Elysa Hendricks - This Heart for Hire

Today we have Elysa Hendricks with us to share her book This Heart For Hire.

What is your name?
For the time being my name is Elysa Hendricks. Once I go into hiding I could tell you my new name, but then I'd have to kill you.

How old are you?
You've got to be kidding! What makes you think that my age has anything to do with my ability to write books? Besides, it's not polite to ask a lady her age. Are you implying that I'm NOT a lady? How dare you! Well, if you insist, let's just say I'm old enough to know what to do and young enough to still want to do it.

Where do you currently live?
For the moment I reside somewhere in the middle of Ohio. For security purposes I've been told not to reveal more.

Tell us a little bit about your life.
Aside from getting ready to go into hiding my life is pretty damned boring. Husband, house, kids, pets. All the usual stuff.

When did you first start writing?
Oh no, you're not going to trick me into revealing my age. I'm much smarter than that. Let's just say a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

What was your very first story about?
Can't really recall my very first story, but the one I remember was about a wild horse, called Victory Boy:The Great White Ghost of the Plains. As a girl I was obsessed with the four-legged beasties. I think I still have it buried somewhere in my basement.

Have you written anything that you were too afraid to let anyone read?
If I wrote something that bad I'm pretty sure I destroyed it immediately.

Did you experience anything you've written yourself?
Other than falling in love and marrying my bestest friend, nope, I've never done any of the things I write about. My motto is: Boring is good. Excitement is vastly overrated. I save all the adventure and danger for the characters in my books.

Who are several of your greatest literary inspirations?
Arthur C. Clarke, Jules Verne, Issac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and Piers Anthony to name just a few. I cut my writer's baby teeth on science fiction and fantasy.

What kind of education have you received, and how has that affected your writing?
I's got me educational larning thru the American shcool system. All the ways to the fourtennth grade. Gots my diplomas in Anglish and art and everythang to proves it.

How much research time customarily goes into your projects?
I think every story I've written or will write is a life time project. Everything I've read or seen sticks in my mind and eventually finds it's way into my writing. Because I don't know what I'll need to know until I get to that part of the story, I tend to research as I write rather than separating the two.

Tell us about your featured book.
THIS HEART FOR HIRE is the story of a convent reared innocent and a gunslinger with no memory struggling to survive and find love while crossing the dangerous west Texas frontier.

Why did you write that?
I grew up watching sanitized movies and TV shows about the Old West, where the bad guys always wore black hats and good always triumphed over evil. Then I read Lucia St. Clair Robson's book RIDE THE WIND about Cynthia Ann Parker's life as a Comanche slave, Larry McMurtry's LONESOME DOVE and T.R. Fehrenbach's COMMANCHES:A Destruction of a People and my eyes were opened to the harsh reality of the settlement of the American west. THIS HEART FOR HIRE came about because as a lover of romance I wanted to write a book with gritty realism, but also with a sense of hope and a happy ending for the characters.

Is there anything special you would like your potential readers to know?
I love hearing from readers and other authors, so feel free to contact me through my web site http://www.elysahendricks.com or facebook page:http://on.fb.me/wmvVkZ - at least until the US Marshall comes along to hide me from the world.

Where is the one place you've traveled where you've felt most like you fit in?
Sadly I've never felt that I fit in anywhere. Maybe I'm an alien and when the marshalls come they'll be Men In Black sent to take me home.

What activity or hobby, besides writing, do you find most enjoyable?
I love to read, anything and everything. All genres of fiction and non-fiction (except books about math.) Even though my thumb is only pale green - probably because I'm an alien and all the plants on my home planet are yellow rather than green - I like to garden. And I think I've done just about every craft type project out there. I make jewelry and I love watching movies and TV.

What was your favorite childhood toy?
I don't recall having a favorite toy, but I did collect model horses.

What is your most valued personal possession in life? Who gave it to you?
Don't get me wrong I like having stuff, lots of stuff, but it's just stuff. I don't value things. I value the people in my life. I could lose every single thing I own and as long as I still had my friends and family I'd count myself rich.

If you lost the ability to see every color but one, which one would it be?
Yellow. I love the color of sunshine.

How do you treat people you're not fond of?
Hard to say. I like most everyone I meet, which is probably why I'm headed for the witness protection program. I really need to stop taking people at face value and look deeper before I let them be my friend.

What is hiding in your closet as we speak?
Usually the only thing hiding in my closet is my cats. There are also some killer dust bunnies protecting my first manuscript. I do have a sword and some really ugly shoes that hurt my feet.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?
My children, both the ones I gave birth to from my body and those that I created in my mind - my book babies.

What, to you, is absolutely wrong?
Hatred of any kind.

What is the best advice you've ever received?
"Never give up. Never surrender." Galaxy Quest

If you had to explain the concept of "love" to someone who's never heard of it before, how would you?
Wanting the best of everything for someone else without regard for your own needs.

What about "hate?"
Hate is fear turned outward.

You've decided to buy an exotic pet, what do you go for?
Since I've had all kinds of pets from the common ones like dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, mice, gerbils and rats to the wild ones like raccoons and foxes, I think I'd have to try for something really different like Pegasus/Mr. Ed It would be really neat to have a flying talking horse.

What do you classify as an "Adventure?"
Adventure to me is anything that involves even a hint of danger. I have absolutely no coordination, so for me riding a bike or picking up a bowling ball is an adventure, usually one that results in me getting hurt.

If you could learn one new thing instantly, what would it be?
Only one? That's stingy. Guess I'd have to opt for learning a foreign language, but I can't decide between Spanish and Chinese. Both would be useful, but hardly interchangeable.

Finish this sentence. "I sometimes find it hard to..."
Be serious. Considering the vastness of space and time I find it hard to take life seriously. I think Shakespeare said it all:
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing." - Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-27)

If you were ever to write an autobiography, what would its title be?
My life is way to boring for me to ever writing an autobiography. Who'd want to read My Plain, Boring, Vanilla Life?

What if it was a biography of your favorite person?
Guess I'd have to break down and write my dad's biography - Vinnie Costanza - King of the World.

To be or not to be?
Or as they say now that people are dropping the 'to be' verb from normal conversation, "Or not? That the question."

Our special thanks to Elysa for taking the time to share some thoughts with us. Give her work a look today; learn how to ride a horse tomorrow.

KT Hall - Family History, Part 1

It is our pleasure to have KT Hall with us, promoting her book Family History Part 1.

How old are you?
6.3662π

Where do you currently live?
Laramie, Wyoming, USA.

Tell us a little bit about your life.I’m an avid Redditor, aspiring psychiatrist, and lover of chocolate milk. I’ve wanted to be a writer for just about as long as I can remember. 

When did you first start writing?
When I was six, I wrote a Tom-and-Jerry, Cat-and-mouse type story. I don’t remember the circumstances, but it ended up winning some kind of award. Positive reinforcement proceeded to tell my brain that being rewarded was awesome and that I should keep writing.

Have you written anything that you were too afraid to let anyone read?
I once wrote a poem about how stupid North Dakota was after my then-boyfriend moved there. It might still be on my flash drive.

Did you experience anything you’ve written yourself?
“The Dowry” was actually loosely inspired by a series of events, the basis of which being girl likes boy, but girl also likes this other boy.

Who are several of your greatest literary inspirations?
“Family History” was me trying to do something as spectacular as Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” It’s basically my favorite book of all time.

What kind of education have you received, and how has that affected your writing?
I’m currently working towards a physiology degree, which so far, has had no effect on my writing.

Tell us about your featured book.
“Family History: Part 1” and “Part 2” is about Collie Barrett and her descendants, and how they cope with an age-old curse that is passed through the family line. When Collie begins documenting her experiences in an old journal, the journal finds itself passed along from family member to family member, some of whom reject and attempt to cover up the book and the old family history.

Why did you write that?
“Family History” was actually somewhat of a hodge-podge between “The Dowry” and “Welcome to Northgate”. “Welcome to Northgate” was a project I had started and never finished, simply because I was too attached to my characters from “The Dowry”.

Is there anything special you would like your potential readers to know?
For the few people who chose to download “Part 2” for free, you do not necessarily need to read “Part 1”. However, the ending makes a little more sense if you do.

What activity or hobby, besides writing, do you find most enjoyable?
I love the outdoors, and I love taking pictures of the outdoors. Lately, I’ve especially gotten into blogging as well.

What was your favorite childhood toy?
I had a plethora of stuffed animals from Sesame street, and I used to play with them for hours, especially my Elmo doll.

If you lost the ability to see every color but one, which one would it be?
My favorite colors are blue and purple. The human eye has a more difficult time of seeing the color purple, though, so the answer would probably would have to be blue. The cool part would be that I could still see the sky.

How do you treat people you’re not fond of?
I probably just don’t talk to them. Though the other day, I found myself saying mean, horrible, nasty things about an ex-boss of mine – I told my boyfriend that she deserved to be unemployed. For the record, she did sexually harass a guy nearly a decade younger than her.

What is hiding in your closet as we speak?
I live in a tiny apartment with a tiny closet, so at the moment, nothing is really “hiding”. I just have a lot of clothes.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?
I got an A in Organic Chemistry last semester. That was pretty sweet.

What, to you, is absolutely wrong?
2 + 2 = 3

You’ve decided to buy an exotic pet, what do you go for?
A monkey, so I could teach it sign language. Actually, we would learn together.

If you could learn one new thing instantly, what would it be?
Probably how to speak Spanish, just because it’s practical and I will probably never attempt to learn it otherwise.

Finish this sentence. “I sometimes find it hard to…”
...not purchase fancy, overpriced restaurant food.

Who is your most favorite literary character?
Jenny Fields from The World According to Garp. She’s an accidental feminist whose first line of her book is “In this dirty-minded world, you’re either somebody’s wife or somebody’s whore, or fast on your way to becoming one or the other.”

Who is your favorite character of your own creation?
Right now, probably Richard Broozer of my current project, “The Night Life.” He’s a fragile soul who’s homosexual and terrified to admit it to anybody. He has no close friends, is a bit anti-social, and it’s pretty much a miracle that he hasn’t actually attempted to kill himself. He runs his father’s business and desperately seeks to please him, even though deep down, he hates every fiber of his father’s being. He “dates” a girl with no memory of her past because he can simply tell her that they’ve been together for a year and she willingly follows him.

If you were ever to write an autobiography, what would its title be?
I was actually thinking of writing an autobiography-type work entitled “Tales from the Vending Machine: An Autobiography Written in Creative Works.” Basically, I would just go and track down old pieces of my writing, put them in the book, and explain what the hell I was thinking when it was being written. However, I feel as though it would end up coming off as extremely vapid and awful, so I may not do it. Other than that, though, I feel as though my life is too short to really pick an appropriate title for an autobiography.

What if it was a biography of your favorite person?
Right now, my boyfriend is my favorite person. If I had to title his autobiography? Maybe “Escaped From Redneckism.”

To be or not to be?
…that is the question.


Thanks again to KT Hall for participating. Give her work a look, then reward yourself with delicious cupcakes.

Lynne North - Gertie Gets it Right (eventually)

Our featured author today is Lynne North, with her book Gertie Gets it Right (eventually.)

What is your name?

Strangely enough, I even have a story to tell about my name. My actual name is Lynne Northing, but I write under the name of Lynne North. No, this is not a tax dodge. I have spent so much of my life being mailed as Lynne Nothing, that I was determined that awful name would NOT accidentally appear on my first book cover! They can’t go far wrong with Lynne North…I hope.

Age?

I could be said to be in my second (or even third?) childhood. If truth be told though, I don’t think I ever left my first one…

Where do you currently live?

I live in a lovely countryside area in the North West of England.

When did you first start writing?

Way back in my school years I always enjoyed my English classes and being asked to write stories. I began to write for myself in my mid teens, and before long was earning money for magazine articles. That was great, but what I always wanted was to write a book. To actually have them published is a dream come true!

What was your very first story about?

My first attempt at book writing was a children’s fantasy tale (what a surprise!) The story involves a village blighted by an evil wizard and a quest to find the necessary ingredients for a spell to end the curse. Uhm, maybe I should blow off the cobwebs and think about a rewrite?

Have you written anything that you were too afraid to let anyone read?

Amazingly enough, no! Not that I can think of, anyway. If I have, it is buried so deep in my mind, even I can’t find it…

Did you experience anything you’ve written yourself?

It’s funny you should ask that, because I am currently working on a series of macabre Twist in the Tale short stories for an anthology. One of the stories for this is loosely based on a strange experience I had when I was 12 years old. And no, I’m not giving any more away about it!

Who are several of your greatest literary inspirations?

There are so many, but if I have to choose a few they will be Terry Pratchett, Terry Brooks, JRR Tolkien and JK Rowling.

What kind of education have you received, and how has that affected your writing?

I was educated up to degree level, achieving an honours degree in psychology. Does that affect my writing? In a strange way it probably does. To develop characters you have to analyse people and situations, know what your characters would and would not do. I guess a starting point of psychology is a good enough place to begin the analysis!

How much research time customarily goes into your projects?

Most of my writing is straight from my mind, and involves no research whatsoever. That’s the beauty of fantasy. Anything goes! No one can say you are not right about a fantasy you create yourself. Where research is necessary (and of course it sometimes is) then I will spend as long as it takes to get it right.

Tell us about your featured book.

Gertie Gets it Right (eventually) is a children’s humorous fantasy novel aimed at the eight years of age to young teen market.

Gertie Grimthorpe comes from a long line of witches. Unfortunately, she hasn’t really got the hang of it. Being blonde haired, blue eyed and free of warts isn’t much of an advantage. Try as she might, Gertie’s spells fall flat. She manages to give her bat-headed umbrella the ability to talk, but then wishes she hadn’t when all he does is complain and insult people. Even finding an owl to be her Familiar doesn’t help. Then again, he is extremely shortsighted… Gertie is sent to The Academy to improve her spell casting skills. She soon has a best friend in the form of Bertha Bobbit, a big girl, with a matching appetite. Add to that a Moat Monster with a flatulence problem, the weirdest array of witch’s Familiars possible, and a warlock determined to ruin Gertie’s chances of success, and the story unfolds. Not to mention the demon...

Why did you write that?

That’s quite hard to answer, because it was simply a story that was inside me. I love to write humorous fantasy, and even if I’m not trying to be humorous, my writing has a habit of turning that way unless I keep a very tight reign on it. I began the story and it developed quickly. Before long the characters took over, and kept me going until they had reached their last page.

Is there anything special you would like your potential readers to know?

Though written for children, I receive many positive comments from adult readers. If, like me, you still have a childlike outlook on life and a silly sense of humour, give it a go!

Where is the one place you’ve traveled where you’ve felt most like you fit in?

No matter where I might travel, home is where I prefer to be, and where I know that I truly belong.

What activity or hobby, besides writing, do you find most enjoyable?

Actually, I love console gaming! I find fantasy role-playing games to be very therapeutic when I take a break from work and writing.

What was your favorite childhood toy?

There were so many, but I will probably have to choose my first teddy bear. We met on my second Christmas in this world, when she was sat staring out of my Christmas sack. I still have her, and wouldn’t part with her for the world!

What is your most valued personal possession in life? Who gave it to you?

This too is hard to pinpoint, but I will choose a Myth & Magic ornament with the title of Reflections. It is a wonderful dragon, looking into an ornate mirror made up of a lovely faceted blue crystal. My Mum bought it for me during 1997, and moved it away as a Christmas present. Sadly she died suddenly before that Christmas, so it almost felt like a present from beyond. I still think that if I do see my Mum again in this life, she will be reflected in that crystal…

If you lost the ability to see every color but one, which one would it be?

Blue, every time. It is such a beautiful colour. The sky, the sea, calmness, and my eyes!

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

Seeing two of my books published, Gertie Gets it Right (eventually), and Zac’s Destiny.

What, to you, is absolutely wrong?

Injustice, lack of gratitude, and hearing of old people who have lived through two World Wars being hurt or killed in their own homes.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Never give up, and follow your dreams.

If you had to explain the concept of “love” to someone who’s never heard of it before, how would you?

Love has more facets that the most expensive diamond. It can bring the greatest joys, and the deepest sorrows. There are so many different kinds of love, but they all play such a huge part in our lives. A life devoid of love, would be a life not worth living.

You’ve decided to buy an exotic pet, what do you go for?

I’d go for a unicorn, but I guess I might have a little trouble finding one…

If you could learn one new thing instantly, what would it be?

Confidence. The one thing that holds me back in life is lack of confidence. I write confidently, but I don’t live the same way.

Finish this sentence. “I sometimes find it hard to…”

…Give the best of myself in public!

Who is your most favorite literary character?

Terry Pratchett’s witches, and JRR Tolkien’s Hobbits. Sorry if I cheated a bit by choosing more than one!

Who is your favorite character of your own creation?

Oh, how to choose. Possibly the dual characters of Cer and Ber who appear in the children’s fantasy I am currently writing, “Be Careful What You Wish For.” Sorry, can’t give any more away!

If you were ever to write an autobiography, what would its title be?

Something like ‘Chasing Rainbows’

What if it was a biography of your favorite person?

‘The Real God of Discworld’, of course about my hero Terry Pratchett.

Name three things about that person that influenced or inspired you.

The ease with which he seems to write, the brilliance of his humour, and the fact he appears to be a genuinely nice, down-to-earth man despite his fame.

Our very special thanks to Lynne for sharing her fantastic responses with us. Her work is available in both paperback and e-book format. Go check it out today, before the planet is covered with ice, it's too slippery to go anywhere, and you're stuck without anything to read.