Sunday, February 9, 2014

Who is the man behind The Name: J.R. Stevans



Good Morning Everyone, I hope you are having a great weekend. Today my Author to Author blog features J.R. Stevans. Some of you probably know him on Facebook as Stevan Ray Richards Jr. But the public will know him for his short stories book "Faces of Love". So here is the man behind the name J.R. Stevans. . . .



1.    What would you say is the most favorite part of being an author? - I don't have one specific favorite part. I like being done. I like when stories surprise me. I like when the characters surprise me.

 

2.     Do you stick to one kind of book? Mystery, suspense, thriller, romance? - I haven't completed a novel that has been published. I like short stories. I also like books and movies that have unexpected twists. Butterfly Effect, the director's cut is one of the best examples I can point to. So is Next. When I was in grade school, I read a lot of mysteries. When I was in junior and high school, I read a lot of fantasy and Stephen King. I want to write stories that surprise people and provoke a visceral response. The story itself usually dictates the emotional response I"m looking for.

 

3.       If you had to tell new writers something important about becoming an author what would it be? - Be fearless. If you can't be fearless, write afraid. But write. Write with courage.

 

4.       Out of all your books do you favor one over another? If so why? I've written three novels, none of which have been published, and no longer exist. My favorite one was about a writer who was writing about his past lives.

 

5.       Do you have any stories you want to work on in the future? - I have several. One is about a vampire. One is about a psychic whose spirit guide is her deceased daughter. One is about a child who is a physical empath.

 

6.        How do you come up with your stories? - Lots of ways. One story came from a challenge. Somebody said, "You can't write anything happy, can you?" The second part of that seed was a line from an Alice Cooper song. Processing my own pain, confusion about an issue.

 

7.         Do you base your characters from people you know or are they completely fictional? - Almost all of my characters are based on me. It sounds arrogant, but it's true. I'm introverted and self-reflective

 

8.        Besides writing what would you say is your most favorite thing to do? - If I could do anything, I would write music. I would love the opportunity to act. One of my ambitions to make a living is to become a personal trainer for the elderly and the disabled. I want to become a distance, endurance, wheelchair athlete.

 

9.        What do you want to accomplish in writing books? I want to bring people to the end of themselves and encourage them to seek their Higher Power

 

10.  How would you define yourself as a person and as a writer? - I've almost always been honest. The times i haven't been, I've regretted it. So, what you see is what you get. If you don't see it, I'll tell you about. it. If you don't want to know, don't ask.
 
Thank you for stopping by and learning a little bit about J.R. Stevans. If you check out Amazon remember his kindle book is called "Faces of Love"
Till Next time happy reading,
AJ

Monday, February 3, 2014

255

                                 255

You may be wondering "what is with the number 255?" Well last week my pages reached 255 people. It's amazing as a writer it's the little things that make your day. When I started this journey of becoming a writer, I never thought my stories were that good. If it wasn't for my husband's faith in me I would have never taken the first step to submitting Unspoken Dreams to a publisher. If hadn't been for that loving push to that publisher I wouldn't be where I am today. A friend to many wonderful and talented people and working for a great Publishing house (Mountain Springs House).

For all the writers out there you know the people you reach either on Facebook or Twitter or your blogs is very sketchy. One week we may reach 255+ people then the next day we could go down to 3 people.  The likes, the people we reach is just as great as making a sale. Helping others achieve their dreams is all part of the job.

Coming Soon will be my debut book Unspoken Dreams. . . .


Normally the last year of College was fun and exciting. But for Samantha Sharp it was scary and confusing. She had been dating her best friend Jonathan Carson for the majority of her college career but a week before she was to go to New York for an interview for the New York Times she found out she had become pregnant. . . .


That is just a small description of my first book. I kind of got off track with this blog but I guess I just want to say thank you. Because of my friends, followers and peeps you have made this journey so enjoyable. And I can't wait to see what happens after Unspoken Dreams is released on March 22, 2014.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

This Week Author to Author blog features Aya Walksfar


This week my Author to Author Blog is airing early. So I hope you enjoy what you find out about an in house author by the name of Aya Walksfar. She has creativity and an imagination that creates great books. . . .

 
 
 
1.   What would you say is the most favorite part of being an author?
Learning how my work has affected my readers. I love hearing how Good Intentions helped real people cope with devastating family secrets, or how a real detective enjoyed the peek into a serial killer’s mind in Sketch of a Murder.
2.   Do you stick to one kind of book? Mystery, suspense, thriller, romance?
Not really. My books are character driven, so I write what my characters demand. Good Intentions, my award winning first novel, is a literary work about a young girl coping with devastating family secrets while maintaining secrets of her own.
Sketch of a Murder explores a serial killer’s mind and the minds of the police task force mandated to catch the killer. My upcoming novel, Street Harvest, Book 2 of the Special Crimes Team series, addresses behind the headlines, the real gut level story of children who disappear. There are over 2,000 children who disappear every day in the United States, alone.
Murder mysteries are mostly what I am writing currently, but I have a vampire novel in the process of being written; in third draft phase right now and several starts on literary novels.
3.   If you had to tell new writers something important about becoming an author what would it be?
               Never give up your dream.
4.   Out of all your books do you favor one over another? If so why?
I love all my characters, even the evil ones, but if I had to choose I suppose it would be Sergeant Nita Slowater. So, out of the current published books, I would have to say Sketch of a Murder is my favorite because of the main character and how she interacts with life, struggles with the past and her determination to bull through the present.
5.   Do you have any stories you want to work on in the future?
Many. I am currently working on Run or Die! This is a murder mystery—scheduled to debut this summer-- where a young woman is struggling to deal with her grief and travels from her home in Seattle Washington to a small town in Northern California. When she arrives she is faced with a group of young men who hate everything she is and are determined to run her out of town, or to kill her.
Old Woman Gone, Book  3 of the Special Crimes Team series, is scheduled to be released in fall of this year. It will alter your perceptions of old women and of witches and what that means in today’s world.
In 2015, I hope to release the first book of a vampire series which tells the REAL story behind vampires and why they exist.
6.   How do you come up with your stories?
The characters start chattering at me until I sit down and begin putting them on the computer. Or on paper.
7.   Do you base your characters from people you know or are they completely fictional?
Do you recall the poem by John Donne  ‘No Man is An Island’? Well, my characters are like that: they come from the intricate web of life.
8.   Besides writing what would you say is your most favorite thing to do?
 
Spending time with my wife.
 
9.   What do you want to accomplish in writing books?
I want to entertain people so they can relax away from the stress of daily life while still giving them value for their time, maybe some tidbits of knowledge or a different perspective on life. I want to give back what hundreds of authors have given to me: new ideas, new perspectives, hope, laughter, tears, someone to root for—a heroine or hero. And, a sigh at the end of the book as if you’ve just say good-bye to a friend. I want my characters to become friends with my readers.
10.                 How would you define Yourself as a person and as a writer?
Eclectic. I see myself as part of an intricate and vast web of life. I try to convey that vastness of life to my readers.
 
*** Links where people can find you ***
Buy Aya’s books at  http://www.amazon.com/author/ayawalksfar 
Read free stories, character interviews and more on Aya’s blog at  http://www.ayawalksfar.com   
Connect with Aya and read the latest updates on her work at     http://www.facebook.com/AyaWalksfarAuthor
Visit with Aya and share book reviews, read current postings and see what Biker Granny has to say at http://www.facebook.com/ayawalksfar
Give Aya a tweet at http://www.twitter.com/AyaWalksfar @ayawalksfar
See the places you read about in Aya’s books at http://www.pinterest.com/ayawalksfar
Share a book or read a review by Aya on http://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomaya_walksfar
Check out information about Aya and buy her books at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AWalksfar
 
So I hope you have enjoyed learning more about Aya Walksfar.  It's always a pleasure to feature Authors on my blogs. It doesn't just help their audience to get to know them better but me as well. So I want to thank Aya for being apart of my Author to Author blog and I wish you all the luck!
 
Till next time, happy reading,
AJ
 
 



Sunday, January 26, 2014

Come read all about it, Doug Simpson's Book "The Soul of Jesus" Release is coming soon! ! ! !







 
 
 
So here's my treat to you, you get two blogs from me in one day! This one is a special one due to the fact that this is to spread word that the newest book by Doug Simpson is about to be released.


 
 
 
On the 8th of February, from 10AM-12:15PM MST Kim Mutch Emerson, the head of  Master Koda Select Publishing will be hosting a release party on FB. If you are interested in showing Doug your support you can find the event @ http://www.facebook.com/events/5875930946490/
 
There will be games and prizes, so I hope you join the fun. If you want to know more about Doug and his journey as a writer check out these two links  http://brooklynandbochronicles.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-soul-of-jesus-by-doug-simpson-in.html and http://dousimp.mnsi.net/ . The first link is to a blog that Brenda Perlin. The second is a website of all his works and descriptions of what each book entails.
 
Bottom line, you need to join us at Doug's release party of "The Soul of Jesus".  It will be a lot of fun!
 
A little of what I know about Doug is that he pours his heart and soul into his books. He cares about others and deserves all the love and support he can get...I personally have been to a release party hosted by MK and it's loads of fun so don't miss it, it's a chance to meet new people and get awesome prizes...the bonus is you get to help Doug Simpson with his newest book "THE SOUL OF JESUS".
 
So come and join us on the 8th of Feb. on FB!!
 
Till next time happy reading,
AJ
 

Author to Author Blog features Kisha Rivera










Hello Everyone, how is your weekend going? Mine has been busy but fun, it's always fun when I get to blog about other Authors like Kisha Rivera...Come with me and find out what makes Kisha who she is today and how she got started in this thing we call writing. . . .


     1.    What would you say is the most favorite part of being an author?
        
                  My most favorite part about being a author is being able to express myself without being interrupted or judged.

    2.   Do you stick to one kind of book? Mystery, suspense, thriller, or Romance?
                    I'm basically a freelancer. I write about almost anything.
   
    3.      If you had to tell new writers something important about becoming an author what would it be?
                    I would encourage the new author to take their time. To gather their thoughts and just write.


    4.       Out of all your books do you favor one over another? If so Why?
                    I just have the one book, but I have several published articles. I would have to say that my one book is my favorite so far. I'm working on my next book currently.

     5.     Do you have any stories you want to work on in the future?
                   Yes
    6.    How do you come up with your stories?
                   I write from personal experience

    7.       Do you base you Characters from people you know or are they completely fictional?
                  Get the characters from my life. I just change the characters.

    8.       Besides writing what would you say is your most favorite this to do?
                  Cooking
        
    9.      What would you want to accomplish in writing books?
                I want to accomplish touching the souls that read my writing.

   10.     How would you define Kisha Rivera as a person and writer?
               But what defines me as a person and writer is my uniqueness. Even when I'm teaching, I'm like poet. I had one person to tell me after I got through giving a word from a God that I sounded like a poet. So, even when I'm ministering, I still can't help but bring out the author in me.

** Kisha Rivera's  Social Links**

**Facebook**


 

**Pinterest**


 

**Amazon**


 

**Goodreads**


 

**Tate Publishing**


 

**LinkedIn**


 

**Christian Story Teller**


 

**Blogger**


 

**Ezine Articles**

Kisha N Rivera-EzineArticles.com Expert Author

 

**Writers Net**

 
 
 So to close up the Author to Author blog I want to say it has been a pleasure to learn more of who Kisha Rivera is and I hope you go check out her links. She has much to share and go check out her book.    

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Author to Author blog features Allison Bruning






Today's Author to Author Blog will be a little different but don't worry, you will enjoy it and I hope you share it because it features Allison Bruning, CEO of Mountain Springs Publishing House. Yes, she is the one who is giving me my start as an Author and I am proud to share what I know about this wonderful Author.

Allison really knows how to capture a reader. For example Elsa, is a story based in the 1800-1900's and when you start to read it you feel like you are not just reading Elsa and Franklin's story but you are living it as well. I had the privilege to read Elsa and I have to say, I can't wait till the second book comes out because I want to see what happens next.

A little bit about the author behind the name Allison Bruning. She writes from the heart. And Allison is all about helping others, hence why she and her husband Deflin Espinosa opened Mountain Springs Publishing House. She puts her authors before herself which makes her a great person in my book. Allison is also a second grade teacher and at this time she is trying to full fill her dream of teaching over seas.

If I had to describe Allison in one word I could not because she is many things: Helpful, Caring, an Author with Great Talent!

Her eye for detail is amazing, I have only read Elsa but I know the next book I read of hers I won't be disappointed. When Allison writes she brings her readers to the time and place of her books.  While reading Elsa I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Elsa to stay strong and to keep going on her journey to her love Franklin.

In a nut shell, you need to go check out Allison Bruning and her books, especially Elsa. You won't be disappointed I promise.

I feel privileged to know Allison Bruning. She gave me my chance to start this journey as a writer and I know she will keep changing lives for many years.

Thanks Allison, for all you do, you are a talented writer and I hope all your dreams from your books to your teaching over seas comes true.

Till next time happy Reading,
AJ

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Doc Pruyne, the writer, the teacher, the thinker




 

1.   What would you say is your favorite part of being an author?

 

That’s an easy one, AJ: the writing itself. I started writing when I was twelve, and 33 years later I have a PhD in English. I taught writing for nine or ten years, I’ve won a couple writing awards and have books coming out, and I’m making a little money at it…and all that stuff is nice, the social standing and respect, the fame and groupies (not!)…but it can’t compare to the pure pleasure of writing.

 

Seriously, if writing is an onerous chore for someone I’d suggest they do something else. The writing has to be enough reward, in and of itself, because all that other stuff has the shelf life of quicksilver. And more likely than not, fame and big money will never come to a writer. For most of us, it doesn’t. That’s the reality. So the writing has to be enough.

 

2.   Do you stick to one kind of book? Mystery, suspense, thriller, romance?

 

On purpose? No. But my novels may have strong elements of more than one genre. For example, I have two books of a trilogy coming out this year, and while the main plot is the spiritual journey of a girl, a recent immigrant to New York, it’s also a love story between her and a boy. Persimmon is both a spiritual journey and a quirky romance.

 

Look at most successful series writers like Robert Parker or Janet Evanovich. While they wrote suspense or private eye novels, their books are also a lot about the love lives of their characters.

 

There are some kinds of books, though, that I have no interest in writing. Horror? Forget it. I have no interest in being in that neighborhood for the length of time it takes to write a book or a script. Scripts, I write those too.

 

3.   If you had to tell new writers something important about becoming an author, what would it be?

 

You want to save yourself time and headaches? Think about structure and pre-writing. In my opinion, writers should only spend 20 to 30 percent of their time writing the first draft. But they’ll turn out a more finished first draft, in the budgeted 20 or 30 percent, if they also spend 20 to 25 percent of their time on pre-writing.

 

In your pre-writing, build your major and minor characters with an eye toward conflicts. Those conflicts should play out over a plot that has a beginning, a middle, a late middle, and an end.

 

That’s a structure built on four acts. I taught the four-act structure for a number of years in my screenwriting classes, and it’s a very serviceable framework. You can read about it in a very good book called Storytelling in the New Hollywood. Doesn’t matter what you’re writing,though, a novel or a screenplay, it works just as well for both.

 

4.   Out of all your books, do you favor one over another? If so, why?

 

Well, I’m not sure what you mean by ‘favor’. But when I think about it, what you meant doesn’t matter because I don’t. The reason is that, for me, it’s all about process and practice. If I’m not writing this book I’m working on that one, or answering questions like these, or writing a blog or a letter, or a script, or a short story, or commenting on someone else’s novel.

 

It’s all about working with the clay of language, and either carving the rough draft, hewing down the rough work into a closer semblance to my intended meaning, or polishing the work into really nice prose. Whatever I’m working on, which ever stage it’s at, I’m practicing the craft and the art, and that’s what turns me on, that’s what gives me satisfaction. Sometimes it’s exacting, other times I’m writing words as fast as I can, scribbling them down, and other times moving chunks around and deleting whole phrases.

 

Really, I don’t have a favorite piece of work because it’s all about the satisfaction of doing the work.

 

5.   Do you have any stories you want to work on in the future?

 

Oh, a few. (Chuckles) Like a few dozen. Seriously.

 

Off the top of my head, I have a serious novel about a corporate soldier who needs to atone for his sins. But before I start that one I have to write the third novel in the Sword of the World series, the trilogy about the girl in New York. I signed a contract for four novels with Mountain Springs House, a small publisher in Indianapolis, and I already had two in the trilogy written…so now I have to do the third. But I’d also like to adapt three of my screenplays.

 

Hey, did you know that two of the first heroes in American history were black men? It’s true. One was a slave and the other was 76 years old. (Laughs) That’s the log line for one of my best scripts.

 

6.   How do you come up with your stories?

 

Most of the time it has to do with theme or concept, which, I guess, is rather unusual…but not really unusual because almost immediately a character will come on the mental stage to embody the theme. Like the girl in New York: it’s all about the power of art. When we practice an art it mirrors the cleansing creativity of god. In those novels – Persimmon, Persimmon Tree and  Persimmon Seed – the girl is a practitioner of komdo, a sword-oriented martial art. It’s her spiritual path to personal integrity and power. That’s the theme, the power of art to cleanse our lives and give us integrity.

                         

The next novel I have coming out (probably in early February) is about a construction contractor whose son gets him into a nasty situation with a drug cartel. The concept there was to write a love song to the workin’ man, which you don’t see too often in literature. It developed into a really nice suspense novel called The Destroyers…but that’s how it started, out of my appreciation for the workin’ man, the unsung hero of the world. (Shifting in his seat) That’s not to say workin’ women aren’t heroic. That’s just another book.

 

7.   Do you base your characters on people you know? Or are they completely fictional?

 

My characters are completely and absolutely fictional. That’s for purely pragmatic reasons, which I need to explain. I’ve worked with many writers who try to write books and scripts about people they know or knew, people they admired or people who hurt them. Almost every time, they created severe problems for themselves and made their job as a novelist much harder. Why? They were hobbled by the need, consciously or unconsciously, to adhere to history and the person or situation in their past. I think writers do that because they’re trying to process the scourges of their lives, and enshrine the pleasures.

 

Oh yes, I’ve had so many students who were motivated by trying to get past some traumatic relationship, usually with a parent, by writing about it. Not good. Maybe it’s good as therapy, but in terms of artistic ‘success’ of one type or another…usually not good.

 

8.   Besides writing, what would you say is your favorite thing to do?

 

Right now it’s a toss up. I’ve got a new love for hunting wild mushrooms. We just moved out into the country, an old farmhouse in western Massachusetts. Out here in the woods I’ve discovered the joys of cooking chicken of the woods, golden chanterelles, black trumpets and maitake. Oh yes, and I was able to get off coffee by substituting chaga, which has the highest concentration of anti-oxidants ever discovered.

 

And since I now have a barn, I’ve also carried out an idea I had 20 or 30 years ago, which is to turn old pianos into furniture. That’s a strenuous and difficult process, but I’ve turned out two desks so far, one from a baby grand piano and another from an upright. That’s where I write, on the baby grand desk, and it’s a reminder.

 

It reminds me that great writing is a symphony of fascinations. No instrument dominates in a symphony and in writing no fascination should reign supreme. Rather, all the fascinations that glue a reader to the page should blend to the right degree, whether it’s humor, sex, smells and tastes, elegant language, snappy dialogue, action, quirky characters, suspense, ideas and philosophy, politics, farce or romance. I’m sure you can come up with others, but some fascination should always be at play in each word of the novel.

There’s your quote: A novel is a symphony of fascinations.

 

9.   What do you hope to accomplish in writing books?

 

Accomplish? Um…that’s a tougher question. ‘Accomplish’ implies a product or an outcome, and to be honest, ever since I was a fat twelve year old boy I’ve enjoyed the process itself and wasn’t quite so product- or outcome-oriented as other writers may be.

 

If I compared myself to a figure out of history with some accomplishment, it would be Babe Ruth. (Makes a hand gesture: straight up, no kidding) I am the Babe Ruth of writing. I always swing for the fences. When I start a novel or a story I am always out to hit a home run, to write a masterpiece.

 

Seriously, if you sit down to write a story or novel and aren’t out to write a masterpiece, what’s the point? To make money? Go sell real estate. To get famous? Not likely. To have sexy cachet? Spare us, the world is already full of posers. To improve your craft? Fine, go for it.

 

My one signal piece of advice to anybody who writes is this: always intend to write a masterpiece. And know that it’ll never happen in the first draft. If you write 20 drafts and fail (and you just might) at least you’ll improve your writing. You might also write a novel much better than you thought you could write. Still, do not rush to publish. There’s an old saying: Publish in haste, repent at leisure. Take the time to rewrite and polish, knowing that your integrity is on the page.

 

You do not write the book. The book writes you. Write a novel with integrity and you will have integrity.

 

Take Persimmon, published in September 2013. It went through 25 drafts. At 80,000 words each draft, that’s two million words I wrote and polished for one novel. It may not be a masterpiece, but it’s as damn close as I could get it. And it changed me. I deepened my understanding of Taoist philosophy and the mind-body connection. It helped me understand what it’s like to be a stranger in America. It taught me about integrity.

 

Wow. Lend me a hand, AJ, so I can get down off this soap box.

 

10.                 How would you define Doc Pruyne?

I’m a wood cutter who sharpens both sides of his ax.
 
 
 
Thank you so much for spending the time with me and Doc on this interview of sorts. If you want more info on Doc you can go to his links that are listed below.
 
And remember to check in next week because I am going to be featuring another author to author blog. Till next time happy reading,
AJ
 
                          ** Links to find Doc Pruyne**

 


Doc Pruyne’s blog can be found at  http://www.chucklingduck.net

Also find him at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7305941.Doc_Pruyne