Thursdays with Taryn~ Dusting off the Past To Find Inspiration

I've been thinking about the fact that I'm really kind of burnt out on blogging— at least, I am so far this year. Last year was a real doozy, as I attempted to put myself out there more because I had just been published and well, a girl's gotta promo and I want to keep up this year, but feel like I've lost my gusto and had the wind knocked out of me.

Today though, I'm taking advice from fellow KIW, author Katherine Lowry Logan, who suggested resharing old posts that have been popular here on the blog. As I was scrolling through my prior posts, all the way back to mid-2007, I realized that a lot of the first ones I wrote, the ones that really inspired me probably haven't seen the light of day. I had no followers back then and simply took pleasure in putting my thoughts down and talking to myself. I mean, I still do that...talk to myself, that is, but what if something I wrote back then, that few have seen, might give inspiration or resonate with another author or aspiring author now? If I leave them back there, they'll just get lost in the slush pile of my blog writing archives, but if I find a way to repurpose those thoughts and ramblings, it could be a good thing.

I mean, I have to admit...back then I was writing blogs for the pure fun of it, because I was inspired and wanted to share my thoughts about myself as a writer. I really didn't think anyone was listening anyway, but I still put it out there, knowing someone might stumble upon it. I wasn't caught up in pushing promo, for myself or anyone else at the time. I just felt I had something to say, even if I was just sharing diary entries and a glimpse into who I was as I first started my writing journey. And the thing was, I was spending a great deal of time actually WRITING, not just on this blog, but on my stories, and that's not something I can say I do on a really regular basis anymore. I want and NEED to change that.

Perhaps this will be a good thing for me as a writer- to climb over things and sit in the back of my virtual closet and dig through my virtual cardboard boxes and see what gems I might find to rejuvenate my own writing, to remind me who I am at my writer's core and to share with others and hope that they find inspiration from stories that have been rebooted.

So here's where I'm going to begin this year- a post from August of 2007 (though I've updated it a little, mostly in part due to referencing my children now, as opposed to almost 6 years ago because my daughter wasn't old enough to read yet. She's now an avid reader too and loves to write her own little stories, at home and at school. Teacher loves them and thinks she gets that from me or so she said at the Parent/Teacher conference we had a few months back)

Books and the Condescending Librarian

Writing is an extensive endeavor. Even when I'm not writing, I'm either reading something by a writer or reading something to educate myself on writing or doing research. Even when I'm not doing that, writing stays on my mind. I love to talk about writing.

My desire to write comes from somewhere deep inside me. I'm not even sure when it started to be honest. Some little ember ignited my love of reading and my mom even said that as a child I loved books and making up stories.

I know at one point in my life there was an instance that could've damaged my love of reading and writing for the rest of my life. It's any wonder it didn't.

I was in 3rd grade and I was going to borrow a book that was probably more advanced than my reading level. I always borrowed books from the school library, but that one time, the librarian made a point of telling me she thought it was too advanced for me to read and she didn't think I could read it before I brought it back. It could be that I had borrowed it before and hadn't read it and wanted to re-borrow it. I'm not sure, but I told her I would read it by the time I had to return it a week later.

Of course, I didn't read it and maybe it was stubbornness or just rebellion on my part, but when I brought it back, she asked me point blank if I read it and I told her the truth. She told me that if I didn't read the books I borrowed I shouldn't borrow any. Now I can't recall for sure if she didn't allow me to borrow books anymore, but I do recall that I didn't want to borrow any more from her and I don't think I did the rest of that school year.

I still look back and see her as a condescending adult who should've known better. She humiliated me, hurt my feelings and made me feel about this big.

I didn't borrow any books from the school library again until I started 4th grade, at a different school with a different librarian. I look back on that now and wonder how an adult could look at an 8 or 9 year old child and chastise them for something like that.

Now, I do remind my kids not to borrow something if they don't really want or plan to read it, but I wouldn't tell them that they couldn't borrow ANY books from the library. I encourage both my kids to enjoy books for everything they are worth, the adventures and emotions that you get from reading a book that puts you in another world or another life.

It was shortly after that incident in 3rd grade though that I started collecting books of my own to read. I convinced my dad to get me a subscription to the Just for Girls book club through Scholastic and if I read a book I liked well enough, I ended up buying it at some point. I started creating my OWN library.

Like I said, it could've ruined my love of reading and writing, but in some ways, that librarian's snotty attitude may have actually had the opposite affect on me. I wanted books of my own more than ever. In fact, I've got a LOT of books I've never even read in my bookcase & on my Kindle (Perhaps it's the early stages of being a hoarder- of books at least). They are on my TBR list, but I know that I can read them anytime I want without someone looking down their nose at me and telling me that I have to do it their way or the highway...

It may well have been when I started dreaming of being a writer, too, because if I never stepped foot in another library, at least I'd have my own stories I could read and no one telling me that I couldn't.

Isn't it funny how childish beliefs and issues carry over into adulthood, but at the same time might well have been the catalyst for my desire to write? Maybe I should be thankful for the condescending librarian, but more so, I'm glad that it didn't turn me against reading & writing altogether.

Was there ever anyone or anything that could've turned you off of writing? Please feel free to share.

[Cover Reveal] Am I "The Next Big Thing?" #bloghop #workinprogress #authors

There are the books everyone has heard about: Twilight, Hunger Games, Fifty Shades of Gray. But what about all those books written by people you’ve never heard of? Some of them are treasures, just waiting to be found, and that’s what this blog hop is all about: the books you might not have heard about, but that you might end up loving.

This blog hop is like a game of tag. One author posts and tags five other authors who link back to their website the next week and tag five new authors. If you follow the blog hop long enough, you’re bound to find some books you’ll love! Maybe you’ll even discover a book that ends up being the next big thing.

I was tagged by Jennifer Madden. You can learn more about her book Embattled Love on her website.

This blog hop includes ten questions to help you learn more about an author’s current work in progress, so here’s a little info about my current project and

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!

I'm also revealing the cover!
(Cover by Tracy Stewart of All About the Cover)

1: What is the working title of your book? Love By Design, Book one in the Love By Series

2: Where did the idea come from for the book? Love By Design originally started as a single stand alone book idea in 2006 or 20007 when I was brainstorming ideas. I'm not sure where I got the idea, other than knowing that it felt like a rom-com type story with a clumsy interior designer fighting her attraction to a playboy actor who hires her to decorate his fixer-upper.

3: What genre does your book fall under? Contemporary romance with a touch of humor, but I like to believe that all my stories aren't just romance novels, but Life stories with heart. Their pasts aren't always spotless and sometimes it comes back to haunt them. Sometimes it's just a matter of the hardships they face that get them to their Happily-Ever-Afters.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? When I was writing LBD I envisioned Matthew McConaughey as Derrek Martin and Sandra Bullock as Jasmine Galloway.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Jasmine Galloway's had it up to here with wannabe actors, so when Hollywood's current blockbuster playboy seeks out her business to decorate his new home, he manages to gets under her skin and put his own designs on her heart.

6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I plan to self-publish the Love By series in the next few months and follow it with the 2nd series, Pryce of Love, which centers around four of five brothers (the 5th brother is the hero in the 4th book in the Love By series)

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Approximately a month or so of self-imposed "NaNo-like" determination and reckless abandon. I didn't write this one for NaNoWriMo, but I did set myself to the standard 50K/30 days. I still have more editing to do though before I put it out there. (plot holes, grammar, etc)

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I'm honestly not sure. There are so many wonderful contemporary authors out there but I'm not sure who I could compare my own stories to. As I said before, it does, for me have a very rom-com movie feel to it though.

9: Who or What inspired you to write this book? The characters themselves. As the ideas for the story (as well as the other sisters) started to take shape, Jasmine and Derrek began to really come to life for me and I just had to get their story written. Sometimes they would interrupt my sleep, or my attempts at sleep, trying to tell me about what was going to happen next. (not as bad as Jasmine's sister Juniper, who insisted her story be the 2nd one, though I'd originally planned to write Blossom's 2nd. Juni would NOT shut up.)

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I took a "virtual plane ride" because I spent a LOT of time studying airplane flights, time zone changes and what certain bookings would be like and actually "plotted" out what a trip from LAX to Indianapolis would be, including layovers, and driving distance for Derrek and Jasmine's trip to Derrek's childhood home in Smalltown, Indiana to pick up his sister and pack furniture to move to California in a U-haul while writing this. I've never actually been on a plane. Not sure I ever will, but it was fun to pretend! :)

Here is a list of authors who will be joining the hop for week 27 on December 24th. I hope you’ll visit their blogs next week and learn more about their books. Maybe one of them will become your new favorite author!
(I don't have anyone yet, but if you want to be listed, you don't have to do it during the holidays- you can pick up Week 27 afterward, if it would be more convenient! Just email or leave a comment and let me know!) 

1 Teresa Reasor is also participating in The Next Big Thing over on her blog, where she's talking about her current work-in-progress, Breaking Away, the 3rd book in her Seal Team Heartbreakers Series. Go check out her answers about what she's working on!

2

3

4

5

Taryn Raye- What You Don't See ~Authors Against Bullying~

There's been a lot in the news and on the net this past week about Amanda Todd, the 15-year-old girl from Canada who struggled with being subjected to bullying and harassment, not just in school but online, the acts of which ultimately led to depression, self-harm and her suicide last week.

Wednesday, I became aware of a movement among my fellow writers- Authors Against Bullying (link takes you to my Page Tab here on the blog with the list of Authors participating or you can click the AAB button at the bottom of this post to go to Mandy M. Roth's site) and decided to share my own story of bullying today, as well as go around and visit and comment on all the other author blogs where they will be sharing their thoughts and experiences as well.

I might have written about this before, but it's probably lost in the archives if I have.

Often when we think of our adolescence, we're forced to put a mirror in front of ourselves to see who we once were. We're also reminded that things aren't always what they appear to be on the surface. In fact, most the time it's what you don't see, what's on the inside- those tiny cracks in the reflections of ourselves, the hidden scars and memories of the angst of being a teenager are still there, even if we've Windexed the hell out of it and tried to "spit shine" the pain away so that it doesn't look so bad looking back.

The cracks I have to look at, the ones that distort my view of my younger self? It is knowing that I was harassed and bullied by a group of boys in 7th grade. Every day, the same class, the same group of boys who took turns getting in my face and teasing me, taunting me, harassing me. And always the same knot of fear tightened in my stomach as that time of day rolled around and I had to enter that classroom. Sometimes I would drag my feet and wait as close to the tardy bell as I could, just so I would be able to get to my seat and hope they'd leave me alone as the teacher called the class to order. I hated being me because for some reason, I had attracted their attention and I didn't know how to shake them, I didn't know how to get them to back off and stop invading my personal space.

I always worried- Would they bother me today? What nasty remarks would it be this time? What stupid pick-up lines or lies would they feed me? Not that I was lapping up the attention by any means. I was disgusted, embarrassed and just wanted to be left alone so I could become invisible again. I wanted a boyfriend at that age, I wanted attention, but not the way I was receiving it, being ganged up on and teased and taunted before class. This was not the type of attention I had hoped a boy would show me.

Most of it was simply vulgar references that my 13-year-old self didn't quite understand, although I had a notion I understood well enough because the things they said made my skin do the creepy crawly dance. I'd already started placing bricks in the walls around my heart and mind to protect myself. Even when the one I had a crush on joined in with the others, I still huddled inside my skin, wishing things were different, that I could trust him to be kind, but I knew better than to believe a word that crossed his lips because he was just as guilty as the rest of them for being a class-A jerk. As my mom would have said, they were just "boys being boys" but when you're faced with that sort of thing on a daily basis, over weeks and months, it takes its toll.

Everyday I was filled with angst, fear and self-loathing, wishing they'd pick on someone else, wishing I could fade into the concrete walls and disappear. I was left wondering why I was the girl they singled out. I was a goody-two shoes, as I was reminded on numerous occasions later in life. I wasn't developed yet. I was a plain-Jane in glasses, hiding behind books and wishing I was someone else. Either someone they wouldn't pick on or someone who knew the right comebacks, the right zings, the proper burns, but instead I was myself, innocent, quiet, unassuming and shy and maybe that was the draw. I was too well behaved which made me a target. Let's see how much we can make this girl blush.

So often, the question that plagued me most was-

How would I make it until the final bell rang for the day so I could dart out of class safely, slip away to my bus, then go home and cry in the privacy of my own room?

I went home quite often and cried, or I'd have busting headaches and nervous stomach issues. I sort of talked to my mom about it, but it was embarrassing, so the majority of what I dealt with, I kept to myself. I cried myself to sleep, I shut myself up in my bedroom and I became even more of an introvert, burrowing further into books, into writing and wrapping the blanket of my depression around me.

Yes, I thought about suicide, that I didn't know if I could take one more day of it. It was emotionally draining. As if being a hormonally awkward teenager wasn't hard enough, having others draw attention to the fact that you're stuck between being a child and a woman was like death anyway. They might as well have shone a spotlight on me and thrust me up onto a stage cause that's the LAST place I wanted to be. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. All I wanted to do was try to grow into my adult skin with the least amount of embarrassment, learn to be comfortable in that new suit that was changing all the time, emotionally, mentally, physically and then be seen as a beautiful young woman deserving of respect. The situation I found myself in couldn't have been further from what I imagined.

I'm not sure what pulled me through. Maybe it was that 7th grade finally came to an end and for those couple of months of summer, my bullies were nowhere to be seen. I didn't have to deal with them and I was able to breath again and enjoy life. 8th grade year brought back all those worries and fears, but lucky for me, most of the boys who were part of my troubles had been broken up into different classes, so the couple who were in my class seemed to have moved on to pestering other girls and left me alone.

I was still plagued by those fears though and always felt I was looking over my shoulder, waiting for one of them to sneak up on me and start the teasing and tormenting all over again. Even though the bullying happened in 7th grade, it left it's mark for several years to come. I wore baggier clothing and went through a slouchy phase and at one point I gained so much weight, I was barely recognizable- but then, the less noticeable I was, the better. I withdrew more into myself and I stayed the quiet shy violet. That's probably the reason my eighth grade yearbook is full of "To a really sweet, quiet girl who I don't know very well" comments.

I didn't open myself up to others anymore, always scared to trust people, afraid that their friendship or kindness wasn't genuine. That took time to get over and eventually being able to talk about what happened with my mom and with friends. Being young sometimes makes it hard to see how much support we truly have from our loved ones. It's not just "me against the world."

Being a teenager stinks and it's probably the hardest part of growing up. I don't ever wish I was 13 or 15, or 17 again. Those weren't great years for me, but I survived. If you're having problems with someone bullying you, reach out and talk to a friend, a parent, a teacher or a trusted adult. If you see someone else being bullied, reach out to them and let them know they're not alone. Don't stand by and allow a bully to get the upper-hand. Tell someone if you see it happening. Don't enable the behavior by keeping silent. Silence is what leads young adults into the darkness where they feel alone and helpless to change it. Where they contemplate hurting themselves, where they grow larger-than-life gardens of self-doubt and allow that to choke out their self-esteem and their self-worth. There's so much more good ahead of them after adolescence, we can't let them wither in their youth.

Find your light and douse the darkness, cut back those choking doubts and help others when they have no light to lead the way. Now is the time. Not later, for later may be too late.

Click Image above to go to Mandy M. Roth's Blog

for more on Authors Against Bullying

Please share this blog and other blog posts on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and any other social media sites you are on. Spread the word and feel free to share your own experiences. I'm here to listen if anyone would like to talk.

#ThursdayswithTaryn The 4 R's of Helping a #Writer

In this techno age, most readers across the cyberworld have authors who inspire them, who write the kind of novels they love to read and who they follow on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, their blogs and websites; the list could go on and on.

Some readers don't realize that THEY can help get their favorite authors get noticed and there are truly some very easy things they can do if they'd like to help out these authors, all by the simple click of the mouse.

So, you wanna help writers?

If a writer inspires you- makes you laugh, cry, scream, love

then use these 4 R's-

~Retweet, Repeat, Repost, Review~

~Share their blogs & statuses~

Show 'em

♥Love♥

Retweet~ Are you following your favorite author on Twitter? Retweet their statuses and help promote them into the Twitterverse and you never know- someone else might RT you. Word of mouth spreads like wildfire.

Repeat~ Share their posts on Twitter or Facebook or Google+ and many others. You might know other people who haven't heard of these writers. If you enjoy their books and think others you know might enjoy them as well, be sure to pass that along. It never hurts to pay it forward if a book has touched your heart.

Repost~ Did they post a blog today? Share that- repost it for others who might not have seen it otherwise. Did they say something funny or share a joke that made you LOL? Did they talk about hobbies, family, food. If it interested you, it might interest others, too.

Review~ Did you enjoy their book? Or maybe you didn't, but a review doesn't have to be all sunshine and lollipops. An honest review doesn't just help other customers, but it also give the author constructive views from readers about what works and what doesn't. I know I'd rather have a handful of honest reviews that helps me grow as a writer, than 100 that are just full of BS wrapped up in shiny foil paper with a ribbon slapped on it that feeds my ego but not my mind or my heart.

(That doesn't mean I would want a reviewer to slam me- reviews that do nothing but cut the author and their writing down, that childishly flame or blatantly bully have no place in the writing/reading world as it does nothing but enrage the readers and hurt the writers on a personal level that isn't necessary- it is not the way to help. Behind every book there is an author, a real person, who truly loved the story they wrote, but not every reader will enjoy and that's okay.)

Besides the 4 R's there's also a few other things you can do. "Like" the author's Amazon Author Page, or their Facebook Page, if they have one. "Like" their book on Amazon. Follow them on Twitter, read their blog. Write and tell them how their story touched you.

Most of these things are tiny considerations that authors appreciate, more than you can EVER know. We work at a very lonely, albeit, self-inflicted lonely job and when we touch others lives or hearts with our stories, we are grateful for even one little note letting us know these things. It fills us with gratitude that we've done our job- to write the best story we can and share it with others who will enjoy it as well. And it's also a wonderful reminder that doing what we love pays off more handsomely than just in a financial way. If we touch just one heart, then we are encouraged to continue to tell more stories. If we tell a story you want to share with others, it washes our spirit in joy.

I know it's easy to get discouraged in this business. Sometimes it's like spinning wheels in mud- trying to get somewhere and yet getting no where fast- Just throwing mud out behind us and not blazing our trail. Those 4 R's and those other helpful things readers can do to help out mean the world.

If you get a chance today, take a moment to click on something to retweet, repeat, repost or review it. Like a page, follow someone new, share an author with a friend (don't be stingy) :)

An author will thank you for it.

Have a wonderful Thursday- the weekend is almost here again.

Ain't This Lovely? #Lovely #Blog #Award from @kenra_daniels TY!!!

This morning I was greeted by a comment on yesterday's #Writerly Wednesday- Shattered #poetry #writing post from Kenra Daniels nominating me for a Lovely Blog Award. She posted about it on her Blogs Are Lovely Things, Aren't They? post for today where you can learn 7 things about her and then go around and find out about 11 other authors (me included.) 

Thank you so much, Kenra! I'm honored!

So—What is the Lovely Blog Award, you might be wondering?

Rules for the Lovely Blog award are to thank the blogger who nominated you, give seven facts about yourself, post the blog award badge on your site, and nominate 11 noteworthy blogs, notifying them you did so.  So, here we go:

1. I met my husband online through one of those early dating sites. We talked for about 2 months before we met in person. A lot of my friends and family were concerned for my well-being meeting a stranger, but two months later I moved to be with him and his 2 1/2 year old son. Building a strong marriage from a relationship with a practical stranger is hard work and it's not always been easy, but the fact that we've been together nearly 11 years means something in my book.
2. I can pick things up with my toes- pencils, pens, paper. I've been teased that I have "lobster claws" for feet, but I don't care. I claim to have inherited that ability from my father, who can pinch a plug out of you with his toes, while my mom can't.
3. I once lost a thumbnail. When I was a child, somewhere around 4-5, maybe 6, I wanted to help my grandpa with the room he was building onto the house. I hit my thumbnail with a hammer and smashed it. Over several days, wearing a bandage to hold it, my thumbnail loosened and fell off. Luckily a new one grew back in it's place.
4. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love all the seasons, but once we hit that shift between summer as we ease into fall I find myself at my most creative. I feel inspired. I wax poetic (as I did yesterday). I get wistful and emotional as the world seems to slow down, readying for the cold days of winter and nights snuggled up inside where it's warm and cozy. I feel connected to this time of year and Mother Earth in a way I don't throughout the rest of the year. The colors and smells and atmosphere envelopes me.
5. I love to bake homemade pizza. This love started when I was around 19 and got my first job working at Little Caesar's. From making the dough and rolling and kneading it, to dressing the pizza with sauce and toppings and cheese, it's cathartic for me.
6. Lilacs are probably my all-time favorite flower. Mostly because when I was growing up, my mom had lilacs along the side of the house outside my window and when they bloomed in the spring, I could lay on my bed and smell them through the open window. I'd love to have my lilac tree outside my bedroom window in my own house. Might have to think on that and see about planting some out there. ;)
7. Last but not least, I love to paint. Not like Bob Ross-let's-put-a-happy-little-cloud-or-shurb-in-this-corner, but like shove-all-the-furniture-to-the-center-of-the-room-and-give-the-walls-a-facelift kind of painting. When I was around 18 my parents let me choose wall colors for my birthday since I was still living at home with them. I chose a pastel lavender- a really soft pale lavender and then I picked what to me looked like sea-foam green but was called porcelain green for the trim. My colors were still in keeping with my love of lilacs and I also had one of those "travel trunks" that was a green with purple metal trim. (which I still have). I've slowly started getting the rooms in my house painted, but so far only the living room got a nice new coat of a pale sage green. Time and money, money and time- got to have a little of both for painting cause that's an all day job.

Okay, so now that I've shared a little about me that you might not have known before, let’s see whose turn it is to reveal 7 things about themselves…

1. C.C. Marks- Dark and Dreamy with C.C. Marks
2. J.M. Madden- Contemporary, Everyday Romance
3. Kallypso Masters- Ahh, Kallypso...the stories you tell
4. Devon Matthews- Romance in the Wild West
5. Donna McDonald- Never Too Late For Romance
6. Amy Durham- Imagination & Escape~ for the young... and the young at heart
7. Diane Strong- The Running Commentary~ Running, biking and...book reviews?
8. Hallee Bridgeman, Novelist- Author of Edgy Christian Romance Novels
9. Renee Vincent- Past the Print
10. Teresa Reasor- My Muse's Musings
11. Pam Turner- Darkling Delights~ Dark genre with bite-sized tidbits. Enjoy!

August is Ky Indies #Writers Month on #EdinRoad Radio- @JesseVCoffey All KY, all #Indies, All Month.

The page to listen- Click Image above.

LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30pm (EST)

In Celebration of Kentucky Indie Authors, August is KIW Month on Edin Road Radio!

Thurs, 8/02 -- Teresa Reasor 

Tues, 8/07 -- Sondra Allan Carr

Thurs, 8/09 -- Jennifer Madden
Tues, 8/14 -- Hallee Bridgeman
Thurs, 8/16 -- Kallypso Masters
Tues, 8/21 -- Pamela Turner
Thurs, 8/23 -- Stephen Zimmer
Tues, 8/28 -- Abigail Keam
Thurs, 8/30 -- Diane Strong

Mark your calendars and get ready for a great time!

#TuesdayswithTaryn- Meet Wynn Mercere @wynnmercere #Author of City of the Gods:Forgotten

Tuesdays with Taryn

Wynn Mercere

City of the Gods: Forgotten

 Please help me give a warm welcome to Fantasy Writer, Wynn Mercere, co-author with M. Scott Verne of the City of the Gods novels, comics and games. So glad to have you with us today Wynn.

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer? The classics, definitely. Alice in Wonderland, collections of fables and myths, and a heavy dose of adventure a la Kipling and Stevenson.

What book do you read over and over again? Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Sometimes the adventurous plot stands out, other times the social commentary. It also satisfies my reader itch for books set in the 1800s.

Tuesday Trio-

1)      Movie – “You Can’t Take It With You” (1938) A wonderful farce that pits the military-industrial-banking complex against the “uncommon” man is as relevant today as when it was written. However, its most appealing theme is that of encouraging people to follow their dreams.

2)      Music – I don’t have a specific title, but my favorites are violin-centric. Whether it’s a Chopin etude or a bluegrass classic, I love it!

3)      Decadent Dessert – Baklava! The way the honey permeates the crispy layers of the pastry gives me something no other dessert can.

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel? I learned how an 1870s printing press works. It’s amazing what one can find on YouTube!

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading? I am reading Marching Through Culpeper by Virginia Beard Morton. It’s very popular, even has a stage adaptation. I cut my teeth as a young reader on historical romance, so a book like this one is an easy read.

Whom would you cast as your Main Characters/Hero/Heroine if your book became a movie? I am about as unaware of actors as one can be! Can I talk up production angles instead? I would love for City of the Gods to be a joint Hong Kong/French production. The Chinese are spectacular when it comes to putting mythical fantasy on the screen, and since our main characters are from France and Asia, it would be a perfect fit.

Click Image to purchase in Print from Amazon

Click HERE to get the Kindle version

Click HERE to buy from Barnes & Noble

Blurb: When the gods of old left Earth, they united to create a new world that mirrored their past glory. Most of mankind was left behind, but some humans were chosen to serve in the City of the Gods. One of these men, D’Molay, works for the ruling Council as a trusted courier. When a helpless girl under his watch is kidnapped, his efforts to recover her reveal her connection to a great beast which is ravaging the Olympian realm. His loyalty to the City is tested as his heart leads him to protect her against those who aim to exploit her powers for their own ends. Refusing to be a pawn of the gods, D’Molay pits his human guile against divine authority in an adventure that culminates in a battle for his soul’s redemption.

It can also be purchased at

Drive-Thru Fiction

The City of the Gods Gift Shop

And you can find out more about Fantasy Writer Wynn Mercere and her novels, comics and more at her

WEBSITE

or

BLOG

Wynn's next novel, City of the Gods: Guardian also has an active Kickstarter Project going on right now HERE
Hop on by and check it out! 

#TuesdayswithTaryn with Sylvia May, Author of The Unraveling of Abby Settel

Tuesdays with Taryn

Sylvia May

Please help me in welcoming fellow Turquoise Morning Press author, Sylvia May to Tuesdays with Taryn~

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer?

It’s difficult for me to identify one book that has most influenced me. Every book that I read informs my writing in some way, whether it is the way the story unfolds, or the characters, or an interesting plot device. I read various genres and have done so since I was a child. As for my early reading, Lucy Maud Montgomery showed me that stories can be made out of ordinary lives; Phyllis A. Whtiney introduced me to the idea of mystery and adventure. In adulthood, books by Jane Urquhart, Jodi Picoult, Peter Robinson, Rohinton Mistry, Isabel Huggan, Louise Penny, Elizabeth Berg, Alice Munro…ach there are too many to mention.

What book do you read over and over again?

Who has time to read a book over and over again? There are just too many books and too little time. But I will say that if I absolutely love a book, it becomes a “keeper,” meaning I retain possession of it rather than passing it on. I have shelves full of “keepers” that, perhaps when I’m old and stuck in an armchair, I may just read again.

Tuesday Trio-

1)      Movie- The Mask of Zorro with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones

2)      Music- Dancing in the Moonlight performed by Van Morrison (it’s my ringtone)

3)      Decadent Dessert- Anything with chocolate or lemon or real cream (I am a dessert addict!)

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel?

Rather than a bit of trivia, this shocking story comes immediately to mind. Recently, while researching poison for the cozy mystery series that I coauthor (as Lucy Arlington), I happened upon a news report where fifth-grade students put rat poison in their teacher’s coffee and cupcake frosting. What is the world coming to when elementary school students try to poison their teachers?

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

            At present I’m reading a book that I never would have picked up if a friend hadn’t given it to me, since “horror” is a genre I don’t read (till now, lol). It is Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King, a collection of four novellas. Surprisingly to me, I was hooked from the first couple of pages.

Whom would you cast as your Hero & Heroine if your book became a movie?

This is a tough question since I don’t watch a lot of movies and thus am not familiar with many actors. However, I recently saw a TV show with a mature Ashley Judd, and I think she’d make a great Abby. If not her, then Sandra Bullock. And I think Kevin Spacey would be a good Peter, or perhaps Scott Bakula.

THE UNRAVELING OF ABBY SETTEL

Abby's well-ordered life is falling apart. Her son’s behavior is worrying, her aging parents are deteriorating, and her husband loses his job.  His new position compels them to move hundreds of miles away, where Abby is plagued by guilt and loneliness. When she discovers a group of women facing the similar challenges, together they seek a way out of their unhappiness. This is a story of mid-life reinvention, letting go to embrace the present, and the importance of friends.

            The Unraveling of Abby Settel received an Honorable Mention from the  2011 Reader Views Literary Awards.

 (click book cover image to the left to purchase from Amazon)

You can find out more about Sylvia at her

Website

Blog

AND

You can also find The Unraveling of Abby Settel at

Turquoise Morning Press

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

#TuesdayswithTaryn Q&A with Teresa Reasor aka @teresareasor

Tuesdays with Taryn

Please welcome with me- Teresa Reasor, fellow Kentucky writer, artist and teacher.

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer?

I have a list. I loved Sandra Browns earlier works. And Kathleen Woodiwiss definitely influenced my historical romance writing. One of the best compliments I’ve ever gotten is a reader review for my historical Highland Moonlight. She said anyone who enjoyed Kathleen Woodiwiss’s books would love Highland Moonlight. I didn’t pattern Moonlight after Woodiwiss’s work, or try to steal her voice, that would be impossible, but the love story does have a similar feel to it.

I love reading male writers. Michael Connelly has had an influence, Dean Koontz’s earlier works, and, believe it or not, Steven King.

The writing craft books having had an influence on my writing have been numerous. I try to read a craft book at least once a month. I never stop learning, evolving.

The very first book on writing I ever bought was one by Phyllis Whitney. I’d read all of her novels, still have them. And I bought that book and— the rest was history. I had to write. That was when I was in college, many, many moons ago. I still use the same research process I learned from that book. Story by Robert McKee, Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan, Stephen King’s On Writing, Orson Scott Card’s book on Characters and Viewpoint, and Johnny Payne’s on Voice and Style are some of my favorites I still go back and revisit.

What book do you read over and over again? That depends on what I’m working on at the moment. While writing my Navy Navy SEAL series I have a stack of reading material I revisit over and over. The Warrior Elite, The Finishing School, and Down Range, all by Dick Couch and Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell among a list of others.

When I’m working on other things I’ll choose reading material germane to my subject matter. I have to immerse myself in the subject to get a feel for the knowledge my characters will have. But it’s more than that. It’s to understand what reactions my characters will have to the conflicts I throw at them. I’m constantly reading male writers to try and improve my MAN SPEAK. 

Tuesday Trio-

1)      Movie- Underworld the first one with Kate Beckinsale and Scot Speedman

2)      Music- The Red Violin Soundtrack, Joshua Bell is fantastic!

3)      Decadent Dessert- Death by chocolate. A chocolate brownie with chunks of chocolate baked in, topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and a grated Hershey bar, (I’m serious about my chocolate)

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel? That George Washington’s physicians probably killed him trying to cure him of something simple like a bad chest cold. They tortured him. They even burnt the bottoms of his feet. I think he finally died to escape them.

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

I have a stack of books in the floor next to my bedside table. They’re my to be read books. The Wolf Gift, by Anne Rice, May Day by Thomas Block, The Rope by Navada Barr, and Malice by Lisa Jackson are a few of them. I also have the complete works of Jane Austin all in one volume. I think it weights at least ten pounds. And though I’ve read several of them in the past, I’m revisiting them this summer. By second book, Captive Hearts, was a Regency Romance so what better way to review the premises included in Regency than reading Jane Austen.

Whom would you cast as your Hero & Heroine if your book became a movie?

Highland Moonlight  (Kevin McKidd and Kate Beckinsale)

Captive Hearts (Ioan Gruffudd and Sophia Miles)

Breaking Free (Eric Bana and Emily Blunt)

Timeless  (Garrard Butler and Michelle Williams)

Breaking Through (Chris Evans and Emma Stone)

Not that I’ve thought about it much!!!

Blurb: For Timeless

Archaeology student, Regan Stanhope, lands the chance of a lifetime when she’s chosen to work on a summer dig in Loch Maree, Scotland. The ancient monoliths hidden beneath the loch are the most important discovery since Stonehenge. And for seven hundred years, they have been waiting—for her.

Saturation diver Quinn Douglas is contracted to recover some of the megaliths from the loch’s bottom. The job will breathe life into the struggling salvage business he and his brothers are building. But from the moment he arrives, Quinn is plagued by dreams and feelings from a past he did not live. Or did he?

Regan and Quinn are drawn to each other as they research the monoliths and the reason behind their shared visions. But both sense something mystical at work, delving into their minds, manipulating their emotions. And when they finally discover the monoliths’ extraordinary secret, they know they must seal them away from those who are desperate to unlock their power. Even if it means remaining caught in a timeless struggle between the past and present forever.

 

You can find out more about Teresa at her

WEBSITE

BLOG- My Muse's Musings