Category: Guest Posts/Interviews-2011

Today I am honored to have Zachery Richardson stop by to do a guest post for me.

Zachery is promoting his book:

About the book:
When you sacrifice the lives of your wife and children to prevent the world’s most powerful clan of assassins from unleashing the Apocalypse, what does that make you? And what do you do when you learn that it was all in vain? For Jin Sakai, that sacrifice turned him into a mere shell of a man, filled only with guilt and hatred. When he learns that it was a sacrifice made in vain, he instantly sets out on a violent one-man war to tear the assassins’ clan down around their ears. After all, who better to destroy them than the man who brought them together?

Things soon turn down a darker path as Jin uncovers the disturbing truth behind his family’s sacrifice; a truth he was never meant to learn. Undone by the revelation, Jin is consumed by doubt and confusion and very nearly loses his life. It is only later when he meets Leah Lawson, a woman with a past almost as dark as his own, that his doubt and confusion vanish and he begins to see a path that will not only lead him to his revenge, but to his redemption.

Unfortunately, there is far more going on behind the scenes than Jin realizes. Forces are at play that have been manipulating the course of his life ever since he was born. By setting out on his quest for vengeance, Jin unknowingly cements his destiny as one of the key warriors in the apocalyptic war that’s brewing just beneath the surface.

So without further hestiation please welcome Zachery to the blog.

What is a typical writing day for you? Tell us about a day in the life of you the writer, what’s your writing day like. Do you balance family and writing, or writing and a job outside the house, or writing, a job and family? What was it like for you to write this book along with your busy life?

It’s funny, because in thinking about how to describe my life, I’m realizing just how insular it is. I’m 22 years old, so I don’t have a family of my own to balance my writing with, but I recently applied for a job at my local Fry’s Electronics, so I may have to find a way to balance my writing with that.

A typical writing day for me usually consists of an early morning walk, an average of 5 hours of writing and 2 hours of video editing, playing some online games with friends, dinner and then sleep. I don’t usually get out a whole lot, so I like starting my day with a walk. The fresh air helps me keep my spirits up, particularly on days when I’m fighting with an especially difficult part of my books. There’s a nature trail close by that I like to walk through. Some of my stories get quite crazy, so I usually go there and let the peace of the place help me focus my thoughts and plan the chapter I’ll be working on that day.

On another note, I’m actually amused that this is the topic for my guest post because I’ve actually started doing a series of video blogs on YouTube called The Vlogging Author. I recently got a new high definition camera that fits in my pocket, so it’s fun to take with me and just film the different parts of my day. It’s one thing for an author to talk about their day with their fans. I thought it would be cool for my fans to actually be able to see my day. This is where the two hours of video editing comes from.My YouTube channel and vlogs can be viewed here and here, respectively.

When I’m done with my writing and vlogging, I usually hop on Xbox LIVE, Microsoft’s online gaming service, and play a few games with friends to unwind and have fun. The game we usually play is Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and it is amazing stress relief when my writer’s block decides to act up.

All in all, my life is pretty low-key, and even when/if I achieve the success I’m envisioning, I plan on keeping it that way. J

Guest blog from Suzanne Woods Fisher for “Amish Values for Your Family” (Revell)

Five Things I’ve Learned from the Amish that Have Nothing to Do with being Amish and Have Everything to Do with being a Christian:

Being Amish is not a lifestyle. Life among the Amish has to do with faith. Faith can’t be squeezed to an hour or two on Sunday morning; it infuses their entire life like a teabag in hot water. What they do and how they do it is rooted in the spiritual question: What is pleasing to God?

Amish proverb: “Letting go of earthly possessions enables us to take hold of heavenly treasures.”

The Lesson: To pray about my day’s activities and offer them to God, first, for His purposes. And then trusting interruptions (seeing a friend in the grocery store, for example) or de-railings (those days when everything goes wrong!) to be God-managed.

Cherish your family. A family that works together, grows together. Amish families spend a lot of time together and try to keep their work close to home. Children are valued as gifts from God, wanted and enjoyed. They’re included in all of Amish life—from barn raisings to three-hour church services. An Amish bishop once said, “We don’t prepare our children for the future, we prepare our children for eternity.”

Amish proverb: “Tomorrow’s world will be shaped by what we teach our children today.”

The Lesson: Involving children in chores and activities may not be the most convenient or efficient way to accomplish a task, but the benefits are long lasting. Look for ways to get everybody involved—cook together, sweep out the garage together, set the table together. And have fun while you’re doing it!

Draw a land in the sand. The Amish want to be good stewards of God’s resources—time, money, material goods. They know that convenience comes with a cost. They don’t want to be dependent on outside sources (such as electricity or gas!). Convenience means loss of something valuable. For example, fast food means less nutrition. More stuff means more maintenance. They’re willing to say no.

Amish proverb: “Things that steal our time are usually the easiest to do.”

The Lesson: Technology has its limits. And technology isn’t all good. Evaluate purchases more thoughtfully. Think of where a purchase or an added expense will lead your family. More time together or less? More stress or less? Reframe your view of time and money and goods as God’s resources.

Watch Your Words. The Amish continually stress the importance of filtering their speech.

Amish proverb: “Words break no bones, but they can break hearts” and “Mincing your words makes it easier if you have to eat them later.”

The Lesson: Say less. Prayer more.

Nothing replaces face-to-face visits. Back in the day when telephones emerged on the scene, the Amish bishops made a deliberate decision to keep the telephone out of the house. They didn’t want to interrupt family life. But they drop everything for a face-to-face visit.

Amish proverb: “Use friendship as a drawing account, but don’t forget to make a deposit.”

The Lesson: Nurture relationships by investing face-to-face time in them. No technology can substitute for the real thing.

Honor the Sabbath. An Amish person would never think of working on a Sunday. But it’s more than that—they truly cherish their Sabbath. They spend time on Saturday to make Sunday a smooth and easy day.

Amish proverb: “Many things I have tried to grasp and have lost. That which I have placed in God’s hands I still have.”

The Lesson: Strive to make Sunday a different day than other days. A day of rest is important on so many levels—time to worship, time to reflect, time to re-energize. A re-charge your battery day.

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and non-fiction and the host of a weekly radio program called Amish Wisdom. Her most recent book, Amish Values for Your Family released in August. The Waiting is a finalist for a 2011 Christy Award. Amish Peace: Simple and Amish Proverbs were both finalists for the ECPA Book of the Year (2010, 2011). Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. When Suzanne isn’t writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To Suzanne’s way of thinking, you just can’t take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone’s underwear in its mouth. Keep up on Suzanne’s latest news on Facebook, Twitter and on her blog!

Today I am so excited and honored to have one of my favorite authors stop by to do a Q&A with me. I first got to meet Kerry Sparks when she approached me to review her books Jen and the Frosted Friends and Frost Bites. Which are great middle grade books. You can click here to read my first interview with Kerry.

Thank so much Kerry for taking the time out of your busy schedule to sit down and do this interview with me.

I should mention that Kerry is promoting her newest book:

About the book:

Nina thinks her fifth grade teacher Mrs. Maze is absolutely fabulous! Cousin Freddie disagrees. Freddie’s suspicions are confirmed when Nina spots a baby’s bird wing moving around in pregnant Mrs. Maze’s belly. What’s inside Mrs. Maze? The kids don’t know, but they’re determined to find out. With the help of their gym teacher, Mr. Quick, the puzzle pieces start coming together. But as one mystery unravels, another folds. Can Nina and Freddie trust Mr. Quick? And what will happen to the community of Agua Azul when Mrs. Maze gives birth to this “thing”? Find out in this magical fantasy for middle grade readers.

You can check back later today to see my review of The Baby Inside Mrs. Maze.

Cindy: How did you come up with the idea for The Baby Inside Mrs.Maze?

Kerry: I wanted to try something different so I decided the kids would go to school on an island. I wanted the kids to have magical experiences at school like when Nina’s paper butterfly turns into a real butterfly. But there had to be some conflict so I decided Mrs. Maze would have a dark side. The kids don’t know what’s inside Mrs. Maze so it creates a mystery that doesn’t get solved until the very end of the story.

Cindy: I loved how you made the suspense last until the very end. This is so different from the Get Frosted series; do you see yourself writing more like that?

Kerry: The tweens that have read this book tell me that they like the fantasy style better. I like writing the fantasy style as well because you can be more creative with the scenes. I definitely think another fantasy style book is in store. I had too much fun writing this one.

Cindy: You can tell that you had alot of fun writing it. Could you describe The Baby inside Mrs. Maze in three words?

Kerry: Mysterious, whimsical, humorous

Cindy: Those are great words used to describe the book and they come to mind when I thought of the question. What are you currently reading right now?

Kerry: I am reading “Onward” by Howard Schultz. I love coffee…especially Starbucks. If I could be any flavored latte, I would be a pumpkin spice latte. J

Cindy: I love Starbucks too and all of a sudden I have an instant craving for a nice Vanilla Bean Frapichino. Are you currently working on anything now? Can you share if you are?

Kerry: I am working on two pieces…another “Get Frosted” adventure and a follow-up to “The Baby Inside Mrs. Maze”. Both manuscripts are at approximately 50 pages each right now. I am having a lot of fun with the “Get Frosted” book. I have the most fun with girly style books. I think I’m truly a girly girl.

Cindy: I am so excited to hear that you are working on another Get Frosted book. I just love that series and I have to say that I am super curious about the follow up to The Baby Inside Mrs Maze, curious to see where that will go.

Thanks so much Kerry for taking the time out of your busy writing schedule to do this Q&A with me.

On top of being able to inteview Kerry I was able to ask Brian Taberski the man responsible for the cover design of The Baby Inside Mrs. Maze a few questions as well.

I truly appreciate that Brian was able to take a few minutes out of his super busy schedule to do this for me.

Cindy: Brian I have to ask where did you come up with the idea for the cover design?

Brian: I didn’t have a model in front of me. But based upon the ideas and pictures Kerry had given me I looked around for bits and pieces of what I could throw together in my head to make it look some what presentable.

This is one of the inspirations for the cover. Mrs. Maze had to have red hair because of the fire that she carries inside. Image retrieved from www.artsunlight.com

Cindy: What a great image to use as inspiration. What is your favorite thing to draw?

Brian: Cartoons. Who couldn’t love sitting in front of the television on a Saturday morning watching cartoons? I wanted to be Tex Avery and Fred Quimby growing up.

Cindy: I missed those days of sitting in front of the tv on a Saturday morning. Cartoons just aren’t the same. Who is your favorite artist(s) that inspire you?

Brian: Norman Rockwell was an amazing artist, and who could forget BorisVallejo?

Brian thanks so much for allowing me to ask you a few questions.

Today I am more the honored to have  Tina from Bookshipper stopping by for a guest post in honor of my 3rd year blogiversary.

When I put out the call looking for guest bloggers Tina let me know right away that she was in and honestly I wasn’t sure what to expect (not in a bad way) and when I got the email with the guest post I was very curious and honestly as I read it I was laughing (because it just seems like yesterday and the memories came flooding back) and crying but its good crying.

So without further hesitation Tina take it away.

I am very happy to write a guest post for Cindy on the 3rd anniversary of her blog.

While I thought I would focus on the number 3 a little bit, I also thought it might be fun to focus on Cindy and her love of books also.

I believe this was taken in late 2008 early 2009

I met Cindy a little over two years ago.  I am very bad with dates, so I can`t pinpoint the exact time.  I have, however, over the course of these last years spent some quality “book” time with her, including an escapade to New York City and BEA in 2010.

I have been thinking back and I thought I would share my best “3” memories of Cindy and her love of reading and books.

Without a doubt, the first one would have to be in New York, while we were actually visiting the BEA floor.  While I was fluttering from booth to booth, Cindy was patiently (and I do mean patiently) waiting in quite a number of “lines” to meet some of her favorite authors.  For those who have visited BEA, you know how daunting these line can be – but Cindy was incredibly patient and equally determined to get her books signed, while getting the opportunity of meeting some of her favorite authors.
One that sticks out for me is Rick Springfield who was about to release his biography.  Both Cindy and I loved Rick Springfield, but Cindy was the only one brave enough to wait in line.  When she finally did get to meet him, she got his autographs but also got one for me.  This is the kind of person she is – thoughtful and kind 🙂

Meeting Rick Springfield @ BEA 2010

The second “Cindy” experience would have to be at a secondhand bookstore in New York City that we visited (and had really been looking forward to visiting).  This time, quite a few of us, including myself, Avis, Linda, Cindy and Donna went together and quickly spotted the ARC section which
contained about 100 books.  Well, I have to tell you that we all went crazy over these not yet released books and swarmed the place.

 Because I am far more “picky” about my genres, I quickly went through the racks and chose what I wanted.  But the others spent considerable amounts of time playfully jostling each other to get to the “good stuff”.  I remember looking at them and thinking they all looked like little ants – at which point a book, from a higher shelf fell on Cindy’s head!  It was quite funny – being “beaned” by an ARC and it wasn’t even one of her favorite authors.

My final “Cindy” experience is actually more of a personal one for me.  I have always admired the way she has passed on her love of reading to her son Michael. 

Reading on vacation 2011. Pokemon graphic novel.

Recently, Michael came with us when we visited a library book sale and he was the perfect “little reader”.  He sorted through boxes of books like a pro and it was obvious that he was simply in heaven surrounded by all these books.  He was also a trooper and stood quietly behind while the “adults” oohhed and ahhhed like the crazy women they are.

Atwater Booksale 2011 Michael, Lucy and I

At one point, I looked over at Cindy and Michael and I thought how wonderful it is to have your child share your passion for reading and for books.  A beautiful moment.

Brookfield Zoo, IL 2011

Well, I guess that’s it for now.  I wanted to say “congratulations” Cindy.  I know that 3 years has gone by very quickly and that it has not always been easy to keep up with the demands of blogging, but I know that you have loved every minute of it.
Keep up the great work and see you in BEA (for more stories) in 2012!

Tina words can not expression how much it truly meant to read what you wrote. You will always be a kindred spirit (our love of Anne) and a truly amazing friend who has been there through thick and thin. I am truly honored to have met you and to share so many great memories with you. Here’s to many more great memories.

Do you think NYC and BEA could handle us again in  2012?

Today I am very honored to be able to have the author of How to Be an American Housewife, Margaret Dilloway stop by to do a blog post for me. How to Be an American Housewife was just released in paperback.
The topic of the guest post is:  The entertaining experiences of being a half-Japanese, half-American young girl in the 60’s and 70’s.

Thanks again Margaret for taking the time out do to this for me. Without further hesitation take it away Margaret.

When I was little, I never really thought of myself as Asian, even though my mother was Japanese.  I didn’t look particularly Asian.  I didn’t speak Japanese; my mother thought it would confuse us too much, though I did beg her to teach me.  We didn’t really know many other Asians, and the ones we did, we didn’t socialize with.  

Nonetheless, there were some traditions my mother followed that were different than any other local household I’d been in.  Everyone took off their shoes at the door. If anyone asked why, I’d just say, “It’s a Japanese tradition, and my mother’s Japanese,” and they’d do it.  Our house didn’t have tatami mats or tables close to the floor, so there was no worry there.

The shoes-off tradition got more amusing when my brother turned into a teen.   Teenage boys (surprise!) are kind of stinky.  So to have six pairs of athletic shoes lying by the door was not particularly pleasant.  Our cat loved it, though.  The cat would wait by the door for the boys to take off their shoes and then stick her head in them, rubbing and rolling, until she’d had her fill.  I remember this mainly because my mother got so much entertainment out of it; it was rare to hear her laugh, but this did it every time.

Mom also had some ideas different from the locals.  Once I borrowed an egg from a neighbor for my mother to complete a recipe.  In the U.S., when you“borrow” an ingredient, you usually don’t mean you’re going to return it; it’s just a neighborly thing to do, and one day the neighbor might request the same kind of help from you.  But my mother didn’t subscribe to this point of view.

The next day, after we bought more eggs, my mother sent me over to the neighbor’s house with two eggs.  “Tell her it’s how Japanese do it,” she instructed.  She did not want to be beholden to anyone, for anything.  The neighbor tried to wave me off, saying it was fine, she didn’t need the egg back, but I had to insist that she take both.
 
Also, nobody else celebrated New Year’s the way Americans celebrated Christmas.  My mother would spend all of New Year’s Eve making special foods,sushi and sometimes sashimi.  I would brag about the ability to eat raw fish to all my friends, who would be (I presumed) struck with envy.  She would set up a table with lacquered boxes filled with Japanese treats, like pickled cabbageand root vegetables.  There were always tangerines from our tree, and flowers,too.  Sometimes, on New Year’s Day, my dad would take us to the big sales to get us clothes and call it our New Year’s gifts.  However, I would not be allowed to go out.  My mother said it was because New Year’s was an important Japanese holiday, like Christmas, to be spent with family; she was really just worried about the crazies on the roads. 

Some things in the book didn’t really happen to me, but were sparked by others.  There’s a part in the book where another mother can’t understand Shoko’s accent, and there’s a big mix-up over popcorn balls.  As a kid, I was never aware of anyone not understanding my mother. But my husband’s mother, who never met mine, told me a story about a Japanese mom she knew when her kids were little. It was difficult to have a conversation with this lady, she said,and she expressed how badly she felt that she hadn’t tried harder to include her.  I included a similar scenario in the novel, for Shoko.

There’s also a part about Sue trying to win in the science fair with Shoko’s help.  Something similar did happen to me, without my parent’s help, as I attempted a science fair project.  This was more about class and income difference than about cultural difference, as my parents simply did not help us out with projects and did not understand what had to go into them.  I thought something similar might have happened with my characters.

Thanks again Margaret for taking the time out to do this.

Title: Sisters of the Sari
Author: Brenda L. Baker
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Pub Date: June 7th 2011 (US)

Today I am very honored to have Brenda L. Baker stop by Cindy’s Love of Books to do a guest post for me. This is Brenda’s debut novel. Please come back tomorrow for my review of Sisters of the Sari.

I got to ask Brenda about her experiences of teaching in India and this is what she had to say:

Here’s a confession – when I signed up as a volunteer tourist in India, it was the tourist part of the assignment I was interested in. I travel to meet people and volunteering seemed like the perfect way to meet lots of them. If anyone got helped along the way, that would be gravy.

On my first day at the Madras Christian Council of Social Service in Chennai, I met the social workers and office staff (plus), discovered the office language was Tamil (minus) and learned my laptop was going to be more useful to my new friends than I was. The office had five, vintage, virus-laden computers loaded with antique pirated software and only sporadically connected to the internet. My VIAO was an object of wonder. Isabel, the woman who ran the organization, suggested I try my hand at teaching English to the women in two shelters run by the social workers, probably to get my laptop out of the office so people would get back to work. I’d never taught anyone in my life, but I knew the subject pretty well. How hard could it be?

When I walked across the street to the shelters – they were upstairs and downstairs in the same building – I found out exactly how hard it would be. The warden gave me a blackboard that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Victorian schoolroom circa 1850, and a one inch piece of chalk, then placed me in front of forty women in nightgowns and left. The blackboard was so cracked and warped the words I wrote on it looked like they were underwater, but this didn’t really matter because there were no notebooks and pens for my students to write with.

I asked if anyone spoke English. A sleepy young woman named Viji held up her hand and instantly became the official student-translator. I set out to learn my students’ names and find out how much they knew. Some of them were illiterate not only in English, but in their native language of Tamil. A few knew the English alphabet. A few more knew stilted phrases like “How do you do?” and “What is your good name?”, invariably spoken with a weird semi-British accent, the verbal equivalent of extending a pinky when lifting a teacup. About halfway through the introductions, my translator fell asleep. (I later found out she was on medication.) I finished up the lesson by teaching them the alphabet song, then went back to the office to ask for notebooks and pens and more chalk.

When I carried the new supplies over to the shelter the next day, only twenty women sat around me in a semi-circle. The rest were sleeping or sitting against the far wall chatting. Viji managed to stay awake a little longer and by the end of the lesson, everyone had taken a turn at saying “Hello. My name is ____” and could recognize at least some letters of the English alphabet. In exchange, they taught me the same phrase in Tamil and started me out with my first two letters in the in the two-hundred plus Tamil alphabet.

Lesson three was given to fifteen women, only three of whom still had their notebooks and pens. The rest had been “lost” or “stolen”. I learned two more Tamil letters and we exchanged words for body parts. Lesson four was given to twelve women, ten of whom had managed to retain the replacement notebooks and pens I’d handed out. I learned two more Tamil letters and the Tamil words for beautiful and happy. Not sure what they learned.

Over the next three months, I tried everything I could think of to teach my students English without textbooks and teaching aids. We played games and had contests. I gave one-question tests and handed out prizes for passing. I think most of the women attended class for the comedy value of watching me act out vocabulary words after Viji fell asleep. Eventually even that paled. One day I walked over to the shelter and no one had turned up for class, my last three die-hard students had found part-time jobs.

I took my laptop back into the office and spent the rest of my volunteer tour creating PowerPoint presentations for Isabel to use when she gave talks and writing funding proposals for various projects managed by the organization. This turned out to be a much more productive use of my time, since Isabel’s illustrated talks helped raise awareness, and one of my proposals encouraged the Tamil Nadu government to cough up funding for a project.

Was my teaching effort wasted? Heck no. For one thing, I learned a little Tamil. More importantly, by showing up every day, I gained acceptance in the shelters, became part of their daily life. I still went to visit them after working in the office. With no agenda and no sense of responsibility, I began to look forward to these social afternoons. I played with their children, admired their singing and dancing and learned about their hopes and dreams when someone was around to translate. At Christmas, the shelter received a donation of new clothing from a local school. I funded a bus trip to a carnival so they could show off their new outfits and in return, had one of my happiest days in India as I watched them enjoy the novelty of an outing.

As far as I’m concerned, my brief foray into teaching was a howling success. I did what I set out to do – met lots of wonderful people

Thanks again to Brenda L. Baker for stopping by and be sure to check out her site and don’t forget to come back tomorrow for my review of Sister of the Sari.