Friday, March 28, 2014

Interview with Hayley Rose, author of children's picture book 'The Do's and Don'ts'

Multi-award-winning author Hayley Rose released her first children’s book, Fifo When I Grow Up, about a six-year-old bear starting school in 2002, followed by the wildly popular geography book and #1 best-seller, Fifo 50 States, published in 2010. In 2012, Hayley was selected as one of “The Top 50 Writers You Should Be Reading” by AuthorsShow.com. In 2013, she branched out with a new series featuring a new set of characters, Zach and Chloe the Louis the manner monster. Her new book, The Do’s and Don’ts, was released in September 2013 and has already garnered four literary awards, including the Readers’ Favorite, USA Best Books and the prestigious Mom’s Choice Awards, bringing her career total to twenty-one. The follow up book in the new series, Today I Feel Emotion, will be released in the spring of 2014.

Hayley Lives in Scottsdale, AZ, with her dog Blanche.

Visit her website at www.booksbyhayleyrose.com.

About the Book:

The Do’s and Don’ts is a whimsical lesson book aimed at teaching young readers the difference between good and bad behavior/etiquette. In the book Zack and Chloe go from being manner monsters to well-behaved children as they provide samples of typical scenarios that not only young children encounter but can relate to. For example, Zack becomes a Manner Monster when he loses a game, kicking and pouting like a poor sport. In contract, good behavior is then modeled depicting Zack congratulating the winning team. Unlike other etiquette books for children that tell a story or just communicate positive behavior, The Do’s and Don’ts compares and contrasts between good and bad behavior. Simply, yet colorfully displayed, are examples of inappropriate behavior and decisions young children may display followed by behavior and decisions that are more socially accepted. Each compare and contrast anecdote is set in the same scene so that young readers can instantly see the differences between good and poor behavior.


Interview:

Why did you write your book?


I was inspired to write The Do's and Don'ts after spending time with my goddaughter and godson.    This book is my way of teaching them how to be thoughtful, respectful and considerate of others round them.  The Do’s and Don’ts is packed full of lessons like don’t cut in lines or interrupt others while they are talking, to don’t be a bad sport if you don’t win the game or talk with your mouth full of food.  I have also included lessons on how to stay safe, like don’t open the door to strangers and be sure to look both ways before crossing a street.  Good manners help to better relationships with those around you.

Which holiday is your favorite and why?


Christmas.  To me, it’s all about family and friends, food and fun.  It’s a very charitable time of year and I love that. 

If we were to meet for lunch to talk books, where would we go?


I have a coffee addiction.  There, I said it.  There is a fabulous place in Scottsdale, Arizona called The Village Coffee Roastery, where the coffee is freshly roasterd and the food is flavorful!  We could sit all day long drinking vanilla breves and discussing books.  A little bit of heaven really.

What do you like to do for fun?


I love to travel.  Whether it’s a day trip to Sedona or a week in Karlovy Vary, I love to explore new places.

What do you like the most about being an author?
 

The most rewarding part of being an author is when your readers tell you how much they love your work, and how it’s inspired them to learn about something new. Knowing that what you’ve written has a positive impact on someone, and that you’ve made a difference is an incredible reward.

What kind of advice would you give other fiction authors?


That’s a hard question for me as I write non-fiction picture books.  However, I would say write what makes you happy, believe in yourself and join a critique group.  Also, attend conferences.  The more educated you are about your craft the better prepared you will be for whatever may come your way.   




Interview with David Burnsworth, author of 'Southern Heat'



David Burnsworth became fascinated with the Deep South at a young age. After a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and fifteen years in the corporate world, he made the decision to write a novel. Southern Heat is his first mystery. Having lived in Charleston on Sullivan’s Island for five years, the setting was a foregone conclusion. He and his wife along with their dog call South Carolina home.
His latest book is the southern noir/mystery, Southern Heat.

Visit his website at www.davidburnsworthbooks.com.



Gunshots echo down an antebellum Charleston alley. Brack Pelton, an ex-racecar driver and Afghanistan War veteran, witnesses the murder of his uncle, Reggie Sails. Darcy Wells, the pretty Palmetto Pulse reporter, investigates Reggie's murder and targets Brack.

The sole heir of his uncle's estate, Brack receives a rundown bar called the Pirate's Cove, a rotting beach house, and one hundred acres of preserved and valuable wetland along the Ashley River. A member of Charleston's wealthiest and oldest families offers Brack four million dollars for the land. All Brack wants is his uncle's killer.

From the sandy beaches of Isle of Palms, through the nineteenth-century mansions lining the historic Battery, to the marshlands surrounding the county, Southern Heat is drenched in the humidity of the lowcountry.

Purchase your copy at AMAZON



Can you tell us what your book is about?
Sure. An emotionally wounded Afghanistan War veteran and ex-racecar driver investigates the murder of his uncle, his only real family.  Set in modern day Charleston, S.C. and its surrounding islands, Southern Heat takes in the mixed culture of the lowcountry.

Why did you write your book?
This question is a good one.  I guess I wrote down what came out.  It didn’t start out the way it ended up, but I’m very happy with the cast of characters and the setting.
 

Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?
Brack Pelton, the protagonist, wears his heart on his sleeve.  His wife died of cancer six months after she was diagnosed and his way of coping was to retire from racing and sign up for the Marines and be shipped off to Afghanistan.  Not only didn’t he die, which he half expected to, but his decision led him to do a lot of things he regretted, the memories of which he has to live with.

Darcy Wells is the pretty reporter who is charged with finding the story behind the murder of Brack’s uncle.  She has a resemblance to Brack’s late wife in her blue-green eyes and blond curls and is a member of one of Charleston’s wealthiest families.  She uses her wealth, her wiles, and her drive to get the story.

Patricia Voyels is the owner of the newspaper and news network.  She sent Darcy to take on the story.  She also happens to the ex-wife of Brack’s uncle.
Brother Thomas Brown pastors the Church of Redemption in the projects of Charleston.  He become’s Brack’s moral compass when he’s willing to listen.
Altogether, they help Brack find the killer, and the real reason his uncle had to die.

Are you consciously aware of the plot before you begin a novel or do you discover it as you write?
For Southern Heat, it was a journey of discovery.  Because it was my first book, I spent a lot of time on the characters and they framed the story for me.

Your book is set in Charleston, S.C.  Can you tell us why you chose this city in particular?
I lived there on Sullivan’s Island for five years.  There is no city on earth like it and it is a part of my life that I will treasure forever.  Getting the chance to put it on paper was just a bonus.

Is it hard to get a mystery published?
I’m not sure I can answer the question.  For me, it was a lifestyle change to decide to write and follow through with it.  I started with minimal writing skills because my background is in engineering and spent the first two years finding my voice.  Once I had that, then I spent another couple learning the craft, which I’m still learning.  I believe the trick to getting published is to make sure you are at the right place and at the right time, both for yourself and your work.

Have you suffered from writer’s block and what do you do to get back on track?
If I’m having trouble with a scene, I mark it and move on.  Sometimes this ends up burning me because the next scene I jump to may or may not be the right one once I flesh out the one I skipped.  But for me, the secret is to always be writing or editing.  Even if it is total crap.  I once wrote a hundred pages, only to use two.  But those two pages helped me finish.

What would you do with an extra hour today if you could do anything you wanted?
I’d spend it with my wife.  We both work a lot.

Which holiday is your favorite and why?
Christmas, because I’m reminded how blessed I am and from whom.

If we were to meet for lunch to talk books, where would we go?
A place with a nice view.  My wife got me in the habit of enjoying my surroundings.  I like being close to bodies of water.

What do you like to do for fun?
My addiction is magazines about automobiles.  I get like twelve a month and struggle finding time to read them all.  With my wife, we like to travel and vacation which is not nearly frequent enough.

What kind of advice would you give other fiction authors?
If you want to publish, learn the business because it is a business.  I’m a novice, but I’m learning every day.  If you just want to write because it makes you happy and don’t care if it ever gets printed, then by all means write.  Writing and publishing are not mutually exclusive, but they are different entities.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Still Life with Strings Release Day Blitz!


 Today is release day for L.H. Cosway's new contemporary romance, Still Life With Strings!


Title: Still Life with Strings 
Author: L.H. Cosway 
Publisher: L.H. Cosway  
Pages: 350  
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: March 24 2014

Book Summary: 


My name is Jade Lennon and I stand still for money.

The night I saw Shane Arthur watching me everything changed. A man in a suit always catches my eye, but it was the way he looked at me that was different. Like he knew me or something. He didn’t know me, especially not in my costume. My sobriety rests on staying away from men, but there was something about him that made me throw caution to the wind.

After all, I was never going to see him again, right?

Wrong.

Standing still isn’t the only way I make my money. I also bartend at a concert hall. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Shane was going to show up there. Not only that, but he’s the most recent addition to the orchestra. So now on a daily basis I have to resist one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever met and he plays the violin. For me that’s one hell of a deadly cocktail.

He wants me to teach him how to live. I’m not sure how much a twenty-six year old recovering alcoholic who works in a bar and moonlights as a living statue can teach a world class concert violinist, but I’m sure going to try.

Still Life with Strings is a story of music, art, sex, magical realism, and romance that you will never forget.
 
PURCHASE LINKS:


Excerpt:
They call me the Blue Lady.
The more poetic would say a dark angel, or an unexpected, fantastical surprise standing upon the mundane street. I wear a long midnight blue dress, a matching wig, white paint on my hands and face, and glorious, feathery blue wings affixed to my back.
I feel like a gap in reality, a moment where people can pause mid-stride and say in a breathy, wonder-filled voice, wow, look at that. For the more cynical, wow, look at that nutjob.
Perhaps for a moment someone will think that they’ve stepped into a world where normal is not the rule anymore, that the extraordinary is. That my wings aren’t false but real, that my skin is really this white, my hair really this blue.
Unfortunately, none of it is real.
But it’s nice, isn’t it, for a brief moment to imagine that it is?
In reality I’m a twenty-six-year-old woman with a stack of bills I’m struggling to pay and two younger siblings who are reliant on me to keep a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, and food in their bellies.
I do this living statue act whenever I have the free time. It gives me an artistic outlet, while also making me some much-needed cash on the side. Admittedly, I don’t normally do it at one o’clock in the morning in the middle of Grafton Street, but it’s a Saturday. That means there’ll be lots of tourists. More to the point, lots of drunk tourists with loose pockets and even looser inhibitions about who they hand over their cash to – such as women who stand very still while dressed like a Manga fairy.
I stare directly ahead, unblinking, controlling my breathing using a qigong method, just as I hear the recognisable loutish shouting and laughter of a stag party up ahead. When they come into my line of sight, I see that they’re all wearing black T-shirts with their nicknames written across the back and Jack’s Stag Weekend across the front.
No shit.
I am an island, an inanimate object among the to and fro of humanity. I brace myself for the possibility that the stag party is going to be trouble. Moments later, one guy stands in front of me, waving his hand in my face and trying to get me to blink. How original.
Sometimes I feel like those guards who stand outside Buckingham Palace. And like those long-suffering buggers, I have also perfected the art of remaining still and giving no reaction at all.
“Are you blue all over?” he slurs with a drunken sideways grin.
As a street performer, you have to take the rough with the smooth. When you put yourself out there, you’re going to encounter every facet of society: the good, the bad, and the drunk off their arses. Kids are the best. They haven’t yet lost the sense of wonder that makes them stare up at you and truly believe you’re some sort of blue-fairy-bird-woman-thing.
“That’s a real nice rack,” says another of the stag partiers.
Yeah, you try carrying it around all day and dealing with the back problems, and then tell me how nice it is, I think. Soon they lose interest and continue on their way. A half an hour passes, and several more pedestrians throw some coins into my hat.
The moon is full tonight, a round white orb perched amid the stars. I want to go up there and see what everything looks like from on high. I flutter my wings and prepare for flight, flapping them through the air and then leaping into the sky. My ascent is an easy one. I pluck a star out of the blackness and stick it in my blue hair as an adornment. When I reach the moon, I find a comfortable spot and sit. Leaning my chin on my hand, I gaze back down at the street. The people look like tiny black ants, the buildings like less brightly coloured blocks of Lego.
I blink, and I’m back on my box, back on the street. I was never really on the moon. My wings are a pretty accessory, but they’re useless for flying. Sometimes I can imagine things so hard that I feel like they’re really happening.
About the Author:
L.H. Cosway
L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books. 


Her latest book is the contemporary romance, Still Life with Strings.


Visit her website at www.lhcosway.com.

Connect & Socialize!


This blitz has been brought to you by the fine folks of:

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com

 

Requested Surrender Book Blitz Today!


Book Blurb

She knows he’s dangerous for a woman like her.

He knows she’s perfect for a man like him.

From their first meeting, David Hollan is intrigued because Lacy Pembrook is subconsciously hiding someone. Herself. And David wants to know why. He’s patient at first. Willing to give her space, but when she breaks the rules they’ve set between them, he’s ready to hold her accountable. One way or another, he’s going to find the piece of her that’s yet to be uncovered. And when he does? He intends to own it.

Given an ultimatum after she got caught coloring outsides the lines of their “trial” relationship, Lacy decides to fall in with David’s plans. She’ll cancel her trip and spend her vacation time at his house making up for her transgression. No sweat, right? Wrong. What she doesn’t count on when she gets there is him going full-out Dom on her. She quickly learns why they call him the quiet one. He’s dead sexy, watchful and stern at the best of times, and now that he has her all to himself, each of those things are magnified tenfold.

By the time Lacy realizes that he’s completely subjugated her—by way of an emotional striptease—it’s too late. She’s bared her soul to him, so when he requests her surrender she has no choice but to give it to him. Or does she?

Click here to find out how you can pick up your copy!

-----------------------

About the Author

Riley Murphy writes sexy, humorous and emotional romance, happy ending guaranteed. An optimist, she believes life is awesome, people are complicated, but in a good way, and we should never stop learning. Riley currently resides in Florida with her gorgeous husband. She has two wonderful kids and one very bossy English Bull terrier she has dubbed 'The divine One'. When Riley's not working she enjoys reading, oil painting and getting to the Sunday crossword puzzle before anyone else does, so she can fill-in all the easy answers first. If Riley wasn't a writer she'd be an international spy with top-level security so she could have a peek at Area 51 and decide for herself if those green guys are for real. Failing that she'd probably go with chicken sexer. Riley loves to hear from readers.To learn more about her or her upcoming releases swing by her website and say hello at: www.AuthorRileyMurphy.com or connect with her on twitter @Riley__Murphy where she's always sharing her deep-dark secrets.

Her latest book is the erotic romance, Requested Surrender.


Connect & Socialize with Riley!


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Friday, March 14, 2014

Sensual Sexual Romance by Deni Rome Book Blitz - Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!



ABOUT SENSUAL SEXUAL ROMANCE

Title: Sensual Sexual Romance
Genre: Poetry
Author: Deni Rome
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Pages: 202
Language: English
Format: Ebook

 The title says it all… erotic poems blended with erotic short stories. Each story will speak to your most sensual, sexual, and romantic erogenous parts of your body and your mind. The descriptive words will entice and stimulate. You will seek out your lover, even if your lover is in that good box.

AuthorHouse

ABOUT DENI ROME

 Deni Rome considers her a thespian, where the descriptive words between these pages will bring you directly into the scene. She wants to bring vision to her thoughts so the reader can experience tantalizing sensations, tapping all your senses. She resides in the Washington, DC area.  

Pump Up Your Book and Deni are teaming up to give you a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Amazon Gift Certificate
  • This giveaway begins March 3 and ends on March 14.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on March 15, 2014.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

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Thursday, March 13, 2014

Interview with Gulten Dye, author of 'Semi-Coma: Evolution of My Intermittent Consciousness'

Gulten Dye was born and raised in a small town in Turkey and moved with her family to Istanbul as a small child.  It was there that she earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and worked as a nurse at a local hospital before moving to the Philippines with her boyfriend.

After being there a little over a year, they got married and a short while after that moved to
Shreveport, Louisiana where she immediately began her studies to be able to work as a Registered Nurse. While studying for her boards, she was allowed to work as a scrub technician in an operating room at a nearby surgery center. She passed her boards and worked in an operating room for many years before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada there she worked at a busy University Medical Trauma Center as a staff nurse for several years until she earned the position of Charge Nurse.

By 2001, she was divorced and living with her two young sons.  Her desire to make more money became her impetus to start her own business, which soon became her sole source of income as her success grew.  She has never looked back.

Gulten found her talent and passion in creating one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces and sold them to well-known people, such as Celine Dion, Rachel Ray and Mary Higgins Clark.  She became an international success when her work showed on Entertainment Tonight and Insider and was for sale in the high-end casinos in
Las Vegas and on high-end cruise liners. She then created a jewelry line called Metamorphosis, a line of interchangeable jewelry that brought her even greater success.

Gulten is also an author and self- published her first book Semi Coma - Evolution of my Intermittent Consciousness in 2011, currently selling on all digital media as well as in hard copy.  Her second book “The Missing Link” is awaiting publication in 2013.

In 2013, she opened her new concept store where she not only sells her own designs, but includes many local artists of different medium, including a local authors section.  In turn for being able to sell their artwork in her store, all artists have agreed to teach others their medium for the future generation free thinkers.

Gulten lives and creates in
Las Vegas, Nevada.

Visit her website at www.gultendye.com.

Can you tell us what your book is about? 

My book is about self-discovery and the journey that awakened me to the many facets of life. The road hasnt always been easy with its twists, turns and junctions. Its about my struggle to discover who I really am, what I believe in, and how Ive arrived at a place where I am able to appreciate myself and my surroundings.

Most of my life I lived in a state of arrested consciousness without being aware of it. Then one day out of nowhere, my eyes opened just enough for me to question my way of living and my state of mind. That was the day questions started to arrive. They were nothing like the questions I had before, and were as if they werent even questions, but were rather an unraveling string of realizations followed by overwhelming sorrow. How could I have lived my life as if I were in a semi coma and, in turn, had induced my own suffering?

The book is an evolution of my consciousness and learning that my happiness didn't have to be accidental or occasional, and that I can make more of it anytime I desire. 

Why did you write your book?

Writing is a short cut to seeing what really is in my subconscious so in itself was an exceptional aid in my awakening process.  As for deciding to publish, it was my desire to share what worked for me to have a happier life with others in the hope of helping in their search for happiness.

What kind of message is your book trying to tell your readers?

The message is love and hope, and that we are much more than the way we think and live. I thought that it would be helpful to show the reader the falseness of my thinking by opening a small window into my thoughts of the past, as well as my realizations along the way for them to see the falseness of my previous thinking and living, and ultimately my growth from my experiences.

Who influenced you to write your book?

No one influenced me to write; however, once I started sharing what I was writing, I definitely had a cheer leader - my good friend and amazing artist, Deborah Pittman.


Is it hard to publish a nonfiction book?

I self-published my book.  I suppose it would have made no real difference for me, but because it was my first book and since I truly was responsible myself for my writings, choosing a cover and its overall look, and finding an offshore printer to make the book cheaper to be affordable for my readers, it was a somewhat difficult process, but it has been a great teacher for me.

Which author(s) do you admire?

Every one of them regardless of their subjects. I know it takes total love and dedication to bring any book to fruition. 

Have you suffered from writers block and what do you do to get back on track?

I don't have one of those; I just sit down to write and it flows for me.  Sometimes, its a little slow at first, but as I continue writing, it gets better and better, and at times it flows so fast even my mind has a hard time comprehending.

What would you do with an extra hour today if you could do anything you wanted?

Do the same thing I am doing right now, write.

Which holiday is your favorite and why?

All of them, since the idea of Holiday seems to cheer people up.  I love them all!  Its amazing to be around people in the state of joy - it's contagious!

If we were to meet for lunch to talk books, where would we go?

My house. I would cook before you arrived, and we would sit on the couch with plate in hand with our legs stretched out.  We would get very comfortable and without any distraction we would talk for hours.

What do you like to do for fun?

Discover, play, create, dance, play board games with family and friends, travel, cook and write.

Can you tell us about your family?

My immediate family consists of my two sons whom I love and adore like nothing else in this universe. As for my mom and dad, as well as my three siblings, they all still live in Istanbul, Turkey where I am originally from.

What do you like the most about being an author?

By the way of showing and talking about it, my book itself becomes the vehicle to share the true nature of our happiness and the tools to its realization.

What kind of advice would you give other non-fiction authors?

Be your authentic self. Although there is nothing wrong having inspirations from other authors or leaders, there is nothing easier than writing about what you truly know.  





Interview with Monique Roy, author of 'Across Great Divides'

Monique Roy loves writing that twitches her smiling muscles or transports her to another time or place. Her passion for writing began as a young girl while penning stories in a journal. Now she looks forward to deepening her passion by creating many unique stories that do nothing less than intrigue her readers.

Monique holds a degree in journalism from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and is the author of a middle-grade book Once Upon a Time in Venice. Monique loves to travel, play tennis, pursue her passion for writing, and read historical fiction. In 2008, she was chosen by the American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS program to travel to Berlin, Germany, on the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, to explore German and Israeli relations along with 20 other Jewish professionals from across the U.S.

Monique was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and her grandparents were European Jews who fled their home as Hitler rose to power. It’s their story that inspired her to write Across Great Divides, her newest novel.

What attracts Monique to historical fiction is taking the factual record as a structure and letting imagination run wild to fill it all in. Historical fiction lets you escape to another time and place; and Monique likes to explore the past so that we can potentially better understand the future.
Her latest book is the historical fiction, Across Great Divides.

Visit her website at www.monique-roy.com.

About the Book:

Across Great Divides is a timeless story of the upheavals of war, the power of family, and the resiliency of human spirit. When Hitler came to power in 1933, one Jewish family refused to be destroyed and defied the Nazis only to come up against another struggle—apartheid in South Africa.
Sixteen-year-old twins, Eva and Inge, witness their lives in Berlin change before their eyes. Their best friend, Trudy, betrays them when she becomes a member of the Hitler Youth. A valuable family heirloom, a beautiful emerald and diamond necklace, is confiscated by the Nazis as they harass Jewish families and businesses.

Their younger brother, Max, a member of the underground resistance, sees great danger ahead. Their father, Oskar, a successful diamond merchant, refuses to leave his beloved Germany and believes Hitler will fail. Their mother, Helene, holds her family together under dire circumstances.

After the devastation of Kristallnacht in 1938, the family flees Germany with the help of the underground resistance after hiding many diamonds. They seek refuge in Antwerp, but war follows them as Belgium is occupied by the Germans.

A German man, a nun, a countess, and a winegrower help the family escape Europe. They hike over the Pyrenees Mountains while eluding German patrols and Spanish informers. Then, they spend agonizing days on a ship bound for Rio de Janeiro that is targeted by a German U-boat. As Rio’s diamond business is corrupt, they decide to go to South Africa, another diamond market.

In Cape Town, Eva encounters an impoverished colored woman, Zoe, who is in need of work. The family hires Zoe as their maid. They shield her and her daughter from the dangers they face in the slums of District Six and from the horrors of apartheid, which are all too reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

But, when Max gets into trouble with the South African police over his participation in an anti-apartheid march, will he be subject to imprisonment?

In a thrilling conclusion, the family comes to terms with the evils of society, both in their memories and current situation in South Africa.

Author Interview:



Can you tell us what your book is about?

Across Great Divides is a timeless story of the upheavals of war, the power of family, and the resiliency of human spirit. When Hitler came to power in 1933, one Jewish family refused to be destroyed and defied the Nazis only to come up against another struggle—confronting apartheid in South Africa.

Sixteen-year-old Eva and her twin sister, Inge, witness their lives in Berlin change before their eyes. Their best friend, Trudy, betrays them when she becomes a member of the Hitler Youth. A valuable family heirloom, a beautiful emerald and diamond necklace, is confiscated by the Nazis as they continue to harass Jewish families and businesses.

The family is conflicted whether they should leave home. But after the devastation of Kristallnacht in 1938, they flee Germany with the help of the underground resistance after hiding many diamonds. They seek refuge in Antwerp, but war follows them as Belgium is occupied by the Germans. 

After they escape Europe—hiking over the Pyrenees Mountains while eluding German patrols and Spanish informers—they spend agonizing days on a ship bound for Rio de Janeiro that is targeted by a German U-boat. As Rio’s diamond business is corrupt, they decide to go to South Africa, another diamond market. 

In Cape Town, Eva encounters an impoverished colored woman, Zoe, who is in need of work. The family hires Zoe as their maid and shields her and her daughter, Zola, from the dangers they face in the slums of District Six and from the horrors of apartheid, which are all too reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

But, when Max gets into trouble with the South African police over his participation in an anti-apartheid march, will he be subject to imprisonment? 

In a thrilling conclusion, the family comes to terms with the evils of society, both in their memories and current situation in South Africa.

Find out more at www.monique-roy.com

Why did you write your book?

I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and my grandparents were European Jews who fled their home as Hitler rose to power. It’s their story that inspired me to write Across Great Divides.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

I tend to base characters on both real people and imagination. Even when you bring an imaginative character to life, some of their traits are probably based on real life and people. Believable characters come from raw emotion and real situations that people face.

Open the book to page 69.  What is happening?

One of the main characters, Inge, is getting married to Isaac in a secret garden in Antwerp in May of 1940. For some short moments, they know peace and happiness. And then, in an instant, the moment is gone when they hear the sounds of two Nazi soldiers.

Have you suffered from writer’s block and what do you do to get back on track?

I put my writing aside and try to not think about it too much. Let the mind rest. Pick up a good book or watch an exciting movie. Go for a walk or anything to free the mind. Somehow, out of nowhere, an idea hits you…it may be while brushing your teeth or while you are falling asleep, but it will make you smile and get you back on track.

What would you do with an extra hour today if you could do anything you wanted?

Probably read or write. I find both to be relaxing. And add a cup of tea to the mix and life is splendid!

What do you like the most about being an author?

I love to write. I enjoy creating interesting and compelling stories that let the reader escape to another time and place. As a historical fiction writer, I like to explore the past so that we can potentially better understand the future.

What kind of advice would you give other fiction authors?

Read a lot about all kinds of things that interest you, and that may not interest you. Not only will you learn new things, but reading helps spark great ideas. Always have a notebook nearby as your short-term memory only retains so much and then you may lose it forever. Keep writing and never give up!