Author: Nancy Maloney-Mercado & Jackie J O’Donnell Release Date: 6th December 2022 Series: Genre: Memoir, Inspirational Format: E-book Pages: 166 Publisher: Sunflower Press Blurb: Are you caring for your chronically ill husband? Did you grow up with suicidal, alcoholic parents? Are you searching for a loving relationship? Have your efforts at starting a fulfilling career been thwarted by someone determined to hold you back? Maybe you’ve postponed your own dreams in order to keep from making waves with a significant other. Does your life seem to be heading a long wat from where you’d wish it to be? Any of these can steal your happiness or keep you from achieving your potential. All can crush your hopes and dreams.This is the story of a woman who grew up in a dysfunctional family, was trapped by a predator at age 8, was suffocated by an abusive marriage, grappled with being a single mother, finally found her soulmate, struggled with a blended family, juggled the incompatible roles of wife and caregiver, yet maintained her faith, at least most of the time. She did it thanks to some special women who supported her in ways she didn’t recognize until she unconsciously drew upon their influence. We hope you’ll learn to call on the influencers in our own life. Possibly you’ve drawn on them in your past and can now appreciate their impact on you.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The Women in Me: How They Helped Me Survive and Thrive by Nancy Maloney-Mercado & Jackie J O’Donnell is a beautifully written inspirational memoir that is extremely thought-provoking and very emotional.
The author’s writing is very simple, yet speaks straight to the reader’s heart. The author’s struggles are extremely relatable and one cannot help but feel drawn into the book right from the beginning, finding themselves rooting for the author and even the other characters in the book.
All women should read this beautifully written work by two new authors as it strongly resonates with the problems faced by women. This book can provide equal enjoyment for men, too. I would strongly recommend it to readers of women’s fiction and to those who like reading inspirational memoirs.
Today, we are featuring William Miller, from An Enemy Like Me, for our Character Interview feature.
About The Author
Teri M. Brown
Born in Athens, Greece as an Air Force brat, Teri M Brown came into this world with an imagination full of stories to tell. She now calls the North Carolina coast home, and the peaceful nature of the sea has been a great source of inspiration for her creativity. Not letting 2020 get the best of her, Teri chose to go on an adventure that changed her outlook on life. She and her husband, Bruce, rode a tandem bicycle across the United States from Astoria, Oregon to Washington DC, successfully raising money for Toys for Tots. She learned she is stronger than she realized and capable of anything she sets her mind to. Teri is a wife, mother, grandmother, and author who loves word games, reading, bumming on the beach, taking photos, singing in the shower, hunting for bargains, ballroom dancing, playing bridge, and mentoring others.
Welcome to The Reading Bud! We are really excited to have you over. Please give our readers a brief introduction about yourself before we begin.
My name is William Miller. I was born in North Canton, Ohio right before the United States entered World War II. That war shaped my life, not only while the fighting lasted but to this very day. That may surprise you since I was obviously too young to be a soldier. But here is something you should know – war changes people – even when they aren’t the ones doing the fighting.
What is your age and what do you do for a living?
I’m 76 years old, so I’m retired now. However, when I was younger, I was a carpenter. Although I built some houses, I mostly did renovation work. In my later years, I did what would be called finish work, such as creating mantles for a fireplace or dental molding to a dining room. I gained quite a reputation in my little North Carolina town for my work and stayed very busy.
How you like to spend your free time?
I have two main hobbies, painting and fixing up old cars. My paintings were never as good as my father’s, so I often went months without getting out the oils. However, I did produce a few that I’m proud of, including one featuring a set of silver wine goblets. You can see images in the condensation. Now, fixing up old cars? That is my true love. I’ve restored over 100 cars. The first one I ever completed was a 1932 Model A coupe with a rumble seat. When I got it, it was nothing more than a rusted-out shell with more holes than metal. I had to borrow money from my father-in-law to buy it, and boy was my wife, Marie, ticked off! However, I fixed it up and sold it. With that money, I paid back my debt and bought another car. Now, 50 years later, I work on cars worth $50,000 or more.
Please share some of your beliefs, principles, motivations and morals (can be social, religious or political or, etc. Anything that will help us get to know you better.)
There are two things that really drive me. The first is family. Family is at the center of everything I do. I worked to earn money for my family. I created fun experiences over the holidays to bring my family closer together. I would give my life for my family. Without family, what does a person have?
The second driver is patriotism. I love the United States and all it stands for. My father fought in WWII to preserve our freedoms, and I joined the Air Force for the same reason. I think I am a lot like my father in both respects. He had to make impossible decisions because of his love for both.
Tell us something about your family and childhood.
I loved growing up in a German community. The food was amazing. I remember going to my grandma’s house when she’d be baking. I didn’t know it at the time, but she was a professional baker and candy maker. But for me, as a little boy? It was just grandma making me treats.
One of my favorites was made from leftover pie dough. She would roll out the leftover dough, spread it with butter, and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Then, she’d roll it up into a log and slice it up into discs. Once baked, I’d get to eat them hot off the baking sheet.
I wasn’t very good in school. Reading was hard for me. I did fine in math and loved doing anything with my hands. To this day, I’m not much of a reader, unless it is a magazine about antique cars.
There is a funny story about me and cars as a teenager. Well, it is funny now, but at the time? My dad let me drive the sedan, but I wanted the car to look extra special for a date. The steering wheel had a brodie knob, or what my friends and I liked to call a necker knob. You could hold onto the knob with one hand and have your arm around your girlfriend with the other.
Well, I thought it would be cool to move the knob to the right side of the steering wheel. I would still hold it with my left hand, but that would allow my left hand to be across my body.
I took the car out for a test drive and stopped to show my buddies. Everyone loved the idea. However, on the way home, I must have let my mind wander. All of a sudden, I had a thought that my hand was in the wrong place, so I quickly pulled on the knob – and ran into a tree. Needless to say, my father was not happy!
Tell us something about your dreams and aspirations? Were you able to achieve them or are you planning to?
I dreamed of being an inventor like my grandfather. Although I never actually became an inventor, I did create many things that helped me in the garage or at work. I never let the lack of a part or a tool stop me from completing a job. I just figured out another way around the problem.
What is your biggest fear in life?
My biggest fear is not living up to my father’s expectations. He’s been dead for several years, and I still wonder if he’d approve of what I’m accomplishing.
How would you describe your life in one sentence?
My life has been a series of events that have led to this moment in time.
What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you?
My father left for the war, and I had to live with my grandparents while my mother went to work.
Did it change you for the better or the worse?
That’s a good question. It definitely changed me. After you read An Enemy Like Me, you’ll have to decide if the change was good or bad.
What are your plans for the future?
My life is about at the end. However, I hope to figure out my relationship with my son, continue to work on my cars, and travel a bit with Marie. She has always wanted to go to Australia, so we are planning a trip next winter – their summer.
An Enemy Like Me
How does a man show his love – for country, for heritage, for family – during a war that sets the three at odds? What sets in motion the necessity to choose one over the other? How will this choice change everything and everyone he loves? Jacob Miller, a first-generation American, grew up in New Berlin, a small German immigrant town in Ohio where he endured the Great Depression, met his wife, and started a family. Though his early years were not easy, Jacob believes he is headed toward his ‘happily ever after’ until a friend is sent to an internment camp for enemy combatants, and the war lands resolutely on his doorstep. In An Enemy Like Me, Teri M Brown uses the backdrop of World War II to show the angst experienced by Jacob, his wife, and his four-year-old son as he left for and fought in a war he did not create. She explores the concepts of xenophobia, intrafamily dynamics, and the recognition that war is not won and lost by nations, but by ordinary men and women and the families who support them.
If you are a fan of historical fiction with a love for heartfelt, introspective war stories, then you’ll enjoy An Enemy Like Me. This emotional saga explores war and its impacts in unique ways that few military fiction novels do.
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
Author:Sarathi Sabyasachi Sahoo Release Date: 19th September 2022 Series: Genre: Romance, Contemporary Fiction Format: E-book Pages: 152 Publisher: Notion Press Blurb: What happens to your love when you die? Does your love end? Does your love stay in your heart or in your body? When you say, “I Love You,” what does the “I” stand for? Is it your body, mind, or soul? When you die, is your love also destroyed like your body, or is it immortal like your soul? Then the question comes, is the soul immortal? Nobody can give a perfect answer to these questions. This book has tried to find the answers to that mystery. It’s a love story between two immortal souls. Love is an endless fuel to the energy called the soul, which will keep it alive forever. Read An Imperishable Promise to find the real meaning of love. It is filled with lots of suspense and twists. What will happen to Raj and Kashish’s love when death becomes an obstacle between them? Will they overcome this false materialistic life to keep their love alive forever? Will their love survive without having a physical existence of the human body? Dive in to find all these answers.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
An Imperishable Promise: If Afterlife Is True, Will You Still Come To Me? by Sarathi Sabyasachi Sahoo is a unique love story that is narrated as a part of a flashback by a secondary yet important character and the story takes quite unexpected turns as it unfolds keeping the readers engaged at all times.
I liked the concept of the book and the storyline. The characters were good but needed a bit more development as I couldn’t feel a strong connection to them. Although their emotions did come through beautifully despite the problems with the flow of the writing, the narration delivered the emotions quite well. There was more telling than showing, but the good plot more than made up for it and the weak characterisation.
Overall, the book was unique, enjoyable and pretty thought-provoking. And I would recommend it to all contemporary romance readers.
Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome the author ofThe Lighthouse—Karin Ciholas, from Atmosphere Press, for an author interview with The Reading Bud.
About The Author
Karin Ciholas was born in Virginia and grew up in Switzerland where she studied classical languages. The study of Latin and Greek led to her fascination with the ancient world and its history. She earned advanced degrees in languages and comparative literature at UNC Chapel Hill and enjoyed teaching modern languages and courses on the ancient world. She has won twelve awards for her short stories and plays. She lives in Sarasota with her husband, author and theologian Paul Ciholas.
Interview
Welcome to TRB! Please give our readers a brief introduction about yourself before we begin.
My father sang Norwegian songs to me and told me stories about his native Norway. My mother told me about her “old Kentucky home” where she grew up. As a child in Switzerland, I learned the Swiss dialect from my school friends, and all my courses were taught in German. All my life, I have been grateful for my gifted teachers in the Swiss school system that placed great emphasis on Greek and Latin and gave me a lifelong love of classical antiquity and ancient history. We spoke English at home, but the first class I ever had in English was when I came to the US to go to college. On a student trip to Rome, I fell in love with a young theology student from France, and when we married four years later, we lived in France for several years. After completing advanced degrees, we chose teaching careers in the US: Paul to teach religion and philosophy at universities in Kentucky and I to teach languages and humanities at Centre College. And that is how we ended up in “our new Kentucky home.”
Please tell us something about your book other than what we have read in the blurb?
The Lighthouse is about a dedicated Jewish physician named Simon who wants to heal and save lives and make the world a better place. But he is thwarted and opposed by violence and racism. Antisemitism rears its ugly head. He fights back at every turn. He fights against vicious criminals, against arbitrary Roman power, and against the injustices of racism. He struggles for freedom for his fellow Jews. One of the battles he cares most about is his struggle to find better ways to treat illness. When his sister is abducted and sold into slavery, he starts his fight against slavery. It is a deeply personal battle that endangers his family. It is a battle he cannot win.
He is a witness to several historical events that profoundly changed the world. He is neither responsible for those events, nor can he intervene to stop them. During the first pogrom of recorded history in Alexandria, Egypt, Simon tries but cannot stop the massacre. He does manage to save many lives.
What is that one message that you’re trying to get across to the readers in this book?
The fight against prejudice, racism, and antisemitism is never done. Prejudices against fellow human beings have distorted human behavior since Cain and Abel, and wars and hatred in the name of religion still mar our history and continue to cause havoc. Simon, the physician who seeks to heal, cannot find the way to cut this defect out of the human heart. And yet he tries. Boldly, Simon fights for justice for his family and his people. When Simon plunges into danger, we worry about him. Sometimes we want to shake him and talk sense into him. We are moved by historical drama where life and death are at stake. His urgent fight for justice is never done. At stake, for him, is the survival of his people. Despite many setbacks, Simon brings healing to many. We all need healing.
Who is your favourite character in this book and why?
Aurelia is my favorite character because she is strong. In many ways, she is stronger than Simon even though Simon does not see it that way. She often protects him, assists him in saving lives during the pogrom, and is not intimidated even when the emperor or the prefect of Egypt opposes her. There are several strong women who sometimes quietly and other times quite theatrically make a difference. Antonia, sister-in-law of Tiberius, saves Rome from an upstart tyrant who wants to take over the imperial throne. One of my favorite characters is Sosias, an orphan Simon rescues who has irrepressible curiosity and sets out to become an engineer. Through him, I show some of the scientific and technological advances of the times.
What inspired you to write this book? An idea, some anecdote, a dream or something else?
My Mother was a discerning and avid reader. She enjoyed reading my short stories and plays but complained she couldn’t find enough historical fiction set in New Testament times. She asked if I had ever thought about writing a novel about one of the characters in the New Testament who knew Jesus. I told her I was intrigued by Simon of Cyrene. I mentioned Simon did not really know Jesus, that he met Jesus under the most excruciating circumstances and that Simon was an unusual Jew since he gave his children Roman and Greek names. She turned to me and said, “Well, Karin, when will you write his story?”
How long did it take you to write this particular book?
It took about 15 years. During a demanding teaching career, I kept my mother’s request in mind, enjoyed studying primary sources in ancient history, and discovered so many jewels of information I could use for the novel she wanted. When I finished the first chapter, I sent it to her in the mail. Then she kept wanting more. I sent chapter by chapter until 1000 pages landed in her mailbox. There have been many changes since, but the basic bones of the novel are still there. A wise agent told me the book needed to be divided into a trilogy.
What are your writing ambitions? Where do you see yourself 5 years from today?
I hope to get the next two books in the trilogy into shape for publication. Between initial concept—even if on paper—and completion much needs to be done. After that, I may turn back to a historical novel I’m writing set during WWII. I have also ghostwritten several memoirs for veterans of WWII and helped them with the logistics of publishing. Alas, more and more vets are leaving us without having told their stories.
Are you working on any other stories presently?
History provides an endless source of material. My favorite era is the first century when so much was going on. I like to take a character like Simon and show events through his eyes, making him a witness to the great events that occurred in his lifetime: the rise of science in Alexandria, the power of the Roman empire, amazing advances in medicine that will later be lost for centuries, the crucifixion of Jesus, the beginnings of Christianity, the fall of the temple…. I might write a story about another historical character from that time.
Why have you chosen this genre? Or do you write in multiple genres?
I’ve written and published short stories and poems in literary journals, and five of my plays have been performed. But historical fiction is my preferred genre for reading and writing. Faulkner said: “The past is never dead…It’s not even past.”
When did you decide to become a writer? Was it easy for you follow your passion or did you have to make some sacrifices along the way?
I have always loved books. As children, my brother and I even started a little library and made library cards for each book he owned and each book I owned. When my mother discovered he was charging me a penny to read his books, and I charged nothing, she put a stop to his enterprise but not a stop to our reading. The impulse to write was first evident when I started rewriting the endings of stories I didn’t like. From there it was a logical step to just make up my own stories. From those childish beginnings came the urge to write short stories. All my first attempts at publishing them were rejected. I am sure the editors of the journals did me a favor by rejecting them. I started subscribing to the best literary journals and began to learn what was getting published. I also learned that what one publisher rejects can be submitted elsewhere and be accepted.
What is your writing ritual? How do you do it?
When I go to my computer in the morning, I read the news and check the last sentences I wrote the day before. Reading the news is quickly depressing. So, I turn to my writing. Writing makes me feel involved in the whole story of humanity. Research is exciting. I am in a different century. Except…some current events are not always that different from what was going on in the Roman empire.
How do you prefer to write – computer/laptop, typewriter, dictation or longhand with a pen?
I started out with pen and paper. All writing is now on the computer.
What are your 5 favourite books? (You can share 5 favourite authors too.)
Any book by Sharon Kay Penman. One special favorite: Here Be Dragons. She makes Welsh history come alive.
Books by Margaret George. She is the doyenne of historical fiction, the astute researcher who makes major historical characters live and breathe. The Autobiography of Henry VIII with Notes by his Fool, Will Somers is a compelling saga. The Prologue alone is a masterpiece of historical and psychological insights.
Books by Tan Twan Eng. The Gift of Rain is set in Malaysia during WWII. A beautifully written novel filled with mystery and wonder.
Books by Mark Helprin. Paris in the Present Tense is a personal favorite. Helprin’s writing is lyrical, visual, hauntingly beautiful, entrancing.
Books by Geraldine Brooks. My favorite new book this year: Horse. There are many levels of meaning in this book, woven together into a fine masterpiece. Brooks is a versatile writer who makes time travel to distant shores and times sound easy.
How do you deal with Writer’s Block?
Life can intervene. That’s ok. I just had cancer surgery a week ago. I need times when I must be gentle with myself. When at an impasse, I go to some writers I love most and reread my favorite passages and follow the flow of their sentences through a dramatic sequence and try to learn from them. If inspiration doesn’t come quickly, I like to sit in my garden or take a walk. The silliest thing I do is tell the story to my stuffed bear and explain what I want to do in the next scene. By the time I have told him, I often know what to do. I have a very intelligent bear, and he often warns me not to overthink it.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Besides getting an intelligent stuffed bear? Read, read, and read good writers you enjoy. After your enjoyment, take time to analyze why the writing moves you or inspires you or why it makes you smile or cry. Remember 3 p’s: perseverance, passion, and professionalism. It takes perseverance to complete a work and see it through the many steps toward publication. So don’t give up. If you are not passionate about your subject, your reader will not be. And if there is no passion in your main characters, they will not be interesting. Professionalism requires following the rules of submission to the letter, proper language use or having someone help with that, and being attentive and appreciative to those who give you advice, especially if they care enough to give you pointers when you get rejections. There is a fourth p. But you should avoid this one—perfectionism. Maybe Shakespeare wrote the perfect play, but I doubt it. At some point, you must stop the rewriting and editing and send your work out. Perfectionism is an enemy of success.
Thank you, author Karin Cicholas, for your insightful answers!
About the Book
The Lighthouse
Simon is a gifted physician who faces constant danger as a Jew in first-century Egypt under Roman rule.
When Meidias, an escaped convict, declares a “holy” war against Jews and abducts Simon’s sister, Simon’s search for her leads him on a treacherous journey to slave markets in Alexandria and to Jerusalem where a Roman soldier forces Simon to carry a crossbeam for a stranger. Simon is troubled by the stranger’s death but does not know that this moment will change the world forever.
Simon’s passion is Aurelia, inaccessible daughter of a Roman senator. His mission is revenge against the outlaw Meidias. His ambition is justice for his family and his people. His torment is the conflict between his Hippocratic oath and his vow to kill Meidias.
As his medical reputation grows, he comes face to face with prefects and emperors and the poor suffering masses of Alexandria and Rome. Overwhelmed by the plight of his people, he tries to stop what becomes the first pogrom in Alexandria. THE LIGHTHOUSE moves between Egypt and Italy and back to Alexandria. It is a story about family love and loyalty, medical breakthroughs and heartbreaks, and one man’s quest for justice for his people.
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome the author ofBalsamic Moon – Alan Gartenhaus, from Atmosphere Press, for an author interview with The Reading Bud.
About The Author
Alan Gartenhaus served as an educator at the New Orleans Museum of Art and Smithsonian Institution, and as a director of Cornish College of the Arts, in Seattle. A recipient of an Alden B. Dow Creativity Fellowship, he created and was the publishing editor of The Docent Educator magazine. His fiction has appeared in numerous literary journals, including Broad River Review, Entropy Magazine, Euphony Journal (University of Chicago), Ignatian Literary Magazine (University of San Francisco), and the Santa Fe Literary Review. His short stories have been awarded with an “Editor’s Choice” distinction, and been designated a finalist in an international competition for Baby Boomer authors by Living Spring Publishers. His nonfiction has been published by Running Press, Smithsonian Press, and Writer’s Workshop Review.
You can connect with author Alan Gartenhaus here: Author Website
Interview
Welcome to TRB! Please give our readers a brief introduction about yourself before we begin.
Thank you for the welcome and for your interest in my novel, Balsamic Moon.
Balsamic Moon takes place in New Orleans. My undergraduate and graduate degrees are from Tulane University, in New Orleans, and my early working years were spent on staff at the New Orleans Museum of Art. I loved my time in that colorful, diverse, richly textured, and exotic city. It was akin to my “first crush,” the place that still makes my heart race whenever I think of it.
Today, many years later, I am seventy, married, and have lived on the island of Hawaii since 1995. In addition to having created, edited, and published a professional journal for museum educators and docents teaching with art, history, and science collections, I’ve spent much of my Hawaii years farming avocados, breadfruit, grapefruit, oranges, and pineapples. Rather than sell our produce, we’ve donated everything beyond what we consumed to local foodbanks.
Please tell us something about your book other than what we have read in the blurb?
“Balsamic moon” is an astrological term for the final phase of the lunar cycle. It’s considered a dark time of endings, dissolution, and change. I had never heard of a balsamic moon until researching the dates on which the novel takes place and discovered that it occurred during such a lunar phase. The irony of this did not escape me, and ultimately provided the story with its title.
What is that one message that you’re trying to get across to the readers in this book?
To be compassionate and respectful of all people, regardless of how they might differ from you.
Who is your favourite character in this book and why?
I love and care about both of my main characters, but am most fond of Doreen, who struggled to succeed in life, to retain a sense of humor, and to grow despite adverse experiences.
What inspired you to write this book? An idea, some anecdote, a dream or something else?
Perhaps not surprisingly, the inspiration for Balsamic Moon came from watching the experiences and tragedies that befell the citizens of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck, the levees were breached, and floodwaters surged into 80% of the city. Seeing the suffering, the damage, and the ineptitude of our response to the desperation was agonizing. Writing helped me process that pain.
How long did it take you to write this particular book?
I worked on the manuscript for over eleven years, although not consistently. I would write, put it away, and come back to it months later. I reworked the text many times over those years.
What are your writing ambitions? Where do you see yourself 5 years from today?
I want to continue writing both short stories and novels, and hope that my readership, and their interest in my writing, will have grown.
Are you working on any other stories presently?
I am almost always writing––mostly short stories. I am also working on another novel that is presently in an initial, rough draft form.
Why have you chosen this genre? Or do you write in multiple genres?
All storytelling interests me but I am most prolific as a writer of short stories. I have had about twenty short stories published. Several of them are shared on my author website: www.alangartenhaus.com.
When did you decide to become a writer? Was it easy for you follow your passion or did you have to make some sacrifices along the way?
I can barely remember a time when I didn’t write. As a youngster, a neighbor-kid and I used to write science-fiction stories, alternating paragraphs––he, then me, back-and-forth. Since adolescence, I’ve kept journals, written poems, dashed down stream-of-consciousness thoughts, and recorded personal events. I haven’t had to make sacrifices to write; it’s been folded into my life. It is an integral part of who I am.
My focus on writing fiction became more serious when we moved to a very rural environment. In addition to providing me with “imaginary friends” to play with, writing offered a balance to daily chores and the physical rigors of farming.
What is your writing ritual? How do you do it?
I am an early riser, and routinized person. I write most days, after morning exercises and walks, until lunch. If the writing is going well, I continue into the afternoons; if not, I don’t.
How do you prefer to write – computer/laptop, typewriter, dictation or longhand with a pen?
With the exceptions of making notes, or writing a journal entry, both of which are in longhand, all my writing is composed on a laptop.
What are your 5 favourite books? (You can share 5 favourite authors too.)
These are five favorites, not necessarily of all time but that I’ve much enjoyed in the recent past:
Edgar Allan Poe: The Complete Short Stories
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
The Absolutist by John Boyne
How do you deal with Writer’s Block?
I wish I had a magic solution, but don’t. Mostly, I agonize, fret, and take long walks.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Give your work to readers whose opinions you respect. Listen and learn from criticisms; don’t rigidly defend your choices without understanding what has caused a reader to hesitate, question, or have difficulty. Be flexible.
Thank you, author Alan Gartenhaus, for your insightful answers!
About the Book
Balsamic Moon
Within a few short hours, rising floodwaters force next-door neighbors into a desperate fight for survival. Before Hurricane Katrina, neighbors Doreen Williams, an African American single mother, and Richard Girard, a reclusive gay man, were aloof and even suspicious of each other. But when the levees in New Orleans burst, these two are sent scrambling into a cramped attic where, together, they face tests of grueling heat, dwindling supplies, worries about loved ones, and the struggle to keep living. In his novel Balsamic Moon, author Alan Gartenhaus explores the journeys and losses that survivors endure, the courage and persistence required to come through them, and the truth that, when our very survival depends on the formation of ties across differences, our compassion for one another is what makes us feel safe and whole.
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
Author:Emma Grace Release Date: 1st February 2023 Series: Genre: Dystopian Fiction Format: E-book Pages: 210 Publisher: Blurb: Katie Davis has had her whole life planned out for her since birth. She, along with every other citizen of Carcera, is predestined to marry her perfect Match. She knows that she will eventually have two children, and that none of the citizens will never leave the Border, the wall of stone encircling the city. No one could have predicted, however, the harrowing night that forces Katie and her three best friends to flee for their lives only days after their Matching Ceremony. With nowhere to go, Katie and her friends must make impossible choices at every turn. They are faced with life-altering decisions, such as whether or not to join the Underground, a resistance army dedicated to overthrowing Borders. The smaller choices seem just as unfathomable as the larger ones-what to eat for dinner, what to do in their free time, and even what to wear. When their luck begins to run out, they are left with only two options: fight, or die. Match is the first installment of The Matchbook Trilogy.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Match by Emma Grace is an action-packed dystopian novel that will take you on an adventurous and emotions rollercoaster ride. It is the first book in the Matchbook trilogy.
Author Emma Grace has done a fabulous job of creating a realistic and intricate world that pulls in the readers right from the beginning and keeps them thoroughly engaged till the very last page, ending the book on a perfect cliffhanger. This book has rich and well-developed characters and is an excellently plotted novel that is fast-paced and laced with tense and unpredictable twists and turns. Overall, the writing is good and complimented the plot very well.
I would definitely recommend this book to all dystopian fiction fans and fans of elaborate and intrinsic world-building in fantasy novels. This book is a perfect read for anyone wanting to explore a series by a talented new author.
Author:James Bright Release Date: 28th September 2022 Series: Genre: Non-Fiction, Guide, How-to Books, Gardening Format: E-book Pages: 121 Publisher: Heath Publishing Company Blurb: “If I wanted to have a happy garden, I must ally myself with my soil; study and help it to the utmost, untiringly … Always, the soil must come first. — Marion Dudley Cran, the 1st woman gardening broadcaster In Vegetable Garden Soil Science Made Easy, garden fertility and soil science expert James R. Bright draws on many years of cultivating high-yield vegetable gardens to provide you with proven methods that anybody can use to easily set up your garden to grow healthy vegetable crops, even if you have never planted vegetables before, or have limited space and time to grow delicious vegetables, spices, and other gardens delights. As Ms. Cron said in the 1930s, the key to growing a beautiful garden anywhere in the world is maintaining fertile soil, and in this easy-to-understand gardening book, James Bright teaches all gardeners how to understand soil composition, soil testing, PH levels and acidity, soil moisture and soil microbes – and how to manage these vital soil factors each year in your garden, without buying expensive fertilizers or garden tools.
In this straightforward and practical soil maintenance and gardening book, you will learn:
In-depth explanations of all of the most important soil characteristics of high-yielding gardens… and how to optimize your home garden soil to produce the most vegetables with the fewest extra soil additives, fertilizers and chemicals.
Easy step-by-step directions for setting up amazingly productive gardens whether you have a large yard or a limited space, including inexpensive hand-made raised bed gardens and container gardens, as well as how to plant no-dig gardens, the best option for in-ground home gardens.
Seasonal soil maintenance – how to treat soil and your garden after harvest each year to improve soil conditions for the next growing season.
The perfect soil mix for raised bed gardens and container gardens to get the ideal mixture of organic matter for nutrients, moisture retention, and aeration.
Proven soil testing methods to determine the timing and amounts of organic fertilizers, lime, nitrogen, nutrients, or soil microbes to improve soil health and maximize fertility.
How to protect beneficial soil microbes, understand your soil’s ecosystem, and apply this knowledge for bountiful vegetable production.
If you have ever struggled to produce beautiful, healthy fruits and vegetables, the problem is not you – it’s poor soil… and there is a solution. It’s time to start setting up your home garden for success, and years of producing cheap, healthy vegetables, as well providing you with many hours of relaxing outdoor activity and a sense of individual accomplishment, when you save hundreds of dollars in grocery bills and grow your own organic food.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Vegetable Garden Soil Science Made Easy: Create a Soil Base for Abundant Harvests in Your Raised Bed, Container, or No-Dig Garden by James Bright is a marvellous book that teaches about the complicated yet extremely important science of soil in an extremely simple and understandable way.
This book is a practical guide for everyone who likes greenery and wants to grow a vegetable garden in their backyard in small containers, on a terrace garden, or on a farm. This book is an excellent guide for beginners, especially as the author, James Bright, break down complicated concepts into simple-to-understand, bite-sized pieces of information that are not only easily digestible but also very practical to apply and get results.
I’d recommend this book to everyone who wants to have their own vegetable garden, as this book offers a lot of knowledge on the most important element of vegetable gardening: the soil!
Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome Teri M. Brown, the author of An Enemy Like Me for an author interview with The Reading Bud.
About The Author
Teri M. Brown
Born in Athens, Greece as an Air Force brat, Teri M Brown came into this world with an imagination full of stories to tell. She now calls the North Carolina coast home, and the peaceful nature of the sea has been a great source of inspiration for her creativity. Not letting 2020 get the best of her, Teri chose to go on an adventure that changed her outlook on life. She and her husband, Bruce, rode a tandem bicycle across the United States from Astoria, Oregon to Washington DC, successfully raising money for Toys for Tots. She learned she is stronger than she realized and capable of anything she sets her mind to. Teri is a wife, mother, grandmother, and author who loves word games, reading, bumming on the beach, taking photos, singing in the shower, hunting for bargains, ballroom dancing, playing bridge, and mentoring others.
Welcome to TRB! Please give our readers a brief introduction about yourself before we begin.
Hello! I’m Teri M Brown. Besides being a writer, I’m a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. My life hasn’t been easy. I’ve been so poor that I the home I lived in had no central heat or air, and I could see the ground between the floorboards in the living room. I was also married to an emotionally abusive man for 14 years and didn’t want to leave because I didn’t want to be seen as a failure. Now, I’m married to a wonderful man who has helped me understand who I am and what I’m meant to be. However, we found out in June that he has an aggressive form of brain cancer, so my life has taken yet another twist as we navigate this journey together. Despite all of this, I am an optimistic person who honestly believes that everything turns out okay in the end. If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.
Please tell us something about your book other than what we have read in the blurb?
The characters are loosely based on my own family. My grandfather is the soldier, Jacob. My grandmother is Bonnie. My father is William. Although I take liberties with their personalities and stories, anyone that knew them in real life would likely recognize them in the book.
What is that one message that you’re trying to get across to the readers in this book?
We are far more like our enemy than we are different from them. I believe that if we look for similarities rather than focus on our differences, we can rid the world of the hatred that splits us up into opposing groups.
Who is your favorite character in this book and why?
My favorite character is Bonnie because she is a woman ahead of her times. We see a quiet strength in her, and even when she is weak, she eventually rises above it.
What inspired you to write this book? An idea, some anecdote, a dream or something else?
My family is German-American, though we’ve lived in the United States since before the Revolutionary War. My grandfather fought in WWII and ended up in Germany in an area near where our ancestors were from. He rarely talked about the war, but once, when I was a teenager, he said to me, “I always wondered if the person on the other side of the gun was a cousin.” That idea haunted me and became the basis of this book.
How long did it take you to write this particular book?
My writing process is something I call word vomit. I don’t use an outline (also called a pantster), and I tend to find a time to write in which I can truly immerse myself for days (I call this binge writing). As a binge pantster, I try to get my story down from start to finish as quickly as possible. Then I let it sit for a while – a month or two – before going back to make substantial edits. When writing An Enemy Like Me, I did the binge pantster part during a two-week writer’s retreat. I completed the edits during a one-week retreat. After going to my editor, I spent another 60 hours or so making the needed changes.
What are your writing ambitions? Where do you see yourself 5 years from today?
Five years from now, I hope to have another five books out, for a total of seven. My goal is to write a novel a year. I also hope to have finished my book about our tandem bicycle tour, as well as a children’s book that I’ve promised my grandchildren. Finally, although I have written historical fiction to date, my writing is really character-driven fiction. I hope to branch out and write some other genres including something with a bit of fantasy or even a romantic comedy.
Are you working on any other stories presently?
I am currently working on a manuscript about a healer woman in the mountains of North Carolina. I hope to include lots of mountain folklore as well as Cherokee lore, and show what happens to traditions as ‘modern’ advancements take over.
Why have you chosen this genre? Or do you write in multiple genres?
I love historical fiction for two reasons. The first is that I love to do research. I call myself a #researchjunkie. The second is that I have trouble with setting. I wouldn’t do well with the kind of world building often found in full-fledged fantasies or science fiction. With historical fiction, I don’t have to ‘make up’ a setting. I just have to do enough research to help my readers understand what it was like at that time. It’s a perfect genre for me.
When did you decide to become a writer? Was it easy for you to follow your passion or did you have to make some sacrifices along the way?
As a child, I used to tell people that I wanted to be three things. The first was an Olympic ice skater, but for anyone who knows me, this isn’t likely because I’m not terribly coordinated! I also said I wanted to be a brain surgeon. Once again, unlikely because I hate the sight of blood. However, I also said I wanted to be an author.
I wrote a lot as a child and teen. Unfortunately, being a writer was not seen as a worthy occupation by my family. One didn’t go to college to learn to write because being a writer meant you would end up as a server in a restaurant and likely starve to death. So, I went to college getting a major in education and psychology, as well as minors in math and sociology – but I never used any of these directly in an occupation.
After getting married, having four children, and then divorcing, I needed to find a job that allowed me to continue to stay at home and homeschool my children. I began writing for small businesses, helping them create content for the Internet.
Then, I spent 14 years married to an emotionally abusive man. I eventually came to the point of no longer believing in myself or my abilities. I had stories that needed telling, but I believed – and was told – that just because I could write nonfiction didn’t mean I could write fiction.
Once I finally got out of that relationship, the words started to flow. However, I was still too terrified to let the words out into the public. I couldn’t handle the thought of rejection.
In February 2018, I met my current husband. Although I never planned to marry again, he was persistent – and perfectly suited for me. While we dated, he encouraged me to write the manuscript that became my first novel, Sunflowers Beneath the Snow. Then, after we married, we went on our tandem cycling adventure. That adventure changed my life. After those three months doing something well outside my comfort zone and very challenging, I realized that I could do anything I set my mind to.
Six months after returning from the trip, Atmosphere Press accepted the manuscript for Sunflowers Beneath the Snow. And now, my second novel, An Enemy Like Me, is out.
How do you prefer to write – computer/laptop, typewriter, dictation or longhand with a pen?
I am a computer writer all the way. I type very quickly and can keep up with my thoughts. I can’t do that with longhand. Plus, my longhand is very messy, meaning I have trouble deciphering what I wrote later!
What are your 5 favourite books? (You can share 5 favourite authors too.)
I have never liked this question because my favorite books change every time I read something new! So, I will give you some books that have meant something to me over the years.
Over in the Meadow – This was a picture book with a sing-song poem by Olive A. Wadsworth. This is the first book I remember being read to me, and it still brings back happy memories.
Trixie Belden books – Trixie Belden was a girl detective. These books were aimed at readers younger than Nancy Drew. I read them all. Then, I read all of Nancy Drew. And then? I read all of The Hardy Boys because it made me angry that I wasn’t supposed to read the books for boys.
The Grapes of Wrath – This novel by John Steinbeck was the first book I read for something other than pleasure. It was with this novel that I learned that authors often had something they wished to impart to their readers. Learning this changed the way I read books.
1776 – I loved the way David McCullough weaved history as a story. I used 1776 to teach my children American history. Because the facts were part of a story, it made history fun and exciting. His books helped me to become a historical fiction fan.
Harry Potter series – Because my children were interested, I read the books, too. I realized that JK Rowling had the ability to write in a way that intrigued children, teens, and adults. That is a skill I’d love to cultivate.
How do you deal with Writer’s Block?
I don’t believe in writer’s block. When a writer can’t write, I believe it is because there is something else going on that is taking up the creative space in their head. It’s impossible to write if something big or overwhelming is crowding out creativity. The only thing to do is to fix the thing that is ‘top of mind’ or find a way to put it into perspective so that it is no longer in the way. For instance, when I first found out that my husband had brain cancer, I could not write because that was the only thing on my mind. It took up all the free space and crowded out creativity. I can write again, not because there has been a change in his condition, but because I’ve found a way to go on living despite the diagnosis. Cancer is part of our life right now and it has its own space in my head. However, I have far more control over it and when it comes out.
What advice would you give to aspiring non-fiction writers?
I have four things I would tell aspiring writers. The first is to write. Don’t wait for a class or a degree or some specific event to get started. You will never be a writer until you write, so get started now.
The second is that once you have something you feel has merit, let someone you trust – but who will be honest and give you feedback – read it. Then listen to what they have to say. Feedback can be difficult because it can feel like criticism. But you won’t get better at writing if you continue to do the same things over and over without improving.
The third sounds like it contradicts the second but bear with me. You don’t have to listen to everyone’s advice! There is more than one way to write and more than one kind of reader. Listen to suggestions and give them a try, but if they don’t work for you, it’s okay to put them to one side. For instance, I cannot use an outline. I’ve been told it is the “BEST” way to write, but for me, it stifles my creativity. I tried it. It didn’t work. Now? I’m comfortable with being a binge pantser.
Finally, you’re going to have to be more than a writer if you want to sell your books. That means you’ll need to learn marketing. So, before your first book goes to print, learn how to market and get started marketing at least 12 weeks before the launch date.
Here are ways readers can purchase the book and/or get in contact with you?
The easiest way to connect with me is through my website at www.terimbrown.com. In addition to joining my newsletter, where you will get the list of “The 10 Historical Fiction Novels You’ve Never Heard of That Will Bring You to Tears,” you can reach out to me through my contact form and find links to all my social media.
For those who prefer going directly to social media, you can find me here:
Thank you, author Teri M. Brown, for your insightful answers!
Book Trailer
About the Book
An Enemy Like Me
How does a man show his love – for country, for heritage, for family – during a war that sets the three at odds? What sets in motion the necessity to choose one over the other? How will this choice change everything and everyone he loves? Jacob Miller, a first-generation American, grew up in New Berlin, a small German immigrant town in Ohio where he endured the Great Depression, met his wife, and started a family. Though his early years were not easy, Jacob believes he is headed toward his ‘happily ever after’ until a friend is sent to an internment camp for enemy combatants, and the war lands resolutely on his doorstep. In An Enemy Like Me, Teri M Brown uses the backdrop of World War II to show the angst experienced by Jacob, his wife, and his four-year-old son as he left for and fought in a war he did not create. She explores the concepts of xenophobia, intrafamily dynamics, and the recognition that war is not won and lost by nations, but by ordinary men and women and the families who support them.
If you are a fan of historical fiction with a love for heartfelt, introspective war stories, then you’ll enjoy An Enemy Like Me. This emotional saga explores war and its impacts in unique ways that few military fiction novels do.
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
Author:Khalil A. Barnett Release Date: 15th November 2022 Series: Genre: High Fantasy Asian Myths & Legends, Asian Literature Format: E-book Pages: 436 Publisher: Booklocker.com Blurb: A sword & sorcery fantasy novel based on Asian myths & legends. Tulpas, otherwise known as thought-forms, spring first from the imagination, then go on to live lives independent of their creators. And sometimes, they maintain a hostile, even violent, relationship with said creators. No one knows this quite like Coletrane Marx, the only son of an eccentric billionaire archeologist, who one night as a child unwittingly created a tulpa himself; one that visited him in demon form in the middle of the night to murder his parents with a samurai sword.
Forever changed by this trauma, Coletrane grows up to inherit his father’s obsession with archeology and to discover that his unfiltered, childhood imagination created not only this mysterious, cursed samurai named Kojiro, but also an alternate feudal history wherein the strong-willed warrior has his own prophetic story in a world full of mythic creatures, powerful humanoid animal Lords, living deities, and evil Tricksters. A world, Coletrane in addition learns, that will overlap with his own in catastrophic ways if he and Kojiro do not reconcile their dark, shared past and come together as one to stop it.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Kijiro by Khalil A. Barnett is a sword & sorcery fantasy novel based on Asian myths & legends and tells the story of Kojiro, a malignant manifestation of a young child, the son of a billionaire archeologist.
This book is so different from the usual fantasy stories that one reads, especially the popular culture Fantasy books, as most of them draw heavily from Greek and/or Roman legends. But this book was a real treat for me because it is based on Asian mythology and being an Asian myself it was so gratifying to read a story about the culture I could, if not entirely being a South Asian, at least partially, relate to way more than the European fantasy plots. I could feel more connected to the story and especially the motivations of the character and the stakes in the story for them.
I loved the author’s writing style — it had a great flow, making the book seem like a lullaby, albeit dark. The pacing of the novel is spot on and the tension runs tight throughout the story, keeping the readers engaged right from the beginning to the very last page. The concept is phenomenal, the execution fantastic and the overall story extremely captivating and entertaining.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly and would highly recommend it to all readers, especially to all Asian readers to explore this amazing gem.
Author:M. Price Release Date: 28th May 2022 Series: Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Surreal Fiction Format: E-book Pages: 294 Publisher: – Blurb: Jhaegar Holdburn is a forlorn teenage edgelord who constantly attempts suicide and finds himself continually failing due to last second blunders. His desire for death comes from his often frazzled, often incoherent mind and how it fuels the way he’s ostracized by his peers as well as how he’s been made a pariah in the current social climate. At last the opportunity arises, Jhaegar manages to commit suicide using a foolproof method, and after years of despair he finally dies… But not quite… Jhaegar is instead resurrected…as he will always be resurrected. He finds the one thing standing in the way of sweet death is his uncanny inability to truly die and that his suicides result in increasingly stranger and psychedelic realities, irreversibly made worse by his ever deteriorating mind. He discovers the only way to break this cycle of death and rebirth is to uncover the real root of his problems and find his own personal sense of happiness, as well as to unravel the esoteric tangle of his own repressed psyche. But, with his grasp of reality slipping away by the minute, will Jhaegar have time to save himself from his own self-destruction?
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Please Feel Bad I’m Dead by M. Price is a dark contemporary take on teenage mental health issues. This book is about a teen boy whose dark thoughts, and the inhumanity of the world around him, lead his psyche to deteriorate to a point where he wants nothing but to end his life. So he commits suicide only to find that he cannot end his life. Every time he kills himself, he is resurrected.
This book chronicles his journey of trying to kill himself and then resurrecting with an even more deteriorated psyche only to conclude that he would have to face his own demons and explore the depths of his fragile mind which might hold the key for him to understand what is happening and maybe even his happiness.
This book is quite similar to Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, although much darker and with a different concept of resurrection. I would recommend this book to all mental health fiction readers and anyone wanting to explore the surrealism of being trapped in a mind that suffers from acute and clinical depression.
Although be advised this could be a strongly triggering read for people who are sensitive, especially to suicide and depression.
Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome Emma Grace, he author of Match for an author interview with The Reading Bud.
About The Author
Emma Grace
Emma Grace is a lifelong novelist, student, and lover of the outdoors. She is currently pursuing a B.A. in Creative Writing with a Minor in Wilderness Education at SUNY Potsdam, a combination of her two passions, however different they may be.
Emma lives in both northern New York and southern New Jersey, splitting her time while she pursues her degree. The back-and-forth nature of college has allowed her to embrace her love of travel while simultaneously learning to understand her transient characters (who handle change far better than she does). Her parents, sister, and exceptionally spoiled dog are her biggest supporters.
When she isn’t holed up in a library or coffee shop, you can find Emma out in nature, either sunbathing on a rock like a gecko or finding yet another mountain to climb.
Match is Emma’s debut novel. To learn more about the Underground and Katie’s future, visit her website, www.authoremmagrace.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter.
Welcome to TRB! Please give our readers a brief introduction about yourself before we begin.
Hi! My name is Emma, and I’ve been writing for pretty much my entire life. Match is my first novel, which I’m super excited to share with the world! I was born and raised in southern New Jersey (think of farms and big pine trees) but I go to college in super-upstate New York. In fact, my school is so far upstate that it’s not even called upstate—it’s called the north country! I’m a creative writing major and wilderness education minor, and I love spending time outside, whether I’m climbing, hiking, camping, or simply enjoying an afternoon in my trusty hammock. A lot of my best work happens after a day spent outdoors. I’m really excited to share my work with you guys and get to know you, too!
Please tell us something about your book other than what we have read in the blurb?
One of my favorite things about Match is that it’s written in first-person, present tense, which gives it a really intimate feel. The narrator’s name is Katie, and you get to see into her brain and understand why she makes the choices that she does, how she rationalizes them, all those gory details. You also get to see how much she loves her friends Chris, Ava, and Noah. The four of them are exceptionally close, and while the story is narrated through Katie’s POV, they’re really all the protagonists, which is why I simply refer to her as the narrator.
What is that one message that you’re trying to get across to the readers in this book?
First and foremost, I want readers to have a good time. That’s my main goal with writing—produce something enjoyable to share with others. As far as a message goes, I want readers to realize that they’re so much tougher than they think they are. Katie, Chris, Ava, and Noah go through so much together, and a lot of it seems unsurvivable. But at the end of it all, they get through it, and even manage to laugh a little along the way. I want readers to look at the four of them and think ‘wow, if they can get through that, then I can get through whatever I’m dealing with, too.’
Who is your favorite character in this book and why?
Even though Katie narrates this book, I really love Noah, one of her best friends. He’s funny, sweet, and very protective, but in a respectful way. He sees the world in a very black and white way, which sometimes lands him into trouble. There’s a running joke that he and the principle were on a first-name basis when he was younger because he was such a prankster, but they were always pretty harmless because he just wanted to make people laugh, not hurt them. He’s really protective and would go to bat for pretty much anyone without a second thought. He’s just a total doll, and I love writing scenes with him.
What inspired you to write this book? An idea, some anecdote, a dream or something else?
I saw a Tumblr post when I was younger that pretty much said, “what if when you turned 18 you were given this half-heart necklace and your soulmate had the other half, so you had to go on this epic journey to find them?” That really struck me as interesting, and I said, “what if we took that, but made it dark and twisted?” So then I kind of reversed the concept and made it, “your soulmate is already in this town, and the government will tell you who it is by matching up your half-heart necklaces,” which is what prompts my characters to run away. Throw in a resistance military, old family secrets, and the journey of self-discovery, and now you have Match!
How long did it take you to write this particular book?
I started writing Match when I was about 13 and decided to publish right after I turned 20. So technically 7 years, but I would take time away from it to work on other projects or just focus on school (usually work on other projects, like the sequel).
What are your writing ambitions? Where do you see yourself 5 years from today?
I would love to publish Match and its two sequels, and then maybe get more into poetry or general YA. I also plan to go on a lot of adventures in the near future, doing some long-distance hiking, working outdoorsy jobs, etc. I would love to eventually publish a memoir of all of my adventures. In 5 years, I see myself getting ready to settle down somewhere in the Adirondacks, or maybe out in the western U.S. if I find somewhere that captures my heart just as much. I’ve got lots of exploring to do before then, though!
Are you working on any other stories presently?
I’m currently working on the sequels to Match, which are called Spark and Burn. Spark is narrated from Chris’s point of view, which is a really interesting adjustment to make. A lot of Katie’s narration is how my inner monologue sounds, so I have to be very careful and deliberately switch it up for Chris. Burn is from Katie’s point of view again, so it feels more natural to me, which is why Spark is currently getting a lot more of my attention.
Why have you chosen this genre? Or do you write in multiple genres?
I chose YA dystopia because those were my favorite books growing up. The Hunger Games rocked my world—I was so obsessed I wrote fanfiction, braided my hair every day, the works! When I first started Match, I wanted to create something that, if I worked really hard and also got really lucky, would have the same kind of impact. I do dabble in poetry, but only if an idea pops into my head—I try not to force it. Eventually, I’d like to work on a regular YA project that I have in mind, but that’s a ways away!
When did you decide to become a writer? Was it easy for you to follow your passion or did you have to make some sacrifices along the way? (feel free to give us your story, we love hearing author stories!)
I decided I was going to be a writer in the 3rd grade. We had a period in school called “Writer’s Workshop” which was just time to work on stories or poems, kind of whatever we wanted. I liked it so much that I started typing up a story on my mom’s work laptop every night when she got home, and eventually I (with the help of my dad) emailed it to my teacher. The next day in school, she was so excited about it, asking me questions about what happens next (I’d left it on a cliffhanger, which is something I still do). I remember thinking, ‘wow, I really like doing this, and other people really like when I do this, too!’ And that was it, I never looked back. Over the years, other things have taken up more my time and attention, but I always come back to writing.
What is your writing ritual? How do you do it?
My favorite times to write are whenever I feel like I’m stealing words, if that makes sense. In high school, I’d race through a test to have a couple minutes to write; at work, I’d pull up a word document whenever my boss wasn’t looking. Those are the times when I feel the words flow the fastest—when I feel like my writing is a tiny act of rebellion. When I’m not stealing words, I like to head to the library and put some lofi beats on. I usually use noise-cancelling headphones—I call them my “work-mode blanket.” I’ve found that I’m not great at writing at home since that’s primarily my place to relax and rest, although I do enjoy lighting a candle and doing social media work there.
How do you prefer to write – computer/laptop, typewriter, dictation or longhand with a pen?
I really like to write on my laptop—my brain works too fast for me to write longhand! I’m also a leftie, so I end up with pen smudges all over my hand. I would love to get a typewriter someday, but I do tend to make a lot of typos, so we’ll see! Occasionally, I’ll use dictation, especially on a long drive (like the one from NJ to the north country) if I have an idea that just won’t leave me alone.
What are your 5 favourite books? (You can share 5 favourite authors too.)
This is like asking me to choose my 5 favorite friends! Okay, here goes nothing:
The Hunger Games/The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (SO excited for the movie!!!)
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
The Song of Achilles (except I cried so hard that I’ll probably never read it again—I can’t afford to be that dehydrated)
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse
The Sun is a Compass
My favorite authors, however, are a little different:
Suzanne Collins
J.K. Rowling (I don’t agree with her on pretty much everything/I won’t financially support her anymore, but Harry Potter did shape my childhood/desire to write, and I’ll always have a special place in my heart for those books)
Rick Riordan (PJO also shaped my childhood)
Delia Owens (same as JKR—amazing writing, crummy person!)
Madeline Miller
How do you deal with Writer’s Block?
For me, ideas have to kind of fall into my head. They remind me of thunderstorms in July—they appear very suddenly, and then poof, they’re gone. Staring at the sky won’t make a storm appear, and staring at the blank page won’t make an idea show up. I like to stay busy by hiking, climbing, hitting the gym, or hanging out with friends. Funnily enough, reading does not help, because then I end up comparing my writing to whatever I’m reading and then I just feel worse. So, staying busy, keeping my mind and body active, and allowing the ideas to come naturally is my best method for dealing with Writer’s Block. A good cry helps sometimes, too.
What advice would you give to aspiring non-fiction writers?
I would tell aspiring writers to defend themselves fiercely. There are going to be people who doubt you, even in your inner circle. My best advice would be to cut those people out ASAP—not necessarily from your whole life, but definitely from your writing life. Writing is hard, and it’s a process that can be filled with self-doubt. The last thing you need is someone else making it harder for you. Surround yourself with support and positivity, and you’ll realize very quickly how much you and your writing can thrive. You’ve got this—I can’t wait to read your story!
Thank you, author Emma Grace, for your insightful answers!
About the Book
Match
Katie Davis has had her whole life planned out for her since birth. She, along with every other citizen of Carcera, is predestined to marry her perfect Match. She knows that she will eventually have two children, and that none of the citizens will never leave the Border, the wall of stone encircling the city. No one could have predicted, however, the harrowing night that forces Katie and her three best friends to flee for their lives only days after their Matching Ceremony. With nowhere to go, Katie and her friends must make impossible choices at every turn.
They are faced with life-altering decisions, such as whether or not to join the Underground, a resistance army dedicated to overthrowing Borders. The smaller choices seem just as unfathomable as the larger ones-what to eat for dinner, what to do in their free time, and even what to wear. When their luck begins to run out, they are left with only two options: fight, or die.
Match is the first installment of The Matchbook Trilogy.
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome author M. Pricewho’ll be sharing an excerpt from his latest release Please Feel Bad I’m Dead.
About the Book
Please Feel Bad I’m Dead
Jhaegar Holdburn is a forlorn teenage edgelord who constantly attempts suicide and finds himself continually failing due to last second blunders. His desire for death comes from his often frazzled, often incoherent mind and how it fuels the way he’s ostracized by his peers as well as how he’s been made a pariah in the current social climate. At last the opportunity arises, Jhaegar manages to commit suicide using a foolproof method, and after years of despair he finally dies… But not quite… Jhaegar is instead resurrected…as he will always be resurrected. He finds the one thing standing in the way of sweet death is his uncanny inability to truly die and that his suicides result in increasingly stranger and psychedelic realities, irreversibly made worse by his ever deteriorating mind. He discovers the only way to break this cycle of death and rebirth is to uncover the real root of his problems and find his own personal sense of happiness, as well as to unravel the esoteric tangle of his own repressed psyche. But, with his grasp of reality slipping away by the minute, will Jhaegar have time to save himself from his own self-destruction?
Jumpin’ Christ, this is too much work. How do people even get these things loaded?
I’m on nine, but there’s still room for seven more. What? How? Who’s this strong? It’s—ya know, it’s not even about strength, it’s dexterity—but how do others have this dexterity? They’re strong, yeah, but they can’t be that good with their hands. And why do I even care? I only need one. Guess it’s just unrealistic, uh, something standards.
And my thumbs! Already swollen up to shit now. What’s really stupid is people would see this and be like, “Oh, what a loser, he can’t even load it all the way, what a scrawny whi—” —ya know, it’s not always about strength—just not as practiced as others may be in this field and that’s nothing to hold against me. I’m certainly trying something new and isn’t that what everyone wants? What they keep telling me to do? Whatever.
Durkheim posits that neurasthenia has no definite correlation to suicide. Jhaegar Holdburn posits that Durkheim’s a rustic country asshole who doesn’t know anything about me and I’m gonna do whatever I want. Stupid sociology, telling me how to think. Or psychology. Phycology. Something. They’re all the same. Bunch of old white people (which I’m definitely not, by the way).
Oh, my jumpi—forget it. We’re sticking with nine. I don’t have time for this, it’s all just a waste—they’re not gonna check it anyway. Nobody but me has standards in the first place and if they’re all gonna be degenerates, I may as well be, too.
But yeah, I set the gun (pistol?) on my desk. My nerves assault me as I do. What if I miss? I should’ve got the shotgun—I mean, it’ll be Visa’s problem, not mine. Sigh. I never think. This website I saw (name forgotten already) listed all the best (best) ways to (I gotta stop using parenthesis) kill yourself and they listed shotguns with a 99% success rate (“success” and I sure feel bad for that remaining 1%). Gun/pistol was set at I think number three right after cyanide, but it’s like, who has cyanide? And I feel it’s more classical or something this way with a gun/pistol. I’m a man of aesthetics.
I’m just afraid I’ll jerk my head at the last moment and shoot my face off. Or shoot below my brain and just sever my eye connector things—orbiter deals. Or shoot myself in the forehead and hit the wrong lobe. According to that website, it’s actually a lot more difficult than it may initially appear. I really should’ve got the shotgun, but it’s fine. It’s all fine.
Whatever. Step two: Music. I turn on my radio cuz I’m also a rustic country asshole and still own one and put in The Sleepy Jackson’s Personality (One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird). It’s my favorite album and the second track, “Devil in my Yard,” is one of my favorite songs and should queue up by the time I’ve completed the other steps. Their album title also has parenthesis. Double also: I enjoy, “You Won’t Bring People Down in My Town,” but it’s farther down the track list. I was gonna use it in a movie I never made—it was for the part when Mico’s at the dance with all the girls and he dances with all of them in turn during the “na na bu dah” parts but he doesn’t really feel it until the big “na na bu dah” part comes in while Luke’s like—ya know? I’d use the real lyrics, but I’m sure they’d sue my corpse—fine me while I’m in Hell or something—but then the right girl comes on to dance with him even though she’s not actually real and all the lights switch to a new color and they dance and as they dance the camera does this neat thing where it changes the central filmic lens and the girl then becomes the main character of the movie to help illustrate the man having a sexual identity crisis and longing to be a woman but then he dies and like I said she’s the main character until of course she dies and he’s reborn out of her dead body. It was a pretty wild movie. “How Was I Supposed to Know?” is also a great song, but it’s the last one.
Step three: Use the bathroom.
Step four: The Note. One must (wait, isn’t THIS the note?) be careful creating The Note as this’ll be the final messa—well, I’m just trying to get out of a going to a party tonight. Is this worth it at the moment?
Shut up! Yes, yes it is—I was gonna do it anyway, it’s just a convenient coincidence. But The Note, or lack thereof, is important cuz it’s your last chance to blame others—or leave an extreme, yet ambiguous, trail of breadcrumbs about your death to forev—
—A dog just took a shit outside. Is that alright? And she just left! Pick up after your dog, people live here!
Benny’s back of course. Squirrely little squirrel asshole. Always mocking me.
“Dear Benny: Fuck you.”
No, that won’t work. All wrong. How could I put “Dear” in my note? Do I really hold anyone dear? Not really. But what else would I put? Do I have to put anything? “Devil in My Yard” is playing so I don’t have time to lollygag.
Ya know, I’ll put “Deer” instead. The detectives won’t understand cuz Benny’s a squirrel. We’re doing it.
Alright, “Deer…”
…
…
I fucking hate writing. Waste of time—goofy I even have to do this. I rather say nothing, but then people’ll call me selfish. Need a drink of water.
I get said water from the bathroom sink like a real American. An unfortunate side effect of this is that I see myself in the mirror. I’m, uh, six even, hundred eighty pounds of muscle cuz I’m in basketball. Yeah. I’m smokin’. And I’m black…I mean, Black. Well, brown (Brown). Definitely not white. Never white. I’m a woman, too. Latin-American is offensive to me, just letting you know. I’m Chilean Second Generation.
The “Welcome to Chili’s” meme gets stuck in my head. Great. This is what I wanted to think about right now.
“Deer: I hope you’re all doing fine. As you can see by the body in this room: I am not fine.”
Ehh, I can’t use that. That’s stealing from George Carlin…well, the whole idea of this note is stealing from George Carlin, but they won’t know. They don’t listen. I’ll use it and they’ll never see. And if they did, they wouldn’t care. Maybe they like him, too? Maybe it’d make them admire me, they’d find in me a kindred spirit. Plus, what are they gonna do, write me up? I’m dead.
“Deer: I hope you’re all doing fine. As you can see by the body in this room: I am not fine. I’m penning you this notice regarding my death in hopes of bringing to light my decisions (not that you could ever hope to understand HahHahHahHahHah). Luke Steele’s an underrated singer who—”
—Piss! My thoughts interrupted my writing again! Gotta start over. Do I have enough paper for this? Oh well, I’ll quick get this thought out before I write again: Luke Steele, the main singer guy, has his other band, Empire of the Sun, right? They rushed their third album, like SO hard. That kind of stuff disappoints people. You get these expectations and
This is my fault
Shut up! It’s fine. Just get the note, get the note, get the note, get the—
—I sneeze. I have a cold, I guess. It’s not ideal, but it’ll have to do. We all make the best of our situations. See? I’m always told I’m not very positive. Clearly wrong. I am quite positive (double meaning!).
When one leaves behind a suicide note, the detective people take it in and examine it to see if I was murdered. Nirvana fans still think Cobain was murdered—not all Nirvana fans, I understand this, just some—but he wasn’t murdered. Kurt definitely killed himself. I wonder if it’s better that he did? The whole message they were giving wouldn’t have really worked with a band of forty-year-olds…and at least he knew commercialization with appeal to a larger audience ultimately kills true art…or maybe he wanted to die. Doesn’t matter thinking about it now, he’s dead and—
—He used a shotgun! I should’ve got the shotgun!
Christine Chubbuck lived for like fifteen hours after she shot herself. I don’t want that, that’s nuts! She severed the eye thingy—the orbiter!—she shot too low. I won’t make that mistake. Have to learn from others. Thanks Christine, for all you did for us. Is it alright if I call you “Christine?”
I ditch the note. Simply not practical. I’ve been writing (attempting) for a time now, so long in fact I’m actually approaching, “You Won’t Bring People Down in My Town.” This is either an unforeseen boon, a, uh, or—people always wanna do things in threes. There’s actually only one in this situation. You won’t see a false second and third from me. Terrorists don’t win this time.
But yeah, people’ll just have to deal with it. They don’t care anyway. I reset the album back to the beginning. I take my gun/pistol off my desk, slip into bed, a
I’m sorry
Jhaegar! Stop! Just do it already!
I prime or whatever-it-is the gun/pistol. Harder than it looks. Daniel Craig just snaps it back like a badass. It’s more of a strained yank for me. I always wanted to make a James Bond movie cuz I have an old ex-friend who loved James Bond and I know he’d go nuts. He ruins my friendship, I ruin his movie. It’s the least I could do.
I sneeze again. Man, this cold. Suddenly, I get the impression I’m a Manchurian candidate. What? What even is that? Does that relate to my cold?
“Devil in My Yard” comes on. Now’s my chance. I decide to leave a mental suicide note. Wait, weren’t there more steps? Never mind. “Deer everyone: it’s my life and I love it, I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask, uh…I won’t ever ask…or tell, I guess.” It’s alright to copy that, people too busy playing Bioshock instead.
I hold the barrel underneath my chin. Sigh, too unreliable…I hold it to my temples. The eye thingies! I raise it higher. I don’t know how much is right! I try my forehead! It’s hard to aim this way! Do I have sufficient finger strength?! Finger dexterity?!?!
Luke’s almost done! Piss on it all, I hold the gun/pistol back underneath my chin and pull the—
—I sneeze.
***
I wake up in the hospital.
Piss…
Or maybe it’s just a hospital-like Heaven or Hell? Whether this is worse or better, I cannot yet determine.
If Charlie Kaufman directed this scene from my life and/or death, the lights would be flickering and there’d be cockroaches everywhere. That’s called Expressionism, ya know? Expressionist filmmaking. Not about how something is, but how something feels. But Kaufman didn’t direct this, some dime a dozen studio “Filmmaker” did. And no, I’m not gonna attack Marvel right now (though I should). Rather, I must investigate.
My mystery finds itself quickly solved. I discover several thick bandages covering my right ear—this is the same moment I realize I can no longer hear anything out of my right ear.
I sigh.
***
I sigh just a bit harder as I sneak back inside my house. God knows what would happen if my Mom saw this. The Doctor told me she’d (cuz not all doctors are men mind you!) let me off with a warning which I found rather strange. An attendant at the door then told me to, “Please come visit us again!” Real, real strange.
Some blood trickles past my bandages. A soft pang (right word?) in my heart gives me a tad of insight into what it must be like being a woman. At least maybe? I’m a woman sometimes—but not at the moment, so my prior knowledge is null. I wipe the trickle with a store brand facial tissue and remind myself to never wear white again and then chastise myself for reminding me now cuz it won’t really matter unless I remind myself at the next instance I’ll be pressured to wear white. No barnyard weddings in the coming weeks I can think of so I should be fine. I can’t stand those barnyard girls. Quirky culture’s dead.
I get a drink of water and, well, you know me, it leads me to the bathroom sink and I see my new reflection. These bandages put a damper on my appearance. Jumpin’ Christ, they’re gonna call me “Hijab Holdburn” now. I take off the bandages.
I see my NEW new look.
I put the bandages back on.
“Hijab Holdburn” isn’t that bad. Maybe it’ll make people think I’m Middle Eastern? But Middle Eastern is the one that hasn’t really risen up the social tiers yet, they’re still kinda open season. Not like Black. Black is set. Black is good to go. Is there a Black sounding nickname I could get from this? I only see Middle Eastern or Latinx—Latino—Latin—La—whatever. I don’t know, I just have to stop being white.
The “Suicide Checklist” I keep on my wall mocks me (it’s the several items already crossed out). Jumping off the roof just hurt my legs and apparently I have a preternatural immunity to sleeping pills, et cetera, et cetera. I grab a pen and cross out, “Fucking shoot yourself.” You got me this time, Life, but next time I swear I’ll win. This pride dissipates as there’s nothing left on my list to try.
I recall that party is still on tonight and I, quite well alive, must attend.
Super sigh. I regret not putting all sixteen bullets in the clip. That probably would’ve added the required weight to stop the gun from jerking so hard.
About The Author
M. Price
M. Price may or may not live in the American Midwest. If one should find Price walking alone in the park, please feel free to leave Price alone. Some people say Price is something, but others say Price is definitely not (but defiantly yes), and whether it can really be known, who can know? All we know now is that you will never get this time back. M. Price’s favorite pizza is pineapple (not Hawaiian as Canadian bacon is for the Goys (Hilary Hahn’s favorite pizza is pepperoni (or so I’ve been informed))). STONKS.
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author M. Price on The Reading Bud for his upcoming bookPlease Feel Bad I’m Dead.
About The Author
M. Price
M. Price may or may not live in the American Midwest. If one should find Price walking alone in the park, please feel free to leave Price alone. Some people say Price is something, but others say Price is definitely not (but defiantly yes), and whether it can really be known, who can know? All we know now is that you will never get this time back. M. Price’s favorite pizza is pineapple (not Hawaiian as Canadian bacon is for the Goys (Hilary Hahn’s favorite pizza is pepperoni (or so I’ve been informed))). STONKS.
Jhaegar Holdburn is a forlorn teenage edgelord who constantly attempts suicide and finds himself continually failing due to last second blunders. His desire for death comes from his often frazzled, often incoherent mind and how it fuels the way he’s ostracized by his peers as well as how he’s been made a pariah in the current social climate. At last the opportunity arises, Jhaegar manages to commit suicide using a foolproof method, and after years of despair he finally dies… But not quite… Jhaegar is instead resurrected…as he will always be resurrected. He finds the one thing standing in the way of sweet death is his uncanny inability to truly die and that his suicides result in increasingly stranger and psychedelic realities, irreversibly made worse by his ever deteriorating mind. He discovers the only way to break this cycle of death and rebirth is to uncover the real root of his problems and find his own personal sense of happiness, as well as to unravel the esoteric tangle of his own repressed psyche. But, with his grasp of reality slipping away by the minute, will Jhaegar have time to save himself from his own self-destruction?
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
Author:Teri M Brown Release Date: 24th January 2023 Series: Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Generational Fiction Format: E-book Pages: 328 Publisher: Atmosphere Press Blurb: How does a man show his love – for country, for heritage, for family – during a war that sets the three at odds? What sets in motion the necessity to choose one over the other? How will this choice change everything and everyone he loves? Jacob Miller, a first-generation American, grew up in New Berlin, a small German immigrant town in Ohio where he endured the Great Depression, met his wife, and started a family. Though his early years were not easy, Jacob believes he is headed toward his ‘happily ever after’ until a friend is sent to an internment camp for enemy combatants, and the war lands resolutely on his doorstep.
In An Enemy Like Me, Teri M. Brown uses the backdrop of World War II to show the angst experienced by Jacob, his wife, and his four-year-old son as he leaves for and fights in a war he did not create. She explores the concepts of xenophobia, intrafamily dynamics, and the recognition that war is not won and lost by nations, but by ordinary men and women and the families who support them.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
An Enemy Like Me by Teri M Brown is a beautiful historical fiction novel that tells the story of Jacob Miller and how being a true patriot brings him face-to-face with a truth that can shatter anyone’s world: that he is more similar to the enemy that he’d been fighting with than the people he was fighting for. An Enemy Like Me is a beautiful exploration of 2nd, 3rd and even 4th generation immigrants who face discrimination based on their looks, family origins, accent, etc. albeit in different intensity at different times in history.
This story is about a soldier who is trying his best to fight for the country he currently lives in, yet battling emotions, imagining that his previous generations were part of the country that he was fighting with and how this has a profound impact on him. This book also explores the perspective on war from different generational views, providing readers insights into how different people, at other points in time, think about the same historic events and issues that had a great impact on their lives.
An Enemy Like Me explores a lot of themes which will resonate with most readers of historical, literary fiction and war fiction genres. So I’d like to recommend it to all the readers as this book has a lot to offer to all of its readers.
Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author M. Price for their latest release, Please Feel Bad I’m Dead.
Please Feel Bad I’m Dead
Book: Please Feel Bad I’m Dead Author: M. Price Publication date: 28th May 2022 Genres: Literary Fiction and Satire Page Count: 294 Publisher: Amazon/KDP
About Please Feel Bad I’m Dead
Jhaegar Holdburn is a forlorn teenage edgelord who constantly attempts suicide and finds himself continually failing due to last second blunders. His desire for death comes from his often frazzled, often incoherent mind and how it fuels the way he’s ostracized by his peers as well as how he’s been made a pariah in the current social climate. At last the opportunity arises, Jhaegar manages to commit suicide using a foolproof method, and after years of despair he finally dies…
But not quite…
Jhaegar is instead resurrected…as he will always be resurrected. He finds the one thing standing in the way of sweet death is his uncanny inability to truly die and that his suicides result in increasingly stranger and psychedelic realities, irreversibly made worse by his ever deteriorating mind. He discovers the only way to break this cycle of death and rebirth is to uncover the real root of his problems and find his own personal sense of happiness, as well as to unravel the esoteric tangle of his own repressed psyche.
But, with his grasp of reality slipping away by the minute, will Jhaegar have time to save himself from his own self-destruction?
“William Faulkner, Thomas Pynchon, John Ashbery, Virginia Woolf, David Foster Wallace–all are fascinating writers but hard to follow. M. Price’s PLEASE FEEL BAD I’M DEAD feels like a candidate for this abstruse club.”
– IndieReader
“The book is a whirlwind experience of an imploding mind…PLEASE FEEL BAD I’M DEAD by M. Price invites the reader to explore in-between spaces. The often blurred lines of sanity and illness, the void of daily dialogues, the societal gaps which engulf misfits, and whatever lies between life and death.”
– Bestsellers World
About The Author
M. Price
M. Price may or may not live in the American Midwest. If one should find Price walking alone in the park, please feel free to leave Price alone. Some people say Price is something, but others say Price is definitely not (but defiantly yes), and whether it can really be known, who can know? All we know now is that you will never get this time back. M. Price’s favorite pizza is pineapple (not Hawaiian as Canadian bacon is for the Goys (Hilary Hahn’s favorite pizza is pepperoni (or so I’ve been informed))). STONKS.
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
Author: Matthew Levine Release Date: 9th November 2022 Series: Genre:Children’s Humorous Literature, Short Stories collection, Children’s Humor Format: E-book Pages: 20 Publisher: – Blurb: A short story for youth of all ages with humor adults might enjoy about a clumsy Pterodactyl that befriends a sad teenage girl on a San Francisco bus. Contain discussion questions for students at the end.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
A Pterodactyl Named Kahoutek by Matthew Levine is a beautifully written book with an equally beautiful and important message that is delivered adeptly using humour and amazing imagery.
This book is a very short read, but the message it offers to its readers is way broader than the confines of this book as it applies to everyone, universally. The author had done an amazing job of sharing some very important life lessons with great moral value using simple language and a very interesting story that is brought to life with well-developed characterisation.
I would strongly recommend this book to all children and adult readers alike because it has something to offer to all its readers.
Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome the author ofMe and My Shadow: Memoirs of a Cancer Survivor – John Walker Pattison, for an author interview with The Reading Bud.
About The Author
John Walker Pattison
John Walker Pattison was born in the wonderful seaside town of South Shields 65 years ago. He is a dedicated Newcastle United supporter since 1969 when he took his steps through the clackerty clack of the turnstiles at St James Park; however, there is little doubt that the crucial hinge in John’s life is his beautiful wife, June. “Nothing is more important than family,” says John. He retired from his post as a senior clinical nurse specialist and head of service in haematology at his local hospital, partially due to his chronic illnesses as a consequence of the salubrious chemotherapy and radiotherapy he received decades ago, this being the same hospital that established his cancer diagnosis almost 50 years earlier; at that time his parents were told that he would not survive, yet here he is today, humbled to be one of the longest living cancer survivors in the UK. He has written dozens of articles for national and international nursing and medical press-presented lectures the length and breadth of the country on many aspects of haematology and cancer management. He is honoured to have won numerous awards both locally and nationally for his work in haematology.
However, Pattison knows that being one of the longest cancer survivors is his greatest achievement. John Walker Pattison recently completed his memoirs, ‘Me, and My Shadow – memoirs of a cancer survivor’ and which was published on 31 st October 2022. In addition, following the completion of his memoirs and in retirement he is now focusing on children’s fiction. John declares, “I have always been an elasticated Grandpa – relaying exaggerated stories to my grandchildren for many years.” These unbelievable tales are now the basis for his children’s books. In 2021, his inaugural title, ‘Strange Trips and Weird Adventures’ was published, as part of a series of adventures of Daniel and Papa. ‘Blenkinsop Blabbermouth and the Ghost of Broderick McCaffery,’ is due to be published on 16 th December 2022, ‘The Fastest Water Pistol in Splodge City’ has a target publication date of May 2023 and the fourth title, ‘The Kingdom of Huckleberry Jam,’ is likely to be released late 2023. Meanwhile, Lunar von Buella the Mystical Mouse from Missoula is a work in progress. Pattison enjoys the solitude and escapism of fly fishing and photographing Native Americans. More significantly, he found solace throughout his cancer journey in the history, and spirituality of the Lakota Sioux Nation. In 2018, he would spend time on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with the indigenous people of South Dakota, the people who, unknowingly, supported him through his, and life’s greatest challenge, cancer.
Welcome to TRB! Please give our readers a brief introduction about yourself before we begin.
I am 65 years young, married to June and live in an old Victorian house, built in 1867 in South Shields. South Shields is nestled on the north east coast of England and is our home. We have three daughters and four grandchildren, all living locally, “Nothing is more important than family.” I left school with a handful of worthless qualifications and started working life as a welder in a local shipyard. Early in life, my aim was to join the Royal Navy, however, when cancer gripped my life in a deathly stranglehold, that goal was lost. In 1997 I returned to college to get the qualifications required to start my nurse training.
Please tell us something about your book other than what we have read in the blurb?
My book, ‘Me and My Shadow – memoirs of a cancer survivor’ had a number of high profile celebrities ready to write a foreword. However, I decided not to offer any of them that opportunity as I wanted the book to stand on its own merits. I did not want to be seen to be relying on a celebrity in order to raise the book’s profile as I believe the three-dimensional and inspirational story, will stand up to scrutiny and critique. I am honoured to reveal that his Royal Highness King Charles III has a copy of ‘Me and My Shadow -memoirs of a cancer survivor.’
Why did you choose this particular theme for your book? What is that one message that you’re trying to get across to the readers in this book?
Inspiration! I felt passionately that not only should my unique story be heard but, that it would offer inspiration and hope to anyone in society, but especially to anyone touched by a cancer diagnosis. Statistically, 1 in 2 of the population will get a cancer diagnosis at some point in their lives, a scary thought. Each and every one of us knows someone, friend, relative or loved one who has been affected by the scourge of society, cancer. Everyday makes me realise how fortunate I am, humbled at being one of the UK’s longest cancer survivors at almost fifty years post diagnosis. But, it is not just my story – the fact that my parents, way back in 1978 after 3 years of treatment and multiple relapse’s, were told that I would not survive is a blessing in itself. Yet eight years after my unexpected recovery, my daughter was diagnosed with terminal leukaemia – like her father she too would unexpectedly survive, going on to become an international swimmer, gaining two silver medals at the ‘World Swimming Championships’ in New Zealand in 1998. However, the third aspect of this three dimensional chronicle details my return to college and then a subsequent meteoric rise to the top of the clinical nursing ladder, becoming a haematology nurse consultant at my local hospital, the same place that made my cancer diagnosis decades earlier and where I would prescribe chemotherapy and break bad news diagnosis to individuals with the same cancers as my daughter and myself.
What inspired you to write this book? An idea, some anecdote, a dream or something else?
When, last year I retired due to chronic long term illness due to the salubrious chemotherapy, I just felt compelled to share my story
How long did it take you to write this particular book?
Although the story is almost fifty years in the making; the actual writing of the book took around six month. This did not include the time I spent requesting, then gaining access to my medical records in order to ensure I transcribed the correct chronological order of the many treatments I received. Occasionally, my memory would recall the many thoughts of my journey and, often during the middle of the night, when this happened, I had no other option than to get up, and start writing. Even today, after publication, there are one or two anecdotal stories that were not included in the book because I simply did not recall them.
What are your writing ambitions? Where do you see yourself 5 years from today?
At the risk of sounding blasé, I would hope to be sitting on a best seller, delivering inspiring author talks to patient groups, health care professionals and any other reader groups that are prepared to listen. I have also played around with the idea of a follow up chronicle, so that would not be beyond the realms of possibility. Ultimately, in response to the question and with total sincerity, I will settle for just being around in five years.
Are you working on any other stories presently?
Yes, my fifth children’s book, ‘Lunar von Buella the Mystical Mouse from Missoula.’
Do you also dabble in Fiction?
I certainly do, following retirement I wanted to keep active and, being an elasticated Grandpa I decided to write children’s fiction. I have always told my grandchildren about the adventures I have undertaken during my past years; such as, the time I climbed Mount Everest barefoot and captured the Abominable snowman, before letting him go again or, the time I built a sherbet fuelled rocket and blast off to Jupiter or, the time I won the world’s greatest steeplechase, the ‘Grand National’ on donkey called slowcoach or, my fights with lions, tigers and salt water alligators during the time I spent in the jungle teaching Tarzan how to survive or, the time I saved the King of England from being robbed of the crown jewels by masked robbers when I squirted them with salad cream and, the stories go on. I published ‘Strange Trips and Weird Adventures’ in 2021 and this was followed by ‘Blenkinsop Blabbermouth and the Ghost of Broderick McCaffery’ only this month. My third title, ‘The Fastest Water Pistol in Splodge City’ is on target for publication in May 2023 after which time I will submit the fourth title called ‘The Kingdom of Huckleberry Jam.’ As highlighted in a previous question, I am currently working on ‘Lunar von Buella the Mystical Mouse from Missoula.’
When did you decide to become a writer? Was it easy for you to follow your passion or did you have to make some sacrifices along the way? (feel free to give us your story, we love hearing author stories!)
Following my retirement, my wife suggested my elasticated stories would make good reading for children. I therefore, set about formulating a series of adventures of Daniel (my grandson) and his best friend Papa (me). Despite having never written a book previously, I decided the key ingredients should be intrigue, escapism and a splattering of magic, leading the child to feel as though they are participating in the adventure themselves. Ultimately, I think all children’s authors will agree that we are all children in a part of our hearts and I believe we never lose that childlike sense of fantasy and adventure. In that respect, I am no different to anyone else. It is that fantasy imagination that allows me to conjure up my stories.
What is your writing ritual? How do you do it?
To be honest, I do not have a specific writing ritual. Like most writers, there are times when the thoughts and ideas are free flowing. But, of course there are many times when I come up against the inevitable wall. In that situation, as I am extremely lucky to live on the North East coast of England, I can simply walk out of the door, stroll along a beach or, amble through a serene park and often a sudden splurge of ideas will enter my mind. I tend to try and write a little each morning, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Do you believe in Writer’s Block? If you do, how do you overcome it?
I don’t think writer’s block as an entity is real, some authors, of course, will disagree and that’s fine. Admittedly, there are times when you struggle to find the vocabulary needed to further your work. But, at the outset of your project, you have a direction and a route map of how that work will progress. You know how you want the work to flow, so it’s not unusual to find that ideas dry up. But, I feel it is important to realise that if it were as easy as just writing and writing without the occasional stoppage or the need to gather your thoughts, redirect the project, and perhaps even make a major change to the story, then everyone would be an author. It is of course important to recognise this and put the pen down (or remove your fingers from the keyboard) and do something else for a few hours, possibly a few days. I have, certainly when writing children’s fiction left my work for up to three weeks. What is significant is, that eventually, you will continue the thread from where you left it.
Is writing your profession or do you work in some other field too?
I guess as I retired from my senior cancer nursing post last year, yes, writing would now be considered my profession.
Can you recommend a book or two based on themes or ideas similar to your book? (You can share the name of the authors too.)
That’s an easy one and relates to my memoirs, ‘Me and My Shadow.’ My inspiration during the difficult challenges of cancer treatment and the ultimate psychological battle I faced; was the history and spirituality of the Lakota Sioux nation. Early in my diagnosis I read ‘Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee’ by Dee Brown, a history of the indigenous people of America and their oppression and how they were almost destroyed beyond recovery. Yet their strength, pride and humility were such an enormous inspiration to me that eventually, I would spend time on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota with the Lakota people who unknowingly supported me through life’s greatest challenge, a cancer diagnosis. In addition, as a children’s author I have no hesitation in suggesting any book written by Julia Donaldson, in my view a phenomenal once in a life time innovative children’s author.
How do you deal with Writer’s Block?
I tend to put my work to one side, just go for a walk, or, pick up my camera and head out to seek stimulation and a thought that will allow me to continue. I have always believed that simply sitting (in a park for example) and watching the world go by, observing peoples mannerism, their interactions or listening and watching nature will yield thought provoking ideas. Alternatively, it is not unusual for me to leave my work alone for a few days.
What advice would you give to aspiring non-fiction writers?
Decide what you are going to write, be true to yourself. Make plenty of notes (I still write long-hand before transcribing to the PC). Write from the heart but do not be afraid to re-write where necessary. Re-writes are almost always inevitable. You must be your own critic but be prepared to accept criticism from others. Remember, family members are not always the best people to offer a critique as they are clearly bias in your favour. Join author forums and seek advice from your peers. I tend to structure my projects, deciding in advance what each chapter will contain, but it is not written in concrete and can and often does change, but it gives me a framework.
Thank you, author John Walker Pattison, for your honest and insightful answers!
About the Book
Me and My Shadow
Me and My Shadow – memoirs of a cancer survivor, is a brutally honest account of one teenager’s struggle to understand and deal with the most feared diagnosis known to society: cancer. At 18 years of age, John Walker Pattison was thrust onto a roller coaster ride of emotional turbulence – his innocence cruelly stripped from him; his fate woven into the tapestry of life. After years of failed chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments that ravaged his physical frame and almost destroyed his psychological stability – his parents were told that he would not survive. Yet, today, he is one of the longest surviving cancer patients in the UK. Eight years after his unexpected recovery, the news that all parents fear, his daughter is diagnosed with terminal leukaemia. Yet like her father, she too would defy the odds and go on to become an international swimmer. Pattison turned his life full circle and became a cancer nurse specialist at the same hospital that made his diagnosis decades earlier. He prescribes chemotherapy and cares for individuals with the same cancers experienced by both him and his daughter.
Throughout his journey, Pattison’s inspirations were the space rock legends, Hawkwind. He would get to play on stage with his heroes at the Donnington Festival in 2007. More significantly, he found solace throughout his cancer journey in the history and spirituality of the Lakota Sioux Nation. In 2018, he would spend time on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with the indigenous people of South Dakota. The same people who, unknowingly, supported him through life’s greatest challenge: cancer.
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
Author: John Walker Pattison Release Date: 29th October 2022 Series: Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction Format: E-book Pages: 233 Publisher: – Blurb: Me and My Shadow – Memoirs of a Cancer Survivor is a brutally honest account of one teenager’s struggle to understand and deal with the most feared diagnosis known to society: cancer. At 18 years of age, John Walker Pattison was thrust onto a roller coaster ride of emotional turbulence – his innocence cruelly stripped from him; his fate woven into the tapestry of life. After years of failed chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments that ravaged his physical frame and almost destroyed his psychological stability – his parents were told that he would not survive. Yet, today, he is one of the longest surviving cancer patients in the UK.
Eight years after his unexpected recovery, the news that all parents fear, his daughter is diagnosed with terminal leukaemia. Yet like her father, she too would defy the odds and go on to become an international swimmer. Pattison turned his life full circle and became a cancer nurse specialist at the same hospital that made his diagnosis decades earlier. He prescribes chemotherapy and cares for individuals with the same cancers experienced by both him and his daughter. Throughout his journey, Pattison’s inspirations were the space rock legends, Hawkwind. He would get to play on stage with his heroes at the Donnington Festival in 2007. More significantly, he found solace throughout his cancer journey in the history and spirituality of the Lakota Sioux Nation. In 2018, he would spend time on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with the indigenous people of South Dakota. The same people who, unknowingly, supported him through life’s greatest challenge: cancer.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Me and My Shadow: Memoirs of a Cancer Survivor by John Walker Pattison is a gut-wrenching, eye-opening and heart-melting read from the author who shares his experience of not only living with cancer but also overcoming it, having been through seeing his daughter having it and seeing her overcome it. This book is an emotional roller-coaster of ups and downs that the author had experienced throughout his life, since his teenage years when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
This book serves as s tremendous source of information and inspiration because it has a lot to offer to all its readers. The emotional turmoil in the book conveys the hardships and predicaments that the author had to suffer many times in his life and makes the readers connect with the author on completely another level.
This book would be best for anyone suffering from cancer or any other terminal illness, a survivor of one, or the family member of anyone suffering from a terminal illness or anyone really who wants to read about how it feels to be stuck in such a situation and yet not to lose hope and in fact come out of it stronger. Really, everyone should give this book a read as there are so many takeaways for each reader in this book.
Author:Jessica Jane Robinson Release Date: 2018 Series: Genre: Graphic Novel, High Fantasy, Superhero Fiction Format: E-book Pages: 38 Publisher: Resilience Birthright, Inc Presents Blurb: On the last day of the existence of her planet, Queen Filoli Vitae, the last of the Evolusarians, is hiding in Mount Altis with her newborn baby daughter only a few hours old, whom she has yet to name. She is levitating in the air holding her child as tears stream from her eyes. With each tear that falls a memory releases; a memory of how her planet and kingdom, Terravitae, fell to destruction with her husband, King Asim. Her life flashes before her eyes, memories of how she became exiled from her home and now in hiding to protect the life of her daughter, the one prophesied to stop the evil force that is destroying her planet and threatens all life within the universe.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Origins of Resilience by Jessica Jane Robinson is a graphic novel about the birth of an environmental superheroine who will take your breath away and turn you into a fan!
This book is beautifully conceptualised, has a sound foundation and an excellent plot (albeit a bit similar to Superhero). I enjoyed reading the storyline because it had a great flow and felt extremely engaging and exciting. The tension was tight and kept the pacing really strung up through the entire book.
The illustrations are excellent, and I loved them. They could have been a little spread out, giving the book a cleaner look. But apart from this, I did not have any complaints at all. The dialogues were good, and the characterisation felt well-developed. I hope this series continues and we get to read more about Terravitae and the prophesied daughter of Queen Filoli Vitae and King Asim.
As the year 2023 rolls in, I have decided, after many a setback, to be more careful while using my cards, especially credit cards. Credit cards are the black holes of the financial world; everyone knows what they are, but very few people actually know everything there is to know about them.
I won’t be getting into the nitty-gritty of credit cards and all there is to know about them as I am no financial expert (not even by any proverbial stretch of the imagination!) I am merely an artist, trying to live off my art and striving to not drown under the debts incurred because of the rates of interest because of my credit card bills!
So as someone who uses credit cards regularly (Way more than I probably should) I have resolved to be wise while using my credit cards in the coming year.
5 Ways To Use Credit Cards Wisely In The Coming Year
1. Spend within your means
Overspending while using a credit card is an extremely easy and alluring trap to fall into because the money is RIGHT THERE! But wait, is it really?! That money is not there, it is the money that you will pay in the FUTURE! So you are actually spending the money you do not have right now. But the illusion is pretty solid, and that’s what the credit card system is based on. So be smart and spend only where necessary and do NOT spend beyond your means at any cost.
2. Understand the terms of use properly
Let’s face it, no one, at least no one who is not a financial genius, can fully understand what credit card terms really are. So be vigilant and try to understand as much as you can. Ask the guy at the bank, do your own research online as well as by asking friends in the finance sector and by doing some extra legwork because, in the end, it would pay off really well as the knowledge would be with you for life and hopefully, you’d pass it on to your kids and other family members too.
Trust me when I say people are surprisingly ignorant of how credit cards really work and keep on paying without ever fully realising what are their rates of interest at all!
3. Maintain a separate budget
Maintaining a budget sheet is always advisable. Nothing complex, just a basic one where you can see everything that you spend so that you are aware of where your money is going. One dedicated to your credit card will help you keep a score and an eye on what’s really going on without having to rely on the monthly statements.
You can use a simple calculator too to help you create a budget and calculate the interest rates as per your credit card terms like thisone. But remember to keep it simple because you just want to be aware in order to not spend beyond your means and not get lost in the technical hoo-ha of the credit card’s financial system.
4. Make payments & repayments on time
Make payments and repayments on time. In fact, if possible, make them before time. Not only will it save you the hassle of avoiding the late fee, but it will also help you in maintaining or even improve your credit score. Set a reminder on your phone and make those payments on time or before and successfully ditch the charges and the negative impact the score can have on your overall financial health.
5. Be wary of the subscriptions
I call subscriptions a big TRAP because that’s what they are. This year alone, I spent over $500 in subscriptions without even realizing I spent so much on them!
Netflix, Buzzsprout, Zoom, WordPress, Audible, Prime, Disney Hotstar, and a couple hundred other OTTs, cable TV, a couple of writing mags and software, online newspapers and ebook websites and BOOM! I was paying so much that I felt so crippled when my brother, who is a finance graduate, pointed it out to me. So now. I am off half of those and have paid for them in yearly bills to save on the monthly subscriptions.
So in these 5 ways, you can use credit cards wisely in the coming year and be in a better place both financially and mentally.
I hope you’ll find these tips helpful. Do you like using credit cards and the ease they provide, or are you sceptical of them and try to avoid them at any cost?
Please share your experiences regarding credit card usage in the comments below as I’d love to hear your experiences too!
Author:Lainey Dee Release Date: 29th August 2022 Series: Genre: Children’s Fiction Format: E-book Pages: 23 Publisher: ShieldCrest Publishing Blurb: Todd is different from all the other animals -with the head of a bird, the tummy of a bear and the legs of a tiger and he feels he doesn’t quite fit in anywhere! His family love him dearly but it’s hard for him to make friends. During a visit to his grandmother’s, Todd express’s his concern and she tells him: ‘It’s okay to be different’. Instilled with new confidence he sets out for the Friday Club, a place where all the animals gather and socialise with their friends. Will he find the courage to face his fears and embrace his differences? He might be surprised to find some friends along the way! More importantly can he learn to accept himself?
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Let’s Celebrate Being Different by Lainey Dee is a brilliant children’s book that touches upon the important topic of accepting oneself the way one is and how it affects and helps the surrounding people accept them too. The concept of self-acceptance is beautifully illustrated in this book through the protagonist, Todd, who is unlike any other animal. The author had done an excellent job in bringing forth his doubts and fears about being different and then having his grandmother helping him encourage him to accept himself for his identity and to be okay with who or what he is.
This book has a beautiful message and a very well-structured story that demonstrates the problems faced by most children, especially children who are not like others in any way. The illustrations are wonderful and convey the point across well. Overall, I’d recommend this book to all children of ages 4 and above, and their parents, as this book has a beautiful lesson to teach the younger kids.
Author: O. Banks Release Date: 5th September 2022 Series: Genre: Non-Fiction, How-To, Guide, Animal Care Format: E-book Pages: 156 Publisher: Blurb: If you are yearning for respite from the cumbersome task of probing the undying cause of deteriorating chicken health and seek to learn preventative and integrative healthcare practices that save your gallinaceous pet from embarking upon a punitive expedition… You might want to pique your curious appetite by delving into this book. Do you ever feel as if your indomitable spirit and love for your backyard chickens are being pushed to the brink of collapse by communicable diseases that drive a wedge between your chickens and unblemished health? Consider your exploratory spelunking adventure into the depths of uncertainty to be over! This book weaves the essential healthcare practices into the fabric of raising chicken flocks needed to mitigate the spread of diseases. The process of caring for these inherently inseparable gallinaceous members of the family can be turned into a snag-free greased slide by peering into this book, which encompasses all elements of veterinary care.
Amid the sanctimonious abyss created by multitudes of books with the premise of the argument articulated solely through palliative care, this book enlightens a higher path toward raising a healthy brood through unique management practices that avert the possibility of the brood catching disease. These practices have been corroborated by studies that have glaringly proved that healthy chickens produce healthier eggs and meat. Surrendering to the hearty clasp of this awe-inspiring book is inevitable because this book:
Provides the diagnostic tools required to identify health problems in chickens and the ways through which they can be overcome.
Lays out plans for structuring sanitary and hygienic chicken coops that provide a safe environment for the flock.
Addresses ways of stifling the burgeoning threat of antimicrobial resistance that results from the overuse of antibiotics.
Highlights quintessential brood health maintenance techniques that ameliorate egg-laying problems and maximize yield.
Conveys cost-effective alternative care regimens combined with knowledge of hazardous backyard materials that are detrimental to chickens if ingested.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
The Beginners Guide to Chicken Health and Care: How to Optimize Your Flock’s Health, Avoid Diseases and Losses by O. Banks is an extremely insightful book about raising chickens and taking good care of them. The author has methodically laid out the plans and strategies needed to provide a safe environment for one’s flock and has provided a lot of useful insights into how to deal with and manage different types of medical conditions in the flock.
This book is a treasure trove of information for anyone looking to raise and maintain a chicken shed/farm or flock in a very systematic and sensible way. The book is well-structured and the author’s writing is very clear, concise and to the point.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get into poultry farming or knows anyone who plans to.
Author: Lucas Sterling Release Date: 25th October 2022 Series: Genre: Thriller, Psychological Thriller Format: E-book Pages: Publisher: Nurrebbul Productions Blurb: Everyone has a secret. But some are deadlier than others… Former Homeland Security Agent Lars Christopherson is not what he seems. Despite his impressive skills and impeccable record, Lars has a dark side few are aware of. And those who discover his secret rarely live to tell the tale… Frederic Ulrich is a man with a mission… A skilled agent of Germany’s BND intelligence service, he is determined to right a wrong from his past, and shut down a deadly Hungarian crime ring once and for all.
When these two unlikely allies are forced to work together, they quickly uncover a sinister threat – a vast criminal conspiracy, poised to unleash environmental chaos on the United States. To stop this monstrous terror plot, they’ll have to put their differences aside and work together. But trust is hard to come by in the shadowy world of espionage and crime. And sometimes, the only way to stop a monster is to become one…
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Contrarian by Lucas Sterling is a fast-paced ride on an action-packed thrilling adventure undertaken by the two protagonists of the story. This book has so many things happening (in a good way) that it kept me engaged and at the edge of my seat with each and every page I turned.
I loved the characterisation in this book, the concept was amazing, and the writing completely complimented the story flow and made it a really quick read. Over all, I enjoyed this book a lot, especially the mind-bending twists and turns and the ending.
I’d recommend this book to all mystery, thriller and espionage readers, especially those who like elaborate conspiratorial mysteries set in diverse locations.
Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author Mathew Lavine for his latest release, A Pterodactyl Named Kahoutek.
A Pterodactyl Named Kahoutek
Book: A Pterodactyl Named Kahoutek Author: Matthew Levine Publication date: 9th November 2022 ISBN: 9798360452553 Genres:Children’s Humorous Literature, Short Stories collection, Children’s Humor Page Count: 15 pages Kindle / 20 pages paper back Publisher: Amazon/KDP
About A Pterodactyl Named Kahoutek
A short story for youth of all ages with humor adults might enjoy about a clumsy Pterodactyl that befriends a sad teenage girl on a San Francisco bus. Contain discussion questions for students at the end.
You can find A Pterodactyl Named Kahoutekhere: Amazon
About The Author
Matthew Levine
Matthew Levine has enjoyed writing essays, stories, poems, songs, and answering machine messages for the last half century. His latest musical, Love Stings, with bookwriter/lyricist Richard Castle was produced by Northern Sky Theater and debuted during the summer of 2022. He currently lives in Ecuador.
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
Author:Gina Ross Release Date: 10th August 2022 Series: Genre: Non-Fiction, Self-Help Format: E-book Pages: 123 pages Publisher: – Blurb: HAPPINESS MADE EASY Although there is evidence to show that some people are genetically born happier than others, there is also a mountain of proof that this can be changed and that happiness is, in fact, a choice. In 14 Lessons in Happiness, Gina Ross, a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist, teaches you how to be happier with simple and practical tips and techniques outlined within the following lessons:
LESSON ONE: Maintain a Positive Outlook
LESSON TWO: Pay Attention To Your Breathing
LESSON THREE: Meditate Daily
LESSON FOUR: Practice Mindfulness
LESSON FIVE: Love Yourself
LESSON SIX: Be More Confident
LESSON SEVEN: Pursue Your Dreams
LESSON EIGHT: Be Kind
LESSON NINE: Learn to Deal With Negative Emotions
LESSON TEN: Learn To Deal With Other People’s Negativity
LESSON ELEVEN: Practice Forgiveness
LESSON TWELVE: Learn To Deal With Fear And Anxiety
LESSON THIRTEEN: What To Do When You F**K UP
LESSON FOURTEEN: Dealing With Death
Overall, 14 Lessons in Happiness will give you the tools needed to experience the following:
an increase in inner calm;
an ability to reduce anxiety;
strength to conquer fears and phobias;
an improvement in relationships; and
an overall unleashing of self-love and self-confidence.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
14 Lessons in Happiness: A Guidebook on Improving Your Life by Gina Ross is a new self-help book that teaches the reader to learn to be happy (or be happier) as it is an emotion that can be inculcated through simple daily practices listed in the book.
This book is a treasure trove of advice for anyone seeking to learn how to have a more positive outlook towards themselves, their lives and their surroundings and be a better and happier person overall. The author, who is a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist, has come up with a great set of simple-to-follow practices that the readers can easily practice and perform consistently in their daily busy lives and achieve their goals of living a happier and healthier life.
I’d strongly recommend this book to every self-help book reader as this has a lot to offer and ais a pretty quick read packed with a lot of useful tidbits.
After being hit by the pandemic, the entire world is still reeling from the consequences they had to face emotionally, physically, and financially.
As the end of 2022 is almost upon us, here are a few suggestions for you to improve your finances in the coming year of 2023 and make this a better year for you both financially and mentally, as better finances translate to increased peace of mind.
5 Ways To Improve Your Finances in 2023
1) Create a Budget (and Stick to it!)
Creating a budget is a habit that will never go to waste. You will always know how much you are receiving and how much to spend based on your income, which cuts the scope of overspending to a great spend, provided that you stick to it.
Since it is the holiday season, keep in mind to not overspend and keep your budget updated at all timed.
2) Map out smart investments
Take advice from someone who’d already invested well and has been reaping the benefits for quite a while. Don’t go too big; start small and be consistent. Remember to create and stay within your threshold for loss. This will save you from unnecessary stress.
While planning your budget, always keep room for repaying your debts, but make sure to do it in a way that it doesn’t cause you unnecessary stress. As tempting as it may be, don’t pay your debts all at once. Pay little by little.
4) Prepare your will
A lot of people, especially younger people, do not consider making their will necessary. But as a simple rule of thumb that should be applicable in all cases where an individual earns money and has assets is that they should have a will. Having a will would ensure that your assets are well-disbursed in the unlikely event of your death, no matter how small or insignificant you think your assets might be.
5) Find a source (or two) for passive income
Never rely on a single source of income. In the coming year, if you don’t already have an additional source of income, especially a passive income, then get to work on it because you’d be surprised by the level of ease it would offer you in your day-to-day expenses.
With these points in mind, hopefully, your next financial year would be better than the previous one.
Author:Abigail Keam Release Date: 27th May 2019 Series: A Mona Moon Mystery (book #10) Genre: Historical Mystery Format: E-book Pages: 268 pages Publisher: Worker Bee Press Blurb: Mona Moon is planning her wedding to Robert Farley, Duke of Brynelleth, when her preparations go haywire after one of her maids is found murdered. With just days before the blessed event, unwanted guests invade Moon Manor throwing a wrench into Mona’s plans and making it more difficult to seek the truth. Now Robert is a suspect in the maid’s murder. A missing gold brooch and twenty five-dollar bills are the only clues Mona has to find the murderer. She must clear Robert from suspicion or he will call off the wedding, saying he refuses to taint Mona’s good name. Can she discover the killer before the wedding, or will the murderer witness the breakup between Mona and Robert? Was that the intention all along?
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Murder Under A Bridal Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery by Abigail Keam is a cosy historical mystery that will take you on a fun rollercoaster of ups and downs of interesting twists and turns.
This book is a well-written mystery in an ongoing series but it can very well be read as a stand-alone novel. At least, that’s the impression that I got while reading it, since the characterisation was rich and well-developed, I didn’t think that I was missing out on anything.
The story begins with a murder and pulls the readers in from the beginning hooking them for good till the very end where the ending blows the mind just like any reader of mystery might expect, but what really makes this book an excellent and phenomenal read is the vivid descriptions, rich settings, fully-fleshed-out characters and a brilliantly executed plot that has been well-thought out and perfectly plotted. Being a long-time reader of the mystery genre, I could not find a single fault in the book’s carefully woven mystery.
I’d strongly recommend this book to all mystery readers especially those who like their mysteries set in cosy historical settings.
Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome the author ofUmbilical – Jane Kay, from Atmosphere Press, for an author interview with The Reading Bud.
About The Author
Jane Kay is a South African-born writer whose early career was in teaching. She has worked as a research analyst for the management consulting industry and as a writer/editor. She has lived and worked in South Africa, Canada and Russia and currently lives in northern Portugal. Umbilical is her second novel.
Welcome to TRB! Please give our readers a brief introduction about yourself before we begin.
How wonderful to share your space – thanks for having me! I’m a fan of TRB.
What’s not mentioned in my bio is that books helped raise me. What I didn’t get at home or in my life, I went looking for in the written word; in stories about others. What you might guess from reading my bio is that I’m a bit of a nomad, both mentally and physically. I think I always was, even in the days when South Africa was far more isolated from the world and I was a kid with significant awareness of what was out there. Don’t we all have the capacity to become better humans when we’re exposed to what’s “other”? I certainly think so. Finally, it’s not all cerebral or sedentary for me – I’m a wine (and naturally food) lover and I have a physically active lifestyle. Not only does the latter help with the writing process but my hedonistic leanings necessitate it!
Please tell us something about your book other than what we have read in the blurb?
It’s very personal, more than I initially recognised. When I submitted my first manuscript to agents and publishers, I was told that writing about South(ern) Africa was no longer sexy. So, in my youth and insecurity, I turned away and wrote something entirely different, but this one I felt I had to write. It’s a love letter to a flawed country with a complicated history and at the same time a way of trying to examine the forces (and people) that shaped me.
What is that one message that you’re trying to get across to the readers in this book?
It’s all connected – and it’s up to us to discover where and how. And once we discover the connection, what are we going to do with it?
Who is your favorite character in this book and why?
You’re making me choose, no! I have a soft spot for both my main female protagonists: Ella for her defiance, irreverence and deep sense of anger and Ruth for her grace and fortitude. Although there is one very peripheral character – Ryan Henningh, a very broken man whose full story is not in the book – who still lives in my head.
What inspired you to write this book? An idea, some anecdote, a dream or something else?
If you’re a South African and you have half a brain and a fraction of conscience, you probably grapple with some of the issues of our past. There are so many secrets and we all have a few in the pasts of our families. The idea came to me of a person receiving a message that said: I know what you did in 1989/1990/xyz. An implied threat not intended for the recipient but one that they started exploring when they realised that it was a part of their own history. What would happen if they tried to unravel the secret? How would that knowledge then affect them?
How long did it take you to write this particular book?
12-18 months of writing, several years on ice (due to a bruised ego after a major publisher showed interest and then rejected the novel) and then a full year of polishing the book and going through the publishing process.
What are your writing ambitions? Where do you see yourself 5 years from today?
I wonder how many writers have specific ambitions other than the thing or things they’re working on at any moment. It’s a fickle business, so it feels scary/unwise to have grand plans, much less voice them! I’d say my main fuzzy goal is to keep growing and maturing as a storyteller. The more concrete one would be to have one or two more well-received international mystery/thrillers under my belt as well as a growing audience.
Are you working on any other stories presently?
Yes! A completely whacky one that is inspired by a series of industrial, criminal and political events – all connected – in China and the US. It’s complex and I’m currently waayyyy down the rabbit hole…
Why have you chosen this genre? Or do you write in multiple genres?
It’s one of the main genres I read for relaxation. I read almost everything, but I love a complex mystery/thriller with some solid characters thrown in. I guess that means I write what I want to read.
When did you decide to become a writer? Was it easy for you to follow your passion or did you have to make some sacrifices along the way? (feel free to give us your story, we love hearing author stories!
Decide? Phew, it was more a case of taking one step, quivering… and doing it again.
I’ve written since I was a kid – little rhyming poems to start with! My head was full of stories, but you know, life and career and all that. The catalyst for this phase of my life came when I was working as an analyst/researcher for a consulting firm and my boyfriend (now husband) transferred to a different part of the world with the firm. That route wasn’t available to me, so we got to the point where we had to address the future and it was kinda sorta agreed that I would follow him halfway across the world, without having a job, and pursue the dream of writing so that we could be together. Having said that, though, the number of people in this world who have that very dream is not insignificant, and to make it happen is difficult. The sacrifices, judgments, challenges and pressures are real. I’m eternally grateful for the engaged, supportive life partner I have. He is the original nomad and I’m extremely lucky.
What is your writing ritual? How do you do it?
Based on an idea or something that interests me, I do a great deal of research initially, then outline what shakes loose during that process, and then I put pen to paper.
How do you prefer to write – computer/laptop, typewriter, dictation or longhand with a pen?
I tend to do longhand first. I write so fast that I can barely decipher it half the time, but it does slow me down for round two, which is when I turn to my laptop. From there it’s a bit of both until I think the story has strong enough legs to live independently on my laptop. I do multiple versions and endless tweaks and edits all on the laptop.
What are your 5 favourite books? (You can share 5 favourite authors too.)
Impossible task – I’m going to go with authors.
Biggest childhood influence – Enid Blyton for the stories (while acknowledging her somewhat tarnished reputation these days)
A book that stayed with me as I grew up – First Poems by South African poet Antjie Krog, gifted to me by a friend at a time when I was particularly receptive to her poetry.
Biggest influence – Robert Goddard
A small selection of other favourites: JM Coetzee, Tom Wolfe, Stieg Larsson, Deon Meyer, Joyce Carol Oates, David McCullough, Kurt Vonnegut, Michael Lewis, Anne Applebaum, Gillian Flynn, etc.
How do you deal with Writer’s Block?
For immediate distraction: Sudoku, solitaire or a crossword puzzle! Yes, embarrassingly, I’m that person… A quick game or puzzle manages to relax my brain enough to be able to get back to the task at hand quickly.
Generally, I don’t have writer’s block (just laziness!), but I do need thinking time, so I go for long runs to give me space to think and process.
What advice would you give to aspiring non-fiction writers?
The same advice I give myself: break it down, don’t be overly attached to pretty sentences, keep going.
Thank you, author Jane Kay, for your honest and insightful answers!
About the Book
Umbilical
It’s the early nineties in southern Africa. Not far from Cape Town, a small chartered plane on its way to Namibia crashes unexpectedly. On board is a nun who is hiding an undocumented baby. Today, thirty years later, two people have very different reasons for wanting to find out what happened to the child: Ruth Masisi, a prominent African judge about to be appointed to the International Criminal Court, and Arthur Coleman, a pharmaceutical industry tycoon from America, who is finalizing the deal of a lifetime with China to establish southern Africa’s first full-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Botswana. Werner and Ella, the descendants of the men who rescued the child, know nothing of the complex history that connects them, but when Ruth tracks them down and pleads for their help, they find themselves faced with an almost impossible situation. Will they be prepared—or able—to sift through their shared past and find the child in time? In Umbilical, Jane Kay weaves a tale of an unwelcome inheritance, one that is as inescapable as it is perilous.
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
Dr. Kathy Martone is currently an author and artist living in a small Victorian town in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. Before retiring, and moving from Denver, CO to Eureka Springs, AR in 2015, she was a Jungian psychologist in private practice specializing in dream work, women’s spirituality and shamanic journeys. The magical world of dreams has fascinated and intrigued Kathy for as long as she can remember. Inspired by a dream in 2005, she began making velvet tapestries imprinted with the image of one of her own dream figures and embellished with ribbons, rhinestones, feathers, glass beads, Swarovski crystals, antique jewelry and semi-precious stones. Dr. Martone’s work has been displayed in galleries in Denver, Colorado as well as in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
In 2006 Dr. Martone self-published her first book titled, Sacred Wounds: A Love Story. Essays and short stories written by Dr. Martone have been published in eMerge, an online magazine published by The Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow. In addition, some of her writings have also appeared in two anthologies titled Dairy Hollow Echo and Not Dead Yet 2.
It was August 1991 and the hot Arkansas sun beat down on my bare arms. The summer dress I wore hung loosely from my shoulders, allowing my wet skin to breathe in the intense heat. I watched as rivulets of perspiration traced a path down my arms, weaving a pattern among my girlish freckles, remnants from a childhood I’d rather not remember. Standing only yards away from the Little Rock train station, I heard the familiar sounds of rumbling wheels, banging boxcars, screeching brakes, and lonesome shrieking whistles.
I stood in front of the Victory House, about as far north on Victory Street as one could go before falling off into the tangled spaghetti tracks of the rail yard. Although a block away, I could still smell the odors of diesel oil and creosote hanging in the stillness of the sweltering summer air. Looking up the three flights of narrow cement steps, I took in the sight of my Victorian masterpiece, so aptly named. I clutched the black iron railing in my right hand and paused just long enough to remember how proud I was to be the owner of this historic landmark. Hundreds of people’s life stories had been told and retold inside those 90-year-old walls. Countless paths of healing had been explored, some with great success, others not so fortunate. But most people reported an exquisite sense of peace and well-being after spending time inside the hallowed walls of this Healing Center. Because I was the owner and practicing psychologist, people usually credited me with astounding success. But it wasn’t easy.
I had just returned from Dr. Glenn’s office and my Radix Bodywork session. As I dragged my feet up the red brick steps to Linda and Austen’s office in their suburban Conway home, I felt an overpowering sense of dread. I stopped for a moment on the front porch to take a deep breath as I remembered how painful my last session had been. Taking a long look at the cascading ivy that tumbled off the porch and covered most of the lawn, I could smell the delicious fragrance of the thick white Gardenia blossoms that dotted the bushes next to the porch like so many clusters of perfume-drenched clouds, drunk on their own elixir. I opened the front door, hearing the familiar creak of the hinges as Linda met me with open arms and a warm, inviting embrace.
Lying on a green mat in the middle of the hardwood floor, I began stretching my body into yoga-like positions to loosen my muscles, then slowly merged into the breathing exercises designed to carry me into the deepest recesses of my mind. Soon a series of cartoon-like figures materialized inside my head. A tall, dark man appeared first, etched in red. Initially, he seemed to carry a red cane. I could scarcely breathe as I watched this walking stick turn into an erect penis, which he rubbed over the naked body of a little girl. Then the image folded up like a paper fan, transformed into a vertical black line in my field of vision. A little girl’s voice spoke out: “Bad boy! You were not supposed to come out.” Next, the chubby fingers of a child’s right hand emerged, holding a key. She reached over and locked the black line, as if it were a door.
Months later, the dreams began – strange images of a small hysterical child, hurling herself against the fiery red, burning walls of a pit, desperately wanting out. “We have to know,” she said. “We have to let the secret out in order for me to be freed. Please, please help me!”I had no idea that the life I had been living was about to crumble like so many pieces of stale bread.
In 1992, I began working with a new therapist who encouraged me to continue with my daily, hours-long meditations. I continued to have really vivid dreams that pointed toward childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Previously, I had had no memories of any sexual abuse and this new information drew me to my knees and set me on a path of considerable pain and suffering.
Prior to this time, I knew little about shamanism but I was about to be educated when I picked up a book titled “Healing and Wholeness” by John Sanford. In this text, Sanford discusses what is known as a spirit spouse. “Quite often the shaman acquired a tutelary spirit, a particular spiritual being who became his instructor….In shamanesses, the tutelary spirit was always masculine, and was like her celestial husband.”
It was not long before I began doing shamanic journeys where I encountered a magnificent spirit or ghost whose name was Grandfather. He stood about 10 feet tall and had massive golden eyes like ferris wheels right in the middle of his large white face. He wore long ivory robes with golden threads and eventually he became my spirit spouse, the impact of which would change my life forever. We spent long hours over many years engrossed in deep telepathic debates in which he drew forth many unknown truths about my own life and that of the cosmic universe surrounding us. I recorded our many conversations in a journal and these records became the basis for my novel, Victorian Songlight.
About The Book
Victorian Songlight: The Birthings Of Magic & Mystery
The birth of a magical child at the time of the Devil Moon sets the stage for heartache and misery, magic and supernatural love. Beset by unrelenting obstacles and bestowed with remarkable psychic gifts, Kate is often accompanied by fantastical black ravens who carry her through time and space. A well known legend in the Ozark Mountain countryside where Kate lives, Grandfather is a ghost with large golden eyes who frequently rides on the back of Pegasus, another Ozarkian legend. Victorian Songlight is a tale of redemption and renewal, death and rebirth, triumph over darkness. But most importantly, it is a love story. Alone and utterly forsaken, adrift on treacherous waters, Kate meets Grandfather for the second time in her life and they become lovers fulfilling a prophecy at the moment of her birth.
If you are an author and wish to be interviewed or if you are a publicist and want to get your author interviewed on TRB, then please get in touch through direct e-mail: thereadingbud@gmail.com
Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome the author ofA Lot of Questions (with no answers)? – Jordan Neben, from Atmosphere Press, for an author interview with The Reading Bud.
About The Author
A Lot of Questions (with no answers)? is Jordan Neben’s first published book. Jordan has always possessed a life-long passion for learning, and especially reading history. This book is an attempt to try and pass some of the questions and insights that the author has arrived at after decades of learning and consideration. Jordan was born in and currently resides in Nebraska.
Welcome to TRB! Please give our readers a brief introduction about yourself before we begin.
Well as it said in the author bio of my book, A Lot of Questions (With No Answers?), I was born and currently reside in Nebraska. I’m in my late twenties, I am part of a family of parents and four siblings, I am 6’7”, no I didn’t play basketball when I was in high school or college. Since my book is a philosophical work covering topics such as history and how it is viewed and interpreted, you can probably guess I am interested in history. I have always been fascinated by history, and lately I have devoted myself to learning more about history that was never taught or even mentioned in public school or college. For example, I have recently been reading Jason K. Stearns’ books Dancing in the Glory of Monsters and The War That Doesn’t Say Its Name about the decades of conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At least in my experience living in the central US, African history and current events are never mentioned, and in my opinion that is a detriment to us all.
Another one of my passions that doesn’t relate to my book at all is aviation. I have been fascinated by flight ever since my maternal grandfather showed me his collection of aircraft books when I was a toddler, and when my paternal grandfather took me on my first flight in his old Piper J-3 cub. Someday I would like to be a pilot, though for someone of my height that will not be an easy task.
Please tell us something about your book other than what we have read in the blurb?
As is mentioned on the back cover, the book is a collection of six essays, but publishing a book was not how I originally planned to start my career as a writer. The first two essays in the book are the first ones I wrote; I initially thought I could get them published in a philosophy magazine. However, none of the magazines I approached were interested in publishing such long essays, even as a multi-part series, and to get the essays down to a suitable length would have meant getting rid or more than half the material, which I felt would be too reductive for the subject matter. After having no luck with the magazines, I had an idea. Through the course of writing the first two essays, I had inspiration for yet more essays to write. I thought to myself: “Instead of trying to get each individual essay published separately, if I can write enough of them, and put them together, I would have enough material for a full-length book.” As soon as I had this idea, I knew this is what I wanted to do. Combining the essays into a book meant that I wouldn’t have to make compromises on how long I wanted each essay to be, and I could write until I felt I had done the topic in each piece justice.
Why did you choose this particular theme for your book? What is that one message that you’re trying to get across to the readers in this book?
As readers of my book will see, the essays cover a variety of topics ranging from religion and belief to the recent (and currently ongoing) pandemic, to how history is perceived. However, even though the book visits widely ranging subjects, there is a central theme that acts as a foundation that all the essays are built upon. Naturally, the theme also relates to the title of the book: questioning. Questions such as: Why do people believe what they believe? How often do people take the time to consider why they hold the beliefs that they do? Theoretically, could a person’s convictions be altered by changing the circumstances of their life? For example, someone is born in the United States and grows up to be a staunch American nationalist in the early 21st century, and this person has strong anti-China views, out of a fear of China’s growing economy and global influence. What if the circumstances of this person’s life were changed so that now they are born and raised in China in the same time period? Could this person become a staunch Chinese nationalist, who possesses similarly strong anti-American views, believing that the US has been a chauvinistic and hypocritical global hegemon for too long? How much are our convictions based on genetic traits, and how much are they based on factors completely outside of our control, such as the society we were born into? These are the types of questions readers will find in my book, and questioning is the central theme.
What inspired you to write this book? An idea, some anecdote, a dream or something else?
As I mentioned above and will discuss in more detail in another question below, the first essay of the book is the first one I wrote, which I initially intended to be a magazine article. But more specifically, why did I write this type of book, a philosophical piece with the goal of challenging the reader to think more critically about their own beliefs and humanity as a whole? That term I just used, “critical thinking,” is one that has been used a lot recently, so much so that it has to an extent lost its meaning and impact. Which, in my opinion, is a disservice to us all, because critical thinking is vitally important, especially in the age of mass information and social media. Now hopefully I am not about to sound like some out of touch old codger lamenting about what the kids are doing these days, and as readers shall see I believe that humanity has changed little over time and that history reveals patterns of human behavior that are cyclical in nature. With that being said, the digital age and social media do represent a sea change in technology. It is easier and easier for politicians, businesses, celebrities, and ordinary people to tell others what to think, what to buy, what to love or hate, what to think about themselves, what to think about their nation and the world, and so much more. I wrote my book in the hope that it will inspire the reader to examine their own views and those of others more closely, and to believe something not because they were told to by someone else, but because they used their own critical thinking.
How long did it take you to write this particular book?
All six essays put together took about a year to write. I did not write the entire book from beginning to end all right away, however. After I finished writing the first two essays, I spent some time trying to get them published, thinking I would write more essays after the first two had already been released. When that fell through and I had the idea to combine all the essays into a book, that is when I began to write non-stop until the manuscript was complete.
What are your writing ambitions? Where do you see yourself 5 years from today?
Hopefully 5 years from now I will have published one more book and possibly be working on a third. I do have several ideas for books covering a variety of topics. These new book ideas will more than likely require more time and much more research to complete. A Lot of Questions is mostly a philosophical work, and any historical events mentioned in the text are not meant to inform the reader on the events. Rather, they are used as a way to create discussion. A scholarly historical text recounts the events and lists the author’s sources, while A Lot of Questions looks at the event and asks, “What can this tell us?” The books I plan to write in the future, however, will be carefully researched and cited. I have never written a book of this type before, so it will likely take time to learn how to write it and cite my sources correctly.
Are you working on any other stories presently?
I do have a topic for my next book, and I have begun the preliminary research to test the waters of the subject to see what information is out there and what other authors have already written about. That is all I will say about my next book at this time, since it still remains a kernel of an idea and it will likely be years from now until I have a book that is ready for publishing.
Do you also dabble in fiction?
As readers of A Lot of Questions will see, in each essay of the book I use what I call “hypothetical case studies,” as a tool to help the reader understand the topic of each essay. Through the course of writing the first essay I realized that I had several pages of nothing but abstract questions, which could be difficult for a reader to intellectually digest, and frankly is not the most entertaining reading. That is when I had the idea for the “case studies.” These case studies are short stories where I take the questions and ideas that have been postulated in the essay and put them into the context of the stories. Hopefully, readers will find these stories entertaining and engaging. More importantly, as readers consider or discuss these hypothetical case studies, they will be considering the questions raised in the essays. My hope is that these fictional stories (often based on an amalgamation of real events) will show the reader how abstract questions can have ramifications on the real world.
I wanted to highlight that aspect of A Lot of Questions here, because I think it is an important component of the book’s character. However, to return to the spirit of the question above, have I written any fiction, or do I plan to do so in the future? As of right now, no I have not written any fiction, and I do not plan to in the future. That does not mean that I do not thoroughly enjoy fiction and do not want to write a large and successful fictional book. To be honest, at this point I do not think I have what it takes to write a fictional novel. I have had a few ideas for books, but I never get further than the initial idea. I imagine that if I took that initial idea I would get buried or lost trying to build a fleshed out fictional universe, create believable characters, and write a compelling story all at the same time. If I do write any fiction in the future, I will probably start small, with much more manageable short stories, and build from there.
When did you decide to become a writer? Was it easy for you to follow your passion or did you have to make some sacrifices along the way? (feel free to give us your story, we love hearing author stories!
For me there wasn’t really an exact point where I said to myself “Yes I shall become a writer.” And this may be a bit of imposter syndrome talking but even after publishing a book sometimes I have to remind myself that I am a writer. However, as I have mentioned before, the first essay in the book was the first one I wrote, and there was an initial moment of inspiration that started me on the path to writing my book. By nature, I am an introspective person, and I enjoy thinking about the events or ideas that I have heard in podcasts or from books. One day at work, I was thinking about the subject of faith and organized religion when I thought to myself, “I should write some of these ideas down so that I can remember them.” I didn’t realize it at the time but those little notes I quickly jotted down on a sticky note would eventually grow into an essay eighteen thousand words long. Once I started writing and thinking about the subject of the essay more and more it was relatively easy to get new ideas on how to expand and make the essay large enough that no magazine wanted to publish it.
What is your writing ritual? How do you do it?
As I said in the question above, I started the first essay of my book by jotting down a few ideas on a sticky note so I wouldn’t forget them. That is actually how a lot of the book was written. When I couldn’t sit down to write, if I was busy at work or at home doing chores, I was still thinking about what I wanted to write continually. Whenever I thought of a sentence I wanted to write or a concept I wanted to discuss, I would quickly write it down on a sticky note or a small composition notebook I had so I could remember it. These notes would probably make little sense to anyone but me, not the least because of my terrible handwriting. I usually only wrote enough so that it would act as a placeholder for my brain, so when I read the note again, I could say “That’s what I was thinking about.” Once I had time to sit down with my laptop to write, I would go to my essay outlines and transcribe my hastily written notes in greater detail. When I was in high school and college, I usually sneered at the idea of creating an outline for a paper, mostly because I couldn’t stand the extra work. Only once I started writing a book did I realize how useful they actually were. The outlines were crucial to my writing process, not only for forming a basic structure for the essay, but also as a tool to take all the random notes I made and put them all together. But the outlines were not static and immovable; as I wrote each essay the outline would change, too. Notes and ideas would shift around as I wrote, and I would make additions or deletions as the essay took shape.
Is writing your profession or do you work in some other field too?
Currently I work a 9-5 job that I am not passionate about; it just pays the bills. I hope to someday become a full-time author, but I would have to write something successful enough to give me that financial freedom. I’m hoping the promotional work I’m doing for A Lot of Questions will help me realize that goal.
Can you recommend a book or two based on themes or ideas similar to your book? (You can share the name of the authors too.)
No doubt the two biggest inspirations for me as I wrote my book were authors and podcast hosts, and their work I cited in the “Suggested Reading and Listening” section of A Lot of Questions. They are Dan Carlin, host of Hardcore History and author of The End is Always Near, and Mike Duncan, host of The History of Rome and Revolutions and author of The Storm Before the Storm and Hero of Two Worlds. My book is very similar in style to Dan Carlin’s book, and I hope that readers of The End is Always Near will enjoy my book as well. Carlin took many of the themes and questions he had been developing in his podcast and put them into a book that his listeners had been demanding for some time. The End is Always Near is a fun and thought-provoking read and I can’t recommend it highly enough. In the Revolutions podcast, Mike Duncan walks listeners through some of the most complex and tumultuous periods in human history, while still delivering a coherent and cohesive narrative that not only provides context for each revolution, but also gives concise and informative biographies of the major players in each revolution. Listeners of Revolutions will recognize many similar themes as they read several of the hypothetical case studies in A Lot of Questions.
I also wanted to mention here that my two brothers helped me a great deal as I wrote my book. We often had discussions as I was writing the book that helped me develop my thoughts more fully, and they read through the early drafts of the essays which helped reduce the number of errors before it was sent to the publisher.
How do you deal with Writer’s Block?
I never actually planned anything that helped me deal with writer’s block. My schedule for writing, however, accidentally helped whenever I did encounter it. Usually, I tried to devote two to three hours a day to write. Since I was working full-time for the entire book writing process, that two to three hours was always broken into smaller chunks as my free time allowed. Every once in a while, as I was writing, I would get a burst of inspiration and would be able to write several pages in a short period of time, and I would be upset that I didn’t have more time to write. But those bursts of inspiration were rare. More often than not writing was a slower process, and there were times where I would get completely stuck and could waste an hour writing a single short paragraph that I was never satisfied with. It was at those moments I was glad that I didn’t have a lot of time to write. Going to work or running errands allowed me to clear my head and ease my frustration, so that when I returned to writing later I could do so with a better frame of mind. If I ever do become a full-time writer, I will have to develop a ritual to help with writer’s block. For me it would probably involve going outside. I find nature rejuvenating, so a walk or a bike ride would probably serve the same purpose of helping me feel more relaxed and ready to write again.
What advice would you give to aspiring non-fiction writers?
Since my book is a philosophical examination of different topics, it didn’t require a lot of in-depth research, so I doubt I could offer a lot of practical advice on how to do research and citations. In fact, I am the one who could use advice in that department. The advice I would give any aspiring author might sound cheap or obvious, but I do think it is essential: read as much as you can. I have always had an interest in learning, and I spent years with the goal of reading several new books every month just for the sake of reading. There is no way I could have ever written my own book had I not spent those years learning and observing how other authors wrote their books. I know everyone says it, but reading is important if you want to be a better writer. It is the same as if you wanted to become good at a sport or learn to play a musical instrument proficiently: there is no magical shortcut to becoming an author; it just takes time and practice.
Thank you, author Jordan Neben, for your insightful answers!
About the Book
A Lot of Questions (with no answers)?
How often do people take the time to question the basic assumptions that underlie their beliefs and worldview? How strong can a person’s convictions be if they cannot allow room for doubt in their minds? Is a great deal of conflict generated by people’s refusal to question what they believe? Can a person’s beliefs be molded in a specific direction? These are the types of questions the reader will encounter in A Lot of Questions (with no answers)? In a series of six essays (essays with whimsical titles such as “Make Sure Your Death is Sudden and Violent”), we will discuss topics ranging from religion, to history, to the recent pandemic. The goal of this book is to encourage the reader to consider not only their own beliefs, but also humanity as a whole. Can humanity overcome its flaws? Are we doomed to repeat history in a cyclical pattern? Is being able to examine our flaws and shortcomings the first step to bettering ourselves (on an individual and collective level)?
This sounds like a lot to discuss in the course of a short book. Indeed, it is, and by no means is this essay collection definitive, but hopefully it is the first step to the reader becoming more discerning.
If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com
The Reading Bud 