7 Questions with #Author T. D. Von Dohren @tdvondohren #Fiction #Fantasy

1. How do you work through self-doubts and fear?

Over the past couple of years, through doing a lot on my own, I’ve built up a my self-confidence and tend to just put things out there with the approach that while some people won’t like it, others will and I choose to focus on that. With ‘Daughter of the Moon’ for example, there are a lot of quite controversial ideas. Religion, vampires, gods and goddesses all get thrown in together and I was so nervous about it finally being read by others, but so far the feedback has been 100% positive which really surprised me! It goes to show that it’s often worth taking the risk of pushing through those doubts and fears.

2. What scares you the most?

Believe it or not, success is something that excites me and scares me. From working in media for the last decade, I’ve seen firsthand how those in the public eye are hounded by paparazzi and forced to defend false stories written about them every day. Every author wants their writing to be accepted and successful and I would love to see that for ‘Daughter of the Moon’. But while I feel from my background I am as prepared as possible for dealing with that kind of pressure, I do fear for the effects it may have on my family and friends who aren’t so prepared.

3. What makes you happiest?

I love this question because if you had asked me five years ago the answer would have been completely different. I used to focus on big goals and was never content with day to day life. But now, I actively take time each day to appreciate the small things in life that make me happy. Like the first snowfall of winter, the peacefulness while I walk my dog each morning, the beauty of a walk to the markets past the marina with a view of snow-capped mountains. I’ve found that by noticing and appreciating these little things, you realise just how many wonderful things you have in your life and that even on the worst day, there will always be something worth smiling about.

4. Why do you write?

I write, because for me, storytelling is the best way to express the thoughts and feelings that live inside me. But what I love most about storytelling is that the meaning of those words become something different for everyone and therefore starts a conversation, sometimes a debate, about the themes of any given story which I believe is necessary for the growth of any society.

5. Have you always enjoyed writing?

When I was in high school, I would literally sit at a computer and within forty five minutes I would have a short story that was of a publishable standard. In fact, my English teacher at the time even accused me of plagiarism because the story I had written for an assignment was too good and how I could I write something that good without following the school taught procedure of mapping a story? Thankfully, my mother had watched me write it and could verify that it was indeed my work, I also wrote a second story for my teacher to prove that I simply didn’t follow the planning method. That instead, I had a rich imagination full of stories to share.

6. What writing are you most proud of?

My debut novel ‘Daughter of the Moon’. In a world where the laws our countries enforce are more and more taking away our ability to exercise common sense, it’s my hope that this book will open people’s eyes to the reality that we are accountable for the consequences of our own choices. That the world is not simply black or white, but a reflection of our individual and different values and beliefs, and that we need to accept those differences before we can even have a chance to live in harmony. It is the thought behind our choices that make an action wrong or right, not the action itself.

7. What are you most proud of in your personal life?

Over the past year or so, I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know myself. Who I am, where my limits are and the kind of life I want to lead. I also discovered ‘The Secret’ and so far, appreciating life and keeping my dreams and goals in my mind on a daily basis has seen me meet more new (and fantastic!) friends in my new Country in 6 months than I previously had in more than a year, I also met my now publisher after winning a seat at her workshop in a lucky draw at a networking lunch and I’m blissfully happy with my life every day because I take the time to appreciate the little things (like the calmness of a clear spring morning as I walk my dog).

What do Jesus Christ, a Greek Goddess, and a thousand-year-old Vampyre have in common? This intriguing and thought provoking story will make you question everything you think you know about myth and religion. Chhaya, a vampire born over a millennium ago, discovers she is the descendant of an ancient bloodline-the blood of Christ. As the power in her awakens, Chhaya must use her new gifts as the Daughter of the Moon to fight against the corrupt coven leader Khai in order to protect the doors to heaven and hell and prevent the end of days on earth. Whether a fan of fantasy, religious theories, or mythology, you'll be inspired to ask what is good and what is evil.

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Genre - Fiction Fantasy

Rating – PG

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Meet Julia Scott Cheeks from "Secrets & Sins" by Bettye Griffin @BettyeGriffin #Women #Fiction

Zion, Illinois, January 2010

My name is Julia Scott Cheeks. I was born in Eighty-Eight, Mississippi, on the 3rd of January, 1934.

I don’t recall a whole lot about life Mississippi, which is probably a good thing, given all the unpleasantness of the era. I only lived there for seven years, with my mother and my paternal grandparents, until Mama and I moved to suburban Chicago. I have no memories of my parents living together—my father was attending the Howard University School of Law in Washington when I was born, then went to Chicago to open his practice—but he always provided for us. In Chicago he met a wealthy white couple who were looking for a housekeeper able to communicate with their deaf teenage son. Since Mama was deaf and knew sign language (she’d learned to sign at a school in North Carolina, which although segregated was one of the few in the South that accepted black students) they agreed to hire her.

I just celebrated my 76th birthday, and to paraphrase the title of that Jimmy Stewart holiday movie, it’s been a wonderful life. My family is at the top of my priority list. I met my husband, Melvin, at a dance back in 1954, when I was living in Chicago with Daddy and attending the University of Chicago. Melvin was attending the Teacher’s College…at that time a person could work their way through. We’re both retired grade school teachers and have three children: Two daughters, Faye and Robin; and a son, Scott. We have four grandchildren. Melvin will be 80 later this year and has had some health problems, and I’m grateful for each new day I get to spend with him. He is truly the man of my heart…

I love all my kids, but when it comes to relating to them, I understand my eldest, Faye, the best. I guess it’s because Faye’s life has been the most like mine. She’s 53, happily married with two grown daughters and has a rewarding career as a wound care nurse. My son, Scott, is a marketing manager. He’s been my wild child ever since he discovered the opposite sex, so Melvin and I were delighted when he finally settled down. He married a lovely girl, whom we knew well because she’s a close friend of our daughter Robin, and had two lovely children, but after a dozen years decided he wanted to be single again. He was well into his 40s at the time, and little has changed. He recently turned 50 and is still chasing tail. I worry about him.

As for Robin, she was particularly affected by her grandmother’s deafness (Mama lived with Melvin and me from the time Faye was a baby) and did us all proud when she became an audiologist. Robin’s hearing is fine, thank God, but she’s always been plagued by female problems, and she wasn’t able to get pregnant. She tried to compensate in other ways...luxury cars, a ridiculously large house on the banks of Lake Michigan…and for a long time it worked. Then Avaughn, her husband, started having an affair. He gave himself away in a most unfortunate manner—he called out his girlfriend’s name during relations with Robin—and she filed for divorce after eighteen years of marriage.

My daughters and I are particularly close. I’m an only child, and even though Melvin always wanted a son, I always dreamed of having two girls so they’d each have a sister. I’m happy to say we both got our wish. Faye and Robin bicker sometimes…I think Robin might secretly be a little jealous of Faye’s enduring marriage and of her two kids—but they always kiss and make up. They really do adore each other.

I never had a sister, but I used to have a friend who was like a sister to me. We met on my first day of second grade the year Mama and I moved to Winnetka, Illinois. Just about all the black kids—we were called “colored” back then—were the children of house workers, and we all stuck together. Lorraine—that’s her name—and I had a falling out just before Melvin and I got married in late ‘55. I’ve seen her a few times over the years and managed to be civil, but we’ll never be real friends again…not after what she did.

I’ll tell you a secret. Sometimes I miss her. But it is what it is. We’re in our mid-70’s and haven’t seen each other since we were in our early 60’s, so I think it’s safe to say that I’ll never lay eyes on her again…

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Read more about Julia and her family in Secrets & Sins, out now! Kindle owners can get it at Amazon or at Bettye’s eStore. Readers needing EPUB formats for Nooks, Sonys, or other eReaders, or who need PDF formats can get theirs from Bettye’s eStore, where no registration is required and where eBooks always cost $1 less than at other eTailers.

Also, the prequel to Secrets & Sins is a free download! Sinner Man:A Short Prequel is available for download at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and the Bunderful Books website.

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Bettye Griffin writes novels about romance in the real world. Her first novel, At Long Last Love, was published in 1998. Bettye expanded to women’s fiction with the publication of The People Next Door in 2005. In 2009, while still writing for a traditional publisher, Bettye launched Bunderful Books and eventually became an independent writer and publisher. In this capacity she publishes both new and backlist titles, including Something Real (2012) and Where There’s Smoke (2013). A native of Yonkers, New York, Bettye now lives, writes, and eats cheese from her home in Southeast Wisconsin. Secrets & Sins is her 24th novel and her first independently published women’s fiction.

Author website: www.bettyegriffin.com

Publisher website: www.bunderfulbooks.com

Twitter: @BettyeGriffin

Blog: www.chew-the-fat-with-Bettye.blogspot.com

eBook only, published January 3, 2014.

This is contemporary women's fiction and does contain sex.

From the Author: Secrets & Sins contains several plot twists that I hope will come as a surprise to readers. I love getting reviews, but if you choose to write one, PLEASE be considerate of other readers who haven't read the book yet by not divulging these twists in the plot. Thank you so much! -- B.

In this sweeping, 115K-word novel, Bettye Griffin introduces readers to the Cheeks family of Zion, Illinois: Eldest daughter Faye, whose placid, orderly life is about to be disrupted in a way she never could have imagined...middle child and only son Scott, who brings new meaning to the phrase 'midlife crisis'...and youngest daughter Robin, who is divorced from but not exactly rid of her former spouse.

At the center of the story is their mother, Julia Scott Cheeks, who along with her devoted husband Melvin, has tried to keep two scandalous family secrets hidden and has been successful for 55 years...but when Robin mentions the name of the former classmate she has a romantic interest in, Julia fears that the events she has tried so hard and for so long to keep her children from knowing are in danger of being exposed...

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Genre - Women's Fiction, Family Saga

Rating – R

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Website www.bettyegriffin.com

7 Questions with #Author Shannon Walbran @ShannonWalbran #Spiritual #Memoir #SelfHelp

 1. Tell us a bit about your family.

I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the oldest of five children in a close-knit Catholic family, a descendant of Irish immigrants on both sides.  We value story-telling above all else, and that has served me well both as an author and as a psychic. If I can communicate with humor and empathy, the job’s half-done.  People learn best by analogy and myth, which is why religions have used parables since the dawn of time.

I communicate with my family daily via the internet and weekly on the phone, and I love how they make me laugh and think at the same time. Living in South Africa, I go home only once a year, but I’m trying to stretch that until I’m living six months in each country so I can have summer-summer every year.

2. How do you work through self-doubts and fear?

As a healing practitioner, I have accumulated a list of calming techniques that now runs into the hundreds.  Working through anxiety is a top priority for me, especially because I do live readings on the radio. For those I need to steady my mind and clear my thoughts so that I can be the best channel possible for people’s information.  Currently, my favorite methods are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and deep meditation — I use Vipassana.

With CBT, I sit down with pen and paper and list out all my outrageous, irrational fears, such as: I will become homeless, I will be hijacked, I will be paralysed in a car accident. My mind says these are certain facts and then invents vastly detailed scenarios. With my pen, I then check each fear as true or false. At the end of the (long) list, I ask myself, “What is really true?” and I usually end up with a solid set of statements such as, “I am safe. I am doing my best. I am OK. I am loved and supported.” Google the technique and see if it works for you to un-wrap your own tight wires of anxiety.

Vipassana is a meditation technique taught in a ten-day course all over the world. The course is “free,” in that they ask you for a donation at the end. It’s a silent retreat, which I absolutely loved — not only do you keep quiet, you don’t even make eye contact or acknowledge the presence of others. As a hardcore extrovert, I found it a serious relief.  In Vipassana, also called “insight” meditation, the only mantra is the breath, and you learn to do a body scan to feel all sensations from head to toe, allowing them to pass through you.  When I did the retreat in 2001, it was the first time in my life that my mind chatter actually ceased, and I experienced a state of bliss that I can still tap into to this day.

3. What scares you the most?

The potential death of my son scares me the most. I waited until I was 40 to have him, and he lights up my every day. He’ll be my only biological child, and I’ve come to terms with that. Still, I worry about his safety when he’s at school or with his babysitter. As someone who works with angels and who purports to walk on a spiritual path, I believe that he has his own road. He also has his own intelligence, discernment, and thankfully, his own guardian angels!

I am here to accompany my son, to support him, to assist him to become the best version of himself, and to over-protect him as little as possible while encouraging him to take the risks that will help him grow.  So I balance out my “human mom” side with my “Spirit Guide interpreter” side. Being a mother has given me tremendous empathy for everyone suffering and struggling through the human condition.  Parenthood has made me a much better practitioner, and being a psychic has made me a better parent.

4. What makes you happiest?

Adventure.  In my 20s and 30s, I traveled nearly constantly. I walked through strange cities by myself, finding my way, discovering friendship and love and food and music.  Even now that I’m more grounded and have lived in Johannesburg for eight years, I’ll wander through Chinatown or the Ethiopian quarter. Next up: the Congolese market.

5. What’s your greatest character strength?

Honesty. When I was younger, I told fibs all the time in a mistaken belief that I was “making things easier,” for myself and the person I was telling lies to.  I was wrong, and it took me until my mid-20s to figure that out.  I was forever digging myself into social holes and then struggling to remember which version of reality I had presented — and I woke up out of that set of behaviors.  Now I might not recall whether I’ve told you a story before, but it will always be the same story (instead of five different accounts). 

6. What’s your weakest character trait?

I have an extremely Northern concept of time. I’m early for every event and end up wandering around outside. I consider timeliness a virtue and a sign of respect, and this leads me to judge others (and myself!) far too harshly when life gets in the way and things run late.

Punctuality has served me fantastically as a radio host, as radio waits for nobody. I could definitely learn to lighten up with real people, though, especially considering I’ve lived more than half of my adult life in the Global South and I should stop taking lateness so personally!

7. Why do you write?

“I write to find out what I’m thinking,” as the author Joan Didion famously said, and I also follow Julia Cameron’s and Anne Lamott’s advice about getting drafts out without worrying about their perfection.  Some passages will just be venting, and they will get tossed.  Other phrases and stories have been simmering long enough inside me that when they emerge, they are solid. They’ll just need polishing. I always turn to an external editor to polish, or else I get bogged down.

I write to explain how things happened for me, and if I write it clearly enough from my perspective, somebody else will identify with it.  We could live in different countries, be different ages, have different experiences, but if I can touch a core human emotion, that writing can help uplift someone else, and that’s my aim.

In GUIDED! Shannon combines practical how-to’s and case studies with magical worldwide adventures, reminiscent of Elizabeth Gifford’s Eat, Pray, Love and Sonia Choquette’s Trust Your Vibes.

Shannon’s voice in GUIDED! How to Communicate with Your Spirit Guides is as strong and bright as her personality. Her concise and ‘to the point’ method of writing is refreshing.

In the biography section of the book, Shannon is candid about her tumultuous journey, which includes much sadness and hardship. She writes with empathy.

There are two main sections to the book:

Part I – Ways to Hear from your Guides – is practical and describes in detail how to make a connection with your angelic helpers.

Part II is an inspiring biography of Shannon’s life and is as entertaining as it is informative.

For an interview or review, contact: Ben, the rep for Pat Grayson, Publisher Graysonian Press, pat@graysonian.com or (083) 610-1113. For more information on Graysonian Press, a South African publisher of spiritual and inspirational books, go to www.graysonian.com

BOOK REVIEW

“Guided: How to communicate with your spirit guides” by Shannon Walbran

Review date : 2009-03-06

Book review by Rev. Dr. Ralph Thomas Shepherd for Body and Mind by Antonet–Nirvana Lange.

This book by Shannon Walbran, seeks to assist readers to discovers their own soul’s purposes’ and learn techniques to improve your health, happiness and enlightenment. Shannon does this by describing her own life plan and how she was led through very exciting and thrilling life experiences.

Shannon was led from the US where she was born in 1969, the same year as Anastasia, the Russian leader for social and cultural change currently becoming an international phenomenon. Shannon describes in detail her childhood and the accompanying struggles that contribute to her future. She had a childhood embedded in spirituality and describes her consciousness of fairies and other supernatural experiences. Later she also describes her struggles with her high school activities like ADD and food allergies. One can see them as instrumental in forming her spiritual stature in the years to come.

As Shannon moves into adulthood, we will see her undergoing multi-cultural experiences thereby continuing her ‘spiritual schooling’ which is now opening up for her in a most remarkable way. Shannon is now living in South Africa and is proving a successful guide for those wanting an in depth understanding of their own lives.

Most people only experience spiritual events as separate from normal phenomenon. It seems that with what we are currently experiencing globally. Humanity is standing on the brink of a global crisis of immense proportions. Within the next few years, a whole new paradigm of human development will reveal the work of Shannon Walbran as crucial for human beings as she will be able to help many people to see a meaning future for themselves and their families.

Shannon’s background in radio and not-for-profit work has prepared her for the kind of life that bridges both the spiritual and physical world. Her book, “Guided” will help many souls find solace in the years to come.

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Genre - Spiritual, Memoir, Non-fiction, Self-Help

Rating – G

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Website www.ShannonWalbran.com

The Copper Witch by Jessica Dall @jessicadall #Historical #Fiction #Excerpt

She couldn’t help glancing again, looking away when he glared. “How old are you, Antony?” 

He paused momentarily. “Does that matter?” 

“I was just curious,” she said. “You’re much younger than the painters we used to have come here.” 

“I’m not as well-seasoned as them, I would think,” he said. “And I imagine I’m quite a bit cheaper.” 

“Oh.” She fought away a smile. “So I shouldn’t be surprised when my nose comprises the better part of my face, then?” 

“I think I’m skilled enough to keep that from happening,” Antony answered, continuing under his breath, “Anyway, if I were going to make a feature too large it would much more likely be your eyes.” 

Her eyes slid over to him again. 

He met them for a second before looking away sharply. “Stay still.” 

“You just started painting, then?” She looked down and away again. 

“I’ve been painting my entire life,” he said, seeming relieved. “Just finished my apprenticeship a year or so ago.” 

“So you’re what then?” Adela did the math in her head. “Twenty? Twenty-One?” 

“Something like that.” 

She smiled. “You don’t know which one?” 

“Relax your face.” 

She took a breath, forced off the smile. “Is it a secret?” 

Exasperation leeched into his voice. “Is what?” 

“Your age.” 

He released a breath. “I just don’t see how it’s relevant.” 

“I asked,” she said. “That doesn’t make it relevant enough?” 

“I don’t believe that’s the way it works, Miss Tilden.” 

She shifted. “Can I please move. I’m going to freeze in this position if I have to keep it up much longer.” 

Antony set down his brush, holding his hands up, motioning his surrender. “We can take a break.” 

Adela rolled her shoulders, standing quickly to stretch her legs. She turned. “Can I see now?” 

He looked up from straightening his paints. 

“I’d like to see how you’re painting me,” she continued at his silence. 

Antony hesitated. “I prefer people not to see what I’m painting until I’m done.” 

She moved closer. “I’m paying for it. I’d think you’d want to know if I’m unsatisfied in any way.” 

He opened his mouth, cleared his throat before starting. “Your grandmother’s paying for it, Miss Tilden. Maybe I should show her.” Adela pouted. “Please?” 

He looked at her for another moment. Finally, sighing, he backed up for her to take a look. 

Adela moved quickly, her soft slippers barely making a sound on the stone floor. And the painting slid into view. Unlike the other china-doll portraits in the manor—with every inch of the women in them softened, pale—the picture in front of her looked as though he had taken her reflection and pressed it onto the canvas. She studied herself, fascinated for a moment before collecting herself. She pulled herself straight. “You’re using a lot of red in my hair.” 

His eyes lifted to her scalp. “Well, there is a lot of red in your hair, Miss Tilden.” 

She twirled a strand absentmindedly around her finger, didn’t dispute it. 

“Satisfied?” he finally asked. 

“You are quite talented,” she said, looked from the painting to him. “I don’t think you have my lips quite right, though.” 

Adela Tilden has always been more ambitious than her station in life might allow. A minor nobleman’s daughter on a failing barony, Adela’s prospects seem dire outside of marrying well-off. When Adela catches the eye of the crown prince, Edward, however, well-off doesn’t seem to be a problem. Thrown into a world of politics and intrigue, Adela might have found all the excitement she ever wanted—if she can manage to leave her past behind.

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Genre – Alternate Historical Fiction

Rating – PG-13

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Website http://jessicadall.com/

7 Questions with #Author Shelley Davidow @shelleydavidow #YA #SciFi

1) What’s your greatest character strength?

My ability to adapt to any situation.

2) What’s your weakest character trait?

My ability to adapt to any situation!

3) Why do you write?

Writing is a compulsion. I write because narratives are constantly weaving themselves into existence, and they do this whether I want them to or not!

4) Have you always enjoyed writing?

I’ve loved writing ever since  I first learned that small words on a page opened doors to vast universes of infinite possibility.

5) What writing are you most proud of?

My memoir, The Eye of the Moon http://www.amazon.com/The-Eye-Moon-Shelley-Davidow/dp/097466832X is the closest I’ve come to words doing what I want them to do. Lights Over Emerald Creek http://haguepublishing.com/sample/LightsOverEmeraldCreek.html also does something I wanted it to do in terms of weaving fact with science fiction. I have to say, though, pride is not what I feel. Close to satisfied would be much more accurate. I don’t think there’s room for pride in real craftsmanship.

6) What books did you love growing up?

The Railway Children, Five Children and IT, The Children of Green Knowe, The Secret Garden…the William books by Richmal Crompton, the Earthsea books….

7) Who is your favorite author?

Too many to mention: I love Ursula K Le Guin, Kurt Vonnegut, Raymond Carver, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Philip Pullman…

Lucy Wright, sixteen and a paraplegic after a recent car accident that took her mother's life, lives in Queensland on a 10,000 acre farm with her father. When Lucy investigates strange lights over the creek at the bottom of the property, she discovers a mystery that links the lights to the science of cymatics and Scotland’s ancient Rosslyn Chapel.

But beyond the chapel is an even larger mystery. One that links the music the chapel contains to Norway’s mysterious Hessdalen lights, and beyond that to Saturn and to the stars. Lucy’s discoveries catapult her into a parallel universe connected to our own by means of resonance and sound, where a newly emerging world trembles on the edge of disaster. As realities divide, her mission in this new world is revealed and she finds herself part of a love story that will span the galaxy.

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Genre - Young Adult SF

Rating - PG

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