Award-winning author Michael Hiebert

Among Michael Hiebert’s accolades is that he won the Surrey International Writer’s Conference Storyteller’s Award twice – in a row. A Canadian family man, Michael isn’t shy about exploring the mysteries that tingle our spines and set our minds adrift wondering about the world and people around us. Much of his work to date has been short stories released in anthologies, such as “Edges: Collected Stories of Mystery” which includes the award-winning “My Lame Summer Journal” and “Not Forgotten” containing the award-winning story “But Not Forgotten.” 

Though Michael, rightfully, should be considered a mystery author, his protagonists are generally young adult (YA), and he in fact wrote the novel “Dolls,” an entertaining, yet somewhat disturbing, story of a young girl who discovers she has the power through dolls to hurt people. But fear not. The story has a happy ending with a lesson about responsibility well learned. 

Now Michael has released an intriguing novel titled “Dream with Little Angels.” Once again the story is told through the eyes of a child, this time being eleven-year-old Abe Teal, the son of Alvin, Alabama, investigator Leah Teal. Where this story stands out is the uniqueness of portraying the events through Abe’s eyes, because the story itself began a dozen years before Abe’s birth. Abe witnesses his mother Leah’s frustrations at not having solved a child’s murder, and how the killings may have started again. Then the nightmare comes home to fully roost when Abe’s sister goes missing. We see, hear, and feel the terror and confusion as Abe doesn’t understand what is happening, but tries his best to hold his family together and provide the support his mother needs while she solves the mystery. “Dream with Little Angels” is quality storytelling sure to keep readers enthralled and waiting for the sequel, “Close to the Broken Hearted,” due out next year.

http://www.michaelhiebert.com/ 

Q) The obvious question: Why elect to tell many of your stories through the eyes of children,

especially since “Dream with Little Angels” is as much about Leah, the mother, as Abe? 

A) Well, first, I love writing from a child's point of view, so I was immediately drawn to telling the story that way. But that's not the main reason I chose Abe as the central character. The main reason was because he offered the best opportunity to get across the sense of innocence to the reader that I really wanted to achieve. The book is really a coming-of-age story wrapped in a mystery (or maybe it's the other way around), and the only way I could convincingly portray that was to get readers close enough to Abe that they could ignore (at times) what was going on in the other parts of the story. When you think about it, this is a really horrible tale. Little girls are getting raped and murdered. Yet, somehow, in the middle of all this, Abe is able to not only make the reader care about the mundane events in the life of an eleven year old boy, at times he even manages to add a sense of fun. It was a very tough job balancing the horror part of the story with the sweetness of childhood. 

Q) For years, you have been a writer other writers brag about having met, but have remained relatively unknown to the mainstream of readers. “Dream with Little Angels” suddenly has interviewers scrambling for your attention and bookstores waiting to place the novel on their shelves. How have you dealt with this turn of events? 

A) Writers bragged about meeting me? Wow. Who knew? :) It's funny, because my mentor, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, told me eight or nine years ago that I was going to be a successful novelist. "You just have to find the right editor," she said. Or something to that effect. Since then, through the years, I've always kicked myself for not following up with the question, "So, when will that be, anyway?" I'm not sure why everything took as long as it did, but I think it's good that it did. Any success I do have now, I have the maturity to deal with it. I'm not sure I would have been able to deal with these "turn of events" as you put it, back then. 

Q) I have to ask; what in the world inspired “Dolls”? That book is anything but ‘expected.’ 

A) "Dolls" came out of nowhere. I was playing with my daughter one day, doing crafts, and she was making paper dolls. And then my mind just made the next leap: what if that were a paper doll of somebody. Then of course, the next step: and what if we ran over it with her brother's Tonka truck? Doesn't everyone think this way? :) The part of the story where Kite and her class study "Animal Farm" in school was a shout out back to my short story "My Lame Summer Journal by Brandon Harris Grade 7" where he has to study "Of Mice and Men." "Animal Farm" was an obvious choice especially since the slug line I had already been using for "Dolls" was: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely, especially twelve-year-old girls." 

Q) You live in Canada and placed “Dream with Little Angels” in Alabama. Why? And, how much research did you do to make the setting so believable? 

A) When I first started writing the book, I had a friend who lived in Auburn, Alabama, and I knew I'd be making some trips that way, so I'd have ample opportunity to research the territory first hand. I also absolutely loved her voice. The cadence automatically brought with it a sense of innocence and tenderness that I think you also see in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird." I also found out, after starting work on the book, that many of my friends in my writing circle used to live in the south--so it turned out I had lots of places to draw on for research. I also used books and the Internet and made a number of calls to the Mobile Police Department down in Alabama who were fantastic with how forthcoming they were with information. 

Q) ‘Dad’ doesn’t’ write “normal” children’s stories. How do your children feel about what you do? 

A) When my children were quite young, I wrote a short story for them for Father's Day. It was called "Fishbone & Fartboy" (this was when I only had two kids), and it was about these things that kept showing up on the doorstep. One was a bag with a bunch of fish carcasses and a little girl. She had fangs and growled at me when her mother pulled her out, and she ate the knobs off all the kitchen cabinets. The other thing that arrived at the door a couple years later was a blue box with a baby boy inside packed in Styrofoam. Once unpacked, he made farting sounds with his arm that were endearing for about seven seconds before you became utterly unable to stand them anymore (my son was going through a "fart" phase. If he could use anything to make the sound of a fart, he would). Anyway, "Fishbone & Fartboy" quickly became their favorite bedtime story. I probably read it to them every night for six months. Eventually, it wound up being published in a U.K. horror magazine of all places. So, I think there are aspects of my writing that my kids enjoy. They'd probably like it better if Dad wasn't always on the computer pounding away on the keyboard and spent more time doing stuff with them, I'm sure. I've been writing so long, though, they don't really know me any other way. 

Q) Any parting thoughts for fans and readers new to your work?

 

A) I would just like to say how much I appreciate their interest in my work and that I hope I can continue to write stories that entertain them. There are a lot of books out there, and it means a lot to me that they're showing interest in mine when they have so many different ones to choose from. I'll try to keep the surprises coming.

DA Kentner is an award-winning author www.kevad.net

 

 

Fiction Author Elizabeth Bass (aka Liz Ireland)

Elizabeth Bass has been entertaining millions of readers for decades, and, still, readers are just discovering who she is and the fabulous, never-ending wealth of stories she has to offer. The reason for this odd turn of events in which an author can be both well-known and seemingly new isn’t that Elizabeth grew up in Texas but lives in Montreal with her husband and pet menagerie, or that she’s a huge fan of old movies and strong real-life women. It’s that Elizabeth became a fan favorite writing under the names Liz Ireland and Alexandra Bassett. 

Liz Ireland’s Silhouette romance novels (“Man Trap”) were amongst those found in wire racks in bookstores, pharmacies, and discount stores. Her Harlequin romance novels, such as “A Cowboy’s Heart” and “Blissful, Texas” have garnered rave reviews and throngs of fans. But, as I said, Elizabeth has a lot more stories she wants to share with readers and while she’s passionate about writing about passion, another part of her was ready to open the door to other genres. 

In 2011, Elizabeth Bass introduced herself to readers as the author of the literary fiction novel “Miss You Most of All,” a poignant drama of family bonds, dreams, and love without limits. Readers quickly responded to this “new” author’s incredible talent. “Wherever Grace Is Needed” soon followed. 

Now, “The Way Back to Happiness” has been released. And, once again, Elizabeth’s mastery at storytelling shines. In this novel we are introduced to Bev Putterman who is already struggling with an erratic life when her estranged sister dies, leaving Bev to raise a fourteen-year-old niece, Alabama, who never heard a good word about Aunt Bev. While Bev tries to forge a relationship with Alabama, the teen sets out to learn about her father and discard the unwanted aunt in the dust, not understanding that some roads are designed to lead us where we were supposed to be all along. This book is seriously good. Buy it, and then buy a copy or six for your friends.

http://elizabeth-bass.com/ 

Q) The obvious question: Why venture into literary fiction?

 

A) Thank you for the nice recommendation! I’m not sure I consider the women’s fiction books I write now as literary fiction, necessarily. I write the stories I want to tell and let the publisher (and readers) decide how to categorize them. However, I do love being able to write a longer book that allows me to delve more into the characters and show how their lives develop over time, which is what my recent books have been.  

Q) The other obvious question: Why the name change? 

A) My Liz Ireland books tend to have more of an emphasis on humor and romance, so when I decided to write longer, more emotionally involved stories, it seemed a good idea to start a new “brand,” as they say in the biz. I didn’t want a person looking for a breezy, light-hearted read to be disappointed when they discover they’d bought a book about a woman dealing with cancer—the subject of “Miss You Most of All,” the first book I wrote as Elizabeth Bass. 

Q) Your interest in writing literary fiction actually began some time ago. “Three Bedrooms in Chelsea,” though romantic comedy or possibly ‘chick lit’, by your own words, has definite parallels to your temporary life in New York City. How often have your real-life experiences inspired stories? 

A) I do draw on little bits of real life now and then, although I can’t say I’ve ever written anything autobiographical. A lot of times a book will begin when I think of something that’s happened to me or someone else and wonder, “What if things had turned out differently?” I do dip into personal experience if I need help with a setting—which is why I usually set books in places I’ve been to or lived—or sometimes just for character detail. For instance, one incident from “The Way Back to Happiness” was based on something very true. During the mid-1980s I met a teacher who was applying to be the first teacher in space, and who was later disappointed not to be chosen. But of course, given what happened to the space shuttle Challenger, it actually turned out to be a fortunate thing for him that he wasn’t picked. 

Q) Liz Ireland fans are not going away, nor should they. Now you’ll be faced with Elizabeth Bass fans. How will you balance the two and ensure fans of each aren’t disappointed? 

A) I think most of my Liz Ireland followers know that I have an alter ego, but I also hope to write more Liz Ireland stories. I especially love historical romances, and I have one halfway finished that I hope will appear in the next year or so. Meanwhile, there are a couple more Elizabeth Bass books coming out from Kensington in 2014—one humorous romance novella and another longer book. 

Q) You earned your stripes before the Internet rocked the publishing world. What adjustments did you have to make to your writing routine to remain competitive in this ‘new’ technology? 

A) The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make, frankly, is getting used to the constant distraction of the internet and social media. Facebook and Twitter can eat up a chunk of the workday if I’m not careful, yet it’s so great to have instant contact with so many writers and readers all the time. Writing is solitary work, and in the old pre-internet days, we authors mostly met and talked at a conference or two, and rarely got to interact with readers. Also, the time the internet saves in doing research still amazes me. I remember spending an afternoons at the library tracking down information when I was writing historicals during the 1990s. Now I can track down the answers to questions in a matter of seconds. 

Q) Any parting comments for fans and those yet to read your stories?

 

A) I’m always ecstatic to get feedback from readers, and I’m so thankful to the people who have actually taken the time to write to me. Honestly, there’s nothing better than hearing from people who’ve read something you have written and liked it. When someone takes the time to contact me, or even just to leave a short review on Goodreads or Amazon, it makes my day.

DA Kentner is an award-winning author www.kevad.net

Award-winning Author ReShonda Tate Billingsley

ReShonda Tate Billingsley has over two dozen acclaimed novels to her credit. She’s also reported for

the National Enquirer, been a TV anchor, hosted a literary talk show, and earned the NAACP Image Award. In addition to her numerous other awards, ReShonda was also inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. Add to this that she is a much sought after motivational speaker who has appeared on stage, and we begin to see a woman greatly involved with the world around us. And, when she discovered her daughter had made inappropriate posts on Instagram, ReShonda, the mother took immediate action and required her child to acknowledge the mistake on the same social media. Though we’ll be discussing her books, ReShonda’s character and humanity can never be understated. She is truly an inspiration, and I’m honored she agreed to this interview. Oh, yes, I should mention ReShonda makes an appearance in the movie “Let the Church Say Amen,” titled after her book, which is the story that inspired the film. 

ReShonda writes…a lot. Her prolific work has covered nonfiction, adult fiction, teen fiction, and poetry. “My Brother’s Keeper” introduced author ReShonda to the world. The story of a family broken by violence, but refusing to surrender even when life said it should, garnered ReShonda the Golden Pen Award for Best New Author. She quickly spread her wings and many more books followed, including the nonfiction “Help! I’ve Turned into My Mother,” a collection of true stories about women, mothers, and children. 

Though ReShonda continued adult fiction and nonfiction, she also ventured into Young Adult (YA) and Teen fiction. Her latest offering is “Rumor Central,” a tale of a young woman willing to betray her friends for fame, who then discovers that the knife she drove into their backs may well land a steel one in her own spine. The gossip girl has one chance to make amends before the clock stops ticking. 

“Rumor Central” is a wonderful example of the author’s ability to combine thrills with humor and realistic characters. Though designed for teens, “Rumor Central” is an enjoyable read for all ages. And, as it’s the first in a series, be sure to stay tuned for “Rumor Central: You Don’t Know Me Like That” due out this September.

http://ReShondatatebillingsley.com/ 

Q) How on earth did you manage to add hours to the twenty-four hour day? You had to in order to do all the activities you’re involved with. 

A) Lol…I don’t sleep. Seriously, I make use of every hour, minute and second. I believe every minute you spend talking about what you don’t have time to do could be spent doing it. I dictate everywhere; driving, cleaning, cooking, etc., which helps me churn out so many books. I’m normally doing more than one thing at a time. I have a daily to-do list (usually a page long) and scratch off as I go. 

Q) You have accomplished so much on so many levels. How would you define your life to this point? 

A) I am busy, yet blessed. I’m thankful that I’ve always had a blessed life. I have a wonderful family that has always been very supportive of me. I’m a writer who loves what I do so much, that I would do it for free. Luckily, I don’t have to. I’m definitely living my life like it is golden. But at the end of the day, I’m just an ordinary girl who strives to do extraordinary things. 

Q) What outlet for your creativity does writing provide that your other careers haven’t?

 

A) As a former journalist and news reporter, I have to report the news accurately. So by day, I stuck to the facts, but at night, I would lose myself in the world of fiction. Many people don’t know this, but I used to work as a reporter for The National Enquirer, but even then, I couldn’t just make stuff up (Yep, you heard me right. Most of the stuff in the Enquirer is true!). When writing fiction, I can be as creative as possible. I’ve always loved writing and making up stories. My mom calls it lying. But my first real memory is fifth grade, when I lied about what I did on my summer vacation. I said I dodged bullets in drivebys, watched elderly ladies get mugged and struggled to stay alive in the ghetto. I actually went to summer camp. 

Q) You go to great length to ensure your teen books are free of profanity and anything you deem inappropriate. Basically, you remind readers that a great story doesn’t have to involve cursing and sex to keep us enthralled. Do you ever get pressured to change that viewpoint? 

A) No, I don’t get pressured to change my viewpoint. Parents are always thanking me for writing stories that they don’t mind their teenagers reading. I decided to write teen books after my nieces visited one summer. I told them to go into my library and find a book to read. They chose books that some adults don’t even need to be reading. That’s when we found out that there wasn’t many books that targeted their age group that they felt weren’t boring. Teenagers want all the drama. I wanted to show that you can have a page-turning, drama-filled story without profanity and sex. 

Q) You write fulltime now. How has that affected your home life? 

A) My husband & children are so supportive. They know when I’m knee deep in writing because I have deadlines to meet. My children help with chores. My oldest prepares a lot of the dinners. I can also depend on my sister to help out as much as possible. Now that we’re both caretakers for our mother, there have been some changes, but it doesn’t matter as long as we have her here with us. The biggest problem I have is getting folks to understand I DON’T sit at home nibbling on Bon-bons and watching the Soaps. I really do have a job. I just happen to do that job from my living room. In my pajamas. 

Q) Any parting thoughts for fans and potential new readers? 

A) My fans and readers have encouraged, supported and uplifted me in ways they’ll never know. I appreciate all the emails, FB posts, the constant messages, tweets, and just encouraging words. Because of them, I keep going. I hope that I can continue to inspire through the written word.

DA Kentner is an award-winning author www.kevad.net

 

 

 

NYT Bestselling Author Mary Monroe

Mary Monroe’s life could easily be a bestselling book. The daughter of Alabama sharecroppers, Mary was the first and only member of her family to graduate high school. She never went to college; never attended a writing course. What she did have was a passion for reading, and for storytelling. She taught herself to write at age four, and the stories haven’t stopped. 

Mary’s first novel “The Upper Room,” the tale of a girl raised in a migrant settlement in the Everglades by a healer and rumored murderer, received solid reviews and much acclaim in the U.S. and U.K. Little did Mary know it would be hundreds of rejections and fifteen years before she saw her second novel published. Kensington Books contracted “God Don’t Like Ugly,” a story of friendship and unspeakable, life altering secrets which won the PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles Award, and, as has been said before, the rest is history. Mary’s dedication, perseverance, and well-crafted talent had found a home. Since then, Mary’s poignant stories about the dynamics of family, friends, and lovers have received more awards and a growing mountain of accolades. 

Now her novel “Lost Daughters” is being released. “Lost Daughters” returns readers to the character of Maureen Montgomery, introduced in “The Upper Room,” and the life she’s made for herself and her daughter after the death of their family matriarch, Mama Ruby. In the hope of finally living a normal life, Maureen marries a man she doesn’t love to make her family complete. But even as she strives to create a loving, supportive home for her husband and teen daughter, Maureen can’t escape the secrets of her past…or their connection to new betrayals from the family she thought she knew so well…. 

“Lost Daughters” is a brilliant read. The writing is crisp and fresh; the mechanics clean, and the plot

thrilling, if not a touch disturbing. This is a book I absolutely believe readers will enjoy, and leave them reaching for Mary’s other books.

http://www.marymonroe.org/ 

Q) Amidst the masterful tales you write, you acknowledge that there is an edge of autobiography – your own life – infused in each one. That fact leads me to ask, why not write your story? 

A) All of my books are based on something that happened to me or someone I know. I can’t wait to write the “real” story behind the stories depicted in my novels! I am still collecting material from an older relative (whose memory is better than mine) so that I can write an accurate story. I hope to have my autobiography completed within the next year or two. 

Q) I have to ask; where did the character of Mama Ruby come from? Ruby is one of the most interesting and complex characters I’ve read about in quite some time. 

A) Mama Ruby is a composite of some of my deceased female relatives. They were big, beer drinking ladies who lived by their own rules. However, none of the Mama Ruby “models” recognized themselves in this character—but everyone who knew them did! None of these relatives murdered anyone (that I know of…), kidnapped a baby, or committed most of the other crimes that Mama Ruby committed. 

Q) You once said if you could be anyone, it would be Cinderella. In the sense that you have overcome the odds against your success, I think you’ve achieved that dream. What do you think? 

A) It was a very long journey for me. I had to overcome a lot of obstacles before I found success. I don’t take anything for granted and I still have to work very hard to maintain my success. But anyone who works hard enough can succeed--even without a fairy godmother or a Prince Charming. However, I would like to have one of each… 

Q) In addition to the expected book tours that include bookstores, libraries and such, you have also done book readings and signings in prisons. How did that come about? 

A) I was surprised when I began to receive email and letters from people behind bars. One woman, who is doing a life sentence for murder, sent me a letter. She said she was sorry for her crimes but that she was glad to read about people like Mama Ruby and how she committed crimes and didn’t get caught. I get tons of mail from teenagers behind bars because some of them can relate to the young people in my books who made bad choices. Authorities at two different local youth facilities often invite me to come speak to their kids because I am one of their favorite authors. 

Q) You have accomplished so much, still, there has to be a goal you haven’t managed to grab yet. What is it? 

A) I am a movie addict. I watch several hours of TV movies each day and I go to the movie theaters on a regular basis. When I write a story, I always picture certain actors and actresses playing my main characters. There is nothing I want more than to see one of my books made into a TV movie or a movie for the big screen. It’s one of my main goals. 

Q) Any parting comments for fans and readers new to your work?

 

A) I have several new books with all new characters in the works. I encourage my fans and readers to submit their comments, suggestions, and story ideas. Critical comments are welcome too--as long as they are constructive! Some of the material in my current books came from ideas submitted by fans. I would like to thank everyone who read my books.

DA Kentner is an award-winning author www.kevad.net

 

Motivational Author Shane Jeremy James

Shane Jeremy James started out with a love of reading and a desire to pursue a career in business.

He soon learned he loved working with people. He invested in Canada’s first Curves fitness centers. It wasn’t too long before those centers became some of the most popular in Canada and Shane decided it was time to give some of his success back to the community. One Thanksgiving, he, his manager, and his grandmother delivered over one hundred dinners to families, all at Shane’s personal expense. He then went on a mission to expand the program. It soon became apparent the thriving program would need more money. Shane quickly learned how to raise the necessary funds. Eventually, he connected his Curves locations with local food banks to help feed people year round. 

Shane is a success story on many levels. From community concern and activism to taking a seat on the Board of Directors for the non-profit John Volken Foundation, the one thing that has held true for Shane is that good things can only be accomplished by motivated people. Shane took that idea and began speaking to people about accomplishing their goals. He also decided he needed to lose the weight he’d gained. When he found a method that worked for him, Shane wrote the acclaimed book “Think, Act, Love, Lose Weight.” But, the public kept wanting to know how he had become successful in business. It wasn’t long before he began helping people learn how to network and market…anything. 

Often, it seems a how-to book about achieving business goals is designed for readers with business acumen and a basic understanding of marketing. Shane decided that wasn’t necessarily so and focused on the home-based would-be entrepreneur. He began training average folks in how to develop network and marketing techniques. He also wrote his second book “Prospecting, Closing, and Persuading.” 

Now Shane has released his third book “Networking to Wealth: the Seven Figure Secrets of Network Marketing Multimillionaires.” “Networking to Wealth” is about transforming a home-based business into a competitive presence through network marketing. His principles also apply to established businesses, large and small. According to Shane, every ten seconds a new home-based business starts up in the U.S. That’s a lot of competition. Shane’s goal is to help those folks who want their businesses to attain longevity. The means is through network marketing, and Shane’s ready and willing to share his wealth of knowledge on the subject.

http://www.networkingtowealth.com/ 

Q) Though off topic, I know readers will wonder how the owner of fitness centers had to find a way to lose weight. So, what happened? 

A) In my early 20's I pioneered the Curves for Women franchises into Canada, opening multiply locations. The business exploded to revenues over $500,000. Yet I found myself 65 pounds overweight, creating balance between my work and relaxation was the cause- that and eating  3 plates of pasta before bed did not help. I was eating emotional trying to deal with enormous business expansion when it led to frustration, anger and stress and feelings of being overwhelmed that came from overwork and needing to let others handle some aspects of my company. It was that learning experience which helped me first create then fine tune systems for business growth and a balanced lifestyle . Now I help network marketers and home-based business owners make millions in business, at the same time finding balance between life and business. That was my inspiration to write Networking to Wealth. 

Q) When and how did you first realize you had developed skills other people could use to improve their businesses? 

A) As a teen I was involved in sports and studying successful peoples biographies and read hundreds of books on business and years of reading Entreperur magazine and asking every successful business owner I met questions on their success and for tips on what I could do in my own company. That reading coupled with my majoring in Business in college taught me specific principals that help someone achieve success and I applied it Multi-Level Marketing.

It came so naturally for me that I thought everyone else knew how to do it, too, and as I grew more businesses, people started asking me for advice and wanted to hire me. That is when I realized I had skills that could help change people's businesses, financial futures.

The first person I helped went from a break-even point in their business to making $25,000 a month in profit. The network marketing business requires overcoming the hurdle of rejection, but in reality rejection is not the problem it's how we deal with rejection. Most people enter the network marketing industry part time, while working a former job. To succeed part-time, usually requires at least seven to ten hours per week. You have to carve out a few hours each day to pursue and achieve your dreams. Recently, I put together an online strategy for a $250 million non-profit organization and am helping a new network marketing company launch into the market place. All of these examples are different businesses, but the principles stay the same.  I found that if someone gets those main principles, you can put them into any business and they will result in increased earnings. 

Q) Though you work with any size company, you focus on helping the small, home-based dreams of success. What sent you in that direction? 

A) Great question. It’s my heart that set me in this direction. Most medium-sized businesses are making some kind of decent profit and can obtain loans from banks, but small businesses and home based businesses have a harder time and definitely need more help. Many are running on a bootstrap budget, and they are either steps away from achieving their goals or a step away from closing the doors. Just as you see on The Dragons Den TV Show, and Shark Tank. It’s exciting knowing that someone can get into network marketing and home-based business for a much smaller investment than a franchise costing hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Yes people can and have made hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions in Network Marketing. There are thousands of people who started dead broke and are now earning six or seven figure incomes after delving into network marketing and learning the ropes. You have to learn how to communicate, meet your clients’ needs, sell to grow, expand your sales force and wealth becomes the result In Network marketing. Staying focused and positive encouraging those you are training helps you achieve much more.

·         Every 10 seconds someone in the U.S. starts a home-based business.

·         50%: The estimated percentage of American homes that will be involved in the network marketing industry by 2015.

·         82% of people involved in network marketing are women.

·         $59,250: The average annual salary of an American working from home.

·         Over 85% of home-based businesses succeed; compare this to a traditional start-up company, which faces a 95% failure rate during its first five years.

There are approximately 39 million small business owners in the USA now.

Q) What benefit do you believe your instruction can provide small business owners that investing in a marketing or advertising company can’t? 

A) Usually marketing and advertising companies require a significant fee to work with you.. I have been able to figure out how to coach people online for a small amount of money so that they can quickly improve their skills, techniques and increase their revenue.  I have a college education in business and have built million dollar businesses in my twenties.  I’ve implemented everything I teach in my own companies. My advice can definitely save them a massive amount of  money. For instance, I have become an expert on outsourcing. I do hire within Canada, but also have employees from the US, the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. I show my clients how to outsource online and offline marketing, web development, and administrative tasks.  If you understand how to do this correctly, you can save a lot of money and build your business much faster and generate more profit. If you make money in business, the question on everybody’s mind is “How do I put it back in to make more, and where do I invest it to get the best return?” A small business has  many moving parts, and that is where I come in and teach people every aspect so they truly understand how to make increase their business profits while growing rapidly. 

Q) You’re a busy man. You own and operate businesses, sit on non-profit agency boards, help charities, and still somehow manage a private life. What do you do to recharge your batteries? 

A) That was the reason I moved right beside the ocean. Often I strap on my rollerblades and roll around on our seawall. Exercise is very important in my life, producing extra energy that helps me stay alert and focused and achieve my big goals and  dreams. I also attend church , meditate 30  minutes per day, and spend several hours a week helping others by  working on the Board of Directors with several Canadian business associations. I donate time and resources to numerous charities and serve on the Board of Director for the John Volken Foundation. Eating healthy - lots of organic foods balanced with work and exercise re charges me. In business you are always looking for the extra edge, and time is your most valuable commodity that you cannot get back.  Making sure I spend time with my family and close friends is also very relaxing for me. 

Q) Any parting comments for those thinking about starting a home-based business, and/or established

businesses? 

A) Every industry includes reputable and not-so-reputable companies in its field. Naturally, the same hold true for the Network Marketing industry. There are many successful organizations which follow corporate compliance regulations and have high ethics and standards. On the other end of the spectrum, there are those which lack scruples altogether. The best way to determine the legitimate from the unlawful is to check whether they aim to establish long-term passive income, or if they're just skulking around for the grab-and-go profits. Also look for great network marketing trainers to learn from In my new book Networking to Wealth I have done my best to provide you with the proper tools and strategies to build a great network marketing business.

DA Kentner is an award-winning author www.kevad.net

 

 

Author, Poet Anne Serling

“As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling” goes beyond what some would view as the ‘expected’ biography. I don’t cry reading biographies or memoirs. I don’t. And, I did. 

Anne Serling’s account of her father and the love and joy their family shared transports the reader into the very heart of the family dynamics. Through Anne’s mastery of the written word, we are invited to partake in the memories as if they are current events unfolding before us. All I can say is be prepared to laugh, smile, and go through a box or two of tissues. “As I Knew Him” is writing at its finest.

 

Anne holds a degree in Elementary Education with a minor in English. She’s been a substitute teacher, worked with children with special needs, and was a preschool teacher at Cornell University’s Early Childhood Program and Cooperative Nursery School. Her poetry has appeared in publications such as The Cornell Daily Sun and Visions. Previously, she adapted two of her father’s teleplays to short stories which were included in the anthology “The Twilight Zone.” Anne and her husband currently live in upstate New York. 

“As I Knew Him” has been described as a “lyrical tribute” to Rod Serling’s legacy. That may be a fair assertion. However, it is Anne’s ability to bring to life her father’s empathy, kindness, and sense of social justice through her words that separates this book from the pack. Shared personal correspondence and photographs help to paint the picture of the man, father, and confidant Anne knew. She takes us from her father’s early days, his military service during WWII, the meeting with the woman who would become his wife, and allows us to sit on her shoulder as the daughter plays with her father in the yard. We ‘hear’ Rod’s stance on censorship and his deep rooted love of animals. Most of all, this is a book of family and how our futures are molded by the values instilled within us by those who love and guide us. Buy this book. You won’t regret it.

 http://www.anneserling.com/ 

Q) I’m certain that writing a book about your father was suggested numerous times over the years. What made you decide that now was the right time? 

A) Writing the book was actually never suggested. It was just something I needed to do. Initially I began another book about ten years after my dad died--IN HIS ABSENCE. I was unable to finish it though as I was still so much, even then, in the throes of grief and unable to navigate my way through that minefield. After several years I heard things that had been written and said that described my father in a way that could not have been more removed from the person I knew and it made me angry. I decided it was time to set the record straight. And so I wrote this book as a tribute to my father. 

Q) You are an extremely talented writer. Why haven’t we seen a book (regardless of genre) from you before this? I noticed on your web site that you have started a novel. What genre will it be? 

A) Thank you so much! 

Poetry was, initially, where I was comfortable. Writing a book seemed like such a daunting task. 

When I began AS I KNEW HIM, I wondered, not only emotionally, but also realistically, how I would reach the end. As I went on, I found the process became easier and although there were certainly more than a handful of frustrating days and blank pages, there were also moments when I reached the end of chapters and felt a sense of completion. 

What I am writing now is a novel called AFTERSHOCKS. It is about the dissolution of a family and the fractured interpersonal relationships involved. 

Q) No doubt this has been asked, but what do you believe was the greatest gift both of your parents gave you? 

A) At an early age I learned of the insidious nature of prejudice and how my dad felt it was our world's "greatest evil." 

Both my parents shielded my sister and me from "the Hollywood scene." And I am grateful for that. Although I think that environment would be even tougher to grow up in now. Not to say it wouldn't, at times, be exciting. 

From my father I learned that unconditional love is the greatest gift a parent can give their children.  Also the ability to laugh at one's self. 

Q) Several renowned celebrities came out in public support of “As I Knew Him.” Their support is a

tribute to both you and your father. How did it feel knowing they were willing to state their lasting impressions of your father after all this time? 

A) I am grateful and humbled beyond words that these kind people took the time out of their busy worlds to offer me these quotes. 

My dad was once quoted as saying he felt his writing was "momentarily adequate" and that it wouldn't "stand the test of time."  These endorsements, after all of these decades, touched me deeply, as they would have him. 

Q) The Fifth Dimension is a grade school program designed to enhance the life skills of children entering middle school. It utilizes Twilight Zone episodes to focus on such issues as prejudice and mob mentality. How involved were you with creating this marvelous program? 

A) I was not involved in creating this program. Credit goes entirely to the superb teachers that implemented it, organized it and made it successful through their creativity and belief in the idea. It is focused on enhancing the life skills of elementary students as they prepare to enter the tumultuous years of middle school with its peer pressure and bullying. 

And these students really "get" these moral messages. When asked by one teacher, after viewing the episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” "Who are the monsters?" The entire class stood up. 

I believe my father would have considered this program his greatest accolade. 

Q) Any parting thoughts for your readers? 

A) I hope I have been successful in presenting the human side of my father and that readers come to know "another dimension" of the man beyond his public persona and the mistaken portrayal by some as a morose, depressed angry man. 

Additionally, I hope that I have helped others by opening up about getting through my grief. Grieving the loss of someone is so difficult. I hope my sharing lets others realize that they are not alone and that there is no "right" way to get through it. No "appropriate" measure of time. It's tough and it's messy and can take years before you feel "right" or "normal" again and that is ok.

DA Kentner is an award-winning author www.kevad.net

 

 

 

 

 

YA Author Scott Blagden

Scott Blagden worked in real estate after being shown the exit door when a college prank found the

  wrong audience – apparently humor wasn’t in the offering that semester. Today, he lives on Cape Cod, is still in the real estate biz, is the father to two teenagers, and, he has just seen his first book published. 

“Dear Life, You Suck” isn’t standard fare in any genre, let alone Young Adult (YA). The main character, Cricket Cherpin, is a young man growing up the hard way; without parents in a Catholic group home where he’s the oldest ward and on the verge of turning eighteen. One way or another, ready or not, Cricket is about to be unleashed into the world. The thing is, Cricket is well aware of the limited choices he’s facing because he’s been engaged in many of the darker activities for some time. And it is the clash of those worlds he lives in that has created Cricket’s unique persona and outlook. 

“Dear Life, You Suck” is filled with blunt, creative, often profane, occasionally laughable language as Cricket walks a wobbly balance beam between protecting the younger wards in the home and dealing with the drugs, drug dealers, and many other vices and people he encounters outside the nuns’ umbrella of safety. Cricket isn’t quite like any character readers have encountered before, and that’s what helps transcend this book beyond the YA genre. 

This is a book destined to be talked about. The characters and settings Scott has created are not going away. Why? Because they are very real. We’ve met these people, read about them in the news, seen them on the street corners, and maybe raised one or two in our own families. Cricket isn’t foolproof. He doesn’t have all the answers, but needs those answers – right now! He’s seventeen and subject to mood swings and ever changing outlooks as the circumstances around him buzz in and out of his grasp and understanding. “Life sucks” is his mantra, as it is with many teens who find themselves alone and standing on the brink of adulthood, until that one chance, that one person enters their life, and they discover what they thought was their future may come with a fork in the road. 

Parents who believe ‘their’ teens would never drink, smoke a joint, curse, or take a dip in the darker side of life won’t like this book. But, their kids are going to love it.

http://scottblagden.com/ 

Q) The obvious question: What inspired this book? 

A) Actually, the inspiration was the utter failure of my three previous novels. I wrote those novels with the goal of getting published as my main objective. I was trying to write something I thought would be popular, something I thought would sell. Around the time my third novel received its three or four hundredth rejection letter, a profane and hilarious character popped into my head. I started writing down his thoughts, never thinking I could use such outrageous stuff in an actual novel. But the more I wrote about this angry, wounded, distrustful young man, the more I realized there was a story beneath the crassness. A story that might never see the light of day publishing-wise, but a story that needed to be told nonetheless. I basically said “screw it, I’m not getting published anyway” and decided to write Cricket’s story. I was writing it more for myself than anyone else, and looking back on that time now, I realize that’s what made all the difference. My “I don’t care what anyone thinks” attitude enabled me to tell Cricket’s story honestly in his true voice. 

Q) You opted to give Cricket a language that is at times all his own. Where did his unique words come from? 

A) I’ve heard about actors “getting into character” before performing, but this is the first time it’s happened to me when writing a book. After I really got to know Cricket, I “became him” every time I sat down at my computer. And once I was “in character,” his words flowed out of me like water through a busted dam. Some of the language came naturally and some needed a great deal of editing during the revision process. The finished draft definitely did not just “flow” out. I probably did two or three hundred revisions before finishing the manuscript. 

Q) “Dear Life, You Suck” has been likened to “The Catcher in the Rye” in its portrayal of life. I see traces of Mark Twain’s subtle humor that requires a second look to fully comprehend. While the comparisons are complimentary, they do tend to take away from the fact this story is solely the product of your imagination. How do you feel about the comparisons being made so early in the book’s release? 

A) Yes, the novel is purely a product of my imagination, but like all stories, deep dark traces of the author leak out onto the pages. It’s overwhelming and surreal to be compared to writers I worship, and I haven’t really been able to get my mind around that yet. I try not to think about it too much because it’s very possible that my unstable, self-esteem-strained brain will trick me into believing I’m something more than a tenacious hack with a twisted imagination. Struggling with my second novel helps keep me grounded. Also, I never forget that I have a genius editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Adah Nuchi, and she’s responsible for much of the book’s success. She’s brilliant, passionate, and stubborn - the perfect combination for a YA book editor. Especially with a client who tends to write a great deal of outrageous nonsense.  

Q) What were your teens’ reactions when they learned dad was writing a book about a teenager’s life instead of a murder mystery? 

A) I have 17-year-old twins, a boy and a girl. My son’s read the book, and he loved it. He admitted he was nervous about reading it because he was afraid he might not like it, and he knew he’d have to be honest and tell me. He did say it was weird reading Dad’s thoughts about teen life, especially the “romantic stuff.” My daughter hasn’t read it yet because she’s been real busy with school and work, but my guess is she’s just not ready to glimpse dad’s warped mind. And I’m fine with that. She can read it when she’s ready. 

Q) This book will be a hard act to follow. So, will your next project be on the same artistic plane, or will you take decidedly different course? 

A) The good reviews have definitely heightened my level of anxiety about book two. I don’t want to disappoint readers who like Dear Life. I'm intentionally going in a very different direction, and it’s a challenging story, so I’m taking my time. My editor’s been telling me for the last year and a half not to worry about pub dates for book two and to take as much time as necessary to get the story right, and I finally understand where she’s coming from. I want to make sure it’s as good as it can be (with her assistance) before sending it out into the world. Especially since it’s sure to be compared to Dear Life. My next novel is about a 17-year-old track star with “father-issues” and a full-boat college scholarship who suddenly finds himself caring for a five-month-old infant he’s recently learned is his daughter. 

Q) Any parting thoughts for soon-to-be fans? 

A) For readers, my hope is that they will give Cricket a chance. It's risky to write a character honestly from page one because a reader might write him off before discovering the real him (just like in real life), but I think it's a writer’s responsibility to present characters as they truly are, not as society thinks they should be. For writers, my advice is “never give up.” It may take five or ten or twenty novels before you get published, but if you concentrate on becoming a better writer instead of becoming a published writer, you’ll get there.

DA Kentner is an award-winning author www.kevad.net