The Same Six Questions - Heather Jensen

Hi there! I missed out on mentioning my 100th blog post, so I'll just have to celebrate number 101 instead. Woo-hoo! ;) So, welcome to another edition of The Same Six Questions! Today's guest is Heather Jensen! Hi Heather!

Hello, Andy! I'm addicted to Oreos and White Knight drinks from Perks. My favorite color is green and the uglier the shade, the better. I get bored of my hairstyle easily which has resulted in numerous hair colors in the last ten years. My hair is currently red, but who knows how long that might last. I grew up in a small town and was the oldest of three girls. My family took in foster children and by the time I moved out we’d had over thirty in our home over the years. When I'm not writing, I enjoy traveling, killing zombies on the Xbox 360 with my hubby, playing guitar, going to concerts, and spending time with friends and family. I also love to decorate cakes. I now live in Southern Utah with my husband and five-year-old son where I enjoy the sunny weather and the palm trees.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes. Blood And Guitars, a paranormal fantasy read for teens and adults.

Summary: When Aurora meets Trey, a famous singer and musician, she’s only hoping to get her fill of human blood for the week. The last thing Aurora expects is for Trey to make her feel alive for the first time since she was, well, alive. It begins with a casual painting lesson at her art studio, The Waking Moon, and quickly turns into a forbidden romance. Aurora is forced to hide her true identity from Trey, while keeping her relationship with the human a secret from other vampires in her Brood.

Trey’s band is recording a new album and with Aurora as his muse, Trey is writing songs like never before. After being hired by their record label to paint the album cover, Aurora has a legitimate reason for spending so much time with Trey and his band mates. Aurora can’t deny the unexpected connection she has with Trey, which is fueled by glimpses into his emotions every time they share a kiss. Caught between two worlds, Aurora must attend celebrity award shows and vampire rituals, find time to feed, and protect Trey from the dangers of the night, all while preserving her secrets.

For print copies or e-book copies in any format, visit www.heatherjensen.info. The second book in the series, Immortals And Melodies, will be released Summer of 2012.


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always known that I wanted to write. It’s not something you have as an option in front of you when you meet with guidance counselors in school to talk about your future, but I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific moment when I realized I should be a writer because I was constantly making up stories and putting them on paper. In a way, I guess I knew before I was ten for that reason. I started winning awards for my writing in elementary school, which eventually resulted in scholarships for college. Even then, writing was something I thought I just had to do as a hobby on the side. It wasn’t until after I was married that I realized I could do it full-time while being a stay-at-home mom. That’s when I started calling myself a writer, although it really happened long before that.


3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

I was writing at such a young age that I couldn’t tell you exactly which piece of work reached that length first. I do remember that my best friend and I were constantly making up stories when we were eight or nine years old. We would act them out when we were together, but when we were apart we would write them out. We’d stopped acting them out by the time we were twelve but I continued to write about what was happening. I remember going to junior high school with pages and pages to give her. She would read everything I had written and respond back. This is the part where I throw in an apology to my teachers for writing stories in the back of my notebook during the middle of class. The plots were nothing to brag about, but I learned a lot about writing and character development in those days. I have my friend to thank for sticking with me through my early work when my brain was moving faster than my hand could and my hand-writing left something to be desired. Also, I always wrote in first person point of view because the stories had started out as stuff we’d act out, so I think that’s why I love writing in that point of view still to this day. We still laugh about those early stories but, unfortunately, I didn’t save any of them. I’ve always been especially prolific, so they’d probably require an entire room in my house now if I had.


4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

I remember stumbling across a writer named Amelia Atwater-Rhodes when I was a sophomore in high school. Oprah had named her as a teenager that would change the world or something like that. I saw an article about her in a teeny-bopper magazine and I was fascinated by the fact that she had been published at thirteen. Other than Dracula and Anne Rice novels, she wrote the first vampire fiction I had seen, which fascinated me. I realized then that if she could write a full-length novel at such a young age, then I could too. A trip to Europe the next summer inspired my first novel, The Rift. I still remember which parts of the story I was writing on the plane ride home after visiting all the historic castles and taking a boat down the Rhine. My family and friends were very supportive of me writing that book, and that definitely motivated me to finish it and self-publish it. I even have a sequel in the works.


5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Trey Decker, hands down. He’s one of the two main characters you follow in Blood And Guitars. Not only is Trey an incredible guy, he’s the culmination of the lead singers from my favorite bands all thrown together in one body. If I could meet Trey in person today, I’d hope he’d let me sit front and center at a Catalyst concert, or at least let me come to the studio and watch the band record. As long as it involved him singing and slamming on his guitar in some fashion, I’d be a happy girl. Actually, I might even try to talk him into jamming with me. I love to play guitar and since he’s my ideal rock star he’d play all my favorite songs with me, right? I could go on and on with this answer so I’ll just leave it at that.


6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

Trey Decker ... hehe. (See above answer.)

________________________________

Thanks for sharing with us, Heather! I definitely had to Google "White Knight drinks from Perks". ;-D For more on Heather and her writing, be sure to check out her Web site, Facebook page, Twitter feed.

Be sure to stop back on Thursday, when my guest will be Tessa Stokes! See you!

The Same Six Questions - Sean Van Damme

Welcome back to The Same Six Questions! Please welcome today's guest, Sean Van Damme!

Hi there, Andy! I'm a 27 year old TV news video editor who has always loved writing and movies. I grew up moving all over the country in a military family before finally settling down in Richmond, VA. I met my lovely wife while in school, and have now been drawn into her dog sports world. When not writing I'm playing too many video games or watching TV mostly sci-fi, we named our dog Gaius Baltar. I had wanted to do movies for a long time, but couldn't get into film school which is what led me to working in TV and lucky I love it so things do work out. Now, I'm hoping things will work out again.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes. The Long Night came out in October 2011 and is my first novel. I have it up right now on Amazon and B&N. Darkness has fallen over the land, unleashing maddened monsters from the depths of the earth and raising the dead. A group of heroes must come tighter to fight the evil, while at the same time trying to put their past prejudices behind them and work together.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I knew I wanted to become a writer in Middle School, even though I had been writing shorts since I was a child, little books with horrible illustrations about pirates and space men. I have always had stories bouncing around in my head, and would just zone out while riding in the car as they played in my head like little movies. Once I started sitting down and writing the stories I became hooked on writing and knew that was what I wanted to do. That and a big handful of loose leaf paper or a screenplay tucked under your arm is a great conversation starter. It wasn’t until early in 2010 that I knew for sure that I wanted to do novels, even though that is what I started with back in the mid 90’s, scripts are a very addictive thing; easy to write hard to prefect.


3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

My first long piece of fiction was a story that I still haven’t finished, that haunts me to this day. In school I used to draw space ships all over my school work. One day, during a practically dull lecture in health class, I started writing a story to go with those ships. I kept working on it for the rest of the school year, tucking the sheets of loose leaf in my binders, and pulling them out every time I was bored in class which, sadly, was often. I left the story alone during the summer and started working on a sequel during 8th grade, and I kept working on it for the rest of the year, amassing quite a collection of paper covered in my chicken scratch. That story still, to this day, hasn’t been finished, even though I have started and stopped work on it three or four times with a few rewrites. In High School, I outlined it breaking the story into a massive four-book cycle. The last time I worked on it was early 2011 starting from scratch again and blitzing through 40,000 words before being scared again, but I will finish that book, mark my words.


4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

For years, I was afraid I couldn’t write a complete novel. I had failed with my sci-fi and gotten into screenplays where I struggled to reach the 90 page minimum to be a real script. After a long drought of not writing, partially because of depression, but mostly because I was completely addicted to World of Warcraft. When I decided I was going to write a novel again, in the fall of 2009, I set an end date for myself and just started working, writing and writing. I didn’t look back. I didn’t stop when I crossed the one hundred page mark in word. That is when I realized that I could do this. I attribute my inability to finish a novel in high school to a lack of maturity, which I have built up over time now so that I can see the end of the road and know roughly how long it will take to get there.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

I don’t know if I really would want to meet any of my characters. The people from The Long Night are grumpy and broken from the get go, and Hobbs is a complete cynical basket case. I have learned that I can only stand one grumpy person at a time, and that person is usually me. This question just illustrates the fact that I need to write a cheerful witty person that I would want to get a drink with.


6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

A zombie scratching at the door, moaning for brains, out of everything in this world, real or imaginary, zombies are the one thing that scares me more than anything else, because they are plausible, and they trigger an utterly unwinnable situation.

____________________________________

Mmmmm...brains. ;-D Thanks for sharing with us, Sean! For more of Mr. Van Damme and his writing, be sure to check out his Facebook page, Twitter account, and blog.

Thursday, my guest will be Jim Bruno! See you then!

The Same Six Questions - Ami Blackwelder

Hello there and welcome to this March 1st edition of The Same Six Questions! My guest today is

Hi Andy! My name is Ami Blackwelder. Yep, Ami with an i. So, google me with an i, or you won't find me. ;) I love cats and dogs and own one cat named Lotus. His name came from the Buddhist belief that life is like a Lotus flower. Some below the water not seeing the truth, some just at the surface about to see truth, and some flowering well above the surface of the water seeing truth more clearly. I lived in Thailand for six years and fell in love with it. I consider Thailand my second home and will return in a couple years. My cat is also a Siamese! Named after the Thailand country which used to be called Siam! Though no one really knows where Siamese cats came from. They are really loud and cry all the time just like a baby, so be prepared if you get one! LOL

Currently, I am studying the Montessori style of teaching and it takes two years! You can do it in one, but I have a life and need two. :) Once finished, I want to return to Thailand and teach there permanently, and also travel and teach in Tibet (which I've been to once and will blog about on my blog) and other Eastern countries.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes and no. I first published through an epublisher named ireadiwrite publishing. That was for The Gate of Lake Forest which was my first full length novel written in 2009. (I've been writing poetry and short stories all my life) . Then she also picked up the sequel Prisoners of Pride. Not sure if that counts, since that is epublishing, not print publishing.

Then, I wrote The Day the Flowers Died and sent it off to Whiskey Press which they accepted, but then I looked them over and realized they were pretty much like an epublisher or small press and my book would never see the inside of a brick and mortar store.

So, since 2010 rolled around and Amanda Hocking was making it big and other success self-publishing stories kept coming up as well as the Kindle and Nook, I decided to go my own way and not sign with them. I knew self-publishing would soon be seen as Indie Books, like Indie films are now seen.

Now, I self-publish everything. I love it. My sales have grown from a handful into 100 plus a month. (By the way, I sell just as much or more on my own as I did with my epublisher). I have a team of editors, graphic artists, cover designers, formatters, and a list of distributors which work well. And I work my butt off. I didn't really get serious about sharing my professional work and promoting it until mid 2010. So, I've been actively perfecting my craft and promotional efforts for about a year and a half now.

I realize most writers began writing full-length novels at 18 or 20 and took 5-10 years of hard work to be able to live off their work and so I am willing to put in my full ten years. Three years done and seven more to go. :) I hope to write enough to be able to live off my books come retirement (like social security) which I won't ever see...

I am looking into finding an agent, and have gotten my Shifters of 2040 written into a screenplay which has been circulated at Cannes, Hollywood, and locally in Florida. I am actively sending books or scripts to Hollywood types and am also searching for a GOOD epublisher/small press for some of my future novels. I'm aimed at Entangled Publishing currently. Just to give more 'oomph' behind my name and books.


Here's some info on my latest, The Mers, a YA Mermaid Dystopian (Mer Chronicles Book #1):

Mira always knew she was different. Growing up with Mers, she never quite fit in. When Mira breaks the rules and takes Niren across the border that divides Ellis Island and New Jersey, a border that divides two vastly different worlds, she thought the journey to find out who she really is would be an easy one.

But as the world in Jersey proves to be a convoluted mix of Aristocrats who hate the Mers, Pirates who want to sell them, and Magi who want to use them...finding her true identity will be a challenge, especially when her best friend Niren is a Mer willing to fight to the death.


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I've always written since I could pick up a pen. But I stuck to short stories and poetry. My novels and full length nonfiction books began in Thailand. Nonfiction at 30 and fiction at 34.


3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

The best I can remember it was a piece about a paper bag come to life. I wrote it for English class in the third grade. Though I'd been telling stories before that time. I had it for awhile, but then it got lost. I tried to rewrite it as one of my children stories and can be found on my blog for sale. Written by a teacher for children.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

Well, I've always loved writing and wrote. But I didn't really consider full length novels until I turned 34. After I finished my spiritual journey and wrote three books on that, I wanted to continue writing. Loved it. Then the movie Twilight came out and I had heard of Stephanie Meyers for the first time while in Thailand and she inspired me honestly to just do it. Didn't matter if I made millions or not. Writing has always been a part of me and a forgotten part of me for too long, and so I decided to write full length novels. Self-publsihing also was starting (though not big until a year later in 2010) and so I thought I had everything I needed to get my words and stories out there. A temptation I could't resist.

Plus, many people don't realize this, but writers like Beatrix Potter and Virginia Woolf even self-published. Jane Austen's work took 14 years to see the light of day!

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Such a good question! I would love to meet either one of my shifters perhaps April or Brendan, OR a Mer, perhaps Nerin or Nerissa. They would have such interesting physical characteristics!

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

Its Ed McMahon and I've just won a million dollars! LOL

__________________________________

Thanks for sharing with us today, Ami! For more of Ami's work, be sure to check out her Web site, Facebook page, and Twitter account.

See you back here on Monday when my guest will be Sean Van Damme!

The Same Six Questions - Kate Ellison

Where is the time going? Another month is coming to a close and guess what? I've almost run out of interviewees! Yep, it's time to open the submissions back up! If you're an author and interested in taking part, please head over to the main Same Six Questions page. In the meantime, welcome this week's guest, Kate Ellison!

Thanks, Andy! I live in Atlanta, Georgia with my husband and our two bad cats. When I'm not writing, I enjoy playing strategy board games like Settlers of Catan, watching NBC comedies like Parks and Rec *fist pump* and gardening. I am a fan of the serial comma, but I couldn't figure out how to gracefully insert it into that sentence. Oh well. I'm not a perfectionist, you see.


The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

I have! Several, in fact. The first book I published was The Curse Girl, a YA paranormal fantasy. It's a modern, loose adaptation of Beauty and the Beast with a twist. In this version, Beauty and the Beast are trying to break the curse by figuring out a mysterious riddle and outsmarting the witch who cursed him, not by falling in love (although they MIGHT do that anyway). The book is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.




2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Since I was six years old. I've always been scribbling stories down on paper, and I started saying I wanted to be an author when I grew up as soon as I knew what that was.


3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)?

My first lengthy piece of fiction was the mystery series I started writing at age eight. It probably sounds extremely precocious, but it wasn't really. Each "book" had three chapters and was three pages long. I styled them like Nancy Drew, and the adventures were set all over the world. I believe I wrote ten or twelve of them. I've still got them in a box somewhere.

The first one was called The Secret Room.


4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

When I was around ten or so, I wrote something for a class and my teacher went nuts over it. She even called another teacher over to read it too, and they got all wide-eyed and told me I was a good writer. Seeing an adult get that excited about my writing gave me a lot of confidence in myself.


5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Probably Bee, my main character in The Curse Girl. She's not a very girly girl, and she likes to be logical and smart about stuff. We could have some good conversations, I think.


6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

A box from CreateSpace with the proof copy of my latest book!

____________________________

Thanks so much, Kate! For more of Kate's work and writing, be sure to check out her blog and find her over on Twitter.

See you back here on Thursday, when my guest will be Ami Blackwelder!

The Same Six Questions - S.M. Boyce

Welcome to another round of The Same Six Questions! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Did you remember to get your significant other something special (if not, here's an idea ;)? For today, let's meet our guest author. Welcome, S.M. Boyce!

Thanks, Andy! I’m sarcastic and strange, and I love to hike, rock climb, exercise, and listen to good music. I’ve
lived all over the east coast and have a dual degree in Marketing and Creative Writing from Florida State University, which was a lot more fun than it sounds. Lying out in a hammock with a book, my husband, and a glass of pinot grigio is my idea of heaven.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?


I have! The Grimoire: Lichgates (The Grimoire Trilogy) is the culmination of six years of writing, plotting, and development, so I hope you like it.

It’s about a hidden pocket of the Earth and the magic a human girl named Kara discovers when she finds an old book called The Grimoire. It turns its own pages and can answer any question asked of it, so she has no idea what she’s getting herself into when she actually opens it. Because of the Grimoire’s magic, most of the creatures in this terrifying new world want to control her – but everyone is trying to find her. She learns pretty quickly that there is no going back once you open the Grimoire.

It’s a fresh, fun and exciting story about magic and monsters and crazy new things, but if you look a little deeper than just the plotline, I think you’ll like what you see.

It’s available now virtually everywhere, though of course I have a soft spot for Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Click! Click now!

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Writing was never really a choice. I know that one of the main lessons in The Grimoire trilogy is how life is full of choices , but if I’m not writing, I feel kind of empty. It’s something I have always been driven to do and I’m just not complete unless I’ve written something today.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

Oh man, memory lane. My first story was about a pickle who was the last one in the jar, and the poor little thing just wanted to be eaten. It was weird, I know. I was six. It’s in a box somewhere, and I think we bound it with cardboard and glue. (chuckles)

I should hope that my stories have improved somewhat since then; my illustrations, however, have not. That’s why I have Rob Meridy to do my cover artwork and the assorted character sketches available on the Grimoire Books website.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

I think feeling as though we’re “good enough” will always be a painful concern for writers, but my first unwavering confirmation that I was at least a decent writer was in one of my writing classes at FSU. A classmate wrote on the bottom of one of my stories:

“You’re my favorite writer in this class. Whatever you do, don’t ever stop writing.”

I kept that piece of paper because it was validation that someone outside of my family (who are a little biased) liked my work, which is always a stellar sensation.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

I would want to meet Deirdre, who is a vicious, sexy, evil demon woman and my all-time favorite. There are so many levels to her insanity that I would love to sit down with her and analyze her warped perceptions of reality, right, and wrong, but I know that I probably wouldn’t survive the meeting. It’s probably safer that she’s fictional.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

The 50k word story that I wrote for my first Nanowrimo. Holy hot wings, Batman, it was just bad.

Well Andy, thanks so much for your time! And guys, if you want to learn any more about my work or just want a good laugh, I like to throw all sorts of strange (but fun!) things on the internet:
Main website & Blog, Grimoire Trilogy website, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Goodreads.

________________________________

Well, my work here is done! Thanks so much for stopping by Sarah!

Thursday, stop back and meet Paul Price!

The Same Six Questions - Samantha Warren

Hello there! Welcome to this Martin Luther King Jr. edition of The Same Six Questions. Today's guest is Samantha Warren. In her own words:

Samantha Warren is a fantasy and science fiction author who spends her days immersed in dragons, space ships, and vampires. With her pet dragon, Anethesis, she ventured to the ends of the universe, but the cost of space travel cut into her sock fetish fund, so she sold her ship and returned home. When she isn’t writing, she’s milking cows or trying to feed them Pop-Tarts. She spends a lot of time in her weed patch (aka: garden), watching any show featuring Gordon Ramsay, or posting random things on her blog

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes, I have one fantasy novel and four urban fantasy novellas. The novel, Blood of the Dragon, is available on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords (be sure to check Samantha's Amazon page for all of her books). The novellas are all part of a series about a vampire named Jane who decides to become an assassin. The first novella is available for free on Smashwords, but it is also available at Amazon and B&N. The other three in the series are available in all three places and I will continue to publish more. All of my books are also available on my website. I'll be finishing a sci-fi novel for NaNo 2011, so that should be out early in 2012.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Well, here's a secret. I hated English in high school, with a capital H. I loved to read, always have, but I hated the papers and reading books that they forced me to read. Nothing is worse than being forced to slog through a book that you find completely and utterly boring, simply because someone said you had to. But I devoured fantasy and sci-fi books, especially Star Wars books. I loved those, still do. But in college, after trying half a dozen other majors, I was reading through the Forgotten Realms series and found twelve mistakes in eight pages. Drove me nuts. At that point, I was looking for a new major, so I switched to English. And surprisingly, I loved it. I loved the papers, I loved the reading, I loved the classes, I loved it all. But I thought I wanted to be an editor, so I focused on that. A couple more years passed and I realized I didn't particularly like editing other people's work. I didn't have the freedom to fix what I felt really needed to be fixed. So after a couple previously failed NaNos and no other really hardcore creative writing (I didn't even take a creative writing class), I determined that I was start and finish NaNo 2010. And I've been writing fiction happily ever since. So, long story short, I've known for just about a year, and that's how long I've been a writer, as well. Not very exciting compared to most people's "I've known my whole life", but that's the truth of it.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

I usually call my first "real" attempt at writing my NaNo (Nanowrimo) 2009 piece, which incidentally became my Jane novella series (the first book of it, anyway). But if I really think back, I have another vampire novel that has maybe five chapters and was inspired by Underworld. I should hunt that down and see if it's salvageable.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

I've always been told I'm a good writer, and I did well in English, when I put in the effort. But the first time I thought "Maybe this would be a good career" was just before NaNo 2010 when I was plotting. I thought, "This is fun, I enjoy it, I wonder if I could do it full-time." I didn't decide to go it "alone", aka: self-publish, until February or March of this year (I wrote a blog about my decision process, so I won't bore you with it here), and after that is when I truly started to feel like a writer.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

I would probably meet Jane. She's snarky and can kick some major butt. She's also a lot like me, if I were an awesome vampire assassin chick, of course.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl/boy (they kinda scream the same anyway). What's on the doorstep?

A copy of Star Wars: Galaxies *shudders at the thought*

_________________________________

Thanks for stopping by and sharing with us, Samantha! For more of Samantha and her writing, be sure to check out her Web site, www.samantha-warren.com.

See you on Thursday, when my guest will be Robert Lamb!

The Same Six Questions - C.R. Paynton

Happy Boxing Day to my Canadian and British readers! Happy post-traumatic Christmas recovery Day to my American readers. And, welcome to another edition of The Same Six Questions. Today's guest is fantasy author C.R. Paynton. Welcome!


Thanks, Andy! I am from British Columbia, Canada, and I live in the Rocky Mountains where I work as a police officer. When I am not writing, I enjoy hiking, working out, eating organic food, spending time with my girlfriend, family and crazy dog, snowboarding and reading.


The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?


I have published my first book, Wolf Guard Encroaching Dark which is a fantasy about a wolf shape shifter who is destined to lead the Druid people of the forests to victory against a demon Vampire and his Troll armies. The novel is filled with battles, magic, and a little bit of romance. In addition to Amazon, the book is currently available for Nook and other ereader formats and is available in print as well! The second novel in the series, Wolf Guard Unleashing the Underworld is also set to be released very soon!


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I believe my desire to be a writer started when I was around 7 years old. I had come home from school after either reading a certain book or hearing about an author (I cannot recall) and decided I would make my own picture book. I ended up writing and illustrating the book which was about a boy and a dog. Since then I have written in my spare time for fun. It was only recently that I decided I would make an attempt to become a published author.


3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

There have been far too many to count! I have had the horrible tendency in the past to start a piece and then never finish it, thus I had a number of partially completed pieces that have since disappeared! I have written a number of short stories although those as well are unaccounted for!


4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

I believe the realization came one night as I was searching for a good novel to read online. I remember sitting back and saying to myself “Why don’t I create my own novel?”

After that I set a goal for myself to write a chapter as often as I could and before I knew it I had accomplished my goal of writing a novel! After completing the novel and going through the publishing process I realized how much I truly enjoyed every second of it and knew that it was what I wanted to do.


5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

I think I would like to meet Hershel, he is one of the more important characters of my novel and I happen to think we would get along quite well. He is a stag though so I would have to make sure I brushed up on my ability to speak to animals…


6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

A person holding my novel with a marker asking for an autograph…I am screaming out of excitement.

_____________________________

Thanks so much for sharing! For more of C.R. Paynton, check out his blog and Twitter page.

I hope this holiday season finds you well. Be sure to stop back on Thursday when my guest will be Chrystalla Thoma. See you then!

The Same Six Questions - Cheri Schmidt

Happy Monday everyone! Today's guest on The Same Six questions is Cheri Schmidt!

Thanks for this opportunity, Andy! First, let me introduce myself. I’m the mother of four beautiful girls, a wife to a loving computer geek, a writer, an artist, a photographer, a lover of words, and a lover of reading books. I grew up in Mapleton, Utah where it was green and rural and right up next to a pine tree-covered mountain. I used to spend my childhood afternoons strolling around the grounds, which consisted of 13 acres of land, singing—even though I can’t sing—and fantasizing about fairies dancing around the flowers and hiding in the shrubbery. As this is one of my most vivid childhood memories, those little winged creatures have managed to sneak their way into all of my books so far. It’s no wonder fantasy is my favorite genre to write and read.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

After trying the traditional route for 3-4 years with a positive response but no commitment from agents or publishers, I decided to go indie after reading Joe Konrath’s blog. I have three full-length novels published through Amazon, B&N, and Createspace with plans for several more in the works. I write YA fantasy romance with a paranormal twist. (Fateful pictured)


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

When the stories in my head just wouldn’t stop haunting my thoughts. I think I was thirty-something.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

The first lengthy peace of fiction I wrote was Fateful and part of its sequel, Fractured. These books are set in London, England, and are about vampire knights who wish to break the curse binding their kind. Well...some of them want to break it. Some of them like the supernatural advantages that come along with being cursed. I wrote these back in 2005, I think. Fateful is the first book I published after it underwent several rewrites. It was followed by Fractured. The series will be a trilogy. I’m working on the third book now.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this(write)"?

When I had written more than 200,000 words of text without experiencing any writer’s block.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Hmm, at first I would have said Ethan, my vampire, but as I think about that more, I think I’d like to meet Christian, my Victorian Earl.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

Lucas, the villain in Fateful, as a werewolf.

____________________________________

Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Cheri! For more of Cheri and her writing, be sure to check out her blog and give her a follow on Twitter.

Stop back in on Thursday, when my guest will be author Cecelia Gray. See you then!

The Same Six Questions - Alyssa Rose Ivy

Today, please welcome YA fantasy author Alyssa Rose Ivy to The Same Six Questions! Hi Alyssa!

Hi Andy! Although originally from the New York area, I fell in love the South while at college in New Orleans and now live in North Carolina with my husband and young daughter. My background is in law and library science and now that I am finally done with my years as a perpetual student, I’m using whatever free time I have to write.

The Same Six Questions


1. Have you published a book yet?

I published my first Novel, Beckoning Light (the Afterglow Trilogy) in July, and book two, Perilous Light, will be out this spring. It’s a YA fantasy novel told from the dual perspective of a brother and sister, available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Description:

As Charlotte steps through the gate, she has a strong feeling that nothing will ever be the same again.

Moving back to South Carolina after three years away, Charlotte knows she’s going to have to face people from her past and adjust to a new high school, but she’s completely unprepared for what else waits for her in Charleston.

Drawn through an old garden gate, Charlotte discovers a hidden world where she meets Calvin, a boy to whom she is inexplicably attracted. As Charlotte is pulled deeper into this hidden world, it’s up to her older brother Kevin to rescue her. No matter how hard Kevin tries, the rescue depends upon Charlotte fighting her intense feelings for Calvin while mastering a set of abilities that she has only just discovered she possesses.


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Growing up I was always writing something whether it was a short story, poetry, a play or one of several attempts at writing a novel. The only real break I took from writing creatively was during law school, and I promised myself that as soon as I had the time I would get my creativity back.


3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say,>1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

I wrote a two-act play in seventh grade about a group of girlfriends that became rock stars while in middle school. I no longer have it, but I wish I did because I’m sure it would be a good laugh.


4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

I had some very supportive creative writing teachers over the years that gave me the confidence to believe I could really write, but it wasn’t until I sat down and finally finished a novel that it felt real.


5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

I would want to meet Charlotte, the female protagonist in Beckoning Light. She's strong and determined and if she had the time to baby-sit, she would be a great role model for my daughter.


6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

If I’m screaming, chances are it’s the police looking to arrest me for a crime I didn’t commit. I have this fear of being wrongfully accused of a crime (likely developed from reading too many crime and mystery novels) and which was only made worse by law school.

_____________________________________________

So nice of you to stop by and share, Alyssa! Thanks! For more of Alyssa's work, check out her website and Facebook page.

Stop back in on Monday, when my guest will be Mike Meyer. Yeah baby! Oh, wait...wrong Mike. ;)

The Same Six Questions - Tracy Rozzlynn

Good morning, and welcome to another edition of The Same Six Questions! Today's guest is Tracy Rozzlyn.

Hi Everyone. I was born and raised in Rhode Island. It’s a unique little state – within thirty minutes you can be in the city, in the suburbs, at the beach, or in the woods. I graduated from URI, but until recently, I never actually used my English literature degree. After college, I worked in retail and then in telecommunications. For a while I lived in Massachusetts and then Maine, but I since returned to my home state. My daughter is the most important thing in my life. My writing and the rest of my family are a close second.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

I currently have two novels available. Verita and Fast-Tracked

My Debut novel Verita is a YA (young adult) science fiction novel and is the first book in the Verita series. It's light on the science fiction and interlaced with romance. It's the science fiction I've always wanted to read, but until recently, I had a hard time finding. Brett loses everything that's important to her and decides to create a new life for herself on a newly discovered planet. My books are also available on Nook and through Smashwords

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I always thought about it. I remember in second grade making up a story about a girl that gets the ability to talk to computers, but I never wrote it down. I was afraid everyone would think it was a stupid idea. In seventh grade everyone created their own book - drawing the pictures, writing the story and decorating the cover. I loved the idea, but quickly became frustrated. There was no way I could make my story about super smart monkeys fit on just twenty pages. As I grew older I focused more on reading and dismissed writing as a career choice. It wasn't a lucrative career choice I'd write a book after I retired.

Sadly, as an adult, I almost completely stopped reading. Between the demands of work, motherhood and life in general, I never had the time to read. Once in a while I'd pick up a book, but it rarely held my interest. Harry Potter had been the one exception. I thought it was a fluke.

Then, my sisters gave me their copies of the Twilight saga. I had a rare three day weekend to myself. I started reading and didn't stop until I had finished all of them. Time had never been my issue. I had been reading the wrong books. I immediately started reading more young adult books. Then, purely for my own enjoyment, I started to write a story that had been in my head for some time. A story about a teenage girl that was sent to live on another planet.

I wrote the original story in just two weeks. It wasn't very good, it read like a bad middle-grade novel, but it had sparked something in me. So I kept writing.


3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

In 8th grade I had a creative writing class. We were asked to write about one of our earliest childhood memories. The teacher singled me out and asked me to read my story to the class. Before 8th grade I wasn't a very good student so it was a big deal for me. I don't have the story any more, but the memory itself appears in my novel Verita.


4. When was your first indication,"I can do this (write)"?

When I was trying to edit Verita and found myself getting caught up in the story. I still hadn't shown the novel to anyone else, but I figured if I could get caught up in it, then others could too. Since then I've received some wonderful feedback from readers. I can't express just how much it means to me.


5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

As much as I like my female protagonists, I think in real life we'd get on each other's nerves. They tend to be a little headstrong. It would only be a matter of time until we ended up in a fight where neither of us will back down. So, I pick Andi from Verita. She's incredibly smart, but doesn't make you feel dumb. She's the social glue that keeps everyone together. Plus, she guides you to the right conclusion without you ever realizing that she's doing it.


6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

Good luck getting me to open the door. I'll watch all the gore and horror you toss my way, but make a creepy show that's close to real life and I'm out of there. No I'm not just paranoid. I've walked in on a burglar before. So, I don't open the door without knowing who it is. If I hear a strange noise in the basement I'm not going to investigate it.

But, if it's a nice sunny day and I'm not all alone, there’s a chance I’d open the door without checking first. I'd scream like a baby if I found a cockroach on my doorstep. When I was little, I went to a double-drive in. I turned around without my parents knowing and watched the cockroach scene - now I have a bit of a phobia.

______________________________

Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Tracy! Be sure to check out Tracy's Web site for more of her work.

On Thursday, stop back in when my guest will be Alyssa Rose Ivy. See you then!

The Same Six Questions - Riven Owler

Today's guest on the The Same Six Questions is Riven Owler! Welcome Riven!

Thanks, Andy! Riven Owler is actually a writing team from Massachusetts. We're great friends, both hold English degrees, and love reading and writing. Hiking and mountain-biking are shared passions. We enjoy finding great trails and being outdoors. We also love concerts. Although we don't get to see too many, our favorite band is Switchfoot.

We've been on several charitable missions together, and these experiences inform our writing. The pen name we chose, Riven, means "torn apart." We found places in the United States and Mexico that were "torn apart" by poverty.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Our first novel, The Soldier, The Merchant & The Devil, was published on July 4th and is available on Amazon for Kindle. It is a retelling of a lesser known Brothers Grimm fairy tale. We both adored the story for a long time. It's about an atmospheric encounter with the devil, and how our characters' lives are affected in strange ways.

Our story is set in colonial New England and for it we researched quite a lot about the shipping industry during the Age of Sail. During our research, we found history of Northern slave trading and also Irish servitude. Both grandchildren of Irish immigrants, we were moved by what we learned. We found ways to incorporate the theme of slavery through the merchant who is a slave trader, and his Irish child servants. We kept it true to its timeframe. New England and Ireland have rich, mysterious folklore and we wove that in as well.

2.When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

One of us will never forget her sixth grade English teacher who pinned her stories to a bulletin board and heaped them with praise. The other was inspired by a college poetry writing class, surprised by what flowed out of his own pen.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

There are spooky ghost stories that are long-gone, a collection of poetry on a passworded file, and two novels on a disk somewhere.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

We both learned of this at early ages. Deciding to publish came out of a growing feeling that we have stories to tell, and almost an obligation to use our gifts. We notice and appreciate the art in other genres - we'll mention Jon Foreman's lyrics and J.J. Abrams' work as our inspirations. These people have made our lives better in some ways by pouring out what they have inside. We wanted to use our talents like they have.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

I think we both want to meet the soldier. He's out there in the dark all alone with this feeling that he's made a really bad deal. So strong, he could deal with any human foe, now he has to overcome himself. He can't afford to trip up...can't risk his soul. He doesn't know what he's good for, and he travels a long way without knowing if any love will ever come to him.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

It's got to be the banshee. She's the one we definitely don't want to see. Tall, wraith-thin, empty green eyes. If you see her, holy hell...it means someone you know is going to die soon.

__________________________________

Thanks to both of you for sharing with us today! For more of Riven Owler, you can check out their blog and follow them on Twitter.

I have a special guest this Saturday, who I'm sneaking in between regular posts. I had the great pleasure of meeting and chatting with fellow author, R.E. Long, at the recent Book Festival in Collingswood NJ. His first work of fiction is the young adult fantasy novel, The Blood of Angels. He'll be here on Saturday for an unprecedented weekend edition of The Same Six Questions. See you then! 

The Same Six Questions - Richard Sutton

Another edition of The Same Six Questions! Today's guest is historic fiction author, Richard Sutton. Welcome, Richard.

Hello, Andy. I'm an ex-hippie commune goat herder who spent twenty years in the trenches of NY Advertising. Born in California in '52, I hitch-hiked to NYC in 1972, to see if I could find something useful to do. I became a copy writer and advertising designer. In 1985, on a lark, my wife and I decided to try our hand at trading in American Indian arts. I sold my Design business in 1989 to pursue full-time trading, opening a bricks and mortar gallery which took most of my time until 2007, when we moved the business online. I had written two novels, behind the register, those last five years, and finally decided fiction was my game, since my steel string guitar playing wasn't ever going to make me a living!


The Same Six Questions


1. Have you published a book yet?

Those first books became The Red Gate, which was released in 2009, and its sequel, The Gatekeepers, in 2010. Both are historic fiction with a touch of fantasy. Set in County Mayo, Ireland, my readers first met Finn O'Deirg in a muddy pasture sink-hole in 1911 as he discovers an ancient secret in the meadow below his sheep. The second book takes place during the Irish Civil War, ten years later, as the family struggles to hold onto their secret legacy. Both are available from Amazon and B&N (in ebook and print formats) and in other eformats through Smashwords.


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I've always enjoyed writing. Probably the first time I consciously thought I'd like to write stories for other people was when I'd uncovered one of L. Frank Baum's lesser-known Oz books in my grandmother's attic. I read it in one sitting and decided to learn how to do that. It took me another forty years to get around to finally testing what I'd learned. Standing up behind my gallery cash register, when business was slow, I began to assemble some notes and ideas into a novel draft. It took five years to do it and by that time, after nineteen years, it was time to close up the bricks and mortar operation and move it online, so I got more time to write as a side-benefit.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?
I'd written stories in College, of course, and a few in the years that followed, as well as some really, really awful poetry. I lost most of those in the move to NY, but hung on to a couple of the poems -- for what reason I can't tell you. They will never see the light of day. I wrote a couple of short stories, longhand in the margins of my day book during the 1990s, based partly upon our experiences as traders in New Mexico. The longest was titled Leaving Santa Fe. I will probably work it up with a lot of other tales into a memoir of our trading experiences since 1985, but that story actually transformed sideways, into a novel tentatively called Sullivan's Homecoming, set in Santa Fe, which I'm currenhtly shopping around.


4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?
If you mean, write well enough to sell, it was during my time running the Main Street Association in our small town where the gallery was located. I wrote an emotional appeal/proposal for some Federal/State funding for an improvement project we had in the works and it netted us $50K. I'd by that time been writing press releases for clients for years, as well as advertising copy which I'd been paid for, but I really didn't get the idea my fiction was saleable until some of my beta readers for The Red Gate, told me so. I do my own covers, which helps cut down costs, too.


5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?
Finn, of course. We have some things in common including truncated formal educations and our understanding of solitude as well as sheep and goats, who I still think are some of the best folks I've ever spent time with. We agree on most things, although he places a lot more trust in the Grace of Providence than I do. He also is a secret musician -- me too.


6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?
One of my cats. We never let them outside, but worry about them escaping every day. Every time we leave the house. I guess you could say we're a little obsessed, but inside cats live longer than outside cats. We've had both kinds over the years, and have learned the hard way.

____________________________________

Thanks for stopping by, Richard! For more information on Richard's books or his occasional political and social rants, be sure to visit his blog and news site. You can follow his tweets and there is an evolving Author Page on Amazon.

Thursday's guest will be Riven Owler! See you then!

The Same Six Questions - Annette Lyon

Hello there and welcome to The Same Six Questions! Today, my guest is Annette Lyon. Welcome!

Thanks, Andy! I live in the Rocky Mountains with my husband, four kids, and a cross-eyed cat with an attitude. I'm a novelist, freelance editor, knitter, and avid reader. I'm claustrophobic, half Finnish, a cum laude English college grad and a word nerd. Oh, and a chocoholic. I read weird books (dead bodies, poisons, weapons) for fun and call it research.


The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

I've traditionally published seven novels and a chocolate (yes, chocolate!) cookbook. I've indie published a punctuation and grammar guide (at the prodding of colleagues: "PLEEEASE! Help me understand how to use commas!!!"). There, Their, They're: A No-Tears Guide to Grammar from the Word Nerd. My newest release on Kindle is The Golden Cup of Kardak, a fantasy about two siblings who go on a quest to rescue their captured warrior father before his execution so he can save the kingdom. To do that, they must find the hidden prison and bring him a magical goblet. With the help of a wounded solider, they face near-capture by the ruthless enemy army, a maze of underground caverns, kidnapping by giant hairy creatures, and attacks by flying monsters with razor-sharp talons. Somehow they must find the courage to complete their mission.


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I caught the bug right around age eight, when I piled pillows on a chair to reach my mother's typewriter. (Yes, a typewriter. I'm that old.) Beverly Cleary inspired me with The Mouse and the Motorcycle. As a result, my first attempts at writing revolved around rodents: Mean Marvin the Mouse was followed by Raymond's Runaways (about a group of mistreated hamsters).

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

For a creative writing class in high school, I co-wrote a screenplay with a friend based on our favorite novel, The Blue Castle (a lesser-known title by L. M. Montgomery of Anne of Green Gables fame). I made two copies for us and got them comb bound. Mine is still on a shelf in my office.


4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

I had inklings along the way, but I didn't take the praise from my 3rd grade too seriously. It wasn't until I joined a critique group and got amazing feedback that I learned first, what I didn't know, and second, that I really can do this writing thing. And that I love it. Getting published with the company I wanted to be with took nearly 8 years, but I did it. Writer confidence levels swing between "I'm a total idiot to think I can do this" and "I'm awesome!" The pendulum never stops swinging. So even now that I'm published, it's validating to get recognized with awards (Utah's Best of State medal for fiction in 2007 and the 2010 Whitney Award for Best General novel) and, especially, to get emails from readers who love your work.


5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

I'd love to spend a day talking to Markanus from my YA fantasy, The Golden Cup of Kardak. He's got some seriously cool stuff in his past, but I know only a bit of it. He'd probably want to talk about battle stories, and while that would be fascinating, eventually I'd get him to open up and spill the beans about his lost love.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

I find a package with a prepaid trip for a month in England, where I get to visit all of the literary spots of my dreams. (And then as I visit each site, I proceed to scream like a girl--and likely cry.)
______________________________________

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Annette! For more of Annette and her writing, check out her blog, Web site, and Twitter profile.

On Thursday, my guest will be Jennifer Rainey. Stop on by!

The Same Six Questions - Sue Santore

Welcome to The Same Six Questions! If this is your fist visit, be sure to check out some of past visitors in the archive. If you're a returning guest, then let me introduce you to young adult fantasy author Sue Santore!

Thanks, Andy! I live in the great state of Maine with my husband of 37 years. I have been a factory worker, a waitress, a librarian, and a teacher. My biggest job was being a mother and I have three grown children. Now I am a grandmother, and I am enjoying that role immensely. I have many interests, including quilting and playing the mountain dulcimer, but writing is the most satisfying of all.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes. A Singular Gift, a young adult fantasy book (with magic, not elves and fairies) by Sue Santore is available for Kindle on Amazon. This is a stand-alone novel, but I am working on a related sequel which should be finished before the end of 2011.

Jean Ryan must learn to use her inherited magic gift before the opposing dark magic forces destroy her world. Jean and Wayne, her friend, work together to discover why her gift has attracted the attention of an evil circle of magic users and how to combat them.

As she learns to use her magic, Jean finds revenge bites backwards, friends are not always what they seem, and that magic is not a toy. In the end she has to stand alone against an evil worse than any she has ever imagined.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always written! Or so it seems. I have poems and short stories that I wrote while still in school, years and years ago. I began writing novels over twenty years ago.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction

My first novel was a contemporary romance sold and published over twenty years ago. Unfortunately, my editor left and the next editor was not satisfied with my next book or next five proposals. After that I was so discouraged that I gave up on writing for many years. I have requested the rights to that book back and intend to publish it with Amazon when I have the rights returned to me.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

A Singular Gift was started years ago and put aside. After a few months into retirement, I had the urge to write again. I pulled out the first three chapters that I had saved. I made myself a promise that I would finish it, then go on to continue writing more stories.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Since I like all my good-guy characters, I don’t know which one I’d like to meet, but I’d like to have been Jean when I was her age. Wouldn’t it be fabulous to have a gift of magic handed to you?

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

A tiny baby is nestled in an old blanket. I can hear its sobs as it flails its little hands about. I bend over to pick up the child and an envelope falls out of the blanket at my feet. I snatch up the envelope and gaze out into the night. Is that a dark figure I see, running toward the trees? I call out, but no one answers. I take the baby inside and shut the door. I put the child on my shoulder and pat it, whispering soothing sounds. With a trembling hand, I open the envelope.

__________________________________

Thanks for stopping by to share with us, Sue! For more of Sue and her writing, be sure to stop by her blog and give her a follow on Twitter.

Thursday's guest will be author Annette Lyon. Stop on by!