Tag Archives: Author Interview

Sunday Coffee Time Chat with Author Michele Shriver

Posted on by

Welcome to Sunday morning Coffee Chat time!

Today’s guest is Michele Shriver!

 

 

SE: Welcome Michele!!! So glad you could join us today!

MS: Hello, Stacy and readers of this blog. I?m very excited to join you this morning to chat about my writing and my upcoming release. Thank you for having me.

SE: I have a very standard first questions, Coffee or Tea?

MS: A cafe mocha, please. I?m a bit of a snob when it comes to my coffee.?

SE: Be all the snog you want! I’m a mocha person myself!? So glad you are here. We just met recently and I’m really excited to learn more about you, so let’s jump right in!? We know you?re an author, but do you work another job when you are not writing?

MS: I do work another job. I?m an attorney specializing mainly in juvenile and child welfare law. I also do some criminal defense work, so I guess that kind of puts us on opposite sides. My real passion is the juvenile work, though.

SE: Ewww… you said the “D” word.? lol.. now worries, I know that people deserve to be represented, especially children. So what what is your favorite thing to do when you aren?t writing or working?

MS: I?m a big sports fan, mainly football and hockey.? I?ll pretty much watch any game on TV. I also enjoy reading other people?s books. And due to some current health issues, I?d have to put sleeping up there as a favorite activity.

SE: Hey, napping should always be on that list!!!? So, what is your favorite color?

MS: Green. I?m not really sure why. Maybe because I like frogs and have collected them since I was about three. Not real ones, but stuffed, ceramic, wooden, you name it. I?ve got frogs in my house.

SE: Oh, my daughter would love to see them! She loves frogs too! What is your favorite season?

MS: Fall, because I love seeing the leaves change. And hoodies, jeans and boots are my favorite attire. And it?s the start of hockey season. Unfortunately, in Iowa it sometimes seems we skip fall and transition straight to winter.

SE: I have a good friend in Iowa, she said the same thing about the weather. Okay, so talking about living, if you could live anyplace on earth, where would it be?

MS: That?s a tough one. I most want to visit Portugal, but not having done that yet, I can?t say if I like it enough to live there. So I?ll go with Austin, TX because my family is there.? Except I can?t handle the heat, so I?d probably still want to spend 3 of 4 seasons where I am. I love Canada too.

SE: I love that so many people I interview love where they live! Other than writing, what do you have a passion for?

MS: Sports, books, food and wine.

SE: Nice! Okay, let’s switch tracks and talk about writing.? How long have your been writing? Was it a dream, a goal or is it just a hobby?

MS: I?ve been writing fiction in some capacity pretty much most of my life. I first caught the bug back in sixth grade with an assignment to write the first chapter of a book. I wanted to write the whole thing! It was mainly just a hobby until about 7 years ago when it became much more of a passion and goal.? Now I can?t stop.

SE: I love hearing that! How many hours a day do you devote to writing?

MS: I try to devote at least an hour or two a day to get some words written, if my job and my health allow. If I?m not actively writing, though, I am pretty much always thinking about it.

SE: Hard not to think about it when we aren’t clicking on our keyboards, isn’t it? Do you have a set routine or do you write when the mood strikes?

MS: I try to follow a routine and do something each day, but I can?t force my writing. Some days the words just aren?t there, so I?ll take a break that day.

SE: That is the best thing to do! Is there some place special you like to be when you write?

MS: Weather permitting, out on my back patio.

SE: Do you listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write?

MS: No music for me. Quiet, or the TV on in the background even though I never really pay much attention to what?s on when I?m immersed in writing.

SE: Very good, so let’s get on to one of your books,? What is the name of it and is it part of a series or a stand alone novel?

MS: The Art of Love. It?s stand alone, but with a spin off novel coming in a couple months.? Chelsea?s mom, Liz, played a big role in this book and kind of demanded a story of her own, so I just finished writing that.

SE; lol… I love demanding characters!? Where did the idea come from?

MS: This story was inspired by the cover. I bought a pre-made cover featuring an artsy scene simply because it caught my eye, and then planned a book about two art students finding love.

SE: Wow, that’s a different kind of inspiration! Cool! What is it about?

MS: Chelsea Matthews has a simple dream?travel the country on the art fair circuit selling her hand-crafted jewelry. When her disapproving father refuses to release her trust fund money to support her ambitions, she takes a part-time job in a campus gallery. While counting the days until she can be free of its stuffy confines, an unexpected temptation comes in the form of a sensitive painter.

For Hayden Shaw, having his paintings displayed in the finest galleries is the true measure of an artist?s success. When the pursuit of his goal puts him in contact with the free-spirited Chelsea, his world is turned upside down.

Can two seemingly opposite artists find middle ground and discover the art of love, or will a gallery curator with an agenda of her own undermine both their dreams?

SE: Sounds great Michele!? What about your other work, do you have any upcoming projects in the works or other books that have been published ? Tell us about them?

MS: I have three published women?s fiction novels, along with two contemporary romance.? More information about all of them is available on my website. My upcoming project is Starting Over, about a fifty-something divorcee getting another chance at love.

SE: That sounds great! I hope some of my readers check it out! Thank you so much for stopping by today! I loved having you and learning more about you!

If you would like to know more about Michele Shriver, you can check out these links:

Website: www.micheleshriver.com

Blog: http://micheleshriver.wordpress.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Michele-Shriver/241190605939040

Twitter: www.twitter.com/micheleshriver

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5303070.Michele_Shriver

To Purchase The Art of Love:

Sunday Coffee Time Chat with Author Marie Godley

Posted on by

Welcome to Sunday morning Coffee Chat time!

Today’s guest is Marie Godley!

Good Morning everyone!? Welcome to Sunday Morning Coffee Time Chat!!? I’m excited to have another author here for you today, and she is a special one to me. Marie Godley is part of my Beta Team. She’s one of those wonderful people who gets to read my stories before they even see my editor.? Now, it’s my turn to help her get the word out! So… let’s get started!

MD: Hi Stacy. Thanks for having me on here. I hope you and your readers ? good morning to you too ? have their tea or coffee ready for our chat.

SE: Morning Marie – I have my coffee – which do you prefer, Coffee or Tea?

MD: Tea ? it? s one of the few things I drink ? even on a hot day. I do like my tea quite weak though which is the cause for much hilarity between my daughter and my Mum ? comments like ?scaring the cup with the teabag? that sort of thing ? I don?t know why I put up with them.

For those of you who don’t know, Marie lives in the United Kingdom, hence the use of the word ‘mum’, I think that is so cute. Let’s just into some questions that will allow the reader to get to know you better. We know you?re an author, but do you work another job when you are not writing? What is your favorite thing to do when you aren?t writing or working?

MD: I am a housewife ? or should that be ? child minder, chef, accountant, chauffeur, maid, ok let?s not dwell on that too long. When not doing those things or scribbling away I love to read. I always have. I was the child with the book and torch under the covers when I was supposed to be sleeping.? I read different books depending on my mood but I don?t read horror. I love Christmas books and have been known to read them in the summer. Also because we live near the sea and a National Park I love to walk, in either of those places ? preferably away from others. It?s so peaceful and just a short time watching the waves or being amongst the trees can restore my sanity.

SE: I always feel at peace when I am near the ocean! I know exactly how you feel.? Do you have a favorite color?

MD: I don?t really have a favourite colour.

SE: Alright, what about a favorite season?

MD: I love Spring because of all the bulbs flowering and the new shoots, also because you get some warm days. But I also love the autumn. The different coloured leaves look beautiful and I still love to stamp on crisp leaves so they crunch underfoot ? my husband despairs of me. Winter frosts are beautiful too but I don?t like being cold.

SE: I’m not much of a cold person either. If you could live anyplace on earth, where would it be? Why?

MD: Here in Dorset, UK. We always wanted to live here and were fortunate enough to be able to move when our children were little. Our town has historical buildings, rivers, the beach and we?re an easy drive away from the New Forest with its wild horses.

SE: Sounds beautiful! Other than writing, what do you have a passion for?

MD: Nature. I love animals too, although sadly I?m allergic to some, but I can spend hours staring out to sea or walking in the forest. I get angry when I see people disrespecting our world.

SE: Many of my readers are here in the US and I know you are over in the UK. Have you ever come over here to visit? And if so, what was your favorite place to visit?

MD: I haven?t been to the US, although some of my in-laws live over there.

SE: I hope you come over and visit us someday. Let’s talk about your writing Marie, how long have your been writing? Was it a dream, a goal or is it just a hobby?

MD: I?ve been writing for about 7 years. When I wrote my first children?s story I had no thought to getting it published, I was just writing at the same time as my daughter was doing homework. Now it?s my life and I would love to get one of my Young Adult stories published.

SE: I hope that you do. How many hours a day do you devote to writing? Do you have a set routine or do you write when the mood strikes? Is there some place special you like to be when you write? Do you listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write?

MD: I write whenever I can ? that depends a lot on whether my family is around, so I don?t get much done during school holidays. I like to write when the mood strikes but sometimes I just have to take advantage of alone time and pick my pen up. Surprisingly I?ve found that once I get going I wonder what had been stopping me from starting earlier. Sometimes though I have to admit that writing ?just isn?t going to happen? and do something else. I write wherever I can, sometimes in the garden but normally on the sofa. My favourite place to write is actually snuggled up in bed. I think I like the feeling of being cozy and warm. Recently I?ve taken my note pad to the train station ?Whilst I sit and wait for my daughter?s train to come in I rest my note pad against the steering wheel and write ? the only trouble with that is when I forget not to press ?down too hard and I blare my horn! I find that using the few minutes of what would have been wasted time is quite affective, although it?s annoying when the train pulls in just when I?m in the middle of a good bit. I don?t listen to music whilst I write because I start writing the lyrics down or sing along. Occasionally I will put an instrumental, nature inspired cd on and it becomes background noise.

SE: I love that you write and hit the horn – I have done that myself! So tell us about your book, what is the name of it and is it part of a series or a stand alone novel? Where did the idea come from?

MD: Time Slide is a fantasy book for children aged 10 or over, although I know of one mother who read it to her 8yr old ? a chapter a night as a bed time story and he loved it. It isn?t part of a series and is a short story, so ideal if a child only wants to read for a short length of time. I know my son used to be put off if the book was too thick ? even if he was capable of reading it. I was thinking about the some of the great books published for kids that incorporated Ancient Egypt or Greek mythology and thought it would be great to do something about China ? I?ve always loved Chinese ornaments etc. One day an opening for a story came to me ? it was just the first paragraph and decided that was perfect for turning into a book connected with China. I did some research on Beijing and the Mongol society and had great fun weaving fact and fiction together into a story.

SE: That sounds great! I will have to show my daughter! What is it about? (You can use your own words or your blurb)

MD: Put yourself in Jerry’s shoes… His parents have been invited to China to take part in an archaeological dig. Because it is the summer holiday, he and his sister Sammy are going along. Jerry and Sammy meet some interesting people, and they find a beautiful hair slide. All seems great, but things are already starting to go wrong. Suddenly, Sammy thinks she is having visions from the past. They soon discover that the hair slide is linked to an old portrait in the museum and an old Mongolian tale. Jerry’s summer is about to get very complicated…

SE: That sounds so cool! Do you have any upcoming projects in the works or other books that have been published ? Tell us about them?

MD: My first two books were a Christmas book for the under 5?s called The Special Christmas Bear. Teddy loves travelling around Santa’s workshop on the big blue wagon! There is so much to look at and he has lots of elf friends. But Santa has a special task for Teddy – will Teddy take it on? and a first chapter, fantasy book called The Guardian of the Globe. After buying a beautiful snow globe, Phoebe finds herself pulled inside! Zoozer the unicorn has been kidnapped by a troll and is being taken to the evil wizard Mishra who wants to steal his powers. Summoned by the sorceress Vivien, Phoebe must find a way to stop him. How will she trick the troll? Will she succeed? Join Phoebe and her new friends Capstan the stag and Skimpish the wood elf as they hurry to catch up with the troll and save Zoozer.

As you can see all my stories have a fantasy element about them.

I?m also part of a group of authors called Authors For Charity. We write stories to be made into an anthology and any profits we make go to a charity ? we change the charity each year. Last year we published Tales of an Old Wizard for 9+ readers and later in 2014 we will be publishing Paranormal Love for YA readers.

For myself, I am working on stories for Young Adults. I have one finished which I?m trying to get representation for, one I?m editing and one that I?m writing (when I?m not leaning on my horn and scaring myself)

SE: hahahaha – That is so precious!! I love that you write YA and for children – we need more awesome books for them so they keep reading pages instead of texts! So glad you came to visit today Marie! It’s been a true pleasure!

If you’d like to learn more about Marie Godley, please check out the following links:

Website: www.mariegodley.moonfruit.com

Blog: http://marie-mariegodleybooks.blogspot.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariegodleyauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarieGodley

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4151284.Marie_Godley

Google +:? https://plus.google.com/u/0/100536610935786913639/about/p/pub

Video Trailers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2tWfNz2qDw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx8UcH7J6-0

Pinterest:

To purchase books by Marie Godley:

Amazon US:

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=marie%20 ?

 

 

Sunday Coffee Time Chat with Author Brooke Williams

Posted on by

Welcome to Sunday morning Coffee Chat time!

Today’s guest is Brooke Williams!

Welcome – Welcome – Welcome Brooke!!! So glad you could make it here today!

BW: Hello everyone and thank you so much for taking the time to visit Stacy?s blog and read more about my work today.? It?s an honor to have your attention for a few moments.

Our honor too!? So as always I must ask, Coffee or Tea?

BW: Tea, hands down.? And only iced, never hot.

Oh boy! We have a rebel on our hands!? Alright, calm down my friends, we will still allow her to stay! Everyone is allowed to have different favorites, even if they don’t include coffee. So, Brooke, tells us a little bit about you, we know you?re an author, but do you work another job when you are not writing?

BW: First and foremost I?m a full time mom.? I have two little girls, Kaelyn who is 5 and Sadie who is 16 months.? I was in radio full time for 10 years before Kaelyn was born, but once she hit the world running (almost literally!) I left that career to stay home with her.? Being a mom is a job that transcends the normal work hours, goes into weekends, overnights and so on.? When I am able to get both of my girls sleeping at the same time, that?s when I write.? It?s usually only an hour or two a day, but it?s all I have and I cling to it!? I?m an author and I enjoy that portion of the career the most, but I am also a freelance writer.? I write articles for a number of clients on nearly any topic you can imagine.

You are a busy woman! And I give you props! Being a stay at home mom is a hard job, but so very worth it! What is your favorite thing to do when you aren?t writing or working?

BW: I love to read, actually!? I do a lot of book reviews for other authors simply because I love to read and want to help them out.? I also like to take walks, which sounds simple, but it?s not something I get to do very often with my two girls running around constantly!? Before they were born, my husband and I golfed.? As in he golfed and I rode along in the cart and read.? Best of both worlds for us!? We got to chat some, be outside, and both have entertainment we enjoyed!? We?ll get back to that again someday.

Hahahaha – that is so funny! I love that you rode around with him and read while he played golf. Wish I could do that while my husband cycled.? So what is your favorite color? Why?

BW: Blue.? A light blue.? It?s a calm, cool, collected color.? And it?s not stereotypical girl, just like me!

Somehow I never expected you to be typical! We get along to well, except you don’t like coffee. What is your favorite season? Why?

BW: Fall.? After a long, hot summer, it?s nice to have cooler temperatures.? And the colors can be really gorgeous.? I love the jeans and t-shirt type of weather.? Though not the impending doom of the upcoming winter?

Wait – did I saw we got along? You like Fall? (shaking my head) Alright, I will admit it is nice to climb into jeans and hiking boots and not sweat, but I gotta go for the spring where I know the temps will warm up.? I’m nervous to ask you the next question. If you could live anyplace on earth, where would it be? Why?

BW: I really love Colorado.? If I stayed in the US, I?d try there.? The mountains are gorgeous and there?s no humidity in the summer.? Outside of the US, I?ve always wanted to go to Australia.? They still speak English (though I know it?s slightly different then here!) so I wouldn?t be completely lost.? Though I might be able to stumble through a Spanish speaking country a bit.?

Colorado is beautiful!? Okay one more fun question…? If you could have any car, what would it be?

BW: Gosh, I?m thrilled with a working vehicle that?s reliable and safely gets us around.? Whatever that is is what I want!? Ha.? Other than that, I really don?t care!

Wow.. that’s simple!? Okay – let’s get into your writing. How long have your been writing? Was it a dream, a goal or is it just a hobby?

BW: I?ve been writing for as long as I could write.? I remember as a child I used to cut pictures out of magazines, tape them to blank paper, and write new stories to go along with them.? Then I?d sell my ?newspapers? to my parents for a nickel.? They probably bought them so they could see the picture that went along with the story they read in the real magazine!?

lol… that’s priceless!

I wrote lots of little books growing up as well and once I hit high school then college, writing papers was the best part of school.? I don?t think I ever dreamed that I could actually make it as a writer so I never really made it a goal until recent years.? When I left radio, I wanted to find something I could do from home and since I?ve always loved to write, it seemed like a perfect fit.? Once my freelance writing took off, I realized that maybe I could actually be a published author as well.? Or at least I could dream of it and strive for it!

Dreams are made to be achieved!? You can do it!? So, how many hours a day do you devote to writing?

BW: As many as I can get, but usually only 1-2 due to my daughter?s nap schedule.? Once the youngest is in school, which will be another 4 years, I?m sure I?ll ramp that up quite a bit!

It is hard to write with kids. I get up at 4:30 in the morning so I can deal with things before I have to leave for work at 6:30. So I get it! Do you have a set routine or do you write when the mood strikes?

BW: My routine is to write when my daughters are napping in the afternoon.? I have to make the mood strike at that time!? I have no other choice!? I?m almost always in the mood to write something.? Whether it?s an article for a client or fiction writing.

Is there some place special you like to be when you write?

BW: At the computer. It?d be nice to have an inspirational place with an awesome view.? But at least if I turn around, I can see the trees out the back door.

Trees work! Do you listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write?

BW: I used to write to music back in college, but now I like quiet.? I think it?s because the rest of the day with my daughters is so noisy and hectic that I just want the peace when it?s available.? Plus, my older daughter doesn?t really ?nap? much anymore, but rather plays in her room so I already have that background noise and don?t really need any more!

That is very nice background noise! Let’s talk about your book! What is the name of it and is it part of a series or a stand alone novel?

BW: ?Someone Always Loved You is the first book I ever wrote.? It?s a stand alone novel, though several people have asked me to write a sequel somehow. ?I took about a ten year break between that novel and the others I have written and now that I?ve started up again, I can?t seem to stop!

Gotta love when that happens! It’s like someone turned the faucet on and broke the handle!? Where did the idea for Someone Always Loved You come from?

BW: I always wanted to write a book about someone in a coma.? I wondered if they could hear things, if they thought things, etc.? My grandmother was in a coma on two separate occasions so maybe that longing came from that.? I didn’t? know what else would happen in the book, I just wanted someone in a coma!? After a couple of years in radio, the first scene of a book came to me out of the blue one night.? It was the scene that would place someone into a coma.? I could NOT get the scene out of my head.? I simply HAD to write it down.? I mean, this thing was keeping me up at night!!? So I sat down and wrote it out one day.? Once it was out, I got goosebumps.? I knew.? I had to finish it.? I had to know what happened.? And at that point, I really had no idea what that would be.? I did no plotting, not outlining, no planning ahead.? I just wrote.? I feel like the book wrote itself and just used me as a vehicle to help it get onto the page.

I love when that happens, my last three books were just like that! Tell us what it’s about.

Someone Always Loved You is a story about love over time.? It starts when a man named Jay starts his career as an ambulance driver.? On his very first day, he hits a pedestrian.? The victim, Jordan, who was rushing to the hospital to be with her ailing husband, is thrown into a coma and Jay then keeps a near constant vigil by her side.? From that point on, their lives intertwine both past and present as the story unfolds.? Plenty of other characters get drawn in and everyone is connected in some way or another.

Wow… that sounds so very cool! Putting it on my kindle, no doubt about it! Do you have any upcoming projects in the works or other books that have been published?

BW: Boy do I!? Someone Always Loved You is the first book I ever wrote and somehow, it?s started to get attention online.? People are actually buying it!? When I realized that, I figured I should actually do some things to promote it.? It?s a story I don?t care about making money on, I just want it to be read because I love it so much and I want others to love it as well.? I also wanted to do promotional things as practice for the upcoming releases I have.? I now have several publishers behind me and a number of contracts awaiting completion.?

OMG!!! That is so awesome!! Give me a list!

Here?s a list for you!

December 2014: Wrong Place, Right Time from The Writer?s Coffee Shop Publishing House. This clean romance novella is about a woman who tries to interrupt her male best friend?s wedding, only she interrupts the wrong wedding?oops!

February 2015: Accept this Dandelion from Prism Book Group. This novel is a romantic comedy based on the Bachelor TV show.? The characters are on a local verion of The Bachelor and nothing goes right for one particular contestant.

August 2015: Mamarazzi from Prism Book Group. This novel is also a clean romantic comedy based on a female paparazzi.? When she is thrown onto a TV show unexpectedly, the tables turn and she?s the one having her picture taken.

February 2016: Baby Sheep Gets a Haircut from Wee Creek Press. This is a children?s book about, well, a baby sheep getting a haircut.? It?s a story I?ve told my daughter over and over again.? She thinks it?s funny and I hope other children do as well.

WOW!! You have a great list of things to come!? Brooke I know I wish you all the best – and I am sure other readers here will too!? Now, if you’ll excuse me – I have a book to go buy!

If you would like to find out more about Brooke Williams, please visit the links below.

Website: http://www.authorbrookewilliams.com/

Blog: http://www.authorbrookewilliams.com/blog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBrookeWilliams

Twitter: @authorbrookewilliams

Where it can be purchased:

http://www.authorbrookewilliams.com/books.html

Amazon