THE FINE ART OF DELUSIONAL THINKING

October 4, 2013 – 10:39 pm
The Fine Art of Delusional Thinking, By Bonnie Trachtenberg

The Fine Art of Delusional Thinking, By Bonnie Trachtenberg

Romantic-comedy writer and humorist, Bonnie Trachtenberg, joins us today to discuss her latest, The Fine Art of Delusional Thinking: Happiness Means Never Having to Have a Reality Check. In a spoof on self-help books extolling the “Laws of Attraction,” The Fine Art of Delusional Thinking is a funny, satirical book that teaches readers how to delude themselves to a happier life. As she has said, “I think it will appeal to an awful lot of people, because aren’t we all a little delusional sometimes?” Without further ado, please welcome Bonnie Trachtenberg!

 

Silverberry: You’ve packed a wealth of wild experiences, colorful people, and nutty behavior into your life, which you’ve said inspired The Fine Art of Delusional Thinking. Tell us about some of them.

 

Trachtenberg: Ha! Each story could be its own book, but suffice it to say that Los Angeles is filled with people who migrate there from all parts of the country and the world, in search of glamour, fame, and excitement. Many have stars in their eyes; I was one of them. Therefore, I attracted many friends and acquaintances with similar interests, dreams, and desires—people who happen to make good characters for fiction, as my two novels prove! But some of us took the search to extremes, and so wild stories ensued, many of which are depicted in this book.

 

Silverberry: What are the Five Fundamentals of Fantasy?

 

Trachtenberg: I begin the book by outlining The Five Fundamentals of Fantasy, which are five basic rules that form the foundation of delusional behavior. They are “critical” in helping budding Delusionals survive in an often-dismal world.

 

Silverberry: Obviously, you’re spoofing, but is there usefulness in having a bit of delusional thinking to get us through?

 

Trachtenberg: If it’s infused with humor and the ability to laugh at our own human nature, then definitely yes. This book, I realized, is the perfect spoof on all the laws of attraction books that have exploded in recent years. It just takes the idea to absurd (and hilarious) levels.

 

Silverberry: It seems to me that comedy, satire, and parody are some of the hardest things to write. How in the world do you do it?

 

Trachtenberg: That’s a tough one to answer because this book just spilled out of me as if the Delusional in me could not be denied! I really didn’t set out to write a satire or parody, and I’ve never written one before this, so I was surprised, too. As far as comedy is concerned, all my books have humor in them and I’m fortunate that wit comes naturally to me. I love looking at the humorous side of life, especially through the eyes of my characters.

 

Silverberry: I read recently that movie studios are making far fewer romantic comedies because they don’t do as well in the box office as suspense and thrillers. Do you think that’s happening with novels, too? Why do you think the public has veered away from comedy?

 

Trachtenberg: Yes, I read that, too, and it caused quite a stir in my Chick Lit/romance group! What we collectively concluded, is that if Hollywood paid as much attention to their writers and scripts, as they do their blood, gore, and car crashes, people would still be going to the movies in droves for romantic comedies. The problem is that most of what they’ve been putting out now is pretty lousy in comparison to the great romantic comedies of years past. The relationships are more about sex than about watching two funny and endearing characters fall in love with each other. If Harry met Sally now, I can assure you they’d do great box office, because word of mouth is what gets people to go to the movies, and most everyone adored that movie. Nora Ephron’s script was a masterpiece. It featured the comedic talents of Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, and Carrie Fisher. Nowadays I personally don’t think anything has come even close since “Something’s Gotta Give” ten years ago! As for novels, I’m happy to say the romantic book industry is booming in all its forms. Hmmm…maybe the movie studios should make a note of that.

 

Silverberry: Tell us about your other books!

 

Trachtenberg: My debut novel, Wedlocked, is the story of a single, 36-year-old aspiring actress who, after many of life’s hard knocks, impulsively marries into a disastrous marriage. It is based on my own first, brief marriage, and although it was hardly funny to me back then, I’m so glad I was able to turn it into a romantic comedy for others to enjoy. Interestingly, it’s the true things I wrote about that most people think I made up!

 

My second novel, Neurotically Yours, is less biographical, but still based on my dating experiences. Like me, the main character is an advice columnist, but her other experiences, friends, and relationships are mostly fictional. In it, she and her lovable friend, Reggie, decide to open up a dating service for the perennially single and the romantically challenged. Needless to say I had a lot of fun with this one!

 

I’m happy to declare that both books are multi-award-winners and bestsellers—more proof that the romantic book industry is alive and well! Oh and by the way, I can’t tell you how many people have remarked they are perfect for the big screen. Hear that Hollywood?

 

Silverberry: What’s coming up for you?!

 

Trachtenberg: I’m presently working on my third novel. It’s about a successful, ambitious, and driven party planner in New York, who finds her life suddenly upended after a near death experience. Yes, there is romance in this one, too. Although the story may be a little less geared for comedy than the others, it makes up for it in intrigue and plot twists. Stay tuned!

 

Silverberry: Thanks so much for stopping by, Bonnie! Readers can follow you and purchase The Fine Art of Delusional Thinking and your other books at the links below.

 

 

Learn much more about Bonnie at her Website

 

Read her Advice Column

 

Find her on Facebook

 

Follow her on Twitter: @Writebrainedny

 

Buy The Fine Art of Delusional Thinking

 

Amazon

 

Amazon UK

 

Barnes & Noble

 

 

Buy Wedlocked!

 

Amazon

 

Amazon UK

 

Barnes & Noble

 

Buy Neurotically Yours

 

Amazon

 

Amazon UK

 

Barnes & Noble

 

 

BIO:

 

Bonnie Trachtenberg is the multi-award-winning, bestselling author of Wedlocked: A Novel, Neurotically Yours: A Novel, and The Fine Art of Delusional Thinking. She writes a monthly relationship and advice column for Love a Happy Ending Lifestyle Magazine. Bonnie was senior writer and copy chief at Book-of-the-Month Club and has written seven children’s book adaptations. She has also written for three newspapers and penned countless magazine articles. She lives in New York with her husband, four cats, and a dog.

Bonnie Trachtenberg, Author of THE FINE ART OF DELUSIONAL THINKING

Bonnie Trachtenberg, Author of THE FINE ART OF DELUSIONAL THINKING

 

By A. R. Silverberry | Posted in Author Interview | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (4)

Destiny: New Avalon

September 17, 2013 – 4:45 pm
Destiny, by Andrea Buginsky

Destiny, by Andrea Buginsky

I’m thrilled to have author Andrea Buginsky join us today to discuss her new YA fantasy series, Destiny, New Avalon, Book I.

 

What inspired the Avalon series?

 

I love King Arthur stories, especially the stories of Merlin and the Lady of the Lake. I remembered a TV movie I saw years ago called “The Mists of Avalon,” which focused on the women of Avalon. I loved that movie, and I wanted to create a series that brought them back to life, in current times.

 

What’s the story about?

 

Elena Baxter is a shy teenager who gets picked on a lot at school. On her sixteenth birthday, she finds out about a family legacy that she is a huge part of, as well as the power of telekinesis, and her entire world changes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help matters at school, and her power gets out of hand. She is taken to New Avalon, a school where she can learn to control her powers. While there, her world changes even more drastically.

 

What does your main character, Elena, yearn for?

 

Friendship and acceptance. She has never been one of the “popular” girls at school, and has always felt like an outsider. She wants desperately to make a connection with people her own age, and feel like she belongs somewhere.

 

Tell us about some of the other characters.

 

There are four other girls Elena meets at New Avalon:

Izzy, Elena’s roommate, takes Elena under her wing and helps guide her around New Avalon. Izzy has a very friendly personality that reaches out to Elena’s shy nature and pulls her in. But she has a dark secret that she’s been carrying around for the past few years.

Mia is the oldest of the group. She takes the other girls under her wing like a protective big sister. When Elena arrives at New Avalon, Mia is among the first to accept her into their group.

Rebecca is one of the two youngest members of the group. She is often regarded as the little sister, and is usually very quiet with the group. She speaks her mind when she has something to say, and looks out for her closest friends.

April is the other youngest member of the group. Though she’s not as shy as Rebecca, and will speak her mind, she is very respectful of her older Avalonian sisters, and trusts them with her life.

In addition to the girls, there are the teachers at New Avalon. But the other main character is Isabel:

Isabel is the leader of the Avalonians, and Elena’s godmother. She is the one who tells Elena of her destiny.

 

Can you share a short excerpt showing Elena’s telekinesis?

 

(Lady Jane, Beginners Magic teacher) “I see we have our work cut out for us. That’s ok.  It’s pretty much what I expected from someone so new to her powers.  Most of the time, you girls are like that.  Always used to having everything come to you easily, not wanting to work hard for what you want.  Very spoiled, if you ask me.”

Elena gasped and replied in a very angry tone.

“Excuse me? I’ve had to work plenty hard to get where I am today. School never came easy to me, and I don’t have many friends, so I’m always studying, always trying to do better.  So don’t tell me I don’t know how to work hard for what I want!”

As she began yelling louder and louder, the chair suddenly rose up and flew across the room.

“There!  That’s what I wanted to see!”

Elena blushed and the other girls laughed.

“I’m sorry, but I had to push you. I needed to see what you really can do.  Now, we just have to work on you doing it without me pissing you off first.”

She smiled, and Elena burst out laughing, which made the chair move across the floor once again.

 

Fun! Who would enjoy the book?

 

Anyone who likes YA fantasy, magic, and witchcraft.

 

What was your approach to plotting the series?

 

I actually started the first book as my manuscript for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) several years ago. I’ve worked on it slowly on-and-off over the years. This year, I decided I wanted to finish it. As I was working on it, I realized I went a bit off-track, but the material was great for a second story, and the series was born.

 

The second book focuses on Izzy, so I decided that each book would focus on one of the girls in particular. When I’m done, I plan to have at least five books in the series; one for each of the five girls.

 

You’ve written some other books. Tell us about them!

 

I have another series called The Chosen, a middle-grade fantasy. I published two of the books, have written the first draft of the third, and came up with a concept for the fourth. But I put that series on the back burner when I focused on New Avalon.

 

I also published My Open Heart, an autobiography of growing up with heart disease. I wanted to share my story with other adolescents who are growing up with heart disease or other chronic conditions, as well as parents of children with them. It’s a survival story. My wish is that it will bring hope to my readers’ lives.

 

 

What’s ahead for you?

 

More books in the New Avalon series and, eventually, more books in The Chosen series.

 

I also have an idea for another series for middle-graders based on some special characters that are featured in New Avalon.

 

Thanks for stopping by, Andrea! Readers can follow you and find a purchase link for Destiny below.

Purchase Destiny on Amazon

Social Media Links:

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Pinterest

 

Website/Blog

 

Bio:

 

Andrea Buginsky is a freelance writer and author. “The Chosen,” a middle-grade fantasy novelette was her first book, and was followed by “My Open Heart,” an autobiography about growing up with heart disease. “Nature’s Unbalance” is the second story in THE CHOSEN series. Andrea is currently working on NEW AVALON, a YA fantasy series. Book 1, “Destiny,” is available on Amazon. To learn more about Andrea, visit her on her website.

 

Andrea Buginsky, Author of DESTINY, NEW AVALON

Andrea Buginsky, Author of DESTINY, NEW AVALON

 

 

DESTINY Blog Tour!

DESTINY Blog Tour!

 

 

By A. R. Silverberry | Posted in Author Interview | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

Destiny, by Andrea Buginsky: Preview and Excerpt!

August 31, 2013 – 1:14 am
Destiny, by Andrea Buginsky

Destiny, by Andrea Buginsky

Preview and excerpt of Destiny, New Avalon Book I, by Andrea Buginsky!

I’ll be interviewing author Andrea Buginsky in the next few weeks about her new YA fantasy novel, Destiny. Meanwhile, check out the synopsis and excerpt below!

 

Constantly teased and taunted by the popular girls, Elena Baxter desperately wants to fit in. On her sweet sixteenth, she receives two shocking gifts: telekinesis and the surprising truth about her heritage. With high hopes that things will be different now, Elena returns to school to find that nothing has changed. Only this time her hurt feelings and frustration boil into something even she cannot understand.

When her powers explode, chaos ensues and she learns that her new ability is greater than she ever desired. As she learns to control her powers, Elena discovers there’s so much more to her heritage than she ever imagined.

Excerpt:

As Elena bounded back up the stairs, her mom watched, smiling, thinking about the last 16 years, and all this next one would bring.  She knew there would be a lot of changes, more so than Elena could possibly know, and she was looking forward to every one of them.  She could hardly wait for Isabel’s arrival the next day so they could finally tell Elena the truth about who she was, and help her to blossom and start to become whom she was meant to be.

 

 

Andrea Buginsky is a freelance writer and author. “The Chosen,” a middle-grade fantasy novelette, was her first book, and was followed by “My Open Heart,” an autobiography about growing up with heart disease. “Nature’s Unbalance” is the second story in THE CHOSEN series. Andrea is currently working on another series: a YA fantasy. To learn more about Andrea, visit her on her website.

 

 

 

 

By A. R. Silverberry | Posted in Author Events | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Death by Living: ND Wilson Interview

August 27, 2013 – 6:52 pm
Death By Living, By ND Wilson

Death By Living, By ND Wilson

Joining us today is ND Wilson, author of Death by Living: Life Is Meant to be Spent.

 

Silverberry: Tell us a little about yourself and how you became a writer.

 

N.D. Wilson: Well, I grew up with a pastor for a dad, in a house and a family that was filled with books and reading. Not only that, but the whole family always reveled in a well-turned phrase or a spectacular piece of description (usually humorous). Words were everywhere, but so was the business of living. And the two collided (always). We always treated the world around us like a piece of fiction . . . because it was (and is, although you can capitalize that F). As for writing, I knew by the time I was exiting grade school that writing was the calling for me.

 

 

Silverberry: What inspired you to write your book, Death by Living?

 

N.D. Wilson: The rhythms of generations. Looking back at the lives of my grandparents, around at my own immediate daily moments, and down at the round faces of my children, who will carry this now into whatever will be when I am old and broken.

 

Silverberry: How did you arrive at the philosophical/spiritual ideas inherent in the book?

 

N.D. Wilson: Lots of reading, lots of tasting the wind and looking around at the craft of our Father and meditating on His art, pondering the blessing and the curse of my own mortality, the bittersweet beauty flowing through Ecclesiastes, and experiencing the joy of dying slowly for others (my own children).

 

Silverberry: Why is it important to pursue life as if death is riding on our tail?

 

N.D. Wilson: Death isn’t riding on our tail, we are riding on his. We are running him down at a full gallop, and we will all catch him. It’s important, because no one ever regretted a life full of beauty and life and laughter. But many many men and women have regretted lives full of time wasted, or spent chasing unimportant things. There is a clock up on the scoreboard, and it is counting down. Knowing that enables us to live with an intensity (to the dregs) that we might not otherwise. Of course, I’m not talking about working double shifts so you can buy yourself a shiny car with spinning rims. I’m talking about seizing our brief moments to invest in what is really lasting . . . other people, and especially those living closest to us. There are no mere mortals. In ten thousand years, your kids will still exist. That car will be a rusty streak of sand in a desert. Rejoice in that. Spread your affection out around your kids the way God spreads out the sky above us. Surprise them with blessings and with a love that just won’t quit, the way God heaps up billions of snowflakes for them to tumble in.

 

Silverberry: How do we keep the reality of death in our lives from depressing us?

 

N.D. Wilson: By focusing on gratitude. The best way to waste a life is to fail to live it out of fear or preemptive grief simply because it will end. That man is dead already. Be grateful. Invest in what is forever and savor what is fleeting. And never forget, death is not the end. In the words of the old American spiritual: “And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on . . .”

 

Silverberry: What has your own experience been applying the principals in Death by Living?

 

N.D. Wilson: It helps me stay awake to the world, to life, and to small opportunities and gifts everywhere. It’s so easy to become numb and lazy with routine, or simply out of weariness from hard work. The principles in Death by Living are cold water to the face and a joke and a belly laugh after . . .

 

Silverberry: What ahead for you as a writer?

 

N.D. Wilson: More words! I have a novel in a series (The Empire of Bones) releasing in October, and a stand-alone novel coming in the Spring. After that, everything is tbd . . .

 

Silverberry: Thanks for sharing with us today! Readers can learn more about Death by Living and find your website and purchase links below.

 

Purchase Death by Living on Amazon

 

 

ND Wilson Website

 

More about Death by Living:

 

Comparing life to a story is nothing new, but for the first time, today we have the capability of capturing our “story” in 140 characters or a filtered photo and broadcasting it to the world. Bestselling author N.D. Wilson praises today’s virtual story-telling, but adds a word of caution: “We may be in danger of missing our greater stories and their meaning in this rushed, appearances-focused, viral world.”

In his upcoming release, Death by Living: Life Is Meant to be Spent, Wilson reminds each of us that to truly live we must recognize that we are dying. Every second we create more of our past—more decisions, more breathing, more love and more loathing.

“Each of us is in the middle of a story. But for some reason, we don’t show the slightest desire to read it, let alone live it with any kind of humble self-awareness,” he says.

Death by Living is a follow-up to Wilson’s critically acclaimed Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl (June 2009), which will re-release with a new cover at the same time as Death by Living. While Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl focused on a way of seeing life, Death by Living focuses on a way of living life.

“Doing so requires that we know the chapters that led up to us, it requires that we open our eyes and consciously begin to shape those chapters coming after.”

In his uniquely poetic style, Wilson writes the stories of his grandparents, grapples with the concept of time, and inspires readers.

“Burden your moments with thankfulness,” says Wilson. “Be as empty as you can be when the clock winds down. Spend your life. And if time is a river, may you leave a wake.”

 

By A. R. Silverberry | Posted in Author Interview | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Delusion, Dementia, or Discourse?

July 27, 2013 – 11:19 pm
I'll Close My Eyes (But I Won't Be Asleep), By Elisa Adler

I’ll Close My Eyes (But I Won’t Be Asleep), By Elisa Adler

 

Delusion, dementia or discourse? Elisa Adler insists on the latter, and with the threads of her mother’s narratives weaves for them a raft of words in her stunningly beautiful, thought provoking, and profound memoir, I’ll Close My Eyes (But I Won’t Be Asleep). The book sounds an intimate, heartbreaking, and sometimes humorous, end-of-life chord in a mother and daughter relationship. A compelling memoir, I’ll Close My Eyes (But I Won’t Be Asleep) is an honest account of what, for most of us, remains hidden and unheard. It will be useful for anyone torn by conflicting desires and demands, battered by memory, grief and rage, and struggling to give care. Elisa Adler studied at the University of California, Berkeley; Mills College; and Centro de Estudios Colombo-Americanos in Bogotá, Colombia. She’s been a newspaper reporter, translator, and interpreter, and has taught English at community colleges in California and Nevada for more than thirty years. She lives and farms with her daughter and husband in California. Join us now as she discusses her powerful memoir.

Silverberry: Losing a loved one is so painful and difficult. What drew you to write about the experience of losing your mother?

 

Adler: Probably, like most people who write, only because I had to. At that time, I didn’t know anyone who’d been with her mother at the end of life. Taking care of my mother, facing death with her, was a traumatic and very lonely experience, something I very much needed to talk about but couldn’t, for all sorts of reasons. I wrote for my sisters, hoping to be able to tell them in writing what we hadn’t been able to share in time. I wrote for my mother and for myself, I think, as kind of post-partum acknowledgment and love-letter. And I wrote to try to document what I knew I’d forget, indeed what I’ve already forgotten — something having to do with what some people call god, what had been taboo in my family, something I had no language, emotional or intellectual place for. What drew me to write about the experience was my need to manage the trauma and break the constraints of silence, to find the words, affirm the mother, and affirm the value of the care-giving experience in a world that places expediency above attention and care. For a time, I was conscious of and witness to a sacred space. That consciousness, I suppose, was what drew me to write of the experience. Hoping to remember it and be able to share.

 

Silverberry: Tell us about the book’s title, I’ll Close My Eyes (But I Won’t Be Asleep) and what it signifies.

 

Adler: Those were her words.

 

The mystery for me in those days was the sense that my mother was speaking to me differently and in very important ways. I never felt she was demented. That may have been my own defensiveness, but I don’t think so. I know for sure she had none of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. It was an end of life, verbally new, and honest engagement with life and how she found herself in it. I listened. She was telling me what was happening, and I took her very seriously knowing, paradoxically, that it was my job to follow her and to be her guide — both at the same time — to translate her to herself, perhaps. I was a kind of seeing-eye dog, though something else was leading that she and I both were part of. Something like the current fish are in.

 

Silverberry: Although my mom was an actor, she was intensely private. I wonder if you struggled with how much to reveal about yourself, your family, and your mom, and if so, how you ultimately reconciled that.

 

Adler: In retrospect, maybe I should have. What I did do, at the end of writing, was delete anything I thought could be hurtful. But mostly, once it was on the page I no longer thought it was about me, my family, us. It was about something I was witness too. That’s all. If I’d been wiser I would have changed all the names, made the declaimer to fiction. It is fiction, after all.

 

Silverberry: Speaking of fiction, while it was a memoir, your book read like a novel. It was quite gripping. Is there a brief section that you can share? 

 

Adler: Here’s a passage I almost dumped precisely because I thought it sounded like fiction and, therefore, I feared, less believable—something a writer might impose instead of documenting. Now I’m glad I left it, since I hear my mother’s questions in a way I didn’t hear it before. I suppose that’s what good fiction does; it opens space for understanding.

 

 

One morning, after I’d taken her into my arms and rolled with her to the side of the bed so Lauren could wash and powder her, “You’re a hummingbird, Mommy,” I said. She was almost weightless by then, skin on bones.

 

“What do we owe a hummingbird?” she wonders to me. “It flies so far, over the ocean.”

 

“I don’t know that we owe it anything. It’s on its own, and flies.”

 

“Yes,” she says, and repeats it, “Yes.” Then after a long pause, she whispers something I can’t hear. I lean forward so my ear is close to her mouth to hear.

 

“I can’t find…. it’s in my room, the letters on a page, given to life when….”

 

I wait for her, no hurry now, no place to get, nothing but here.

 

She starts again, as before she’d start up walking, and then suddenly pull at my arm.

 

“Yes,” she whispers again.

 

“Yes?”

 

And then, after another pause, a quiet exclamation.

 

“Oh, look! Look at that!”

 

But her eyes aren’t directed to anything I can see. I wait, say nothing.

 

She begins slowly, letter by letter, as if one by one she’s discovering them and not really talking to me at all.

 

I waited and listened, said nothing as letter by letter she spelled it. “B-e-a-u-t-y.”

 

 

Silverberry: That gives me chills.

 

The whole question of whether your mom had Alzheimer’s seems moot to me. You met her where she was, and it seemed to me that in communicating with her on the level of metaphor, the two of you connected. She felt understood, and there was increased closeness.

 

Adler: For me, whether or not my mother was demented or had Alzheimer’s wasn’t at all a moot point. It was hugely important — and the energy for the book I think, came from having to dislodge that kind of labeling that was so painful for both of us. While I was changing my life to try to take care of my mother I had the added difficulty of having to create a space for us to live in beyond the reductive and foolish confines of the experts, or those with various kinds of power. My mother, a woman who only a decade earlier had been valued as a wife, mother, professional and beauty, had become, with widowhood and aging, invisible in the same social, familial and professional network where she’d once had status, dismissed as almost irrelevant — or patronized. And as someone committed to staying with her I lost status as well, because caregiving is devalued. So there we were, two professional women who had counted on “counting”, one reduced to the status of “demented” and the other to a daughter with nothing more “important” to do than take care of a mother. I don’t deny that old women can have Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. But much of what people call dementia is a new way of experiencing and thinking that’s hard for us to understand. Sometimes it’s also a side effect of prescription drugs. When my mother was put on a new drug, for example, she became stone deaf almost immediately. Her doctor — and most disturbingly, her friends, chalked it up to “the aging process’ and encouraged me — in low understanding tones — to accept it. But I knew my mother wasn’t going to go deaf overnight. l insisted we go to a different, older doctor she’d seen before she was routed to a specialist. He did some research and discovered that the drug, in a small number of cases, caused deafness. As soon as she stopped taking the drug, her hearing was perfect again.

 

I did struggle with my mother’s ‘ding-y-ness’, though, and that struggle is at the core of the memoir-shall-we-call-it-a-novel. But I found that if I was willing to be with her wherever she took me and really speak to that, not what I was expecting, the ding-y-ness subsided and the communication was satisfying, meaningful, and profound. A four-year-old child discovering and naming her world is applauded when she says something like, “Mommy, I woke up this morning, the sun was blooming and the sky reared to the mountain”. But when a ninety-three year old says she’s “in the salmon” it can raise some eyebrows. But I knew she was “getting” something that’s true. Old people are shut out of conversations, dismissed, categorized, dis-empowered, cutified or abandoned because we are too ignorant or busy to hear what they’re telling us about a place we haven’t yet been.

 

Silverberry: I remember when you were working on the memoir you told me that you were going off to write and hoped that you could write something true. That phrase stuck with me and I’ve thought about it a lot with my own writing. True means a lot of things to different people. What does it mean to you? How do bring it forth? How do you know when you have it?

 

Adler: I probably said that because I was remembering Hemmingway had written something to that effect — I think it’s something like — The job of a writer is to write one true thing. That’s what I tell my English students. Write one true thing. It’s an attempt to anchor what they write in their own experience, to move the writing from the fingers somewhere down toward the gut.

 

I suppose “truth” has something to do with honesty, with as far as we can go, in any particular work, with what’s most honest. It’s a process and a struggle. I didn’t know if I was saying something true or when I told my mother that I knew something would “catch” her once she let go. I said it and then wondered if I should have, if I was merely a frightened coward and a liar. But those words came to me from some other place in me and it was clear that they were “true” in a way that I didn’t understand. They were beyond art, beyond intention. Of course this sounds like a conceit. Like the Singer of Tales invoking the Muse at the opening of an epic poem.

 

But why not? Your question is, I think, at the core of all our lives and subsequently at the core of our attempts at writing them. It’s about trying not to mystify or justify but also not to wallow in self-pity and despair. It must be about getting past the self, even as we know that’s impossible.

 

Silverberry: Readers can find a link to your website below, where they can purchase a copy of I’ll Close My Eyes (But I Won’t Be Asleep):

 

Purchase on Elisa Adler’s Website

 

Purchase on Amazon

 

Purchase on Barnes and Noble

By A. R. Silverberry | Posted in Author Interview | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

Suspense Thrillers and the M-16 Agenda

July 15, 2013 – 1:17 am
The M-16 Agenda, By James P. Wilcox

The M-16 Agenda, By James P. Wilcox

Suspense novelist James P. Wilcox joins us today to discuss thrillers, characters, villains, and his novel, The M-16 Agenda.

 

Silverberry: What are the elements of a great suspense thriller?

 

Wilcox: For me, the great suspense thriller has to have great characters. The characters have to be believable and we have to have more than one reason to “root” for them. The reader needs to know more about the characters than this is the “good guy” and this is the “bad guy.” The reader has to connect with the characters, get to know them, see both their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their motivations. All of this has to mesh together in a believable way that the reader can connect with. After that, I think the characters have to be put into plausible situations that have plausible solutions. Despite the fact that these stories are fiction, I think that they have to be plausible or the reader just won’t buy into them.

 

Silverberry: What gave you the idea for The M-16 Agenda and what is the novel about?

 

Wilcox: As a high school Social Studies teacher, I am always talking about politics with my government classes. Over the years, I have developed a fairly clear-cut political philosophy and some pretty strong political opinions. I was looking for a way to express some of these opinions and The M-16 Agenda is the end result. It is ironic really, I set out to write a book about politics and I ended up with a story that is more about one man’s struggle to overcome his personal demons and live up to his own high standards. Although there is a political framework to The M-16 Agenda, it is more a story of personal struggle, sacrifice, and family, than it is about politics.

 

Silverberry: What does you hero, Jack Granger, yearn for?

 

Wilcox: Jack yearns to make up for his own perceived failures while serving his country in Iraq. The only way he thinks he can make up for getting his men killed in an ambush is to end the war in Iraq, and the only way he can do this is by running for political office. Jack yearns to heal his own broken heart by working for what he sees as justice.

 

Silverberry: Imagine a time warp whisks Jack back in time and drops him in the middle of a Roman coliseum, where he has to do battle. Give us a paragraph that illuminates his character.

 

Wilcox: “Squinting into the dust that surrounds him, Jack looks for cover until he can get his bearings. Finding none, he moves to his left, putting distance between himself and his enemy, while taking stock of the weapons arranged around the coliseum. Outnumbered three to one, with only a short sword and a small round shield, Jack breaks into a sprint, trying to outflank his adversaries before stopping short and charging the closest man, a hulking giant poised with a barbed lance. As Jack draws closer, his adversary thrusts the lance forward. An instant before making contact with barbed death, Jack dives to the ground and pulls himself into a forward roll, coming to rest beneath the lance. With one quick slash of his blade, the giant topples, the tendons of both knees cut. Before he hit the ground, Jack is one his feet facing the two other men before him.

 

“We don’t have to fight,” Jack begins.

 

Silverberry: Nice! That last line is a clincher to characterize him. If it doesn’t spoil anything, tells us about the novel’s antagonist.

 

Wilcox: Carlton Kincaid is a self-made man, who managed to escape the racial tensions of 1960s-era Detroit through his use of words.  Kincaid becomes an award-winning journalist before moving reluctantly moving into the world of politics.  Once there, Kincaid will stop at nothing to reach his ultimate goal: the presidency.

 

Silverberry: You’re a history teacher. In what ways did your knowledge of history inform the story?

 

Wilcox: History and politics are sprinkled throughout the novel, but I think the biggest impact that my knowledge of history played in shaping the novel is that I was able to model Jack on some of my favorite politicians throughout history. Although Jack represents one political party, he is shaped by both great Democrats and great Republicans, especially Teddy Roosevelt.

 

Silverberry: Give us a glimpse into your approach to crafting a novel.

 

Wilcox: I consider myself an opportunistic writer. As a father of three, husband, Scout leader, and teacher, I just don’t have a lot of free time to write. I try to use what time I have effectively and try to scratch out a line or two whenever I find myself with any downtime, whether that is waiting in the car for a sports practice to end or during half-time of a game. I am also a “fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” author.  Although I know I probably should, I don’t write character sketches before starting a novel and I don’t write an outline. I simply start with an idea, have a basic idea of how I want the book to start and how I think I want it to end and then I start writing. What comes from there is as big a surprise to me, as it is to the reader.

 

Silverberry: That’s what keep me writing: starting one place and discovering the book is about something deeper than you imagined. You have some other publishing credits. Tell us about them!

 

Wilcox: My newest book is titled Miracle Child and it chronicles my son’s five-month journey in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s Mercy Hospital, after being born at 24 weeks and 2 days. Miracle Child recounts the pain and struggle that my family and I went through during those five months. It also highlights the love, hope, and faith that sustained us.

 

My debut novel is titled Sex, Lies, and the Classroom and is the story of Nathaniel O’Connell, who thought he knew what it takes to survive at Southwest High School, a low-income, ethnically diverse, inner-city school. After seven years of teaching, he thought he had discovered how to get through to these children of poverty. That was before he met Tyreshia, Krysteal, and Ebony, who know how to inflict pain, both physical and emotional. After a confrontation on the first day of school, O’Connell finds himself fighting for his reputation, his job, his family, his very survival. With his wife, Alexandria, O’Connell must battle the school system, the justice system, racism, and his own weakness, as he seeks redemption. Faced with investigations by the school’s administration, the Department of Family Services, and the District Attorney’s Office, he must find the strength and the courage to reach out to these same students to save his very soul.

 

I have also published a collection of poetry titled Musings of a Particular Bear: A Poetry Collection.

 

Silverberry: What’s ahead for you?

 

Wilcox: I am currently working on three new novels, which I hope to have out within the next six to nine months. The first is tentatively titled Sacrificing Tyreshia and is a sequel to Sex, Lies, and the Classroom. The second is tentatively titled Wrestling Louis Braille and tells the story of one boys struggle to overcome his visual impairment. The third novel is tentatively titled A Fall From Grace and is another suspense thriller.

 

Silverberry: Thanks for joining us today, James! Readers, you can find out more about James and his books, and purchase The M-16 Agenda from the links below. And you can win a copy of The M-16 Agenda on my Suspense and Thriller Contest on the Contest page of my website. There are four chances to win!

 

Visit James P. Wilcox’s website.

 

Purchase the M-16 Agenda on Amazon.

 

M-16 Agenda Synopsis: A man is not apt to forget the instant he becomes a killer, that one fateful instant when he takes another’s life. It would not matter that Jack Granger has killed, all soldiers train to kill, except that he is the Democratic nominee in the presidential election of 2020. Having secured the nomination as Governor of Missouri and on the strength of his M-16 Agenda, his political platform developed in the killing sands of Iraq, Jack is days away from the White House when the situation in Iraq and in Washington D.C. changes everything. Now it is a race against time, and his own past, as he makes a last ditch effort to save his bid for the presidency, and possibly the world. From the war torn battlegrounds of Iraq to the halls of power in Washington D.C., M-16 Agenda follows one man’s rise to the heights of political power, as he struggles to live up to the promises he made to his fellow soldiers, his family, and himself.

 

James P. Wilcox’s Bio: James P. Wilcox is the author of Miracle Child, two novels – Sex, Lies, and the Classroom and The M-16 Agenda – and Musings of a Particular Bear: A Poetry Collection. James, a former newspaper photographer and writer, is currently a high school teacher in the Kansas City area, where he lives with his wife and three children.

By A. R. Silverberry | Posted in Author Interview | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Science Fiction and Fantasy Kindle Book Event!

July 13, 2013 – 1:21 pm
SciFi Fantasy Kindle Book Event

SciFi Fantasy Kindle Book Event

Science Fiction and Fantasy Kindle Book Event! July 13 and 14!

I’m participating in an awesome Science Fiction and Fantasy Kindle Book Event: over fifty authors offering their books for .99 cents, (75p UK), including a beautiful kindle ebook edition of WYNDANO’S CLOAK, which maintains all the lovely interior design, fonts, and illustration found in the hardback!

If you love Sci-Fi and Fantasy, don’t miss this opportunity to fill your Kindle! And if you don’t own a Kindle, you can download Kindle for PC or Kindle for Mac and read directly on your computer (links below). Don’t miss this opportunity. These books will be on sale for only two days!

And there’s a HUGE contest running there, too! Win free books, Amazon gift vouchers, and signed paperbacks! Click here to go the Book Event and Contest!

Don’t own a Kindle? No problem, download Kindle for PC or Kindle for Mac. Here are the links!

Download Kindle for PC.

 

Download Kindle for Mac.

By A. R. Silverberry | Posted in Author Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Summer Splash Blog Hop with lots of Prizes!!!

July 4, 2013 – 9:23 pm
Summer Splash Blog Hop!

Summer Splash Blog Hop!

Win a Kindle Fire!!!

I’m taking part in a super Summer Splash Blog Hop with over sixty authors and lots of fun prizes and contests, July 26 – 29. For my part of the Hop, you can enter my Silverberry Suspense and Thriller Book Giveaway Contest, with five bestselling authors!

To find the Summer Splash Blog Hope, click HERE!

The Summer Splash Blog Hop  prizes include:
1. Kindle Fire HD 8.9!

2. $100 Amazon gift card!

3. $50 Amazon gift card!

4. Signed paperbacks!

5. Kindle eBooks!

The Hop also includes two scavenger hunts! The first is author Melissa Smith’s Scavenger Hunt! Run over there and find all the links! If you’re here for her hunt, here’s the question you need to answer: What is the hooded girl holding in my book trailer? Hint: search the pages of this website!

The second scavenger hunt is on Saoirse O’Mara’s Blog. Here’s the question you need to answer: What is the name of Aerdem’s Royal Mage? Hint: search the pages of this website. Then head on back to her blog to enter your answer!

And don’t forget to enter my Silverberry Suspense and Thriller Book Giveaway Contest, with five bestselling authors!

I hope you win!

 

 

 

 

By A. R. Silverberry | Posted in Blog Hop | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (31)

Silverberry’s Suspense Thriller Book Giveaway Contest!

July 1, 2013 – 9:00 pm
Traces of Kara, By Melissa Foster

Traces of Kara, By Melissa Foster

Silverberry’s Suspense and Thriller Book Giveaway Contest is back, featuring five dynamite bestselling authors: Russell Blake, Melissa Foster, John L. Betcher, Claude Bouchard, James P. Wilcox, plus yours truly, A. R. Silverberry. The lineup of books includes SILVER JUSTICE, TRACES OF KARA, VIGILANTE, THE 19TH ELEMENT, and THE M-16 AGENDA. Okay, WYNDANO’S CLOAK is not in the Suspense and Thriller genre, but it’s got plenty of suspense and thrills, and I’m giving away a personalized signed copy of the limited-edition hardback! Easy to enter! Four chances to win! To find out more about the books, these hot new writers, and to enter the contest GO HERE! Contest runs through the end of July.

 

I’ll be participating in an awesome Science Fiction and Fantasy Kindle Book Event: over fifty authors offering their books for .99 cents. If you love Sci-Fi and Fantasy, don’t miss this opportunity to fill your Kindle! And if you don’t own a Kindle, you can download Kindle for PC or Kindle for Mac and read directly on your computer (links below). Don’t miss this opportunity. These books will be on sale for a limited time! Learn more about the event here!

 

Also coming soon, I’ll be part of a super Summer Blog Hop, with over 60 authors encompassing a wide range of genres. More info and dates coming shortly!

 

Don’t have a Kindle? No problem, down load the software to your PC or Mac and start reading immediately!

 

Download Kindle for PC.

 

Download Kindle for Mac.

By A. R. Silverberry | Posted in Book Giveaway, CONTEST | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Melissa Foster, Master of Setting

June 27, 2013 – 11:30 pm
Traces of Kara, By Melissa Foster

Traces of Kara, By Melissa Foster

I’m thrilled to have Melissa Foster joining us today. Melissa is the award-winning author of four international bestselling novels. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, and the World Literary Café. When she’s not writing, Melissa tirelessly helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa is also a community builder for the Alliance for Independent Authors. She has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine. Today, she joins us to talk about her suspense and thriller novel, Traces of Kara.

 

Silverberry: What inspired your novel, Traces of Kara, and what’s it about?

 

Melissa Foster: I moved to a new town a year and a half ago, and while out for a drive with my family one night, we happened upon a dark power plant. It was the creepiest place I had seen in years, and I was mesmerized—literally. I found myself getting out of the car to stare at it in the dark, and the story began to take shape (much to my children’s dismay, as they wanted to hightail it away from there asap!).

 

Silverberry: You use a striking setting in the story. Why did you choose it and what does it add to the story?

 

Melissa Foster: After visiting the plant noted above in the dark, I was drawn to it in the daylight, and then…I had to get inside. I took a few private tours, and the interior of a coal power plant is not just dirty, which you might expect, everything is covered with a fine layer of coal dust, but there is an aura, or at least in this one there was. This particular plant had been rebuilt, with parts of the older plant still in tact in the form of basements that were roped off with yellow tape and dark corners roughly carved out of stone. The plant had too many cold, abandoned stone rooms that remained dark and untouched for years, and I simply had to place the story in such a ripe environment.

 

Silverberry: It sounds like a very creepy place! Did you need to do any research? If so, tell us about what you learned and how it found its way into the book.

 

Melissa Foster: I did, and I really enjoyed it. In addition to the tours, I spoke with the people who ran the plant and learned how the plant had run over the years, and how it had changed, how their shifts worked, what was expected and what could go wrong with key areas of the plant. It was fascinating. Most of what I learned could be added to the story in fine details. There were two particularly interesting areas of the plant – once I got past the horrific idea that the kind gentleman who was giving me a tour could kill me and ditch my body easier than producing a sneeze, I was able to focus on those areas. The actual coal processing area and the different levels of the rooflines were prime areas for the book to focus. A body thrown in the coal chute could be ground or buried, and the ductwork on the rooftop was so big, and so easily accessible, that bodies could disappear without anyone noticing.

 

I could have written the book from another perspective that I toyed with, one where the small town is involved in killing interlopers, and hiding the evidence at the plant…

 

Silverberry: You write in several different genres: suspense and thriller; historical, as in Have No Shame; dramatic fiction, as in Come Back To Me; and I understand you’re penning a young adult story. What do all of these genres have in common and what do you do to shift gears?

 

Melissa Foster: I’m currently writing contemporary romance, as well. I get bored easily, and if I’m not writing about characters that I am completely connected with, or topics that I can “feel” at the moment, then I won’t pen the book. Writing what I am passionate about provides intellectual stimulation for me, and I think for my readers, it provides diversity. I’m more interested in writing meaningful stories than racking up sales, so for me, writing what I love on any given day is sheer joy.

 

Silverberry: Tell us about some of the work you’re doing to support the efforts of other authors.

 

Melissa Foster: I am a pay-it-forward person by nature. I was raised to do more for others than I do for myself (thank you, Mom). So to me, helping authors is a natural extension of who I am. I work with traditionally published as well as independently published authors, and I help them to understand how to navigate the publishing world. I assist with everything from book marketing and actual publishing, to querying and building a media presence.

 

The two companies that I developed for authors, World Literary Café (WLC) and Fostering Success are geared toward creating a community of literary types: Readers, writers, literary services, bloggers, etc. We bring people together, offering ways to cross-promote as well as offering readers a way to learn about authors. In addition, the educational arm of WLC, Fostering Success, offers effective, affordable online courses that authors can take in an afternoon and refer to for years to come. In a few hours they can learn to publish, to marketing their books with real-life, easily to implement, information, and for newbies, we even have basic social media courses.

 

Silverberry: What’s ahead for busy you?!

 

Melissa Foster: Beginning in September, I will be publishing two contemporary romance series (that I am having WAY too much fun writing!). These are completely different than my previous work.

 

The Snow Sisters is a light, fun series with just the right amount of sexy, focusing on two sisters as they navigate dating, falling in love, and eventually, marriage and babies. The first book in the series, SISTERS IN LOVE, will be released September 9, 2013.

 

THE BRADENS, the second series, is about five brothers and one sister, and these books are scorching hot. This family is hot, wealthy, and wickedly naughty. Readers will meet a few of the characters in the Sisters books and the Snow sisters, and other characters from the Sisters series make cameo appearances in the Bradens, as well.

 

I think readers will love the light, fun, romantic flavor of these series.

 

Silverberry: Sounds like two fabulous series! Thanks for stopping by today!

 

Readers, grab a copy of TRACES OF KARA and learn about Melissa’s other books at the links below. And starting July 1st, look for a chance to win a copy of TRACES OF KARA in my Thriller and Suspense Giveaway Contest, right here on my website!

 

Purchase TRACES OF KARA at Amazon

 

Melissa Foster’s Website

TRACES OF KARA is an action-packed, pulse-pounding psychological thriller/suspense novel that features a determined killer who slowly loses his grip on reality as his carefully detailed plan starts to fall apart and a heroine determined to move forward with her life who now must reconcile everything she believed to be true about her family with the reality of their tragic past.

By A. R. Silverberry | Posted in Author Interview | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)