Interview with author Katrina Parker Williams

Bio--Katrina Parker Williams teaches English composition and grammar at a community college. She is a Barton College graduate with a B.S. in Communications and a Masters of Education in English from East Carolina University. She is also the author of a short story collection, Trouble Down South and Other Stories, a fictional novel, Liquor House Music, and four short stories, Miss Carmelia Faye Lafayette, Rock, Missus Buck, and Slave Auction.

Her current work is Bootlegger Haze--Buford Tee is back! If you loved Buford Tee in “Rock” and from Trouble Down South and Other Stories, you’re going to love him even more in Bootlegger Haze. One of the biggest colored bootleggers in Mississippi and known for selling the best whiskey in Jones County, Buford Tee learns his craft from his grandfather, who takes him in and raises him after the murder of his mother. His rival, Morris York, a white bootlegger, hates Buford Tee for drawing his customers away, who favor Buford Tee’s top-notch whiskey to York’s watered-down hooch. York’s resentment is also fueled by his recollections of his stepfather’s infidelity with Buford Tee’s mother, a union which resulted in the birth of Buford Tee. York believes his mother, who dies shortly after discovering the affair, died of a broken heart, and he sets out to destroy Buford Tee, although others close to him suffer his wrath.

1. Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself?

I like to paint—watercolors and acrylics are my favorites. I like westerns. I like sour apple candy for some reason.

2. How long have you been a writer or known that was something you wanted to do?

I have been writing most of my life, short stories here and there. It wasn’t until the tenth grade that I gained a great interest in writing after reading some of my favorite authors: Gordon Parks, Harper Lee, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston, etc. I wrote my first novel in 1997, along with some short stories. I spent several years trying to get it published and then decided to self-publish it. I wrote several more short stories and compiled them into a collection and self-published it also.

3. Tell me about your current project.

My current project, Bootlegger Haze, is a novel about a colored bootlegger and a white bootlegger who are linked by infidelity. It is set primarily during the Prohibition Era. It went on sale on September 1, 2011.

4. Where do you receive your inspiration or ideas for your books?

Much of the inspiration for my short stories and novels comes from stories told to me by my mother and other family members. I listen to them at family gatherings and then try to create a story that is my own based on their recollections.

5. Why did you choose to self-publish? Or go with the publisher you are with?

I chose to self-publish because I wanted to make my books available for readers without waiting years for a traditional publisher. I like having full control of what I produce also.

6. How often do you write?

I try to write something every week. I still have my day job, so time for writing like I want is limited.

7. Tell us about some of your future projects?

I am working on a series of short stories and a full-length novel. I hope to have them ready for publication in the next few months.

8. What are some of your favorite books?

I like Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, Toni Morrison’s Sula and Beloved, Alice Walker’sThe Color Purple, Gordon Parks’ A Choice of Weapons, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, and many more.

9. If you could co-write a book with another author, who would it be?

I would love to work with Toni Morrison. I love her writing style.

10. Do you have any advice for others who dream of being an author?

Just do it (to coin Nike’s phrase). Today, with so many ways to get your work published, there’s no reason not to. Make sure to put your best work out there. It is so rewarding when readers enjoy what you have written. That is the bottom line, isn’t it?

Here are the links to purchase Katrina's work:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_23?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=katrina+parker+williams&sprefix=katrina+parker+williams

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/katrina-parker-williams?store=ebook

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/59331

Our New Addition

When we started the sticker chart with Kalianna, we made her a deal. Once she went potty in the toilet 10 times, pooped in the toilet 10 times, and stayed dry through the night 10 times, we would take her to the pet store to get a fish. Kalianna LOVES animals, so we knew this was something she would want to work for. And Monday afternoon Kalianna pooped in the toilet for the 10th time! I have to be honest, I thought staying dry in the night would take her the longest, but that was cake compared to pooping.

After dinner that night, we loaded up the girls and went to Petsmart. Kalianna was thrilled! She was so excited to get to pick out her very own fish. We let her choose between the Bettas and she picked a beautiful blue one with red fins. His name is Don. Not sure why or where the name came from, but every time we asked her, she said she wanted to name her fish Don (even before she got him). So we brought Don home and he is now living on the kitchen counter. Kalianna is in love! She can't wait to feed him each morning, and she loves to sit on the counter next to his bowl and talk to him. She even had lunch with him today. She sat by his bowl and told him about her day. Super cute!

As for potty training, here is the latest: she's doing great! We are done with the potty timer, Kalianna tells us when she needs to go now (both potty and poop). Yay! She still occasionally gets tiny droplets on her panties, but for the most part she stays dry all day and night. She is so awesome! It's funny, after I wrote the last post when I was frustrated, she completely turned around and is doing so well now. It was like the moment we brought Don home, she decided to be better. She even had diarrhea the last 2 days and did not have a single accident. Now that's saying something! And yesterday when I was nursing Maggie, she went all by herself! She wouldn't even let me in until she was done to help her wash her hands. I am so proud of my girl!

Interview with author Cindy C Bennett

I met Cindy through an LDS authors group we both belong to and I can tell you right now, she is amazing! We have done a couple book signings together, and she is not only an amazing writer, but she's also a great person. She is the one who helped me get my book into Ebook format and now you can purchase it on Kindle and Nook and basically anywhere else. I have read Cindy's "Heart on a Chain" and loved it! It is a tear-jerker and hard to read in some places, with the abuse Kate has to endure, but I would highly recommend it. Her debut novel "Geek Girl" is being re-released in December and I can't wait to read it! Enough from me, on with the interview.

Cindy C Bennett was born and raised in beautiful Salt Lake City. She lives with her husband, and is the mom of four humans and three dogs. Her two daughters keep her writing with their constant encouragement. Her two sons keep her writing with their willingness to read her books—even if they aren’t fantasy, sci-fi, or comics! She volunteers her time working with teen girls between the ages of 12-18, all of whom she finds to be beautiful, fascinating creatures. When she’s not writing, reading or answering emails she can often times be found riding her Harley through the beautiful canyons near her home.

Heart on a Chain by Cindy C Bennett

17-year-old Kate has lived her whole life in abject poverty, with an alcoholic father and drug-addicted mother, who severely abuses Kate. At school, her second-hand clothing marks her as a target. Her refusal to stand up for herself makes her the recipient of her classmates taunts and bullying. That is, until Henry returns. Henry Jamison moved away six years earlier, just as he and Kate had begun to develop feelings for one another. He returns to find the bright, funny, outgoing girl he had known now timidly hiding in corners, barely speaking to anyone around her, suspicious of even him. Kate can't figure out what game Henry is playing with her - for surely it is a game. What else would the gorgeous, popular boy from her past want with her? Kate finally decides to trust Henry's intentions, opening her heart to him. Just when it seems he might be genuine in his friendship, tragedy strikes, threatening everything Kate has worked so hard to gain. Can Henry help her to overcome this new devastation, or will it tear them apart forever?

1. Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself?

a. I really love vegetables, and don’t care much for fruit. There are exceptions to both, of course, but I prefer veggies over almost anything (except chocolate and vine fresh tomatoes – my favorite fruit).

b. Taking a long (3-4 hour) bath with a book, candles, and chocolate is one of my favorite luxuries.

c. I’m a huge Disney fan—Disneyland(!), movies, characters, cartoons, decorations, anything Disney is pretty thrilling to me.

2. How long have you been a writer or known that was something you wanted to do?

My whole life, really, ever since I was about 12 or 13. I’ve always loved to create, and to make up stories. In high school, I had an amazing English teacher who really made it clear that writing was what I wanted to do. But I always felt unprepared or unworthy even, to be a writer, even though I believed I had the talent for it. It took a long time for me to get enough courage to give it a try. Now I wish I had started sooner!

3. Tell me about your current project?

I’m currently writing a book that is really far outside my usual writing area. It’s still YA, but has an edge of paranormal to it. It’s about a small town girl, Niahm Parker, seemingly content with her life, until Sam Coleman moves into town. She finds herself drawn to him, even though he irritates her. As they grow closer, she begins to suspect there is something a little unusual about him—and she’s right, of course. I promise, though, that he isn’t a vampire!

4. Where do you receive your inspiration or ideas for your books?

Different places. It can be an overheard snippet of a conversation, or a line from a song, or a dream, or just looking at someone, wondering what their story is, then imagining it from there. Sometimes I’ll just hear the story of an incident from someone’s childhood, and a story is born in my head. I have many, many stories in there just waiting to be set free. :o)

5. Why did you choose to self-publish? Or go with the publisher you are with?

I can answer this question both ways. I originally chose to self-publish because I had queried countless agents, and had received countless rejections. Those are painful! I was introduced to the idea of self-publishing by a fellow author, and it just felt right. I’ve always been a do-it-myselfer anyway. After I self-published Geek Girl, it just kind of sat. And sat. I had no idea how to market. So I began looking for publishers who would accept previously published works without an agent. That meant going with a small press. In the meantime, I self-published Heart on a Chain, which also didn’t move much. Cedar Fort was the first to respond to my queries for Geek Girl, so I signed. The weird thing is, as soon as I signed and took it off sale, sales for Heart on a Chain really took off. Had I received the query for them a month—or even two weeks—later, I likely wouldn’t have signed. I’m glad I did though. I’ve been able to work with some great editors, and I’m excited to see what happens once they release the book. Egotistically, it will be cool to see it on a bookstore shelf.

6. How often do you write?

I write something every day. It can either be something on one of my books (which is what I try for!) or something for my blog, something on a website somewhere answering questions, posing questions, or answering interview questions. :o) I need to write every day. If I can’t for some reason, I feel a little stir crazy.

7. Tell us about some of your future projects?

I have several ideas, so I usually start the one that seems most exciting to me at the time I’m ready to begin. I think my next project is going to be a series of short stories, published as ebooks one at a time, and when they are all finished, I’ll publish them together as one book, available both in print and ebook form. I can’t really tell you what it’s about just yet, but will once I begin. (How’s that for cryptic?)

8. What are some of your favorite books?

Sheesh, the list is long. I’ll try to condense to some of my very most favorites. My number one all-time favorite book and guilty pleasure is Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale. I read that a few times a year. I go into withdrawals if t’s been too long. Don’t you love books like that? I also love the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, the Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, the Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel, Edge of Escape by Debra Chapoton, The Bounds series by Jeffery Moore, Hidden Heart by Camelia Miron Skiba, Unloveable by Sherry Gammon, Dragon Eyes by Stephen King, Eragon by Christopher Paolini, the Frankenstein series by Dean Koontz, the Miss Mary Pennynickle series by James DeSalvo, Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare. . . I could go on, but I’ll stop.

9. If you could co-write a book with another author, who would it be?

Oddly enough, Stephen King would be my choice. I think he’s intelligent, interesting, fascinating, has a good grasp on how the art of writing, and I would really love to see how he creates, the process behind his warped mind.

10. Do you have any advice for others who dream of being an author?

If you have a passion for it, then go for it. Write what you find interesting, write characters that you love (even if it’s the villain), make sure you edit, edit, edit, and take advice from others on how to improve your writing. Make sure before you begin that you have a basic understanding of grammar and punctuation.

These are all the places you can find Cindy, or purchase one of her books:

Website: http://www.cindycbennett.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorcindycbennett

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/cinbennett

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4116333.Cindy_C_Bennett

BookBlogs: http://bookblogs.ning.com/profile/cindycbennett809

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Chain-Cindy-C-Bennett/dp/1456492411/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316673701&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-on-a-chain-cindy-c-bennett/1103651177?ean=9781456492410&itm=1&usri=heart%2bon%2ba%2bchain

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/37566

Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/3535361

Interview with author Laura Yirak

Along this fun journey of becoming a published author, I have met some amazing people! It's really been awesome to see how authors support and help each other out, as we each try and promote our books. Because really, we can't do it all on our own. The only way for people to find out about good books is by suggestions from their friends (hint hint). So I decided to start interviewing a new author each week. I know a lot of you love to read, so check out my blog each week for some great book suggestions and get to know the wonderful people behind them. And here is my first author spotlight! Drumroll please...

Laura Yirak

1. Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.

I'm very tall, I love aerobics, and I drink tea most of the day.

2. How long have you been a writer or known that was something you wanted to do?

I took a creative writing class in college and loved it. I started with poetry and have advanced to longer works.

3. Tell us about your current project.

I just released my new series, The Adventures of Be Boo & Dolly. Be Boo is a little blue dragon with green eyes and Dolly is a little pink doll with pink hair and a very pink dress. They work together to figure out their daily adventures. This series has three books, "Indoors", "Outdoors", and "Seasons". "Seasons" is free on Smashwords, see link below.

4. Where do you receive your inspiration or ideas for your books?

For this series, I was inspired by my little ones, who love it when I tell stories. I just put them to paper.

5. Why did you choose to self-publish?

It's easy and I love the freedom of it with no deadlines.

6. How often do you write?

I write M-F 2 hours/day.

7. Tell us about some of your future projects.

I am currently working on a longer novel- a psycho-thriller.

8. What are some of your favorite books?

I love the Thorn Birds and The Chronicles of Amber.

9. If you could co-write a book with another author, who would it be?

Anyone from IWU =)

(For those of you who don't know, this stands for Indie Writers Unite. A group that both Laura and I belong to.)

10. Do you have any advice for others who dream of being an author?

I say go for it! Now is the time!

If you are interested, here is Laura's blog: http://dreamsofdiamondsauthor.blogspot.com/

Find Be Boo and Dolly on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Boo-Dolly-Outdoors-ebook/dp/B005KK8GNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316810681&sr=8-1

Or for free on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/90115

Where were you...

when the world stopped turning? I realize September 11th was last week, but I have been reflecting on that fateful day and the ten years that have passed since. I was 17 and had just started my senior year of high school. I decided to go back and look at my journal from that year, wondering what I'd written that day. Well, I missed that day but wrote about the attacks 4 days later. This is what I wrote:

"On Tuesday, the 11th of September a very terrible thing happened. Some terrorists hijacked 4 airplanes (with lots of passengers) and ran two of them into the twin towers in New York. Another went into the Pentagon in New York (I know this isn't accurate, but that's what I wrote), and the last one was headed for the White House but some brave passengers stopped it and it crashed somewhere in Pennsylvania. Thousands of innocent people were murdered, and everything in all 50 states (including airports) shut down for a few days. This could be the start of world war 3. It is a very serious thing. It is even worse than Pearl Harbor. Next Saturday is Homecoming. I want to go so bad!!!"

Yes, I went from the attacks to Homecoming in the same paragraph. It's like, "Yeah this big thing happened, but now back to my life and my own trivial things." I seriously could not believe that was all I had written! Although, as a little 17 year old, I don't think I really realized the enormity and tragedy of that day. The whole thing seemed surreal and far away from me. It was hard to imagine it as an actual event, rather than some horrible movie they kept playing over and over on TV. I want to write, for my own records, what that day was like for me. So if you're bored already, feel free to skip.

I remember rolling out of bed that morning and barely being ready as my ride pulled up. Suzy Christensen and her dad gave me a ride to school every morning. The first thing she said to me when I got in the car was, "Did you hear about the airplane crash?" Still half asleep I, of course, had no clue what she was talking about. I only half listened as they repeated things they had seen on the news. I thought it was some little private airplane and maybe 1 or 2 people had died. And I am embarrassed to say I had no clue what or where the twin towers were. And I thought the crash was an accident. I had no idea what I was about to walk into at school! Everyone was in a frenzy talking over the situation and that's when I first knew something serious was going on. I got to my 1st period English class was Mrs. Trelease and everyone was so riled (including her) that she didn't make us have class that day. She turned on the TV instead and we began watching the news coverage. That's when I saw it. A dark shape came from off camera and headed straight for the other tower. I thought it was a bird at first, but then it crashed into the second tower and with lots of smoke and fire, the second tower fell. Everyone in my class gasped. No one could believe what we were seeing! No actual school work was done that day. Each class turned into a discussion over that mornings events and we spent the whole day with the news on, trying to grasp what was actually happening in New York.

Like I said before, I knew it was a big deal, but I didn't actually grasp the severity of the situation. Then a year later when I was a nanny in Virginia, I took a train to New York City one Saturday. I got it after that. Being at ground zero a little less than a year later was a very emotionally heavy experience. There was a huge hole in the ground where the two towers once stood. A fence went all the way around the edge and people had turned the fence into a tribute. There were pictures, stories, ribbons, flowers, and teddy bears attached to the fence in memory of all those people who had died. There were also stands near the fence with people selling things (a little tacky, yes) but I bought the picture at the top there.

It's so crazy to believe ten years have passed since that day! I helped Matt in his primary class last Sunday and one of the boys said he was born 2 days after 9/11. So weird to me that these 10 year old kids knew the story of that day, but none of them were even alive for it!

Where were you that day? I hope each of you have written it down somewhere so you can remember all the details. And hopefully you wrote a little more than a desire to go to Homecoming.

Magdalyn 5 Months

My sweet little baby is now 5 months old! She just gets sweeter, and more giggly, and cuter every single day! She now rolls over constantly. If you lay her down, she will be on her stomach within minutes. Though she can't figure out how to return to her back yet. She is super strong and can straighten her arms completely, to hold her upper half up when she's on her stomach. She is working hard to get those knees up under herself and it's just a matter of time before she is crawling all over the place. She has also found her toes and loves to grab her feet and play with them. She giggles all the time and is starting to get ticklish. Love it! If everyone around her starts laughing, she will laugh too. It's so funny! But she also has become a little more sensitive to noise lately. She does not like things to be loud, especially if they catch her off guard.

I also gave her her first taste of rice cereal this last week. Kalianna, of course, had to help. Magdalyn was intrigued by it. She opened her mouth and accepted each bite, and seemed to really like it. It will be fun to introduce her to new foods next month and see how she takes to each of those as well!

Potty Training Blues

Kalianna was ready to potty train before I was. I've assisted with potty training kids back when I was a nanny, so I know how time consuming it is. I didn't think there was any way I could do it with a little baby who needs lots of time and attention of her own. But Kalianna was ready so I half-heartedly took her to the store to get panties and a couple seats to fit on the bigger toilets. She did really well, but since I didn't throw myself into it like I should have, I would put her in pull-ups anytime we left the house. Stupid! Pretty soon she didn't want to wear panties anymore cause she realized pull-ups were the same things as diapers and she could go anytime, anywhere. I gave up and just had her wear pull-ups 24/7.

About a month later I realized I was being stupid and selfish and I needed to give Kalianna the time and attention she deserved. So we got rid of the pull-ups completely, went back to panties, and pretty much did nothing for 3 days except go to the bathroom. I set the timer for every 30 minutes and she had a sticker chart to win her special prize. I did everything right this time. I put 100% of my focus on Kalianna for those 3 days. The first day she had several accidents, but I never gave up on her this time. The second day only a couple accidents, and by the third day she was golden! If she started having an accident, she would stop herself and only get a couple drops on her panties. She started getting better at telling me when she had to go, and we were able to move the timer back to every hour.

She has even kept her panties dry all night since that first night. She has even woken me up in the middle of the night a couple times saying, "Mommy, need to go potty in toilet". I am so impressed with her! She still has trouble pooping in the toilet, but I know that takes a lot longer for kids to get comfortable doing. So I try my best to encourage her, and she has to clean up her own messes each time there is an accident.

Then this last week she has given up. She has multiple accidents a day, and doesn't seem to care in the least little bit. She won't even tell me if she is wet, she just keeps right on playing as if nothing is wrong until I notice her wet pants and make her change. She has told me the last couple days that she wants to wear diapers or pull-ups again. She doesn't try and stop herself, she doesn't tell me when she needs to go, she still has to clean up her own messes but this doesn't even seem to faze her. She doesn't mind being wet or dirty and she very matter-of-factly will clean up the floor or chair or whatever, change her clothes, and then keep on going as if nothing happened. I am at a complete loss! I don't understand why she doesn't care anymore? We still use the timer and have "potty time", I still get excited with each success, and she still has her sticker chart. Did any of you ever experience this with your children when potty training? Is this just a weird phase? Cause I can work through it if it's just a phase that will pass. I am just so frustrated right now! I know she can do it, but how do I get her to want to again?

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