In tenth grade I took a book out of the library entitled How To Develop a Million-Dollar Personality, and that was the beginning of what would become a 30-year obsession to try and fix whatever I thought was wrong with me. I embarked on a lifelong quest for answers, looking for God in all the wrong places and some of the right ones, in an attempt to simply feel better about my existence here on this rather crazy and scary planet. I served as a human guinea pig for every New Age, human potential and spiritual program that came along, and met virtually every major guru and teacher alive today, including those claiming to be the “Avatar” or Messiah of our age. I often went to great extremes in my search, far off the beaten track, from spending 40 days alone in a mountaintop hut with no water or electricity, to taking exotic shamanic potions in the jungles of Brazil during all-night ceremonies; from submitting myself to a Moonie indoctrination camp in the woods of Northern California to doing a ten-day Zen retreat on the grounds of Auschwitz. At Esalen Institute, an obese female therapist sat on my head for a half hour so I could re-experience being smothered by my mother. My life was so unusual that friends were constantly suggesting I write a book about it, so with The 99th Monkey, I finally did.
Eliezer Sobel’s Author Interview:
It’s rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a ‘real’ job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you’ve had in your life?
Eliezer Sobel: I was fired from my first job in 10th grade as a pizza-delivery guy because I kept getting lost and taking 2 hours to deliver each order. I fared better as a busboy in the Catskills, but let’s not talk about the flying noodle kugel incident, or the matzah ball soup in the guy’s lap. In college I only lasted one day selling Time Life Books over the phone, because I kept trying to talk people out of it. I guess I’ve never really been cut out for the real world, though I have managed to fake it well enough over the years to have been a hospital chaplain, high school music teacher, typesetter, magazine editor, workshop and retreat leader, and a ropes course facilitator.
What compelled you to write your first book?
Eliezer Sobel: A flat fee of $1000, which sounded like a lot of money at the time. The publisher sold How-To books through ads in the National Enquirer, books he self-published in his basement in the days before computers and printers. He had received hundreds of orders for a self-help book that didn’t exist yet, called the Manual of Good Luck. I wrote it for him, and he sold over 40,000 copies at $17.95 a pop.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Eliezer Sobel: No, I originally wanted to be a baseball player. Later it was a detective, then rock star. I still want to be a rock star.
Tell us a little bit about your book/s.
Eliezer Sobel: After the Manual of Good Luck, I got lucky, and my agent at the time managed to get three major publishers into a bidding war over my next book, Wild Heart Dancing, which was a self-guided creativity retreat. Simon & Schuster won, gave me quite a substantial advance, and then both my editor and her assistant left Simon & Schuster and suddenly nobody in that huge company even knew me, and everything that had been promised me in terms of PR went out the window.
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y first novel was called Minyan: Ten Jewish Men in a World That is Heartbroken, which also had a difficult birthing process. First, a big-time Hollywood agent got me all excited when she called personally to say she loved the first chapter and was taking the manuscript with her on vacation in Greece to finish it. She emphasized on the phone that she does “big, big projects” in the film industry. A few weeks later I received a generic, white postal card from Crete, no picture of the Parthenon, nothing, just a note saying “I can’t work with this material, I am discarding the manuscript here.” I pictured my characters drifting in the Aegean Sea, helplessly flailing about.
Fortunately, I was thrilled to find a new agent who was quite well respected in the serious literary world, and he all but promised he would find a publisher for Minyan. And then he died. On and on it went—it was over 15 years between inception and publication.
My present book, The 99th Monkey, also accumulated a fair amount of rejections from agents and publishers, including my own agent, who felt that memoirs are too difficult to sell, so chose not to represent it. One publisher led me on for a year, saying he really liked the book but was still on the fence. When I finally pushed him for an answer, he turned it down, saying, “The central character’s story just doesn’t hang together.” “Central character?” I thought to myself. “This is a memoir. I AM the central character!”
Have you ever won any writing awards? If so, what?
Eliezer Sobel: Minyan won the Peter Taylor Prize for the Novel, out of 400 entries. That’s actually how it finally got published. A short story, excerpted from Minyan but standing alone as Mordecai’s Book, won the New Millennium Writings Award for Fiction.
How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?
Eliezer Sobel: I can’t remember. It was in 1979. My girlfriend was with me, in Brooklyn. I think we walked to the boardwalk in Brighton Beach and had a knish.
What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?
Eliezer Sobel: Having something to say, the need to communicate. When I don’t have something to say, I don’t write. That’s why I created what I call a “Mostly Silent Blog” – http://the99thmonkey.wordpress.com –I don’t want to contribute to the word glut unless I think it might be useful, or at least entertaining. I’m not someone who spends a certain amount of time with the blank page everyday no matter what. I’ve always liked the Zen idea that “I am a writer when I am writing.” Other times, I am something else. When I am shopping in the grocery store, I am a shopper.
What one thing are you the most proud of in your life?
Eliezer Sobel: I’m usually proud if I can make it out of bed in the morning and face another day, but that’s not something you can really boast about: “Hey, I got up today!”
What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?
Eliezer Sobel: I live with my wife, Shari Cordon, and three cats: Plum, her daughter Peanut, and the irascible Squarcialupi, who works part-time as a stand-up comic. My parents are both 84, still living in my childhood home in New Jersey. My father wrote a rave review of The 99th Monkey on Amazon, and has been my benefactor, so yes, he’s very supportive. My mother has Alzheimer’s, so her only comment about my book so far is that “I don’t like all the monkeys.”
Is there an established writer you admire and emulate in your own writing? Do you have a writing mentor?
Eliezer Sobel: In my early days I emulated Kerouac’s stream of consciousness, but that mostly resulted in stacks and stacks of journals that I eventually burned. I do sometimes use his approach of thinly disguising his own life story and just changing the names. I was also into Stanley Elkin early on, and lots of other Jewish male writers. And Vonnegut, of course, and I not only love Tom Robbins’ books, but I actually find almost all of his individual sentences just amazing. For non-fiction I am a big Colin Wilson fan. As for mentors, after 30 years away from the classroom, I took a writing course at UVA last semester with National Book Award winner John Casey, who also happened to be the judge that selected Minyan as the winner of the Peter Taylor contest, so he is my most recent mentor, if not savior.
When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?
Eliezer Sobel: The Happy Hollisters, The Hardy Boys, The Bronc Burnett baseball stories, the Black Stallion series. My first book ever was A Home for Sandy, about a cocker spaniel. I also loved several Golden Books that I still have: Scruffy the Tugboat and Judy & Jeremy’s Hanukah. And the Papa Small books.
What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?
Eliezer Sobel: I’m all over the map, with usually half a dozen books going at once, of which I will finish two or three. I always think of Father William McNamara’s advice: “Never read good books. There’s not enough time. Only read great ones.” The other day that phrase came into my head in the middle of page 126 of a novel I was reading, and I found myself tossing it across the room, realizing life was too short for that one. I’m currently enjoying Michael Chabon’s recent book, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, and all the works of Steve Stern, who I just discovered. I’m reading Henry Miller’s Sexus for the first time, and I read all of Richard Power’s books—his The Echo Maker won the National Book Award last year, but lots of people have never even heard of him!
Hey, let’s get morbid. When they write your obituary, what do you hope they will say about your book/s and writing? What do you hope they will say about you?
Eliezer Sobel: I’ll have the first tombstone without a last name. It will just say:
“Eliezer who?” And my soul will drift off into much the same obscurity as I enjoy now, among the living. Either that, or it will say, “Just another dead guy.” What I’m not counting on is, “The Tolstoy of his generation,” which, by the way, is something The New York Times Sunday Book Review did say about my friend Richard Powers, so maybe my epitaph can be, “He knew the Tolstoy of his generation.”
How has having a book published changed your life?
Eliezer Sobel: I read an article somewhere that issued a warning to writers that said: “Don’t expect your book to change your life.” To do so is to put a huge burden on your book. You’re way ahead of the game if it changes someone else’s life, hopefully for the better. As for my own life, unless Oprah calls and I become wealthy and famous overnight, which might require a lifestyle adjustment, basically I still seem to have to take myself with me wherever I go, or as my friend Eddie Greenberg said about me, I’m “still the same old schmuck.” I think we all get into trouble when we make the quality of our daily lives somehow dependent on external events. That’s a set-up for a lot of suffering.
Do you have any book signings, tours or special events planned to promote your book that readers might be interested in attending? If so, when and where?
Eliezer Sobel: I’m doing a tour this fall—you can find details at www.the99thmonkey.com
Now, use this space to tell us more about who you are. Anything you want your readers to know? I just turned 56 and I still feel like I’m 4; I find it very soothing to play Satie on classical guitar and piano; I believe in a raw foods diet but I eat brisket; even though I generally hate to move my body, I am actually about to complete a year-long training to teach Gabrielle Roth’s 5 Rhythms work, which works with dance and movement as a healing path; I co-lead silent Jewish meditation retreats several times a year at the Isabella Freedman Center in Falls Village, Conecticut; and I used to teach intensive creativity workshops at Esalen Institute. I’m a lefty.
In addition to the two websites I’ve already mentioned, there is also my home base site at www.eliezersobel.com. People can read the Prologue to The 99th Monkey online to see if it grabs them. Thanks!
I was born in Melbourne, Australia to Greek migrants in 1979 and together with my younger brother who is five years my junior, was reared in a somewhat overprotective environment by my grandmother since both my parents worked full time. I quite freely admit I was spoilt from a young age as there was nothing my parents wouldn’t do to satisfy my young ego. If you’re remotely familiar with Greek culture and Greek migrants in particular, this type of red carpet treatment is quite common if not painstakingly regular. Greek parents exist for their children. ‘Everything we do we do for you,’ is something my ears have heard innumerable times over. In their eyes, their dreams are exalted when you succeed in becoming a valuable and successful citizen of society. (Many, if not most traditional Greek parents equate success with the faculties of law or medicine. None other will do.) Despite our differences over the years, and believe me there have been many, I couldn’t possibly fathom my life without them. They have definitely had a hand in shaping me as a person and in turn I have successfully managed to extirpate some of their backwardness and pave the way for their thinking outside of the square. (I’ve given myself a pat on the back for this on many occasions!) You might also say they are my backbone; my Djed Pillar, as the ancient Egyptians would have commended. For me, they are eternal symbols of stability and indestructibility.
As a preschooler, I had much difficulty communicating with my fellow peers and teachers because my knowledge of the English language was very limited. I only spoke Greek at home although in time this wrong was righted. By the time I reached second grade, I was competently bilingual. In 1988, my parents decided to move me from Keon Park Primary School in Reservoir to St Johns Greek Orthodox College in Preston, a school known by the Greeks of Australia for its strong cultural and religions ties to the motherland. It was a decision that was fuelled by the influence of my aunty – my dad’s sister – whose children had been attending the institution since preps. I completed my VCE (HSC) and graduated from St John’s in 1997, going on to complete degrees in Behavioral Science and Professional Writing at Latrobe University. I used to think that the biggest mistake of my young life was studying a field (psychology) in which I had no invested academic or emotional interest. That half the course was based on statistics, a subject that never failed to evoke endless yawns from a lecture room full of students, didn’t help either. In hindsight studying psychology was probably a necessary precursor in my voyage of discovery and it was many years before I rediscovered the sparks in which I had excelled at in high school; Classics and English literature. I am indefinitely a man of the arts rather than of the sciences.
As a person, I am both easy-going and down-to-earth. There are no surprise packages here. What you see is what you get. (I’m not one who turns out to possess a dark secret, double life or works under false pretenses.) I am lively, fun-loving and even goofy and aloof at times. I adhere to a high standard of personal morals and ethics and expect the people I associate with to do the same. I respect and honor those who return the favor but above all, respect and honor themselves. I am empathetic and compassionate; something which I feel is evident in the line of work I choose to be involved with. (I work for Drug Safety Services in Collingwood and help injecting drug users get onto methadone/buprenorphine programs and access community services which are otherwise reserved for the mainstream community.) My interests are wide and varied, encompassing physical activities like thrill seeking, diving, playing sports, working out and biking that are balanced by my critical inquiry into world mythology, world religions (both east and west) including early Christianity, Neo-Platonism, Gnosticism, Hinduism and Buddhism, history and archeology (both mainstream and alternative), English literature and ironically, Jungian psychology. I also love occult studies and have spent much money on acquiring books on magic and reincarnation. Just like the ancient Greeks, I wholeheartedly believe in concurrent training of both body and mind to achieve a state of balance and wellbeing. In the last five years or so, I have also succumbed to the seduction of travel, an interest which has fuelled a treasure trove of experience and has spurred me on to write about them creatively. I have penned many destinations around the world: America, Europe, and Africa, and have traveled extensively within Australia. I plan to travel to French Polynesia in November and Borneo early next year for what promises to be an awe-inspiring jungle adventure.
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It’s rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a ‘real’ job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you’ve had in your life?
Paul Kiritsis: Yes I do! I work for drug safety services in Melbourne’s inner city region. We offer primary health care services for injecting drug users who more often than not, are a marginalized minority of our society. These include medical and dental services, counseling, allied health, family support and pharmacotherapy. For accommodation and legal services we refer elsewhere. I have learnt so much working there and have seen things others wouldn’t see in a lifetime of traversing the city streets. What’s certain is that I will never take anything for granted ever again! I have been involved in pharmacotherapy for five years now. Before that I was working as a barman and waiter in some well known inner city cafes.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Paul Kiritsis: I’ve always known that I would eventually end up writing. When I was a teenager I was captivated by the flamboyant lifestyle of the journalist and pursued it until the time of my graduation when I realized that it was all that movies and books made it out to be minus the glamour part. I wasn’t too enthused about working under a huge amount of pressure with the added stress of strict deadlines either. I’m hopeless with deadlines and appointments in general. I’m never on time.
Tell us a little bit about your book/s.
Paul Kiritsis: I’ve released two so far. The first is a poetry collection titled Origin: Poems from the crack of dawn (2006) and the other is a literary collection called Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems. (2007) Both are united by my love of ancient wisdom. Origin is probably the more generalized work of the two, dealing with aspects of life like love, friendship, hate, wisdom and greed. There is also much on religion, philosophy and mythology. Hermetica goes a step further and hones in on Egyptian mythology, Hermetics and esoteric knowledge that Egyptian culture was famed for. It culminates with seven stories written in verse prose that work to form bonds with known Egyptian myths and are a testament to the power of ancient folklore. All of them are original; they can be found nowhere else.
Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?
Paul Kiritsis: Yes I am. I’m working on a book called Fifty Confessions which will be out by January. It is my most personal work to date; not to mention my most confessional. I am really looking forward to releasing it. It is a huge shift from my other two books – raw and visceral prose. I am also working on a non-fiction autobiography/memoir titled Shades of Aphrodite which relates to my travels through Greece, a country I regard my second home. I have an intimate connection with the Hellenic land and try to provide insights into the psyche of a culture that is not to be found in any other textbook. That will be out after Fifty Confessions.
Have you ever won any writing awards? If so, what?
Paul Kiritsis: Yes, I won a literary award for Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems with Reader Views. I came first in the categories of fictional poetry and best Australian book.
How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?
Paul Kiritsis: It’s really weird seeing your name on the cover of a book for the first time. My first reaction must have been, ‘Wow, I’ve done it!’ What I take great pleasure and comfort in is that a few centuries from now, my books will have hopefully survived in libraries or personal bookshelves for others to read. The act of opening up a book and reading its contents in a way reinvigorates the psyche of the person who wrote it. The ancient Egyptians believed that you caused one to live again merely by reading out their name aloud. Indeed, the pen is mightier than the sword. I take great comfort in this.
What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?
Paul Kiritsis: I write in complete silence. Music, television or radio is just too distracting for me. Some people can do it but I can’t. I’ve tried to write with classical and relaxation music before; it’s only worked the few times that I was in a zone. And that was with poetry; not prose. On other nights I found that it would just put me to sleep.
What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?
Paul Kiritsis: The colorful past and my adopted spiritual mother; Egypt.
When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?
Paul Kiritsis: Yes I did. I liked reading a lot of fiction when I was a teenager. I would absolutely love getting lost in the pages of Dean Koontz and Richard Laymon novels. I’ve read most of Dean’s work and all of Richard’s. My favourite from each was Phantoms and Funland, respectively. I think Funland was shortlisted for the Bam Stoker Award. I know he actually won the award in 2001 with the Traveling Vampire Show. Dean and Richard have inspired me beyond comprehension.
What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?
Paul Kiritsis: I don’t really have a favorite author now. There are many great books around. I try to read works from all areas of literature: fiction, non-fiction and poetry. I am mainly interested in non-fiction/spiritualism and occult works at the moment. The last book I read was Mister. B. Gone by Clive Barker. I read it all in one go. Very interesting book I might add.
Hey, let’s get morbid. When they write your obituary, what do you hope they will say about your book/s and writing? What do you hope they will say about you?
Paul Kiritsis: Good one! Um…I want them to say that I was very passionate and dedicated in the areas I chose to study and write about. I also want them to say that I gained recognition and fame and picked up a few awards on the way, but for that I suppose only time will tell…
Bring us into your home and set the scene for us when you are writing. What does it look like? On the couch, laptop, desk? Music? Lighting, handwriting?
Paul Kiritsis: Well, I live in a house built on a hill overlooking a golf course. It was designed and built by my parents and is a testament to open-style living. There aren’t many walls or rooms in the house and there are many windows which makes it well lighted. My glass writing desk sits in the lounge room and overlooks a spectacular view of the golf course and the surrounding Melbourne hinterland. There isn’t much spare room on my desk as it’s usually clogged up by books that are stacked one on top of the other in messy piles, my laptop, a lamp, an incense burner, pens, notebooks and other research materials. I love burning incense or oils when I write. It’s so relaxing and never fails to induce a copious amount of inspiration.
Is there anyone you’d like to specifically acknowledge who has inspired, motivated, encouraged or supported your writing?
Paul Kiritsis: Yes, there is. My mother and father, Christos and Chryssoula, for their unyielding support and my cousin, Harry Toulacis, for the inspirational chats and all the hours he spent reading and re-reading my work and offering his constructive criticism. I thank them all with requited love.
Is there any one particular book that when you read it, you thought to yourself, “Man, I wish I’d written that one!”?
Paul Kiritsis: Yes! The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown…I think everybody wishes they’d written that. Look where it got him.
What is your main goal or purpose you would like to see accomplished by your writing?
Paul Kiritsis: My primary purpose is to gain acknowledgement and credit in the fields I choose to write in. The other is to meet somebody one day who tells me, ‘I read one of your books and it inspired me so much that I wrote one of my own.’ That would be a reward unto itself, making my endeavors all that much more worthwhile.
Is there any lesson or moral you hope your story might reveal to those who read it?
Paul Kiritsis: Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems is a real-life compendium of morals and lessons. Each literary piece weaves its own tale and brims with meaning and life lessons which are there to be comprehended by those whom possess a keen mindset.
Now that you are a published author, does it feel differently than what you had imagined?
Paul Kiritsis: You want the honest truth? No. I always imagined that I wouldn’t change, no matter what came about in my life. In actual fact, I don’t feel any different to what I did before I was published. I am still the same person with the same personality traits, weaknesses, emotions, fallacies, hopes, aspirations and dreams.
Now, use this space to tell us more about who you are. Anything you want your readers to know? Well I am of Greek origin if you haven’t already guessed. My parents migrated to Australia in 1978 and I was born and bred in Australia. I am bilingual; I speak, read and write Greek. I have traveled extensively within Australia, America, Europe and have touched on Africa. I am an open-water diver – a true Cancerian with a love for the ocean and water in general, despite the fact I nearly drowned swimming around the Santorini caldera in the European summer of 2003. I love keeping fit and body sculpting – I am a fitness instructor. I have been tutored in the language of music; I can play the piano and organ and have to my credit a fourth grade certification in musical practice and theory (ANZCA). I love stimulating conversation on world religions, philosophy, mythology, ancient history and the occult, and love being challenged by people who are interested in the same areas of inquiry. I am also a lover of controversy; I’ve been branded outrageous on many occasions. I am an all-or-nothing person; a man of extremes. I love my thrill seeking and adventure. I consider writing to be an extension of me.
If you would like to know more about me, please do not hesitate to visit my website at www.paulkiritsis.com or send me an e-mail. There is a plethora of material on my website: reviews, sound clips of me reciting some of my favorite poems, commentaries, interviews that I’ve done, analyses of some of my work, a short autobiography and a section on upcoming releases. My books can be purchased either through my website or through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and iUniverse.com. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.
It’s rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a ‘real’ job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you’ve had in your life?
Stacy Anderson: My ‘real’ job is saving my husband and sons from themselves – I guess that means I’m a modern day version of SuperMom, but then again aren’t we all? I have spent the last few years as a journalist writing for a newspaper and tightening my writing skills, earning awards and building a writing career but my main focus has and always will be as a mom, wife, sister, niece, cousin, granddaughter (my parents are both deceased) and someday, grandma, to my family.
What compelled you to write your first book?
Stacy Anderson: I had a friend that knew what we’d been doing as a family during one most difficult Christmas. She encouraged me (under threat of bodily harm ) to write the story and share it with others thinking that it was a story the needed to be told.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Stacy Anderson: Yes,….but I really got the bug when a teacher of mine entered some poetry I’d written into a school contest. When I won, I was hooked knowing that I could inspire using a string of words thoughtfully put together rather than having to resort to using an audibly loud voice since I was blessed with the vocal chords of a mouse.
Tell us a little bit about your book/s.
Stacy Anderson: The Santa Letters is my first book although I’ve got bylines on close to 1,500 newsprint articles. I have contracts for two others; Life is Tough I Doubt I’ll Make it Out Alive (a humorous outlook on life) and The Legend of the Star (a Christmas picture book). I love them all because they are so different from each other – kind of like our children who have different personalities and characteristics but each are cherished for what they add to the world. You can read more about them on my author website at www.stacyganderson.com
Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?
Stacy Anderson: The next one will be the companion book to The Santa Letters called The Inmate Letters. I have several other too that you can also read about on my site www.stacyganderson.com.
Have you ever won any writing awards? If so, what?
Stacy Anderson: I’ve won several awards at my company; the company’s top award, their silver pen award and the Most Improved Award the year I started. I also won several awards through the Society of Professional Journalists, one being the highest honor given in Utah for investigative journalism for a story I did that went nationwide.
How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?
Stacy Anderson: It was like giving birth after a gestation period of 3 years.
What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?
Stacy Anderson: I don’t listen to music – it confuses the voices in my head.
What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?
Stacy Anderson: This deep need to share stories that have chosen me knowing what they can do for people and how they can inspire.
What one thing are you the most proud of in your life?
Stacy Anderson: Without a doubt, my family.
What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?
Stacy Anderson: I have been married for 22 years to the same man and have four sons. And they all have extremely supportive of what I do. My youngest son told his school that he wanted to grow up to be a journalist just like his mom. I tild him to shoot higher – the pay is not very good…;-)
I am the oldest of six children and my parents recently passed away at ages 61 and 63 from cancer. They were married for almost 40 years. My dad loved to write and was very supportive of me as he lived vicariously through my ‘pen’. He raised me on books. My mom too was proud of my writing although she was not much of a reader. My brothers and sister will probably be the last to read my books since I am just the “same old Stace” to them.
The main characters of your stories – do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?
Stacy Anderson: Most of my writing has the people I love interspersed within the characters in my books since I write from real life experiences. That is how I put raw emotion into their dialogue and actions. I’ve lived it or watched it lived and so I can write about it being true to life.
Is there an established writer you admire and emulate in your own writing? Do you have a writing mentor?
Stacy Anderson: No, although I do admire many writers out there and their different styles; Erma Bombeck, Richard Paul Evans, J. K Rowlings, Robert Fulgham – all different but all very talented.
When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?
Stacy Anderson: I read whatever I could get my hands on and however many I could check out from the library or the Bookmobile. I’d then fly through my chores so I could retire to my room, sit in my beanbag chair and read for hours on end. I begged for a fish tank one birthday just so I could get a light to read by a night without making my parents suspicious and raise their ire. Could have cared less about the fish but liked the fact that they ate at night under the tank lid’s light.
What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?
Stacy Anderson: Anyone who writes quality books – famous or not – and anyone who has a story to tell or wisdom to share.
Hey, let’s get morbid. When they write your obituary, what do you hope they will say about your book/s and writing? What do you hope they will say about you?
Stacy Anderson: I hope that they will say that I used wit and wisdom to uplift and inspire and that my life will be remembered by the other people I helped to achieve their dreams.
Location and life experience can sprinkle their influence in your writing. Tell us about where you grew up and a little about where you live now.
Stacy Anderson: I grew up all over the place since my dad was very good in his profession and kept getting recruited to different companies. I’ve lived in Colorado, Arizona, Illinois, Missouri, California, and now in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah. I don’t care where I live as long as I am with my family. No matter where you live – you will find what you look for. If you look for happiness, you’ll find it. If you look for misery – you’ll find that too.
Do you have any pets?
Stacy Anderson: I have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named KC (short for King Charles). He’s the world’s most terrible watchdog. He’d lick Adolf Hitler to death if given half a chance.
Bring us into your home and set the scene for us when you are writing. What does it look like?
Stacy Anderson: In a basement room that also serves as a guest bedroom with a pc on a L-shaped desk and an overhead light and desk lamp when I don’t want harsh lighting or am in a more mellow mood.
Do you watch television? If so, what are your favorite shows? Does television influence of inspire your writing?
Stacy Anderson: I don’t get much time to watch TV but when I do, I like to watch the CSI series and So You Think You Can Dance
What about movies? Same as above.
Stacy Anderson: Same thing,.. I don’t get much time to watch them but when I do It’s usually the big ones like Star Wars, Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean – blockbuster series type movies. My favorite all time though is Mulan.
Focusing on your most recent (or first) book, tell our readers what genre your book is and what popular author you think your writing style in this book is most like.
Stacy Anderson: It’s Christmas fiction and style,….hummmmm….maybe Richard Paul Evans although he uses more grown up words than me.
How long did it take you to write your most recent (or first) book? When you started writing, did you think it would take that long (or short)?
Stacy Anderson: I wrote it in a matter of about three weeks. The story – start to finish – was already in my head so it didn’t take long. Now getting it accepted an published,….that is another story!
Is there anyone you’d like to specifically acknowledge who has inspired, motivated, encouraged or supported your writing?
Stacy Anderson: My parents, my husband and sons, my grandma, Aunt Ann and Uncle Kim and a Savior who blessed me with talents that I could develop and use to do a little bit of good in this world.
Is there any one particular book that when you read it, you thought to yourself, “Man, I wish I’d written that one!”?
Stacy Anderson: Harry Potter
Thinking about your writing career, is there anything you’d go back and do differently now that you have been published?
Stacy Anderson: Nope – we are put on paths so we can learn from mistakes as well as successes. To go back and do something different would possibly change the outcome now and I wouldn’t want to do that.
What is your main goal or purpose you would like to see accomplished by your writing?
Stacy Anderson: To uplift and inspire and make people think about where they are in life and how they can reach their greatest potentials.
How has having a book published changed your life?
Stacy Anderson: It’s made my schedule be a bit fuller but I live by the Popeye creed “I yam what I yam” so I keep things pretty well grounded – or at least try to.
Many authors have said that naming their characters is a difficult process, almost like choosing a name for their own child. How did you select the names of some of your lead characters in your book/s?
Stacy Anderson: In The Santa Letters, I used my parents name since it is dedicated to their memory. All the other books, I keep a list of names I like – both first and last – and when the story comes along, I just insert what feels right as I envision my characters.
Have you ever had a character take over a story and move it in a different direction than you had originally intended? How did you handle it?
Stacy Anderson: That is happening right now in The Inmate Letters. The ending is turning out so much different than I ever expected but it’s better and grabs the reader more so I’m going with it. That story definitely has me in it’s grips and I can’t wait to see how it ends!
Is there any lesson or moral you hope your story might reveal to those who read it?
Stacy Anderson: To embrace the true gifts of the season and life. Find peace in those everyday things we take for granted.
Do you have any book signings, tours or special events planned to promote your book that readers might be interested in attending? If so, when and where?
Stacy Anderson: I have them all listed out on my website at www.thesantaletters.org.
It’s said that the editing process of publishing a novel with a publisher is can be grueling and often more difficult than actually writing the story. Do you think this is true for you? How did you feel about editing your masterpiece?
Stacy Anderson: I’d gone over it so many times that by the time we got to that point, it was relatively painless. My editor, Lyndsee Cordes, would ask me questions on certain things and I give my opinion as to why I did those things and she’d take that into consideration and make it better.
Now that you are a published author, does it feel differently than you had imagined?
Stacy Anderson: It’s still surreal and I can’t believe that a gal who lives in the Rocky Mountain region has managed to find so much success in writing a simple story of love and bringing Christ back into Christmas. I’m humbled and overwhelmed but grateful.
Now, use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know?
Anyone who wants to read find out more about me can go to my websites:
It’s all there since my life is literally an open book! For those who want o read more of my writing, you can go to my blogsites at www.stayinalivewithstacy.blogspot.com or www.asabeaconlight.blogspot.com.
The books are available online August 1 at http://www.cedarfort.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.deseretbook.com, and it is also available from: Ingram (distributor for libraries, stores, etc.) and Anderson Merchandisers (distributor for Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, etc.),
They are also currently in the process of working with Booksamillion, Borders, Hastings, HMS Host (airport bookstores) and Baker & Taylor (another distributor).
(Michy’s note: I have received this book in the mail pending a review. All I can say at this point is that this book is absolutely gorgeous!)
Suzanne Woods Fisher’s just-released historical novel Copper Fire, is the sequel to the three-time award-winning Copper Star, a World War II love story inspired by true events. Fisher was a contributing editor to Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her work has appeared in Today’s Christian Woman, Worldwide Challenge, ParentLife, and Marriage Partnership. She has contributed to ten non-fiction books, including Chicken Soup for the Soul: Children with Special Needs. A wife and mother, Fisher lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and raises puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. The best thing about being a writer, she feels, is that all of life becomes material for writing. It’s all grit for the oyster.
Author Interview: Suzanne Woods Fisher:
It’s rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a ‘real’ job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you’ve had in your life?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: I am fortunate to be in a situation where my income is supplemental, not the one my family counts on to pay grocery and orthodontist bills. (That’s good. I only make about a dime an hour.) But I’ve always kept my focus on writing…worked as a free lancer for all kinds of magazines for many years.
What compelled you to write your first book?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: I came across this phrase: “Everybody is talented, original and has something important to say.” Brenda Ueland, If You Want to Write (published in 1938), Graywolf Press
It stayed with me, and I felt as if the only one stopping me from trying to write a novel was…me.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: Throughout high school, reading and writing clearly became my only interests, despite dismal career options. (Besides, I was hopeless at everything else. True story: I took Algebra and got a “D,” which I blame largely on the thick accent of my Persian teacher. I couldn’t understand him. Sadly, I had to re-take the class in summer school and was greatly disappointed, on the first day, to discover the same Persian teacher standing at the front of the class. (When he saw me, he looked equally disappointed.)
I got another “D.”
Fast forward to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, a small Christian college. I was on the staff of the college newspaper and met a young student named Ginny. We became fast friends. Sharing a love of writing, we kept our relationship going through letters. A few years later, after we had both married and had started families, Ginny called me to ask if I could take over some freelancing jobs. I jumped at the chance. I started writing for Christian Retailing, then Christian Parenting Today, and eventually became a contributing editor for that magazine. And those relationships have opened other doors.
Tell us a little bit about your book/s.
Suzanne Woods Fisher: Copper Fire is the sequel to Copper Star, picking right up at the very end of World War II. On a summer day in 1945, my main character, Louisa, receives a telegram from the International Red Cross Tracing Service. She discovers that her cousin, Elisabeth, has just been released from Dachau. Louisa is determined to go to Germany to get Elisabeth…and that’s where the story begins.
Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: In late August, Grit from the Oyster: 250 Pearls of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers, will be released from Vintage Spirit. I wrote Grit with three other very talented authors. For the Love of Dogs is a fun novel, set in 1969, due out in February (Vintage).
And more exciting news! I am working on three novels for Revell/Baker, as well as a non-fiction book called Amish Peace in an English Life (also with Revell/Baker).
Have you ever won any writing awards? If so, what?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: Copper Star, my first novel, received three awards from Reader Views: Best in Historical Fiction, Best in Spirituality, Best Drama of 2008.
How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: An unforgettable moment! The UPS guy rang the doorbell to deliver the pre-released copies. The front door was just a few feet away from the laundry room where I had typed that manuscript! But that a journey that book had taken.
What one thing are you the most proud of in your life?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: My kids. They are growing into the most remarkable young adults. I’m so very proud of them.
What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: I have a big family, and a big extended family, too. They’ve all been very supportive, though my dad is losing a battle with Alzheimer’s. I’m so sorry that he doesn’t understand that his daughter wrote a book or two. I dedicated Copper Fire to him. When I handed him the book, showing him that page, he waved the book aside as if shooing the butler. So sad! And so unlike him.
The main characters of your stories – do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: I wish I were more like my main character in Copper Star, Louisa, the young resistance worker smuggled out of Germany by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. She’s funny, determined, smart… and flawed. And she knows it! She has an ability not to take herself too seriously.
Is there an established writer you admire and emulate in your own writing? Do you have a writing mentor?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: My favorite books (authors, too) point the way to God’s high path. Philip Yancey is my all-time favorite. I’ll read anything he writes. Lately, I’ve been reading some books by W. Dale Cramer. He’s an excellent writer. I like Lynn Austin, too.
Do you have any pets?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: I raise puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. We’re now on our sixth puppy! We didn’t plan on raising more than one, but our first raising experience was wonderful. Raising Guide Dog puppies is like eating a potato chip…you can’t eat just one.
What is your main goal or purpose you would like to see accomplished by your writing?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: Every story has an underlying theme of God’s grace, played out in daily life. I try not to ever whack readers on the head, but I hope they finish my books a little more curious about this great God of ours.
How has having a book published changed your life?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: I see myself now as a full-time writer, instead of trying to squeeze writing around everything else.
Is there any lesson or moral you hope your story might reveal to those who read it?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: I try to write about interesting people who have been overlooked. For example: Louise Tracy, wife of Spencer Tracy. In 1942, Louise Tracy started a foundation (The John Tracy Clinic) to teach oral communication (lip reading and speaking) to pre-school age children. She and Spencer had a deaf son, John. Louise ignored the conventional wisdom of the day (sending John to an institution to learn sign language) and had remarkable success teaching him to communicate. There’s a deaf child in Copper Star and its sequel, Copper Fire. I contacted the JTC while writing Copper Star and was able to write it into the storyline, with their blessing. Louise Tracy was a remarkable woman. Way ahead of her times! I loved being able to bring attention to such a woman through this novel.
It’s said that the editing process of publishing a novel with a publisher is can be grueling and often more difficult than actually writing the story. Do you think this is true for you? How did you feel about editing your masterpiece?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: I really believe in the editing process. Even editors need editors! It’s almost always a better book in the end.
Now that you are a published author, does it feel differently than you had imagined?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: I can’t deny that I have felt a sense of accomplishment—not because of quantity of books sold, but because I completed something I set out to do that I am proud of. But…life is not really any different! I still have dishes and laundry and bills to pay.
Now, use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know? Thank you for hosting me today! Stop by and visit me at www.suzannewoodsfisher.comMy books can be found at: Amazon, BN.com, can be ordered from your favorite bookstore, and are also available at my website: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com
Actually, I grew up traipsing around in the hills of West Virginia (that’s where the term “redneck” originated). Yes, I’m a hillbilly, born and bred and proud of it!
My first attempt at writing was in the third grade. Our teacher had us take the list of spelling words for that week and write a story using those words. Much to my teacher’s chagrin I elected to write something befitting “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” (that was one of my favorite TV shows back in the day). She told my parents the story was certainly imaginative, but a bit too gruesome for the other third graders.
Eventually, after a few aborted attempts at writing short stories, I gravitated to screenwriting (I hold an MFA in screenwriting). The idea of writing a book was simply too overwhelming, too intimidating. Oddly enough, when I finally worked up the audacity to write a book, it turned out to be a non-fiction piece dealing with religion.
I also write screenplays and teach film production, as an adjunct, at the University of Miami. When not writing or teaching, I operate a small video production company.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW: B. Jay Gladwell
What compelled you to write your first book?
B. Jay Gladwell: The inspiration for What’s Wrong With Mormons? grew out of the countless falsehoods and gross inaccuracies being perpetuated by the opponents of the Church. In the year 2007 (when the book was being written) we had a member of the Church running for the Republican nomination for president of the United States. There was the broadcast of a lopsided, inaccurate documentary about Mormons on PBS. There was a weekly television program, about an obnoxious doctor with a supporting character who is a Mormon that perpetuated misinformation about the Church. On top of that, a group of evangelicals produced a video, distributed it on DVD, and claimed it was produced “out of love for our Lord Jesus Christ and love for our Mormon and Christian friends.” Yet the video contains a thoroughly dishonest portrayal of the Mormon faith, using smear tactics and religious bigotry to perpetuate the same tired half-truths and misinformation that have been used for over 175 years. As a result of all this, the Church has been brought to the forefront of the news. And, if I may speak frankly, it got very tiresome reading and hearing and seeing what other people—non-members—outside the Church were claiming our doctrines to be. How ridiculous! The only thing more ridiculous is giving credence to such individuals and their falsehoods and half-truths.
As I mentioned above, a member of the Church was running for the Republican nomination for president. There were endless articles about that candidate and nearly each one, in one way or another, brought up the issue of “Mormons as Christians.” This concern was most prevalent among evangelical Christians. One such article spoke about a recent survey that showed many of these evangelicals were drawn to this candidate’s values but repelled by his Mormon faith. Can you see the irony in that statement? Isn’t that like saying, “I like apple pie, but I am repulsed by apples”? How can one accept the teachings of Jesus Christ but reject the Savior?
Think about it. How many times have you read or heard how people really admire Mormons for their family values, yet their teachings are abhorrent. Mormons are held in high regard because of their work ethic, but the Prophet Joseph Smith was a scoundrel. Mormons are respected for their moral points of view on chastity, honesty, abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, yet their doctrines are of the devil. Mormons are appreciated for their humanitarian contributions and the goods and services provided in the wake of natural catastrophes around the world; nevertheless, they aren’t Christians. Where has there ever been a greater contradiction of thought?
In light of the above, this book was written as my attempt to answer the simple question: “What’s wrong with Mormons?”
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
B. Jay Gladwell: Let me put it this way: I’ve always wanted to tell stories (fact or fiction). Like I said above, my first attempt at writing was in the third grade. I really enjoyed that little exercise. Good writing, not necessarily great writing, can elicit emotions from the reader. That’s cool, being able to push people’s buttons in a positive way.
There were subsequent stabs at writing, each of which ended after only a few pages. As all of us are keenly aware, writing is not easy. Wanting to do something and having the discipline to sit down and do it are two entirely different things.
How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?
B. Jay Gladwell: I know this may sound like kind of corny, but holding your first book, once it’s published, is not unlike holding your first child. Being a man, I’ve never experienced childbirth, but when it comes to bringing a book into the world I guarantee there are labor pains involved. The only thing that tops that is your first sale. To think that someone was actually willing to part with a portion of their hard-earned cash to buy your book and read it, that’s truly humbling!
What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?
B. Jay Gladwell: It depends on what I’m writing. While writing this book, there were hymns softly playing the background.
When I’m writing screenplays, for instance, I listen to soundtracks of films from the same genre.
What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?
B. Jay Gladwell: The desire, or maybe need would be a better word, to get my message out before anyone who’s willing to read it. A belief in what I have to say is the real motivation.
What one thing are you the most proud of in your life?
B. Jay Gladwell: My marriage. Fortunes may come and go (and I’m still waiting for the first one to arrive), friends may abandon you, children may disappoint you, but my wife, Churé (pronounced Shu-ray), and I are deeply and everlastingly in love. She is, without a doubt, my best friend and greatest supporter. Our marriage has been a total success.
When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?
B. Jay Gladwell: The books that really got me hooked on reading were the Hardy Boys. I spent most of my summers as a kid reading those books. Books—fiction or non-fiction—take you places and show you things you’d never experience otherwise. Reading is a wonderful vicarious experience!
What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?
B. Jay Gladwell: Frankly, it’s been several years since I’ve read a fiction book. The last two novels I read were books a former student of my mine, Kerry Jamieson, wrote and got published in the UK. Both were excellent, I must say.
How long did it take you to write your most recent (or first) book? When you started writing, did you think it would take that long (or short)?
B. Jay Gladwell: It was June of 2007 when I got the idea for the book. In July I started gathering my thoughts and made an outline of what the book would actually be about. Then I started writing later that same month. The first draft was complete by the end of November. Actually, I was surprised at how quickly I got that first draft written.
The book was released on July 23 of 2008. So it was right at a year from inception to release.
Is there anyone you’d like to specifically acknowledge who has inspired, motivated, encouraged or supported your writing?
B. Jay Gladwell: Again, that would be my wife Churé. She’s always had more faith in me than I’ve had in myself. She’s been very encouraging throughout our thirty-three years together.
What is your main goal or purpose you would like to see accomplished by your writing?
B. Jay Gladwell: If it’s possible, I have no control over others, I would like to help bring people together in the spirit of mutual understanding. We don’t have to agree to get along. We can agree to disagree agreeably. Hopefully, I can contribute to the creation of an environment in which all people, regardless of creed or color, can come together and learn about each other from one another, rather than from their enemies.
Think about it. If I want to get to know you, what your thoughts and beliefs are, who would you rather I ask, you or someone who isn’t particularly fond of you?
How has having a book published changed your life?
B. Jay Gladwell: It hasn’t. It’s my opinion that one stands a far greater chance of having his or her life changed from reading a book! It’s not the sharing of an idea that is life-changing; it is the receipt and successful implementation of the idea that changes lives.
Is there any lesson or moral you hope your story might reveal to those who read it?
B. Jay Gladwell: Chapter 10 of the book, “The Burden of Proof”, opens with a quote from the motivational speaker and author Napoleon Hill. He said, “No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person’s enemies say about him.” That pretty well sums up my hopes for the book.
If just one person reads my book and walks away with an accurate understanding of what Mormons believe and why from a Mormon’s point of view, then it’s been a success.
Now that you are a published author, does it feel differently than you had imagined?
B. Jay Gladwell: Actually, I’m finding that being a “published author” is a tad embarrassing. All those who have read the book so far (and I’ve not heard from everyone) have had nothing but compliments. The other day I was approached by a gentleman who had read my book. He told me how much he enjoyed it. I thanked him. Unfortunately, he didn’t stop there. He kept going on and on it great detail about what he liked. After each compliment, I genuinely thanked him. It didn’t take long before I became very self-conscious, as others were standing near by.
The book was not written to draw attention to me, but to what I perceived the problem to be.
Now, use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know?
I’m a southern gal now but grew up in the rolling farmland outside of historic Valley Forge, PA. We’re going on 16 wonderful years of happily ever after. We live in an old Victorian we restored on the Chesapeake Bay and spend the summers relaxing on the beach in Ocean City, MD. Our son is grown and living an apron’s string away from mama right here in Norfolk, VA.
I live a double life, techno geek by day and witchy romantic when the moon is full My day jobs have always required a fair amount of professional writing. After a reference manual and a few tongue-in-cheek editorials, I thought it would be fun to try my hand at fiction.
Setting a romance in the framework of high tech intrigue, my technical background turned out to be my best friend. It is so exciting to be standing in the shadow of giants as one of BookStrand’s flagship authors. As Siren Publishing’s new sister imprint, they carry broad line of books including mainstream & erotic romance, and general fiction. My romantic suspense, The Twist was a great fit for the new imprint!
Interview with Author Lee Silver:
It’s rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a ‘real’ job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you’ve had in your life?
Lee Silver: I do have a day job to pay the bills, but my writing is just as important a part of my life. My first career was in advertising. I delivered flyers on my bicycle for our neighbor’s electrical shop. Hint: A penny a flyer is a dumb way to make money in a rural neighborhood
I’ve always been the quiet, geeky type so it was pretty natural that I got into engineering. After a couple years of writing specification manuals for the Navy, I went back to school full-time to earn my graduate degree from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. Not counting my early days in advertising, my entire career has been as a professional engineer.
What compelled you to write your first book?
Lee Silver: You hear some strange things standing in the ladies’ room line on the Ocean City boardwalk. A cute little thing in a halter top and a pair of Daisy Dukes behind me was arguing with her purple-haired boy friend about her smoking. He was going on about what a filthy habit it was and how he might as well be kissing an ashtray. Fumbling in her purse for a Virginia Slim, all she could come up with in her defense was “You have no idea how hard it is for a girl to quit smoking!” I’ve always been fascinated by transformation stories, but they never seem to have a happy ending. Hum, it sounded like there was a story there to me.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Lee Silver: I’ve always loved writing, but never considered myself to be a writer. It seemed to be sort of an unachievable goal. Something other people did that I could never be capable of doing. It wasn’t until I noticed that more and more of my friends were asking me to review things they had written that I actually started to consider it to be a possibility.As an engineer, I’m trained to come up with a way to make things work. The transformation in The Twist is pure sci-fi, but what if it were possible? My technical background gives me the tools to imagine and describe the things a scientist would need to actually make it happen.
Tell us a little bit about your book/s.
Lee Silver: My new romantic suspense, The Twist is a BookStrand #1 bestseller! I wanted a heroine who would stand toe to toe with the leading man and a plot that would keep a reader on the edge of his seat. The Twist is only the beginning. A story of mind-bending control and unnerving metamorphosis, The Twist unravels the tale of a hotshot consultant as he struggles to foil a plot to steal $12 million and to rescue the feisty, female scientist who has stolen his heart.
The hero actually turns into a carbon copy of the leading lady. I really had to get into Zane’s head to write The Twist. Women are so different…our emotions, what’s important to us, how we relate to each other. And then there’s the things we take for granted. Hair, nails, putting on your face, the whole bit. It would all have to be pretty strange for a guy.
Trying to stuff all of that into a guy’s head was a challenge. Male characters just don’t have the range of emotion for you to work with. I guess that’s part of what makes them guys. As Zane begins his transformation, everything he is grappling with bubbles to the top as a confused mix of humor and rage. After the change it’s like he’s got the hormones of a squad of teenage cheerleaders.
Yup, we finally get our revenge on the guys in The Twist
Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?
Lee Silver: When I wrote the Twist, I had considered it to be a one book story. Working on my edits, I realized there might be enough open ends for another book. I just started working on a sequel to The Twist so we can see what everybody’s favorite feisty female scientist is up to next
How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?
Lee Silver: Michy, I think you put a little of your soul into everything you write. Seeing The Twist was like looking in a mirror for the first time for me. A bit frightening, but you gradually accept each wrinkle and line of the smiling reflection until you can say, here I am world, with all my flaws and talents, being the best I can be.
What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?
Lee Silver: You all are going to think I’m crazy, and I’m probably showing my age, but I’m a huge Jimi Hendrix fan. I actually have over 100 albums counting the bootlegs and international releases!
What one thing are you the most proud of in your life?
Lee Silver: There are tons of people who are better than me at everything I’ve ever done or tried. What I am proud of, is having accomplished so many different things in my life.
What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?
My first marriage was a three month fairy tale, shattered to pieces by a drunk driver who hit our car on the way home from the movies. Death is a big part of life. I’ve never been the same after that accident. I was an only child, so Mom is my number one fan. My hubby and son have been wonderful, picking up the slack around the house and putting up with me while I was a bundle of nerves getting through my edits.
It’s ok, [though]. That was a long time ago. I’m a very lucky girl. I’ve been blessed with two wonderful loves in my life. Some people never find one.
The main characters of your stories – do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?
Lee Silver: My characters are born from the faces of my personality. I’m like each and every one but not like any of them. There is a tiny seed of me in my characters that unfolds like a flower. They surprise me with the things they say and do, taking my writing to places I never could have gone by myself.Zane met his match with Kathy in The Twist. He’s full of himself in a typical guy sort of way. But Kathy, with all her feminine charm, let Zane know from the minute they met at the elevator, she’d stand toe to toe with for the full nine rounds. Its mutual respect like this that turns to love that will last a life time.
Is there an established writer you admire and emulate in your own writing? Do you have a writing mentor?
Lee Silver: Like nearly everything I have tried in my life, I didn’t have a mentor when I began my first novel. I just sat down at the keyboard and began to type. I guess I’m too stupid to know I can’t do something Dee Knight and Michele Hart played a huge part in my growth as a writer. Teaching me the ropes and coaching me through my edits, my surrogate writing mommies were always there to pick me up when I stumbled or to lovingly slap my knuckles when I reached for too many seconds of M&M’s.
Hey, let’s get morbid. When they write your obituary, what do you hope they will say about your book/s and writing? What do you hope they will say about you?
Lee Silver: If my stories can pull my reader’s away from the hustle and bustle of their lives long enough to put a smile on their faces when they head back to the real world, I couldn’t ask for more. My biggest fear is that I will hurt someone without knowing it and never having the chance to tell them I am sorry. I hope people remember me for admitting when I was wrong and for doing my best to make things right.
Location and life experience can sprinkle their influence in your writing. Tell us about where you grew up and a little about where you live now.
Lee Silver: My parents used to have a travel trailer on the Delaware shore. I grew up outside of Philadelphia, so it was only about 3 hours away. We spent weekends there all summer long for years. I loved to go crabbing and fishing with my dad. LOL, I used to be such a tomboy! On rainy days, we’d all pile into my girlfriend’s mom’s old Buick station wagon. She’d haul us giggling and laughing into Ocean City, MD for pizza and let us go wild on the boardwalk.
I’ve been a car girl for as long as I can remember. I actually had a Suzuki 50 Trail Rider I used all through high school. I went everywhere on that darn thing! Somewhere along the line I realized that motorcycles and skirts don’t mix and got a blue MG Midget. My hubby is a car guy and we have a Model A hotrod. I’m not into all the grease and engine stuff but can hold a pretty mean flashlight. I love the people and the cruising. It gives me an excuse to get all dolled up and wear a pair of tight pants or a poodle skirt.
Anyway, my husband’s family also vacationed in Ocean City, and we went there with our son when he was growing up. We have our own place there now. It’s only a couple hours from Norfolk, VA, so we try to go whenever we can. I cherish our time in Ocean City. We both run so hard, it’s the only time we have for each other. I’m lucky to have a special place with so many memories from all the times of my life. I wish we could live there all the time.
Do you have any pets? What are they? Tell us about them.
Lee Silver: Yes, an African gray parrot. His name is Lerch. You know, like from the Adam’s family? Actually he’s a she, but I’ve called her a he for so long that’s how I think of her. We’ve been roomies for over 20 years! Our relationship is pretty much like the one I have with my husband. I feed him and he tolerates me
Bring us into your home and set the scene for us when you are writing. What does it look like? On the couch, laptop, desk? Music? Lighting, handwriting?
Lee Silver: We live in an old Victorian we renovated on Norfolk’s waterfront on the Chesapeake Bay. It’s full of bits and pieces we’ve refinished over the years. My bow front mahogany china cabinet is the only thing we actually paid real money for. It’s to die for!I write in our son’s old room. We converted it into sort of an office for me and a gym. It’s full of memories and still has a few pieces from his childhood like the basketball hoop over the trash can I have one of those $50 particle board computer stands for a desk. It’s so out of character with the rest of the house! I mostly write at home but get my best ideas in traffic jams. I keep one of those five dollar voice recorder thingies in my car, so I actually look forward to 5:00 rush hour.
Do you watch television? If so, what are your favorite shows? Does television influence of inspire your writing?
Lee Silver: I’ve been a Charmed fan since day one! I even have a cool signed picture of Holly, Rose and Alyssa that I won on ebay. I was really bummed when they ended the show but still watch the reruns whenever I can. The last few years, I’ve been hooked on Nip Tuck. I’m usually asleep by ten, but every Friday night I set the alarm and drag myself downstairs to watch Dr. Shawn and Dr. Christian The two shows are very different, but they both have incredible drama that makes the wheels run wild in my head.
Thinking about your writing career, is there anything you’d go back and do differently now that you have been published?
Lee Silver: I think a new writer needs to be careful not to be so anxious to be published that he settles for just anyone who offers to print his book. I have heard some simply awful stories about small publishers going defunct and tying up an author’s work. I was looking in a lot of wrong places when I was searching for a publisher for The Twist. I was very fortunate to have received an offer from Siren-BookStrand. They put a lot of faith in me as a new author, and I am proud to be represented by a top name publisher.
How has having a book published changed your life?
Lee Silver: Well, for one, I’m not sure I have time to answer that!
Now that you are a published author, does it feel differently than you had imagined?
Lee Silver: It took a bit of personal growth to think of myself as author, Lee Silver. Now it’s effortless, just one more of the different rolls I have in my life. We have hats we put on as coworkers, girlfriends, Sunday school teachers, parents wives, moms and authors. A little artistic license may be needed for one or the other, but I think the key is to let our true self shine through as we relate to the people and situations in our lives regardless of the hat we are wearing. In that regard, as writers we have it easier than most. The hardest part for me has been to find the time. I’ve made so many new friends and love hearing what everyone has going on with their writing and in their lives. I’m going to hate having to slink back into my cave to get to work on the sequel to The Twist.
Now, use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know?
~~“A clever and witty sci-fi romp through big corporations, marriage and the gender wars.” Dee S. Knight , author of Heat Wave
Zane Tollison’s wife is running through their cash faster than he can make it. A “Hail Mary” contract with Clearwater Tobacco arrives in the nick of time to keep his fledgling consulting firm afloat, and to unchain him once and for all from his narcissistic wife.
Beautiful, brilliant, and estranged Kathy Davis is desperate for a new beginning. The feisty post doc bio-geneticist jumps at an offer from Clearwater, pouring her soul into a development that will revolutionize the tobacco industry.
The two are unwittingly reeled into a convoluted plan to steal $12 million. Zane is changing into a carbon copy of Kathy, a pawn in a bizarre genetic metamorphosis, entangling Kathy in a sinewy web of seduction and deceit. Forging a bond that will set the course of their destiny, they fight to overpower the diabolic hold that has taken over their lives.
Excerpt Zane heard the tap, tap, tap of a woman’s heels on the tile floor as he stared at his watch anxiously waiting for the elevator.
She was a tiny thing, not more than five foot three, probably in her early thirties. She stepped up beside him. Their eyes met and she smiled.
One of the big guns’ secretaries, I’ll bet. Zane couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
Wearing a stylishly short, gray tweed business suit, her long auburn hair was pulled in a French twist. Designer gold-rim glasses framed her petite face and green eyes. She looked like she had just stepped out of the latest issue of Vogue.
Zane’s eyes followed her every move as she stepped into the elevator. A leather notebook clenched to her chest, she was one hundred percent professional and drop dead gorgeous. She turned to him, a ghost of a smile on her lips. Looking Zane squarely in the eyes, she matter-of-factly quipped, “All right, you’ve seen my ass. I guess you can come in now.”
He turned beet red as he walked into the elevator. The doors closed like a vault. “I, I am so sorry, but—”
“No buts about it. I wouldn’t have said that if I didn’t think you were cute.” She stepped out onto the second floor “See ya!”
He stood, frozen like a pillar of salt, as he watched her walk in slow motion down the hall. “Seventh floor.” “What did you say?”
She peered over her shoulder and grinned. “Chorde’s office. It’s on the seventh floor.”
Eyes glued to the seam along the back of her skirt, he opened his mouth to speak, but the words refused to come.
She rounded the corner out of his sight. His eyes still peering into the hall, Zane’s finger pressed the button for the seventh floor. As the doors began to close, he blurted out to the brushed steel walls of the elevator, “Thanks.”
* * * *
Chorde glanced at the clock as he reached for his hand. “So good to see that you are prompt. Nine o’clock on the button.”
Clenching his hand with a confident grip, Zane put on a well-practiced smile. “Well, I try, Jonathon.” The truth was he was late for everything. Pat often teased him that he’d be late for his own funeral.
Jonathon Chorde was a stately gentleman in his early sixties. His British accent and tailored, double-breasted suit gave him an air of cosmopolitan sophistication. He was medium height, perhaps five foot ten, balding, and a bit over weight.
Chorde motioned towards two stuffed leather chairs at the far corner of his office. He poured two cups of tea from a silver carafe and offered a small serving tray. “Pastry, Mr. Tollison?”
Never one to pass on a free breakfast, Zane reached for a cherry Danish. He flashed a grin as he took an over-sized bite. “Mr. Tollison was my father. You can call me Zane.”
“As you please. Down to business then, shall we?”
He set his cup on the marble tabletop and leaned forward. “We are both businessmen. I shan’t beat around the bush. Simply put, Clearwater wants to buy your name.”
A piece of Danish caught in Zane’s throat and he coughed into his napkin.
Chorde ignored the outburst and continued. “As I indicated when I spoke to you yesterday, we are in the process of pulling together a study to refute the accusations of the anti-smoking coalitions. Although we certainly value your insights, there is really very little we expect you to do. We already know what we want to find, and except for going through the motions of the actual ten-day investigation, our people have basically completed the final report.”
He reached for his tea and leaned back in his chair. Chorde continued, “We did feel that it was important for you to actually be here while we conduct the study to lend a touch of credence to the work. In any case, it will certainly benefit us both for you to learn as much as you can about the project. So you’ll be better prepared to field any questions that might come up about the research in the future.
“We shan’t detain you once we’ve gathered our data, but please, feel free to stay at Clearwater to dot and cross whatever I’s and T’s you feel are necessary to put the finishing touches to the report. After all, the findings are going to be released by Tollison Consulting.” Chorde’s smile could have belonged to the Grinch who stole Christmas. “We had hoped we could attract your services and took the liberty of having our legal people draft a preliminary agreement.”
He pushed a pen and a stack of papers towards Zane, and reached for a French cruller as he continued, “A good faith advance in the amount of 1.15 million dollars shall be deposited to your account upon signing the contract, with the balance being paid in ten equal installments of 1.15 million dollars each day for the duration of the study. The total for your services will be 12.65 million dollars.
“The future of the entire tobacco industry depends on the timely release of these findings. We shan’t tolerate any mishaps. The agreement provides a rather stiff penalty of 2.3 million dollars per day should you fail to see the job through.” Chorde’s face grew cold as he glared over the top of his glasses. “I prefer not to elaborate, but please understand, this would be the least of your concerns if the details of your actual role in the investigation should ever chance to leave this room.”
Zane stared at the contract, contemplating the contrast between the white paper and the brown marble tabletop. Ever since he could remember, he had been a tinkerer. From high tech military jets to antique cars, from tube-type radios to house renovation, at one time or another, Zane had seen or worked on just about every mechanical device imaginable. Starting as a model builder as a child and learning the building trades while working his way through college, there was very little he could not or would not do. Combined with a graduate degree in engineering, he was able to view most situations from both sides of the fence.
A few well-timed hat tricks had earned him quite a name for himself. After ten years in the aerospace industry, Zane had managed to save a small nest egg and opened his own consulting firm. Most of his clients were companies he had worked with at one time or another while he was still in aerospace. The work was sporadic, but at least he wasn’t a wage slave for one of the airframe giants anymore. He smiled. Living like a starving animal is a small price to pay for your independence.
There were big contacts, with even bigger expenses, but Elise’s addict-like preoccupation with her beauty had brought him to his knees. There were spas and salons, waxes and peels, life coaches and Feng Shui instructors, and a whole host of female must-dos she assured he need not and could not possibly understand. Added to her weekly jaunts to Europe to shop at some swanky new boutique with one of her upscale girlfriends, their bills were a four million dollar snowball rolling down hill.
Zane twirled the ballpoint pen between his fingers. A whole career boiled down to two simple choices: his morals and financial ruin, or the answer to a prayer for selling his professional reputation down the river.
Twelve million dollars. Half for the Governor’s share, and a third to keep him out of debtor’s prison, there would be a million apiece left so he and Elise could go their separate ways.
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e me quite a substantial advance, and then both my editor and her assistant left Simon & Schuster and suddenly nobody in that huge company even knew me, and everything that had been promised me in terms of PR went out the window.
) to write the story and share it with others thinking that it was a story the needed to be told.
My day jobs have always required a fair amount of professional writing. After a reference manual and a few tongue-in-cheek editorials, I thought it would be fun to try my hand at fiction.
