SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014
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People all over the world read her books and fall in love everyday. She is a person that writes with love,and send music through her words. I was very lucky to speak,and interview her. Here is our interview, I hope you enjoy!
Q: Are you doing anything new?Yes, I'm working on a new novel and enjoying every minute of it. The process of crafting a novel is both exhilarating and frustrating, and I can't imagine doing anything else. But I'm bit superstitious and don't discuss much about my works in progress for fear I might jinx them.Q: When you write,what emotions do you feel?Whether it's sorrow, joy, fear, or the bite of winter's first breath, it's imperative to the quality of my writing that I experience (via life experiences and/or vivid imagination) everything my characters do, and, that I accurately convey those feelings in fresh and nuanced ways.Q: Who is an author that you adore, and a book that speaks words for you?Adore is a powerful word. I wouldn't say I adore any writer, but there are many works I admire. A few favorites are: "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote, "Unless" by Carol Shields, "Roxanna Slade" by Reynolds Price, "Ordinary Grace" by William Kent Krueger, "Mama Makes Up Her Mind" by Bailey White, and "The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte.Q: How do you define yourself?I've never thought about that before. I guess I'd say I'm an introvert who has consciously embarked on a journey to experience the creative and spiritual energies of life.Q: What message would you like to send you readers?The major recurring themes in my work center around loss, forgiveness, courage, kindness to Mother Nature and her animals, and the extraordinary moments that forever alter ordinary lives. If readers feel the urge to be more "awake" to the wonders of the natural world and to examine their own hearts while reading my work, that would make me happy.
Thank you Beth,and good luck!
here at lookingatlitreviews.blogsppot.com
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2015
Interview with author Anthony Farina
INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ANTHONY FARINA
A little bit about (Angels In Sadar City)
When the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Carson was deployed to Iraq in 2007, the men found themselves in a city known as a safe haven for criminals and terrorists. No other allied forces had dared enter Sadr City to suppress the insurgents. The area of Sadr City is an untamed city inhabited by nearly two and a half million people, some of whom found safety and comfort in the protection offered by the United States Army. Their task was to build a wall to contain the enemy inside the city. How could they wall off an entire city while being shot at by the enemy at the same time?
Discover what the media did not report in its coverage of the War on Terror. This is the true story of the last battle for Baghdad through the eyes of an infantry soldier as he leads his men to accomplish an important strategic initiative against insurmountable odds. Join the soldiers of the "Beaver Platoon" in the battles they fight in the streets of Baghdad and within their own souls. These are the miracles that saved the men of Charlie Company and transformed the life of one of its leaders forever.
When the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Carson was deployed to Iraq in 2007, the men found themselves in a city known as a safe haven for criminals and terrorists. No other allied forces had dared enter Sadr City to suppress the insurgents. The area of Sadr City is an untamed city inhabited by nearly two and a half million people, some of whom found safety and comfort in the protection offered by the United States Army. Their task was to build a wall to contain the enemy inside the city. How could they wall off an entire city while being shot at by the enemy at the same time?
Discover what the media did not report in its coverage of the War on Terror. This is the true story of the last battle for Baghdad through the eyes of an infantry soldier as he leads his men to accomplish an important strategic initiative against insurmountable odds. Join the soldiers of the "Beaver Platoon" in the battles they fight in the streets of Baghdad and within their own souls. These are the miracles that saved the men of Charlie Company and transformed the life of one of its leaders forever.
THE INTERVIEW
1.)What was your favorite part that you wrote in the book?
2.) I know you're working on another book. How is that going, as far as storyline and the editing process?
Currently the book is in the 3rd act, or final stage. It will go to editing in March and then production a few months later. The reviews for this book so far have been amazing, with tons of positive feedback.
3.) What is your favorite literary element, and how did you incorporate it into your story?
4.) What are you doing to inspire future authors?
5.) How do you define yourself?
6.) What advice would you give to young aspiring authors?
1.)What was your favorite part that you wrote in the book?
1.- My favorite part of the book was the Prologue. This is the place where I bear my soul for the reader to see how traumatizing the war can be and what I was able to do to overcome some very destructive life habits.
2.) I know you're working on another book. How is that going, as far as storyline and the editing process?
2.-The third book I am working on is called The 11th Muse. It is a romantic comedy about a writer, who gets a visit from the Mythological Muse. The muse ends up falling in love with the writer and giving him unique inspiration. Later in the story however, the writer falls in love with a mortal woman and the Muse pulls his ability to write. He has to figure out how to get rid of the Muse for good while being able to write naturally.
Currently the book is in the 3rd act, or final stage. It will go to editing in March and then production a few months later. The reviews for this book so far have been amazing, with tons of positive feedback.
3.) What is your favorite literary element, and how did you incorporate it into your story?
3.- For Angels in Sadr City, it was point of view. I wrote the book as a first-hand account of the battle of Sadr City in 2008. The famous Navy Seal Sniper had a number of confirmed kills during this battle. For the Muse, I would say conflict. The book is based off a failing writer, who becomes famous only to have his ability stripped. He is either fighting off a crazed fan, trying to make the girl of his dreams fall in love, or get rid of a muse. The ending is going to be everything short of epic.
4.) What are you doing to inspire future authors?
4.-I either speak publicly at Libraries and schools about writing, or if an aspiring author comes to me with questions, I make sure I take the time to write them in detail, even going as far as making sure they start the writing and outline process correctly. One technique I am very familiar with and use is called Word Painting. This technique relates the artist Claude Monet and his effective use of painting things as they are happening, to how one should write. So the more effective the description, the more you can draw the reader into the story. That is the basis of all my teachings.
5.) How do you define yourself?
5.- I define myself as an artist, plain and simple. I play the piano, write, and study other artists any chance I get.
6.) What advice would you give to young aspiring authors?
6.- My advice to aspiring authors is to not give up. Read...read as much as you can on anything you can. You will develop a unique style by doing this. Reading is just as important as setting a disciplined schedule of writing every day. Finally, if you are having trouble continuing writing a current piece, do ten minute increments. Sit down at the computer, and type out every thought that comes to your mind for ten minutes. If the story is not flowing by then...walk away for the day. But do this every day until your rough draft is finished.
Sites to purchases Anthony's book...
Anthony Farina I wanted to thank you for taking your time, doing this interview with me! I was so excited when you said that you would. I'm excitedly waiting for your next book, and good luck with the rest of the process!
Smile,
Austin Caine-Cook
Looking At Lit
Anthony Farina I wanted to thank you for taking your time, doing this interview with me! I was so excited when you said that you would. I'm excitedly waiting for your next book, and good luck with the rest of the process!
Smile,
Austin Caine-Cook
Looking At Lit
MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2016
Interview with author Bernice L. McFadden
INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR BERNICE L. MCFADDEN
Gathering of Waters
A Little About the Book...
Gathering of Waters is a deeply engrossing tale narrated by the town of Money, Mississippi--a site both significant and infamous in our collective story as a nation. Money is personified in this haunting story, which chronicles its troubled history following the arrival of the Hilson and Bryant families.
Tass Hilson and Emmett Till were young and in love when Emmett was brutally murdered in 1955. Anxious to escape the town, Tass marries Maximillian May and relocates to Detroit.
Forty years later, after the death of her husband, Tass returns to Money and fantasy takes flesh when Emmett Till's spirit is finally released from the dank, dark waters of the Tallahatchie River. The two lovers are reunited, bringing the story to an enchanting and profound conclusion.
Gathering of Waters mines the truth about Money, Mississippi, as well as the town's families, and threads their history over decades. The bare-bones realism--both disturbing and riveting--combined with a magical realm in which ghosts have the final say, is reminiscent of Toni Morrison's Beloved.
A Little About Bernice L. McFadden...
BERNICE L. McFADDEN is the author of nine critically acclaimed novels including Sugar, Loving Donovan, Nowhere Is a Place, The Warmest December, Gathering of Waters (a New York Times Editors’ Choice and one of the 100 Notable Books of 2012), and Glorious, which was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine and was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award. She is a three-time Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist, as well as the recipient of three awards from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA). She lives in Brooklyn, New York. The Book of Harlan is her latest novel.
Her Website.... Please take the time to check this out!!!
THE INTERVIEW!!!
Hello, Austin. Thanks again for the opportunity!
4.) The quote that follows is from your book "Gathering of Waters" "Listen, if you choose to believe nothing else that transpires here, believe this: your body does not have a soul; your soul has a body, and souls never ever die."
I think this quote is so powerful and amazing, because as I read it I felt so much emotion in the way the words were formed together, as other readers read this quote, what lesson do you hope they gather from it?
5.) When you write what are some steps in your writing process, and what inspires you to write?
6.) Are you working on anything new?
1.) Ms. McFaddean you've made a difference in the field of literature with your works, how did you get started, and why did you become an author?
BLM-I learned to read a very young age and became immediately enchanted with books. I decided at the age of 9 that I wanted to become a novelist. I started a short story writer but was unable to find a publisher for my collection. I read a book that said that it was difficult for unknown writers to publish a collection of short stories and that it was best to approach agents/editors with a full novel. So, I spent nearly a decade working on my first novel, SUGAR. After many re-writes and 75 rejection letters, I secured a literary agent and a week later I had my first book deal.
2.) Your book "Gathering of Waters" is told from the point of view of Money a town in Mississippi. Where did you get this idea to write from a towns perspective, and was this an easy or difficult task?
2.) Your book "Gathering of Waters" is told from the point of view of Money a town in Mississippi. Where did you get this idea to write from a towns perspective, and was this an easy or difficult task?
BLM-I usually write with a feminine voice in my head, but as I was writing Gathering of Waters - that's not the voice I felt narrating the story. I thought maybe it was a masculine voice, but after a few chapters, that also didn't feel authentic to me. After some grappling - I simply asked aloud: Who is telling this story? And the response was the opening line of the book: I am Money. Money, Mississippi. No, it wasn't difficult at all.
3.) Your book is influenced by two huge historical events: The Great Mississippi River flood of 1927, and the murder of Emmett Till. Was it difficult to from your story around these events, and what did you learn about them?
3.) Your book is influenced by two huge historical events: The Great Mississippi River flood of 1927, and the murder of Emmett Till. Was it difficult to from your story around these events, and what did you learn about them?
BLM-I love history which is why I've gravitated to writing historical fiction. I absolutely look forward to the research part of what goes into writing my novels, so I don't consider it difficult - but it is very time-consuming. I learned quite a bit about those two events and Mississippi and no matter how much things may change, many things remain the same.
4.) The quote that follows is from your book "Gathering of Waters" "Listen, if you choose to believe nothing else that transpires here, believe this: your body does not have a soul; your soul has a body, and souls never ever die."
I think this quote is so powerful and amazing, because as I read it I felt so much emotion in the way the words were formed together, as other readers read this quote, what lesson do you hope they gather from it?
BLM-I hope that readers will tap into their empathy and use that emotion to better themselves, which will in turn better the world.
5.) When you write what are some steps in your writing process, and what inspires you to write?
BLM-I'm inspired by hidden histories. When I discover something in history that is not widely known, I spend a months or years researching the event as well as the sub-events - until the core of the story is fully formed and then I begin the physical process of creating the story on paper.
6.) Are you working on anything new?
BLM-I'm editing a novel that takes place in Ghana, called: Praise Song for the Butterflies
7.) What message would you like to send your readers?
7.) What message would you like to send your readers?
BLM- I want my readers to know how much I adore and appreciate them and I hope that I will be able to inform and entertain them for many more years to come.
Want to buy her books.....
THANKS....
Thank you again Ms. McFadden for letting me get to know you, and your works a little better. Can't wait for your next book!
Looking at Lit,
Austin.
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