7 Questions with #Author John W. Mefford @jwmefford #Suspense #Thriller #AmReading

What scares you the most?

When I was young I’d have a repetitive dream about my family being kidnapped by a throng of muscular, bearded Vikings. They’d be taken down the secret dungeon under our house and tied up. I could literally feel my body tense up, even though I was in a dream state. As the dream typically played out, I’d somehow burst into the room, race down the staircase and save everyone—all at the age of ten. I always woke up scared as hell, but also happy that it was just a dream.

You might wonder why I dreamed about Vikings. Comically, my little league football and baseball teams were nicknamed the Vikings. And they were some of the coolest experiences of my young life. Dreams are a strange world to analyze.

Now, my biggest everyday fear is height.

What makes you happiest?

A vacation day on the beach with my family. Seagulls swoop down over the kids, who are diving into waves. Maybe one of them is carving out a sand statue or moat. My wife is usually reading. I read a little and observe, and usually take a jog down the beach to the levee and back. Through it all, I realize I’m the luckiest guy on the planet.

Outside of the family bonding, the single most fulfilling activity I’ve ever attempted is writing novels. This comes from a guy who is active and loves all sports. But developing a story that takes the reader on the ride of a lifetime—that’s one of the best gifts I can ever receive.

What’s your greatest character strength?

I have to say I’m a pretty loyal person, to people and to causes. My wife would say (actually she just said it) that my greatest strength and weakness is my drive for perfection. I can’t imagine where she got that from? I don’t have time to think about it either. I’ve got to get back to my fiftieth re-write of my latest book.:)

Why do you write?

To breathe. To live. And to improve. It’s built into my DNA. If I give a rat’s a$$ about something, my mind constantly churns around how I can continue to evolve, especially in every facet of the writing profession. I think it’s safe to admit that I’m at an age when I’m not going to be “discovered” by the Dallas Cowboys, Mavericks or Rangers. But with writing, I can keep striving to reach the next level. My goal is to create pieces of work that are more compelling each time I tap the keyboard.

Have you always enjoyed writing?

In the fourth grade I wrote a story about my mom. When she was a young child she watched in disbelief as her beloved dog was hit and killed by a car. My teacher read my story out loud to the class, and she got a tear in her eye. Watching her feel that emotion from the words I wrote on paper was a profound moment for me. The best thing about that assignment was the freedom my teacher gave me to write the best story I could, with few parameters or limitations.

Unfortunately, I recall most of the rest of my schooling to be so structured it literally sucked the creativity right out of me, and I eventually began to see myself as anything but a writer. And then came the creation of the computer. Re-typing, editing, cutting and pasting...all of the wonderful nearly instant capabilities of using a word processor ignited a spark inside my brain that was always moving at lightning speed. The computer, and what I could do with it, finally was able to keep up with the ideas darting around in my head. I then began developing as a storyteller and as a writer. And the rest…is history.

What motivates you to write?

I write because I have to, if I want to feel all that life has to offer. Like most things I do, I’m motivated by my desire to improve every time I sit down, take in a deep breath and dive into my imagination. I want the next chapter to be more impactful than the previous, the next book to connect more with the reader than the last. I’ve always been that way about everything I do. It’s just how I’m wired, I guess.

What writing are you most proud of?

Actually, it’s the most recent set of chapters I’ve written in book 4 of the Greed series, (title TBD). I thought WICKED GREED (Greed Series #3) knocked it out of the park. Well, so far with book 4, I’m on pace to break the author home run record—without steroids.

Behind the façade of every corporate takeover executives pull levers this way and that, squeezing the last profitable nickel out of the deal. But no one knows the true intent of every so-called merger. 

No one knows the secret bonds that exist. 

An Indian technology giant swallows up another private company that has deep roots in North Texas. For one unassuming man the thought of layoffs, of losing his own job to a bunch of arrogant assholes feels like a kick to the jewels. 

Until the day Michael's life changes forever.   

Perverse alliances. An affair of the heart. A grisly murder. A spiraling string of events thrusts Michael into a life-or-death fight to save a tortured soul and hunt down a brutal killer...one who lurks closer than he ever imagined. 

Greed knows no boundaries.

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Genre – Suspense, Thriller

Rating – R

More details about the author

Connect with John W. Mefford on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.johnwmefford.com

7 Questions with #Author Margaret Westlie @MargaretWestlie #Historical #Mystery

1. Tell us a bit about your family.

My family are direct descendents from a group of settlers brought over to Prince Edward Island, Canada, from the Isle of Skye in Scotland in 1803.  The earl was not like so many others who were given land grants here on the Island.  He had the foresight to settle the families within a mile or so of each other so that they would always have help in time of need.  The group was still mostly intact for almost two hundred years and the descendents now are numerous.  We are known as the Selkirk Settlers or the Belfast Settlers.  The origin of the word Belfast was from the French who lived in our area prior to our arrival.  It was formerly known as Belle Face.  We were mostly farmers who believed in education even for the women and some of the children of the first settlers became school teachers, preachers, and doctors.  My first novel in the Selkirk Stories series, Mattie's Story, talks about this first settlement as a story told to Mattie by her grandfather.  They were firmly rooted in Presbyterianism and their lives were lived in obedience to their faith.

My immediate family consists of my husband, me, a sister and a brother and a whole raft of cousins, first, second, and the once removed, and a few ageing aunts and uncles.  I have two cats, Molly and Lucy, named after the first novel I ever wrote, Shades of Molly.

2. Have you always enjoyed writing?

Yes.  From the time I was required to write short stories in fourth grade and essays in junior high I have felt that I was in a special place.  However, I was never given the encouragement to write until I had completed my career as a nurse and was studying music toward a degree.  One of the requirements was that I had to complete two “writing” courses where I would be judged on my writing skills.  I had always wanted to try my hand at creative writing and discovered that I was a better writer than I was a musician.  I switched majors, made up the English credits that my Nursing degree lacked, and then went to The University of Missouri in Kansas City for a Masters' degree in English with a professional writing emphasis.  I've been writing ever since.

3. What motivates you to write?

My characters talk to me and won't leave me alone until I tell their story.  It's really kind of fun and I'm never lonely.  Someone will tell me a story  about the ancestors or their neighbours, and my mind takes off. I think what if the person had done this instead of what they did, and away I go.  My characters come to me and tell me what they did and what they were thinking in their fictional world.  They talk to one another and to me.  Of course, the stories I write will only have one germ of truth in them, the rest is all imagination.

4. What writing are you most proud of?

I love all of my stories.  I don't know if I can choose one to be more proud of than another.  I think if I were forced to choose it would have to be the Selkirk Stories series, which includes Anna's Secret.  However, there is also the Haunted PEI series that are a lot of fun too.  In fact, Shades of Molly, the first novel in that series, came about right after the creative writing class I took as an undergrad.  If my husband's computer had not been switched on that first day I would not be a writer today.  I was computer illiterate and couldn't type very well.

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

I think I would have to say that I am most proud of my mind.  It is the basis of everything I think say and do.  It is very inquisitive and goes lickety-split.  I can't possibly talk as fast as my mind works and very few people can follow where I go.  When I was nursing I was doing in-service education, and another nurse and I were meeting on the choice of topics to present.  However we got onto it I don't remember exactly, but I got us from fire safety education and fire drills to outer space by free association.  Needless to say the other nurse could hardly believe that we'd taken that whirlwind tour of the cosmos all because of fire drills.

6. What books did you love growing up?

I loved the Anne of Green Gables stories and ultimately read every one several times.  I liked J. M. Barrie's Little Minister, and Maggie Muggins.  There were others of this nature.  I also liked the Cherry Ames series (nurse) and the Nancy Drew series.  My father encouraged reading and education and he always read to me when I was tiny and read poetry to me when I was older.

7. What do you hope your obituary will say about you?

That I was joyful.  I don't know what else to say.  Of course, I am many other things like warm and kind but those traits are kind of cliche to say out loud.   I'm gentle and mostly non-judgemental although if you look at judgement as discernment that opens up a whole other discussion.  I am discerning.  I've thought off and on that I should write my obituary just for the exercise of it.  It seems a little extreme but it could be very revealing.  The other side is that what I would write now and what I would write in ten years time could very well be something entirely different.

Anna Gillis, the midwife and neighbour in Mattie's Story, has been found killed. The close-knit community is deeply shaken by this eruption of violence, and neighbours come together to help one another and to discover the perpetrator. But the answer lies Anna's secret, long guarded by Old Annie, the last of the original Selkirk Settlers, and the protagonist of An Irregular Marriage. Join the community! Read Anna's Secret and other novels by Margaret A. Westlie.

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – Fiction, mystery, historical

Rating – G

More details about the author

 Connect with Margaret Westlie on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.margaretwestlie.com

#AmReading - Copyright A Novel by Lori Lesko @LeskoLori - #Thriller #GoodReads

Amber Tyler is living every author’s dream: her books are all best sellers and she writes full time. She has worked hard and is well-accomplished in her career, and she has the support and love of her beautiful children and girlfriend. 

But the dream soon turns into a terrible nightmare when her latest manuscript is stolen. She decides to fight for what is rightfully hers, only to find that the harder she tries, the easier it all slips through her fingers, putting her career, her family, and her life in jeopardy.

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Genre – Thriller

Rating – PG-13

More details about the author

Connect with Lori Lesko on Facebook & Twitter

Querying Publishers? @GayleTrent Says Don't Make These Mistakes #WriteTip #AmWriting

1)      Don’t study your markets.

You wouldn’t choose a babysitter you know nothing about. You wouldn’t choose a bank that was housed in a tent on the side of the road. Why would you throw your manuscript to every publisher you can find without first knowing that publisher’s reputation, contract terms, and specialty?

2)      Once you know your markets, ignore the rules.

Go ahead and submit your horror novel to Harlequin. There’s no romantic subplot at all, but, hey, they need to learn to branch out, right? Your book is so good that it transcends things like genre.

3)      Begin your query letter with, “I know this isn’t the type of stuff you usually publish, but—“

When I was acquiring manuscripts for a small press, I actually got a query letter that began with those very words. When, out of the goodness of my heart, I wrote the writer a very nice letter explaining why he should only submit his manuscripts to editors whose houses do publish the type of work he was trying to sell, he wrote me a scathing reply. Even if he’d later written something that we’d have loved, I wouldn’t have considered it because he’d burned his bridge.

4)      Burn bridges.

Only be nice to important people, because no one will ever get promoted or demoted in this business. Besides, it takes so much effort to be nice! When someone gives you helpful advice, throw it back in their faces, especially editors. How dare they criticize an expert like you? They’re not really trying to help you make your manuscript better anyway; they just like being mean.

5)      Follow up…every few hours.

What parent hasn’t ridden in a car with a child and delighted in hearing Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Editors feel an affectionate glee for writers who constantly ask, “Did you get my manuscript? Have you had time to look it over yet? Do you like it? Are you considering it for publication?” Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? If said editor finally does get back to you with suggested revisions, see Number 4.

Embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer is about to have the rug pulled out from under her....

Marcy can’t wait to see the new exhibit at the Tallulah Falls museum on antique tapestries and textiles, including beautiful kilim rugs. But her enthusiasm quickly turns to terror when, the day after the exhibition opens, she discovers a dead body behind her store, the Seven-Year Stitch, wrapped up in a most unusual fashion.

The victim appears to be a visiting art professor in town for the exhibit. Did someone decide to teach the professor a lesson, then attempt to sweep the evidence under the rug? Along with her boyfriend, Detective Ted Nash, Marcy must unravel an intricate tapestry of deception to find a desperate killer.

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Genre – Cozy Mystery

Rating – PG

More details about the author

Connect with Amanda Lee on Facebook

Website http://www.gayletrent.com

The Reality Master Vol 1 by @PMPillon #SciFi #Fantasy #YA

ARRIVAL

On a cool and clear night, a sheer and towering cliff awaited its approaching moment to become the temporary abode of a celestial interloper. It stood stoic, unimpressed by the clamorous sea imperiously fulminating with an incessant barrage of waves against its base. A stone’s throw away was the exit point of an effluent stream, a capillary of the fecund land mass it flowed through. With the aid of a clear sky and a full moon, a distant horizon was visible in every direction; ocean filling the entire sight in one, verdant and untrammeled panoplies of mountain forest in another. A hundred miles of this California Big Sur coast and its regions to the east were in virtually pristine condition, more than two hundred thousand acres with relatively few human inhabitants.
 
Inland, the luminescence of moon and stars bestowed an unfettered. evergreen view of redwoods, maples, pines, firs and oaks. Flying about the natural paradise were raucous jays, crows, magpies and woodpeckers. Invisible in the shimmering light, a sonorous ocean air swept in from the west, rustling the trees; a natural refrain emanating from their dancing, undulating branches and leaves, increasing and decreasing in compliance with the invading force. The wind’s voice eerily equivocated, fluctuating back and forth from a bare whisper to an angry, frightening ululation of dominant abandon; now gradually quieting, at last dying, only to be reborn and assiduously grow unto a mature and bellowing rage. Animals added their sounds to the holistic cacophony: a bark, a howl, a burst through bushes, crackling twigs and branches stepped on or dragged. The stars were in full bloom, complimenting the moon to illuminate the peaks, the canyons, and all within.
 
One of the star lights was moving, and as it came nearer the earth, it grew in size until was clear that it was not a star but a far smaller, soaring, perhaps piloted, object. As it came into the atmosphere, it developed color – an orange tint. A few hundred feet from the ground, it stopped and remained in place for more than an hour. Finally, a smaller light emerged from it, and the larger light rose again until it disappeared. The new light was purposeful, changing directions as it descended. It floated down and meandered among the trees as though surveying the scenery, until eventually it traveled westward, following a gushing stream to its merger with the ocean. Hovering above the beach, the light hesitated, then floated into a crack on a shrubbery-laden boulder that was lodged partway up the cliff next to the stream, as though perching there for a view of magnificent sunsets. The object continued to glow for some minutes, its light gradually diminishing and finally extinguishing completely. Someone who saw it at close range would describe it as small and round, and maybe add that it looked for all the world to be nothing more than an ordinary stone.

His celestial companion was waiting for him

Precariously climbing a sea-side cliff near Big Sur, ten-year-old Joey Blake was as yet unaware that near his grasp was an object, so odd, mysterious and alien to earth that it would change his life forever and the lives of countless others in the next few astonishing days. Reaching up as far as he could for a handhold it was just there; it had subconsciously lured him, occupied his mind, and made him find it. It was like he was meant to see and discover this object of unimaginable power ... the power to change reality.

Time travel and more

This young adult series of sci-fi fantasy novels begins with The Reality Master and continues through four other exciting and amazing stories about time travel and mysterious alien devices. Joey and the reader will face dangerous shadowy criminal organizations, agents of the NSA, bizarre travelers from other times and even renegade California bikers and scar-faced walking dead.

- Vol 1 The Reality Master
- Vol 2 Threat To The World
- Vol 3 Travel Beyond
- Vol 4 Missions Through Time
- Vol 5 The Return Home

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Genre – Science fiction, Fantasy, Young adult

Rating – G

More details about the author

Connect with PM Pillon on Facebook & Twitter

7 Questions with #Author Sprague Theobald @TheobaldSprague #Memoir #Family #EmmyAward

How do you work through self-doubts and fear?

QUIET TIME. I'VE ALWAYS FELT, EVEN AS A KID, THAT FOR THE MOST PART WE HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS THAT WE NEED BUT WE JUST DON'T KNOW IT OR HAVE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THEM INTO WORDS. I DISCOVERED 'QUIET TIME' (NOT PUNITIVE QUIET TIME!) WHEN I WAS ABOUT TEN FOR THAT IS WHEN I TRY TO LISTEN TO WHAT IS GOING ON DEEP INSIDE OF ME, AWAY FROM THE NAGGING NEGATIVE VOICES AND SELF DOUBT. THE ANSWER MIGHT BE AS SIMPLE AS FINDING A SMILE WITHIN, BUT THAT SMILE HAS GOTTEN ME THROUGH THICK AND THIN FOR THAT SMILE IS ME APPROVING OF ME!!

What scares you the most?

FAILURE TO REACH MY POTENTIAL REGARDLESS THE ARENA. WHETHER IT'S BEING WITH MY KIDS, LEARNING SOMETHING NEW OR FACING A DAUNTING TASK. MANY TIMES IN FACE OF FEAR I MIGHT BACK AWAY AS I'M AFRAID OF A NEGATIVE OUTCOME, BUT IF I SUMMON UP MY INNER STRENGTH, TRY NOT TO LISTEN TO THE FALSE FEARS AND GIVE THE SITUATION ALL THAT I HAVE, I STAND MY BEST CHANCE AT REACHING MY POTENTIAL. IT'S ONLY IN HINDSIGHT THAT I CAN SEE I DIDN'T REGARD MY POTENTIAL AND THAT'S USUALLY WHEN I'M THE HARDEST ON MYSELF.

What makes you happiest?

A HAPPY OUTCOME, A BABIES' LAUGHTER, BEING AT PEACE WITH MYSELF AND NATURE AT HER FULLEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL.

What’s your greatest character strength?

THAT'S A HARD ONE… PERHAPS MY BUILT IN BLINDERS TO OBSTACLES AND THE WILLINGNESS TO TRY AND PERSEVERE REGARDLESS THE ODDS. OPTIMISM.

What’s your weakest character trait?

I CAN BE VERY, VERY HARD ON MYSELF.

Why do you write?

I HAVE NO IDEA! PERHAPS IT'S TO GIVE VOICE TO ALL THOSE SCENARIOS AND IDEAS INSIDE OF ME. WRITING ALSO TAKES ME TO A PLACE NOTHING ELSE CAN. I LOVE THE FEELING OF SITTING DOWN TO WRITE FRO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS AN HOUR WHEN IT WAS ACTUALLY FOUR!

Have you always enjoyed writing?

ALWAYS!  PERHAPS NOT SO MUCH WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL AND THE RED PENS RAN RAMPANT ACROSS MY PAGE, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, ALWAYS!

( TO WATCH THE OFFICIAL HD TEASER FOR "The Other Side of The Ice" [book and documentary] PLEASE GO TO: VIMEO.COM/45526226) 

A sailor and his family's harrowing and inspiring story of their attempt to sail the treacherous Northwest Passage.

Sprague Theobald, an award-winning documentary filmmaker and expert sailor with over 40,000 offshore miles under his belt, always considered the Northwest Passage--the sea route connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific--the ultimate uncharted territory. Since Roald Amundsen completed the first successful crossing of the fabled Northwest Passage in 1906, only twenty-four pleasure craft have followed in his wake. Many more people have gone into space than have traversed the Passage, and a staggering number have died trying. From his home port of Newport, Rhode Island, through the Passage and around Alaska to Seattle, it would be an 8,500-mile trek filled with constant danger from ice, polar bears, and severe weather.

What Theobald couldn't have known was just how life-changing his journey through the Passage would be. Reuniting his children and stepchildren after a bad divorce more than fifteen years earlier, the family embarks with unanswered questions, untold hurts, and unspoken mistrusts hanging over their heads. Unrelenting cold, hungry polar bears, and a haunting landscape littered with sobering artifacts from the tragic Franklin Expedition of 1845, as well as personality clashes that threaten to tear the crew apart, make The Other Side of the Ice a harrowing story of survival, adventure, and, ultimately, redemption.

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Genre – Memoir, adventure, family, climate

Rating – PG

More details about the author

 Connect with Sprague Theobald on Facebook & Twitter

Website www.spraguetheobald.com

#BookReview - The Barber's Conundrum by John Hartnett @johnjhartnett #Humor #ReviewShare

The Barber's Conundrum and Other Stories: Observations on Life from the Cheap Seats by John Hartnett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Honestly, the first time I read this book, I wasn't too fond of it. Many of us at the book club had a problem with the "talking down" style the author had throughout the book. Having worked in the service industry for more than 20 years, the excerpts on customer service were a bit too close to home. Some were laughable but some were the epitome of what we in the service industry would call a bad day. Plus Chapter 10 didn't make sense. These are of course my personal opinions and others may feel differently. Having had the chance to read it through again, I'm going to focus solely on the positives.

Is this book funny? For married couples with an open mind, you will find this book hilarious and all things you have been through before. Long school holidays with all the munchkins home is captured perfectly and no matter the outings planned, all kids home for the entire long holiday is disaster on a parent's nerves. Does this book have a purpose for the reader? Entertainment and only entertainment. Lots of laughs, of course. If you are a younger reader, you may walk away with a life lesson or two. Overall, it can be a fun read if not taken seriously. I would like to stress that culturally humor contained in this book matters as well. While some things like Ben Kingsley and all things British sometimes felt (I am stressing on felt) a bit out of place for me, I know many readers who will appreciate it.

Would I recommend this read? I would recommend it if you are looking for a quick, funny read without having to think too much.

Overall assessment:
Content: 4/5
Editing: 3.5/5
Formatting: 3.5/5
Pacing: 3/5
Offensive content?: Based on language and settings, I would recommend this book to anyone who is 13 years and older.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author. I did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was I obliged to write a positive one.

View all my reviews

#BookReview - Shelf Life (The Publicist #2) by @publicistgal #Romance #ReviewShare

Shelf Life by Christina George
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I hadn't read Book 1 when we started discussing the Publicist #2. Did it still flow? It did but there were some unanswered questions about Kate's job and personality so we went back and read the first book. Kate is a strong heroine in a world that ready to fall over any minute.

Does she stand up for herself or run and hide? The push and pull relationship she had with Mac was a lot like the one High Grant had with Bridgette in Bridgette Jones Diary. You know he's absolutely wrong for her and yet he walks in and you think, just maybe.

I liked the multiple POVs although I did feel Kate to be sometimes cold. Then again after years of working in a cut-throat industry, who won't be a little cold. The scene when Mac leaves was especially revealing about Kate's true emotions because it is at that moment you know she is ready to break down and when she does, you can't help but sniffle too.

Would I recommend this read? Yes. Christina George has pieced together a story that is well-written and captures the reader's heart.

Overall assessment:
Content: 4/5
Editing: 4/5
Formatting: 4/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Offensive content?: Based on language, settings and some hotness, I would recommend this book to adult readers only.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author. I did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was I obliged to write a positive one.

View all my reviews

#GoodReads #Giveaway for Broken Pieces by Rachel Thompson @RachelintheOC #NonFiction

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Broken Pieces

by Rachel Thompson

Giveaway ends June 30, 2014. See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

Title: Broken Pieces  

Genre/Keywords: Non-fiction  

Length: 113 pages  

Extras: Free Sample * Authorgraph 

Publisher: ebook: Rachel Thompson * print: Booktrope Editions  

Release date: ebook: December 19, 2012 * print: December 12, 2013  

ebook ISBN: 9780578117836  

ASIN: B00AR0T74S  

Purchase: Amazon * Barnes & Noble  

Book Summary: Broken Pieces is an award winning book about relationships, a study of women, and a book with heart. Vastly different in tone from her previous essay collections A Walk In The Snark and The Mancode: Exposed, Broken Pieces is a collection of pieces inspired by life: love, loss, abuse, trust, grief, and ultimately, love again. While still non-fiction, best-selling Broken Pieces is not humor at all. In Thompson's most intensive work to date, she opens her soul and invites the reader in for a visit. Thompson goes into those long buried rooms we lock up deep inside and shares a bit of her soul. Broken Pieces is vulnerable, raw honesty, and no-holds barred.  

AWARDS

• 2013 eBook Cover Design Award Gold Star Winner
• 2013 San Francisco Book Festival Honorable Mention
• 2013 Global eBook Award Women Studies Non-Fiction Gold Medal Winner
• 2013 eFestival of Words Best Non-Fiction (General) Winner and Best Literary Fiction Runner Up
• 2013 Orangeberry Hall of Fame Best Non-Fiction Winner and Best Cover Art Winner

     

PRAISE FOR BROKEN PIECES:

"This is a book about rising above; about becoming more than you can possibly believe you ever will be at those terribly low points of your life. It is about surviving, thriving and living and I recommend it more than any other book I have read." ~Tracy Riva, Midwest Book Review, Amazon Hall of Fame reviewer

"The book is written as a series of fragmentary essays. Thompson is a wonderful stylist, and the whole book is written in a very lyrical and poignant prose. This is not a book for leisure reading, but a powerful testament to the resilience and the indomitable nature of human spirit." ~Dr. Bojan Tunguz, Amazon Hall of Fame reviewer

"So ridiculously amazing, I can't take it" ~Gabe Berman, author "Live Like A Fruit Fly"

"Engrossed. It is a grippingly brilliant work" ~Frank Feather, author and blogger

"Any woman who has had a former lover (or two or three) will be able to relate to this. Her writing is very poetic" ~LS Hullinger, reader, writer

"A brilliant and intense must read" ~Jeffery Rowan, reader

7 Questions with #Author Jenny Hayworth @JennyHayworth1 #Memoir #Cult

1. Where do you live?

I currently live in Queensland, Australia.  I was born in England, and emigrated when aged 2 years old to Australia under £10 scheme with my parents.  At the age of 9 years my family moved to New Zealand to live.  When I was aged 34 years I relocated with my husband and children back to Australia to live.  My youngest son was born in Australia.  I hope to move to a cooler part of Australia to live within the next two years, on a larger block of land, as my husband and I wish to live a more self sustaining lifestyle.

2. Why do you write? What motivates you?

When I was at primary school my teacher in Grade 4 wrote on my report card that I "was gifted at writing" and should be encouraged. He also said that modesty was not a virtue if it meant I was self depreciating.  I never really understood what he meant until just recently.  I never saw myself as a "writer" but I had never stopped writing since school days but it was all in journals and diaries for my own records and often on scrap bits of paper that I ended up throwing away.  My writing sustained me for years as a way of putting thoughts and feelings on paper that I could not express outwardly or that I could only experience inside of me in my fantasy world.  Writing made more real what I had kept hidden inside of me when I first started to actively write down memories that I had not told anyone about and I was actively trying to heal myself emotionally.  Now I have completed my memoir I have an urge to write down real stories about real people who may feel they cannot write down their experiences themselves but have an important story to tell.

3. What do you write about?

At this point in time it has taken me 6 years to complete my memoir and I am not actively engaged in writing another book at present.  However, I am occasionally writing articles for my husband, who runs a website dealing with topical web based issues, as well as local projects I am involved in with the local writing club I belong to.  Our town was recently flooded and our group is editing stories that local people contributed about how the trauma of the recent flood affected them.  The goal is to release the stories in book form midyear and this will be available for purchase for local community with proceeds to give ongoing help to flood victims.   I have ideas for books I wish to write in future but I have confidence that when I am ready to launch into my next book that the idea will "find me".

4. Do you have a specific writing style?

I just start writing.  I do not worry about beginning, middle or end.  If I have an idea or concept then I just free write until I can write no more.  Later on, I will edit and change things around. I will focus on paragraphing and grammar and spelling and "introductory sentences" and conclusions etc.  I find if I try and think about all these things at the time of writing it interrupts the creative flow and "boxes me" into a particular line of thought and doesn't allow for free flow of ideas.  I cut out a lot during editing as I focus on the "theme" or main idea I am trying to get across but this does not worry me as I usually have plenty of material to "cut down" and work with.  Sometimes I found during writing my memoir that I would wake in the middle of the night after writing a particular section of work and the sentence or idea I needed would be in my head and I would have to get up and write it down.  I keep a notepad next to my bed for these moments, so I can go back to sleep, and not lose the thoughts, and these are often the most powerful sentences and chapters I end up writing.

5. What are obstacles that come in the way of writing?

The main obstacle is my paid work.  I am meant to work 9-5pm but often find myself starting earlier or finishing late.  I get very tired as I work at a demanding job and often feel frustrated that I am too tired to think properly after work.  When I was writing my memoir, I would often fall asleep when I got home from work to wake up about 11pm and then I would write for an hour or two before going back to bed.  Also, family commitments and friendships can get in the way of writing especially if I have set deadlines for myself.  I find when I am actively writing I had to become quite selfish as otherwise I would never have completed the goal I set for myself.  I also found that when writing my memoir, my writing would evoke emotions over past events I had recalled and for a few days I would find myself bursting into tears or very "distracted" with recall and memories that would arise that I had not thought about for a long time.  This evoking of emotion would be a distraction for me as I did not produce as much material at times due to allowing myself time to experience these emotions, and needing extra sleep or rest. I found long walks helpful for sorting out thoughts and feelings and often ideas for rearranging chapters or what I wanted to write about would become clearer during these walks.  I love my family and friends so please do not think I neglect them all the time, but I felt it important to say that I had to severely curtail my time at times with them otherwise I would never have been able to write.  All my children fortunately were adults except for one nearly grown up son who is 15 years old and so I was able to be selfish without harm to them.  But I did lock myself away with threats of "dire consequences" if I was interrupted during the times I was trying to complete my memoir.

6. What is the most memorable thing said/asked by a reader about your work?

I am only newly published (15 January 2014) and so I only have a few reviews written so far on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads.  The first time someone wrote a review after downloading my eBook and stated: "I couldn't put the book down, moved me from the first page" I wanted to cry.  I just wanted to provide hope and encouragement for those who had experienced similar situations in life, and enlightenment for others who had no experience of such things but might know someone who had so they could be empathetic and understand a bit more deeply.  If only one person is helped or feels supported then I am happy.

7. What would you say is your interesting writing "quirk?"

I think the fact that sometimes I dream up scenarios and then write them down and then go straight back to sleep.  One time we had a workshop coming up where we had been encouraged to present a 5 minute talk on anything we wished in relation to our work in front of our colleagues.  I dreamt about this and came up with 3 scenarios (all acted out in my dream) of exactly what I wished to say.  When I woke up I wrote them all down, including the "one liners" that concluded or began the 3 scenes and I was so happy as they were perfect for what we had to do.   I believe other writers have this occur but it is something that ones may feel is "quirky".

***Award winning book (finalist) in 2014 Beverley Hills International Book Awards***

Jenny Hayworth grew up within the construct of the Jehovah's Witnesses, which she describes as a fundamentalist cult-like religion. She devoted her life to it for over thirty years. Then she left it. The church "unfellowshipped" her-rendering her dead to those family and friends still committed to the church.Hayworth is a sexual abuse survivor. The trauma changed her self-perception, emotional development, trust, and every interaction with the world.

 Inside/Outside is her exploration of sexual abuse, religious fundamentalism, and recovery. Her childhood circumstances and tragedies forced her to live "inside." This memoir chronicles her journey from experiencing comfort and emotional satisfaction only within her fantasy world to developing the ability to feel and express real life emotion on the "outside."

It is a story that begins with tragic multigenerational abuse, within an oppressive society, and ends with hope and rebirth into a life where she experiences real connections and satisfaction with the outside world.

Those who have ever felt trapped by trauma or circumstances will find Inside/Outside a dramatic reassurance that they are not alone in the world, and they have the ability to have a fulfilling life, both inside and out.

Foreward Clarion Review - "What keeps the pages of Hayworth's life story turning is her honesty, tenacity, and sheer will to survive through an astounding number of setbacks. Inside/Outside proves the resilience of the human spirit and shows that the cycle of abuse can indeed be broken"

Kirkus Review - "A harrowing memoir of one woman's struggle to cope with sexual abuse and depression while living in - and eventually leaving - the Jehovah's Witnesses"

Readers Favourite 5 Star Review - "The book is an inspiring story for those who are going through traumatic times..."

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Genre – Memoir

Rating – PG-13

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