Died</i> (1999), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Death of a Hoosier Schoolmaster</i> (2002), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Curriculum Murders</i> (2004). I joined mystery organizations, went to conferences, and had a wonderful time meeting other mystery writers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, when I retired from teaching in 2004, I truly missed the interaction with the young readers. I decided to write a set of middle-grade read-alouds, so I could visit schools and talk with children. Hence, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Secret of Bailey’s Chase</i> (2008), and the sequel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Back to Bailey’s Chase</i> (2011).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqlvnxJpWpt42EK1I6EMdQhl6ExtCmU4Vwg8fvsnMchZRt9wF4qa8WPHCddUkC7f4xZ6dgvyYQuJPlEa9JsNSAkSlU6utZVDPRrnU9Rgi2rR52q61PAnMmw7RKVF3gqS1qCFWcP6TR1Q/s1600/41hkgpgxa4l-_sl160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqlvnxJpWpt42EK1I6EMdQhl6ExtCmU4Vwg8fvsnMchZRt9wF4qa8WPHCddUkC7f4xZ6dgvyYQuJPlEa9JsNSAkSlU6utZVDPRrnU9Rgi2rR52q61PAnMmw7RKVF3gqS1qCFWcP6TR1Q/s1600/41hkgpgxa4l-_sl160_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the two series, you have lead characters in each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you tell me a little bit about them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s start with Grey Bailey, then Margo Brown.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MD:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My most recent books are about Sparky and Grey Bailey, ten-yr-old cousins who now live together as sisters due to a tragedy. On the first day, they discover they have super powers, but only when they are together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sparky is energetic, funny, and impulsive. Her cousin Grey is very polite, well-read, and calm. This duo can only use their “gift” for good and can never tell anyone or they will lose it. (A Gypsy sought them out and passed on this information.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuajnPbLZBQht7gzPnjscMLRGceAbXCqcqhiMHV7Pxp9JLsEe8SxDwBjgKAkAyUyjZIdHv4MuCy48ng2SIf5GqhHE_ArDS67yh9aQLt4fjiFKg3SZUJgvKUlHnMe00tcv0xe83D5VIlHo/s1600/51zhk288vxl-_sl160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuajnPbLZBQht7gzPnjscMLRGceAbXCqcqhiMHV7Pxp9JLsEe8SxDwBjgKAkAyUyjZIdHv4MuCy48ng2SIf5GqhHE_ArDS67yh9aQLt4fjiFKg3SZUJgvKUlHnMe00tcv0xe83D5VIlHo/s1600/51zhk288vxl-_sl160_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Margo Brown is a middle-school teacher who turns to sleuthing when one of her students dies at home, over the weekend, of an apparent accident. Margo finds clues in his writing journal that lead her to believe there was foul play. She enlists the help of her quirky colleague, Roxie, and the two seek justice for Johnny. Margo Brown is a wholesome, Midwestern, teacher, wife, and mother of two. In addition to sleuthing, she takes an active part in community activities and loves to cook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you give me a brief summary of their adventures? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2h1Ghu0Kqp2QPVaHrJH6nFY1R_qz-iI0QXJbDQpRisf7KoKvvYXRL7dIjTNOrUbQC-gIk7cAGLwIn5IAOv2zgb9OyHggvom62ugN96N8TcqKVmzYBtLeJAvS9LmqgQwb27V_7FYLrrM/s1600/md-sobc-high.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2h1Ghu0Kqp2QPVaHrJH6nFY1R_qz-iI0QXJbDQpRisf7KoKvvYXRL7dIjTNOrUbQC-gIk7cAGLwIn5IAOv2zgb9OyHggvom62ugN96N8TcqKVmzYBtLeJAvS9LmqgQwb27V_7FYLrrM/s200/md-sobc-high.jpg" width="125" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MD:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Margo and Roxie are something like Lucy and Ethel in their bumbling along, but they always get their man. In the first book, they find Johnny’s killer. In the second book, they dig into the past and solve a cold case of a teacher in their community. In book three, a student turned psycho, returns to town and begins stalking his former teachers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sparky and Grey solve mysteries (Nancy Drew style) and use a little magic when needed. They help clear the name of an innocent man, help the police find a cat burglar, find a kidnapped baby, warn swimmers of a shark nearby, expose a puppy mill, stop a bully, and bust a meth lab. Busy girls!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does each series appeal to a different group of readers? Or do you see an overlap between the fans of one and the other? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MD:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Younger readers prefer the Bailey’s Chase novels, but adults seem to like them all. All the books are wholesome, set in the Midwest, include humor, and offer good role models to young readers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you develop your characters, and what is more important to you, the plot or the characterization?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, I suppose fair is fair: how do you develop your plots? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWx6Oq_2eVHeQTKKe-UH8fKGRVh0pxoDt8OMIfSSYpIRnu-jc0zqtSYu7FnEfphGNYRQ2H4Mk7MtSYJ1NrHLvJ9BWsIlQqnm5Z_bpmt20k3_afm2BuWBlMvijPfVtTFsQ_w3G34D_7t0/s1600/md-btbc-lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWx6Oq_2eVHeQTKKe-UH8fKGRVh0pxoDt8OMIfSSYpIRnu-jc0zqtSYu7FnEfphGNYRQ2H4Mk7MtSYJ1NrHLvJ9BWsIlQqnm5Z_bpmt20k3_afm2BuWBlMvijPfVtTFsQ_w3G34D_7t0/s200/md-btbc-lg.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MD:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of my characters are created from combinations of people I have met. I see them in my mind as real people. I hear them talk and write It down. I find plot and characters equally important. Good characters need a good story. When you have both, the book writes itself. I get my plots from real life and from my imagination. I’ve always been a person who thought – what if?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if my dog suddenly talked to me? What if my bicycle could fly? What if one of my students died and I didn’t think it was an accident? What if I found a gun buried in my tomato patch and knew there was an unsolved murder on my property 50 years ago – might it be the murder weapon? </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MM: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What started you writing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MD:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose listening to the stories my family shared. I knew if I didn’t write them down, they’d be lost forever. I enjoyed writing letters as a child, wrote for the school newspaper, wrote poems and stories for parties, plays for my classes. God gave me an unusual experience that I wrote about and sent to a Christian publisher. It appeared in church literature nationwide. I was hooked. I decided to write a mystery when I read Sue Grafton’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">B is for Burglar.</i> It was funny, short, and light. I thought: I can do this! Thus<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, Why Johnny Died</i> was born. (I met Sue Grafton at the KY Book Fair and shared this story; she was most gracious.)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MM: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are your writing habits? In other words, do you write each day, morning, evening, etc.? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MD:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I’m writing a book, I’m obsessed. I think of nothing else until it is done. When I’m not at my computer, dialogue and plots are running through my head. I’m a terrible conversationalist at those times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I slow up when it comes to the rewriting and editing. I’m a morning person, so I usually start my day at my computer.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything upcoming?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MD:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m currently editing my first three books for reissue by my new publisher. I’m thrilled to have the chance to go back through them and make them better. Also, I blog and tweet, and answer emails daily. Not sure about any more books. I have five books and they keep my busy with promotions and marketing. I attend state reading conferences, book fairs, and visit schools when invited.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any hobbies, etc. for spare time? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MD:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh my. I mentor a child at the local school every week. I volunteer at the local community center where I organize the annual dog show, haunted house, and summer reading program. I have five grandchildren and love to attend their school activities. Two live near me and spend a lot of time at my house. I walk, swim, read, teach a Sunday School class.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can readers contact you? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MD:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love to hear from readers and always answer their emails. You can reach me at </span><a href="mailto:marlisday@gmail.com"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">marlisday@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> or visit my website at </span><a href="http://www.marlisday.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">www.marlisday.com</span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My books are available at amazon, on my website, at </span><a href="http://www.echelonpress.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">www.echelonpress.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, most Barnes and Nobles stores. My newest ones are ebooks and they all will be soon.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MM:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you, Marlis … good luck with your ebooks.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MD:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you, Mike.</span></div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-75781555068092020262011-09-20T16:41:00.003-05:002011-09-24T09:33:18.848-05:00Mondays With Mike: Author J. D. Webb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vmZT66IP94xxwz9Wo2kfBdnJjUR_SUHnj9xjoTo3qwc9sJvCskvjoO6f6J-uubWRgPpNjywqCoty8tuc5Cr6hbP9dTEkj1gHSWLJl8D3IzW9Rl-xj5VtsPFpoHVGwodNJ3OwxxEK2qY/s1600/Author+photo+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vmZT66IP94xxwz9Wo2kfBdnJjUR_SUHnj9xjoTo3qwc9sJvCskvjoO6f6J-uubWRgPpNjywqCoty8tuc5Cr6hbP9dTEkj1gHSWLJl8D3IzW9Rl-xj5VtsPFpoHVGwodNJ3OwxxEK2qY/s320/Author+photo+004.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">OKAY, OKAY … I know this is a day late, but rather than call it Tuesdays with Mike, well … actually, I'm supposed to be on vacation this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I did want to introduce you to my friend, J. D. Webb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>J. D. has always had the writing bug, but needed to earn a living first. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, after four years active duty in the Air Force in the Philippines and Viet Nam in the 60s, he spent <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the next 25 years in the corporate world (think Dilbert), until his company eliminated his job and he I promoted himself to cobbler – owning a shoe repair business for eleven years. Finally retirement gave him the opportunity to lollygag and write novels; he has had four published so far and he is currently working on three others.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for joining us today, J. D.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think your latest book is <em>Smudge</em>, can you give us a short synopsis of it?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">J. D.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, thank you, my latest book is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Smudge:</i> A small-town paralegal wipes a smudge off her ATM screen one night – it’s blood. Then she hears a moan coming from the alley next to her bank. Should she go help? No. But she does.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUH2PVsChaqk_uzjkqSIG-2zYJQgB5DONXqgRmP2IcGV0C54FBggVRbTlXHtPL-gFV8Zn8CGb5xsbbNAX15f1NZas9IbSM1sO0YRxDcvzrZcG0ZqGBH46XlTICKrdJnplOpMID6POOsk/s1600/Webb-Smudge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUH2PVsChaqk_uzjkqSIG-2zYJQgB5DONXqgRmP2IcGV0C54FBggVRbTlXHtPL-gFV8Zn8CGb5xsbbNAX15f1NZas9IbSM1sO0YRxDcvzrZcG0ZqGBH46XlTICKrdJnplOpMID6POOsk/s1600/Webb-Smudge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUH2PVsChaqk_uzjkqSIG-2zYJQgB5DONXqgRmP2IcGV0C54FBggVRbTlXHtPL-gFV8Zn8CGb5xsbbNAX15f1NZas9IbSM1sO0YRxDcvzrZcG0ZqGBH46XlTICKrdJnplOpMID6POOsk/s1600/Webb-Smudge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUH2PVsChaqk_uzjkqSIG-2zYJQgB5DONXqgRmP2IcGV0C54FBggVRbTlXHtPL-gFV8Zn8CGb5xsbbNAX15f1NZas9IbSM1sO0YRxDcvzrZcG0ZqGBH46XlTICKrdJnplOpMID6POOsk/s1600/Webb-Smudge.jpg" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M: </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Can you give us a quick two sentence synopsis of <i>Shepherd’s Pie </i>and <i>Her Name is Mommy</i>? If I’m not mistaken they both have the same protagonist. And also <i>Moon Over Chicago</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">J:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Shepherd’s Pie</i>: Mike Shepherd, laid-back Chicago PI, encounters a self-proclaimed survivalist and decides to chase him for the reward. Ferlin Husky Lewis becomes incensed that this PI bozo wants to put him in jail, so he stalks Mike and many of Mike’s friends. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Her Name Is Mommy</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">: Mike Shepherd spots a tot sitting alone on a bench in a busy Chicago mall at Christmastime. Mike and his fiancé talk to the little girl and discover her mother has been kidnapped from the mall. Mike’s quest is reunite the young girl with her mother.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUZpIUXDap5Yp-FjnxEJTcp2W5_VufITwEBx677f0_iKI7wHJvpqOGjwzUt1ugjOC6Ezwls5dvdMK7QVWpGsWvVcnq8tmOJQ2esurBEVajCB6XiS733IYavgEbVBQ9gRqfzIFkaxpiig/s1600/Shepherd%2527s_Pie_Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUZpIUXDap5Yp-FjnxEJTcp2W5_VufITwEBx677f0_iKI7wHJvpqOGjwzUt1ugjOC6Ezwls5dvdMK7QVWpGsWvVcnq8tmOJQ2esurBEVajCB6XiS733IYavgEbVBQ9gRqfzIFkaxpiig/s200/Shepherd%2527s_Pie_Front.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a writer, what is more important: Plot or Character? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">J:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Okay which came first the chicken or the egg? Same difference. You can’t have a good novel without a plot. It’s what drives the story. And all aspects of the plot must be resolved in the end. Characters are what holds us to the plot. If we don’t care about the protagonists and hate the antagonists you have a boring book. You have to have both to grab the reader and yank him/her along to the end. And the characters have to be believable. The good guy needs to be smart but still have weaknesses and the bad guy must be as smart or smarter. And my philosophy is that good always triumphs over evil; At least in my books.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What started you writing? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBjeLN3HLZtj-kuF5fJ-s3R6y0vbRXnS_TMFG8X4vffJw6NGiaFMZKQHITzI8wB7TcqfxpH0Ii6xTfvvJJWc9z0XIySFwfhD91WoldpR1TdNdg4071_oLmYQ6K1cw0QDMQyWwnWTLxoo/s1600/Mommy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBjeLN3HLZtj-kuF5fJ-s3R6y0vbRXnS_TMFG8X4vffJw6NGiaFMZKQHITzI8wB7TcqfxpH0Ii6xTfvvJJWc9z0XIySFwfhD91WoldpR1TdNdg4071_oLmYQ6K1cw0QDMQyWwnWTLxoo/s200/Mommy.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">J: In high school I was thrown into a creative writing class as a result of some mischief I had perpetrated. I’d already loved books. When I wasn’t kicked out of the library I was there picking up a book to read. In creative writing class I had the idea: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>why can’t I write a book? Even though it took another forty-some years, I got the job done and continue to this day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M: </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What are your writing habits? In other words, do you write each day, morning, evening, etc.?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">J: Whenever I can. I have a dog with a very small bladder so I’m up at 5 am or so every day. I use that time to do the email, promotion type stuff, then I write till breakfast and at any time I can during the day. For the past year I’ve been full-time caregiver for my wife so my writing has suffered. I grab time where I can. It’s painful in many ways. My wife was my first editor and I miss that. I’m fortunate to have a marvelous writing group which meets each Tuesday night. Without them I’d be lost. I’m grammatically challenged and have these tangents I go off on sometimes that need to be expunged.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have anything upcoming? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">J:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m about 20 % done with my next novel called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gulf Terror</i>. What if the oilrig explosion in the Gulf was actually a suicide bombing mission by two terrorists? And what if one of them survived and is now loose in Louisiana planning another mission? Two Homeland Security agents are hot on his trail.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK0xbntnUbA3kf9UTpPwqbSMcpNRT1S3n31qw0h_-E6QPUTMUsBpHjJ7ZtNDoqYcaIxIYownacf5k-fcbdZiCjV-usdaiwc5tsPRqHfia5229ArBsYMMRDZhYVyjQQJ1ge5lOMCnfL0w/s1600/Moon_Over_Chicago_Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK0xbntnUbA3kf9UTpPwqbSMcpNRT1S3n31qw0h_-E6QPUTMUsBpHjJ7ZtNDoqYcaIxIYownacf5k-fcbdZiCjV-usdaiwc5tsPRqHfia5229ArBsYMMRDZhYVyjQQJ1ge5lOMCnfL0w/s200/Moon_Over_Chicago_Web.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M: This </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">may be a little “inside baseball” to some readers, but how do you market your books?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">J:</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> One of the drawbacks to being an author is marketing. Most of us are inept at marketing. I’m learning. I’m on the Internet daily promoting and talking about writing. I am the owner and moderator of the Publishing and Promoting Yahoo group with almost 1000 international members. We offer tips and techniques for promoting and publishing to authors, editors and publishers. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I visit my local libraries to give talks and hopefully get them to buy my books. Also I invite myself to local organization meetings to hawk my books. And just like one famous author I sell them from the trunk of my car. Although so far I’m not quite as successful. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have any hobbies or spare time activities?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">J: Nope. I gave up golf a few years ago when I was getting more distance from throwing my clubs than from hitting the ball. My wife and I used to travel but since<a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="_GoBack"></a> her strokes that has ceased for a time. A caregiver has little time for hobbies. I still love to read but that’s not a hobby – it’s a necessity. I‘ve belonged to a book club for five years and love it. It has forced me to get out of my genre and discover the amazing abilities of many more authors.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M: How can readers contact you? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">J:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is my contact information:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Email <a href="mailto:jdwebb99@yahoo.com"><span style="color: blue;">jdwebb99@yahoo.com</span></a> and my website is <a href="http://www.jdwebb.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.jdwebb.com</span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also have a Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/jdavewebb"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.facebook.com/#!/jdavewebb</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And where can readers find your books?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">J:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Publishers <a href="http://www.wings-epress.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.wings-epress.com</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and <a href="http://www.lldreamspell.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.lldreamspell.com</span></a> or at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/J.-D.-Webb/e/B002BM2UJY">Amazon</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-89633676371765142202011-09-16T16:56:00.000-05:002011-09-16T16:56:01.306-05:00Murder Most Holy to be released as e-book<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">BREAKING NEWS:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder Most Holy</i></b>, my first book, which was originally published in 2006, will be re-released in trade paper and e-book form shortly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So for all those asking about a Kindle or Nook edition, be patient and keep watching for more information and links as soon as they become available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the mean time, here is a short synopsis of the book:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a young nun, the daughter of a despised newspaper publisher, is killed by a bomb planted in her dad's car, the state police are called to investigate and Detective Sergeant Jerome (Stan) Stankowski is assigned to the task. Unfortunately for Stan, the Attorney General's office sends it former star prosecutor, the now burned-out and persnickety Parker Noble, to assist. To Stan's dismay, the local officials assume that Parker, a Deputy Attorney General, is in charge of the operation. Intimidated by Parker, Stan tries to take charge, while silently wondering if his days as a detective are numbered.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Trying to regain control of the investigation, Stan utilizes the assistance of one of the dead nun's friends, the flirtatious Buffy Coyle, whose interest in Stan may be greater than her interest in helping the police. Complicating matters for Stan, Buffy has recently been fired from the newspaper by her friend's father.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Confusing investigators is the fact that the nun's visit was a surprise, known only to her family and a neighbor. To add to their troubles, the father suffers a seizure at the scene.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A mayor under attack by the paper, a police chief with a mysterious four-year gap in his resume, a contractor whose development was blocked by the publisher, a gay group angry at the newspaper for "outing" a gay teacher, and a man whose life was ruined by one newspaper photo, all become suspects in the effort to solve the crime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-1480308266092829512011-09-05T08:35:00.000-05:002011-09-05T08:35:23.516-05:00First Monday Guest: Author Stephen L. Brayton<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTEF26Q03DQxCgHMLlSHxGXSST0DEHnVmLNPryai3ftSwHm1fIieY2ig7JUOZSZMapH6rckT6TXzFpYc8Gk266sAcN712J4qrq-JP_andza3uVaHTglF0sHc4p-MgX9iXML2CqNbUCuU/s1600/p11393s1101523_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTEF26Q03DQxCgHMLlSHxGXSST0DEHnVmLNPryai3ftSwHm1fIieY2ig7JUOZSZMapH6rckT6TXzFpYc8Gk266sAcN712J4qrq-JP_andza3uVaHTglF0sHc4p-MgX9iXML2CqNbUCuU/s1600/p11393s1101523_2.jpg" /></a></div>SO, HERE I AM, almost seven months after the release of my first novel, <em>Night Shadows</em>, all set to celebrate the publication of my second book, <em>Beta</em>. I’m not going to denigrate the first book, because it was a special thing for me to see one of my projects come to fruition. However, I have to admit, <em>Beta</em> is a little extra special, because of the amount of time I spent writing it and the amount of time listening to critiques, doing edits and rewrites, polishing it up, changing and adding scenes. This was the first story I about which I became really serious. Years flew by where this story did nothing but sit and wait for countless rejections to come back, more critique, and rewriting. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><em>Beta </em>began as the second Mallory Petersen novel, the first, <em>Alpha</em> having been hurriedly written back when I had all these cute ideas I wanted to include. I barely knew what I was writing and certainly had no inkling about narrative flow, dialogue, description, and character development. I remember my first time reading it to the critique group and getting tactfully shot down. I didn’t understand how many wrong things there were to this story. So, I settled on bringing short stories to the group and <em>Alpha</em> soon took a back seat as I practiced and improved my writing craft.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rDI2dIxxiLQIdlqF6R4fY4B6nsO4obZa3dsoSuRGrAgMLJ-NrlP8CuqoD2ElHC15KeF5USKux2ww4_vbT8JK1-v1BO7y18NJrKxt8ap5fcXVaiPWe3p1STevOrRGTzgvJcZoMU85d_4/s1600/Beta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rDI2dIxxiLQIdlqF6R4fY4B6nsO4obZa3dsoSuRGrAgMLJ-NrlP8CuqoD2ElHC15KeF5USKux2ww4_vbT8JK1-v1BO7y18NJrKxt8ap5fcXVaiPWe3p1STevOrRGTzgvJcZoMU85d_4/s320/Beta.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Somewhere in the early part of the new century, the idea for <em>Beta</em> came to me and it hit me pretty strongly. I don’t recall it taking too much time to draw up an outline, throw in characters I had already developed from <em>Alpha</em>, and begin writing the story. I knew I had much more research to do for this story, so it took me a few years to complete. Then, as I said, came the second, third, and fourth drafts with several more to follow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">I thoroughly enjoyed writing this story. I felt good to give my heroine, Mallory Petersen, more depth, more emotion, and to write scenes I can go back and read today and still get choked up about the seriousness of the subject matter or still laugh at the humorous moments. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijj9X4hlJUeE8qkjhrbvhrEELhArxZHKuwtorr7gIW3J-5KWHl4c2UL0i-StbTV0T3HIYXp6TWSG-wfR39VXCBPeYJz6M1VxzPIRng58uVuiJRX5mmHWgFIsVDDGAh-u2iKn6KOFR1N7c/s1600/Night_Shadows_Echelon_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijj9X4hlJUeE8qkjhrbvhrEELhArxZHKuwtorr7gIW3J-5KWHl4c2UL0i-StbTV0T3HIYXp6TWSG-wfR39VXCBPeYJz6M1VxzPIRng58uVuiJRX5mmHWgFIsVDDGAh-u2iKn6KOFR1N7c/s320/Night_Shadows_Echelon_Cover.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><em>Night Shadows</em> came soon after, but <em>Beta</em> still lurked nearby, waiting. Waiting for 2007 when it was pitched at a writers’ conference and summarily rejected by every agent. It waited two more years for Killer Nashville and in October of 2009, was picked up along with its shadow buddy by Echelon Press.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">Two more years have passed and the time has come to see my hard work pay off. After a couple delays, <em>Night Shadows</em> was released in February and, again after a change of plans, <em>Beta</em> is scheduled to be published the first of October. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">I find it also special to start my blog tour on Mike Manno’s site. I first met Mike in 2000, when he visited Oskaloosa promoting his first book at the local library. He introduced me to my first critique group and my path to publication began.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">So, where do I go from here? Well, I have many stops throughout the blog-o-sphere in the next couple months including interviews on five blogtalkradio programs. Please visit my website (<a href="http://www.stephenbrayton.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.stephenbrayton.com</span></a>) or blog (<a href="http://stephenlbrayton.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://stephenlbrayton.blogspot.com</span></a>) to see where I’ll be next. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswvEFbOYRcRtFRGWAYXoW0rz97tVRi2J21xjEVgb6MjLWBoide6j_PFEye8dVp0fZj_SRcoBODa7rvvjyj4bOR9QcRy0Ne4ZKo92oITg0fPqc1lKHXq7GTgDcadaTS8QmUaTm7UTh4CI/s1600/TKW_Uniform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswvEFbOYRcRtFRGWAYXoW0rz97tVRi2J21xjEVgb6MjLWBoide6j_PFEye8dVp0fZj_SRcoBODa7rvvjyj4bOR9QcRy0Ne4ZKo92oITg0fPqc1lKHXq7GTgDcadaTS8QmUaTm7UTh4CI/s320/TKW_Uniform.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>However, followers of this site get the first chance to learn about <em>Beta</em>. Mallory Petersen is a Fourth Degree Black Belt and private investigator in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Des Moines</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Iowa</st1:state></st1:place>. Her cases and clients tend to come from the nuttier side of life. However, when she is hired to find an eight year old kidnapped girl, her investigation reveals members of a child pornography ring. She follows a trail around the capital city and winds up in the Quad Cities, partnering with a handsome police detective.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">Because of the subject matter, this is not a book for children. I temper the serious nature of the novel with humorous scenes, showing off Mallory’s martial arts skills and tendency to get involved with some quirky individuals. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">I hope you’ll join me on my promotional tour and spread the word. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">Oh, and what happed to <em>Alpha</em>? Well, I resurrected it, dusted it off, and did a few rewrites. I hope to have news of its progress very soon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">***<o:p></o:p></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Readers might remember the interview I did with Stephen last February … if you’d like to see it again, follow this <a href="http://mikemanno.blogspot.com/2011/02/mondays-with-mike-paranormal-mystery.html">link</a>.</span></i></div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-5022790328234086992011-08-29T09:12:00.001-05:002011-08-29T11:11:56.481-05:00Mondays With Mike: Business lessons from a Duck? Marketing expert Tom Porter<div align="justify" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="justify" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudMKkGXC4fdoH3pv4wKwm60ag8ThizDXzjzu0vxwOUdMTPsDzfWBsjJzo29PN_6VeilkR4O8Ya8sxL5naRCbTxtACL2qCej8v5QywRiuMf3_X1lGsaydEQNHzhWEJIg49hMYUaJCWBmk/s1600/Tom+Social+Network.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudMKkGXC4fdoH3pv4wKwm60ag8ThizDXzjzu0vxwOUdMTPsDzfWBsjJzo29PN_6VeilkR4O8Ya8sxL5naRCbTxtACL2qCej8v5QywRiuMf3_X1lGsaydEQNHzhWEJIg49hMYUaJCWBmk/s1600/Tom+Social+Network.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">OCCASIONALLY I FIND an author that’s not primarily a writer, but has something to say and manages – despite not being a writer – to successfully put it in book form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My interview this week is with Tom Porter, a Drake MBA grad who had an impressive career as director of marketing for the Iowa-based Brenton Banks before opening his own firm, Porter & Associates where he became a recognized authority on branding, marketing, and advertising. After selling that company he became vice president of marketing for Homesteaders Life and now runs the marketing consulting firm, Asset-Based Marketing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as an author, what really caught my eye was the title of his book,<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i> All I Need to Know about Business I learned from a Duck/Business Lessons from Nature.</i></b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Ducks and business?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, you got me on that.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for joining me today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before I go to your book, tell me a little about your business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From what I can see you are a “business coach,” is that a fair description?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tom: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m reluctant to refer to myself as a coach primarily because I believe what I provide to my clients goes far beyond what most professional business coaches deliver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of “coaching” I see my function and responsibility more along the lines of serving as a catalyst for change and for growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran marathons for over 20 years mainly because I was interested in pushing the limits and boundaries that I had established for myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I have found is that business leaders have unconsciously established limiting beliefs about themselves and the organizations they are in charge of, so my job is to help bring those beliefs to a conscious level, and then facilitate a program and process of achieving their full potential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your company,</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Asset-Based Marketing, deals with branding and marketing. A quick observation indicates a subtle difference between the two, what is it?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">T: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people define marketing as a process of satisfying a target market’s needs, profitably.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In accomplishing that goal a marketing professional has the “four Ps” as his or her tools:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Product, place (channel of distribution), price and promotion (personal selling & advertising). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Branding is a strategy and its purpose is to differentiate a company or a product from competitors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its goal is to “own” a word in the mind of the target audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The essence of brand is “experience”, so brand is the emergent property of everything that is said, heard, read, written or seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultimately, branding is a process of managing the target audience’s brand experiences. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As part of your business, I believe you publish a newsletter; how often does it come out and how can someone receive it?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">T: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m very disciplined in many areas of my life, however creating a newsletter on a regular basis is not one of those areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I write an article if, in the process of working with one of my clients, an interesting topic comes up, or if I feel that old ideas and marketing “truths” need to be updated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, there’s an old adage that an unhappy customer will tell 10 people about the poor service they received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I wrote a brief story about a musician whose guitar was broken while traveling on United Airlines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a nine month fruitless claim process,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David Carroll and his band, Sons of Maxwell, blew the lid off that rule by uploading a song onto YouTube that chronicled how his $3,500 Taylor guitar was broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to YouTube this morning and as of 9:30 a.m. the video has received 10,789,975 views!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going back to your earlier question about branding, you now have a real-life example of how a “brand experience” can be direct and indirect (everything that is said, heard, read, written or seen) … and how important it is for companies to manage those experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">If anybody would like to receive my e-newsletter, they just need to simply provide me with their email address and I’d be happy to include them in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8vuuO-S7f7INnFrf17oFu4eTN3GPAr5rKZNSUGxbBFQRyTFwXlnEgQffPiTUQTouPEycuVmBm63fxXVZ5_EZgZI08A_pk4j8Xv0xzDYV2A4aKa3TIvgssDqXYGpPqGHOl1QFcb33eMU/s1600/Duck+PR+Bookcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8vuuO-S7f7INnFrf17oFu4eTN3GPAr5rKZNSUGxbBFQRyTFwXlnEgQffPiTUQTouPEycuVmBm63fxXVZ5_EZgZI08A_pk4j8Xv0xzDYV2A4aKa3TIvgssDqXYGpPqGHOl1QFcb33eMU/s320/Duck+PR+Bookcover.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, let’s go to your book,</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>All I Need to Know about Business I learned from a Duck/Business Lessons from Nature, </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">first, can you tell me why you wrote it?</span> <o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">T: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wrote the book for a number of reasons; however the primary one was that I became disgusted with news stories about greed and corruption in the financial markets as well as some of the business practices I had personally witnessed over my career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So rather than sitting on the sidelines I thought I’d jump into the game and do whatever I could to improve business ethics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Writing a book seemed like a good idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">To get my message seen and heard I recognized that I needed to pursue the topic in a completely different way than anybody else had taken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also knew that I needed to keep my philosophies and solutions simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when the idea hit me of using elements of nature as a metaphor for best business practices I went with it. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, where did the idea of business lessons from a duck come from?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">T: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I owned an advertising agency for over 22 years, so I have firsthand knowledge about how difficult it is to get a target audience’s attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, in 2008 over 560,000 books were published - approximately 11,000 of them were business books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when you add in all the books that are already sitting on bookstore shelves to the number of new books published every year, the competition on the shelf and on websites is stiff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To stand out I created a funky title as well as a front cover design that is an eye grabber.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Another reason why I came up with the title is its true!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a total of 88 business lessons in the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used a quote from Jacob Braude to illustrate a fundamental management principle in one of them:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“People are like ducks … calm and unruffled on the surface but paddling like the devil underneath.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">For me that quote speaks to the fact that most people are insecure and unsure of themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based upon my experience I believe a large percentage of today’s managers and supervisors attempt to exploit subordinates’ insecurities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I hope readers learn from ducks is that the best business leaders understand that positive relationships are what truly drive success in business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And those relationships must be cultivated in an environment of mutual respect where employees feel they can grow personally, feel fulfilled and are able to measure how they are contributing to a common good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In essence, that’s the theme for my entire book and that’s all a supervisor really needs to know about business<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there any other animals that we can learn from?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3z7c_E-Yf1W6zNBHJ9vRBjaloI4eqNONsqCUzJ3JO7z0hUoc42MWvAbH1wsSHYhWdMkl5f1nKLHdgJDVBv7uloaHugW9b64JjDimtiCLTTEHEu22VuDW4UpIApIrU2qrob9RHtbEeQ6c/s1600/iStock_000003992668Medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3z7c_E-Yf1W6zNBHJ9vRBjaloI4eqNONsqCUzJ3JO7z0hUoc42MWvAbH1wsSHYhWdMkl5f1nKLHdgJDVBv7uloaHugW9b64JjDimtiCLTTEHEu22VuDW4UpIApIrU2qrob9RHtbEeQ6c/s320/iStock_000003992668Medium.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">T:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I said earlier, there are a total of 88 business lessons in the book, but one of my favorites is something we can learn from honeybees because it could save small and medium-sized businesses across America millions of dollars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honeybees do a waggle dance when they come back to the hive to communicate the direction and distance of food sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Communication specialists refer to that as 1-way communication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lesson we can learn is that a majority of email messages are actually 1-way messages that don’t require a response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, because the sender doesn’t tell recipients that a response isn’t necessary, people waste literally thousands of hours composing them … and as they say, time is money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So if you want to improve the effectiveness of email within a company (and save money) include the following words in the subject line of your email message if it applies:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">No Reply Necessary</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I started doing this and reduced my volume of email by over 60 percent.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">By the way, recent studies show that a typical executive spends 1 ½ days (30%) out of a 5-day work week sorting, reading, filing, writing, sending and recovering from email messages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means a company that is paying an executive $150,000 per year is spending $45,000 of that salary on email management!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nPassGjzwrknlU5si5yOxrc1oqPuhQun1gPo7SmmE_OGM9n0dFveAodFgIDnve1hQlonHmYCgr0MPbOvLl1V8-bnaJRXd__CLCSbHEF41gVh2l1T2trToKxkcd0YAy00C9cIyIlGvGY/s1600/duck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nPassGjzwrknlU5si5yOxrc1oqPuhQun1gPo7SmmE_OGM9n0dFveAodFgIDnve1hQlonHmYCgr0MPbOvLl1V8-bnaJRXd__CLCSbHEF41gVh2l1T2trToKxkcd0YAy00C9cIyIlGvGY/s200/duck.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know a bit about the flood of e-mails…not only do I get a ton of them, but my wife is always complaining about being in e-mail jail at her office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I digress… Let me go to your writing habits, do you write each day, morning, evening, etc.?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">T: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really don’t consider myself to be a writer, and if you read my book you’ll probably agree with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I DO feel that I have some copywriting skills and ability, but even those are mediocre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More often than not writing is painful for me, so quite honestly I don’t do a lot of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, and I can’t explain why, when I was writing my book I had a deep sense that it was being written through me, rather than by me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the whole experience was actually fun and exhilarating.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I guess I only write when I feel like I have something of importance to say … and that doesn’t occur very often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many professionals in your position carry a speaking schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you tell me about yours?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">T: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I speak to all sorts of groups including breakfast clubs, service organizations, corporate and association meetings … I’ve even done some presentations for groups associated with sustainability and ecology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My message is centered on biomimicry, which is a new discipline that studies nature's best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tom, I’d like to thank you for being with us today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before you go, how can readers contact you? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">T:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for having me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is my contact information:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tom Porter<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">515-480-2345 (cell)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="mailto:Tporter1493@msn.com"><span style="color: blue;">Tporter1493@msn.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.businesslessonsfromnature.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.businesslessonsfromnature.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.assetbasedmarketing.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.assetbasedmarketing.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 0in;"><br />
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</div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-5562481149885695772011-08-22T07:55:00.000-05:002011-08-22T07:55:02.305-05:00Mondays With Mike: Author & Writing Coach Bill Sheridan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvSX16oPL9wFMA-XgPp0kV9k1cjW5IaPIfzwXXe4CDs5mN9m4C01ETCTDFgS3gKJkRGkOFzW9lqVfc8dpbmKOj3_11kfllQZ42HhmRfGmC5UxkumWcud1Hr5mrus31HOCer7V8thP-us/s1600/DSC_0640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvSX16oPL9wFMA-XgPp0kV9k1cjW5IaPIfzwXXe4CDs5mN9m4C01ETCTDFgS3gKJkRGkOFzW9lqVfc8dpbmKOj3_11kfllQZ42HhmRfGmC5UxkumWcud1Hr5mrus31HOCer7V8thP-us/s1600/DSC_0640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvSX16oPL9wFMA-XgPp0kV9k1cjW5IaPIfzwXXe4CDs5mN9m4C01ETCTDFgS3gKJkRGkOFzW9lqVfc8dpbmKOj3_11kfllQZ42HhmRfGmC5UxkumWcud1Hr5mrus31HOCer7V8thP-us/s320/DSC_0640.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I WANT TO stay local again this week and introduce to you a member of one of my writers’ groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bill Sheridan grew up in the little northeast town of Lawler, Iowa in the 1950s and went on to become an English and speech instructor at St. Edmond High in Fort Dodge. There he began to submit freelance articles to various newspapers and magazines and was<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>often featured in the <i>Des Moines Register</i> and <i>Fort Dodge Messenger, </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">and </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>even authored an article in the <i>Writer’s Digest</i> about how to freelance.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Upon his retirement as a trainer at two different Des Moines-based life insurance companies two years ago, he formed a company (<a href="http://www.sheridanwrites.com/">Sheridan Writes, LLC</a>) in which he helps folks from all over the country write books, articles, web page material, brochures, and speeches. “I find that there are people who have terrific stories to tell, but not necessarily the writing skills to make their work reader friendly,” he says.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Welcome, Bill, and thank you for taking part in my weekly blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I think your latest book is <i>"Depot Street Memories--The Lawler Stories."</i> Can you give us a short synopsis of it? <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bill:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book is kind of a memoir of my growing up in Lawler. Approximately 20% of the chapters (almost considered essays) are pieces that have been published through the years. I write about the good and funny times and the sad times. My father took his own life when I was seven, leaving my 43-year-old mother with six kids, a failing meat locker business, and no life insurance. That was, obviously, a big deal in our lives and my siblings appreciated me going public with some of our struggles. Mostly, however, the stories and short and (am happy to report from various readers) fun and funny...like the time I set the only basketball record that’s still in effect after 50 years at Turkey Valley High School: getting four fouls in under a minute. As I say in the foreword, “The book does not really have a beginning or an end. At some point I will quit writing. That will be your cue to quit reading.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You seem to have an eclectic body of work, so what started you writing? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">B: My biggest influence was my high school English teacher, Josine McGreevey, who recognized my gift and encouraged me through the years. Even though she passed away 20 years ago, still hear her voice when I’m writing. Thanks to Mrs. Mac, I began in high school at age 17 and have not had the good sense to quit even now at age 67!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wnT_Z_PSL7i3MsHSMHViqjfhJGKiJ61Xhs2uUHdvB8Wo5NEnjPcyJOasjO7ezecGlKdi_dHh_ht5h9WckU_A_u_HI61Rh_TEksyZDFKCLEHC_ddqqGyxKdpq4RRAyHaUlRgC-JPP6Vs/s1600/depotstreetmemories_fb_full%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wnT_Z_PSL7i3MsHSMHViqjfhJGKiJ61Xhs2uUHdvB8Wo5NEnjPcyJOasjO7ezecGlKdi_dHh_ht5h9WckU_A_u_HI61Rh_TEksyZDFKCLEHC_ddqqGyxKdpq4RRAyHaUlRgC-JPP6Vs/s320/depotstreetmemories_fb_full%255B1%255D.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your business, </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sheridan Writes, LLC, is intriguing, h<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">ow do you work with writers needing help … what services do you offer?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">B: I give a free one-hour, no obligation consultation in which we discuss the potential client’s needs and wishes. Sometimes I offer to look at a small portion of their work so that I can make a judgment on the person’s writing skills. More than once I’ve been able to tell the writer that his/her skills are excellent and they don’t need me unless they want some editing or fine tuning. Thanks to the internet, Skype, and cell phones...I can work with anyone in the country. Occasionally, I have to do a completely rewrite of the work, but mostly it’s a matter of slicing and dicing. As you know, Mike, one of the biggest sins first-time authors commit is using 12 words when seven would do quite nicely. I have also ‘ghost written’ entire articles and my name seldom, if ever, shows up on the final product. I work either by the hour or by the job. It can be a challenge to figure out how much time a particular project will take, so at times I will put a ‘cap’ on what it will cost for me to ply my trade. Then I do my best to come under that target, but do not charge client if it does take me longer that projected.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M: Where do your clients come from?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">B: In the two years since starting my company, virtually every client came as a referral. Many of them turn into repeat customers. In the corporate world I helped put on meetings with 500-1,000 people in attendance. We used a local meeting planner to help hire main platform speakers. She and I became great friends and she gave me a great idea several months before my retirement, “Why don’t you help speakers write books? Many of them are terrific on stage but don’t have the ability to express themselves well on paper. You<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>could help them write books that they could sell after their speaking gig.” When I told her that it was a great idea, she lined me up with my first client and that mushroomed into many others. I’m having way too much fun for an old guy in my encore career.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M: What are your personal writing habits? In other words, do you write each day, morning, evening, etc.? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">B: For a long time I made sure that I was writing in my home office every day. I’m a morning person, so that’s when creativity is at it’s peak for me. I understand that many of your readers are still in the 9-5 thing, so don’t have that luxury. My recommendation, however, is to somehow make it a habit to write frequently...if not daily. My writing schedule depends on two factors professionally: 1.) If I am working with a client, my personal writing comes in second. He/she is paying me and deserves my full attention; 2.) Since self-publishing ‘<i>Depot Street Memories--The Lawler Stories,</i>’ I have been doing a lot of speaking/reading gigs at service clubs, retirement centers, schools, and libraries. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell me about your speaking gigs, and do they sell many books?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">B:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In general, I try to keep them within a 20 miles radius of the Des Moines area. My biggest crowds, however, were in the NE Iowa area where it was not unusual to have 50-60 folks in attendance. Those were always good signing/selling experiences. On the other hand, I had one at the Ankeny library and told my wife later, “They had police there for crowd control, but neither one of the women bothered me!” The good news is that they both purchased a book, so I am able to frame it in such a way that, “Everyone in attendance bought a book that night in Ankeny.” I someone forget to mention the size of the crowd. Average attendance runs from 10-12 people.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaR3SvX4jzbX0JxMJHa3EWsMw6Yx4dTry0YIjk56uzan5g4s8VUeSZGOmfQ5HQ1EB-n7ZCPDbekVz8d2rFgirzsHaY4Kjg-GZoAU6pETmlZNWFlOeEwZ5DUMuFMhcrjLyFg6Gwn6vUc1o/s1600/Harley+Man.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaR3SvX4jzbX0JxMJHa3EWsMw6Yx4dTry0YIjk56uzan5g4s8VUeSZGOmfQ5HQ1EB-n7ZCPDbekVz8d2rFgirzsHaY4Kjg-GZoAU6pETmlZNWFlOeEwZ5DUMuFMhcrjLyFg6Gwn6vUc1o/s320/Harley+Man.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harley Man??</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have anything upcoming? Books, magazine articles, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">B: I continue to submit articles to the <i>Register</i> (most recently published was one about the passing of my childhood hero, Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers). The <i>New Hampton Tribune</i> is in the county seat town eight miles from Lawler and the editor and I have become good friends. He publishes most everything that I submit. I don’t charge him because I’m so grateful for the exposure they gave me (front page article with pix) when my book came out in February 2010. Also, every time I have a piece in there, someone buys a book from a gift shop in the area. I had one recently talking about how retirement doesn’t have to be boring if you plan for it, and another on how I would solve all of my pet peeves if the world made me king for a day. If I write another book, it will most likely be on Kindle or Nook as an e-book. No fuss, no, no mess, no cost. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have any hobbies, etc. for your spare time? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">B:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pretend to be a golfer, but could never be convicted in court of being one based on my scores. Those scores are like my weight, much higher than I would like them to be!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since you are a “writing coach,” what advice would you give up and coming authors?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">B:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I can’t say enough about attending book clubs such as the one on the first Tuesday of the month at <a href="http://www.beaverdalebooks.com/">Beaverdale Bookstore</a>. It’s a wonderful opportunity to mingle with other Iowa authors such as <a href="http://www.jerryhooten.com/">Jerry Hooten</a>, <a href="http://mikemanno.blogspot.com/2011/08/mondays-with-mike-author-tony-powers.html">Tony Power</a>s, and Mike Manno. A wealth of information for zero cost. I also have signed up for a LinkedIn writing group.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My advice to authors: Contact libraries, service clubs, and retirement centers and offer to speak/read. Have a ‘hook.’ Mine is the importance of people preserving their own memories, even if only on a yellow pad, because when they are gone...so are their stories. I normally sell between zero-three books, but that it okay. You’ve given some joy for an hour. To me it’s almost a ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is how you can contact Bill:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Website: <a href="http://www.sheridanwrites.com/">www.sheridanwrites.com</a> for printed copy (PayPal)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.nook.com/">www.nook.com</a> or <a href="http://www.kindle.com/">www.kindle.com</a> as an e-book<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Depot.Street.Memories?ref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/Depot.Street.Memories?ref=ts<o:p></o:p></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Work/cell: 515.669.4913<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bill, thank you for your time today.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">B:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are welcome, it was my pleasure.</span></div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-46186191917710742992011-08-15T06:44:00.000-05:002011-08-15T06:44:26.588-05:00Mondays With Mike: Writers of the Lake<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrdycbHOii9ZyU8VpLWicWw3Cw9fLLB97GU2cENLF9uetp3eRRnevLfhtQIyMyrwwkgo2D_j8TMOJWE7-q70AEjjN8nAqKjeQ00sRzYi3YheBUPIJ4QxiPYZLh4TvJLwS6aOaRnBmaNw/s1600/188541_173911015989751_100001125612225_385085_5667608_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrdycbHOii9ZyU8VpLWicWw3Cw9fLLB97GU2cENLF9uetp3eRRnevLfhtQIyMyrwwkgo2D_j8TMOJWE7-q70AEjjN8nAqKjeQ00sRzYi3YheBUPIJ4QxiPYZLh4TvJLwS6aOaRnBmaNw/s400/188541_173911015989751_100001125612225_385085_5667608_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L to R: Jordyn Meryl, Maggie Rivers, & C.Deanne Rowe</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">TRYING TO INTERVIEW three authors at the same time poses a bit of a problem, but I wanted to try it with my friends who have formed a very well received writing partnership, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writers of the Lake, </i></b>which was formed by three friends (Maggie Rivers, C. Deanne Rowe and Jordyn Meryl) when they took a week long writing retreat together, staying at a friend’s lake house. They got along well and had a blast creating stories while there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was only natural then for them to decide it would be fun to put those stories into a book, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Jeans and Stilettos</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. </i>Besides <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Jeans, </i>they have each created their own impressive list of works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But rather than me try to tell you about them, let me have Maggie, C. Deane, and Jordyn tell you about themselves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Welcome, ladies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s start with introductions</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Maggie Rivers: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been writing since I was knee high to a cockroach. I sold my first piece of writing when I was 21 to a parents’ magazine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure why they thought I knew what I was talking about but apparently they did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then I have written a number of books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My books are listed below.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">C. Deanne Rowe:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have always loved the power of words. How they could make you cry, laugh, or provoke all range of emotions. I wouldn’t be who I am without words. I learned to feel good listening to songs which filled my heart. I learned the meaning of love watching all the good romance movies. Of course, there was sex scattered through the pages of the paperbacks I hid from my parents. Words have always been my friend, my comfort, my teacher. It was only logical I would grow up and want to be an author, to spin a tale which would captivate readers. My life’s journey has taken me in this direction and I can only hope I don’t disappoint those who choose to follow.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Jordyn Meryl:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By day under the guise of a passive, quiet, school librarian, books and kids are the passions which keep my mind fresh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is when the night muses visit me, my spirit rises up to wrap around the stories that float in my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Land locked in the mid-west I dream of days on a white sandy beach with a laptop to write all my tales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crossing many genres I spin chronicles of romance, paranormal and fantasy, for they are stories worth telling, even at the risk of revealing true feelings <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mike: Can you tell me a little bit about your books? </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjOpeq_oyWH1D6XYsdjwSHhRYfFzhfaud_TDusjd5tgP8FyQ15di_SMuBp-A9UHZAxQQFxWItf1qtGTUdAKrFEcCtgt65lmmX0HnhenqLDh8X7lHpjZY5bYLyDNx1odyQTBK7wEjO794/s1600/BookCoverPreview+-+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjOpeq_oyWH1D6XYsdjwSHhRYfFzhfaud_TDusjd5tgP8FyQ15di_SMuBp-A9UHZAxQQFxWItf1qtGTUdAKrFEcCtgt65lmmX0HnhenqLDh8X7lHpjZY5bYLyDNx1odyQTBK7wEjO794/s320/BookCoverPreview+-+Front.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Writers of the Lake<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">:</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writers of the Lake</i>, our first but definitely not our last is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Jeans and Stilettos</i>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming out on November 10 is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ms. Claus Wears Stilettos</i> and then in February 2012 we have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Venus in Stilettos</i>. In June we will have another in the “stilettos” series and after that we’ll see what happens.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Maggie Rivers:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Maggie Rivers, I write hot, sexy, sizzling romances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other end of the scale, I write inspirational as Mary Freeman Boardman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the middle of those two, I write mystery/suspense as Leeza McBride and I write non-fiction as Jamie Lee Coulter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, I do have to ask myself each morning “Who am I today?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">You can read a bit of the Maggie style in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Jeans and Stilettos</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Mary it’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And Then There Was One</i>; for Jamie Lee, try <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who Took My Husband: Or How I Survived Living With A Drug Addict</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leeza will have a series coming out in 2012 entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Death by a Rose</i>; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Death by a Daisy</i>; and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Death by an Orchid</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">C. Deanne Rowe</span></u></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am working on a book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cowboy Butts Drive Me Nuts</i>, which I hope to have completed around the first of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Jordyn Meryl:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a storyteller. Stories come to me at night while I sleep, or float around in my head when I am awake. Committing the number one sin for a writer, I genre jump.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s go to your latest group effort: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Jeans and Stilettos. </i>I understand it is an anthology of three romance stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you give us a short synopsis of each? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>“It’s Better in the Dark”</u></i><u> by C. Deanne Rowe:</u><br />
<br />
Sofie Edwards was about to celebrate another birthday – single. She dreamed of adventure, but in reality liked to feel safe and secure, comfortable, for the moment, with her crush on a gorgeous employee of her favorite coffee shop, The Morning Brew. Sofie’s two closest friends find what they believe is the perfect birthday gift; dinner at a new restaurant, “It’s Better in the Dark.” Could they convince Sofie to take a chance at an adventure? Blindfolded and fed dinner in the dark by a perfect stranger, would Sofie enjoy the intrigue of sensual desires? This birthday could forever change her life if Sofie discovers It’s Better in the Dark.<br />
<br />
<u>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Dreams Change”</i> by Jordyn Meryl:</u><br />
<br />
A small quaint Italian cafe on the shores of the Mediterranean was the dream for Jessica. Failing to realize her husband’s ambitions were another woman almost blew her plans apart. Stepping in as her bartender, Alejandro helps save her when he becomes not only her rescuer, but a man who brings out hidden feelings of desire. When her wayward husband returns, Jessica faces the decision of her future.<br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>“Take A Chance On Love”</u></i><u> by Maggie Rivers</u>:<br />
<br />
All Jennifer Sinclair wants is to feel safe and protected for a little while. The men she’s met so far only want one thing – sex. When handed an ad where you design your own sexual fantasy, she comes up with a plan. A fantasy with no sex, just strong male arms to hold her. Mention sex and her money must be refunded. Caleb Hollister, the island’s owner, must step in when an employee leaves him short one man to service a client, although sex with any of these jaded, aggressive women is not his thing. But when he sees Jennifer Sinclair, a girl from his past, his thoughts change and sex goes to the top of the list.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, as writes there is a continuing debate about plot and character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is more important to you: plot or character?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2VGRuwtu0gYP17tD1o2gsg0Q3RAI_6egyxxxom7GEbatVGiEptVk8y3zmDRdmWKeUT6sfBJ1nSe4StFv4iEy0vSE6kpEx7ETGvXaRLFmcAdrMBjJ3Re9CE3R3eIXqcNUNOyc6Hbx8a8/s1600/BookB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2VGRuwtu0gYP17tD1o2gsg0Q3RAI_6egyxxxom7GEbatVGiEptVk8y3zmDRdmWKeUT6sfBJ1nSe4StFv4iEy0vSE6kpEx7ETGvXaRLFmcAdrMBjJ3Re9CE3R3eIXqcNUNOyc6Hbx8a8/s200/BookB.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Maggie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think they’re both equally important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You need to create well rounded characters your readers can fall in love with and still remember long after they’ve finished reading the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, you also need a great plot with lots of conflict to make those characters memorable.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Deanne:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to have some idea for a plot but characters are what makes your story. They get you through the twists and turns of your story. Without good characters your story will stall out in the first few chapters. They carry your story to the end.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Jordyn:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm not a plotter, however I feel the story has to be solid. I want people to love my characters. So I guess I think they both are important<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mike: What started each of you writing? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNklHGWBm7KZ29L9NLW1Oavv5ZL3B_b2rS5ovWvntmFA-bbfkoUNI4VjZoQ8ttvb8Zx8Wtrjf7T1S7lcadVt7jJodmKulhuW-vNDPOA5-t-2cGyqZidqJ3W0uTl51AaMtnrOf9MZSbXQ/s1600/Front+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNklHGWBm7KZ29L9NLW1Oavv5ZL3B_b2rS5ovWvntmFA-bbfkoUNI4VjZoQ8ttvb8Zx8Wtrjf7T1S7lcadVt7jJodmKulhuW-vNDPOA5-t-2cGyqZidqJ3W0uTl51AaMtnrOf9MZSbXQ/s200/Front+cover.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Maggie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure if I have an answer to that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t remember not writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve “written” long before I knew my ABC’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even before I entered First Grade, I’d make marks on paper and read my “stories” to my dolls.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Deanne:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have always loved reading a good book. It doesn’t matter what genre as long as the story keeps me hooked. I always wanted to believe I could write as well as some of my favorite authors. I don’t know if that is true, but I had to give it a shot. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Jordyn:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The introduction of a laptop and spell check opened up a whole new world of writing for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mike: What are your writing habits? In other words, do you write each day, morning, evening, etc.? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Maggie: You can usually find me at my computer around 2 A.M.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My characters just won’t let me sleep beyond that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I write until around 6 or 7 a.m. and then it’s back to sleep for a couple of hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get up again and I write the rest of the day and sometimes into the evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Deanne:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I normally write in the evenings and on the weekends since I work a full time job. But during the day my mind is always going back and forth on whatever story I am working on, plotting and planning. I make notes, send myself emails, anything I have available to keep from forgetting an idea I come up with.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Jordyn:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I work in education, I had my summer off, so I could write whenever I wanted. I loved it. During the school year, I come home from work, pour a cold beer, prop up my feet, put on some music and start typing what has been going through my mind all day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mike: Anything upcoming? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9v0D-uZyo8eFnlcO4_Rtsv46Q8k5dZp4T-eC633iyoBlvurOggyjH3fMYyoK5BoZ2vJ63bsbCooIh0LqZ0r0j-i-F_tJTqDhlAr831whtZL8drtF8I2kcKTlOJOj01B4DpDBqUCf8rg/s1600/Photo+from+Target+-+1-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9v0D-uZyo8eFnlcO4_Rtsv46Q8k5dZp4T-eC633iyoBlvurOggyjH3fMYyoK5BoZ2vJ63bsbCooIh0LqZ0r0j-i-F_tJTqDhlAr831whtZL8drtF8I2kcKTlOJOj01B4DpDBqUCf8rg/s200/Photo+from+Target+-+1-cropped.jpg" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Writers of the Lake</span></u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> has another book coming out November 10 and everyone’s invited to the book launch party!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The title of this one is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ms. Claus Wears Stilettos</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then for Valentine’s we have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Venus in Stilettos</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be a fourth in the stiletto series coming out in June 2012 also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that we’ll have to see.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Maggie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have several romances in the works which will be coming out next year and writing as Leeza McBride I will have several mysteries coming out, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Deanne:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am working on a book, Cowboy Butts Drive Me Nuts, which I hope to have completed around the first of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LZawS8suj9u-58i8NMnv0XOCrGosd6b0XBN4dvmOK0ydvSO29F6-TieujGs_LOS_vIIjzPK5KcY3tYgnPftjGNBheskj1a5JAe2IczfNY-5NpU6OEe2LWY0raosmZTn49WGE6KJ0v38/s1600/263864_2206787971972_1315614783_2570823_1528275_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LZawS8suj9u-58i8NMnv0XOCrGosd6b0XBN4dvmOK0ydvSO29F6-TieujGs_LOS_vIIjzPK5KcY3tYgnPftjGNBheskj1a5JAe2IczfNY-5NpU6OEe2LWY0raosmZTn49WGE6KJ0v38/s200/263864_2206787971972_1315614783_2570823_1528275_n.jpg" width="139" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jordyn</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Jordyn:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just finished a Christmas story for our second book. I have a paranormal that I want to finish on my own. Then a Valentine story for 2012. I love writing so having all these stories in front of me is fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Book Signings</span></u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Writers of the Lake will be autographing copies of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Jeans and Stillettos</i> beginning at 1 p.m. on August 13 at Beaverdale Books in Beaverdale and beginning at 3 p.m. on August 20 at Pritchard’s Book in Southridge Mall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both bookstores are in Des Moines, IA.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Also, November 10 is our book launch party for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ms. Claus Wears Stilettos</i> and everyone is invited!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have any hobbies, etc. for spare time? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Maggie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spare time – what’s that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Writing under four different pseudonyms you expect me to have spare time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LOL!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually I’m learning to play the hammered dulcimer and the mountain dulcimer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love folk instruments and would love to be able to sit around and jam with folk musicians.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaiT0XkwhDAhvl9jCI-WiVErbgsIQP2fkkZPsKraR_QOw2DlSWeMtvJzLgIh2tLcRKqMrgK1eKCZX864Lv0SSi-pwzA_aQGVXDvSWbw4JF47YaofNQnv0YRO3BEcV_-ea_tdGWflElAs/s1600/CoverA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaiT0XkwhDAhvl9jCI-WiVErbgsIQP2fkkZPsKraR_QOw2DlSWeMtvJzLgIh2tLcRKqMrgK1eKCZX864Lv0SSi-pwzA_aQGVXDvSWbw4JF47YaofNQnv0YRO3BEcV_-ea_tdGWflElAs/s200/CoverA.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deanne</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Deanne:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s not much spare time for hobbies. I am President of Two Rivers Romance Authors and belong to another writer’s group, Saturday Writers. I also have three grandchildren who I like to spend time with. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Jordyn:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What spare time? LOL I love going to concerts. Spending time with family and friends. But mostly writing. Right now it is my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mike:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can readers contact you? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">E-mail</span></u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Writers of the Lake:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="mailto:info@writersofthelake.com">info@writersofthelake.com<o:p></o:p></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Maggie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: windowtext;"><a href="mailto:maggie@maggierivers.com">maggie@maggierivers.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Deanne:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="mailto:cdeanne@cdeannerowe.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">cdeanne@cdeannerowe.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Jordyn:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="mailto:jordyn.meryl@jordynmeryl.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">jordyn.meryl@jordynmeryl.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Two Rivers Romance Authors:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="mailto:info@tworiversromanceauthors.com">info@tworiversromanceauthors.com<o:p></o:p></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Snail mail:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Writers of the Lake, P.O. Box 17214, Des Moines, IA 50317<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Maggie Rivers, P.O. Box 17053, Des Moines, IA 50317<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Two Rivers Romance Authors, P.O. Box 17014, Des Moines, IA 50317<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Websites</span></u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.writersofthelake.com/">http://www.writersofthelake.com</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.maggierivers.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.maggierivers.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.jordynmeryl.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.jordynmeryl.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.cdeannerowe.com/">http://www.cdeannerowe.com<o:p></o:p></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.tworiversromanceauthors.com/">http://www.tworiversromanceauthors.com<o:p></o:p></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in 67.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">You can email us, preorder our books, give us a review, or just say Hello. We love to hear from fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All three of us are members of Two Rivers Romance Authors, so if you’re a writer or a wanna-be writer, come join us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911991505519047749.post-57975343938829468342011-08-08T06:32:00.000-05:002011-08-08T06:32:47.136-05:00Mondays With Mike: Author Tony Powers<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyBDKFbLobrd7VBkCONTB6ChZ_ZeyqYgzXHBazdDekNjUOdLwnYbe2wAuJxP-hvcx5b_en8ecOfeFaMxPkwwBvXuKiwbNjMDquxoOMCStwxHQacW-DOQ-3CE5jQOYFeky4CGmvXhVnGA/s1600/Tony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyBDKFbLobrd7VBkCONTB6ChZ_ZeyqYgzXHBazdDekNjUOdLwnYbe2wAuJxP-hvcx5b_en8ecOfeFaMxPkwwBvXuKiwbNjMDquxoOMCStwxHQacW-DOQ-3CE5jQOYFeky4CGmvXhVnGA/s1600/Tony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyBDKFbLobrd7VBkCONTB6ChZ_ZeyqYgzXHBazdDekNjUOdLwnYbe2wAuJxP-hvcx5b_en8ecOfeFaMxPkwwBvXuKiwbNjMDquxoOMCStwxHQacW-DOQ-3CE5jQOYFeky4CGmvXhVnGA/s200/Tony.jpg" width="177" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">TONY A. POWERS is an old friend who is a member of one of my writing groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He grew up on a farm in Altoona, Iowa and attended Old Dowling High School (which I did, too) and Ellsworth Junior College where he lettered in football. He graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in Radio & Television and worked nearly 20 years in broadcast news; 16 years at WHO Radio & TV in Des Moines in the 70's and 80's where he did basketball play by play for Iowa, Iowa State and Drake on WHO Radio. In the 90's he became a Veterans Employment Counselor for Iowa Workforce Development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a combat veteran winning the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bronze Star for Valor</b>.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mike: Tony, it is great to have you with us today, especially knowing that your computer crashed and you probably have a lot of other things to do. Your latest book, I beleive, is <em>1st & Dead</em> which follows <em>Murder on the Opinion Page</em>. How did they come about?</span></strong><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwaOazYSJwpJG3TR0adVKGKmMRMktyIuFagBwfxa_NY5jWMrTcfP4eJnKA_E7HtgcVY63DGEjZyAzYvWfaI3OWib4LUxRH96jNTWU99cuK6y1l56J5xQ0QOEDGIM9WqaSiYRzhZl1ueA/s1600/134237_1295693543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwaOazYSJwpJG3TR0adVKGKmMRMktyIuFagBwfxa_NY5jWMrTcfP4eJnKA_E7HtgcVY63DGEjZyAzYvWfaI3OWib4LUxRH96jNTWU99cuK6y1l56J5xQ0QOEDGIM9WqaSiYRzhZl1ueA/s1600/134237_1295693543.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tony: <i>1st & Dead </i>and <i>Murder on the Opinion Page</i> arose from my interest in writing letters to the editor over the last twenty years. First I wrote a self help book, <i>Getting Published: A layman's guide to writing letters to the editor</i>. In the book I coached readers on how to write an effective letter to the editor. The book included past letters that were published in the <i>Des Moines Register and USA Today</i>. I might add that it is very difficult to get a letter published in <i>USA Today</i>. They receive something like one thousand letters a week.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBG1hdvZOyFvXUw7Tg0WQl1G-NJCirAJ97gpYMfMceVrx6rwXimcw4UReMdtTUsathd6AgxCNXN8wJrbjHZIrs71fjlrJGrnPynw2AtVNuFsPGh0aXRdzbvo_M46WsspoRZ6y13OMlfw/s1600/Murder+on+the+opinion+page.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBG1hdvZOyFvXUw7Tg0WQl1G-NJCirAJ97gpYMfMceVrx6rwXimcw4UReMdtTUsathd6AgxCNXN8wJrbjHZIrs71fjlrJGrnPynw2AtVNuFsPGh0aXRdzbvo_M46WsspoRZ6y13OMlfw/s1600/Murder+on+the+opinion+page.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I've always read mystery novels and after reading one, I thought about writing a novel about people who disappeared after writing a letter to the editor. <i>Murder on the Opinion Page </i>was born with the main characters being Dan Kawowski, a police detective, and Jane Dockery, his intern studying criminology at Dixon University in Des Moines County, Colorado. Dockery by chance discovers that people have disappeared after their letter to the editor was published. They stumble onto an al Qaeda terror cell disguised as hog farmers who were kidnapping and murdering people who had written letters to the editor condemning al Qaeda, Osama, Saddam or any of its operatives. There's also a terrifying killer hog in the novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJg4_YxnAW5M9FwdsIwLjlqX88KrClO9NIuP1d_fCjIC1weaTBarP2IiXFJkYmG5kAHskWx7WEGztq_wSAXntbtt5GRJC1slxDYCyJC0dujBx6kcmA5WJohTIg-jHWvPnhHAijX7TaOw/s1600/330487_m.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJg4_YxnAW5M9FwdsIwLjlqX88KrClO9NIuP1d_fCjIC1weaTBarP2IiXFJkYmG5kAHskWx7WEGztq_wSAXntbtt5GRJC1slxDYCyJC0dujBx6kcmA5WJohTIg-jHWvPnhHAijX7TaOw/s1600/330487_m.gif" /></a></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M: Your main characters are Dan Kawowski and Jane Dockery. Can you tell me a little about their relationship and how it has developed from book to book</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">T: </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dan Kawowski and Jane Dockery had become heroes for terminating the al Qaeda cell. He is elected Des Moines County Sheriff and she becomes an FBI agent. But al-Qaeda plots revenge. They smuggle an assassination team into the U.S. with Kawowski one of the targets. It's in this novel, that I introduce a huge canine named Laddie. It turns out to be a real page turning thriller. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have anything upcoming?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">T: I'm going to start writing the third novel of the trilogy soon. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are your writing habits … do you have a daily or weekly goal?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">T: I usually try to write a chapter every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeg-b4VOV2SgGvoBpOIMtCWAFEMpI9AE7tLcx2KZ_4qbX7NhF1Ob1fVx3NtTjTkEpRZiL19MAlDM2nRAFAbgq_GEsfLdBrtI4CLvTP_6DJH2OxbPFAPjzXIYgFTO2PT21YNanprUqxy_0/s1600/decorbs-v.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeg-b4VOV2SgGvoBpOIMtCWAFEMpI9AE7tLcx2KZ_4qbX7NhF1Ob1fVx3NtTjTkEpRZiL19MAlDM2nRAFAbgq_GEsfLdBrtI4CLvTP_6DJH2OxbPFAPjzXIYgFTO2PT21YNanprUqxy_0/s200/decorbs-v.gif" width="96" /></a></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What started you writing?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">T: My interest in writing really blossomed after I finished a 3-month writing course from Marshall J. Cook who retired as a writing professor at the University of Wisconsin. He is a published and accomplished author. He advised me to self publish because of the extreme time and difficulty it takes to find an agent and get your book accepted by a traditional publisher. I chose AuthorHouse a leader in the self publishing field. I felt they did an admirable job in publishing my first two mystery novels. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where can we find your books?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">T:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can find my novels on all the major book sites: Google, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble as well as at selected bookstores. I've done very well in Google eBooks I'm very proud of my novels and feel they stand up to even the traditional mystery novelists in quality.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides your third book in the thriller series, do you have any other writing goals?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">T:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my writing goals is to write a screenplay someday but first I have to learn how to do it!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks, Tony … I’m posting some links to your books (and ebook editions).<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Opinion-Page-Tony-Powers/dp/1438992572">Amazon </a> <a href="http://www.authorhouse.com/Bookstore/BookSearchResults.aspx?Search=Tony%20A.%20Powers">The publisher</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">T:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks, Mike<o:p></o:p></span></div>Mike Mannohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04146902226737205177noreply@blogger.com0