Category: Interview with a writer

Podcast Interview of Gwen and John by Annette Rochelle Aben

~ John W. Howell ~ 36 Comments

Annette Rochelle Aben was very gracious to have Gwen Plano, and I on her Tell Me a Story podcast on The Magic Happens Radio Network. We are discussing the collaboration that took place on The Contract between heaven and earth. Here is the link to the site.

http://www.themagichappensnow.com/tell-me-a-story-with-annette-rochelle-aben

Once clicked you need to scroll down until you reach this position.

Tell Me A Story

About Annette.

Annette

Annette’s Bio

I was born writing! At least this is how it seems. I had the good fortune to be published while a sophomore in high school so continuing the journey by publishing books has been a natural course of events.
It is my pleasure to announce that the book I have just released is # 1 Best Seller! And that is: A Haiku Perspective 2018 which is available in both Kindle and paperback formats! Enjoy celebrating a year of my life as told using the framework of Haiku style poetry.
Angel Messages Two – songs of the heart, is a book filled with beautiful photos and remarkable tanka poetry. People LOVE this book because of the comfort it provides. Many have gifted it to others and been thanked over and over again.
A Tanka Picture Book is exactly as the name suggests. I took photos of a variety of everyday objects, works of art and nature, then wrote a tanka poem for each. I suggest this book for all the right reasons. It will entertain, provoke thought, stimulate conversation and be a great addition to your library!
I have chosen to release my annual haiku collection in time to celebrate National Poetry Month, in April. A Haiku Perspective 2017 is filled with smiles, laughter, wisdom and creativity, all cleverly disguised as haiku poetry. Enjoy!
My book, GO YOU some encouragement when you need it, is a pep-talk in a book! Each page gives you a quick way to start your day, help you through a moment or even provide someone else words that can inspire them to a better life. We can all use a cheerleader, when one isn’t available, this book fits the bill!!
Most of the books I have published here are centered in poetry, Haiku poetry to be exact. Much of the feedback I receive about the haiku poetry is that people can really understand the messages and they appreciate that the poems are short and sweet!
Angel Messages – a wing and a prayer is my first book about Angels. Filled with photos, prayers, poems and prose of and about Angels, this book will delight any Angel lover in your life. Check out the reviews, people are drawn to the inherent inspirational nature of this book and as result is fast becoming their favorite. You can have it right away using the Kindle option or order a paperback copy (or two) and carry it with you wherever you go.
I mentioned that many of my books are filled with my poetry and several of them combine that with my love of taking pictures. Books that feature poetry and photos include Perspective, it’s all about replacing one thought with another, PhoKu, visual perspective haiku and BooKu, Halloween haiku. Perspective has a wide variety of pages that can feature prose, poetry and nature photographs, while PhoKu is filled with the photographs I have taken in nature with Haiku poetry added to them, hence the title: PhoKu. BooKu is a “behind the scenes look at how Halloween decorations feel about their jobs. All three of these books are available in print and Kindle formats.
A Haiku Perspective 2015, and A Haiku Perspective 2016 are haiku poetry books. When I first experimented with the haiku writing format, I have no idea I would enjoy it as much as I do. These days, I am writing haiku daily and finding myself thinking in 17 syllables. You can find these books in both print and Kindle formats
There are several other books planned for release this year alone, So please, check back frequently to see what I have published and share what YOU are doing! Cheers!!

Please visit Annette on Amazon and at The Magic Happens

Thank you so much, Annette.

Rave Waves Blog Talk Radio Spotlight Honors with Jennie Sherwin #RRBC

~ John W. Howell ~ 4 Comments

 

It is my honor to interview Author Jennie Sherwin today at 11:00 CST on my Spotlight Honors broadcast

 

Jennie Sherwin has a personal interest MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) which we will be discussing along with her novel “Intentional Healing: One Woman’s Journey to Higher Consciousness and Freedom from Environmental and Other Chronic Illnesses.“  Join us as we explore this novel and become better acquainted with the author. Here is the link to today’s broadcast and it you can’t make it the same link will work for the archive. tobtr.com/8211223

 

You can also visit Jennie at her website. http://jsherwinblog.wordpress.com/

Look Who’s On the Shelf with Nonnie Jules-#RRBC

~ John W. Howell ~ 8 Comments

 

 

One of the more enjoyable parts of being a member of the Rave Reviews Book Club is the opportunity to interact with the founder, president and terrific person Nonnie Jules. Nonnie has a regular feature for those chosen as a Spotlight Author named “WHO’S ON THE SHELF?” w/yours truly, NONNIE JULES (In-depth Interview) The shelf of course, is for books, but some room is made for the author and Nonnie to have a chat. This chat takes a number of twists and turn and is always entertaining. Please visit and see what I mean.

I am very honored to appear on the shelf and thank you Nonnie for the interview.

Interview of me by Sally Ember Ed.D on Her Show Changes

~ John W. Howell ~ 15 Comments

 

I am so pleased to be a guest on the Sally Ember Ed.D live interview show. Her show has some of the best interviews since Sally has a great way of asking just the right question to elicit some interesting responses. My appearance will be Episode 14 of the show which Sally has titled Changes. The live show will be on December 3rd from 10 to 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time. You can click this link on the day of the broadcast https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/c73le14imljt9q0vn1do99re6fg.

If you miss the broadcast live you can catch up on YouTube any time. You can also view past interviews http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZRG5j5fHuo

 

In addition to hosting Changes Sally is the author of the Spanner Series a ten volume, original, science fiction/romance/multiverse/paranormal/utopian/speculative fiction e-books series for adults/new adults/young adults.

 

Volume I of The Spanners Series, This Changes Everything, now FREE everywhere e-books are available.

 

Vol. II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, @$3.99 on Smashwords, iBooks, Barnes & Noble nook, Kobo, Amazon Kindle (USA, France, Germany, UK) and many other global e-book retailers.

Please visit Sally’s The Spanners Series at http://sallyember.com/spanners/ for a complete listing of all the links and her blog at http://sallyember.com/blog/

Please join us for the interview.

Interview with Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie – Author

~ John W. Howell ~ 15 Comments

 

 

Today I am happy to welcome Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie, Author of Jaded, a YA thriller, and Even in Death which is a collection of ten short stories. You should know that Kristy has dropped the price of both books to $.99.

Come on in Kristy and make yourself comfortable. You’ll have to excuse the animals running around but we just got a new foster Boxer and the rest of the clan are trying to make him feel as uncomfortable as possible so maybe he will go away. Pay no attention to them. I am so glad you stopped by Fiction Favorites.

Kristy Thanks, John! I have three dachshunds and two cats so I feel right at home!

John I imagine you have your hands full as well. So Kristy why don’t you tell us a little about yourself where you grew up, siblings, family life, education, and how you got to where you are now.

Kristy: I’m from Johnstown, PA and I bleed black and gold; Go Steelers!

John: Wait. I have to interrupt and let you know I’m a Steelers fan as well.

Kristy: No way. What a small world.

John: Yeah, my wife is from Mt Lebanon PA and I found it a good idea to adopt the Steelers.

Kristy: Patrick, my husband of 4 years, is a 49er fan so I bleed a little red and gold, too. Scott, my younger brother, lives in Pittsburgh but is a Vikings fan which makes absolutely no sense considering he’s never been to Minnesota. Even though, Northern Virginia has been my home for over ten years, I’m not a Redskins fan.  I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in school counselling, and I’m working towards a School Library Media degree. I moved to Northern VA to attend grad school and can’t imagine a better place to live… although living near the ocean would ideal.

John: As you can see the Gulf is pretty nice too. How long have you been writing and who if anyone got you started?

Kristy: I’ve written for as long as I can remember. My mom has probably been my biggest influence because she has always encouraged creativity.

John: What is your genre? And would you like to write in another?

Kristy: I write young adult fiction, adult fiction/short stories, and poetry.  I would love to write a film script one day.

John: I imagine a script would be pretty complex. So you must have a reason for writing other than putting words on paper. Why is it you write?

Kristy: I have so many ideas in my head that I have to write them down in order to make space!

John: What a great reason. Who would you say are your favorite or most influential authors and why?

Kristy: F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sylvia Plath because they are simply amazing.

John: I enjoyed both as well. What is your latest (published) book called and what is it about?

Kristy: Even In Death: A Short Story Collection – ten short stories that explore the thin line between love and hate; extreme emotions even death cannot destroy.

John: Sounds great. What was the inspiration for the story?

Kristy: Each story has been inspired by various things. For example, “A Flower Story,” (where flowers are delivered long after a person is alive to smell them) stemmed from a random conversation with a co-worker.

John: Was there anything about the collection that caused you worry?

Kristy: I was a little afraid that my short story collection would be “too dark” for most people, but that hasn’t been the consensus.

John: Sounds like it’s getting a good reception. Is your book going to be part of a series?

Kristy: Sort of; I plan on writing another short story collection with a similar theme.

John: I always have to ask about process. Are you a plotter (Work with a plan) or a pantster? (fly by the seat of your pants)

Kristy: Plotter for novels, pantster for short stories. Short stories are so much easier because I tend to write short and sweet.

John: I feel the same about short stories. It’s relaxing  to a degree to write them. What are you working on right now?

Kristy: Hunted, the sequel to my YA Thriller, Jaded, and I’m also working on Blinded, the prequel.   

John: Can you give your readers a blurb?

Kristy: Here’s the synopsis for Jaded: Jade has spent her entire life within the confines of the eye-color- obsessed Nirvana commune. She dreams of experiencing freedom, but travel to the Outside is forbidden. Besides, she’s a dutiful daughter who never breaks the rules. As her seventeenth birthday approaches, however, she realizes just how little she wants to follow the commune rules. She doesn’t want to undergo another eye color surgery, or immediately choose a life partner or follow her parents’ life paths of teaching or wine making. In fact, her green eyes suit her just fine, she’s never even been on a date, and she’s passionate about photography. And yet she’s resigned to do as she’s told because it’s easier for her to close her eyes and follow orders.
Her Grandmother Ruby’s murder is the catalyst that causes Jade to open her eyes wide for the first time in her life. She’s devastated yet determined to find the killer and their motive. With help from her mysterious friend Tyrian, and Peaches, the commune leader’s sweet daughter, Jade unearths dark secrets which include her mother’s illicit affair, her maternal grandparents’ escape from Nirvana, and a plethora of murders. To make matters worse, someone is hell-bent on ending Jade’s mission for the truth, and that someone is most likely the killer.
Jade can’t continue conforming to an evil society and yet she fears the Outside is just as corrupt. If she resolves to flee and is caught, the punishment is banishment to the slave cabins…and blinding.

John: What can your readers look forward to in 2015?

Kristy: Hunted and Blinded should both be out by then!

John: Thanks again Kristy for the interview. It was interesting and I’m sure your readers will look forward to the release of  Hunted and Blinded  Where can your readers find your books, your blog and Twitter address.

Kristy:  Amazon link for Jaded:   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00II0UUSQ  Not to forget I just reduced the price to $.99.

 

Amazon link for Even In Death:        http://www.amazon.com/Even-Death-Short-Story-Collection/dp/0692228055/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407526096&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Kristy+Feltenberger+Gillesie As a reminder I reduced the price to $.99.

 

Keep Calm & Write On Blog: http://kristyfgillespie.com/

Twitter: @KFGillespie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristy.feltenbergergillespie?filter=3