Interview & Giveaway: Jill Badonsky, The Muse is In

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Jill Badonsky and her amazing new book, The Muse is In. (I reviewed the book yesterday and you can read that review here.) I am excited to have been able to interview Jill and ask her advise to some of my frequent creativity problems. And, Jill has kindly offered to give away of copy of her fantastic book to one of my readers if this post gets at least 10 comments. So, be sure to leave a comment and include your email address.

Jill, I have to say that I absolutely LOVE this book. I have both of your other books, and as much as I enjoyed them, this one really speaks to me. (Literally too, you talk about being a Creative Adventurer throughout the book. Note the name of my blog.) I am crazy excited to have you here today, to be able to share what you do with my readers.

I’m so honored to be here, Coreena. I love your blog. Thanks for your kind words and these thoughtful questions.

For my readers, The Muse Is In is an owner's manual for your creativity. How great is that? It's a book that you can keep nearby, flip through, dog ear, and use to get inspiration or advice about how to take the next step or get over a block in your creativity. Then there are daily creative prompts to spark ideas and get the juices flowing. 

I want start by asking you about getting in touch with your inner Creative Adventurer. What advice do you have for someone who is feeling a bit unsettled, they know that something is not quite right, that they have something creative inside them, but they don't even know where to begin?

Many people don’t know where to start so they don’t start at all and get caught up in the latest distractions on the internet, TV, or in their busy lives. This is unfortunate because if we have a creative call, following it can lead to a more fulfilling life. We become better people when we engage in creativity. But we have to be vigilant about not letting the world steal us away.

Here are some ways for people to explore where to begin:

• The creative mind loves questions. Ask questions such as:
  • What small creative steps sound like fun?
  • What is something creative I see others doing that I would like to explore?
  • What would make it easy for me to begin?

The important part of this is asking the question over and over. The subconscious will work on answers.

• Scan a catalog of creative offerings and make a decision based on what gives you energy intuitively. Make sure you run in the opposite direction if the teacher doesn’t resonate with you. Many of teachers have derailed Creative Adventurers but good classes, workshops, and retreats provide starting points.
• Break any creative endeavor down so far, it’s hard NOT to begin. Here’s some examples:
  • Daydream about doing something creative.
  • Spend 5 minutes (set a timer) exploring the internet for something to inspire you to begin. Make it a game, pretend you’re a detective.
  • Doodle, paint, write, explore any creative endeavor with permission to be an awkward beginner for just 15 minutes.
  • Go to a creativity workshop. (I happened to have a retreat in Taos in July – sorry for the product place:)

What would you say to someone who loves starting creative projects, but has a hard time finishing or taking them to the next step, always getting distracted by the "shiny, new project" on the horizon?

I’d say, you’re not alone. There are enough unfinished products out there to build a planet (which would be unfinished).

There are a number of reasons people don’t finish. Creative processes inherently have difficult phases; the next step is unclear, something isn’t going as planned, doubts arise, the inner critic says “What were you thinking?”. It’s much easier at that point to start a new project.

Some people have inner dynamics that make finishing things challenging.

And some projects aren’t MEANT to be finished. Something was learned or experienced and now you can just let go of it.

To finish a project, often structure is needed. A creativity coach who understands the non-linear process of creativity, a class, or even teaming up with others that are wanting to finish projects and holding the space and time for each other to do that.

For me, deadlines work, if set by another person. I have last-minute surges of “completion juju”… but there’s no last minute if there’s no deadline.

I also dedicate projects in my mind to others. Saying, “This is for all the people who believe in me” gives it a purpose higher than myself.

How about when a person really enjoys doing something creative, they are loving the process, but the result is less than perfect and they get a lukewarm or negative reception from family and friends?

If we tie our happiness to the opinions of others we will always be forever on a roller coaster especially in the creative process because what appeals to one person is trash to another person. Undaunted creativity allows us to practice the spirituality of enjoying the process and being unattached to the result. What gets a lukewarm response from one person is life changing to another person. Imagine the liberation of believing in your own work to the exclusion of what others think. Many artists and writers live that life listening only to criticism that makes intuitive sense and persevering through anything else. It’s vital to the creative person to believe in her work.

We need to learn from children who proudly present gifts that are raw and beautiful but not perfect. This takes practice.

Creativity also requires that we are confident and trusting of the process, let go of what people think, and use the “So what, I’m going to do it anyway” attitude. These qualities are not adopted over night, but once practiced imperfectly over time they fuel us with the courage to throw ourselves into life’s richest experiences and help us in every area of our existence.

Do you have any examples or good stories of having to use your own techniques to do a creative project, maybe even in writing this book?

This book brought up incredible resistance, distraction and procrastination in me. It was an ironic journey of writing about the very blocks I was experiencing – so I KNOW that the tools work. My editor completely rejected my first draft saying it was way too long, esoteric, and flowery. I found this humorous and made fun of myself on Facebook. To break through this challenge I had to center my distractible mind on a sense of dedication to something I love doing, lighten-up about trying to make it perfect, and MAKE IT FUN and concise.

The Preface is an example of going from four pages of blathering on and on about who I am, the struggles I went through, and the value of the creative process to one page that simply says “I wrote this book because I love the creative process.” It was so much fun to do that and defy the that expectations people have for prefaces.

My journey involves defiance, mischievousness, play, effortless joy, and funny inspiration and freedom. Once I break through the resistance this world is my joy and I don’t want to leave it.

I equate making time for the creative process as making time to love myself. Procrastination is punishment. I give myself permission to deserve love, and I give that permission to you and all your readers too.

Thank you for these wonderful questions, Coreena!

Thank you, Jill. I've really enjoyed having you on my blog and good luck with your book.
Now, remember everyone, please leave a comment and if we get 10, then there will be a random draw for a copy of Jill's new book. Don't forget to include your email address.

How to find Jill: The Muse is In web page | Blog | Facebook 
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Author Interview and Giveaway: De Kenyon

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing De Kenyon, author of the middle-grade short story collection, Tales Told Under the Covers: Zombie Girl Invasion & Other Stories (see my review here).  She has also generously offered an ecopy of her book to giveaway to one lucky reader.  To enter, please leave a comment below with your email address so I can contact you.  The giveway is open internationally and ends midnight January 31 and I will announce the winner on February 1.  The winner will have 2 days to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.

Here is a synopsis of the book from Goodreads:
Ten tales of death, invasions from other realms, bullies, babysitters, liars, and the brave kids who fight back. Zombie girls who have to hide, lest they get eaten by bigger zombies. Food that bites back. Wizards who are scared of their own power. Murdered (and murderous) pets. Secret superpowers. And that last, great voyage into the unknown. Stories to be whispered under the covers, by flashlight. Stories to be read by firelight to the robots who come out of the woods. Stories to be told when the witches are ready to eat you but want to hear just one more story before they shove you in the oven. Creepy Stories. Fantastical Stories. Weird Stories.

And now for the interview:

You have a great balance of humour and suspense in your stories, can you tell us about that?

My theory is that kids who already like to read have a bajillion books out there that they can read. The other kids, the ones who get bored by sitting down and reading a long, descriptive passage with no action in it (for example, the ones in The Hobbit), don't always have a lot of options that aren't comic books. When my daughter was between six and eight, she was in the second category. She read as many Magic Tree House books as she could stand...then turned to comic books, because books were either a) about kids who were a lot older than her, or b) boring. (Comic books were about kids older than her, but at least had pictures.)

Author Interview and Giveaway with Michael Mullin

Today I have the pleaure of interviewing Michael Mullin. author of the very funny story, 8:  The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf (you can read my review here).  Mr. Mullin has also generously offered TWO ecopies of his story as a giveaway (see details below with the Rafflecopter form).

Here is a summary of the story from Goodreads:
Written in verse, this is the previously untold story of the previously unknown 8th dwarf, named Creepy. He is banished to the basement for being different and, well, weird. Yet he plays a vital - and of course previously unknown - role in the popular tale of Snow White (whose title character is an intruder Creepy refers to as "the Maid").

And now for the interview:

I love new twists on well-known stories. Can you tell us about yours?

8 is the story of Creepy, the 8^th dwarf no one ever knew about. He doesn’t fit in with the other guys, and when he shocks them to amuse himself, they lock him in the cottage basement. From there he affects the Snow White story we all know.

Author Interview: Jonathan Maberry

Today I am excited to be able to interview the very talented Jonathan Maberry, the author of some of my favorite young adult books (Rot & Ruin and Dust & Decay).  His latest book is Dead of Night, a definitely not for kids zombie book.

Here is the synopsis of Dead of Night from Goodreads:
A prison doctor injects a condemned serial killer with a formula designed to keep his consciousness awake while his body rots in the grave.  But all drugs have unforeseen side-effects.  Before he could be buried, the killer wakes up.  Hungry.  Infected.  Contagious.  This is the way the world ends.  Not with a bang…but a bite.




Now for the interview:

Welcome to my blog today.  When my 12 year old son found out that I had the opportunity to interview you, he was as excited as I was.  He has read Rot & Ruin and Dust & Decay and they are among his favourite books ever.  He helped me to come up with the questions for you.
 
His first question is: 

QUESTION: Would you ever take on an apprentice? 

Author Interview and Giveaway (Int): Wayne Zurl

Hello Everyone, I am very excited today to interview Wayne Zurl, author of the exciting detective novel, A New Prospect, as a part of his blog tour with Nurture Virtual Book Tours.  You can read my review of his book here.  Mr. Zurl has also graciously offered TWO copies of his book to give away, one print copy (US & Can) and one ecopy (International).  In order to enter, simply leave a comment bellow and include your name and email address and whether you are entering for the print copy, ecopy or both.  The contest closes at midnight Dec 12 and the winner will be announced Dec. 13.  Winners will be chosen using Random.org.

First off, a summary of A New Prospect:
Sam Jenkins never thought about being a fish out of water during the twenty years he spent solving crimes in New York. But things change, and after retiring to Tennessee, he gets that feeling. Jenkins becomes a cop again and is thrown headlong into a murder investigation and a steaming kettle of fish, down-home style. The victim, Cecil Lovejoy, couldn't have deserved it more. His death was the inexorable result of years misspent and appears to be no great loss, except the prime suspect is Sam's personal friend. Jenkins' abilities are attacked when Lovejoy's influential widow urges politicians to reassign the case to state investigators. Feeling like "a pork chop at a bar mitzvah" in his new workplace, Sam suspects something isn't kosher when the family tries to force him out of the picture. In true Jenkins style, Sam turns common police practice on its ear to insure an innocent man doesn't fall prey to an imperfect system and the guilty party receives appropriate justice. A NEW PROSPECT takes the reader through a New South resolutely clinging to its past and traditional way of keeping family business strictly within the family.

Author Interview: Laura Lee + Giveaway

Today I get to interview Laura Lee, author of Angels, on my blog.  At the end of the interview, enter to win a signed copy of her new book, Angel (US only).


Thank you for being here today, please tell us about your novel.

Here is the cover blurb:

Since the loss of his lively, charming wife to cancer six years ago, minister Paul Tobit has been operating on autopilot, performing his religious duties by rote. Everything changes the day he enters the church lobby and encounters a radiant, luminous being lit from behind, breathtakingly beautiful and glowing with life. An angel. For a moment Paul is so moved by his vision that he is tempted to fall on his knees and pray.

Even after he regains his focus and realizes he simply met a flesh-and-blood young man, Paul cannot shake his sense of awe and wonder. He feels an instant and overwhelming attraction for the young man, which puzzles him even as it fills his thoughts and fires his feelings. Paul has no doubt that God has spoken to him through this vision, and Paul must determine what God is calling him to do.

Thus begins a journey that will inspire Paul’s ministry but put him at odds with his church as he is forced to examine his deeply held beliefs and assumptions about himself, his community, and the nature of love. 

Author Interview: Joseph Corsentino

Hello Everyone.  I am excited to interview Joseph Corsentino, the author/artist of the stunning graphic novel series, Afterlight: End of the World.  Thank you to Bewitching Book Tours for putting this tour for Book 1:  Time of the Faeries together.  You can read my review of his book here.

Joseph Corsentino, Artist/Author Biography:

Joseph Corsentino is a storyteller at heart who chooses photography as his medium.  He took his passion for Science Fiction and Fantasy to Los Angeles where he began Time of the Faeries, an epic retelling of the faerie mythology.  His stunning, ethereal, and realistic faeries, angels, and vampires can be seen in private collections and magazines all over the world.  His first book, published by Imaginosis Publishing, is a prologue into the Time of the Faeries universe.  Joseph is currently completing the four-part Afterlight graphic novel series and making appearances at conventions such as Dragon*con.

Interview:

You show such great imagination in your art and writing, what do you do to nurture your imagination?

Music inspires me.  Every image is created in the presence of music.  I never work in silence.  I can never tell if music inspires the mood or the mood inspires the music, but I know for sure that the music that I am listening to is reflected directly in the image.

Who or what encouraged (or still encourages) you in your creative endeavours?  Have you always wanted to be a photographer? 

I picked up photography as a way to tell my stories.  I am a storyteller at heart, my head is always crazy filled with ideas, emotions, and visions that I want to lay down in story form.  I chose photography to illustrate these ideas.  The next step was for me to combine photography and storytelling into the graphic novel, Time of the Faeries: Afterlight.

My family, friends, fans, and models all encourage me to continue on this creative path. 

What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?

I took only one course of photography in my life!  And none in Photoshop.  Everything that I can do, I’ve had to learn on my own, the hard way, and not everything I do is standard.  At a convention panel one year, I announced to the audience that I don’t use masking and all the Photoshop users gasped.  At which point, I realized that I did something non-standard.  However, I make it work for me and incorporate it in as part of my organic, blending process.
 
What do you do when you are not creating amazing photographic art?

I watch an insane amount of movies with my wife, play with my four cats, and search for NEW music to listen to.

What is Time of the Faeries?

Time of the Faeries is an epic re-imagining of the faerie mythology, bringing gritty reality into fantasy. Currently, it is in the form of several books, and lots and lots of beautiful artwork based on photography and Photoshop.

Time of the Faeries, over the years, has developed into a massive storyline, taking us into a post-apocalyptic future and a not-so-idyllic past.

What is The Afterlight series?

The Afterlight Visual Novel Series combines digital art and narrative to create an epic four part tale, delving into the evolution of the new mythology.

What made you write Time of the Faeries: Afterlight?

Time of the Faeries grew quickly and spans 10,000 years of the past, present, and the future. As the story matures, I realized that it’s too big to be told in just one art form, one image at a time. Instead, it began to take the form of a novel series grounded in artwork. The Afterlight series is actually only the first series in the entire mythology already planned and drafted.

Where are the faeries?

The first book, Afterlight: End of the World, begins with the apocalyptic end, with angels hunting the last humans in existence. There are no faeries mentioned outright in the book! I started the story with this bleak future to show what the world would look like without faeries. Once the faeries arrive, then the fun can commence!

Why did you choose to make the angels the bad guys?

Someone had to be the bad guys, and many people will be mad that I chose the angels to be bloodthirsty killers. In the mythology, they represent the dogma of unchanging religion and the narrow mindset of “don’t rock the boat.”

How do you create your compositions?

My artwork is based on a collaboration with the people who model for me. First, we find a person with the “spark” or characteristics that we are looking for. We invite them to do a photoshoot with us, dress them up, then spend a few hours shooting and building a character. Finally, it’s time for me to sit at a computer for hours and days building the magick and background using Photoshop as my artistic tool. It is an intense process for me and the models.

Who are your favorite artists and authors?

I am a Sci-Fi movie fan. My heroes are J. Michael Stracynski, Joss Whedon, Ron Moore and Brian Fuller and other film storytellers. Visually, I am still inspired by Luis Royo and Brom, sexy and moody art.

Do you believe in faeries?

I do believe in faeries! I believe in the faeries of today, the modern, urban faeries, the people we meet at important juncture in our lives that sets us on a new path, the conversations at 3 a.m. that starts us reflecting, the serene girl out of the corner of our eyes with that something special about her…Yes, yes I do believe in faeries. Come play in my universe and you will too!

Tell us about yourself and what draws you to fantasy.

I’ve been a photographer for over ten years now, but got into fantasy photography about eight years ago. With a group of friends, I used to run around Long Island, NY taking photos and having fun. At one particular photoshoot, we shot a dozen faeries, creating individual wings and costumes for everyone. From that single photoshoot, I was inspired to create more fantasy art. Years later, Time of the Faeries evolved. Me personally, I’m a media geek, more drawn to Science Fiction than fantasy, the more epic, the better. District 9 has really inspired me to take a deeper look at my concept of a street faerie. My walls, shelves, and table tops are lined with Transformers figures and always have. I’m a fan. I guess that’s why I create art, because I enjoy this stuff!

What do you hope people will take away from your mythology?

On a trip to Tiajuana, Mexico, I got lost and found myself in the red light district, streets lined with young girls prostituting themselves. Their desolate poses as they stand there, waiting, struck me so deeply that I created the idea of the street faeries, creatures of magick lost in our urban lifestyle. What I hope people will draw from Time of the Faeries is that magick is there in our world, even in the grittiest of places. But at the end of the day, it's about people doing the work, not relying on fantasy or magick. --- It's about people working as people to evolve and create and better themselves and the world around them.

What new projects are you working on or are excited about right now?

Time of the Faeries: Afterlight graphic novel series is my major project right now.  It’s taking up all of my time, but I’m loving every minute of it.  I’m also working with a producer to turn Time of the Faeries into a major motion picture and an RPG video game.  

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today, I loved learning more about how you made this unique book!!!

Excerpt:

The 8 page Prologue is available athttp://www.freado.com/read/10047/time-of-the-faeries-afterlight-end-of-the-world in digital book form.

Links:

official website

Facebook fan page

Twitter

online store

Amazon.com

Author Interview: Two Brothers Metz

Today is my stop for the Gypsy Knights by Two Brothers Metz book tour.  This book tour has been set up by Roxanne Rhodes of Bewitching Book Tours.  You can read my review of their fun, young adult book here.  It is my privilege to interview these brothers below.

Synopsis:

Fourteen-year-old Durriken Brishen has lost his parents, his grandfather, and though he doesn't know it, his Gypsy culture's dangerous gift.

Taken in and raised on the rails by the first woman to pilot a freight train, Durriken has one remaining connection to his Romani roots: a small wooden box that hangs from the hammer loop of his overalls.

The last gift he received from his grandfather, the box contains the world's first chess set. But a piece is missing: the Red Queen. According to Durriken’s family lore, the complete set awakens the power of Tărie, a mercurial gift that confers unique abilities on each new Master.

When a suspicious fire erupts in the Chicago rail yard, Durriken's escape produces an uneasy alliance, though not without its silver lining. Dilia is a few inches taller, several degrees cleverer, and oh yes – very pretty. While Durriken is uneasy allying with a girl whose parents were convicted of sedition, there's no doubt she is a powerful partner. And while it's not immediately clear to either, her own Guatemalan culture and family history are deeply entwined with the ancient Romani mystery.

Jumping box cars, escaping riverboats, deciphering clues, crossing swords with the brilliant madman Radu Pinch – with great American cities as its backdrop – Gypsy Knights is the page-turning saga of Durriken Brishen and his quest to rediscover his past.

Interview:
How did you get started writing? 

Product of our misspent youths, reading everything, everywhere, anytime.  And there’s a long tradition of story telling in the family, stretching at least back to our great-grandmother Stapelfeld who talked so much she once swallowed a caterpillar that dropped off a leaf above her head when her mouth was open talking.

Who or what encouraged (or still encourages) you in your writing?

The list of people who have helped and encouraged us is deep and wide.  Our wives are big fans and we couldn’t do this or anything else without them (hey ladies!).  Our buddies Seth Groff and Josh Weinberger have had our writing backs at every step of the road.  And our Mom is a die-hard supporter who would do anything for us and really believes in our work.  Love you Mom!

What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?

Willie Stargell, a Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Pirates baseball player, once told a reporter at 3 a.m. in the airport, “I ain’t complaining, I asked to be a ballplayer.”  That’s how we feel about writing.  It’s a dream.  We ain’t complaining.

What made you decide to write a book together?  I would love to hear how the experience was.

We were both doing a lot of writing independently a few years back.  Rhett was writing screenplays and Lafe was traveling in Central America, doing a lot of travel writing.  Over Christmas, we took a long truck ride together helping our brother Beneau move home from Philly and got to talking about writing.  By the time we rolled back into the Burgh (Pittsburgh), we had a pretty solid outline for Gypsy Knights.  We’re lucky because we have natural brainstorming chemistry and know that we write better together than we do alone.  It’s a real privilege for us to work together.

What do you do when you are not writing?

We’re blood-sucking lawyers.  (Don’t tell anyone.)

How do you incorporate writing into your everyday life?  How do you fuel your writing?

We don’t sleep much.

Do you have any special routines or rituals for writing?

Romani are legendary for their sweet tooths and known to drink black coffee with sugar (no cream).  So we usually make Romani-style coffee and set about our business.  Beyond that, we have a little Gen X-Gen Y disparity going on.  Rhett sits at his dining room table with a laptop and slips in the earbuds.  Lafe works on Great Aunt Helen’s typewriter in his basement office in blessed silence.

I loved the Gypsy culture and chess strategies in the book. Can you tell us about this?

Our aunt and uncle adopted four kids and one of them – our cousin Eliza Rose – is from Romania and as near as anyone can tell is Romani (Gypsy).  She was our muse.  We got more and more interested in Romani culture and took a trip to Romania and Turkey together to do research (Turkey figures into the prequel).  And we also consulted with Dr. Ian Hancock – one of the leading Romani scholars in the world.

We’ve always loved chess and play whenever we get the chance.  Our parents have a beautiful chess table at their house where we can usually be found at some point after Thanksgiving Dinner and birthday parties.  That said, the chessboard in our book was really tough.  We insisted that it be a legitimate chess position that could have arisen naturally in a real game.  So we put a board together and just to make sure it worked, we asked resident Pittsburgh Chess Master Jerry Myers to review our board and give us some feedback.  In the nicest possible way, he told us it was complete rubbish and why didn’t we just let him know what we were trying to do and he would hook it up for us.  Which he did, so the chessboard is magic and Jerry Myers is a gentleman and a scholar.

Is there anything else you want to tell us about your book?

Most people who have read Gypsy Knights say the first few chapters are a touch slow and then by page 50 they can’t put it down.  This puzzles us, since there is a double murder in Chapter 1 and an arrest for treason in Chapter 2.  But we’ve heard the comment, so the sequel (GK2) will start with a bang.  So if you pick up Gypsy Knights, give it 50 pages.  If you get to the end and don’t like it, we’ll give you your money back.

What new projects are you working on or are excited about right now?

We have a few pretty cool projects in the hopper.  First and foremost, we’re hard at work on GK2.  Duri and Dilia will be back!  Lafe is finishing his detective novel “River Bottom Church of the Damned”.  And Rhett is polishing up one of the most futuristic sci-fi short stories ever written.

Two Brothers Metz Bio:

The Two Brothers Metz are happily settled in the rolling valleys of Western Pennsylvania – where they are hard at work on the second installment of The Gypsy Knights Saga.
Twitter: @twobrothersmetz

Email: twobrothersmetz@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Brothers-Metz/212578882096369

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Knights-Saga-ebook/dp/B0051VRLRS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312118862&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gypsy-knights-two-brothers-metz/1031249018?ean=2940012599803&itm=1&usri=gypsy%2bknights

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11558161-gypsy-knights

Back to the Books Giveaway Hop - 2 International Prizes

Hello everyone, I am so happy to be participating in the Back to the Books Giveaway Hop!!  And I am extra excited because I am offering TWO prizes to TWO SEPARATE WINNERS.

This hop is being sponsored by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Buried in Books, thank you so much for putting this together.  There are over 300 participants and you can find the list below.

And now for the first giveaway... I am giving away $15 CDN at the Book Depository for a book or books of your choice.  This giveaway is International, so long as the Book Depository delivers to you.

And the second, extra special giveaway... the amazing and inspirational professional life and creativity coach, Janet Whitehead of Musings and Mud Studio is giving away a set of all five “Li’l Workbooks – BIG AHA’s” self-discovery e-books, value $50.  This prize is also International.  You can find my interview with Janet below.  I have to say that this is a great prize - I have used several of these workbooks myself and they are amazing for honing in on your creativity and overcoming blocks.

Entering is very easy, all you have to do is fill in the entry form found at the end of the interview.  I will need your name and email address.  You do not have to follow my blog, but following is always appreciated.  If you would like to, feel free to find me also on:  Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

The contest runs from September 1-7 and the winners will be contacted by email and posted on my blog on September 8.  The winners will have 48 hours to get back to me or new winners will be chosen.  I will choose the winners using random.org.

Good luck everyone, and don't forget to check out the other great blogs participating in this hop.


My interview with Janet Whitehead: 

Janet, you are immersed in all things about creative people and creative projects… how did that happen (short version)?

Two things…

1. I was always an advocate for the artist, writer, and the adventurer even as a child. I think I sensed, even early on, that our traditional ‘left brain’ systems do not support the more ‘right brain dominant’ person.

It is true that we know our purpose when we are young, but it’s pretty darn hard to keep that clear. My life has meandered into all kinds of events and places, but when I finally spent time with my own creative process.. well, all kinds of crazy, wonderful and bizarre things happened. I love that!

2. As it happens, I am a typical creative being, if there is such a thing, so showing up to my true self can be interrupted by all sorts of things like procrastination, rebellion, doubt, perfectionism, facebook, etc. Perhaps that is why I went into life coaching and creativity coaching and have developed the expertise in working with the more right brain inclined… as a way of also keeping me engaged in my works!!

Do you have a tip for writers?

I adore debunking the myths and beliefs that keep creative souls from showing up to their writing projects. A famous author once said in a workshop, “Real writers write on yellow foolscap.” Aaghh! I could imagine all the people who have listened to him now sitting in coffee shops with blank yellow foolscap, feeling almost guilty that they would rather be profusely writing something on their blog, or on just about anything else besides foolscap.

I’ve been known to give workshop participants a piece of yellow foolscap, have them write a few words, then proclaim them to now officially be ‘real writers and henceforth we shall find their way to show up to their written works.’ Tip: Real writers write.

Tell us about your written works?

The Demise of Noshud Hafta is a book I wrote and illustrated in clay, as part of a solo art show. There were moments I regretted announcing randomly to the curator of a National Art Gallery that I’d like to illustrate my story in clay… but the satisfaction completing it was worth every second of perseverance. The first round of this self-published book has sold out.. and now I just need to do round two!

Currently available are my “Li’l Workbooks, BIG AHA’s” series of self-discovery workbooks. Well, playbooks, really. I recognized that there are a lot of self-discovery books that give advice but not the means to find an individual’s own answers. Let’s face it, creative people do not like to be told what to do. They rebel because they are meant to be accessing their own answers and thoughts. In creating the workbooks, I took a risk: I trusted that individuals do have their own answers and that they simply need a little guiding process that inspires them to get the pen out and find them. Every day, I’m glad I took the risk because they are making people happy, empowered and inspired.

I have a rather eclectic mix of other books in the works, my favourite being my novel in progress.

Oh, do tell us about the novel in progress!

Okay.. here’s the synopsis:

This is the story of magic and altering time and dogs that fly and people who died and beings who introduced themselves as faeries… and this is a story of pottery.

It's about smashed fingers, smashed dreams, smashed faeries and the value of throwing up your arms and saying "whatever."

It's about impossible things being possible and "Rolling Stones" playing on unplugged radios.

It's about walking through walls and it's about faerie sex. (That chapter nearly stopped me in my writing tracks.)

This is the true story of my life: The tragic loss of loved ones; the magic of faerie-like beings showing up in my clay, on my pages, and in my home – which they did, by the way, very much to my dismay - at least at first.

And now, the faeries insist they will simply keep blowing themselves up in the kiln until I tell our story.

This is the story that blurs your boundaries between reality and fantasy and leaves you wishing you could find your way into my world, albeit without the tragedies.

As you can imagine, this has not been a simple story to write. Hell, if it were fantasy it would have been easy… but this is my life.

It's been a novel in progress for quite some time, because seriously, how does one tell a story of magic and faeries and people who died? How does one tell the stories I don't tell, when one knows they have to be here?

One begins. That's all, I suppose.

They are perched on my desk, these little mystical beings, wondering if I'll ever finish the damn book and tell their story. I'm pretty sure they don't know the meaning of 'damn', but they do what they can to converse with me in a way I can understand. Faeries…well, at first they introduced themselves to me as faeries, but they are not the type that you might imagine play in the forest.

What books have inspired you?

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Ragged Company by Richard Wagamese

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Nine Modern Day Muses and a Bodyguard by Jill Badonsky

Thanks for being here today, Janet, as always, you continue to inspire me.

Love your blog, Coreena. Thank you for the invite to be here!

Janet L. Whitehead is an author, artist, professional life coach and creativity coach with, clearly, a rather interesting life story.

Website: www.musingsandmud.com

Blog: http://musingalong.wordpress.com

You can also find Janet on Facebook and Twitter.

Author Interview: Frank L. Cole

Today I am privileged to interview Frank L. Cole, author of The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter (you can read my review here). 

I read on your blog that you come from a family of storytellers, can you tell us more about that? What was it like? Is that how you got started writing? 

My mom came from a backwoods Kentucky town and my Dad from Brooklyn, New York. Storytelling was the only means of communication. Every holiday was spent listening to my parents conjure up scary, or historical, or awe-inspiring stories. It was a great boost and definitely helped inspire me to write.

You also said on your blog that daydreaming is one of the most important things anyone can do. What do you daydream about? 

I think I usually daydream about new stories and ideas. My mind creates dialogue for characters all the time to the point I frequently talk out loud to myself. I just love magical possibilities and unexplained things which create mystery in the world, so I daydream about those sort of situations as well.

You do a lot of workshops at schools. What is the most important or interesting piece of advice you have for children or for any aspiring author? 

I think I've learned my best writing is yet to come so in order to reach that level I have to keep writing. So often we marry ourselves to our first novel or story and never let it go or move on. My advice is to move on… it gets better.

I loved the imagination displayed in your book, what do you do to nurture your own imagination? 

Reading books in my genre, watching movies, making up bedtime stories, brainstorming with people who I feel have super creative minds… It all helps.

Who or what encouraged (or still encourages) you in your writing? 

My wife and family are huge supporters of my writing. It's great to call upon them and run by ideas or read pages of manuscripts, or even wake them up in the middle of the night to share a scene I thought up while sleeping.

What challenges have you faced in your writing and how did you overcome them? 

Rejection. I've been rejected so many times and sadly, continue to face rejection with new ideas and stories. That's just part of the business, but it is difficult to cope with. Marketing my books has been almost as tough as writing a book. There is a lot of work that goes into any book to make it successful and I don't think I realized it prior to getting published.

What do you do when you are not writing? 

I'm ornery. I fidget a lot. I do play a little basketball, watch sports, play games with my kids.

How do you incorporate writing into your everyday life? How do you fuel your writing? 

I have to commit to write or it won't happen. I don't do it every night, but I need to see something advancing in the way of a story each week or I'm failing at my goals. Other authors' successes definitely fuel me to become better at what I do. Always staying hungry and searching for the next great story.

Do you have any special routines or rituals for writing? 

It has to be dark and quiet and the whole rest of the day has to be completely wide open (no appointments, no scheduled events, no work) or I struggle to write.

Humour seems to be a big part of your life and writing. Your earlier books (the Hashbrown Winters series - I am afraid that I haven't read them yet, but I have added them to my "to read" list) look like they are for a younger audience and are funnier than Guardians of the Hidden Sceptre. What prompted this change? 

I love humor and I enjoy making people laugh. I think I strayed from the Hashbrown style humor writing because I wanted to prove I could be versatile, but I will always incorporate humor into any story. That's just me.

Is there anything else you want to tell us about your book? 

(I answered this with the next question.)

What new projects are you working on or are excited about right now? 

There will be more books in the Guardians of the Hidden Scepter series. I'm working on the next in the series as we speak and I hope to have other books in the works soon.

Thank you so much for answering my questions.  To contact Frank or to find out more about his books, you can go to Frank's website, or Frank's blog.