Tag Archives: Author

Virginia Wright, is author and illustrator of children’s books.

Week 6 – Dec. 9, 2012 An Interview With Author | Dennis Higgins & Giveaway

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Hello everyone! Thank you for stopping by my blog for the sixth week of “Seven Weeks to Christmas Author Interviews & Giveaways.”  There is one more week of the event, next Sunday, when you will read an interview with “me,” and you will comment for a chance to win books, and a grand prize that I’m giving away. (I will reveal the grand prize closer to next Sunday)! Mark your calenders for December 16, as this is my release party for… “The Christmas Secret,” which will be an “online” party. You can stay in the comfort of your own home,  and visit my blog anytime that day.  Don’t forget, you must comment to enter the giveaway.  I will resume normal blogging after the event. However, I already have interviews scheduled for 2013.  Now on to this weeks interview…Dennis Higgins and I met online, we became friends talking about author stuff, and I felt it was only fitting to interview Dennis.  He is an awesome writer… please join me in welcoming Dennis Higgins as my guest author today!

-Virginia Wright

1.)     What led you to become an author? My story began way back when I was a young man in my twenties. I had worked a mundane job in a receiving department where I used to fantasize about being a time traveler falling in love with someone in the past. My fantasies became elaborate stories where a man found himself in 1871 during the Chicago Fire. I had contrasted a modern woman he knew in the present named Cathy with a Victorian woman in the past named Catherine. I always wanted to write this into a book but never found the time. Fast forward to about ten years ago when I met my wife to-be, online. I told her about my desire to write that particular story so for fun we started writing a never ending story type with our characters, Katya and Cyrus. It wasn’t very good and contained almost sappy love sequences because we were falling in love at the time. We shelved the whole idea until she encouraged me to start writing by myself. I went a different direction with my first book, a Route 66 time travel adventure, until she encouraged me to revisit Katya and Cyrus for my second book. I kept the character names, even giving a nod towards Catherine and my Time Pilgrim series became a reality.

Awesome story, Dennis. I bought Katya and Cyrus and recently started reading your book…it is definitely keeping my interest!

2.)      What genre do you write? I find my writing style best fits to a young adult demographic. I write time travel fantasy with a touch of romance.

Great combination!

3.)      When you write, do you prefer silence or do you like to listen to music or the television? I write only in the early morning with complete silence. Of course I have to deal with my two dogs that also pick this time to play. In fact dog #2, Katie is trying to hand me her pull toy right now.

I can relate to needing complete silence, but there are times where I write better with some soothing music playing in the background.

4.)      Do you have a particular place you prefer to write? Right here at my desktop computer. I once tried to write somewhere else at a different time of day and found that my writing style became darker. I suppose it’s good to shake it up a bit but it’s usually in the lower level of my house at my desk.

I have an office area, but I my writing home is in the corner of a reclining couch–with my laptop glued to my lap!

5.)       How long did it take you to write your first book? It took me about one year to write each of my books. Publishing takes a bit longer though.

That sounds about right for me too. But with my latest book, it took me two years.

6.)     Where do you get your inspirations from to write? I suppose as I stated in answer #1, I rely on my fantasies. I like to read but would not consider myself an avid reader. However, I must admit that a couple of authors have influenced me by expanding my love for time travel. I remember reading The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger which I believed was great, but then I thought to myself that I could do this.

You have a wonderful imagination!

7.)      Can you describe the feeling you had when you held your first published book? I felt like I had joined a great club of authors. I was a normal guy who had a dream and worked to make it a reality. But I also gave my thanks to God.

Amen!

8.) What book are you currently working on? I have just recently submitted the second book in my Time Pilgrims series to the publisher, so now I am between works.

Time to take a little break and enjoy the holidays!

9.) Where can people find your books? Among other places: Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles, Createspace, Whiskey Creek Press.

I bought your book, Katya and Cyrus, on Amazon.

About Me

As a native of Chicago, Illinois, I have always possessed a romance with things of the past that are gone but not forgotten.  I now live in the suburbs with my lovely wife, two dogs and four canaries.

Among my influences are:  Richard Matheson, Jack Finney, Dean Koontz, Joan Wester Anderson, Peter S. Beagle and Audrey Neffenegger.

Katya and Cyrus (Time Pilgrims) is the first of an exciting new series that will be treasured and loved by teens as well as adults.

Books:

Katya and Cyrus Time Pilgrims

Parallel Roads (Lost on Route 66)

Coming Soon:

Time Pilgrims (Almost Yesterday)

Thanks for participating in this author interview and giveaway event, Dennis. It was a joy having you as guest author today!

-Virginia Wright

Comments are now open!

Week 5 – Dec. 2, 2012 An Interview With Graphic Designer/Author | Jeremy Hawkins & Giveaway

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Virginia Wright Blog Author Interviews

 


Hello everyone! Thank you for stopping by my blog for the fifth week of “Seven Weeks to Christmas Author Interviews & Giveaways.”  There is one more week, next Sunday, that I will have two more author interviews, so please show your support and stop on by. Then, the week after that, December 16, is my release party for… The Christmas Secret, which will be an “online” party. You can stay in the comfort of your own home,  and visit my blog, anytime that day.  I’m giving away a few copies of my book, and one commenter will receive a grand prize that will be revealed just before the party begins. Don’t forget, you must comment to enter the giveaway.   Now on to this weeks interview…Jeremy and I met on another blog. He won my book, Crying Bear, during a giveaway, and well the rest is history. He is awesome, his work is awesome, so please join me in welcoming Jeremy Hawkins, Graphic Designer/Author as my guest today!
-Virginia Wright

BIO:

I am a graphic designer/artist by trade and in the last several years have become a blogger of a few sites. From Horror to Zombies and mixed with a few interviews with people I think you should know, I feel it hasn’t even scratched the surface of who I am. Keeping myself busy by filling my day in an ever changing design world looking for the next shift in this market, I find much joy in keeping up with trends. I am the curator of “Horror Blogger Alliance” where those people who run sites of a horror nature that need a starting point, start here. Created by my good friend Carl Manes who has gone onto other projects as he it in the processes of getting his script into production… he left me to maintain the site.

On top of that my Zombie site “Retro-Zombie” started of with me turning folks into zombies, which now holds a level of all things retro, though sometimes the zombie factor sneaks back in.  Last my review/interview site “Two Thumbs” that serves as my place to meet cool interesting actors, writers, artists and find some great music.  All and all I am just one of those people who love art, film, music and happy that the cards dealt to me allows me to show my passion… and share it too.

When did you publish your first book?

I wrote a book called “Chatterbox” back in the summer of 1996 after visiting a civil war house/museum, when I saw many items within the walls of this house and where I thought each had their own story to tell. Toys, silverware, photos and a little empty jewelry box with the word “Chatterbox” written on the lid… there I was with an idea to tell little stories. Inspired by the idea that you don’t have to be alive to have a story, now of course I have never written anything up to this point… so I just did it. It remained hidden for several years until friend Reggie Bannister [Star of Phantasm] asked me to read it, he said if he liked it… there was the potential for him to write a forward. So here it is 2011 and it still lay hidden from anyone who knew I had it, a little redesign… now it’s an e-book. It’s rough around the edges, but it’s meant to be thought invoking… I am proud of it for my first attempt, it’s funny I tell people just cause I write doesn’t mean I am an author.
You write and you also do art and design. Can you please tell us a
little bit about what type of art and design you do?

Life takes all in different directions and is it where you thought you might be? I can design anything you might need; I have always had this ability to be told by my clients “this is what I am looking for” be it a website, ebook cover, Cd cover… I see it in my head and send them a sample. Most times I can do it in one-shot, now of course not all the time. I believe that my art/design is a better representation of who I am compared to my writings. So what did you want to do with your life, did it ever change… I always knew I wanted to create art and that turned into design. Luckily most of my jobs let me be creative, I am thanking my parents and wife they let me shine.
Could you tell us about your latest book? Where can viewers purchase it?

I followed up with a new book this year called “Retro-Zombie: Art & Words” which is a shorter book and available in print. It has gotten some very nice feedback and I am grateful to those who have enjoyed it. It’s the same as the first book, but this year I discovered my love for old books, vintage art/photos I am known as “Retro-Zombie”. This confuses people a little, because they think I am a zombie lover only, so they come to my sites looking for the zombies. Now there are zombies, but it’s becoming more devoted to all things retro… right now I am stuck in the 1980s. So the book is just crazy stories/ideas wrapped around whatever art I saw in my head.
Where online can people find you?

Okay this is the fun part I have three sites that I run/ maintain that I would like to tell you about if that is okay… still there good. First site is called “Howlin’ Wolf Records: On-Line Magazine” where I work for this independent record label as their one of the promotional people. This site features music/film/interviews with things I think you should see or know about. Second is “Horror Blogger Alliance” it’s a place for people who have horror based sites, with over 840 members. Third is that “Retro-Zombie place where I just post my findings about anything and everything.

 

Howlin’ Wolf Records: On-Line Magazine:

http://www.jmhdigital.com/

[Retro Zombies]:

http://izombielover.blogspot.com/

Horror Blogger Alliance:

http://horrorbloggeralliance.blogspot.com/

If you might be interested in my books, t-shirts, ebook design please go here and it will direct you to all my stuff. [http://izombielover.blogspot.com/p/welcome-to-retro-zombie.html]

 

-In the End…

 

Thanks to those who made it to the bottom, I hope I maybe entertained you a little. I wanted to thank Virginia for letting play in her pool… I have a hard copy of my book “Retro-Zombie: Art & Words” that I would love to share with one of you.

Thank you, Jeremy! You entertained me… -Virginia

Comments are now open!

Week 2 – Nov. 11, 2012 Guest Author | Catherine Wolffe Interview & Giveaway

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Virginia Wright Blog Author Interviews Week 2 – Nov. 11, 2012  Guest Author | Catherine Wolffe

Welcome! Catherine, I’m so happy that you are joining this event “The Seven Weeks to Christmas Author Interviews & Giveaways.” Thank you so much for taking the time to come talk to us about your book.

I also wanted to thank you for your generous offer to give away 5 ebook copies of The Lady in the Mist–to five lucky commenters of this blog. What a wonderful Christmas gift to our winners! With that said, let’s get on with the interview.

-Virginia

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Catherine Wolffe enjoys writing romance. She loves experimenting with the genres and her latest book reflects a blending of the traditional western romance with paranormal elements. Dabbling in time travel, fantasy, as well as the paranormal, she mixes elements of the other-worldly with solid historical figures. Showcasing cowboys, Indians, strong-willed women and steamy romance is her passion. In her romances, her heroines have a mind of their own, while her heroes have hearts of gold. All her characters follow their dreams, because without them, there wouldn’t be a story. Her latest release, The Lady in the Mist, The Western Werewolf Legend is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony, I Tunes and Smashwords.com.  A free excerpt of The Lady in the Mist is available as well. The Western Werewolf Legend will continue with the release of Waking up Dead in the spring of 2013.

 

1.)  What led you to become an author?

Life is full of changes; it’s a constant we all deal with.  So, when I lost my 9 to 5 job seven years ago, I decided to go into business for myself.  Tired of answering to someone else, I wanted to be my own boss.  Out of that experience, I came to understand I had the power to do anything I set my mind to do.  I’ve always been an avid reader and in a conversation with my sister, we weighed the question of how hard could it be to write your own novel?  What a revelation the answer turned out to be!  Another constant in life is that you’re always learning.  So the journey continues as seven years later and three books published, I find myself exploring the possibilities of writing every day.

2.)          What genre do you write?

You’re taught to write about the things you love as well as those that interest you.  I gained my love for westerns and the old west from my mom who used to go to the theater on Saturdays with her dad and watch Rory Rogers and Dale Evans get the bad guys.  I also love a good scare, so I combine the two for a romantic “get the bad guy story”.

3.)     When you write, do you prefer silence or do you like to listen to music or the television?

Since writing is such an escape for me, I enjoy the quiet when I write.  The characters in my head do not like having to talk over the TV.

4.)     Do you have a particular place you prefer to write?

I have an office on the second floor of my home however my cats think my laptop is a heating pad, so I set up my writing world in the corner of my bedroom on a TV tray.

5.)      How long did it take you to write your first book?

(Insert laughter here)  I think I’m going to write about the writing of Comanche Haven sometime in the future because it’s a whole story unto itself.  So much happened during the first book’s journey, from the writer learning how to write, to rewrites, to distractions/family life, to more rewrites, to finally winning a contest, to edits on top of edits, to finally seeing Comanche Haven in print and soon to be out in paperback.  (insert a sigh here)  The novel is epic for that reason alone!

6.)         Where do you get your inspirations from to write?

Everywhere!  I love watching people in everyday life.  So much is learned by absorbing from one’s surroundings.  Plus, I do a lot of brainstorming with my sister, who’s also an author.  She is so important to my work, I feel like we are a team.

7.)          What book are you currently working on? 

The Lady in the Mist, The Western Werewolf Legend.

8.)  Please give us a brief synopsis of your newest WIP.

Waking Up Dead, the second installment in the Western Werewolf Legend series, continues the story of Sonja and Ty as they discover the secrets to their special gifts.  Struggling to outwit the vampires who want to annihilate Sonja and Ty, the couple explore their new werewolf powers in ways they never imagined.  Sonja comes face to face with a shocking discovery from her past, while Ty faces the most difficult decision of his life.  Follow their journey as they seek to discover the answer to the question – “What does one do when one discovers they’re a werewolf in love?”

9.)       Where can people find your books?

All my books are available at Amazon  http://tinyurl.com/9ff6h4j

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/181516

as well as Barnes & Noble, Apple and Sony.

You can reach Catherine at –

https://www.facebook.com/AwardWinningAuthorCatherineWolffe

http://twitter.com/catherinewolffe/

www.shootercreek.wordpress.com

“Feel free to stop by anytime,” Catherine Wolffe

Thank you, Catherine!

Comments are now open!

11/4/2012 Week 1 | Interview With Guest Author – Sherry Ellis

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Virginia Wright Blog Author Interviews
Week 1 – Nov. 4, 2012  Guest Author | Sherry Ellis

Welcome! Sherry, I’m so happy that you are joining this event “The Seven Weeks to Christmas Author Interviews & Giveaways.” I know you are an inspiration to me personally, and I’m very proud to have you visiting as  my guest today.   I want to thank you for your generous offer to give away a copy of your book to two lucky commenters of this post. I know these will make great Christmas gifts to our winners! With that said, let’s get on with the interview.

-Virginia

 

 

Bio: Sherry Ellis is the award-winning author of That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN and that Mama is a Grouch.  She is also a professional musician who plays and teaches violin, viola, and piano.  She resides in Loveland, Ohio, with her husband and two children.


 

Tell us a little about your background and how you became a children’s book author. I pretty much stumbled into the world of writing.  I am a professional musician, so prior to writing my first book, my time was divided into taking care of my two children, and playing and teaching the violin, viola, and piano.  My career as an author began seven years ago in a rocking chair.  It was about three o’clock in the morning, and my five-month-old son had awakened.  It was probably the seventh time that night.  He was a terrible sleeper (actually both kids were), so this was pretty typical.  As I sat in my sleep-deprived state, a poem started going through my head.  It was the beginning of That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN.  Every time my son woke up, I added to it.  By the end of the week, the entire story was composed in my head.  I shared it with my three-year-old daughter, who thought it was great.  It was she who suggested it should be a book.  The rest is history.


That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN about? It’s a story about a little girl who’s having trouble getting used to the sleepless nights due to her new baby brother.  She can’t figure out why he keeps waking up so much.  Mama explains a few things, and assures her it won’t last forever.  It’s a good book to share with the big brothers and sisters of a new baby. 

How do you come up with ideas for stories? Life gives me a lot of ideas!  Something my kids do might spark the creative juices in my head.  I jot down ideas in a notebook.  If I come up with something I think would be a good story, I create an outline of how I’d like the story to progress.  When the outline and characters look good, I begin writing.

How long does it take for you to write a book? Years!  Actually, I can whip out a first draft for a picture book in about two weeks.  It takes about four months for a chapter book.  The thing that takes so much time is the revision process.  I must’ve revised my current project almost one hundred times!  I’ve been working on it for three years.  I think it’s finally ready for submission!

What is your current project? It’s a chapter book series for kids.  The first book is Bubba and Squirt’s Big Hole to China.  The premise of the series is that Bubba and Squirt travel through a vortex that leads to another country.  They have an adventure while learning about the language, history, and culture of that country.

Tell us about the marketing process for authors. What do you do to market and sell your books? Marketing is a big part of being a successful author.  It’s all about getting the word out.  You won’t sell books if nobody knows about them.  I do a lot of networking through sites like JacketFlap, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as through blogging.  I have also done radio interviews and book signings.  One fun event I do is a Pajama Party Story time at bookstores and libraries.  Kids are invited to dress in their pajamas and bring their favorite teddy bears for an evening of music, games, and stories.  I show up in my pajamas and Winnie the Pooh slippers, and we all have a good time.

What is your best tip for aspiring children’s book authors? Read!  Read as many children’s books as you can so that you get a good sense of what kids like, and what publishers want to see.

Where can readers find you? They can find me at my website, www.sherryellis.org, my blog, www.sherryellis.blogspot.com, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you so much for having me as a guest!

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Comments are now open!

 

 

Genre Favorites Blogfest, September 17, 2012

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Welcome to The Genre Favorites Blogfest, hosted by Ninja Captain, Alex Cavanaugh. For this blog hop, we are to tell you what our favorite genre of music, movies, and books are and then add a little guilty pleasure secret.
First, I want to thank Alex and everyone for stopping by!
Also,  I wanted to invite you over to Sherry Ellis’s, Mama Diaries, she is participating in this blogfest, but also, she has so graciously invited me for an interview and I am her guest through Sept. 19th.  I am giving away one of my books “Crying Bear” to a commenter at her blog. http://www.sherryellis.blogspot.com/ So please stop by and visit Mama Diaries!
Then, if you comment here today, you get another chance to win a copy (your choice) of one of my books, and an XL Hershey’s Chocolate bar, and six I Heart Cookies postcards– noted in the picture below.

This looks like an incentive to comment to me!
Giveaway
(1) Book of choice, XL Hershey Chocolate Candy Bar, and set of six I Heart Cookies Postcards.
NEWS & UPDATES
For all those who have not gone to my “new” recipe food blog “The Recipe Weekly” I invite you to stop by today and peruse the recipes and articles. It is still under development, but I’m excited at how the background theme seems to be just perfect for  a recipe blog and The Recipe Weekly– and  the response through the viewership of The Recipe Weekly has been awesome thus far. At The Recipe Weekly you will find recipes, cooking tips, health and nutrition information and articles, and giveaways from time to time too!  Sign-up for updates while visiting my food blog.
http://www.therecipeweekly.com Having been a food blogger and recipe developer for ten years on The Lowfat Weekly, I had the opportunity to interview doctors, nurses, even Eggland’s Best Nutritionist, and I am bringing all this information over time to The Recipe Weekly. Read more about The Recipe Weekly by clicking here.
To submit a recipe to The Recipe Weekly for possible publication on the website send your Tried & True Recipes to:
recipesubmission [at] therecipeweekly [dot] com.
If your recipe is chosen,  we will contact you for a photo of the dish, or you making it, and details on submission.
Now to the questions Alex wanted us to answer…
and don’t forget to hop on over to someone else’s blog on the list below, after you leave mine.
My favorite genre of movies: Romance –  My favorite movies of all are comedic romance and second would be western romances.
Favorite genre music: Country – Country music is definitely my favorite genre of music. I always feel that the words in country music hit home.
Favorite book genre: Romance – Romance novels of course! When I want to step-away from reality a little bit, romance novels are definitely a pleasure.
Guilty pleasure: Hmm! I’m not telling!!! Tee-Hee! My downfall is sweets…especially chocolate. For me sitting down with a couple of candy bars and a good romance novel or movie is the ultimate in guilty pleasure!
What’s yours?  Let me hear below favorite movie, music, book, and guilty pleasure genre.
Now start commenting!
 

Friday check back to see who won my swag pack for the blogfest and at the Mama Diaries giveaway!
Hugs,
-Virginia
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