Taryn Raye has an Author Interview on Menagerie Authors Blog

In the hustle and bustle of Fall Break for my kids, visiting with my family in my hometown and the hard work of unpacking and packing up for the yard sale my mom and I had, I completely forgot that I had an

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

on

Menagerie Authors Blog

Please stop by and visit me. It was a fun interview.

#TuesdayswithTaryn Guest is Karen Stivali @karenstivali #Author of Meant To Be

Tuesdays with Taryn

Karen Stivali

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

I’ve always been an avid reader and my favorite books have always been the kind where you feel like you know all the characters personally when you’re done. As a kid my favorite authors were Judy Blume, Paul Zindel and Paula Danzinger because I’d come away from their books feeling like I had new friends. I started reading adult literature by the time I was twelve and I gravitated toward writers who painted vivid and memorable characters and focused on their relationships. I loved Catcher in the Rye and Judy Blume’s Wifey and every book Erich Segal ever wrote (Love Story and The Class being favorites). There are a few short love stories in Kurt Vonnegut’s Welcome to the Monkey house that I must have read at least a dozen times. Plus I used to read all of my grandmother’s sweeping romantic sagas. I’ve always been a sucker for a love story.

What book do you read over and over again?

There are several books I’ve read numerous times but the one book I read over and over again is The Last Convertible by Anton Myrer. I read it for the first time when I was fourteen and I fell in love with all of it. It’s an incredible story about the lives of eight men and women who met in college, just as World War II was beginning and it follows all of them as their lives change over the next two decades. This is an incredible example of what I mean about feeling like you know the characters. When I finished reading the book I felt like I’d known them all forever. What’s more impressive is that it’s told by one of the eight friends, and even though it’s all told through his point of view you feel like you know each of them equally well. It even includes letters they exchanged while they were separated by war or because they’d move away from one another. It’s just an amazing book and when I haven’t read it for a year or so I will, without fail, get the urge to read it again.

Tuesday Trio-

1)      Movie- I am way too much of a movie buff to narrow the choice to one but some of my favorites are Good Will Hunting, The Princess Bride, The Way We Were and Keeping The Faith.

2)      Music- That’s even harder than the movie question! I love classical music and pretty much all rock and roll. For classic/oldie rock I like The Beatles and The Hollies, for 80s rock I like The Cure and The Ramones, nowadays I listen to alternative rock stations that play a mix of old stuff, new stuff and upcoming bands. Kingsley Flood is a current favorite.

3)      Decadent Dessert- Chocolate truffle loaf with caramel sauce and crème anglaise (and if you keep an eye on my blog the recipe for that may show up one day…)

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

I am currently reading a paranormal young adult novel that a member of my local writer’s group just completed. It’s amazingly good for a first draft and even though it’s not a genre I usually read I’m hoping she goes ahead with her plans for the sequels because I want to know what happens!

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

I get asked this question a lot and I have a hard time with it. When I create characters they form in my head, based out of my imagination. A lot of authors like to use photos as inspiration or will cast the movie in their mind as they’re writing but that doesn’t work for me. I like to see my characters as unique people, not associate them with a particular image. That’s why I prefer book covers that don’t show faces---they never look like the faces in my head.

That said, if I had to cast the movie I’d pick Robert Pattinson to play Daniel. Not the brooding Twilight version of the actor, more like the real life version---British, witty, well-read, self-deprecating and a little unsure why women swoon so much when he walks into a room---those are Daniel qualities. For Marienne I’d cast Ginnifer Goodwin---she’s beautiful but always plays the girl who feels like she doesn’t quite measure up---which makes her seem sweeter and more relatable, qualities Marienne embodies.

Blurb for Meant To Be:

Sometimes you’re already committed to the wrong person when fate finally brings you the right one.

When NYU professor Daniel Gardner’s career-obsessed wife convinces him to move to the suburbs, he hopes it’s a first step toward starting the family he longs to have. Instead of domestic bliss he finds his neighbor, Marienne Valeti. She loves her freelance design job, but must contend with a growing sense of isolation created by her husband’s indifference. A penchant for good books, bad movies, and Marienne’s to-die-for brownies sparks a powerful bond between them. Passion simmers, but they resist its lure, surrendering only in the seclusion of their minds. Their friendship helps them weather every hardship, from divorce to widowhood, leaving them both secretly wondering if it can survive a first kiss.

For more information on this book and my other novels, please visit my

WEBSITE 

(You’ll also find some yummy recipes there for foods that are mentioned in the book!)

I can also be found at the following places:

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page

Author Bio:    

Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies and fictional British men. When she’s not writing, she can be found cooking extravagant meals and serving them to family and friends. Prior to deciding to write full time Karen worked as a hand drawn animator, a clinical therapist, and held various food-related jobs ranging from waitress to specialty cake maker. Planning elaborate parties and fundraisers takes up what’s left of her time and sanity.

Karen has always been fascinated by the way people relate to one another so she favors books and movies that feature richly detailed characters and their relationships. In her own writing she likes to explore the dynamics between characters and has a tendency to craft romantic love stories filled with sarcasm and sexy details. 

Buy links for Meant To Be: 

Amazon
AllRomance eBooks
 Barnes and Noble
Publisher's site:
Turquoise Morning Press

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!

#TuesdayswithTarynLarry Kollar @FARfetched58 #Author of White Pickups, Book 1 of the Truckalypse

 Tuesdays with Taryn

Larry Kollar

Please help me in welcoming Larry Kollar to Tuesdays with Taryn today!

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

It's easy to say Lord of the Rings, but it's true. Tolkien's Middle-Earth was a masterwork. He built on familiar tales and myths, and created something entirely new that readers could still understand. The characters were much the same—different but familiar. I've always been a sucker for excellent world-building.

What book do you read over and over again?

The Red Mars/Green Mars/Blue Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson, usually in the winter. Another great example of world-building, except that it's the characters doing the building (or terraforming). They go beyond the relatively easy task of creating an ecosystem, and tackle tougher questions like “how do we want to relate to each other”? It can be seen as a metaphor for the writing process.

Tuesday Trio-

1)      Movie- Galaxy Quest

2)      Music- Progressive Trance

3)      Decadent Dessert- hot fudge brownie with Extreme Moose Tracks ice cream

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

The Georgia Guidestones — is a 2-hour drive from my house, and some call it the “American Stonehenge.” Only one person knows who had it built (besides those who commissioned the work, of course), and he agreed to carry the information to his grave.

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

I'm in between at this moment. I just finished Jumping at Shadows, my friend Helen A. Howell's first novel. It's a fantasy for middle-grade readers, about a girl who grows up seeing shadows watching her all the time. She soon learns that her ancestry isn't completely of Earth.

Whom would you cast as your Main Characters/Hero/Heroine if your book became a movie?

Wow, I'm not up on the teen stars at the moment. I'd like to see some unknowns step in and see them interpret Cody, Sondra, and Kelly.

Though the book is not out yet (should be less than 2 weeks from now) in the meantime, you can learn more about it on the White Pickups Goodreads Page.

“Legends are about ordinary people who stepped up and did what had to be done.”

At summer’s end, mysterious white pickup trucks take to the roads and compel nearly everyone to “drive off.” Some of those who remain gather in a suburban Atlanta subdivision, and struggle to cope with a world whose infrastructure is rapidly crumbling. One of the few who are mentally and emotionally prepared for the end of the world is Cody Sifko, a youth who quickly becomes the inspiration for the others. When a strange homeless woman names him “Father of Nations,” is she seeing his future or her own delusions? As winter and a hate group try to destroy Laurel Hills, can Cody overcome personal tragedy and seize his destiny?

You can learn more about Larry and his work at his blog-
Tales from FAR Manor  

On #TuesdayswithTaryn- @joycetstrand Joyce T Strand, author of the Jillian Hillcrest Mysteries joins me. #mystery

Tuesdays with Taryn

Joyce  T. Strand: author, Jillian Hillcrest mystery series

ON MESSAGE

And just RELEASED July 3, 2012—

OPEN MEETINGS

 Click image above to check out Joyce's website!

Please answer the following questions:

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

As a writer of mysteries, I have been influenced by Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark to create unlikely sleuths, such as Christie’s Miss Marple and so many by Clark.  I also appreciate John Grisham and Dick Francis who applied their own experiences to weave their stories into credible contexts, such as, law firms/lawyers; and horse racing.  And I wish that I could create the suspense, intrigue and insight into unique characters offered by James Clavell in SHOGUN.

What book do you read over and over again?

Oh, I wish I had time to read a book over and over again. However, my list of new books to read is soooo long that I focus on them.  I have at least 25 waiting for me on my Kindle. I do pursue favorite authors, such as, James Clavell or John Grisham, and have read all of their books.

Tuesday Trio-

1)      Movie- The King’s Speech

2)      Music-  -“Defying Gravity” from Wicked

3)      Decadent Dessert- Chocolate compact bread pudding with fudge and caramel sauce with hint of banana and vanilla ice cream

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

While researching my third Jillian Hillcrest book (in progress), I discovered in a trial transcript that one of the bribes to a corporate insider from a hedge fund manager was a case of live lobsters.  I guess that’s a small price to pay for the hundreds of millions of dollars gained by the hedge fund as a result of the information gained.

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

Stieg Larsson’s THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE

Whom would you cast as your Main Characters/Hero/Heroine if your book became a movie?

Toni Collette as Jillian Hillcrest

Josh Duhamel as Chad Bradbury

Diane Wiest as Cynthia Anderson

OPEN MEETINGS: A JILLIAN HILLCREST MYSTERY – is just being launched!!!! It is the second book in the Jillian Hillcrest series.

PR Executive Jillian Hillcrest is having lunch with a reporter colleague when a woman enters and begs him not to print anything she’s told him because they will kill her if he does. A few days later, the reporter tells Jillian that the woman was killed in a car crash in his hometown. The police ruled her death an accident caused by driving under the influence of alcohol.

Although Jillian is busy promoting her Silicon Valley biotech company, the reporter draws her into an investigation of his hometown’s police department, located in California north of the Napa-Sonoma wine region. Coincidentally, Jillian’s neighbor Cynthia Anderson wonders about the untimely death of her policeman husband years earlier as part of the same police department. Meanwhile, Jillian’s ex-husband hovers over her to reverse the “ex” status. Unfortunately, none of them anticipates the frightening events that follow.