by Dr. J. R. Paine, D.Sc. & Dr. S. N. Gupta, Ph.D.

Excerpt:

Dear God, Let Me Lose Fat, Amen holds every dieter’s hand and walks them through their inner body, introduces them to their stomach, cells, tissue, heart and other vital organs. The E-School provides 24/7 personal trainer 24/7 pinups. All dieters and non-dieters can avail themselves of instant help when they get the urge to splurge.

The vast community of dieters should seek the advice and consent of their own personal physician for their special and specific health needs before they decide to diet or not to diet.

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?

Prior to retirement, one of the authors’ “real” job was Distinguished Professor of Physics in Michigan and the other a free-lance journalist and political leader.

What compelled you to write your first book?

The out-of-control Obesity Pandemic that we see as a far greater imminent threat to our safety and survival as a people than global warming,

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

We have always believed that the pen is mightier than the sword. Yes, writing is one of the joys of our lives.

Tell us a little bit about your book/s.

One of our books is titled “Dear God, Let Me Lose Fat, Amen”. It looks like a book but works like a 4-year college course so artfully condensed and simplified that everyone between the ages of 16 to 106 can not only understand each and every word but become an expert in how the internal mechanics of the human machine and brain.

We knew from our extensive research that the human brain forms a million new connections for every second of our lives. It is in these changing connections that memories are stored, habits learned and personalities shaped. By reinforcing certain patterns of brain activity like desire for survival, health, vigor and vitality, and losing the craving for nutrient-poor, killer calorie-rich, high-fat, high-sugar and high-salt fatty FAST DELIVERY, FAST FOODS and fluids with FAST DELIVERY, FAST FACT knowledge nutrition for the brain, the obesity nightmare could be ended. The hands of the death clock that took the life of one American every 2 minutes could be slowed and finally stopped.

The billion dollar question for usto answer was “How did we get into such a severe health and obesity crisis and how do we get out of it?” The answer is: (a) For 5 decades, we have had 100% easy access to FAST FOODS and (b) ZERO, ZIP access to FAST KNOWLEDGE! To remedy this situation, we Innovated a 21st Century Zero Obesity System in our book “Dear God, Let Me Lose Fat, Amen”.

Our 2nd book, soon to be available on www.amazon.com is titled “Health Super Spa In a Book”. It in, we zoom our Zero Obesity System to the highest point in self-serve universal health care, indeed into the stratosphere!

Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?

Yes, indeed. We are creating an AUTO-SLIM HOME HEALTH HUB such that Families all over America and all around the world can avail themselves of 24/7/365 Virtual Health and Zero Obesity Info-Therapists, Nutritional Bodygurads, Tutors, Personal Trainers and much more.

What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?

Yes, the co-authors are married to each other! They work as a husband/wife team. We have a son and a daughter. Our Son, Paul R. Gupta, Esq., a Harvard Law School graduate, as a senior partner in a New York Law Firm. Our Daughter, Dr. R. K. Brylinski, a Ph.D. from M.I.T. is the CEO of her own company, Brylinski Science.

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.

We grew up in India, Ireland and Great Britain. We currently live in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb in Oakland County. If we could live anywhere, we would like to live for a few years on the planet Venus!

What is your main goal or purpose you would like to see accomplished by your writing?

If we could, we would want everyone to understand that when we lose our health, we lose the universe. We try hard to coax and entice everyone into making good health and zero obesity a habit, a hobby and definitely not a hassle.

Now, use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know?

We are scientists, educators, researchers, health scientists and world travelers. More personal information about us is available in:

Please visit our blog at www.deargoddiet.wordpress.com

“Dear God, Let Me Lose Fat, Amen” is available at www.amazon.com.

A Worthy Muslim
www.unworthymuslim.com

Amir Makin found Al Islam on an unexpected yet fruitful journey to Africa. Having always been intrigued with issues of the oppressed masses, he quickly learned how this way of life directed all to defend and protect the indigent from tyranny while preserving the dignity of the dispossessed. Since that time, he has instilled in himself and advanced the type of analysis that leads to positive change throughout society. He has since immersed himself in the study of developing solutions to communities most disaffected. He regularly gives lectures and seminars on manhood training and development, and different areas in need of social justice. In the seminars, he explains how to use the tools he has developed to achieve positive results related to these issues. He routinely authors documents about facts on Sunni Muslims and internalized oppression.

What compelled you to write your first book?

Amir Makin: First let me thank you for the opportunity to share this information with your readers.

I initially got the idea when I began to notice a lack of concern among some but not all within the Muslim community to be committed to work for socioeconomic and political improvement let alone independence with the same intensity as they would use to look for a job. I began to realize that they had problems seeing a connection between Middle East or Iraq or Africa, terrorism and how it relates to our condition here at home. Partly as a result of this, I noticed that several people were getting the impression that Muslims were not supposed to get involved in social, political and economic development. Some Muslims are so ritualistic meaning that they may perform certain acts mandated by Al Islam out of habit without attempting to understand the larger reason for doing such. With this in mind, I asked can all of this be addressed and motivate people toward wanting to understand the accurate facts on Sunni Muslims also? Hopefully once the book is read, we will be one step closer to that goal.

Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?

Amir Makin: I plan to release 3 additional titles in 2009 to address family issues, leadership/manhood training and development for leadership of one’s community and reducing the recidivism rate of former convicts, so I’m extremely busy. Additionally, I write about some of the internal issues among Muslims that need to be addressed while also covering areas concerning colonialism and oppression throughout the world. I plan to post the links to all interviews, book tour sites and seminars on my blog as they happen.

How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?

Amir Makin: I thought finally my labor of love has paid off. All of these exhaustive months of research editing, proofreading and re-editing had come to a culmination. Lying awake at night worrying about how best to phrase this or that sentence so it can’t be misconstrued were finally over. After this passed, then I got concerned because it needed to be reviewed at that time. This gave me additional worries. However, good things come to those who wait in patience. True enough the early Amazon reviews were all positive. Understandably, I had a roller coaster of emotions.

What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?

Amir Makin: What motivates me the most is when I see certain acts of injustice ignored out of some false sense of perverted loyalty to the same. Whether it is innocent people falsely imprisoned, impoverished children being abused or worse, or an entire nation being cheated out of its God given right to maintain and assert its independence, these are the issues that really get my attention, mostly because they are usually left out of mainstream media coverage. I feel it is my duty to do as much as I can to either help correct these wrongs or bring as much attention to them as possible.

When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?

Amir Makin: This will shock some people, but my favorite author when I was very young was Kenneth Robeson. He wrote the Doc Savage book series and his sense of character development and scene description was some of the most memorable I’ve read.

What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?

Amir Makin: As I began to get away from fiction, I started taking an interest in nonfiction books related to the struggles of the dispossessed. The Autobiography of Malcolm X is one of my favorite books in this genre. I also like the books by Nelson Mandela, Randall Robinson along with Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man.

What is your main goal or purpose you would like to see accomplished by your writing?

Amir Makin: What would make me the happiest is to see people take my literature, expound on it, grow from it and be able to transform as many negative scenarios they can into positive situations that have exchanged injustice for justice.

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?

Amir Makin: Yes I do. On September 15, I’ll be writing guest commentaries on The Book Connection, Scribe Vibe on September 16, interviews for Blogcritics on September 18, Paperback Writer on September 19, Zensanity on September 23 and another guest commentary for Book Marketing Buzz on September 22. I’ll be posting all of these on my blog if readers miss the actual dates themselves.

Now, use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know?

First because it is Ramadan (month of fasting) I’m currently having a book giveaway contest which will conclude at the end of the month. I’ve also started an open poll concerning different perspectives of Al Islam that I’m encouraging all readers to participate in before the poll closes at the end of the year. All of this information can be found on my blog which is http://aworthymuslimovercomes.blogspot.com

Additionally, A Worthy Muslim: Quranic Tools Needed to Overcome Oppression and Imperialism in Order to Institute Justice can be purchased either from my publisher’s site which is http://www.aicpublications.com/featuredbook.html or Amazon

Thank you for the time shared.

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?

Shobhan Bantwal: I wish I could afford to write full-time, but economically it is not an option at this time in my life. I have a day job with the state government. I supervise a statewide program and my job is demanding, so I often come home too tired to concentrate on writing, but I try to write at least a little each day to keep the momentum going. I don’t want to get into a complete slump, which is easy to get into if I don’t watch myself.

What compelled you to write your first book?

Shobhan Bantwal: I had never really aspired to become a writer, nor had I written a creative word until I hit the age of 50. I call my writing career my “menopausal epiphany” because I discovered my muses so late in life. It was a combination of mid-life crisis and empty-nest syndrome that led me to take up writing as a hobby. Little by little I progressed from non-fiction articles to short stories to full-length novels.

Tell us a little bit about your book/s.

Shobhan Bantwal: The experts say one should write what one knows, so until now I have adhered to what I know: my Indian culture and its innumerable and colorful elements that can be quite fascinating for folks from other cultures. My debut book, THE DOWRY BRIDE, which was released by Kensington Publishing last year, was about the dowry system in India. This latest book, THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER, is about gender-based abortions and their potential impact on society. I am a feminist at heart, so writing about a controversial social issue, especially if it affects women, is a work of passion for me. Combining social topics with a romantic and intriguing storyline is particularly fascinating for me. In both my books, I have aimed to do exactly that – educating and entertaining my readers at the same time. The Forbidden Daughter has already received some great reviews.

Have you ever won any writing awards? If so, what?

Shobhan Bantwal: Yes. I won First Place in a short fiction competition sponsored by New Woman magazine in India in 2005. I have also won Honorable Mention in short story contests run by Writer’s Digest and New York Stories magazines in 2002.

How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?

Shobhan Bantwal: It was a magical moment, second only to holding your first-born in your arms right after he/she is born. After hours of hard, grueling work, which includes crafting, plotting, editing, revising and re-editing, followed by the frustrating hunt for an agent, it is indeed a joy to behold the end product, especially when the cover has one’s own child on it. The Dowry Bride’s cover photo is of my daughter, dressed in all her wedding finery.

What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?

Shobhan Bantwal: Reading great books by other authors who write prolifically and with passion is probably the most inspiring thing for me. No matter how busy I am with both my regular job and my writing career, I always make time to read a little each day, at least as a motivator if nothing else.

What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?

Shobhan Bantwal: I have a wonderfully loyal family. My parents are deceased, but I have three married sisters (a fourth passed away recently) who are solidly behind my writing career. My husband of 35 years is just about the best thing in my life. He is so supportive of my efforts that he went out and learned how to develop and maintain websites so he could be my webmaster. He keeps track of my expenses and the business end of the writing so I don’t have to worry about it. Then there is my married daughter, her husband, and their baby girl. They are a joy and my inspiration.

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?

Shobhan Bantwal: Both my protagonists are completely different from me. I’m extroverted, very outspoken, and I have a fiery temper, the very opposite of my main characters. And yet, there is a little something of me in my female characters, some small piece of me that I can’t pinpoint. I like to put myself in my characters’ shoes and imagine what goes on in their minds as they face their challenges, their joys and their sorrows.

When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?

Shobhan Bantwal: While I was growing up in semi-rural India in the 1950s and 60s, we had mostly British books, Enid Blyton, Schoolgirls’ Picture Library and such. As a teenager I enjoyed mysteries and romances. But my all-time favorite book was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I still have a copy of it.

What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?

Shobhan Bantwal: My tastes still run toward romantic mysteries, thrillers, contemporary romances, and women’s fiction. Judith McNaught, Nora Roberts, Jayne Anne Krentz, and Linda Howard are some of my favorites.

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 – city? Suburb? Country? Farm? If you could live anywhere you want to live, where would that be?

Shobhan Bantwal: I was born and raised in Belgaum, a small town in southwestern India. The fictitious town in both my novels, Palgaum, is actually Belgaum, with some variations that I put in as artistic license. Now I live in a typical northeast U.S. suburb. If I could live anywhere, it would be Hawaii. Something about the beauty and weather in Hawaii beckons me often.

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?

Shobhan Bantwal: My husband and I share a small home office, which is one of the spare bedrooms in our home. We have our separate desks, lamps, and computers. With bookshelves, a futon (a castoff from our daughter’s college dorm days), a coffee table, and a file-cabinet vying for space, it is rather cramped, but it suits us just fine. As long as the inspiration to write stays with me, I don’t mind the small quarters.

Do you watch television? If so, what are your favorite shows? Does television influence of inspire your writing?

Shobhan Bantwal: I watch very little television, no more than a little news in the mornings and sometimes in the evenings. Since I don’t watch prime time shows, there is nothing that comes from television that inspires my writing. But news stories often provide good fodder for novel ideas.

Is there any one particular book that when you read it, you thought to yourself, “Man, I wish I’d written that one!”?

Shobhan Bantwal: If there is one book that I totally connected with and wished I had written myself, it is Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. I just loved that book. I dearly wish I had written that one. In fact I liked it so much that I queried his literary agent and she signed me up as a client. How serendipitous is that?

What is your main goal or purpose you would like to see accomplished by your writing?

Shobhan Bantwal: With my books, I aim to educate, inform, and entertain at the same time, and that is why I introduce so many cultural elements from India and from my Hindu religion. A burning social issue can become more interesting if it is interwoven with a good plot and characters and turned into fiction.

How has having a book published changed your life?

Shobhan Bantwal: Having my book published has not just changed my life, it has taken over it entirely. I am consumed by it, especially the marketing phase, which takes time, effort, money and space. It is undoubtedly a challenge, but a worthwhile on in the long run.

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?

Shobhan Bantwal: Many of my characters tend to go in a different direction than I had intended. But I don’t resist their tugging away from me because it is a lot of fun to let them wander. In fact, they have provided some interesting twists to my stories, things I had never dreamt of originally. Characters do have a mind of their own sometimes.

Is there any lesson or moral you hope your story might reveal to those who read it?

Shobhan Bantwal: I like to tell stories that include the universal sentiments of love, hope, and the resilience of the human spirit. The fact that “there is hope” is one of the morals I try to throw into my stories.

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?

Shobhan Bantwal: Since my home is in New Jersey, I have a number of author events coming up within the next several weeks. My kickoff book discussion and signing is at the Barnes & Noble in Princeton, New Jersey on September 4th, 2008, at 7:00 PM. There are other events that are listed on my website: www.shobhanbantwal.com under the events page.

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?

Shobhan Bantwal: So far, I have been lucky. I did not have to do any revising. My editor was very good about this aspect although my agent was not that easy on me. But I have a feeling I am not going to be quite that lucky with my next few projects.

Now, use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know. Include information on where to find your books, any blogs you may have, or how a reader can learn more about you and writing.

I love connecting with my readers. I personally reply every email that I get through my website. So I encourage all my readers to contact me with their comments. I am giving away a “Dowry Bag” to one winner in a drawing through my website www.shobhanbantwal.com through the end of September to celebrate the release of THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER. I also have short stories, articles, book excerpts, book trailers, recipes, and photographs from India on my site. So do visit the website when you find the time. Thank you for an interesting interview. I appreciate your time and enthusiasm.

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A diverse writer of columns, feature stories, short fiction, novels, screenplays and stage plays, Maryann Miller has won numerous awards including being a semi-finalist at the Sundance Institute for her screenplay, A Question Of Honor. Her work has appeared in regional and national publications, and the Rosen Publishing Group in New York has published her non-fiction books for teens, including the award-winning Coping with Weapons and Violence In School and On Your Streets.

A romantic suspense One Small Victory is a June 08 release in hardback from Five Star Publishing, and Play It Again, Sam is a July 08 release from Uncial Press as an e-book. Other experience includes extensive work as a PR consultant, a script doctor, and an editor. She is currently the Managing Editor for WinnsboroToday.com, an Online community magazine, as well as a reviewer for ForeWord Magazine and BloggerNews.net.

One Small Victory Synopsis:

Life can change in just an instant. That’s the harsh reality that Jenny Jasik faces when her son is killed in an automobile accident, but never in her wildest dreams did she ever expect to be working undercover as a member of a drug task force. She is, after all, just a Mom. But a Mom can do amazing things when she puts her mind to it and a lot is at stake.

Author Interview With Maryann Miller, author of One Small Victory:

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Maryann Miller: When I was about ten years old I decided I wanted to be a writer. I had just finished reading one of the Lassie series and was enthralled with the story, the setting, and everything about the book. I wanted to someday write a book that someone would love just as much.

Tell us a little bit about your book/s.

Maryann Miller: I have a number of nonfiction books published by The Rosen Publishing Group in New York. The books are part of a number of series Rosen offers that deal with life issues that teens and pre-teens face, such as drugs and violence. Coping With Weapons and Violence in School and On Your Streets has gone into its third printing and was named a Best Book for Teens by the New York Public Library. Play it Again, Sam, was just re-released as an e-book from Uncial Press. It was originally written as part of a series Kensington was doing about fifteen years ago. That line closed just before the book was released. The story features an older heroine who must make life and love work again after her husband of 25 years dumps her.

One Small Victory has recently come out in hardback from Five Star Gale/Cengage. This book was inspired by a true story about a woman who infiltrated a drug ring and helped bring down the main distributor in a rural town. When I read the news story, I just knew I had to write about this incredible woman. I don’t know that I can pick a favorite between these two books. They both showcase women who discover great inner strength in the face of adversity, and I admire them both.

Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?

Maryann Miller: I’m working on a mystery series that I hope Five Star will publish. I am waiting to hear from them and the waiting is not easy. The series starts with Open Season and features two women homicide detectives in Dallas, one white and one black. Think Lethal Weapon in Dallas.

Have you ever won any writing awards? If so, what?

Maryann Miller: When I was twelve I won an award in the Detroit News Scholastic Writing Awards Contest. Pretty heady stuff for a young girl. Since then I have won a Golden Pen Award for a short story at the Southwest Writer’s Conference at the University of Houston, and also won the Golden Pen for a screenplay the following year. I have been a semi-finalist at Sundance and the Chesterfield Film Project with my screenplays. In addition, I won the Page Edwards Short Fiction Award from the University of Florida.

What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?

Maryann Miller: I have six adult children and they are all supportive of my writing. Some of them help with keeping my computer running so I can keep writing. My youngest daughter designed my Web site, as well as the new cover for Play It Again, Sam. My oldest son helped with the research for One Small Victory, as well as for the new mystery series. My husband has always been a great supporter of my efforts, and his encouragement has kept me going at times when I wanted to quit. My parents and extended family are also great supporters. When my mother read an early version of Open Season she asked if I had saved up all the dirty words she had told me not to say and put them in the book. One of the central characters, Sarah, has a mouth on her.

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?

Maryann Miller: I’d have to tell my mother that Sarah is nothing like me.

Do you have any pets? What are they? Tell us about them.

Maryann Miller: I have lots of pets. A horse, two goats, three cats and two dogs. My husband and I live on some acreage in the Piney Woods of East Texas where I happily play “farmer.” My horse is named Banjo, and he is half Welsh pony and half Quarter horse. Depending on which breeder I talk to, they blame the other lineage for his stubbornness. The cats, Little John, Misty and Orca, rule the house – as all cats seem to do. They have even intimidated one of the dogs, a border collie/Australian shepherd mix. It’s funny to watch her and the cats have a stare-down. The other dog is part Pekinese and part we’re-not-sure. She was a city dog and came with us to the farm six years ago. I worried that she would not adapt, but she had done great.

Is there any lesson or moral you hope your story might reveal to those who read it?

Maryann Miller: Since I like to write about social issues, I hope readers come away thinking more about those issues and how they impact their own lives. Maybe they can even find courage to make changes if needed. Sometimes we think we are powerless, and I try to show how much power we have that we might not even be aware of.

Anything else you want your readers to know?

Maryann Miller: First I want to thank you for hosting me on this blog. I do so appreciate the opportunity. Then I want to thank all the readers out there who keep us in business. We who write would be lost without you.

One Small Victory can be ordered through most bookstores and online. It is also marketed heavily to the library market, so folks can request their local library to order it. Play it Again, Sam is available as an e-book from Uncial Press.

My website is: http://www.maryannwrites.com

My blogs are http://themanyfacesofgrief.blogspot.com/ and http://its-not-all-gravy.blogspot.com/ To check out my day job, folks can access it here: http://www.winnsborotoday.com

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by Lee Aaron Wilson

AUTHOR BIO: Lee Aaron Wilson

Excerpt from
Billy Killdeere by Lee Aaron Wilson
(Treble Heart Books, 2008)

From Chapter 13:
“The New Billy”