James Edwin Branch on Come In, Sit Down, Tell Us About...

For you that are new, please read our intro now printed in Blue - for our returning guest feel free to jump to the text in black:
This blog is a meeting place for authors and others in the arts .... each week as others are directed to our door or just stumble on by, they come and leave  information about themselves - telling about their new books or drawings or photos or to tell us about their new blogs. ****PLEASE be sure your comments are appearing on the latest most timely blog insuring your inclusion in the sending off to Google plus land at the end of the week.*****


Here is the link to Gwen’s site: http://indieauthornetwork.weebly.com/ G.D. Steel's blog is free promoting of your arts. As I am wont to say {as does Facebook} our site is free to comment and share and always will be free.  This is a great site to join and to become interactive with guest blogging.  It gives you a chance to step out of your box and be whatever you  wish.


Another blog that I have a close tie is CRYPTO and CO.  Please pop over and check out all their pages.


I have been off doing business and my blogging, unfortunately, falls by the wayside.  There is so much news to tell and swamping tends to cross eyes and brain fog off... so only a few links on today's news.


If we thought last month was busy, this month got off to a plunge into new adventures of  editing, writing, publishing, promoting, and social interaction.

The Rain Cloud's Gift written for Children's Charities by our group The Peacock Writers' is on it's way to the NYC BOOK FAIR at the JACOB JAVIT'S CONVENTION CENTER.   No mass books or signing, just books displayed for industry professionals, stars, editors, publicists, publishers, and acquisition teams for the movie industry.  Gwenna D'Young has an Angel who was so impressed with the book, and has given us the money and backing to have the book appear in the line up.  We are also in the process of releasing a full, pictures included, limited edition.


Our next book in this series will celebrate the fall season and we are recruiting writers {1 each} from  India, Japan, and Philippines - America has Halloween and Thanksgiving, Great Britain has Guy Fawkes - we would like stories that reflect fall traditions or holidays for these other cultures as well.  The stories would remain the sole property of the author and their use as a donation would only occur for the book collection for Children's Charities. The story is to be written on a level where a child could either read it or have it read to them - our age goal for readers is 0 through 12.  Please contact me at  https://www.facebook.com/paula.shene  if interested in being considered.



Tuesday May 29,  James Edwin Branch

James was one of the first authors I recognized when I started on Facebook - I am an on line bookseller of gently read paper and hard cover books. While I have had few western theme books for sale, I had one by this author, and had been asked for others. Alas, I never did find others for sale. Westerns paperbacks usually are in horrific shape because of multiple reads or they are collected. I have found you, James, to be an amusing conversationalist and a good friend - and am happy you are here with us today.


What inspired you to write? 
I began as a song writer. I’m a wiz at country music (Well, I used to be) I began writing a lot of ballads and finally just decided to try writing a story. I can’t seem to write short things, and before long it was a book. That was almost 30 years ago and more attempts than successes. I’ve finished writing 24 books yet have a treasure trove of unfinished works. 


Do you have anyone you show manuscripts to and get advice from or are you a loner doing it all yourself? 
I’m an independent now, I was published by Hearts on Fire, but they went out of business and after 5 books published and a contract, for another 5 I found myself alone in the world. I discovered my friend and editor Ward Morrill shortly thereafter, and he and I work closely together. It is a partnership made in heaven for me. He has mad skills. 



What genre do you normally write in? Also, is there a genre you've always wanted to write in, but don't feel you could pull it off? 

I’m an action adventure writer, but I can’t stop writing westerns, and I lean that way nearly as much as I do the other. I’ve written a romance novel (I’ve never shown it to anyone, I know junk when I see it. ) I’d love to write a scifi but something that hasn’t been done… If you find that let me know. 


Do you ever base your characters on people you know? 

Oh sure, I’ve even been asked by several people, to write them in. I had a reader ask me to write her into a western and I sent her chapters of the book as I wrote them. She was really surprised when she was discovered hiding in a large wooden box on a Conestoga wagon. We’re great friends, and she loved the book. I’ve done it with other people, as well. 


What advice would you give to someone who was just starting off in writing? 
There are so many things I’d tell them. Maybe the most important thing is to try to be a positive, creative force. Don’t start off thinking you’re going to write a book and get rich, do it because you want to create something good. Don’t knock other writers, they have dreams too and no matter how good things get for you don’t smash someone else’s dream. Proofread, proofread, proofread…. Then get someone else to proofread. Need I go on? There are just too many things to say to someone…. 


Do your stories tend to have morals, or special messages, included within them? 

Not always but sometimes. My “Delivery” has a strong anti racial tone to it. I didn’t start off in that direction, it just went there. My “Arrowhead” series deal with Veterans experiencing PTSD. Not much of the story deals with it, but it begins that way. I have others, my heroes always seem a little reluctant to pull the trigger. Not that they won’t but it’s not in their nature to harm someone. 


This question was posed by a fellow author, and I loved it so much I decided to throw it into the mix ~ Oh no! One of your characters has escaped. Luckily, I have caught them! I will interrogate them with the help of a lie detector. Welcome! Take a seat, make yourself comfortable. You will be returning to your book once this is over. What's your name, where are you from and what is your role in the book? 

My name is Jack Hall. I’m from North Carolina. I only got involved in this thing because a friend of mine needed help. We were partners once in something I can’t really talk about. All I can say is we were really good at what we do. 

There’s a bunch of Columbians that are trying to kill my friend and this DEA agent he rescued from a train; when I get there we’re going to try something different. Once we hook up instead of running away we’re going to take them on even if we have to chase them all the way back to Columbia. I’m a character in “The Columbian Connection.” 


Tell us why we would enjoy reading your books? 

It depends, I’ve told you what I write - now imagine an action story that your teen or child could read that you wouldn’t have to worry about. No language, no explicit sex and the violence written in a manner that wasn’t too graphic. If that’s your cup of tea, I’m your man. A review once said my work is plot driven, I think at the time that was supposed to be a negative, but I see it as a positive. I won’t tell you what my characters might buy if they shopped at Walmart, I leave something for the reader to add and yes, I do it on purpose. At any rate, I’m really appreciative to anyone who will read my work, a writer without a reader is like a guitar without strings… Not much music there. 


links to books and/or sites 
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=James+Edwin+Branch&x=20&y=17 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s?keyword=James+Edwin+Branch&store=ebook&page=%2Febooks%2Fcategory.asp&prod=univ&pos&box 

Also available on Smashwords and in print at Barnes and Noble and many other bookstores