Thursday, July 18, 2019

Playing Book Trivia with DS Johnson, Author of Realms of Edenocht Descendants and Heirs

It’s time to play... 


Periodically, we scour the Internet for interesting authors who would like to play Book Trivia with us.  By answering our book trivia questions, we get to learn things about the author no one else knows!  So, let’s get ready…let’s play…Book Trivia! 



Today our guest author is DS Johnson, author of the new fantasy, Realms of Edenocht Descendants and Heirs. 

Thank you for playing Book Trivia with us!

In the movie Castaway, if Tom Hanks unearthed a copy of Realms of Edenocht, how would that help Tom find a way off the island? 

In the Realms of Edenocht two of the supporting characters are two brothers which are a small race of jungle people called the Minca. They live in the dense jungles and are very ingenious in using vines and planks made of bamboo and other materials that make a massive arrangement of pully systems to carry water and items through the jungle. Tom could use the cleverness of the Minca as an inspiration to build himself a raft with a sail to sail off the island. 

Everyone knows Miley Cyrus is the wild child in the music business.  But she read your book and wants to let you know that it changed her life for the better.  Why did your book give Miley a new lease on life?

Miley related to the character Amirra, who was given to an evil Necromancer and was a  slave to the Shadow when she was a child. Miley had always been doing what everyone else wanted her to do like Amirra, but when Amirra met Nitida the Runecaster and learned that she had a choice and that the Shadow, aka. (the lable company) didn’t have control over her and that she could make her own choices, she decided to do things her way.

You have a chance to appear on the hit talent show for authors, American Book Idol, and the mighty judges will determine whether your book will make it to
Hollywood and become a big screenplay.  What would impress them more – your book cover, an excerpt or your best review – and why?
 
I believe and excerpt would impress the judges more because if Simon Cowel were one of the judges I don’t think he would care what anyone else thought of the book and if the cover was pretty or not. I believe he would want to hear for himself the work itself and judge for himself the quality, depth, character and charisma of the piece.

A homeless man was caught stealing your book out of a bookstore.  When asked why he did it, he opened the book and pointed a passage out.  What was that passage?
 
He opened to the passage where the Runecaster Nitida offers the chants on Choice to Amirra, a slave to the Shadow. The piece illustrates how the power of words can evoke a strength of choice within ourselves to change our circumstances if we believe in ourselves. 

The Arbor Day Foundation has decided to pick one tree in your honor because of your writing brilliance.  What kind of tree is it and why did they choose that tree in relation to your book?

I would select the Waslick tree. It’s a poplar tree called, Liriodendron tulipifera  or Tulip tree. A tree that grows to between 60 and 90ft tall and sometimes up to 150ft tall  with most of its foliage in the highest elevations of the tree. It blooms a tulip like flower and grows in together in clumps making it a sturdy group of trees perfect for tree houses and fortress’s. It grows predominately in the
Waslick Nantahala National Forest near Franklin NC. They are the inspired trees that grows on the Island of Torob and the tree house that Shaz grew up in.  

Finally, you just got word that your book has received the 2019 NY Times Bestselling Book Award and you have to attend the ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan.  Anyone who’s anyone will be there and it’s your shot for stardom.  On stage, you must give an acceptance speech.  What would you say and who would you thank?

First of all, I want to thank my husband and family for all of the years of support and encouragement to write the stories that were in our heart and the time we spent talking and laughing and make believing together. I want to thank everyone who gave me a chance and read my book, as a self-published author I know that can be a risky move, but I am forever thankful that you took the chance to look inside and found the incredibly unique story and adventure. With characters so real and raw and circumstances that are relatable to just about everyone with none of the old and tired clichés of the fantasy genre. Thank you to you the readers, to my fans, and to those of you who have gained new friends through my books. 


About the Author

As a little girl, DS Johnson thought she was dumb. In the first, second, and third grades she was in the ‘Resource’ program or ‘Chapter 8’ as it is also called. Even though she was then put in the regular class, and she was such a young age when she had caught up with the other students, she knew within herself all too well by then, she was not a smart child. All the way through high school this girl struggled. She graduated with a glorious 2.9. Yes, it was heart breaking for those little numbers to reflect the great struggle and all the efforts she had put forth.

She went on to start beauty school, figuring she wasn’t college material. Suddenly, she learned that she wasn’t dumb after all. She was what is called a kinesthetic learner or ‘hands on’ learner. She LOVED it. She went on to do very well, for many years. Until, life got complicated. She had five children, a husband, and a disabled mother who now required constant care. While contemplating how to earn a little bit of extra income, now that doing hair wasn’t an option, a thought came to her.

‘Write a book’ it said.

She replied by looking around and with her finger pointing at herself, and said,
“Who me? I graduated high school with a 2.9 remember?”

The little thought came again, “Yes, you. Write a book.”

It so happened, that she told her younger sister a bedtime story almost every night as a child and had been telling her children nighttime stories for most of their lives, so she did. It took five years to learn from the internet, a few writing classes, some great blogs, a lot of practice, one very good editor and the awesome support of her family. But she did it. DS has a wonderful adaption of the intricately detailed structure of role playing games mixed with the vivid descriptions of the fantasy genre to create a unique world of elemental magic, wizards, sorcery and quest filled adventure unlike any adventure you have seen before.

Her latest book is the action adventure fantasy, Realms of Edenocht Descendants and Heirs.

Website: www.dsjohnsonbooks.com




About the Book:

Shaz, Edenocht's forbidden War Wizard, his elemental mage Serin and, miniature warriors, the Minca
begin their unsurmountable task of securing the ancient artifacts, the Sev-Rin-Ac-Lava. Their first task of finding the sheath to the sword Shaz already has, takes them to the realm of their friends the Minca. The companions find themselves in a world torn open by earthquakes and melted earth as the evil Necromancer Semias Trevelis re-incarnates an ancient Runecaster to remake one of the ancient artifacts. The only hope in closing the torn and scorched realm is with the help of the two remaining descendants of the original mages of old, but Shaz doesn't even know about them, to begin with, let alone who they are or how to find them. Riddick, the Earth Sage, is deep in his own dilemma of figuring out his powers and the appearance of new Islands in the Turbulent Reef, is thrust from one realm to another until he meets back up with Shaz and the others. Can Shaz and his friends outsmart the cosmic powers at play and bring together the elements once again or will there be a ripple of desolation across the planet?

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Playing Book Trivia with Gina Heumann, Author of Love Never Quits


It’s time to play Book Trivia!  
 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bY9WLTDXelRiOskrOWzg3xF0uJouPmwehyglIKlUxv6KwlUj6nQv5vBtMPi6_A2GujyQw9kR9MvbNdPPLZOWrZohvsJFyLncoFk5NV-d5oT1YWr2AyCXnb7YhUMEbkiMp7OhVIqbNno/s1600/book+trivia.png
Periodically, we scour the Internet for interesting authors who would like to play Book Trivia with us.  By answering our book trivia questions, we get to learn things about the author no one else knows!  So, let’s get ready…let’s play…Book Trivia!

Today our guest author is Gina Heumann, author of the memoir Love Never Quits.

Thank you for playing Book Trivia with us! 

In the movie Castaway, if Tom Hanks unearthed a copy of Love Never Quits, how would that help Tom find a way off the island?

Hmm… I’m not sure it would help him find his way off the island, but it could give him the attitude to never give up and have faith that he’d eventually make it back to his loved ones.

Everyone knows Miley Cyrus is the wild child in the music business.  But she read your book and wants to let you know that it changed her life for the better.  Why did your book give Miley a new lease on life?

Miley saw that we were able to overcome challenges and share love for each other. I hope she was inspired to become a better person.

You are being pulled over for speeding.  When the officer asks you for your license and you discover you left it at home, you decide to pull out your book instead.  What do you tell the officer?

Hello again, Officer. Remember me? My son Maddox was the one you arrested a few years ago. We have put in so much effort and he’s doing amazingly well now, so I’m speeding in order to see him perform at Carnegie Hall with his symphonic band! If you’d be able to let me go, maybe we can celebrate his success together.

Superman has decided to pull out one of your characters to be his sidekick.  Who is it and why?

Adoptive parents are Superheroes, helping children overcome trauma and emotional stress. Superman would be lucky to have an adoptive mom on his side, making the world a better place.

You have a chance to appear on the hit talent show for authors, American Book Idol, and the mighty judges will determine whether your book will make it to Hollywood and become a big screenplay.  What would impress them more – your book cover, an excerpt or your best review – and why?

I would LOVE for my book to be a screenplay someday! I’m extremely proud of the cover and love the way it represents the story… In the design, you see a family holding hands and emerging from a storm. The font is cracked, representing the cracks and holes in our walls and in our family. The heart represents unconditional love, and the sun peaking throught the clouds behind the family represents a happier future.

You have five seconds to tell us who the greatest author of all time is.  In your opinion, who would that be?

I’ve always been a huge fan of JD Salinger because of his easy-to-read style, sense of humor, and unique way of looking at the world.

A homeless man was caught stealing your book out of a bookstore.  When asked why he did it, he opened the book and pointed a passage out.  What was that passage? 

I’m not sure there is just one passage for this homeless man. Perhaps he is homeless because he himself suffered from RAD and his parents were unable to find him the help he needed to succeed in life. I’m hoping this homeless man points to the chapter describing the flip chart therapy that served as the turning point in Maddox’s healing process and reads our book over and over again to give him hope that he too can overcome his demons and achieve a happier life.

You have been told your book has won one free year on a billboard in any one state.  What state do you feel would be best for your book and why?

I would probably choose Alaska, because their rate growth in foster care has increased by 40% in the past ten years. Also most of those children come from homes where drinking or drug use has resulted in neglect. These conditions make it an environment prone to reactive attachment disorder. If potential foster families in Alaska could read my book, perhaps they’d learn some techniques for helping the kids overcome trauma.

The Arbor Day Foundation has decided to pick one tree in your honor because of your writing brilliance.  What kind of tree is it and why did they choose that tree in relation to your book?

My tree would be a crabapple. It’s a tree with a solid foundation that can take on different forms depending on the time of year. While the fruit is sour, the pink blossoms represent hope and beauty. The leaves are a unique color, and, despite the leaves falling off in the stress of winter, they come back thicker and stronger in the spring. Our family has a solid foundation, a few sour apples, and a lot of beautiful components, and we’ve emerged stronger after our journey.

Finally, you just got word that your book has received the 2013 NY Times Bestselling Book Award and you have to attend the ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan.  Anyone who’s anyone will be there and it’s your shot for stardom.  On stage, you must give an acceptance speech.  What would you say and who would you thank?

I would thank each and every member of my “village” – family and friends who stuck with us at our worst times, the teachers and administrators at our therapeutic middle school, and, of course, our therapist Dr. Terry Levy, who gave us the healing we needed to overcome this frightening disorder.





Gina Heumann is a true Renaissance woman: wife, mother, architect, designer, instructor, author, speaker, and sales rep for an award-winning Napa Valley winery. She and her husband, Aaron, adopted Landrey in 2001 from Guatemala and then went back for Maddox three years later. Gina’s love of learning and dedication as a mother inspired her research of different treatments and therapies that eventually led to this inspirational success story about conquering Reactive Attachment Disorder.

Her latest book is Love Never Quits: Surviving & Thriving After Infertility, Adoption, and Reactive Attachment Disorder.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:


Website Link: www.ginaheumann.com




WHACK… At three in the morning Gina was sound asleep, yet somehow she was smacked in
the head. She looked over at her husband, thinking perhaps he accidentally rolled over and flopped his arm on top of her, but he was sleeping soundly and facing the opposite direction. She turned to the other side and glaring back at her was her eight-year-old child.

“Did you just hit me?”

“Yes, and I’d do it again.”

“Whyyyy?”

“Because you took away my video games.”

“That was EIGHT HOURS AGO. And you’re still mad about it?”

“I wish I could kill you.”

This is the true story of the hell one family lived through parenting a child with reactive attachment disorder, a severe diagnosis related to children who experienced early-childhood trauma.

This inspirational story covers over a decade of daily struggles until they finally found resolution and made it to the other side. The family remained intact, and this once challenging son is now achieving things never thought possible. 


ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon


 


Interview with Crime Thriller Author Jennifer Chase

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and best-selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.


He looked down at the little girl, sleeping peacefully, her arms wrapped around a teddy bear. He knew he was the only one who could save her. He could let her sleep forever.

An eight-year-old girl, Chelsea Compton, is missing in Pine Valley, California and for Detective Katie Scott it’s a cruel reminder of the friend who disappeared from summer camp twenty years ago. Unable to shake the memories, Katie vows she won’t rest until she discovers what happened to Chelsea.

But as Katie starts to investigate, the case reveals itself to be much bigger and more shocking than she feared. Hidden deep in the forest she unearths a makeshift cemetery: a row of graves, each with a brightly coloured teddy bear.

Katie links the graves to a stack of missing-persons cases involving young girls—finding a pattern no one else has managed to see. Someone in Pine Valley has been taking the town’s daughters for years, and Katie is the only one who can stop them.

And then another little girl goes missing, snatched from the park near her home.

Katie’s still haunted by the friend she failed to protect, and she’ll do anything to stop the killer striking again—but can she find the little girl before it’s too late?

Compulsive and gripping crime fiction for fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh. Katie Scott’s first case will have you on the edge of your seat and gasping with shock.

Welcome, Jennifer! Is your new crime thriller based on a true story and if not how did you come up with the idea?
Jennifer: Little Girls Sleeping is not based on a true story; however, there are definite true-like aspects to the novel. The main character, Katie Scott, comes home from Afghanistan where she had served two tours as an Army K9 handler. She had taken time off from her current position as a police patrol officer to serve her country. After arriving home, her uncle wanted to keep her busy until she figured out what she wanted to do and to settle back into civilian life. And her uncle just happens to be the sheriff, so Katie helps out with administrative duties at the department where she stumbles across a cold case of an eight year old girl—Chelsea Compton—who had disappeared without a trace four years earlier. This one case ultimately alters Katie’s path as it reminds her of a close childhood friend that disappeared from camp. This case sets her on a wild journey of investigation and an encounter with a killer that she’ll never forget.
Can you brief us on who the main characters are?

Jennifer: Detective Katie Scott is a determined investigator working for the local sheriff’s department trying to balance her previous military life with being back home again. Through some political interventions, her uncle, Sheriff Scott, manages to cut through some red tape and bring home her partner, Cisco, an eighty pound black German shepherd.
Katie’s homecoming wouldn’t be complete without running into her long-time childhood friend Chad Ferguson, a local firefighter. Sparks begin to fly between the two which in turn causes some interesting complications.
Sheriff Wayne Scott, the town sheriff and Katie’s uncle, runs the police department in town with integrity and honesty. When it becomes known that a serial killer is on the loose and preying upon local little girls, he must make some decisions that will forever change everything at the department and ultimately divides the town.
Deputy Sean McGaven is a deputy sheriff that has been assigned to work with Katie on the investigation. It proves to be a bumpy and often strained relationship between the two.
A clever and cunning killer identifies himself as someone who wants to protect young, innocent girls from the evils of the world. He would rather have those little girls sleep peacefully forever than be exposed to many of the unspeakable things happening in society. 
You have a background in forensics which I know must have come in handy! Can you tell us about that?
Jennifer: Yes, I love forensics and it does help with the stories I write whether it’s physical or psychological evidence. Many years back, I experienced a text book psychopath that moved in next door to me, threatening to kill me repeatedly, and let’s just say many of my experiences with him are just as scary as anything you’re going to read in a novel. This experience exposed me first hand to this type of person and from it I went back to school and obtained my degrees in forensics and criminology. I’ve never looked back or questioned if this was what I wanted to do. I enjoy learning about new forensic technologies whenever I can. With every book I write, I love to incorporate forensics and take readers on an adventure into the criminal mind. 

In your studies of the criminal mind, what did you find the most fascinating?
Jennifer:  As a criminologist, I find it fascinating what makes someone commit a specific crime while someone else, thinking about committing the same crime, doesn’t take that extra step into criminality. There are definite lines crossed as well as the lack of impulse control. Although not always the case, I find it most interesting when someone who is defined as a serial killer can live a “normal” life while searching, abducting, and killing victims. Many researchers and detectives try to find the “links” to figure out what makes a serial killer tick, when in fact, there are so many aspects, but in the end every case needs to be sorted through individually. There are no shortcuts or a recipe for a serial killer—each case is unique.    
While writing your book, did you find yourself thinking about it during off times when you weren’t writing?
Jennifer: Absolutely! Writing serial killer thrillers can be intense, so I try to balance my day with healthy breaks. No matter how hard I try to take that relaxing walk at the beach I find my mind wandering back to the book. Maybe I’m thinking about the ending or tweaking a scene. Whatever it may be, when I’m in the middle of writing a book, it’s always on my mind.
What is next for you, Jennifer?
Jennifer: Little Girls Sleeping is the first book in the Detective Katie Scott series. There are two more books scheduled at this point. I’ve just finished the second installment and I’m outlining the third. I’m very excited! It has been loads of fun spending time with this character and all her adventures.
I do have two other series, the Emily Stone Thrillers and Chip Palmer Forensic Mysteries I’m currently outlining more books to come.

Playing Book Trivia with Jennifer B. Monahan, Author of Where To? How I Shed My Baggage and Learned to Live Free

It’s time to play... 
 
Periodically, we scour the Internet for interesting authors who would like to play Book Trivia with us.  By answering our book trivia questions, we get to learn things about the author no one else knows!  So, let’s get ready…let’s play…Book Trivia!

Today our guest author is Jennifer B. Monahan, author of the new memoir, Where To? How I Shed My Baggage and Learned To Live Free.  

Thank you for playing Book Trivia with us!  Here are your questions:
 
In the movie Castaway, if Tom Hanks unearthed a copy of Where To?: How I Shed My Baggage and Learned to Live Free, how would that help Tom find a way off the island?

In Where To?, I describe a year of my life where I walked away from everything that equals security in our lives (a well-paying job, a home) and decided to live as a nomadic traveler for an unknown amount of time.  Tom Hanks would see himself in my story – especially when I was living in a thatched-roof hut in the Guatemalan jungle.  When he got to the point in the book where I describe the six things I needed to do to live courageously and authentically, he would see that the only thing that had been holding him back from getting off the island was his belief that he couldn’t and he would immediately start building that raft!

Everyone knows Miley Cyrus is the wild child in the music business.  But she read your book and wants to let you know that it changed her life for the better.  Why did your book give Miley a new lease on life?

Miley realized that she had put on the “wild child” persona because of pressure from the music industry to do things for publicity to help sell her music.  After reading my book, she discovered that by just being herself, she would not only differentiate herself but serve as an inspiration for people that didn’t know how to be themselves.

You are being pulled over for speeding.  When the officer asks you for your license and you discover you left it at home, you decide to pull out your book instead.  What do you tell the officer?

“I know you just asked me where I was speeding to.  This book will tell you!”

Superman has decided to pull out one of your characters to be his sidekick.  Who is it and why?

Lupe.  She is fearless. She can fly.  And she can inflict a lot of damage in a fight!



You have a chance to appear on the hit talent show for authors, American Book Idol, and the mighty judges will determine whether your book will make it to Hollywood and become a big screenplay.  What would impress them more – your book cover, an excerpt or your best review – and why?

It’s a toss up between an excerpt or my best review. An excerpt would allow them to picture how they would actually film a woman living alone in a hut in the Guatemalan jungle, taking part in ancient Mayan shamanic rituals, and facing down some of her biggest fears and losses, and the review would help them see the emotional connection people would have while watching the movie.

You have five seconds to tell us who the greatest author of all time is.  In your opinion, who would that be?

I can’t just choose one, so I would list as many as possible in five seconds before the buzzer goes off.  Here goes: Jane Austin, William Shakespeare, Dr. Seuss, John Steinbeck, Homer, Stephen King…BUZZZZ

A homeless man was caught stealing your book out of a bookstore.  When asked why he did it, he opened the book and pointed a passage out.  What was that passage? 

“When you are in your personal power you can accomplish anything.  You are aligned with the universe and the energies to manifest flow easily to you because you are being true and authentic to whom you are.  Old ways of being will fall by the wayside, some easily and some not so easily, but as you continue to drop these ways of being, you will move close and closer to your core self, the true person that you are.  All of these experiences were shown to you to show you that potential that exists within each one of us. Every person on the planet can be authentic.  Every person has personal power and can use that power to build the life that resonates most with their soul and life calling.”
“This is the lesson for you.  The more you – and others – are coming from personal power, the more positive change can occur on the planet.  Each person that is living authentically is a beacon for others.  Their light helps others discover their own. Be the beacon and help others become beacons as well.”

You have been told your book has won one free year on a billboard in any one state.  What state do you feel would be best for your book and why?

California. Most of the book takes place internationally – Guatemala, Japan, Cambodia and Thailand – but there is a little bit that takes place in San Francisco.

Finally, The Arbor Day Foundation has decided to pick one tree in your honor because of your writing brilliance.  What kind of tree is it and why did they choose that tree in relation to your book?

They selected the Ceiba tree, the national tree of Guatemala and the sacred tree of life to the ancient Mayans, because my book takes place mainly in Guatemala and includes a number of ancient shamanic rituals and ceremonies.


About the Author:

Jennifer B. Monahan is a business strategy consultant, shaman and coach who helps people all over the world live courageous lives. Her first book, This Trip Will Change Your Life: A Shaman’s Story of Spirit Evolution (She Writes Press, 2016),
has won six literary awards, including two first-place Body, Mind, Spirit Book Awards and a 2017 National Indie Excellence Award. Her second book, Where To? How I Shed My Baggage and Learned to Live Free, was published in April 2019, and describes her personal journey through Guatemala, Japan, Cambodia and Thailand as she faces down some of the greatest losses in her life.

She is a regular contributor to Medium.com, Sivana East, and has had articles published on MindBodyGreen.com and Inc.com. Her podcast, Living A Courageously Authentic Life, can be found on BlogTalkRadio.com, and focuses on a variety of topics to help others be true to themselves.

She holds a BA in Mass Communications from the University of Bridgeport (CT), an MBA in Marketing from the University of Connecticut, a Masters in Natural Health from Clayton College, and completed an accredited coaching program through Coach U. Her shamanic training began with a Mayan shaman in Mexico and then expanded to include shamans in Guatemala and her own personal guides.

She currently splits her time between the United States and Guatemala when not traveling and is in the process of writing her third book, a handbook for people looking to define, create and live their courageously authentic life. You can find her online at www.SpiritEvolution.co.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:







About the Book:

When Jennifer Monahan announced her intention to leave her well-established career as a business strategy consultant and give up her rent-controlled apartment in San Francisco to do a global walkabout for an undetermined amount of time, her friends and family thought she was insane. But Jennifer was excited about taking the time to truly explore and immerse herself in a variety of cultures, so their skepticism didn’t faze her; plus she was used to traveling alone as a woman with only one carry-on bag. What she didn’t count on was discovering all the excess baggage she had been carrying with her from her past.

WHERE TO? chronicles one year of Monahan’s life, primarily in the Guatemalan jungle, but also in Japan, Cambodia and Thailand. Living in a thatched-roof hut in a tiny village, Monahan connected with local shamans and participated in their ancient rituals, became fully integrated into the daily life of a local family, and ultimately faced down some of the greatest losses and long-buried pain she had experienced. WHERE TO? shares the six steps she took to heal and courageously create the life of her dreams and includes a workbook for readers to do the same.

"Some memoirs tell us stories and open up worlds we never knew, but some open up places in our own hearts and souls that we have wanted to explore and have never given ourselves the chance to do so. Where To? How I Shed My Baggage and Learned to Live Free by Jennifer B. Monahan belongs to the second category of memoirs...While it reads like the memoir of a woman who takes the courage to explore the world, this memoir has powerful spiritual hints. In fact, it is the story of a soul in search of itself. Where To? is a spiritual testament, a book that describes a journey towards inner freedom and authenticity. Many readers will feel the resonance of Jennifer's story in their own lives." 

- Christian Sia, Reader's Favorite Book Reviews

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon

 

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Playing Book Trivia with Cynthia Sally Haggard, Author of Farewell My Life


It’s time to play...


Periodically, we scour the Internet for interesting authors who would like to play Book Trivia with us.  By answering our book trivia questions, we get to learn things about the author no one else knows!  So, let’s get ready…let’s play…Book Trivia!

Today our guest author is Cynthia Sally Haggard, author of the historical novel Farewell My Life.

Thank you for playing Book Trivia with us! 

Everyone knows Miley Cyrus is the wild child in the music business.  But she read your book and wants to let you know that it changed her life for the better.  Why did your book give Miley a new lease on life?

She learned that Grace’s discipline of being with her violin (or anything) for five hours a day gave her the steel to meet new challenges.

You are being pulled over for speeding.  When the officer asks you for your license and you discover you left it at home, you decide to pull out your book instead.  What do you tell the officer?

“Officer, I was so moved by the end of the road of this 500-page novel, I didn’t realize I was actually driving on one.”

Superman has decided to pull out one of your characters to be his sidekick.  Who is it and why?

Father Jerome, whose silver tongue can charm anyone into doing anything.

You have a chance to appear on the hit talent show for authors, American Book Idol, and the mighty judges will determine whether your book will make it to Hollywood and become a big screenplay.  What would impress them more – your book cover, an excerpt or your best review – and why?

The book cover, whose unconventional dark simplicity perfectly mirrors the mood of Farewell My Life.

You have five seconds to tell us who the greatest author of all time is.  In your opinion, who would that be?

Vladimir Nabokov, whose dark humor captures the atmosphere of 1920s Berlin.

A homeless man was caught stealing your book out of a bookstore.  When asked why he did it, he opened the book and pointed a passage out.  What was that passage? 

Frau Varga got off the chair. “Come.” She led the way to the dining-room parlor and made gestures to show them that she intended to sleep on the foldout sofa. She dragged the sofa so that it barred the front door of the apartment.
“It doesn’t look comfortable to me,” said Violet. “You’ve got freezing drafts coming in through that front door.”
“I am happy.”
“But you don’t have a headboard.”
Frau Varga laughed. “I need not, Fräulein Vi’let.”
“Are we safe?” 
“Today, we have full of peace. But if anything happen,” she added, “I swear at them in Berlinish.”
“What could happen?”
“Fräulein Vi’let, two years ago, it bad. When der Kaiser deposed, people shot in the streets. They threw hand-grenades from the Brandenburger Tor. They waved red flags, they shouted slogans.” She made gestures. “It crazy.”
“Those were the Spartacists?” asked Grace. She remembered Mr. Russell trying to dissuade them from going to Berlin.
Frau Varga stared. “You heard in Amerika, Fräulein Graatz?”
“Could there be problems again?”
“Everything quiet now,” replied Frau Varga, shrugging. She patted Grace’s arm. “Worry not.”
“I’m not worried as long as you’re not,” remarked Violet.
Grace frowned.
“Fräulein Graatz, worry not. Look!” She swept aside the bedclothes to show the knife that hid under her pillow.

You have been told your book has won one free year on a billboard in any one state.  What state do you feel would be best for your book and why?

District of Columbia. The first part of Farewell My Life is set in the District, in Georgetown.

The Arbor Day Foundation has decided to pick one tree in your honor because of your writing brilliance.  What kind of tree is it and why did they choose that tree in relation to your book?

Linden Tree. Berlin is populated by Linden trees, and a Linden Tree is featured in Farewell My Life’s closing pages.






About the Author

Cynthia Sally Haggard was born and reared in Surrey, England. About 30 years ago she surfaced in the United States, inhabiting the Mid-Atlantic region as she wound her way through four careers: violinist, cognitive scientist, medical writer, and novelist.

Her first novel, Thwarted Queen a fictionalized biography of Lady Cecylee Neville (1415-1495), the mother of Richard III (whose bones were recently found under a car-park in Leicester,) was shortlisted for many awards, including the 2012 Eric Hoffer New Horizon Award for debut authors. To date, sales have surpassed 38,000 copies.

Cynthia graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, Cambridge MA, in June 2015. When she’s not annoying everyone by insisting her fictional characters are more real than they are, Cynthia likes to go for long walks, knit something glamorous, cook in her wonderful kitchen, and play the piano. You can visit her at www.spunstories.com.




About the Book:

Angelina led a life which required her to fib. When Angelina, the black sheep of the Pagano family,
meets the mysterious Mr. Russell, she has no idea that she has seen him before…in another country.

And so begins Farewell My Life, a novel in three parts, which spins an operatic tale of dangerous love and loss.

The Lost Mother, the first part of this novel, slices back and forth between time and space, opening in the charming village of Georgetown, Washington D.C. while reflecting a family’s troubled past in the lovely village of Marostica in the Italian Veneto.

An Unsuitable Suitor, the second part of the novel, is a Cinderella-ish tale with not-so-charming princes who inhabit the edgy setting of 1920s Berlin.

Farewell My Life, the last part of the novel, set again in Berlin, Germany, during the dark 1930s as the Nazis gain power, takes comfortable lives, assumptions and civilizations and crumbles them into ash.

And all of this revolves around Grace, Angelina’s younger daughter, whose fabulous talent for the violin promises a shimmering career.

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