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: IAN , a site which I am closely affiliated. We are celebrating our grand re-opening with contests and drawings so please stop over.
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 comments. It gives you a chance to step out of your box and be whatever you wish. Tell us and google land about you WIP, your new releases, whatever is closest to your heart.
Another blog that I have a close tie is CRYPTO and CO. Please pop over and check out all their pages.
Stuart and Halimar are with us today, Monday, July 2nd and will be on Paul and Paula’s Books on Tuesday, July 3rd
Stuart Ayris is here to kick off our round of Interviews for the following week. Stuart’s daily outlook is shown in his writing. Welcome Stuart ~
What inspired you to write?
In general I was inspired to write during my adolescent years as a way of trying to make sense of the world around me. More specifically I was inspired to write Tollesbury Time Forever following fourteen years of working as a psychiatric nurse during which I formed a belief that there is no such thing as mental illness. The book was written as a way of exploring how I came to that conclusion.
Do you have anyone you show manuscripts to and get advice from or are you a loner doing it all yourself?
I don't get advice from anyone although I have been fortunate enough to meet someone via Goodreads.com who has offered to go over my work prior to publication. She is absolutely wonderful. Due to me generally writing during and after drinking it has really helped tidy my work up!
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 guess my novels are within the Literary Fiction genre. I dislike genre classification in the same way that I dislike any form of classification but I guess it helps people find the type of books they would like.
Do you ever base your characters on people you know?
All the characters in Tollesbury Time Forever are based, physically on people I have seen in Tollesbury (the village in which I live and where the novel is set.) Other than one of the characters being an anagram of my wife's name everything about them is made up! Although I do make an appearance in the prologue, towards the end of the novel, and in the epilogue!
What advice would you give to someone who was just starting off in writing?
Love what you do, absolutely adore it! If it seems a chore then do something else until the love comes back! And it will, trust me!
Do your stories tend to have morals, or special messages, included within them?
Tollesbury Time Forever most definitely has! It is spelled out very clearly in the acronym FRUGALITY which itself is presented to the main character by a group of children in a field and presided over by a man referred to only as The Walrus. It will makes sense when you read it! Anyway, the acronym is as follows:
F – forgive everybody everything
R – recognise beauty wherever it be
U – understand the nature of loss
G – give love wherever you go
A – anger devours the soul
L – look deep or don't look at all
I – imagination is life
T – trust everyone for, at heart, everyone is good
Y – You are wonderful!
The novel I have almost completed is about the value of friendship and about the effects of violence, amongst other things. I kind of take the view that it's ok to try and change the world!
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 Simon Anthony. Have you ever heard of the Hen Harrier? We get them in Tollesbury and they are incredible. They glide over the marshes silent like breath, their V-shaped wings just a little more refined than that of the Marsh Harrier - smaller and slimmer and maybe a little more elegant. The male Hen Harrier is a ghost of a bird, the spirit of the Marsh Harrier, for it is not brown but almost completely white. It shimmers like a wave and is cut from the cloth of the morning mist. The only sign that these birds are of this world is the coal black wing-tips that leave darkening embers smouldering along the wing as they fly. And the markings on their tail go round and round in rings and rings of roses.
But that is not all. Suddenly, they fall and go a-tumbling from the sky, rocketing to earth like a parachutist whose chute has failed to open - yet there is no distress! Even in such a descent there is a beauty. And then - wham - the chute opens and the birds roar back up into the heavens - but just for a moment! This tumbling and rising goes on and on until the little Hen Harrier finds its way and wafts into the very firmament upon the breath of angels.
I am a man yet I am a Hen Harrier also. I am a drunkard and a dreamer. I am a Beatles fan and a lover of cricket. I am a husband and I am a father. I am all these things and more. And I am a friend of yours. I am the world’s best friend. Just think of me not as a schizophrenic but as a Hen Harrier only. A Hen Harrier.
For there is no schizophrenia and there is no depression; no bi-polar disorder, personality disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder. There is just life and trying to get through it. That is all. Look past the drugs and past the diagnosis, look deeper than the despair and higher than the highs - and what you have is a soul that needs embracing, a mind that needs cradling and a heart that needs to beat its beat without condemnation.
Some weeks ago, I was at the marshes with just darkness on my mind. I was rushing to the depths. Yet now I float and I rise. The earth is the same yet I see with new eyes. I have learned that the world does not change. All that alters is the way we choose to see it.
I am not a schizophrenic.
I am a Hen Harrier.
And I’ll have no more of your injections if that’s ok!
Thank you.
Tell us why we would enjoy reading your books?
Because I love life and everybody in it.
Well, there you have it folks and here are the links to Stuart Ayris world ~
Tollesbury Time Forever – UK –
www.tollesburytimeforever.blogspot.com
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tollesbury-Time-Forever-ebook/dp/B006TJDJKE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339093869&sr=8-1
- Tollesbury Time Forever – US –
TOLLESBURY TIME FOREVER
tollesburytimeforever.blogspot.com
Simon Anthony is a Beatles-obsessed alcoholic with a love of cricket and experiences that nobody believes. 'Tollesbury Time Forever' follows his attempts to find the son he abandoned twenty-two years ago. Reviewers have been calling it: "A work of genius" "Flawless perfection" "Magical, moving and...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks Halimar for stopping by. Halimar is a new writer on the scene who is enfused with a zest in all she’s does. Let’s hear from her what drives her writing ~
What inspired you to write?
Before I became a writer I was obsessed with reading, until I felt as though I read everything. I had this unquenched thirst to read more, that’s when I decided to write. As I wrote more I couldn't stop, I loved writing as much as love to read or draw. Of course my friends encouraging comments pushed me to write more, but my readers became a big part of the inspiration as well.
Do you have anyone you show manuscripts to and get advice from or are you a loner doing it all yourself?
Yes, before I write a story or book I pitch the idea to my friends first and they give me ideas or advice.
What genre do you normally write in?
I write urban fantasy, some young adult novels, paranormal romance, and historical fiction. In the future I hope to dabble in other genres.
is there a genre you've always wanted to write in, but don't feel you could pull it off?
I’ve always wanted to write comedy, but I don't have the knack for it like my cousin does. It's the one genre I've always wanted to write, but can't pull off. Of course most of my works have some funny moments, but not every scene is funny.
Do you ever base your characters on people you know?
Sometimes I do base them on my friend’s little personality traits, I love, I create in my characters - especially if they’re funny.
What advice would you give to someone who was just starting off in writing?
Don't let others discourage you - if you love to write, then keep doing it. Surround yourself with others who believe in you and support your dreams.But most of all don't stop writing, write anything and do it everyday. As along as you continue to exercise your writing skills and imagination. Don't be afraid to write about things you've never done, or places you've never been before-it's all right to write outside the line.
Do your stories tend to have morals, or special messages, included within them?
Yes of course, most of my story do have a moral or special message some are not so blunt. I find stories are more interesting and more full filling if there's a message or moral.
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?
Hi name is Dmitri, I'm from Melbourne Creek Washington and I'm one of the main characters in The Legend. I'm a werewolf and the alpha of the Moon-base pack, recently I found my mate and right now I'm trying to convince her we’re meant to be together. But convincing her is like trying to convince a lion not to kill its prey, hard and getting damn annoying. Hey, do you have some advice for me?
I would say Dmiti, you just need to be persistent and look to your creator for you needs and direction. Nice meeting you. Now off you go.
Tell us why we would enjoy reading your books?
My books are unique, intriguing and are filled with characters with outrages personalities. If you love fantasy, romance and paranormal books then you should definitely check out my books. Even if that's not your favorite genre you will love the heart pounding plots I create and characters that will have you laughing out of your seat.
Links for books and/or sites
Halima Omar's website: www.halimaomar.com
Blog-www.limaomar.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/arebella92
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Halima-Omar/149682901804638
No comments:
Post a Comment