Interview with Nick West, Author of The Long Road Home

A native of Gainesville, Florida, author Nick West attended the University of Florida where he became interested in writing. He is a veteran of the United States Navy, and together with his family, have owned and operated a landscape business in the area for over twenty years. He and his wife Kay and their children, Tammy, John and Christy, along with their families all live on the farm where he grew up near Archer. He is the author of The Great Southern Circus and The Long Road Home.

The Great Southern Circus, his first book, is a collection of circus stories told to him by his grandmother as they were told to her by her grandmother, Miranda Madderra, who performed with this horse drawn caravan just prior to the Civil War. His second book, The Long Road Home, follows the main characters from The Great Southern Circus as they traverse the difficult and painful years of the American Civil War.

Visit the author and learn more about his work at http://thelongroadsouth.com.

Thanks for this interview. Tell us a little about what got you into writing?

I believe that all writers are avid readers. As such I have tremendous respect for those who are talented enough to draw their readers into a caring relationship with the characters in their books. I have found that after reading a good book, I often recall the experiences of the characters as I would good friends or family members. That is my goal as a writer. I have attempted to relate these stories in a way that future generations of my own family could relate to them as the real people that they were. My effort is to bring these wonderful people to life in my books so that even readers outside of my own family would feel as connected to them as I do.

What was your inspiration for The Long Road Home?

When The Great Southern Circus became available nationally on Amazon, I was contacted by a large number of readers who had become invested in the characters of that book. As that book ended, half the characters rushed to join the Union Army and the other half joined the Southern cause. Readers wanted to know what had become of these folks during the Civil War. This book answers those questions.

So the novel is part biographical, part fictional?

Biographical in the sense that these were real people who actually lived the events about which I have written, and fictional in the sense that I can only imagine most of their actual conversations based upon recollections as handed down through oral history for several generations.

For those readers who haven’t read your first book yet, is there something about the plot or characters they need to know in advance before reading The Long Road Home or is it a stand alone novel?

I have had readers who read The Long Road Home first, but invariably went back to read the Great Southern Circus to better understand the relationships. I would encourage folks to read the books in the order they were written to become more involved with all of these wonderful people.

How long did it take you to write the book and did you plot in advance?

The Great Southern Circus was a work in progress for years. I remembered the stories as they were told by my Grandmother and was determined to put them down in written form for future generations of my own family. The advent of the internet made it possible to not only verify that the events chronicled in the book actually took place, but also to connect me with other descendants of the same tour to compare notes and flesh out the other characters. This book took about a year to actually write and told the story of a two year circus tour that ended when the Civil War broke out. The Long Road Home picked up the adventures of the same characters as they struggled to survive the terrible years of the war. This book also took about one year to research and write.

I understand you did a lot of research for this novel. What was the process like and what surprised you most about this dark time of American history?

The American Civil War is probably the most researched period of American History. No matter how small a skirmish or political event, someone has researched and written about it. I read countless articles, books and research papers as they related to the experiences of my ancestors during this dark period. I found many surprises (at least to me) along the way. For instance, at the beginning of the War, Lincoln was more concerned with the preservation of the Union than he was about slavery which I was always taught was the major reason for the conflict. I also learned that racial prejudice in the North did not allow black men to even join the Union Army until late in the war. I had forgotten that our Nation was less than one hundred years old at the time and that many of the States believed that the Union was voluntary and that they could simply “opt out” if they believed that the Federal government was causing them more problems than it was helping their individual cause. I also learned to respect even more the character displayed by, and heartaches endured by President Lincoln during this time.

What themes do you explore in your novel?

Romance, friendship, adventure, hardships in a historical context. This is an attempt to put into perspective the individual stories of each of these men and women as they were swept along by events beyond their control. These characters first met each other and became close friends during the hardships of a circus tour that lasted two years before the outbreak of the War. One man was the northern son of the circus owner and performer, one young black man who joined to circus to search for his sister who was still held as a slave somewhere in the South, one young Alabama girl (my 3x Great Grandmother) who was a bare back rider and a young man from Alabama who joined the circus just to be near her. This is primarily their story.

What has been the reaction from your friends and family so far?

Friends and family loved both books and I have been blessed by the fact that total strangers have discovered my books. From the reviews on Amazon and other sites they seemed to have enjoyed them as well.

Are you planning any local book signings or other promotional events you’d like to announce?

I have periodic signing events that I advertise locally and through social networking. I am also happy to personalize and sign books that my office will mail to anyone who phones in a request to 1 (352)495-9858.

What’s on the horizon for you? Is there a third novel in the works?

I am now working on my third novel.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers?

I am always happy to hear from readers who have enjoyed my books. They can find me on Facebook or E-Mail me at CountryGator@AOL.COM

Thanks again for the interview and best of luck with your books!

My interview originally appeared in Blogcritics Magazine

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Interview with John Knoerle, author of The Proxy Assassin: Book Three of the American Spy Trilogy

About the author

John Knoerle began his creative endeavors in the early 70s as a member of the DeLuxe Radio Theatre, a comedy troupe in Santa Barbara. He then moved to LA and did stand-up comedy, opening for the likes of Jay Leno and Robin Williams.

Knoerle wrote the screenplay Quiet Fire, which starred Karen Black, and the stage play The He-Man Woman Hater’s Club, an LA Time’s Critic’s Choice. He also worked as a staff writer for Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion.

Knoerle moved to Chicago in 1996 with his wife Judie. His first novel, “Crystal Meth Cowboys,” was optioned by Fox TV. His second novel, “The Violin Player,” won the Mayhaven Award for Fiction.

John Knoerle’s novel, A Pure Double Cross, was the first volume of a late 40s spy trilogy featuring former OSS agent Hal Schroeder. The second volume, A Despicable Profession, was published in 2010. Knoerle’s latest book, The Proxy Assassin, Book Three of the American Spy Trilogy, has just been released.

Visit his website at www.JohnKnoerle.com

About the book

October, 1948. Former OSS agent Hal Schroeder gets an invitation to WashingtonD.C. from Frank Wisner, who heads the CIAs new covert ops division. Hal is whisked off to Wisners Maryland shore retreat and introduced to a brace of Romanian royals, including the scarily beautiful Princess Stela Varadja, a direct descendant of Vlad Tepes Draculea.

Then Frank Wisner pops the question. Would Hal consider parachuting into a remote mountain camp to meet with the leader of a group of Romanian anti-Communist guerillas? Hal had already survived two previous suicide missions and a third did not appeal. But he told Frank Wisner he would need a few days to think it over and had some sightseeing to do. As it turns out, Hal gets to do a lot more sightseeing than he bargained for. Proxy Assassin is a journey that brings the American Spy Trilogy to a surprising, and emotional, conclusion.

Purchase links: http://JohnKnoerle.com

Interview

Would you call yourself a born writer?

My mother, at eighty-eight years old, still cranks out articles for The Almanac in Palo Alto, CA, as she has for decades, so I have some ink in my veins.

But I do believe that writers are made, not born. It’s plain hard work. Whoever said, “Writing is rewriting” had it right. The idea that the story, in all its intimate detail, will pour forth in a booze-and- nicotine-fuelled fury like Kerouac’s “On the Road” is pure fantasy.

In fact, Kerouac had taken reams of notes during his cross-country trek before he cranked out OTR in three weeks in April of 1951.

What was your inspiration for “The Proxy Assassin: Book Three of the American Spy Trilogy”?

Book Two concluded with Hal Schroeder pretty much single-handedly preventing World War III.

Tough to top that, so I decided  to paint a deeper and richer portrait of American espionage in 1948, the beginning of the Cold War. But what was my hook?

Extended research uncovered a fascinating character. A Romanian Princess, a direct descendant of Vlad Tepes Draculea, who had an affair with the head of the American OSS station in Bucharest during WWII.

To this day I have seen only one photo of her, on a Paris train platform in the company, of all people, of Sigmund Freud! She looked like what you would expect a descendant of Vlad the Impaler to look: dark-eyed and scarily beautiful.

Princess Stela Varadja was my inspiration.

What themes do you like to explore in your writing?

Duplicity in the service of country. Pretending to be someone you’re not. Lying, mendacity and prevarication. Who isn’t interested in that?

Also fame. Fame that is not sought but thrust upon you. How that can split a person in two.

How long did it take you to complete the novel?

It took me four years to complete this novel. And it took me ten years to complete The American Spy Trilogy. I am now sixty-three years old. Still feisty, still engaged, but let’s face it, this trilogy will be my legacy for better or worse.

What did you find most challenging about writing this book?

I hadn’t thought it all the way through, my Spy Trilogy. It just wasn’t possible to peer that far into the future. I faced the monumental task of trying to thread it all together.

Why had 19-year-old Hal Schroeder been plucked from obscurity to become a behind-German-lines OSS agent in WWII? Why did he keep pursuing his spy career despite his better judgment? Would he keep signing on to suicide missions, or finally tell the higher-ups to get stuffed?

What do you love most about being an author?

Beethoven, when asked what he liked most about music, replied that music could make people do things. Music could make people dance, march off to war, weep tears of joy or tears of sadness.

Or so the legend goes. The dirty little secret of creative types from low (me) to high (Ludwig), is that we are all control freaks. We enjoy making people do stuff.  Whether dance, march or cry.

Did you go with a traditional publisher, small press, or did you self publish? What was the process like and are you happy with your decision?

I have been self-published for many years after an unhappy experience with an ‘established’ publisher. It is the only way to go if you are interested in maintaining creative integrity.

Where can we find you on the web?

http:/JohnKnoerle.com

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Review of Tracks in the Snow, by Sandra H. Esch

Amber Leaf, Minnesota, 1942.

In spite of the hardships of war, young Jo Bremley lives in considerable happiness with her husband and 7-year old daughter. Then one night, influenced by his best friend, Jo’s husband announces that he has decided to join the war. Before he gets a chance to, however, he’s the victim of a snowstorm accident. Now a young widow, Jo tries to make ends meet as best as she can by doing laundry for an establishment called O.M. Harrington.

During the year following her husband’s death, Jo runs into several difficulties which put her job in danger. Her husband’s best friend, whom she’s always blamed for her husband’s death, sets up a successful law practice; her daughter has a couple of unfortunate incidents with Big Ole, the owner of O.M. Harrington; and Jo doesn’t think she’ll be able to get her daughter the Christmas gift she deserves. Eventually, through a series of twists, the characters learn the true meaning of love and forgiveness, all in time to celebrate the holiday season.

Though Tracks in the Snow is a slow read, and got me a little frustrated at times, I ultimately enjoyed it. I appreciate the way the author took her time in developing her characters and the question of how she was going to put all the loose ends together at the end kept me reading. At times I found Jo too perfect and goodie-goodie, but in the end she wins me over. I especially like Big Ole and his gradual change from a grumpy old man to a caring person. He has a nice character arc. The story is a snapshot of a family in Minnesota during World War II. The author did a good job portraying this situation.

The ending of Tracks in the Snow is heartwarming, without being preachy. In sum, although the pace of the book is slow, the characterization and the writing are good. If you’re looking for a page-turner, this isn’t the book for you, but if you like to take your time when reading a story and getting to know the characters, and you appreciate realistic fiction, you’ll enjoy Tracks in the Snow.

For more info, visit the author’s website or Amazon.

Originally published in Blogcritics. 

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“VIDA NOCTURNA,” by Mark Diehl

I’ve been asked why I write about the darker side of life, involving subjects like drugs, personality disorders, abuse, neglect, and violence. My work is fiction but it’s based on a lot of things I have personally experienced, and the characters in “Vida Nocturna” come from vampires I have known.

I wrote “Vida Nocturna” in a two-year graduate workshop at the University of Chicago, where people from the industry sometimes visited to show us how publishing worked. It became clear to me that books weren’t getting published because they were good. They were getting published because they were predictable sales and the publishing companies could go back to their stockholders to report that they’d placed safe bets, which very often meant that they closely resembled earlier work. Books were chasing the market in a death spiral of creativity.

My daughter was reading “Twilight” at the time, and this, to me, was a prime example of what was happening in publishing. Vampires sell, and romances are half of the fiction market, so it wasn’t surprising that publishers were climbing all over each other trying to put out the next series about vampires in love. Meanwhile, the book my daughter was reading seemed to be telling her to date the spookiest, creepiest guy she could find.

My book, “Vida Nocturna,” is a response to that. Sara’s narcissistic father and borderline personality disordered mother left her helpless, drained and afraid, turning to horror and fantasy stories to escape her real life. In college she fantasizes that her spooky new boyfriend is a vampire because he’s pale and slender and stays up all night with a strange dark energy. By the time she realizes he’s a cocaine addict, she’s been “bitten” by the drug and become addicted, herself.

Sara has always escaped her real-world fears by reading fantasy and horror stories. Now, as a social-phobic college freshman, she enters a dark world where horror is not supernatural and fantasy is a trap.

Evil is contagious. Victims become predators, and every predator was once just like Sara. Imagining she’d be different was her first step toward them. Now, draped in the decadent ‘80s subculture, she’s rendered helpless by powers she never imagined.

Mark D. Diehl has lived and worked in five countries. He met his wife Jennifer in South Korea and was chased out of the country by her powerful family and the police, and together they were stranded in Hong Kong with no income and no way home. (Read about this in the “Our Story” section of his blog at http://www.markddiehl.com.) Eventually he became a trial lawyer at a multinational law firm in Chicago, escaped that pitiful existence by attending a fiction writing program at the University of Chicago, and now lives and writes in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. 

http://www.markddiehl.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1463554060/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

http://www.amazon.com/Vida-Nocturna-Mark-D-Diehl/dp/1463554060/ref=la_B008XKQ1NO_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346174233&sr=1-1

More videos of author reading in Freeport, ME, with 40 attending:
ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNsUP-MqehU&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWgboqL0KP0&feature=plcp

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Book Review: Dina’s Lost Tribe, by Brigitte Goldstein

Dina’s Lost Tribe is a historical novel that weaves four different stories and spans from the 14th century to our present time.

Henner Marcus is a professor of French Medieval Jewish Philosophy based in Chicago. One day he receives a letter from his cousin, Nina Aschauer, who’s been missing for the last five years. A historian with a brilliant, promising career, she had left Chicago and travelled to France in search of the place she was accidentally born while her parents fled from the Nazis, a remote village in the Pyranees by the name of Valladine, a place not even present in maps.

In the letter, Nina urgently begs him to meet her in Toulouse with a large sum of money. Deeply intrigued and out of concern for his cousin’s safety, Henner makes the 5,000-mile trip. Once in Toulouse, he receives an unexpected package containing a mysterious manuscript. The manuscript appears to be a codex written in medieval Occitan, a language still spoken today in the area of Languedoc. Henner also meets Etoile, a historian and Nina’s best friend.

Together, Henner and Etoile begin deciphering the codex and soon become entranced by the fascinating first-person account and by its author, Dina, a Jewess born into a wealthy, pious family who falls prey to a deceitful, lustful priest and eventually ended up incarcerated in the prison of the Inquisition. Her tale describes the expulsion of the Jews from France in the early 1300s. Thus the novel moves back and forth in time and interweaves Henner’s, Nina’s, Etoile’s and Dina’s persecution stories.

Who is this Dina Miryam? Did she really exist? Is her account real? How is her story connected to Nina’s and why did Nina disappear five years ago into a presumed village no one knows about?

Dina’s Lost Tribe is an interesting, at times engrossing read. The author does a skillful job in keeping each story distinct in flavor from the other. I’m not a historian so I can’t comment on the veracity of the facts, but from a reader’s point of view, the book seems extensively researched. As I read Dina’s tale, I was transported to a time and place where horrible injustices where committed. Like Henner and Etoile, I too was entranced with Dina, a woman who tried to remain brave and strong against all adversity. The author draws interesting parallels between Dina and the old biblical character with the same name. She also explores various themes, such as the hypocrisy of religion, the capacity of one human being to hurt another, the harmful consequences of ignorance and superstition, and the power of one individual to overwhelm and control another.

This is a slow read, for the simple reason that there’s a lot to be absorbed. The paragraphs are often long and written in heavy-handed language. If what you’re looking for is a fast-paced page-turner, this isn’t the book for you. However, it is the perfect novel for those who enjoy history, meaning and depth in their stories. The premise is intriguing and original and I felt I had taken a little history course at the end, which is always a plus.

Dina’s Lost Tribe
By Brigitte Goldstein
iUniverse, Inc.
September 2010
ISBN-13: 978-1450251075
Paperback, 412 pages, $22.95, ebook $9.99
Historical Fiction
Author’s website
Amazon

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Interview with Shirley Roe, author of Dreams and Nightmares

Shirley Roe is an author and Managing Editor for Allbooks Review International. As a freelance writer, she spends time between Canada and the USA. Her published work, including inspirational articles and award winning poetry, has appeared in magazines, anthologies and daily newspapers. She writes a syndicated column for 21 news outlets in North America including World News.

Winner of the Editor’s Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry for 2002 and 2004 as well as recipient of the Freelance Writing Org. Int. First Place Award in 2003 for Business Articles, she excels in several genres.

Shirley’s first novel, Of Dreams and Nightmares was released in the fall of 2004. It won the UK Gold Blether Award in 2004. It has now been rereleased as Dreams and Nightmares: The Martha Whittaker Story by Realtime Publishing. Now My Life Begins was released in 2011 in print and ebook version. Shirley and her husband enjoy travelling and every trip is research for the next story.

Thanks for this interview, Shirley! You’ve had two novels published recently. Dreams and Nightmares: The Martha Whittaker Story, was released this past December and Now My Life Begins just came out last month. At the same time, you’re Managing Editor at AllBookReviews.com. Where do you get your energy and how do you divide your time?

Writing is my passion and I never feel rushed or bothered when I write. If the mood strikes, I work on the novels whatever time of day or night. Allbooks Review requires several hours a day and I diligently do whatever is required first thing in the morning. My day starts about 6 a.m. and I have quite a lot done by 9 a.m. when most people start their day. I am very fortunate to have a great family of people working with me at Allbooks Review and with 32 reviewers, an editor and marketing person, we manage to get it all done. Since I travel a great deal, I always have the computer with me and continue to conduct my business while traveling. 

Let’s talk first about Dreams and Nightmares: The Martha Whittaker Story, which I hear won the UK Blether GOLD Award. What’s it about and what compelled you to write it?

Dreams and Nightmares is the story of a young English aristocrat in the mid 1800’s. Through an arranged marriage, she finds herself taken from the safety and security of England and transported to America. There Martha, her new husband, his three sons and several other pioneers travel by wagon train to Wyoming territory. We follow her through many trials and tribulations as her life is drastically changed.

I wrote this story because the character of Martha literally haunted me. I think most authors would understand that.  I dreamt of her, I would visualize her trudging across the prairie, and I simply could not shake the feeling that she wanted her story told. I soon became to think of the Whittakers as my family. When I started I had no idea it would turn into a trilogy, I just  knew Martha’s story had to be told. 

How did you set out to research the pioneering era?

I spent hours in the library, on the internet and reading books of that era to learn as much as I could. The research took two years before I felt ready to begin. Whenever I travel, I always try to learn new things about the places I go. This can be very helpful in putting together a novel. 

Now My Life Begins just came out last month. How is that novel different from Dreams and Nightmares?

Once again the character of Jenny Barstow haunted me and she too had a story to tell. It is set in the early 1900’s and is the story of a young woman in Edinburgh  and her life as she experiences both WWI and WWII. Having spent time in the city of Edinburgh, I was captivated by it and wanted to use it as a setting in one of my novels. This book will not become a trilogy as I feel the story was told in its entirety in one book. Jenny and Martha do have some similarities in that they are both young, impressionable and innocent when their stories begin. 

How would you describe your writing style? Does it change from one book to another?

I like an easy, flowing style that tells a story. I feel the main character is most important in all of my books.  I try to let the reader embrace the characters as if they are good friends. All of my books are stories of families, how they lived and what challenges they had to face. I love history and try to ensure that all of the historical facts are accurate. The combination of real historical events and fictitious characters has always appealed to me. 

Do you have a link to an excerpt or would you like to post here a short excerpt so readers can have a taste of your writing?

From Dreams and Nightmares:

Once she was free, she would hideout on shore and then

return to England never to see Jebediah Whittaker again.

The night of the escape came in a blanket of fog.

Darkness descended over the anchored ship and the taste of

salt was heavy in the air. As she crept out on the deck, her

small bag containing only a few possessions in hand, she

took her position behind the post as arranged. She thanked

God for bringing this heavy fog to hide her escape.

Jebediah and the boys had been sound asleep when she

crept from the dark cabin. Martha was to wait until

Richard signaled her from the dinghy, then they would

lower the boat and escape into the night. She pulled her

cloak tightly around her to ward off the damp night air. Her

body shivered with anticipation. After what seemed like

hours, but was in fact only minutes, a small flicker of light

appeared. Her heart was pounding; her palms wet with

nervous perspiration. She pulled the cloak over her head

and advanced quickly to the small boat that would be her

salvation. At last, I will be free, she thought as her feet

connected with the wooden deck; each step moving her

closer to freedom. Coming from behind, she could see that

Richard was swinging the brilliant necklace back and forth.

This was no time to be admiring his newfound wealth;

perhaps she should not have given it to him until she

reached the shore.

As Richard turned towards her, Martha gasped in

horror. There in front of her, holding her mother’s necklace

was Jebediah Whittaker, looking like the devil himself.

“Going somewhere, Martha?” he sneered.

‘Forcing it’ works for me when I feel block or uninspired. I just insist until something starts to happen on the page. How do you keep your narrative exciting when you don’t feel like working on a novel but yet you have to?

Actually, I just walk away and give it some time to come back to me. Forcing never works for me. 

What qualities are important in a writer who wants to succeed? How do you define success as an author?

I think to produce a good book, a writer must be thorough in their research, their character development and their descriptions of places and events. Writers must realize that their work should be edited before submission. This is the one thing that we constantly find at Allbooks Review. An unedited book with typos, grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, will not make it in today’s market. As far as my view of success goes, I honestly feel that if the readers love your books, you are a success. I never felt that success was in the money made or the number of books sold, but in the reception of the story by the people that read the book. When my fans asked for more of Martha Whittaker’s story, I felt truly blessed and obligated to continue with the trilogy. In my mind, this made Dreams and Nightmares a great success. Marketing your books is also a huge part of being a success and that is where people like you come in. I appreciate your help. 

Please share with us your website and/or blog link(s) so readers can find out more about you and your works?

My current website for my books is www.booksbyshirleyroe.bravehost.com however I am hoping to update it in the near future. The web address for Allbooks Review International is www.allbooksreviewint.com and my books are listed there as well. 

What’s on the horizon for Shirley Roe?

I am working on book seven and eight at the moment and I will definitely be working with Allbooks Review International for years to come.

 

 

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Interview with Jessica James, author of SHADES OF GRAY

Jessica James is the author of the historical fiction novel Shades of Gray, which has won two Best Regional Fiction awards and was named FAVORITE BOOK of 2008 across all genres on two book review sites. The novel has also been nominated for the 2009 Michael Shaara Award for Civil War Fiction and has climbed as high as #3 on Amazon in the romance/historical/U.S. category, trailing behind a book it is often compared to, Gone with the Wind.

 

In its review, the BookConnection said, “if you only buy one book in 2009, make it this one.”

Because of the strict attention to language used in Shades of Gray, James has been asked to review a script for a proposed Civil War movie to help with the flow and authenticity of the 19th century dialogue.

 

It's great to have you here, Jessica. Do you have another job besides writing?

 

For 18 years, I was a journalist and newspaper editor, which, when combined with writing a novel, resulted in a pretty sedentary lifestyle. In 2006, I quit that career to become a spotlight operator for a Broadway show that came into town. When the show ended after a three-month run, I stayed on as a part-time stagehand – which is anything but sedentary. The flexible hours and the physical aspect of the job meld perfectly with my writing life, and I have the added bonus of getting paid to see a few hundred shows each year.

 

Tell us about your book. What inspired you to write it?

 

Growing up in Gettysburg, Pa., most people think I’ve been a Civil War buff all my life — but that’s not exactly right. It wasn’t until I moved to northern Virginia in the 80s and learned about a Confederate officer, Colonel John Mosby, that I really got hooked. Mosby is every writer’s dream of a great leading character: gallant, valiant, handsome, and chivalrous. My main character, Colonel Alexander Hunter, is based on his legendary life as a Confederate officer.

 

Once I caught the Civil War bug, I became enthralled by how committed the common soldier was to God, country, and honor. The more I read about the war, the more inspired I became to put a story down on paper that reflected the values and principles of that era, as well as the affection and devotion that existed between those who vowed “’til death do us part.”

 

Shades of Gray is the result, telling the story of a time in our nation’s history when “honor was as precious as the blood spilled to earn it.”

 

Did your book require a lot of research?

 

In a word, YES! I don’t think there is a group of people more knowledgeable or more critical than Civil War buffs, and I figured no matter how careful I was, they would find some small inconsistency in fact. Fortunately, that has not happened. I’ve managed to satisfy the historian with the amount of factual information in Shades of Gray – and have pleased romance readers by weaving a love story into the fabric of history.

 

What was your goal?

 

My goal is to educate and to entertain. I want readers to not only feel like they’ve read a great 

love story, but to also gain an understanding of the great conflict of emotion that tore at the 

hearts of those thrust into the War Between the States. The title Shades of Gray, was chosen

for just that reason—to show that the issues that caused the war were not black and white, 

or right and wrong—but shades of gray. I really hope that through this fictional story, readers 

also develop a better understanding of the passionate debate on both sides, and can learn to

appreciate and respect those who value that heritage today. The extraordinary valor and 

devotion of the Confederate soldier is, unfortunately, often maligned and misunderstood in 

today’s politically correct society. 

Who is your target audience?

 

In a wide sense, my target audience is anyone who wants to be inspired by the strong principles and morals of the 19th century, while being entertained with a poignant love story. Civil War buffs, of course are a part of that audience, but it is not simply a Civil War story. It’s a story full of hope and heartbreak, as the loyalty and love of the two main characters clashes with honor and conviction.

 

Readers who cherish good, old-fashioned, classic, romantic fiction are as much a part of that audience as historical fiction enthusiasts.

 

What will the reader learn?

 

Many readers are not interested in reading a dry book about the Civil War, so it became a mission for me to weave a story around the facts, create characters with real feelings, and make history come alive. If readers are entertained and fall in love with the characters, they won’t even know they are learning something. With that said, I think readers will learn a little more about the issues that led to the War Between the States, and how far we’ve moved away from the strong morals and principles that were once such a vibrant part of our culture.

 

Describe you working environment.

 

I have a beautiful office in a pre-Civil War home with a huge antique desk that I really love – but rarely use for actual writing. I do most of my writing on a chair in my living room with a computer on my lap. I have a wild bird feeder, a butterfly bush, and a humming bird feeder within my direct line of vision, so when I lift my eyes, I always have something interesting to watch. I have read that this is actually a beneficial exercise because it engages a different part of the brain, giving the creative side a rest. If I get stuck, I watch the birds for a few minutes, and when I get back to work, the problem often solves itself.

 

Do you have a website or blog?

 

Yes to both. My website is http://www.jessicajamesbooks.com, and my blog Life in the Past Lane is http://www.jessicajamesblog.com.

 

 

Do you have another book in the works?

 

Yes, I have another Civil War novel in the works, though I’m finding less and less time to work on it. The heroine in Above and Beyond is not based on any real person in history, but I have read of accounts such as hers. In a nutshell, she is so convincing at pretending to be a strong Unionist while living in Virginia, that all her neighbors, and even her own brother, believe the ruse. By allowing Federal soldiers to camp on her land and stay in her home she becomes an outcast and a scourge in her own community, but all the while she is passing on valuable information to the Confederacy.

 

One can only imagine the courage and strong will it would take to be despised and maligned by family and friends while you are nobly serving a cause. It could be argued that it would take more fortitude than fighting an outright battle with hundreds of your comrades surrounding you.

 

As an author, what is your greatest reward?

 

My greatest reward is having readers tell me that Shades of Gray made them laugh one minute and cry the next – which I really love to hear! That means they are emotionally involved in the story and that is a great compliment.

 

Perhaps even more gratifying is to have readers blame me for lack of sleep because they ‘couldn’t put it down.’ That’s a reward for all the sleepless nights I spent writing it!

 

Thanks for the interview, Jessica!

 

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On the Spotlight: MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION, by Catherine Delors

The Book:

In 1815 England, an exiled Frenchwoman, Gabrielle de Monserrat, begins a memoir of her days before and during the French Revolution. Gabrielle, the youngest daughter of a family of the impoverished nobility, recalls her journey through hardships and betrayals by three men in her life.

A girl of quiet strength and startling beauty, a widow at seventeen with a young daughter, Gabrielle is released into the world of Paris nobility. Determined and inquisitive, with little money and few prospects, she strives to find her own freedom. Around her, the French people attempt to build a utopia based on the ideals of liberty and equality. Differing currents of thought clash over the fate of a nation as the Revolution takes an ever more violent turn. Yet Gabrielle survives, maintaining her humanity and sense of decency. On occasion, she glimpses her first love as he ascends from obscure patriot to one of the most passionate architects of the new order. At last she reaches for him and an impossible happiness.

As Gabrielle writes on, twenty years later, political events again overtake her and she realizes that her tale is far more than an evocation of the past. It is the truth she owes her children.

Watch the promotional book video for Catherine Delors’ new historical fiction novel, MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION

The Author:

Catherine Delors was born and raised in France. She graduated from the University of Paris-Sorbonne School of Law and became a member of the Bar of Paris at the age of twenty-one.

She moved to the United States after her marriage and passed the California Bar. She worked at a few large law firms, then, after the birth of her son, set up a solo practice. She now splits her time between Los Angeles and Paris.

She is currently working on a second novel, a historical thriller about a terrorist attack in 1800 Paris, at the beginning of Bonaparte’s reign.

Visit her website.

The Excerpt:

London, this 25th of January 1815.

I read this morning in the papers that the corpses of the late King and Queen of France, by order of their brother, the restored Louis the Eighteenth, were exhumed from their grave in the former graveyard of La Madeleine, which has since become a private garden. The remains were removed with royal honours to the Basilica of Saint-Denis, the resting place of the Kings and Queens of France for twelve centuries.

Queen Marie-Antoinette was found soon after the workmen began digging, and the remains of King Louis the Sixteenth were located the next day. A search for the bones of the King’s youngest sister, Madame Elisabeth, was also conducted at the cemetery of Les Errancis. The guillotine had filled La Madeleine by the spring of 1794, and the authorities had opened the new graveyard to accommodate its increasing output. That second investigation was unsuccessful. While the King and Queen had each been granted an individual execution and a coffin, Madame Elisabeth had been guillotined towards the end of the Terror as one in a cart of twenty-five prisoners. The remains had been thrown together into a common grave. The bodies, as required by law, had been stripped of all clothing, which, along with their other property, was forfeited to the Nation upon the imposition of the death sentence. Any identification would have become impossible very soon after the burial. Nevertheless, I trust that God will overlook the lack of proper funeral rites, which were denied to many in those days.

Other victims of the guillotine, some of whom I knew and loved, also remain buried at La Madeleine and Les Errancis, royalists and revolutionaries alike, commingled for all eternity in their unmarked graves.

These tidings from Paris have affected my spirits today. I never cry any more, yet feel tears choking me. I know that I must not allow myself this indulgence, for it is far easier to keep from crying than to quit. Nevertheless, over twenty years have passed since the great Revolution, and it is time for me at last to exhume my own dead and attempt to revive them, however feebly, under my pen.

Some of the events related here are now known only to me, and possibly my daughter. I am not aware of the extent of her recollection, because, out of shyness or shame, or a desire not to acknowledge to each other the shared sorrows of the past, we have never talked about those things since our arrival in England in 1794. She was a child then, and may not have understood or remembered much of what she saw or heard. It causes me pain to recall those events, and still more to write about them, but secrecy has been a heavy burden.

Mistress of the Revolution is available from Amazon, B&N, and from all brick and mortar bookstores.

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On the Spotlight: Nancy Minnis Damato, Historical Novelist

Nancy Minnis Damato is the author of the exciting Taylor family saga. The last book in the series, Separate Worlds, was just release last month by Wings ePress. In this interview Nancy talks about her inspiration, book romotion and her forthcoming projects, among other things.

Welcome to The Dark Phantom, Nancy. It's nice to have you here. Why don’t you start by telling us a bit about your book, and what inspired you to write such a story?

SEPARATE WORLDS completes the Taylor banking family trilogy. The third generation of the famous Taylor banking family, Taylor, Lily and Amanda Pickett leave the US for France with James in pursuit of his title Duke of LaFevre. In 1914, Château Rose finally becomes a paying endeavor in time for the invasion of WWI. Lily’s trapped in Brussels where her only chance of survival is to betray her family. James decries Lily’s murderous ways then becomes caught in a similar web. When Amanda becomes a victim of her mother’s obsessive ex-lover, they both pay a heavy price. Unable to communicate they each fight their private war and fault the methods used by the others to survive.

THE PAWN introduces this series. Historically based the trilogy begins with a single woman born into a strict, austere community of Elders who expect her to overcome the willfulness, ambitions and coveting that rules her. Her flight leads her to become THE PAWN in a plot to destroy everything and everyone she loves. BELONGING, book II, continues the Taylors’ pursuit of dreams and their need for roots.

The cover of each book is a “jewel”, i.e. blue sapphire necklace, emerald pin and ring, and ruby in a silver medallion. The gems serve a purpose in the stories with their purported emotional influences, i.e. peacefulness, envy, and rage, but in contrast to the battle each wearer believes she is staging. The series is about strong women who butt heads with rules, survive by their own determination, fool themselves along the way and pay the price of their independence. And, about family relationships and how our flaws and personal desires weighed against the pressures of outside expectations can destroy our dreams or force us to fight harder.

How would you describe your creative process while writing this novel? Was it stream-of-consciousness writing, or did you first write an outline? How long did it take you to write it?

The series begins in Illinois where I was born and is based on religious followings of my Grandparents. The story travels to St. Louis and onto Bisbee, Arizona, places near where I have lived. Each of these communities bubble with history and influenced me heavily on how we repeat what has gone before–adding very little except modern conveniences. Our basic desires and coping mechanisms remain the same. I researched for years building a timeline, a theme, until Josefina Taylor invaded my nights to the point I couldn’t sleep and interrupted my days with such blatant intrusion it became impossible to conduct a normal conversation without her butting in to “tell her story.” Once the writing process began, THE PAWN and BELONGING flowed for two years–as steady as my physical strength could handle. Editing and marketing ate up more time. Then SEPARATE WORLDS, researching WWI for accuracy and communicating with friends in Europe, took over a year. To answer your question, actual sitting at the computer writing time took three and a half years, but the total time beginning to end took almost seven years.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? What seems to work for unleashing your creativity?

Writer’s block is a new experience for me with my current work, a romance of a couple separated twenty-eight years prior who are reunited by a third person for revenge. Music provides the best stimulant, if I can find a piece that feeds on the emotion I’m attempting to unveil in the story. And, when shut down, I retreat into Donald Maas’s workbook, Writing the Breakout Novel, to see if I’m attempting to force a situation that is implausible. Always, I tell my husband, dinner out and/or a good movie wakes up the creative juices.

How was your experience in looking for a publisher? What words of advice would you offer those novice authors who are in search of one?

I submitted to two high profile agents, received encouraging rejections–but rejections all the same. I was bummed and not willing to face that prospect again. A fellow author suggested Wings Press and I got a contract and am happy there. Not the route I would suggest to most writers, but all I want to do is write. I’m not interested in fame, and am too old for world tours, however, a five figure advance could certainly change that idea. Persistence, multiple submissions, perusing the markets for the proper publishing house or agent, spending as much time uncovering a distributor that will answer what you want is as important as the actual writing. Look at history, how long it took our most well-known authors to finally get published–54, 79, 200+ submissions.
I’m not unhappy with my choice, and now I have agents who have contacted me requesting a “look see” at my next creation. We’ll see how seven years of work balances out with the next publication.

What type of book promotion seems to work the best for you?

Networking with friends and family sells the most and covers the greatest geography. With six children, fifteen grandchildren, and my husband and my membership in over twenty groups, we are blessed with some genuine promoters at a phone call. Personally, I do local book signings and talks with local groups. Our newspapers list them and a number as an invitation to join. I call and offer to speak for free if I can sell books. No one’s turned me down. The least profitable, definitely the three to four books sold at independent “fairs” that cost way more than earned. Reviews on high profile websites are invaluable and a number of emails hit my website that originate from these reviews. And interviews, like this one for Blogcritics, invite website hits on the internet.

What is your favorite book of all time? Why?

Gone With The Wind, of course. The history in the story, the drama, and I admire the guts it took for her to write and publish “trash” as it was called back then.

Do you have a website/blog where readers may learn more about you and your work?

My website has the first chapter of each book, a little information about me, and details of the background that brought the trilogy into existence, and of course, a place to buy.
Do you have another novel on the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects?

PROMISES, A couple is secretly engaged, but circumstances separate them. Now, twenty-eight years later, they are reunited by a high profile project for the purpose of someone’s revenge. Romance, corruption, murder, intrigue…

EMBRACED BY STRANGERS, an orphan during the depression lives the seedy side of life until someone claims him–only to be faced with evil.

Thanks for stopping by, Nancy! It was a pleasure to have you here!

Thank you for the invitation, my pleasure. I wish you and your readers well and good reading.

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Book Review: Separate Worlds, by Nancy Minnis Damato

Separate Worlds
By Nancy Minnis Damato
Wings e-Press, Inc.
Copyright 2007
General Fiction/Historical
Series (Book III)

Available on Amazon

The story of the Taylor family saga continues in this the third and final installment, Separate Worlds. Under the skillful pen of talented author Nancy Minnis Damato, the tale reaches a heart-wrenching and fully satisfying conclusion.

Willful and red-headed beauty Taylor is about to come face to face with the most difficult moment of her life—indeed, the most difficult moment for any mother—losing her beloved daughter. For those of you who have read the previous books, the event is not surprising, as you all are familiar with Taylor’s handsome yet incredibly cruel and merciless ex-lover, a charismatic Italian count who is now set on revenge. Since he cannot have her, he will go to extremes to make Taylor suffer. In this case, he decides to abduct his own daughter with Taylor. Needless to say, the struggle and pain she goes through are unimaginable—hunger, poverty, even being kept prisoner in jail. But Taylor will go through anything in order to save her daughter and re-unite with her—especially now that her daughter is under the clutches of the Count’s wife, who’s set on revenge no matter what.

Though the mother-daughter line is the main plot, there are many subplots that revolve around the First World War taking place in Europe. Taylor’s son is away as a soldier, and so is the Count himself. With yet other characters in other parts of Europe, the reader cannot help but wonder… will the family ever unite? Will the pain and struggle go away so they can become a happy, united family after so much darkness and betrayal?

It is impossible to fully enjoy this novel without having read the first two books in the series first. I strongly advice readers to do so in order to understand the characters and their dark legacy. The novel seems to be extremely well researched, grabbing the reader into an imaginary world. The characters are compelling and the storyline interesting. The book also has some intriguing twists and turns. What really stands out, however, is Taylor’s struggle as she goes in search of her young daughter. Some passages were so poignant they really brought tears to my eyes. Heart-wrenching, stirring and thoroughly enjoyable, Separate Worlds is a story fans of historical fiction will devour.

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