Spotlight: Alison Lohans, Featured Author Interview By Connie Vines #Author Interview, #Alison Lohans, #YA Novel, #Saskatchenwan Writers Guild

Today's featured guest: Alison Lohans

 Connie:  Alison, thank you for stopping by today. Please tell us about your current release.

Alison: Timefall is a “mature” young adult/adult speculative fiction novel. It evolved over thirty-plus years and is among my favorites of the 30-some books I’ve published. It’s had a very bumpy journey in the publishing world with two very small presses – first published in 2010 and 2012 as a two-book series by a tiny press that soon afterward changed hands. The new owner promptly jettisoned all YA titles. I was very fortunate to find another small press that was interested, and who published it in 2018 as one book under its present title. It was named one of the finalists for the Canadian 2019 Prix Aurora Awards in the YA novel category. Then COVID came along – and this second publisher suddenly was no longer able to continue business as usual. For the second time, those many years’ worth of work went out of print. Unwilling to let it go, in 2020 I re-issued Timefall on an independent publishing basis with Amazon.

Connie: Genre?

Alison: Young Adult speculative fiction, featuring time travel, teen parenting, psychic phenomena, and climate disaster

Connie: What was the inspiration for this story?

Alison: Once in a very long while, a galvanizing image will come to me that begs to become a story idea. That was the case with Timefall. For some unknown reason in 1984, my mind’s eye saw a teen girl and her baby – and somebody in a robe was trying to take her baby away! I had no clue what this was all about. The image kept nagging at me even though I was working on, and publishing, other books.

Quite a few years passed before the image crystallized into a tangible story idea. At the time I was very interested in the day-to-day issues faced by teen mothers, issues their peers can’t fathom…and so, Katie and her baby Tyler were “born”. Psychic phenomena have fascinated me for a long time, and Katie’s baby (unbeknownst to her) has incredible psychic powers. The stakes were raised enormously by developing Iannik (the guy in the robe, a thousand years in the future) as the last in a long line of Seers. A lonely misfit with unruly, flawed Sight, who’s able to open the time channel between worlds, everyone fears his powers. Add to this the daunting problem of male infertility in Iannik’s world, and imminent climate catastrophe in Katie’s and Tyler’s present-day world, and all the parts were set in motion.

Connie: What, in your opinion, what’s the difference between a good book and a page-turner?

Alison: Plot-driven page-turners can keep us gripped as we read, carrying us along on an exciting journey. But to my way of thinking, a really good book is layered and gives us a lot to think about, stretching us. It will provide us with multi-dimensional characters who are dealing with important, heart-felt issues in a world that are crafted with nuanced, image-packed language that transports us into another kind of existence, and lingers with us long afterward. Just my take on this question, anyhow!

Connie: Do you have a favorite paragraph/line of dialogue in this novel?

Alison: A clip from Iannik’s point of view in Aaurenan, a thousand years in the future, where things are about to go devastatingly wrong. (Note: Due to male infertility in Iannik’s time, his life-partner Lieda became pregnant via complicated other means that can’t be explained here.)

Page 192: 

“In the candlelight, Iannik fingered the Seer’s Stone.

This night Lieda’s brow was hot, her cheeks too pink. She had coughed until she lay exhausted. Now she slept, for he had gone to fetch the fever-brew from Daaiv’d. He stroked the hair back from her face, willing all his strength to her. One moon and more days remained before the birth, but restless dreams had shown Lieda crying out with the pains.

Weariness gripped him; he couldn’t remember when he’d last slept. His eyes saw things which were not there, yet also were not Sight. He bundled himself in his outer garments, wrapping both his and Lieda’s scarves about his face. Perhaps Daaiv’d had some other balm that might help Lieda. And – might he also seek some strength for himself? How could he be of service to Lieda, and the daughter, if he himself were depleted?

Snow crunched beneath his feet. Above, the stars clustered thick. In the distance came the howl of coyotes. Iannik uttered his own cry, feeding his pain to the night. There came an answering call. His heavy eyes scanned the great white stillness. Then he raised his arms, offering himself to Aaurenan, an offering of what had once been young and strong.

The night was very cold. It might be dangerous to continue – and was Daaiv’d now sleeping? He mustn’t disturb the healer too often, for Daaiv’d needed his own rest to care for the People. As Iannik turned back, a tightness gripped his belly and then was gone. The breath whistled from him. Within Lieda’s body, the daughter was making ready to join the People.

It was too early. Lieda lay ill.

Blackness squeezed Iannik’s heart….”

Connie: Who would it be if you were forced to live the rest of your life as one of your characters?

Alison: What an interesting question! From Timefall, I’d choose to be Katie, who comes of age in a world that’s very different from the one she was born into.

Connie: What are your hobbies? Do any of your characters share your hobbies/interests? Do any of your hobbies play a part in your novels?

Alison: Music is an important part of my life. I play several different instruments (recorder, cornet, cello, and piano), and also sing, in amateur community groups. Over the years I’ve taught instrumental music as well. Music often plays a role in my books - less so here in Timefall, than in titles such as Nathaniel’s Violin, Canine Cupid, Foghorn Passage, and Don’t Think Twice.

I love animals and presently live with Sebastian my Shih Tzu cross, and a zebra finch. Animals appear in some of my books, particularly in Canine Cupid, released last year by BWL Publishing, and in a middle-grade novel Dog Alert.

Another thing I love is traveling. I find those interesting destinations often trigger story ideas – such as a short horror story that takes place on a cruise ship heading to Alaska; my middle-grade novel Dog Alert set in Canada’s north; another middle-grade novel Doppelganger that plays out on a cruise to ports in Greece and Turkey; and my soon-to-be-released Strong as a Pharaoh (working title) set during a tour of Egypt.

Thanks so much, Connie, for this wonderful opportunity to showcase Timefall!

Bio:

As an avid reader and writer since childhood, I’ve always marveled at the power of “story” to open up our worlds, taking us to new places, and to new experiences, that we’re unlikely to encounter in our daily lives. As opposed to laugh-track-based TV sitcoms (for example) that are geared to reach as many viewers as possible, a book provides a personal interaction between reader and text – a situation in which the reader co-creates the story world through her/his own eyes and other lenses. Likewise, in our writing, we explore characters and issues dear to our hearts. Thus we invite readers into a unique world…which provides a template for sharing experiences one-on-one with people we’ve never met.

Writing fiction provides a fascinating avenue for exploring all sorts of life questions. By “becoming”, and empathizing with, my characters, I grow as I take on new perspectives and explore our shared human journey. Good literature can provide a means of connecting people in this troubled world.

BLURB:

What if you’re a teen mother, and your baby is needed a thousand years in the future?

What if you’re last in a long line of Seers, and survival depends on your flawed Sight?

Two worlds are poised on the brink of collapse: one doomed by its lack of vision, and the other by a vision unfulfilled. Can a group of teens find each other – and more importantly, themselves – in time to save at least one world?

Katie lives with her baby Tyler, her mom, and bratty younger brother, struggling with the isolating realities of teen motherhood. Then she falls into another world…

Iannik is last in a long line of Seers – but his Sight isn’t true, and sometimes things go badly wrong. Everyone fears his unruly powers. Over the centuries, the coming of the infant T’laaure has been prophesied as the only hope for Aaurenan’s survival. Can Iannik summon the Child from the doomed, distant past, to save the future?

Is Katie’s baby the one who holds all the answers?

Wow! Sounds like a great story!

Please follow these like for more about Alison Lohans and BUY LINKS:

https://www.alisonlohans.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/alisonlohanswriter

https://www.amazon.com/Alison-Lohans/e/B001K7ZEYO?ref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/563063.Alison_Lohans/blog

https://skwriter.com/find-saskatchewan-writers/alison-lohans

Alison is a member of: 

The Writers' Union of Canada; CANSCAIP; The Saskatchewan Writers' Guild; the Children’s Writers’ Round Robin; Saskatchewan Romance Writers

Where Timefall can be purchased, in both print and ebook formats:

ourlittlebookshop.

https://www.amazon.ca/Timefall-psychic-loner-post-apocalypse-travel-ebook/dp/B08LT63TVS\

https://books2read.com/u/bPXLkY

Happy Reading everyone!

Connie

XOXO

Spotlight: E. R. Yatscoff, Featured Author Interview By Connie Vines # #Author Interview, #MG Fiction, #BWLPublishing

Today's Featured guest is E. R. Yatscoff

Thank you for stopping by today. Please tell our readers about your current release and why you enjoy writing for Middle-Grade readers.😀

E. R.: I like writing MG because it's generally a smaller word count. There tends to be a less intricate background so it’s simpler. I’ve chosen THE FAR BANK as a favorite of mine as there are so many elements of it I’ve lived through.

 Connie::What was the inspiration for this story? 

E.R.: My blue-collar hometown was full of reckless boys who swam the Welland Canal in summer. I was in awe of many of them. Many drowned. The great accomplishment was to swim straight across to the far bank for bragging rights. The massive Great Lake boats would go back and forth along the canal, so timing was everything—no dilly-dallying. We even put rocks in our bathing suits to touch the bottom.  🏊

 

Connie::  What would you like to see more/less of in the MG/YA genre? 

E.R.:  Actually, I’d like to see more crime and less magic/dystopia. I don't follow the genre much. I write about incidents and people when I was growing up and string them together in a novel. The elements and issues of boys during that time are much the same today. Although the pressures on a boy can be even higher now.

 Connie:. Do you believe writers are born, taught, or both? Which was true for you? 

E.R.: Writers can be taught, but the storytelling talent in a person is a big factor. I always was a storyteller and had to be taught to write. I find it easy to write about something, anything and wish I didn’t have to edit. The devil is in the details. My adult crime writing is based on my firefighting career.

 .

Connie: Do you have a favorite paragraph/line of dialogue in this novel?

E.R.: I  love the twisted logic in this. ‘Drowning is one thing, but it’s the propellors that’ll really kill you.’

.

Connie: Did you love scary stories as a kid? Can you tell us some of your favorites? Books or authors? 

E.R.: I read sci-fi mostly as a kid but gave it up when a super ray gun or escape pod would magically appear. I loved Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan of the Apes series. So much so, I entered a Tarzan Father’s Day contest at a mall and won a trip to California! My Tarzan call rocked the mall.🎤

Connie: E.R. That was quite a prize!  

How do you come up with names for your characters? 

E.R.: They are childhood friends or enemies. Everyone had nicknames.

 

Connie: Could you tell our readers about your current release

E.R.:  The Far Bank has a lot of elements: bullying on the paper route from hell, courage, cheating, morals, and of course, action. Many of my MG novels deal with bullies and my protagonists handle them quite well without violence by humbling them. 

Connie: E.R.. thank you for visiting "Dishn' It Out Blog" today.  I've enjoyed our visit, and I'm confident our readers welcomed a look into your writing life! 

E.R. Yatscoff BWL Publisher's Page

Amazon

https://books2read.com/Final-Response

Spotlight: Yvonne Rediger, Featured Author Interview By Connie Vines #AuthorInterview, #CozyMystery, #BWLPublishing,

 Today's featured guest is Yvonne Rediger

Thank you for stopping by today. Please tell our readers about your current release.😃

Yvonne.: Thank you, Connie, for allowing me to be a guest on your blog. I’m excited to share Condo Crazy, my newest cozy mystery with you, book 3 in the Musgrave Landing Mysteries published by BWL Publishing Inc.

Connie: What was the inspiration for Condo Crazy? 

Yvonne:  Condo Crazy was a work inspired by my sister and the crazy things that happened in her condo building. She was great about letting me weave her adventures into a story. I like to add humor to my stories and Condo Crazy has some funny things happen along with a few mysteries to solve. 

Connie: Yvonne what would you like to see more/less of in the mystery genre? 

Yvonne: For me, I think every mystery should have a good solid mystery right up front and center. I want to solve the puzzle. I’m fine with a light romance unfolding along the way, but the mystery is the star of the show. 🕵❓

Connie:  What, in your opinion, makes a good mystery writer? 🖋💻📚

Yvonne:  A writer should transport the reader into the main character’s world. There should be familiar anchor points, like pets–Gladys has a white Persian–and family. Maisy, Gladys’ granddaughter is visiting. There should be unexpected things as well, and Arlie Birch supplies that aspect, as do Gladys’s neighbors. There is never a dull moment in that condo building.

March 2022 Release

Connie: Do you have a favorite line/paragraph of dialogue in this novel? 

Yvonne: Yes. Here is my excerpt:

Arlie stepped back from Gladys’ car and closed the heavy tailgate of the station wagon. His hand paused on the chrome door handle. For a moment he looked at the station wagon with a pensive frown. "I keep meaning to ask, wasn't this Earl Moffatt's old hearse?"

Gladys knew what Arlie was doing. He was trying to distract her from thinking about being robbed, and she could have hugged him for the effort, so she played along. "Yes, I got it at a good price. The rollers make moving the bread racks so much easier." She patted the side of the car, now Gladys’ bakery delivery vehicle. thought. 

Connie:: If you were forced to live the rest of your life as one of your characters, who would it be?  

Yvonne:   Gladys Wyatt was easy to write, if I were forced to live the rest of my life as one of my characters, I’d swap places with her. My husband and I used to live on Vancouver Island and I’ve been to Musgrave Landing, although the ‘real’ place is only a dock and a collection of a dozen houses.  When we lived in British Columbia, for a time we lived in a couple of different marinas. First on sailboats then later on, in a floating home. We also kayak and scuba dive. I used some of this for Gladys’ character background. She lives across the road from the marina.🎣🐟🐠

Connie:  Do any of your characters share your hobbies/interests? 

Yvonne: I also love cooking and baking, so food features a lot in my stories. There’s nothing better than curling up with a cup of tea and some home baking or a glass of wine and something savory in front of the fire in winter. love reading, 🎂🍪🍷

Connie: Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers today?

Yvonne.: As I finished up this novel, I realized I still have one or two more adventures for Gladys and Arlie. There may be follow-up books in this series since new ideas keep popping into my head.

Connie:: Yvonne. thank you for visiting "Dishn' It Out Blog" today. 

I've enjoyed our visit, and I'm confident our readers welcomed a look into your writing life! 

Condo Crazy – Release Date March 6, 2022, from BWL Publishing Inc.

Welcome back to Musgrave Landing.

 Blurb:

Gladys Wyatt is busy with her home bakery business. She needs to keep up with the expenses on her new condo. It would help if Linda would stop flooding the place. Freddie isn’t much bothered by the damage Linda causes. He is more caught up in defending his medical plants from Lara Finkle, the one-time mistress of the late embezzler mayor. How can she afford a unit in the new building anyway? Arlie Birch thinks he knows, but not everyone agrees.

 It would also be great if Enid, the building manager, and Dwayne, the condo board president, would stop coming up with new bylaws that threaten Gladys’ bakery business. This makes the condo board meetings quite contentious.

When Gladys is accused by Ann Westcott of hanging prank banners on the water facility build, is it possible the pranks could be related to the thief plaguing the village? Gladys suspects it was the thief who injured Matthew's dog.

 Gladys is shocked to find a body, half outside of the garage. Could the thief also be responsible for the murder? She reminds her granddaughter to keep the condo doors locked, but will that be enough?

    

Readers remember this is book 3 of her series. You may wish to order books 1 and 2!

BWL Publishing website; https://bookswelove.net/rediger-yvonne/

Please visit these links to learn more about Yvonne Rediger, and purchase her mystery novels: 

  

Website: http://blackyvy50.wix.com/yvonnerediger (All book links can be found here)

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/YvonneRedigerAuthor

Twitter: @blackyvy

Instagram: @blackyvy50

YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiDUwNJcq9KeJwTI7-Ms4S-ojGT5zxj6X

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

Connie

XOXO

Interview with Author J. Q. Rose By Connie Vines #J.Q.Rose, #BWLAuthor, #Memoir, #Author Interview, #Contest

 

J. Q. Rose 

Today's featured guest is J. Q Rose.

Thank you for stopping by today. Please tell our readers about your current release.😃

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir 

J.Q.: I am celebrating the first birthday of my book, released January 1, 2020! The story is about the first year we (my husband and I) were in the flower business in Michigan, 1975-1976. 

Coincidentally, the book was released 45 years to the day my husband Ted and I became business owners. 

We moved, with our one-year-old baby girl, all of our earthly belongings to Michigan to make our dream of owning a greenhouse operation come true. We knew nothing about the flower business, designing flowers, commercial greenhouse operations, and had no family or friends in the area. Through tears and laughter, we cultivated a loving marriage, juggled parenting, and dug deep to root a thriving floral and greenhouse business.

Connie: What comes first, J.Q?  the plot or the characters? 

J.Q: This question made me examine all my fiction books and stories. I believe I have the character first because I know the person who is the main character, always a strong woman. In Dangerous Sanctuary, I interviewed a female pastor and based the story on her. In Deadly Undertaking, I based the character on my own experience as an undertaker’s daughter. In Terror on Sunshine Boulevard, the main character was a conglomeration of people I met in our senior community in Florida, plus some of my traits thrown in. So, for me, knowing the character determines the location, time, and plot, which revolves around the main character.

Connie: What was the inspiration for Arranging a Dream: A Memoir? 

JQ: The real inspiration for the story was planted in the 80s when a writer in my writer's group brought in a journal penned by her great, great, great grandfather, who was a minister in England in the late 1800s. She read his entries in the journal, taking us back to his times. I was so moved by his writing, I decided it was necessary to record our lives and times for future generations. 

I began teaching workshops on writing life stories in 2000 to encourage folks to record their lives. I wrote right along with the participants, so I had many stories about my life—vignettes over the years. I finally took the time to sit down and write about this first year we were in business.

 A memoir is just a slice of life, not the entire story from birth to the present. 

Connie:  All novelists conduct extensive research, even when writing fiction. So, please tell us about your literary pilgrimages.

JQ: We made trips back to Atlanta, Illinois, my hometown, to help me remember locations and stir up memories. Atlanta is home to me, even if I have lived in a few different places. It will always feel like home because memories of my family, my childhood experiences will remain in my heart forever.

Connie: How long did it take you to complete this novel? 

JQ: I thought about it for a long time, but I began writing in 2006. I wrote off and on during those years but really got serious in 2018. I set aside an appointment with myself to write every day after lunch.  

The book was scheduled to be released in June 2020 by BWL Publishing. Still, when Covid hit in March 2020, my publisher, Jude Pittman, realized the effect the stress had upon authors trying to meet a deadline while overcoming the pressures of dealing with the pandemic. She asked if anyone needed more time to finish their books. I admitted I needed the time because I couldn’t focus on finishing up the manuscript. 

Thus, the release date was moved to January 2021. I was relieved to have the extra time to get myself together, not just for writing, but for living through the upsetting and mind-blowing time when the first waves of the pandemic swept through. 

Connie:: We can all certainly relate to those days. 

Do you have a favorite paragraph/line of dialogue in this novel? 

JQ:  Arranging a Dream is a story about my husband, Ted, and me when we purchased a flower shop and greenhouse operation in 1975 in Michigan. We were at odds with the previous owner, Hattie, because we wanted to make changes. The following lines in the book always make me want to stand up and cheer for us!

***

Chapter 19, Sabotaging Easter, p. 94

As Hattie strolled through the showroom, she spotted a terrarium Ted had planted in a glass aquarium. Instead of fish, the container was partially filled with soil and plants. He added little figurines of woodland animals, blue rocks for a stream, rocks, and more natural pieces to make a cute scene.

Hattie studied the beautiful creation then looked at the price tag. “Good luck selling that!” she snorted. The price was $28.00, a high-ticket item in 1976.

We sold it that afternoon.

NOTE: $28.00 in 2021 dollars is equal to $144.66!!!

Connie::  Are you a morning person or a night owl? ⏰

J.Q:  I’m not sure. What time is the cut-off for being a morning person or night owl? I am usually up about 6:30 am. I have read not to immediately click on the Internet first thing in the morning, but rather, read awhile to help your brain focus. This practice is supposed to help you not be so distracted or feel scattered by the Internet once you get on. 

I’m ready for bed at about 10:30 pm, but I usually read for 20-30 minutes (or more if it’s a great story) before turning off my Kindle and calling it a night. So, I don’t know if I’m an early morning rooster or a night owl. 

What do you think?

Connie: I think you are an early bird 🐦 Which I am not 🦉  LOL!

Connie: What are your hobbies? 

JQ: I love reading, playing board games and cards, taking photos, watching Netflix, and traveling. 

Do any of your characters share your hobbies/interests? 

They don’t share my hobbies so much, but some traits like not being confident in the kitchen and hating housekeeping.

Connie: This is a question dear to my heart: Do you have any pets? 

J.Q.: We don’t have pets now, but I had a dog when I was a girl, and we had several cats and a precious dog when the kids were growing up. 

My daughter is the bookkeeper at an animal shelter, so the opportunity to get a pet is always there. However, we travel too much to have a pet. 

Connie: How about an unusual pet? 

J.Q: Do an alligator, turtles, and a snake qualify? My grandson has a bearded dragon. Not fond of that creature though !!

Connie:: J.Q. thank you for visiting "Dishn' It Out Blog" today. 

I've enjoyed our visit, and I'm confident our readers welcomed a look into your fascinating life! 

Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?  

JQ: It was so much fun starting off the birthday celebration at the Dishn’  It Out Blog with you!

Let’s make it a party by gift-giving!  I am gifting an eCopy of Arranging a Dream: A Memoir to a lucky commenter. 

Connie::  J.Q., what a great idea!

We will give our readers until January 11, 2022, at Midnight (PST). 

(the winning commenter will be notified.) J.Q. Rose is so excited! 

As am I.  I always look forward to reading a J. Q. Rose book!

I've asked J.Q. Rose to share links to her website, buy links, and more!

 

Remember to post a comment to win a Free eCopy!  

Current Release: Arranging a Dream: A Memoir by J.Q. Rose

Buy Links: Click here to download from your favorite bookseller  https://books2read.com/Arranging-A-Dream

Paperback available at amazon.com-https://www.amazon.com/Arranging-Dream-J-Q-Rose/dp/0228615542/

Connect online with JQ Rose

J.Q. Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/

Facebook http://facebook.com/jqroseauthor

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/jqrose

J. Q. Rose Amazon Author Page http://tinyurl.com/aeuv4m4

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

Connie

XOXO