Thursday, October 31, 2019

Happy Halloween!! + Happy Book Birthday Beauty of the Dark BoxSet!!



Happy Halloween!! All Hallow's Eve!! Samhain!!

Halloween is my very favorite holiday and most likely my very favorite day of the year. Ever since I was a little girl and trick or treated as Minnie Mouse in the hospital. It was the first Halloween I was able to trick or treat, but I was in the hospital. So a bunch of parents and some nurses gathered up the kids on the pediatric ward and we went trick or treating around the hospital. From the stories I've heard, we did indeed get band aides and gauze pads. 😂 My dad ran out to a store to get me a costume. There was a little Halloween party. I don't remember it, really, because I was two, but I do have a very vague, wispy memory of that Halloween party.

I take Halloween off. I always take Halloween off. Well, since I've been working from home. I like to watch favorite Halloween movies, listen to spooky music (or maybe just listen to Thriller by Michael Jackson on repeat), I hang out in my costume most of the day. The I go to my Aunt Sue's with my mom and we hang out in our costumes and have dinner and hand out candy to the kids who come trick or treating, It's amazing, it's my favorite holiday, my favorite day. I love it, I love, I LOVE it!!

Which is a big part of the reason why, last year, I wanted to release the Beauty of the Dark boxset ON Halloween. I'd known I wanted to release a book on Halloween and that boxset seemed perfect. Vampires, witches, demons, spooky, magic, murder, mayhem, romance, New Orleans....lol. It was just absolute perfection. Today, Halloween 2019, is the Beauty of the Dark boxset's first book birthday!! Today is the LAST DAY to get it on SALE for $3.99!! Usually $7.99 you can get all three full length novels plus an exclusive bonus short story, for the price of ONE of the e-books. So be sure to get that today since it is the last day!! Get it HERE.


For anyone wondering, I have been a witch for Halloween in some shape or form since I was 12 years old. Clearly, I quite like witches. And I always make my cat, Sawyer, take a picture with me. He is my familiar, after all. ;)

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Book Blitz | Cold Queen by K. Webster





Cold Queen

by K Webster  
Publication Date: October 29, 2019  
Genres: Adult, Dark, Fantasy, Romance 

 


In a cold, empty castle, a young queen is dying. Weak. Fragile. Disgraced. But Queen Whitestone is not alone in her final days. She has her beloved sister. Until a wicked king rides onto her land. Arrogant. Insufferable. Demanding. King Bloodsun has come with an offer…peace in trade for a bride. He wants the princess. The fiery king won’t take no for an answer. He vows to keep the cold queen captive until she gives in to his demands. A queen bows for no one, though. Not even when she’s frail and fading away. She’ll tap into her strength, protecting the only family she has left. The king is about to learn why they call her the cruel one…



About K. Webster



K Webster is a USA Today Bestselling author. Her titles have claimed many bestseller tags in numerous categories, are translated in multiple languages, and have been adapted into audiobooks. She lives in “Tornado Alley” with her husband, two children, and her baby dog named Blue. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and researching aliens. 

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Interview with Kristine Raymond | Author of Finn-agled (A Finn's Finds Mystery)

Amanda: Give us a quick introduction to you. Published books, what you write, etc.
Kristine: It wasn’t until later in life that I figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up, an epiphany that occurred in 2013 when I sat down and began writing my first book, Here to Stay.  Sixteen books (in multiple genres) later, I’ve since added the title of podcasting host to my resume, launching Word Play with Kristine Raymond a year ago, thus assuring that I’ll never be idle.

To date, I’ve written a nine-book historical western romance series (Hidden Springs), a contemporary romance trilogy (The Celebration series), a collection of four, seasonally-themed stories (Seasons of Love), an erotic drama (Tempted), a short, non-fiction book about my first year as an indie author (‘write words’), and the first in the Finn’s Finds cozy mystery series (Finn-agled).

Amanda:
Favorite book you’ve published so far? 

Kristine: This is a trick question because they’re all my favorites.  But if I had to pick just one…it would be Finn-agled, my cozy mystery.




https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47140189-finn-agled
Click to learn more.


Amanda:
Most fun character to write? Favorite character to write? (Because they can definitely be different. ;) ) Hardest to write?

Kristine: Finn Bartusiak (Finn-agled) is the most fun to write, hands down. She’s quirky, feisty, and fiercely loyal to her family, friends, and Basset Hound, not necessarily in that order.

Jack Tanner (Hearts on Fire, though he appears in all of the Hidden Springs books) is my favorite character to date, though now that I think about it, he shares a lot of the same traits with Finn.  He’s smart, funny in a wise-cracking sort of way, and loyal to a fault.

I haven’t come across any characters yet that are difficult to write. I think because they’re so much fun to create.

Amanda:
Did you like to read as a child? Favorite book? Do you still have that book or reread it now?

Kristine: I LOVED to read as a child.  My earliest memories are of being read to, either by my mom or my older sister.  I have too many favorites to pick one and, yes, I do still own and re-read them.  Here are a few – the Little House on the Prairie books, the Misty books, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Baby Island, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and so many more.  Oh, and I still read Nancy Drew once in a while.





Amanda:
Have you always been a writer/storyteller? How did you start?

Kristine: On some level, probably, because these stories have been inside of me for my entire life, but have I written since childhood?  No.  I decided to try writing a book on a whim back in 2013, just to see if I could.  I had no idea that one story would lead to a series of nine, or that more and more ideas and characters would pop into my head.

Amanda:
Do you write to music? If so, what kind? I love to hear about new music!

Kristine: No.  I need it to be absolutely quiet while I write, which is a challenge when surrounded by furbabies…lol.

Amanda:
I know for me, there have been some funny stories since I’ve been deep in the trenches of writing. Like a realization about a work in progress or characters (the funniest has to do with the song Mirrors by JT.) Do you have any funny stories that you’d like to share?

Kristine: I think the funniest story (though it wasn’t at the time) was when I was so entrenched in the book I was writing that I forgot to pay the car insurance and our policy was cancelled.  I was able to get it reinstated, but now make it a priority to pay the bills before opening my manuscript…lol.

Amanda:
Do you have a typical process or any writing rituals? Anything you have to have with you while writing? (Besides computer, paper, typewriter, whichever…) Kristine: No specific rituals or food/drink, anything like that.  I do write on a desktop computer which means I’m in my office for a good part of the day.  And I’ve already mentioned that I need it quiet.  As long as the characters are talking to me, I’m good.

Amanda:
Who is a character that has influenced you (not from your books)?

Kristine: In one form or another, I think every character I read influences me. They feel real to me, like they’re my friends (or enemies) and the plots are mini-vacations, even if they are imaginary.
 

Amanda: Which of your characters would you least want to go on a road trip with? Why? Most want to?
Kristine: Agnes Rothschild and Melinda Sue Perkins from the Hidden Springs series, and JoJo Halpern from Finn-agled would not make good traveling companions.  On the other hand, for a girls’ trip I’d choose Roxie Malone from Under the Mistletoe (The Celebration series), Chloe Mancuso from Snowflakes in Winter (Seasons of Love), and Finn Bartusiak from Finn-agled.  Now, THAT would be fun!!

Amanda:
Top three favorite books and authors right now. 

Kristine: Favorite books – Bits & Pieces by Dawn Hosmer, Dead Run by PJ Tracy, and Watchers by Dean Koontz

Favorite authors
– PJ Tracy, Sandra Brown, and Dean Koontz

Amanda:
Favorite writing craft book?

Kristine: All of the ‘Thesaurus’ books by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi.  Oh, and Crime Scenes by Geoff Symon





This or that:
Strawberry vs. Chocolate - Caramel
Poetry vs. Fiction - Fiction
First draft vs. Editing – I edit as I go, so my first draft is my final draft
T. V. Show vs. Movie – depends on what I’m watching
Book vs. Movie – in most cases, book
Hero vs. Villain – Hero, though every story needs a good villain
Villain vs. Anti-Hero – Anti-Hero
Witch vs. Vampire – not a huge fan of either except for those depicted in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.  I mean, come on – Spike?  Hell, yeah.  And what’s not to love about Willow?
E-book vs. Physical Book  - Physical book
Tea vs. Coffee - Tea


Amanda:
Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on now?

Kristine: I’m currently working on the second book in the Finn’s Finds Mystery series titled Finn-icky Eaters

Amanda:
Any last comments to share? :)

Kristine: Thanks for the opportunity to interview with you.  It’s been fun! And, thanks to all of the readers out there who take a chance on my books.  Happy Reading.

About the Author 
It wasn’t until later in life that Kristine Raymond figured out what she wanted to be when she grew up, an epiphany that occurred in 2013 when she sat down and began writing her first book.  Sixteen books (in multiple genres) later, she’s added the title of podcasting host to her resume, thus assuring that she will never be idle.

When a spare moment does present itself, she fills it by navigating the publishing and promotional side of the business.  When not doing that, she spends time with her husband and furbabies (not necessarily in that order), reads, or binge-watches Netflix. 

Find out more about Kristine on her website at www.kristineraymond.com and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and BookBub

And for links to podcast episodes, guest posts, and other great stuff, check out Word Play with Kristine Raymond at www.wordplaypodcast.com











Thursday, October 17, 2019

Book Tour | Rocked Senseless by Alyson Hale


Title: Rocked Senseless
Author: Alyson Hale
Release: October 15, 2019
Genre: Friends-to-Lovers/Rock Star/Contemporary Romance


Blurb:
When people talk about "falling" in love, they usually don't mean it literally…

After a stage dive gone wrong, I woke up with a gorgeous, tattooed stud sleeping at my bedside. When he opened his deep, dark eyes, I felt something I’ve never felt for any man before.

Too bad I didn’t realize the beautiful, brooding man was Logan Young, my drummer and best friend.

Not only could my feelings destroy a fifteen-year friendship, but his girlfriend’s father holds our fate as musicians in his hands. One false move, and our careers are over.

Is that a risk we’re both willing to take? Or will the duet of our love song remain a solo?


Buy Links: (Kindle Unlimited)



Author Bio:

Alyson Hale is a passionate contemporary/erotic romance author from the American South. Her weaknesses are rock stars, billionaires, and alpha males. She is married to a strong, stubborn family man who shows up in almost every book boyfriend she writes. Alyson is also a mother to one human child, one canine child, and one feline child.   

Author Links:
Sign up for Alyson's newsletter and receive a free short story! http://eepurl.com/ghBBR9
MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/alysonhale

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Join Us for a Virtual Writer's Retreat!!

I had this idea several months ago to do a virtual writer's retreat. Writing retreats can cost a lot of money and some of us don't quite have that much yet. The way I understand there are two main points to a writing retreat: to meet people and socialize and to get words/work done. I don't quite remember how the idea came into my head. If it was from seeing someone else mention it. I know people have done it and I likely heard someone talk about it but I decided to do my own.



I polled my Facebook group and they decided that the best way to have this event would be in our Facebook group. That's what I did. And the dates everyone chose were October 18th - October 20th (midnight on October 20th, so the even page says through October 21st.) The idea is to pop in throughout those days, do writing sprints, have some threads to share social media, favorite books, books we've written, resources, maybe live videos, etc. It's my first time doing one but I thought why not give it a go? That way it's free and maybe we'll get some words down and have fun doing it!!

Official Description:

"Sometimes we need a little extra push when we're writing. A little extra camaraderie. Writing can be very solitary, but we can't all afford to go away on a writing retreat, so I thought it would be fun to put a virtual writing retreat together."

If you want to take part in this event, you'll have to join my Facebook group, Amanda Leigh's Lounge. If you love reading, we'd love to have you!! And if you love writing, then this event may just be for you!!

Hope to see you there!! ;)

Monday, October 14, 2019

Release Day Tour | Begin Again by Amanda Leigh!!


BEGIN AGAIN by Amanda Leigh is #LIVE


OneClick today! https://amzn.to/2m1bVCM

Add it to your TBR! https://bit.ly/2m7UmRd
When Tori's house burns down with her abusive husband inside, she flees with her six-year-old daughter to start anew. They leave town and stay in a motel.

It doesn’t take long for Tori’s small savings to run dry, and they find themselves struggling once more. One day, they meet a kind stranger who pays for their meal. The purse this stranger leaves behind could change everything...but not how Tori imagines.






MEET THE AUTHOR:
Amanda Leigh is the multi-genre author of numerous titles, including the Mature YA Paranormal Romance, the Beauty of the Dark series. She’s made up stories all her life, and written them down since she was eight. In college she got her degree in English and Communications, and worked as the Assistant Managing Editor on the literary magazine. Amanda advocates for mental health, cystinosis/rare disease awareness, and literacy. Strength: Lives Touched by Cystinosis is an anthology to raise awareness and money for cystinosis. She has a cat she adores and loves cooking, music, art, Psychology, Marvel, Harry Potter, and Elvis Presley. Not necessarily in that order. Find her online at www.authoramandaleigh.com and feel free to get in touch with her.


Thursday, October 10, 2019

Release Tour | Lips of an Angel by Adam Alexander


Lips of an Angel by Adam Alexander is LIVE!!

One-Click now available! http://mybook.to/LoaABuy

Add it to your TBR today! http://bit.ly/LipsOfAnAngelTBR

Are the whispers of your guardian angel a blessing or a curse?

Riley’s just come out of a relationship torn apart by lies. While nursing her bruised heart she’s avoiding men at all cost.

Ethan’s convinced the cops aren’t even trying to find his brother’s killer. He doesn’t have time for love, not when his brother’s killer is still free.

When Riley meets a medium with a direct line to the angels, she’s intrigued. The more she listens to the voices of angels the more she learns of a dimension few know about.

But there is one angel that has a message only Riley can hear…

A message that will change her world forever…

Riley wants to know even more…

When Riley and Ethan meet, the attraction is instant, the romance undeniable. Regardless of being burned by love before they can’t ignore the connection. As their newfound love is explored Riley discovers her angel has one more message for her.

A message that will change everything.

If your guardian told you your future, would you listen?



Meet The Author:
Adam Alexander is a fascinating character in his own right. He always sees the good in everyone he meets, always looks for the upside of everything he sees, yet his mind is always looking far beyond what’s in front of him.  Behind each of his highly entertaining novels there’s a story, a theme, an experience or a snippet of a conversation that sent his highly creative mind on a mission of exploration to bring out another riveting novel.  In real life, he is a modest and humble individual, a self-professed introvert who is not afraid of the stage, large audiences or pubic speaking, with a wicked and dry sense of humour and a big heart for others. He’s a dedicated husband and father, and has recently confessed to being a dog lover. 

Visit him at: https://www.adam-alexander-author.com/

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

#Last90Days Challenge with the HollisCo!!

I love Rachel Hollis. This year I decided to sign up for her Last 90 Days challenge. I've learned that living with a condition that effects my every day life doesn't mean I always have to be left out of things, but it often means I need to alter some things a bit. On that topic, Rachel has five habits that she calls "Five to Thrive". I bought the special edition Last 90 Days Start Today Journal, which has these habits up at the top of the page for you to check off.



Five to Thrive:

  • Wake up an hour earlier than you normally do.
  • Drink half your body weight (in ounces) of water per day. 
  • Workout 30 minutes per day.
  • Eliminate one category of food you know you should not be eating.
  • Practice gratitude daily. 
I modified the Five to Thrive slightly because that's better than not doing it at all. Here are mine.

Modified Five to Thrive:

  • I've been waking up an hour earlier than I usually did for almost a year now, so as long as I wake up at that time, I check this one off.
  • Water: this is very easy for me. I check it off before I even really start my day. It's easy because I'm chronically dehydrated so I drink 3 gallons of water a day. No problem hitting that one, Rach!! 
  • I've been doing pretty well with working out five days a week. It isn't always for 30 minutes, so it's my goal to get those 30 minute workouts in. I usually do some sort of strength training or cardio and then yoga, so I can split it up like that. Some days, my body is so fatigued it doesn't happen. On those days. if I can do a 5 minute Leslie Sansone walk, at least, I will check off the workout section.
  • This was a tricky one. I actually have a lot of issues with even having an appetite. It's hard to even get me to eat sometimes. One thing I've never been able to do is eat breakfast. I'm far too nauseous in the morning. So for this one I decided to do my best to fit in breakfast. Even a very small one. I found some fruit seems okay. A bit of apple or pear. So for me it's not taking something out, it's adding a meal in.
  • This one isn't too hard. The Start Today journal has a spot for gratitude right there, so as long as I use that in the morning, I check that one off. Before I bought one, though, I just did the practice in a regular journal!!
There we go, my modified Five to Thrive. I'm on Day 8 and I got hit with e HUGE wave of total exhaustion this week. I'm hoping it's just the change of seasons. I've missed a few of the Five to Thrive but I'm not giving up on it. Remember that blog post on When You Break Your Streak? 😉 Don't give up on something even if maybe you need to modify it just a little or skip a few days. Then start right back up again. Isn't that better than not doing it at all?

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Interview with Rebekah Palmer | Author of A Letter to My Friend

Amanda: Give us a quick introduction to you. Published books, what you write, etc.
Rebekah: My published works to date are A Letter to My Friend, A Letter to Myself, and
Map of My Heart. About 7 poems included in the Map of My Heart collection were
first published inside Strength: Lives Touched By Cystinosis, a book that includes
stories by patients, caregivers, and family members affected by Cystinosis in
which you edited with Amanda Buck.

In addition to writing, I volunteer as an actress in community theater as well as do
tour guide work at a local history museum and local historic theater that is
actually one of the top fifteen historic theaters in the United States. I often write
on topics related to advocacy for adults in the world of rare disease.




Amanda: Favorite book you’ve published so far?
Rebekah: I would say A Letter to Myself because of how personally healing and
empowering it was for me to have in print what I wasn’t able to talk about for over
20 years.



Amanda: You and I both have cystinosis, as well as other chronic illnesses. How do you feel this
has effected your writing? As well as its effect on how you approach achieving things
important to you? (Publishing a book, volunteering, etc.) Any advice for others in similar
situations?
Rebekah: The way I have been affected by living with Cystinosis is complicated. I was
diagnosed in the early 1990s, and at that time, the medical literature made clear
it was a childhood disease with a very specific life expectancy. So I dealt by
becoming that kid and teenager who had goals and accomplished them because
I didn’t expect to be earth-side very long. It made me an “old soul” as well as a
nervous, worried, and a thoughtful being. It drove me to connect and reach out to
any other human being with kindness as my purpose in being alive.

It is debatable how writing and performance art became an activity I did: did my
rich inner life and mental and emotional habits result due to many clinic and
hospital stays/visits or because I experienced sexual abuse pre-pubescent and
retreating into myself and creating art was my flight and freeze response? If living
rare and coping with abuse through the written and spoken word was not my life,
would I still gravitate toward the arts? In other words, what if I had not been born
with a rare disease and that person didn’t choose to sexually abuse me? I would
like to think I would have this thoughtful, slightly neurotic personality because one
does not need to have any sort of unique past to work and find joy in the creative
world. One doesn’t necessarily need “bad things to happen to them or bad things
to go through” nor does anyone necessarily need to be grateful they had a harder
life because of good they have now created.

Many in the arts community write, speak, create, ext because it entertains and
inspires themselves. No one should have to feel that their in-ability or disability or
hurt and pain is for any one else’s entertainment and education. It is our choice if
we decide to share our work with the world and the world receives the good from
it.

While there is an artist “type”, we are not a collective stereotype and we all
represent what we want to see in our world. Any body that is human has
something going on, be it what people consider “hard” or just “life”. And anyone,
regardless of the life they lead can create beauty in the humanities and arts
fields.

Amanda: Some people get frustrated when they aren't making progress on their goals and dreams as quickly as they'd like. Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for anyone feeling this way right now? 
Rebekah: If the frustration comes from a lack of motivation (which included with other symptoms can signal depression), try writing as little as a twitter or Facebook post of words a day. For example. the last seven years I have been experiencing sever bouts of depression and anxiety and I feel the frustration in my writing. Every time I wrote that little limit of 130 character types, I saved them in a file on my computer. After seven years, I realized I have some material to brainstorm from and also some poetic lines I can re-write.

f the frustration comes from getting your manuscripts rejected and no editor seems to want to publish your work, consider self-publishing. Consider starting a Facebook page with your author personae and reach out to other writers. They may have more advice to share.
 
Amanda: Now, this is a very difficult question, but do you have any favorite poems of yours?
Any that stand out most for any reason at all? I’d love to hear about it if you’d like to tell
us.
Rebekah: I don’t have a specific favorite poem of mine, more like a favorite topic I have
written poetry around. I enjoy writing poems that deal with juxtapositions and
merging of seemingly opposite ideas. For example, the secularism within religion
and the justice within faith. I don’t have a lot of this in Map of My Heart. I have
submitted this type of poetry to contests and have yet to see it in print.

Amanda: Did you like to read as a child? Favorite book? Do you still have that book or reread it
now?
Rebekah: I liked to be read to as a child. When I read by myself as a child, I often got
anxious about finishing the book as quickly as possible.
My favorite book under age five was I Can Do It Myself. My favorite book series
in elementary school was Little House on the Prairie. My favorite book series in
high school was the Bracken Trilogy by Jerri Massi and Christy by Catherine
Marshall.









Amanda: Have you always been a writer/storyteller? How did you start?
Rebekah: I only really wrote for homework assignments until about fourth grade. One of my
essays (about forts my brother and our friends built during the summers we
spend in the woods behind our house) was read out loud by my fourth grade
teacher. When my peers made comments on how they could see the forts and
could feel the summer sun, I got excited about writing outside of class.

Amanda: Do you write to music? If so, what kind? I love to hear about new music!
Rebekah: I don’t write to music but I will listen to music if I experience writer’s block and
need inspiration for poetry. If I want to remember something about my childhood
or past to write about, I listen to certain music that came out during the past
decades or a movie soundtrack from then. Music jogs my memory in ways other
mediums don’t. I think in pictures and color and music brings out the scene and
colors of my writers mind.

Amanda:  I know for me, there have been some funny stories since I’ve been deep in the trenches
of writing. Like a realization about a work in progress or characters (the funniest has to
do with the song Mirrors by JT.) Do you have any funny stories that you’d like to share?
Rebekah: It’s not specifically funny and it also has to do with the previous question. I
started writing the first draft of the poem “Out There”, which is included in Map of
My Heart, while driving down the highway. I had to pull over and scribble it out on
a notebook I kept in my car. I had been listening to songs from Disney’s The
Hunchback of Notre Dame and was just filled with this need to write down how I
really felt about living in a diseased body and watching those living in able-bodies
like Quasimodo must have felt living in the Notre Dame church watching the
people below him.

Amanda: Do you have a typical process or any writing rituals? Anything you have to have with
you while writing? (Besides computer, paper, typewriter, whichever…)
Rebekah: It’s mostly just the basics for me: notebook, journal, and pen. The computer
comes in when I am transferring my scribbles on paper to screen.

Amanda: Who is a character that has influenced you (not from your books)?
Rebekah: Roald Dahl stuff mostly influence me like Matilda. As well as the book Harriet the Spy. This is really telling on my age as someone who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s
because not only the book characters inspired me but the page to
screen counterparts in those 1990s films of the same name. Digital media does
play an immense part in my writing world.




Amanda: Your second book, A Letter to Myself: Speaking Out After Silence, is about such a
sensitive and taboo topic. (You actually did a guest post on my blog about Healing From
Sexual Abuse. Click here to read it. Also check our Rebekah's previous interview on my blog here.) Where did you find the strength to speak out for
yourself and others? Doyou have advice to anyone who wants to write about something
they’re afraid to speak out about?
Rebekah: A lot of stress was going on in my life after I graduated from Bible college in
2010. I wasn’t going back to finish my masters and I was in the most serious
doubt I had been in up until that time about church and my own faith in God. I
was also starting to be in physical pain, which wasn’t really a big deal up until my
junior year of college. I didn’t have a steady teaching job after college due to
health and emotional reasons. I was only attending my childhood church
sparingly and decided to attend elsewhere away from my family. It was at this
church that they noticed my behavior was symptomatic of someone who had
been abused. I started going to therapy.

Ironically, I took my youngest brother to see the new Disney movie Frozen. (I say
ironically because as a student in Bible college I would not have been allowed to
go to a movie theater while enrolled.) I know the song became way overrated but
before everyone was singing it and listening to it those words belted by Idina
Menzil as Elsa: “Don’t let them in Don’t let them see Be the good girl you always
have to be Conceal don’t feel Don’t let them know Well now they know!” broke
me down to just write what happened to me as a 5 year old. To just write and
reveal what a whole church community didn’t know their pastors had hidden from
them, and what my family thought was just the emotional behavior due to
growing up with a rare disease and battling cancer before middle school.
Actually, there is something I have been writing about that I am afraid to speak
up about concerning myself (yes, even more so than the sex abuse which is
telling of society and the community in which I live) but because I tend to reveal
myself in writing I have been submitting work under a pen name. So I would
advise writing about it under a pen name. There is a book I recommend in A
Letter to Myself that is about abuse in a Jewish community and is written under a
pen name: Hush by Eishes Chayil.

Amanda: Top three favorite books and authors right now.
Rebekah: Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson
The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Strays: A Lost Cat, a Homeless Man, and Their Journey Across America by Britt
Collins



Amanda: What about poets? Do you have any favorite poets or poems?
Rebekah: Marilyn Nelson, Shel Silverstein, Meg Kearney, Christina Rosetti, William
Shakespeare (his sonnets not his plays), Alfred Noyes, Lord Tennyson

Amanda: Poets who have influenced your work? Or authors who have?
Rebekah: Meg Kearney and Charles Dickens and Laurie Halse Anderson

Amanda: Favorite writing craft book?
Rebekah: I don’t really have a favorite writing craft book. I took a correspondence course
through the Institute of Children’s Literature out of Redding, CT and they often
assigned readings that were from writing craft books.

Amanda: Are there any places you draw inspiration for your poetry and writing? Words of
wisdom to share on inspiration?
Rebekah: I find Wisconsin inspiring. It’s a bit morbid these days because the rolling
farmland has these old barns and abandoned silos that look like alien residences
because the small farms are getting bought out due to increasing milk prices and
low income for farmers with small herds. The changing leaf color, the woods, the
rivers and lakes, and the cornfields are all a landscape for the people who inhabit
rural counties.

I would say to just look around where you live and observe the land and the
people living on it and one can find a lot of reasons for societal issues.

This or that:
Strawberry vs. Chocolate
Poetry vs. Fiction Poetry if I’m writing, Fiction if I’m reading
First draft vs. Editing
T. V. Show vs. Movie
Book vs. Movie
Hero vs. Villain
Villain vs. Anti-Hero
Witch vs. Vampire
E-book vs. Physical Book
Tea vs. Coffee

Amanda: Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on now? Plans for future books,
books, etc.?
Rebekah: Well…I do have two collections of my more dark and edgy poetry (some that is
written under a pen name and most not) but I am not sure if they will be self-
published or if I will continue to submit them to various contests first.

Amanda: Any last comments to share? Advice to aspiring authors/poets?
Rebekah: I really appreciate what you do for indie/self-publishing authors, Amanda. Without
you, I really would not be able to share so much of my poetic voice. I heard from
an editor who publishes poetry at a small publishing house that between 2-7% of
poetry that gets submitted gets chosen to print. That’s incredibly small. Many
who write poetry aren’t winning contests or chosen for university reviews
because of numbers of people who write poetry, not necessarily that they aren’t
writing great poems. On one hand that’s great that so many write in the poetic
medium but it also makes poetry a difficult genre to break into.
Amanda: Thank you so much for saying that, Rebekah. It means a lot that we've able to work together and help each other along this journey. I'm so glad to have formed this friendship with you. Yes, it can be discouraging hearing the numbers but to at least try to put yourself out there is an incredible step. Thank you so much for being on the blog today, and or your thoroughly thought out answers.
Everyone, don't forget about Rebekah's newest poetry collection, Map of My Heart, available in ebook and paperback now!! Just click on the picture below to be taken to the GoodReads page. You can see my review there, as well.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46280919-map-of-my-heart