Author Ingrid Hall & THE TUNNEL BETWIXT Indie and Proud–Review & Interview

Through writing, and being a social media butterfly…I have been fortunate enough to have met a number of  talented writers along the way,  “Author Ingrid Hall,” certainly falls into that category.  My goodness, this woman, is a creative writer…when talking with her about doing her Indie and Proud Interview, I mentioned I would like it in some way to fit the theme of my blog and maybe she could include a recipe from one of her characters that they would have made. I told you she was talented…she obliged me, and has so graciously included a recipe. I can’t wait for you to meet her, so on with the interview…

DSCF4137

Author Ingrid Hall

And  now, I present you the interview I am hosting with Author Ingrid Hall. Read through the entire interview and you will find the recipe. Enjoy!  

Hello Ingrid, It’s lovely as always to talk to you!  For those readers that have to meet you, can you tell us where you are from?

Hey Virginia, You KNOW that I adore spending time with you! I am from Newcastle Upon Tyne, which is in the North East of England, very close to the border with Scotland.

Your latest novella, “The Tunnel Betwixt…” has recently been released.  Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Yes, without wanting to go into too much detail because I am aware that this is a family friendly blog, The Tunnel Betwixt…picks up right after the main character, Julia, is run over by a car and chronicles her Near Death Experience as she is sent hurtling into the tunnel that many of us go through when we die.

Wow! How on earth did you come with the idea for that?

I actually had a Near Death Experience of my own, when a routine operation went badly wrong in my mid-twenties.  While Julia’s journey is unique, I was able to draw to a certain extent upon my own experience.

What can you tell us about Julia?

Julia is very middle class, very British and as unlike the characters that I normally write about as it is possible to get! She is also happily married to Simon, a soldier who has only just recently returned from a tour of Afghanistan, and she also has a very deep bond with her mother…

Can you tell us briefly what you have coming up next?

Guess what Virginia? I am changing direction yet again! I am currently working on some, shall we say, “naughty” material under the pseudonym Luna Ballantyne.  I have started work on a novel based around the Newcastle witches, which will definitely be steamy, but have decided to write two novella length stories in the build up to it which will hopefully lead people nicely down the route I want to take them, while giving me the opportunity to experiment with my raunchier side!   I am hoping to get the first one out by this Autumn at the very latest.

Tell us about Indie and Proud…

Indie and Proud is a campaign that I am fronting throughout 2014 aimed at connecting readers with some of the most diverse indie authors currently around.  Stop by our Facebook page for regular updates, giveaways and much, much more!

www.ingridhall.com

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorIngridHall

https://www.facebook.com/indieandproud

The Tunnel Betwixt is available at the following links:The Tunnel Betwixed front cover

Amazon: http://a-fwd.com/asin-com=B00I6BJ95M

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=the+tunnel+betwixt

Barnes and Noble:

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/the-tunnel-betwixt?store=allproducts&keyword=the+tunnel+betwixt

 

 

A REVIEW OF THE TUNNEL BETWIXT… REVIEWED BY P.D. ALLEN    http://pdallen.wordpress.com/pd-allen/

A dramatic account of a near death experience (nde), The Tunnel Betwixt, is narrated in first person, by the mind’s eye of the protagonist, a young woman who has suffered a near fatal accident. The novella centers around the journey through the infamous tunnel reported by many nde witnesses. The story opens as our protagonist enters the tunnel, and the action of the book takes place entirely within this realm.

This book could be classified as psychological drama, fantasy adventure, spiritual fiction, or even autobiography, as the author draws heavily on her own nde (even though she says her experience was nothing like this story). The protagonist is a thinly veiled persona of the author, and the reader is never certain if characters from the narrator’s life are drawn directly from the author’s real life family and friends, or to what degree they might be fictionalized.

Through the course of the book, we do find out much about the main character’s life and the accident that led up to the nde. All of this is woven into the fabric of the tunnel the main character traverses, as a necessary part of the journey.

There is a great deal of archetypal mythology woven in here as well, mostly drawn from the Mithraic legends. There are angels and demons, and many who could be one or the other, or neither.

 There are also other characters who are sharing this experience with the narrator. Others who are accompanying her through the tunnel in their own nde, and many who traverse the entire tunnel in death, never to return to the life they left behind.

The story is woven through substantial, complex yet prosaic sentences, compiled into solid paragraphs like bricks of fired clay. These bricks are laid by the hand of an experienced mason, building the structure of the tunnel itself, producing an experience so real that the reader could almost knock upon the walls to test their solidity.

If you are curious about nde’s, or if you doubt their veracity, then you owe it to yourself to check out this novella. Whether you walk away a believer, or whether it reinforces your own doubts, it is well worth the experience. I dare say; this is the closest you will come to an nde without actually having one.

Below is the recipe I teased you with…

JULIA’S GINGERBREAD

Julia is a traditional girl at heart and before her accident she used to regularly make this gorgeous gingerbread – just like her mum taught her to!

What you will need:

8oz Self-Raising Flour

 2teaspoons ground ginger

 4oz dried fruit

 2oz Margarine

 2oz soft brown sugar

 4 large tablespoons of gooey black treacle

 Click link to learn what (black treacle) is…

 1 egg beaten with enough milk to make around one quarter of a pint

 Pinch of salt

 How to make it:

First of all mix together the flour, salt, dried fruit and ginger.   Then melt the margarine over a low heat, and stir in the brown sugar and gooey black treacle and add to the flour mix.   Gradually stir in the beaten egg and milk.   Pour into a well greased square cake tin and bake on Gas Mark 4 (180 degrees C. 350 degrees F.) For around 45 minutes. (Test with a skewer and make sure it comes out clear)

Leave to cool and then cut into dainty little squares.  Serve either on its own or with lashings of hot, creamy custard!

Indie and Proud…

Author Ingrid Hall, independent author, book reviewer and promotions– is hosting a yearlong event throughout 2014, Indie and Proud.  I am included among the group of diverse authors. During this event, I will be interviewing Author Ingrid Hall, and three other authors on my blog.

I have taken the text below from Ingrid’s blog about the event and the authors attending to share with my viewers…stay tuned!

-Virginia

Welcome to Indie and Proud… a yearlong campaign showcasing some of the most exciting and diverse indie voices around. With authors from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and Germany we can truly offer an international experience…Throughout 2014 you can expect a whole host of interviews, book reviews, articles, giveaways plus much, much more.  Please spare a minute or two to check these fab authors out and show your support by buying their books/stopping by and following their blogs/sharing their details on your social media sites.  Support indie authors by showing that YOU are proud!

Indie and Proud…

********************************************************************

indie and proud indie and proud

INGRID HALL

DSCF4137

Ingrid Hall is the author of Granny Irene’s Guide to the Afterlife Revenge Part 1.  A dark and at times hilarious peek at the afterlife through the eyes and lips of a little old Geordie Granny!

Ingrid lives near Newcastle Upon Tyne close to the Scottish Borders with her husband and two children and her upcoming novella The Tunnel Betwixt… which revolves around a near death experience  is due for release early in 2014  She also plans on publishing some paranormal erotic fiction under the name LUNA BALLANTYNE in the very near future.   As well as offering free book reviews and support to indie authors Ingrid also offers a competitive ghost blogging service to anyone in need of a blog!

Read reviews of Granny Irene’s Guide to the Afterlife book one, by Ingrid Hall here

You can find Ingrid Hall at:

http://www.ingridhall.com

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorIngridHall

Granny Irene's Guide to the Afterlife cover front

 

indie and proud indie and proud

GREY WOLF…

The Gateway smaller version

Take a peek through The Gateway and see if you can find Grey Wolf….

Grey Wolf is the pen name of a South Wales author, currently living in the Swansea area. He writes mainly Alternate History, shading into Science Fiction, as well as having been a poet for a quarter of a century. His poetic works are illustrated from his large collection of photographs of the UK, which he has taken since when in childhood he was first given a box camera to use. Grey Wolf has been writing as long as he has been photographing, with his first full length stories written in the early 1980s heyday of the SDP, later developing into a series of (presumed lost) fantasy novels, written at age of 18.

At university, Grey Wolf developed as a poet, and the collection of works compiled then form the core of an ever-increasing body of writing, soon to be featured in a 4th collection, to be released around the turn of 2014.

During 2013, Grey Wolf discovered the world of independent publishing and has published, in addition to the poetry, a couple of novellas, a collection of How To articles on Alternate History and four novels with the release of The Slayer on 22nd November 2013. A sequel to The Slayer and a fifth stand-alone novel are also in the works.

You can find Grey Wolf at:

http://www.alternate-history-fiction.com/

 https://www.facebook.com/greywolfauthor

never-the-dawn-cover

 

indie and proud indie and proud

JAMIE MARCHANT…

???????????????????????????????Jamie Marchant lives in Auburn, Alabama, with her husband, son, and four cats, which (or so she’s been told) officially makes her a cat lady.  She teaches writing and literature at Auburn University.

Her first novel The Goddess’s Choice was released in April 2012 from Reliquary Press. She released Demons in the Big Easy in January 2013. The sequel to The Goddess’s Choice, titled The Soul Stone, is soon to be released.

Her short fiction has been published in Bards & Sages, The World of Myth, A Writer’s HavenandShort-story.me and has been included in the anthology, Urban Fantasy.

Read Julia Flowers writing as AT Weaver’s of Demons in the Big Easy by Jamie Marchant

You can find Jamie Marchant at:

http://jamie-marchant.com

http://jamie-marchant.blogspot.com

GoddessChoice

 

indie and proud indie and proud

DANIEL KLOCK…

DanieKlock imageDr Daniel Klock is a young trauma surgeon, who during his time outside of the emergency room has against all of the odds written Fraud at Snowfields: The White Christmas Organisation.

His book is not bloody in the least, but full of the magic of Christmas.

Read Lenora’s review: Fraud at Snowfields by Daniel Klock

 

You can find Daniel Klock at:

http://www.fatherchristmasbook.com/

daniel klock fraud at snowfields

 

indie and proud indie and proud

D.Z.C…

fujiwarateikaLike his main character, D.Z.C. is a specialist in the art and culture of China and Japan, and spends his time between Paris and the Far East.

Unlike his main character, he has never killed anyone.

You can find D.Z.C at:

http://www.dzc-books.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/dzcbooks

dzc

 

indie and proud indie and proud

J.D MILLER…

jd millerJ.D Miller is just a little ole Texan living in the motherland – England – with her English husband.

She moved here about 4 years ago leaving all of her family & friends back in Texas – parents, brother, 2 beautiful daughters, 1 indomitable son, 1 talented grandson & 1 gorgeous granddaughter.

It’s been harder than she thought it would be, moving away from her family. But, on the bright side, she did resume her writing, which had been put on hold for far too long and she hopes that you will join her on this journey which she calls Blood of Kaos.

You can find J.D Miller at:

http://ladyofkaos.wordpress.com/

BoK banner III

 

indie and proud indie and proud

TOMMY CLARK…

Tommy ClarkTommy Clark was born in Carthage, MO. He spent most of his life living in small town Lamar, MO, with several years spent living in Joplin and Neosho. He wrote plays and script while attending Crowder College. After marrying Helen Crites and the death of his father, he returned to Lamar to be near family. When his son, Dylen, was born he and Helen decided to do something better for their family. They moved north so that Tommy could return to school.

After a short time at the University of Central Missouri (and a rough battle with Chron’s Disease), Tommy finally earned an Associate’s in Web development from State Fair Community College in Sedalia, MO. Tommy uses his real-life experience to create in-depth characters and interesting situations. He has been writing in one fashion or another since he was young.

Tommy still lives in Missouri with his family and friends and works alongside his best friend, Robert Jennings. Together, they build amazing stories with fantastic characters. They work in many genres to offer something for everyone.

You can find Tommy Clark at:

http://www.tommyclarkauthor.com/

Thieves and Kings

 

indie and proud indie and proud

DENNIS HIGGINS…

dennis higginsDennis says he is a world traveller and distant relative of Davy Crockett. A native of Chicago, Illinois, he has always possessed a romance with things of the past that are gone but not forgotten.  He now lives in the suburbs with his lovely wife, two dogs and three birds.

Among his influences are:  Richard Matheson, Jack Finney, Dean Koontz, Joan Wester Anderson, Peter S. Beagle and Audrey Neffenegger . The Time Pilgrims series is exciting and is treasured and loved by young adult, new adult as well as adults.

Read Ingrid Hall’s review of Parallel Roads (Lost on Route 66) by Dennis Higgins

You can find Dennis Higgins at:

 http://www.timepilgrims.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dennis-Higgins-Author/162823450485698

Almost Yesterday

 

indie and proud indie and proud

 Beryl Belsky

beryl-1Beryl Belsky is an academic editor and writer, who was born in  Ireland, grew up in Australia and currently lives in Israel. Beryl is owner and operator of the intercultural, literary website The Writer’s Drawer, which she launched in early 2012 as a showcase  for “shy,” or drawer, writers to post their work. Since she also offers free editing support for submissions, the site attracts writers from all over the world, many of them non-native English  speakers.

The anthology A Certain Kind of Freedom: Stories and Poems from The Writer’s Drawer features the work of 33 talented new writers, whose pieces were selected from the website. They represent almost all parts of the globe, range from the very young to seniors in the eighties, and come from all walks of life.

Read Lenora’s Review of ‘A Certain Kind of Freedom’ Edited by Beryl Belsky here.

You can find Beryl Belsky at:

https://www.facebook.com/thewritersdrawer
http://www.thewritersdrawer.net/

certain_freedom_cvr - beryl belsky

indie and proud indie and proud

PETER RIZZOLO…

peter rizolloPeter Rizzolo earned a BS degree at Seton Hall University and his MD from Creighton University. He married following his internship at Orange Memorial Hospital, in Orange NJ. For two years he served as a Naval Submarine Medical Officer following which he received his residency training at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington New Jersey. He practiced family medicine for fifteen years before joining the full-time staff at the Hunterdon Medical Center as director of the residency training.

He and his wife, Alyce, and six children moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina where he joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina School Of Medicine. After retiring as Professor of Family Medicine, he entered the Master’s Degree Program in the English Department of North Carolina State University. There he pursued his interest in literature and creative writing.

As his master’s thesis he wrote and later published a novel, THIS THING CALLED LOVE, in which a sixteen-year-old boy struggles to understand and deal with his parents, whose marriage is being torn apart by alcoholism and infidelity.

Read Dave Gioia’s Review of Forbidden Harvest by Peter Rizzolo

You can find Peter Rizzolo at:

http://peterrizzolo.com/

Forbidden Harvest

 

indie and proud indie and proud

YVES FEY…

yves feyYves Fey began drawing as soon as she could hold a crayon and writing when she was twelve. She holds a Bachelor’s in Pictorial Arts from UCLA, and a MFA from the University of Oregon in Creative Writing. In her varied career, she has been a tie dye artist, go-go dancer, baker, creator of ceramic beasties, illustrator, fiction teacher, and finally, novelist.

She’s won prizes for her chocolate desserts, and her current obsession is designing perfumes inspired by her characters and by the magical city of Paris. A Libra with Scorpio Rising, Yves’ romantic nature takes on a darker edge. She hopes these shadows bring depth.

A world traveller, Yves has visited Paris, England, and Italy. She lived for two years in Jakarta, Indonesia, with many trips around Asia. She wishes she could live in Montmartre like her heroine, but feels lucky to reside across the bridge from San Francisco, with her husband and their three cats, an Asian Burmese dubbed Marlowe the Investigator and two rescued girls, half Siamese and half tabby, The Flying Bronte Sisters.

Read Ingrid Hall’s review of Floats the Dark Shadow by Eves Fey here

You can find Yves Fey at:

http://yvesfey.com

https://www.facebook.com/YvesFey

Floats The Dark Shadow

 

indie and proud indie and proud

DON SCRIBNER…

Don SDon Scribner grew up in a hard working blue collar town in northern Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Superior. He loved the woods, the water and the street and credits all three as riches of life. ’Struggle gives one a breath of opportunity to become more’. A college flunkout turned university graduate, teacher and principal, Don stayed in education for years earning a wonderful reputation. But, his passion became the arts and while in academia Don wrote many children’s musical productions which earned exceptional reviews. Indeed a big fish in a little pond (lyric from his song Big Fish) Don swam toward the ocean with his heart leading him to CA and the entertainment industry.

Don’s many film credits stretch from the cult classic  Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity, to the successful Wayne Kramer film The Cooler to more recently the title role in  The Guide. His experience in television, stage, and film make him a favourite choice for both leading roles and character parts alike. He took the helm as writer, producer, and star of his acclaimed one-man stage show “ Two Rooms in the Valley“, which premiered on the stage of the Actor’s Forum Theatre, on the big screen at the Big Water Film Festival, as did his Let’s Make A Killing.  Expect Too Scared To Dance, the sequel to Who Killed Love, out in 2014.

Read Dave Gioia’s review of Who Killed Love by Don Scribner here

You can find Don Scribner at:

http://donscribner.com

THUMBNAIL_IMAGE

 

indie and proud indie and proud

DANIEL J WEBER…

daniel j weber

Daniel J Weber  is a writer primarily.  He writes whatever comes to mind, but general enjoys delving into things of a fantastic nature. (Does that make his writing fantastic? He will leave that to your discernment.)  Daniel likes to write about topics and themes concerning self-discovery, self-esteem, and how the world around us effects who we were, are, and will become. Where he lives in particular is of little consequence, for he spends much of his time in his own imagination. If, however, you were to ask him, I would say Canada in general and Northern Ontario in particular.He is an avid supporter of all things DRM-free. Through writing, reading, and reviewing, he seeks to make the world a better place, one book at a time.

Read Lenora’s review of Dark Messages by Daniel J Weber here

You can find Daniel J Weber at:

http://digerbop.ca/

Dark Messages

 

indie and proud indie and proud

VIRGINIA WRIGHT…

Virginia Wright author photoVIRGINIA WRIGHT (b. 1958) in Belfast, Maine is a five-time author, illustrator, food and nature photographer, blogger, recipe developer, and self-appointed Queen of recipe adaptation.

When she is not tending her organic herb garden, taking photographs, sifting through recipes, cooking,or spending time with her husband, she is doing what she loves doing most writing!

Virginia Wright first became a published author in 1981 when she sold her first writing to a regional magazine in the state of Maine. She also had several of her writings published in an Anthology- Soundings, by the Poetry Fellowship of Maine. She has contributed opinion articles to many online websites as a freelance writer.

Read Ingrid Hall’s review of The Princess and the Castle here

You can find Virginia Wright at:

https://www.virginiawright.com

https://virginiawright.com/blog

514pFg5tz+L._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_

indie and proud indie and proud

 A.T WEAVER…

julia flowers

A. T. Weaver is the pen name of a Kansas City grandmother of ten. She lives with her cat, Cleopatra, in downtown Kansas City, MO. When she was growing up, the word gay meant happy and carefree and homosexuals were called queer or ‘one-of-those’. However, she never heard those terms until she was married and a mother. In 2003, through a TV show called Boy Meets Boy, A.T ‘met’ over 3,000 gay men in a Yahoo group. These men educated her as to the inequalities suffered by the LGBT community and she became a staunch ally. She visited one of the men in San Francisco who lived just up the street from the Castro. As he showed her around, they stopped in front of what was once Harvey Milk’s camera store. Her question, “Who was Harvey Milk?” started her education into Gay history. A. T.’s aim is to move you in some way. Whether you laugh or cry, love it or hate it, she welcomes all comments, whether good or bad.

Read Ingrid Hall’s review of Shifter Born by AT Weaver here

You can find A.T Weaver at:

 http://alixtheweaver.wordpress.com/

http://atweaver-writer.com/

2e0571c8e543a5f49075ac4443f2ba23b1e19133-thumb

indie and proud indie and proud