FEATURED AUTHOR: GILDA MORINA SYVERSON

About the Book:

In this multigenerational memoir, My Father's Daughter, From Rome to Sicily, our author travels with her Italian-born father, Italian-American mother, and very-American husband to the villages of her ancestors. This trilogy tale leads the reader through ancient sites of Rome, landscapes of a picturesque countryside, seaside villages of Sicily, olive trees in the valley of Mount Etna, while contrasting an emotional journey between a father and daughter.

Former North Carolina Poet Laureate, Joseph Bathanti, says, "My Father's Daughter: From Rome to Sicily is a travel book in every sense. Syverson - a savvy, funny, elegant tour guide - expertly escorts us through the gorgeous time-locked terrain of Italy, but also along the often precarious byways of the heart. This book risks everything: its humanity, its courage, its sheer unbridled candor, the moving sweep of its poetic language, and its refusal to turn away from the breathtaking mystery of love and ancestry.

If you have more than one published book, please name them and include a sales URL. (Not just a link—I need the URL, starting with http.)
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INTERVIEW WITH GILDA MORINA SYVERSON

Do you have another job outside of writing?
Yes, I also teach memoir writing!

Which character did you most enjoy writing?
Truth be told, I probably most enjoyed writing my father because I could say exactly what I was thinking, like he always did. When the book was finished and he read it, he didn't mind what I said one bit.

What would your main character say about you?
There are really a few main characters. My character, me, would say: "A bit obsessive, perhaps?" Dad's character would say, "I don't care what you say, as long as you talk about me." 

What song would you pick to go with your book?
Andrea Bocelli's "Time to Say Goodbye."

What book are you currently reading and in what format?
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Paperback.

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
I love to start writing by sitting up in bed and writing in my journal, either early in the morning or late at night.

Where’s home for you?
Now, home is in North Carolina.

Where did you grow up?
Syracuse, New York.

What’s your favorite memory?
I write memoir and poetry and have a slew of memories. One that has made a difference in my life was traveling to Quebec city from Syracuse when I was about six years old with my father, my mother, my sister Nicki, my brother Anthony, and my grandmother that I was named after, Nonna Egidia. Nonna is a character in my memoir that readers have commented on.

Have you been in any natural disasters?
Mostly ones I create in my head.

What makes you happy?
Stu. In the book you'll see why. I take life way too seriously, and Stu makes me laugh a lot, even at myself.

What makes you excited?
Traveling. I love to travel, if I can get past the thought of leaving my home, I'm ready to fly.   

How did you meet your spouse?
I met my husband Stu at a Halloween party. Love at first sight? I tried to ignore that possibility, but there was real attraction there that day and it has never gone away.

Would you rather work in a library or a bookstore?
They are both appealing. Probably a library.

Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
I love Boston Public Library on Boylston Street. Probably because it's in Boston, and I love that city. Although the main branch of the New York Public is appealing too. There are so many layers to large libraries. While I'm at it, I've always been impressed with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library System, because they will transport any book from anywhere in the county for you. And then there is that wonderful little red library I fell in love with as a child - it's no longer there on Nichols Avenue. A new one was built in its place, although it is hardly new anymore. I remember the exact corner that drew me in. Can you tell I love libraries!

You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
Pippi Longstocking! For today anyway. Tomorrow I could make another choice.

Why did you decide to publish with a traditional publisher)?
I decided to publish with Laura Ponticello of Divine Phoenix and Pegasus Books because she was as passionate about my story as I have been. We immediately connected. 

Are you happy with your decision to publish with them?
I can't imagine any other publisher giving my story and me as much attention and as much caring as Laura Ponticello has given. I am beyond happy with my decision.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love to walk in the woods, on greenways, on the beach - anywhere in nature.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
England!

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on supporting my memoir and the message behind why I think memoir is so important. If we don't write our own stories they will die with us.

I am teaching classes and workshops, sending out articles about my own recent memoir writing experiences.

BOOK EXCERPT:

Sunday, October 15


Bright lights on the digital alarm blink 5:00 a.m. Five o’clock? What in the world am I doing awake? And what is this inner voice nagging me about room reservations in Rome? Something doesn’t feel right. Today? Sunday. Tomorrow is Monday. We’re leaving — Mom, Dad, Stu and me — for our trip to Italy and Sicily.

Why this message now and not when the itinerary arrived two months ago? Wait. I did wonder why the address for the hotel was different from what Carol, our travel agent, gave me on the phone. Why didn’t I pay attention to those feelings when the reservations first arrived?

I’ve been to Italy half a dozen times. Anything’s possible there. The building could be on a side alley, the address on the main road. Carol referred to the place as Hotel Columbus, and in her next breath called it Hotel Cristoforo Colombo.

It didn’t seem unusual to hear her use English and then Italian. After all, we both have Italian backgrounds. That’s why I used Carol to make the flight arrangements. I even chuckled when she rolled those rich flowing vowels off her tongue. Maybe I shouldn’t be so friendly and focus strictly on business.

One night on the Internet, I looked up the Hotel Columbus. Just like Carol had said, the address was Via della Conciliazione, Numero 34. The ad even touted that they were only blocks from the Vatican. I assumed the street address on the itinerary was simply an error. How many Christopher Columbus Hotels could there be, anyway? It wasn’t a chain — that much I knew.

At different times in my life, I’ve learned to let go and let others do things for me. But it didn’t come easy. Being the second oldest of eight children, I’ve often felt overly responsible.

I can’t be in charge of absolutely everything. At least that’s what I’ve tried to tell myself after having moved away from my large Italian-American family. Besides, our agent is not just any fly-by-night. She’s been in the business for over thirty years specializing in trips to Italy.

Now, here I am the morning before we’re supposed to leave, and I can’t stop churning. If I don’t get back to sleep, I’ll wake my husband. There’s no sense in both Stu and me being sleep deprived. I slip out of bed, climb the stairs to my art studio and quietly close the door. I hate following up after Carol, but I’m calling that hotel in Rome.

“Buon giorno,” I say in my best Italian. “Parla Inglese?”

I’ve learned that if anyone there admits to speaking English, his or her verbal skills are much more fluent than my broken Italian. Luigi, the person on the other end of the phone, takes my last name and my parents‟ name, then asks for our reservation numbers.

“No problema,” Luigi says in his rich accent; we are booked.

To be absolutely sure, I say, “Now this is the Hotel Columbus two blocks from the Vatican, correct?”

“No, not correct,” Luigi replies. “We are about fifteen kilometers from the Vatican.”

Fifteen kilometers doesn’t register. I envision fifteen yards, fifteen feet, fifteen anything but kilometers.

“Si,” I repeat, “fifteen kilometers is right down the street from the Vatican, correct?”

“No, not correct,” he says again. “Kilometers, kilometers,” he repeats, pronouncing each syllable—key lom e tours.

And then it hits me.

“KILOMETERS?” I bellow, “But my travel agent said that you were in walking distance of the Vatican.”

“We are not,” he says. “You will have to take a bus or a tassi.”

Frantic, I hang up furious with myself for not having listened to my intuition after the itinerary arrived months ago. I ignored that internal voice trying to tell me something was awry and assumed my imagination had gotten the best of me, as I’ve been told most of my life it did.

I click on the Internet and find the phone number for the other Hotel Columbus and call. A woman named Stefania also replies yes to my question about speaking English.

“I’m sorry, Madam,” she says, “We do not have your name.”

She doesn’t have the reservation number that I read off either. Obviously, the confirmation system at one hotel is different from another. But I am grasping here. It’s pretty apparent that our reservations are with the first place I called.

I’m going to Rome with my mother and father, seventy- three and seventy-six, respectively. Although they’re not old, they’re not young and used to traveling either. And we’re not even staying close to the Vatican.

My father attends Mass every day, sometimes twice. Mom is not compulsive about daily Mass, but she is excited about being within walking distance from what we’ve always been taught is the seat of Catholicism.


Thanks to Stu, my Episcopalian husband, we’re scheduled to see Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's piazza the morning after we arrive in Italy. Stu's nephew's wife’s father, a colonel in the U.S. Army, had once been stationed at the American Embassy in Rome, and he was able to arrange a papal audience for us. Well, the four of us and about 8,000 other people.

The plan is to walk to the piazza from our hotel. Since the year 2000 is the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Celebration, we do not want to fight the traffic with the thousands of pilgrims who will be flooding Vatican City from all areas of the capital. Even though the main impetus for the trip is to visit my parents' ancestral towns in Sicily, how can we go to Italy with my folks and not visit Rome?

Now on the other end of the phone, Stefania, the woman from the hotel near the Vatican, is trying to calm my rattled nerves.

“Madam, stay in the hotel that you have a reservation for and then try to find another place after you arrive. Rooms are scarce here,” she continues. “You are lucky to have one at all.”

Lucky is not how I’m feeling. I explain to Stefania how my parents are older, that it’s my mother’s first trip abroad, and we are willing take any available rooms. After several apologies and her sympathy, Stefania says they are totally booked. Exasperated, I go back to bed and crawl beneath the covers. So much for trying not to rouse my husband.
“Stu,” I whisper, “Those hotel reservations in Rome... they’re not at all near the Vatican.”

His eyes pop open.

Now we’re both awake for the day. I wait until almost 8:30 before I call our travel agent at home. Carol and I spend most of Sunday on and off the phone. Even though she looks on numerous Internet sites for another place near the Vatican, none of her attempts meet with success.

About the Author

Gilda Morina Syverson, artist, poet, writer and teacher, was born and raised in a large, Italian-American family in Syracuse, New York. Her heritage is the impetus for her memoir My Father’s Daughter, From Rome to Sicily. Gilda’s story was a Novello Literary Award Finalist previously entitled Finding Bottom: an Italian-American woman’s journey to the old country.

Gilda’s award-winning poems and prose have appeared in literary journals, magazines and anthologies in the United States and Canada. She is also the author of the full-length poetry book, Facing the Dragon, and the chapbook, In This Dream Everything Remains Inside. Her commentaries have been aired on WFAE, Charlotte, N.C.’s public radio station.

Gilda moved to Charlotte, North Carolina after having received an MFA in Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education from Buffalo State College. Gilda has taught in the Creative Arts for over 35 years including memoir classes and workshops for Queens University of Charlotte, The Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius, North Carolina and at various other locations. Her fine art has been exhibited regionally, nationally, and internationally. Her angel drawings and prints are in a number of collections throughout the United States, Canada, and Italy.

Gilda lives outside of Charlotte, N.C. with her husband Stu.

Connect with Gilda:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads 

Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads 

FEATURED AUTHOR: ANDREA PEARSON

ABOUT THE BOOK

Nicole Williams is an Arete—a fourth child with magical abilities — yet no matter how hard she tries, she can’t channel her power. In fact, she seems to be the only student at Katon University who fails at magic.

This doesn’t stop her from competing to be included on a university-led expedition to Arches National Park. She is determined to show everyone, but mostly herself, that she does belong. Yet, to qualify for the trip, she must produce at least a speck of Wind magic, and that appears to be impossible.

Nicole turns to her best friend, Lizzie, for help, along with fellow student Austin Young, who is considered by all a magical rarity. He also happens to be the hottest guy on campus and just might be interested in her.

As the competition progresses, Nicole wonders if she’s making the right choice — especially when she learns that the strange fossils they’ll be studying in Arches might not be as dead as everyone thinks.

INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA PEARSON

Andrea, how did you get started writing, and when did you become an “author?”
Back in 2008, I finished my very first book — a middle-grade fantasy called The Key of Kilenya. It’s a story that had developed over the years, ever since I was a child and played games with my brother. It developed into a six-book series. By the end of 2009, I was picked up by an agent who landed me a contract with one of the Big Five. Exciting as that was, I couldn’t get over the feeling that I’d end up regretting the choice if I signed with them. I turned down the contract, much to the chagrin of my agent (and trad-pubbed author friends). Over the next year or so, as I tried to figure out where I needed to go that would serve my books best, I ultimately decided to self-publish. It’s been wonderful.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
The flow of creativity. Basically, when I get into a scene and lose myself in the characters, their thoughts and dilemmas, and feel like I’m actually there. It’s pretty exciting.

What books do you currently have published?
The Kilenya Series, a six-book middle grade fantasy series
The Katon University series, a five-book YA fantasy series
Bezza’s Book of Enchantments, an illustrated chapter book
The Kilenya Romances, a three-novella teen romance series

Can you share some of your marketing strategies with us?
Don’t market until you have several books available. While waiting, aim to increase reviews on books you’ve published and newsletter subscribers. Don’t be afraid to give away a free eBook to anyone who’s interested in joining the newsletter list. Once you have several books available, with multiple reviews each (Verified Purchase reviews), then start slow and see which websites work the best, one at a time. Ask other authors for their favorite websites to promote with and try those out. Don’t let yourself get discouraged when downloads don’t happen immediately or when popular promoting sites say no – it’ll only derail you from doing what’s most important: writing more books. And having fun while writing those books.

How long have you been a writer?
I was a technical writer for several years before switching to fiction. Technical, including: writing knowledge base articles for the computer industry and legal documents for attorneys, etc. I’ve only been a fiction writer since 2008. I absolutely love it.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I have a love/hate relationship with it and pretty much all social-networking sites. Facebook has been very beneficial as a way to keep up with old friends, family, readers, and other authors, but I’ve found, especially recently, that a lot of people abuse their ability to comment and are frequently unkind to other people. I don’t spend a lot of time on Facebook for this reason — I’d rather be writing or spending time with my husband and daughter instead of trying not to get mad on a friend’s behalf at a rude comment someone made.

What five things would you never want to live without?
Dairy products, meat, my Kindle, and my family. (Was that cheating?)

A little. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
I’m an extrovert. It’s toned down a bit since college and since becoming a writer, but I enjoy being with people, speaking, and making others laugh.

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
Nachos, buttered popcorn (air popped, not the kind they serve at theaters), water . . . and a little bit of something sweet to counter the warm salty.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“The greater the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly.” – Thomas Payne

What would your main characters say about you?
Probably that I hate them. Mainly because I inflict so much pain on them and don’t allow them to enjoy the simple pleasures of life very often. Hey – I write fantasy and soft horror. Readers don’t want simple pleasures, they want excitement.


Have you ever been to a fortune teller? What did she tell you?
I’ve never been to an “actual” fortune teller, but I did have a friend for a few years who believed she had been given gifts from God to tell people their past lives. She said I’d previously been a dog and had been married to her dog. She truly believed this. I never knew if I should be offended or amused.


Who would you invite to a dinner party if you could invite anyone in the world?
My grandpa, who has since passed on. He was a full-time author, with more than 50 books published (many of which he ghost wrote and never told anyone the titles of). He wrote thousands of essays and was a keynote speaker at colleges and universities across the country. He passed away when I was 17, long before I knew I wanted to be a writer. I wish I’d taken the opportunity to talk to him about his books and writing career. It would be nice now that I’m also an author to get pointers from him and to hear what he thinks of the current state of publishing.


What's your relationship with your cell phone?
An interesting one. I have several Twitter accounts of “big” people in the publishing industry set up to come straight to my phone as text messages. This helps me keep up with all the big news in the publishing world. So, I love my phone for this reason. I also love listening to author podcasts while on my stationary bike, playing games.


How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
I’ve always aimed for at least eight, especially while in college or pregnant. I don’t handle less than that very well, and find I’m much more productive when I get plenty of sleep. Plus, I have Epstein Barr and get really sick with horrible flare-ups when I’m not sticking to eight hours of sleep on a regular schedule.


What are you working on now?
Another YA fantasy series, along with a romance series. I’m really enjoying both. The fantasy series is a combination of my Kilenya and Katon University series – the characters team up to fight “bad guys” and monsters. The romance series is based in a fictional town called Cobblestone in Nevada, near Reno and Carson City. I need to pick one of these and focus on it, but for now, it’s been enjoyable jumping back and forth.

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Cake

Laptop or desktop? Laptop

Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Bill Murray

Emailing or texting? Texting

Indoors or outdoors? Both – depending on the weather. Usually outdoors.

Tea: sweet or unsweet? Sweet.

Plane, train, or automobile? Plane!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrea Pearson graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor of science degree in Communications Disorders. She is the author of many full-length novels (the Kilenya Series and Katon University series), and several novellas. Writing is the chocolate of her life - it is, in fact, the only thing she ever craves. Being with her family and close friends is where she's happiest, and she loves thunderstorms, the ocean, hiking, public speaking, painting, and traveling.

Connect with Andrea:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  | Twitter  | Goodreads

iTunes  |  Kobo  |  Nook  |  Smashwords  

FEATURED AUTHOR: GRAYDON MILLER

ABOUT THE BOOK

South of the border there is love and loss, revenge, betrayal and mystery. “International Bridge” follows a young, expecting Central American couple who travel in hopes of crossing into the United States. Love joins smuggling for a white-knuckle flight in the title story, “The Havana Brotherhood.” These eleven tales presented by the author of the acclaimed thriller, Hostages of Veracruz, include three stories now published for the first time in English — the funny and playful “Rivals,” the brooding “Nostalgia for Death” and “American Paranoia,” a serpentine, multi-layered spy tale. This collection showcases the heartbreak and humor, unsurpassed craftsmanship, and drama that reveal Miller as a master of the short story.

INTERVIEW WITH GRAYDON MILLER

Welcome back to A Blue Million Books, Grady. The Havana Brotherhood shows you in a new light as author of short stories. How did this book come about?
For years I wanted to gather all these Mexican-themed stories into one book. Then the success of my thriller, set in Veracruz, got me into action. From the material at hand, mostly written during the nine years I lived in Mexico, I weeded out all stories unrelated to Latin America. Honestly, there wasn’t much left — certainly not the size book I’d dreamed of, and it would give my daughter yet another chance to yap, “Dad, you should write longer books.” I hunkered down to translate three remaining stories from my Mexico period from Spanish into English.

What was that like?
Suspenseful. I didn’t know where the other two stories were. I only had in my hands a copy of one story that had been published in a Sunday supplement in Guadalajara. The copy was falling apart and you couldn’t read the words anymore in some places. As I finished translating “Rivals,” another story reappeared from my files, and so on, till I had the three stories. I also added a long story about a Chicano detective who works in Mexico. When all the stories all came together, there was a kind of magic, like the golem coming to life. The stories bounce off each other in amazing ways I could never have planned, and Cuba emerges as a leitmotiv woven throughout, this symbol of mystery and danger. A couple of these Spanish stories had been real orphans, estranged from me. When I started sharing the English versions with another reader, her enthusiasm brought the stories, and me with them, back to life.

The cherry on top was my daughter holding a proof copy, flipping through the pages and pronouncing “187 pages.” And, oh boy, when an agent’s reader declared it a cohesive collection, I was walking on clouds.

I'll bet! What most pleases you about the response to this book?
That it is going to be taught in two Community College English classes. If students read and like these stories they’ll be story readers for life — that’s an exciting prospect. Also, there’s a heavy responsibility in kindling a love of the short story. Hemingway, de Maupassant, and Juan Rulfo are depending on me.

The stories may also stir up controversies as well as entertain. One story reverses the stereotype of the lawless immigrant in the U.S. and replaces it with a gringo con-artist who plies his trade in Mexico. A lot of the stories contrast U.S. and Latin culture and attitudes. These can clash painfully in a two-culture relationship. In the title story, about cigar smuggling, the contrast is implied. Harry Stockton is your typical super conscientious law-abiding guy thrust into crime for the first time in his life. In the U.S. we’re conditioned to obey the law in the tiniest details; in Mexico there’s a no-seatbelts attitude toward life. Friends could egg you on to join them blindfolded on a tightrope and, if you show reluctance, the standard response is “No pasa nada.” Nothing will happen. And the funny thing, they’re usually right.

How does it feel to translate your own stories?
What I’m doing is recreating. Since I’m the author, there’s no worries about being faithful. To me, translation is re-creation. Re-creation is another rewrite. And rewriting, for sure, is my favorite part of writing. The story is in place, I know pretty much who my characters are and and what they’re doing. The theme is there. Each new draft is a baby step toward something I like better. I learned this especially with my comical writings. The ugly duckling became a swan with elbow grease, pencil lead and toner. And lots of walks; I take lots of walks to sort things out.

How do you decide whether an idea is for a novel or a short story?
The short story aims for perfection and unity of effect. Everything is related, there are no stray details whatsoever. As Capote said, "a short story should be perfect like an orange." A novel is something bigger than I am, that’s going to take some research and growing. The Hostages of Veracruz was meant to be a short story, you know, but it had a life of its own. It fits the definition of a novel, though I didn’t know it at the time.

What's your theory about a short story?
It must have a secret behind it that one will never know. Take “Nostalgia for Death.” It seems to be about a bellboy wrongly accused of shooting a policeman, but that is not its secret. Great art can be born from something very trivial or shameful and yet it fuses to transmit emotion in a way that is meaningful to any reader.

You’re pulling a fast one, Graydon. What’s the secret behind “Nostalgia for Death”?
Fear of terminal disease.

What short-story collections have inspired you?
Dubliners by James Joyce is a model for a cohesive collection. I can go back and read “The Dead,” again and again. And there’s A Tree of Night by Truman Capote. Every time I have read it,a different story will stick out, most recently “Master Misery.” It’s really a mini-novel. Silvio Martínez Palau’s Made in U.S.A., left a lasting impression on me. It’s a satirical and deadly serious ride on the roller coaster that is American life.

Any others?
The stories of Chekhov which I discovered in Mexico in Spanish translation, Jorge Luis Borges in general, and Raymond Carver. A lot of people think I don’t like Carver because of views expressed in a story I wrote, “A Confession.” The truth is I’m fond Mr. Carver’s stories, and as I get older they gain only depth, humor and compassion. I also admire two contemporary collections: S.R. Mallery’s Tales to Count On; Richard Lange's Dead Boys is not to be missed.

Did you develop any new marketing or editorial techniques in putting together the Havana Brotherhood?
The release of the thriller The Hostages of Veracruz last summer spawned the idea for the story collection. I gave myself until May of 2015 to prepare the manuscript, emulating the long calendar of traditional publishers. This provided plenty of time and patience to lavish on the editing. I am particularly grateful to Patricio Maya and Brenda Buttner. They made the quality of book possible; they also gave me the best year of my life.

Brenda’s enthusiasm for the stories buoyed my spirits. Patricio pushed me to the last mile, and beyond with close reading, that bordered on the premonitory. Here I was weeding out the “dumb” straight quotes, ready to wrap it all up, and he gave me a batch of comments that cast me back into full creative mode. Faulkner said, “Try to be better than yourself.” That’s what Brenda and Patricio helped me achieve in the course of assembling The Havana Brotherhood.

And as far as marketing techniques: as editing progressed, I got these Mexico stories back into circulation with magazine editors. I’m pleased to say that “Poison Pen” has a slot in an upcoming issue of Ellery Queen.

That's fantastic! What are your thoughts about traditional publishing?
Gosh, it has its place. And yet I really think the traditional world seriously underestimates the indie world. The tables were already turned before anybody was looking. Self-publishers are way ahead in the game, empowered by contacts with fellow authors, feeling the joy of helping other talents to be recognized, and are unable now to tolerate the vagaries of the traditional publishing world. You know what I told Patricio Maya, the first author I published beside myself, “I want to give you what nobody ever gave me.” At the end of several months, there was his book of brilliant essays, “Walking Around with Fante and Bukowski.” And now he can go on to the next book and the next . . .

When you start receiving recognition, it feeds such a sense of purpose, and you can’t go back. Something S.R. Mallery said, it’s “important to get one's work out there so we're not living in a vacuum, eating ourselves alive with self doubt!”

Sure, I respect what traditional publishers do, and they do it well. They will have a place; both will have a place. And the more successful self-publishers will evolve into traditionals. It is ironic but true.

How long have you been a writer?
As long as I can remember.

How often do you tweet?
Sorry about that, Amy. What was the question? I just had to tweet that I’m being interviewed by Amy Metz.

Sweet! :) How often do you tweet?
Like to do it often, in real time. I often fall short and suffer twitter guilt. Of course I still tweet in my head all the time.

Who would you want to narrate a film about your life?
John Huston. There’s that infectious voice with a brogue, and I can hear him saying, “Graydon Miller grew up in this white ranch-style house of Usher on the corner of Beach and Blackburn in Watsonville, California in the pancreas of Steinbeck Country.” Huston’s own life had a small role in sparking my own fascination with Mexico, starting in my teens. He had more than passing acquaintance with Mexico; as a young man was in the Mexican Calvary, later he put Puerto Vallarta on the map in Night of the Iguana, and of course he directed Treasure of the Sierra Madre in Mexico. Through that movie I knew Mexico before I ever set foot there.

If you had a swear jar, would it be full?
Hell yeah. I grew up very overprotected, I would say almost a prude, and avoided curse words like the plague. It was a real shock in third grade when my friend John Lintz taught me a word he overheard his mom, Judy, saying, and I innocently told my mom, proud of my acquisition of one of the cleanest and most satisfying words I’ve ever learned. She doused all my enthusiasm for saying ‘shit.’ But since returning from Mexico in 2001, I have become American. I grew up here, of course, but didn’t become fully American till my return to this country after nine years away. I hold that it takes a person ten years to become American, and part of the process is becoming very fluent in curses. Some newcomers pick it up right away. I still cringe at how my profanity may sound to my more genteel friends, and the majority of curses remain spoken inside my head still. My dad was terrible in the swearing department, the way he’d say “excuse my French” after going all profane. It was painful to listen to; I always wanted to laugh.

Do you spend more on clothes or food?
Honestly, more on clothes than food. I prefer shirts by Turnbull and Asser. That’s my secret nobody would suspect. Those shirts are like Havana cigars, they cost plenty.

What is the most daring thing you’ve done?
This is something I planned to take to my grave. Then my daughter went to Mexico this summer and her grandmother blabbed. My daughter recognized that it had not been easy what I had done. I ferried a family member without papers across the border. I was aware of the consequences having already written my short story “International Bridge,” the one that opens The Havana Brotherhood. I knew there would be hell to pay — fines, car impounded — if I got caught.

It sounds like there’s another story in there?

It would not be nice to go back there yet. No. But there is one more Mexico story on its way. I find at the end of every big creation there’s always a bonus story. As Havana Brotherhood was winding down, I went to a play in Los Angeles, and the play’s oppressive atmosphere of people wanting to flee an apartment and being trapped with a nasty visitor who won’t shut up triggered a memory so acute from when we were in Guadalajara. So there is one more story from that period that I’m working on now.

What inspires your stories?
Emotion. And if it goes good, it all clicks together in a flash like a joke. Mismatched ideas mesh, and there’s even a punchline, the end provided. Then I sweat it out. Also, it’s worth mentioning another type of inspiration. A single moment can inspire a story. In Beverly Hills this week I saw an automatic sprinkling system watering Astroturf. There’s a moment that is already looking for a story. In “Nostalgia for Death” there were all these types in inspiration working. I always had in mind the rusty stains on the ceilings in the finest houses of Guadalajara; there was always this irritating touch of disrepair. On some level the stains symbolized a decadence I wanted to explore.

Tell me about Guadalajara?
It figures in many of The Havana Brotherhood stories. I’ve called it my Paris, a perfect place to grow as a person and grow art. It’s got the major requisites of low rent and high saturation of culture. And I got to know at all, from the morgue to the zona roja, the red-light district, to the grand houses. And of course the cafes. People there laugh at me for saying Guadalajara is Paris, because I guess Paris is always something “out there.” I do know when I go to Paris and they ask what I think of their city I will say, “Paris is my Guadalajara.”


Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Frosting
Tequila or bourbon? Tequila
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Bill Murray, hands down.
Laptop or desktop? Desktop
Emailing or texting? Postcards
Indoors or outdoors? Indoors.
Tea: sweet or unsweet? Depends.
Plane, train, or automobile? Train for sure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Graydon Miller grew up in Watsonville, California in the heart of Steinbeck country. He attended local schools and later went to Columbia University in New York. In 1983 he moved to Los Angeles to study cinema, but discovered literature instead at T.C. Boyle’s fiction writing workshop. At U.S.C. Miller was awarded the Ed Moses Short Story Prize. He lived in Mexico for nine years, where he enjoyed his first literary success with the publication of Un invierno en el infierno (A Winter in Hell). His other works include the organ-trafficking thriller, The Hostages of Veracruz (on Amazon) and a screenplay based on the notorious Black Widow murder case, which he covered as a reporter in Mexico. Graydon Miller lives in Hollywood.

Connect with Graydon:
Website  | 
Facebook  |  
Twitter  |  Goodreads 

BOOKS BY GRAYDON MILLER

BOOK BLAST: HOW TO PREPARE FOR OLD AGE

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this touching, often humorous and very personal account, Bernie shares his 86 years of life, love, loss and laughter as an inspirational guide to what it means to age without growing old. His advice on love after 60, how to talk with family members about illness, what you should be prepared for when confronting tragedy and loss, what it means to be a caregiver to a loved one, and many other of life’s challenges are a must for family members young and old.

Mr. Otis’s book is a treasure trove of personal and professional life experiences that will help you prepare for old age and take control of the nature of aging. Be prepared to laugh out loud and quietly shed a tear as Bernie takes you through the voyage of life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bernard S. (Bernie) Otis is a delightful and well known speaker, writer and community leader who has made his 65-year career in the food service facility planning, marketing, management, sales and consulting industries. His life’s work has included service to many hotels and restaurants in Southern California, Santa Clarita, San Diego, Las Vegas, and New York City among others. He has been instrumental in serving several top companies such as Hewlett Packard and Disneyland as well as major hospitals, universities and restaurants around the country. His community involvement includes work with the National Indian Gaming Association and the Rotary Club (where he has been a member since 1954 and a Paul Harris Fellow). After his wife’s death in 2012, Bernie, a trained Hospice caregiver, began working with families of terminally-ill patients.


Connect with Bernie:
Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter

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FEATURED AUTHOR: PAUL HOLLIS

ABOUT THE BOOK  

A terrorist’s plot, the assassination of a prime minister, holds the key to an apocalyptic plan to destroy Europe’s economy. It’s impossible to stop, but one man doesn’t know enough to think the world can’t be saved. He’s no hero; not clever or capable, talented or tested. The Hollow Man is just trying to survive in an uncertain climate where terrorism is changing the rules of how we live.

INTERVIEW WITH PAUL HOLLIS

Paul, how did you get started writing and when did you become an “author?”
After retiring early from my day job, I used to sit with friends on the porch of my country home to reminisce. We spat tobacco juice into the yard as we took turns telling old stories. Okay, it was the local pub and none of us dipped or smoked. Curiously though, the group was always interested in my stories. One encouraged me to write a book about a few of my early exploits. She asked, “Do you have something better to do?” Apparently, I didn’t.

It was more fun than I imagined. The manuscript took a year to draft, rewrite several times, professionally edit, and publish. But I didn’t feel like a real author until I held a copy of the paperback in my hand.

That is an awesome feeling. What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I love writing dialogue. This is where characters come to life. We can describe their idiosyncrasies and characteristics. We can position them with thoughts and feelings. We can thrust them into circumstances to watch them squirm. But what comes out of their mouths immediately adds a third dimension to their being and the character jumps off the page.

How long is your to-be-read list?
My to-be-read list is down to about twenty. It contains the latest from Michael Connelly, James Patterson, Jonathan Kellerman, Kathy Reichs, and Lee Child. I learn something about plotting, characters or building suspense every time I read their books.

What books do you currently have published?
To date, I have published one book called The Hollow Man.

The Hollow Man traces some of my experiences traveling through Europe as a young man. At the time, terrorism was on the rise and I had been assigned to learn as much as I could about it. Most early acts of terror were specific, personal and damage was focused on a distinct, definable enemy. But terrorism was beginning to change its strategy to the familiar, senseless chaos we recognize today. The death of political figures no longer seemed to bother us as much as these new, random attacks against our children. Targets of innocence became preferable for these people because this kind of shock and hurt hit closer to our hearts and the fear inside us grew larger with each incident.

How long have you been a writer?
My early life showed no signs of literary talent; in fact, I paid a girl to write a required poem for me in high school. But as they say, circumstances change. I entered university at the end of 1967 and fell into a blossoming subculture that reshaped my reality, figuratively and perhaps a little too literally. My majors became physiology and English literature so I could better understand people and maybe someday write about it. I began writing my own poetry and short subjects, but life happened soon after graduation. I placed all aspirations on hold and jumped into the world head first.

That is, until I retired from IBM in 2009. For forty years, something Ben Franklin said had bounced around my brain. “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing.” I thought I might cover both bases by writing about something I did as a young man. I’ve been a full-time writer since 2011.

How often do you tweet?
On average, I tweet about ten new and unique messages per day spread out more or less evenly over a sixteen hour period. With book marketing messages, I intersperse writing tips designed to help other writers with our craft.

I also retweet several hundred or more messages per day for followers. As important as my own tweets are to me, retweets demonstrate a real support of fellow authors and other followers.  Retweets tell Twitter followers you have read and liked their tweet and believe it is valuable information more people should read. As a result of this mutual respect, my own tweets are retweeted dozens of time and reach as many as a half million viewers.

Many of my strongest relationships over the years have been cultivated via mutual support. The followers who help get your message out to potential customers are key to selling books. Along with an author website/page and the type of visibility coming only from wonderful bloggers and reviewers like you, Twitter should be considered another cornerstone of any author’s social media platform.

How do you feel about Facebook?
Facebook is great for connecting with old friends and virtual friends, watching animal videos, pretending you’re an amateur psychiatrist, making fun of what everyone is eating, and being glad you ate what you did. A Facebook poster also has the option to send posts directly to other forms of social media like Twitter in case anyone missed their misery, attempt at humor, or this morning’s waffle special at Denny’s.

But it also has its downside. This form of social media is very time-consuming and a total distraction from writing. Every time I login, Facebook is like the worst movie I’ve ever watched but for some reason only a neurologist can answer, I must see the end to feel complete. There is no easier way for me to crawl under the covers with procrastination.

For what would you like to be remembered?
I want readers to remember I was a decent writer who entertained them for a while.

What scares you the most?
The dead. Here’s the true story of how I got my nickname, Doc:
When I was in high school, I took a job as a clean-up guy in a very busy mortuary owned by twin brothers. A few days into the first week, I was sweeping the basement where bodies were kept for embalming prep. A scratching noise broke into the music in my head. I glanced up through the dim light and dust to see a body slowly rising from a metal gurney. Strange sounds were coming from beneath the sheet. The thing was between me and the door.
As I sprinted by, I used the end of the broom as a jousting pole, knocking the body backward off the table. A thunk and a moan reached after me, but I kept running; up the stairs, past the chapel, through the main office, and out the front door. I was two blocks away by the time one of the brothers caught me in his car. He had to cut off my path to get me to stop.

“Hey,” he yelled out the window. “That was just my brother Bob having a little fun with you.”

“I quit,” I said.

“Sorry. All right then, come on by and pick up the money we owe you.”

“You can keep it.”

He sat looking at me a long time before speaking again.

“Can I have my broom back,” he finally said.

That's a great story. What five things would you never want to live without?
I thought a lot about this question. The five things I couldn’t live without are indoor plumbing, hammers, automatic weapons, a third grade education, and Wal-Mart Super Centers for all my hunting and gathering needs. Life would be good.

Who would you want to narrate a film about your life?
Chris Rock because life should be a comedy, not a tragedy.

If you had a swear jar, would it be full?
Hell, yeah!

Great answer. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
I’m a little of both in a passive aggressive sort of way. I’m an extrovert until my mouth gets me into trouble, then I turn introvert fueled by indirect resistance to the demands of others and an avoidance of direct confrontation.

What is the most daring thing you've done?
The most daring thing I’ve ever done was imagining I had a story to tell that people might want to read. I hadn’t written anything of this magnitude before and knew being an author was no easy job. To succeed, I had to see it as simply another of my first-time adventures like Woodstock, living in Paris without a word of French in my pocket, or jumping from an airplane then wondering if my chute was going to open.

In writing and publishing The Hollow Man, there were remembered experiences to sort through. Bits of which I never imagined would ever come to light. Yet there were the events, the people, and the stress, neatly packaged into a strange sequence of words called a novel. And I hoped no one would run away.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” -Oscar Wilde Authors take note. Even a bad review is still a review. 

True. 
What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?
A gentleman from County Cork, Ireland gave me my worst review, a two star slapping across the face. “I gave up on this novel after chapter 11. I kept waiting for the story to ignite and engage my attention but it failed to do so. I am at a loss to account for the rave reviews it has on Amazon.”

My first reaction was, he’s really not going to like the sequel to The Hollow Man. London Bridge Is Falling Down chronicles the ‘Troubles’ between England and Ireland during the 1970’s. But honestly, a writer should remember your book isn’t macaroni and cheese. It will never please everyone, every time. Listen to criticism and extract meaningful thoughts. Examine the critic’s statements from all sides then apply what needs to be applied. Be honest with yourself and you’ll know what should be done.

You're right. You can be the ripest, juiciest, sweetest peach, but there will always be people who don't like peaches. 
Do you have a favorite book?
More than any book I can read over and over, I continue to be drawn back to my favorite twentieth-century poets. The poetry of T.S. Elliot, W.H. Auden, and Dylan Thomas has done more to shape who I am as a writer than any other. An American, an Englishman, and a Welshman have taught me in my writing to search for the exact word needed by its sound, its meaning, its shape, and its feel to create my own form of poetry in my prose. At the very least, their words never fail to lift me above whatever sea bottom I may be roaming at the moment.


How about a favorite book that was turned into a movie? Did the movie stink?
One of my favorite books is The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. The book is an early classic thriller from John Le Carre portraying Western espionage methods as morally inconsistent with democratic values. Though movies must represent the details of a full length novel in an hour-and-a-half slice across the top of the iceberg, I thought the original movie version generally kept the author’s feel and intent intact. Scenes had an air of authenticity throughout, helped by the black and white photography.


If you had to choose a cliché about life, what would it be?
A rolling stone gathers no moss.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a sequel to The Hollow Man called London Bridge is Falling Down.  By the early 1970’s, animosities between England and Ireland had become razor sharp. Mass bombings and cross border clashes were constant reminders of Ireland’s struggle to be united and free. The media had dubbed these conflicts “The Troubles” which had already claimed almost a thousand lives and there was no end in sight. Militant activities were spiking amid rumors the IRA had developed a list of targets designed to bring England to her knees. Like The Hollow Man, London Bridge is Falling Down is based on true events and includes some of the same, unforgettable characters. Surviving Prague is the third installment.

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Frosting
Laptop or desktop? Laptop
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Bill Murray
Emailing or texting? Both
Indoors or outdoors? Indoors
Tea: sweet or unsweet? Unsweet (diabetic)
Plane, train, or automobile? Any, as long as it’s going somewhere.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Hollis always had wanderlust, living in twelve states and eventually working in all fifty, luring him with the idea of touring the world at someone else’s expense. He has lived and worked in forty-eight countries across five continents while teaching companies about growing global implications.

Paul’s travel experiences inspire the novels in The Hollow Man series, bringing the streets and villages of Europe to life and offering a unique viewpoint to his mesmerizing thrillers.

Connect with Paul:

Website  |  
Blog  |  
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads 

   

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FEATURED AUTHOR: M.J. SCHILLER

ABOUT THE BOOK

Max. The consummate ladies’ man.
He’s good looking, but not an absolute knockout. With Max’s charm though, he could have any woman he wants. Once he meets Faith, he doesn’t want anyone else.

Eli. He is a knockout.
But a dark past shadows him and holds him captive. Drinking dulls the pain, but meeting Faith makes him want to change all that.

Faith. She loves them both.
When a blackout brings her together with Eli, she’s happier than she’s ever been before. When another blackout tears them apart, Max is there to pick up the pieces. But can she forget the man who first made her whole?

INTERVIEW WITH M.J. SCHILLER

M.J., how long have you been a writer?
As long as I can remember. In second grade I wrote a thrilling book entitled – wait for it – The Black Cat. It was written on blue hotel stationary my dad brought home from a business trip, because I thought it was pretty. The binding was white yarn bows threaded through holes I’d punched in the paper. The girl down the street, Mary Ellen Murphey, co-authored it. She was also my partner in a buckeye business that never quite took off.

How long is your to-be-read list?
Never ending! I’m fortunate to know a lot of great writers and unfortunate to not be independently wealthy. I try to keep at it, though!


You have a day job . . . how do you find time to write?
Luckily, my day job is a lunch lady, so I’m off at one o’clock. I come home, take a nap, and then get to work.

For what would you like to be remembered?
For raising four happy adults.

What scares you the most?
Mice! I freak out so badly I often injure myself while running away. I know they can’t hurt me, but they could run up my leg. They skitter. That’s just not natural. And phobias aren’t logical.

YouTube is . . . a place where you can get lost!

What five things would you never want to live without?
My husband and four kids.

Who would you want to narrate a film about your life?
Morgan Freeman. Is there any other choice?

Nope, I don't think so. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Depends on the day. Mostly an introvert, but I karaoke, so I guess I have a bit of the extrovert in me.

What is the most daring thing you've done?
Climbed over a twenty-foot fence, in the rain, in my rock and roll boots, to get backstage at a rock concert.

What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
See above.

Sadly, those two questions often do go hand in hand. What is your most embarrassing moment?
Once, when I was in church, praying devoutly, my daughter asked me, “Why do you have a sock on your shoulder?” I had been sorting laundry when we left the house and must have slung the sock there and forgotten about it!

That's totally a harried-mom thing to do! What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
I would have liked to study writing in college and started pursuing it earlier in life.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, 'You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.'" Or "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup." Or "All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us ... they can't get away this time."
-- Louis B. "Chesty" Puller, Lt. Gen., USMC  Talk about a positive attitude!

You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
Beth Donovan from Trapped Under Ice, because then rock star Chad Evans would love me!


What is your favorite movie?
What About Bob?


Do you have a favorite book?
A Tale of Two Cities
.

Do you sweat the small stuff?
I did before I had triplets.


How long is your to-do list?
It is infinite.


What are you working on now?
The third and final installment of my Romantic Knights trilogy, A Knight to Remember.

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Oooh! Toughie! . . . Cake!
Laptop or desktop? laptop
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Both are comic geniuses, but I’m going to have to go Bill Murray.
Emailing or texting? Texting. More interactive.
Indoors or outdoors? In.
Tea: sweet or unsweet? I don’t do tea. I’m more of a Diet Pepsi girl.
Plane, train, or automobile? Plane. Farther, faster.

OTHER BOOKS BY M.J. SCHILLER

Taken by Storm
Trapped Under Ice
Abandon All Hope
An Uncommon Love
Rock Me
Gently
The Heart Teaches Best
Upon a Midnight Clear
Damage Done
Leap Into The Knight
Lady of the Knight
Blackout 
Between Rock and a Hard Place

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M.J. Schiller is a lunch lady/romance-romantic suspense writer. She enjoys writing novels whose characters include rock stars, desert princes, teachers, futuristic Knights, construction workers, cops, and a wide variety of others. In her mind everybody has a romance. She is the mother of a twenty-year-old and three eighteen-year-olds. That's right, triplets! So having recently taught four children to drive, she likes to escape from life on occasion by pretending to be a rock star at karaoke. However . . . you won’t be seeing her name on any record labels soon.

Connect with M.J.:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon  | Barnes and Noble  |  Kobo   |  iTunes 

FEATURED AUTHOR: ELLEN BYRON

ABOUT THE BOOK

Check in for some Southern hospitality in Plantation Shudders, the Cajun Country series debut from Ellen Byron.


It's the end of the summer and Prodigal Daughter Maggie Crozat has returned home to her family's plantation-turned-bed-and-breakfast in Louisiana. The Crozats have an inn full of guests for the local food festival – elderly honeymooners, the Cajun Cuties, a mysterious stranger from Texas, a couple of hipster lovebirds, and a trio of Georgia frat boys. But when the elderly couple keels over dead within minutes of each other – one from very unnatural causes – Maggie and the others suddenly become suspects in a murder.

INTERVIEW WITH ELLEN BYRON

Ellen, how did you get started writing and when did you become an “author?”
I began my career as an actress. I got bored waiting around between roles and started writing plays. They got me way more attention than my acting did, so a writer was born! I became a freelance journalist to support myself, and eventually segued into television. Because I spent years doing improv comedy, I wound up writing mostly for sitcoms like Wings and Just Shoot Me.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
Finding a fresh way to say something familiar.

How long is your to-be-read list?
It’s not a list, it’s a bookcase! I buy books at stores and library sales and online, and I have a bookcase-ful. But I have a list, too. So maybe . . . a hundred?

Can you share some of your marketing strategies with us?
I’m really just finding my way as I go in that area. I’m guest-blogging – like here! – and running contests through my own website, and on Facebook through heyo.com. I tweet whenever possible, and grab any chance to do a signing or panel that I can. I’m lucky because CLB has a wonderful publicist who lined up some great blog stops for me.

How long have you been a writer?
Since I was twenty-seven. But I won’t tell you how old I am because no TV writer ever shares their age. There’s too much ageism in the business.

You have a day job . . . how do you find time to write?
Our daughter is a sophomore in high school and has a zero period class. I drop her at 7 a.m., and then come home, walk the dogs, and start writing until I have to leave for work around 10 a.m. Then I write after dinner and on weekends.

How often do you tweet?
Once or twice a day.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I’m a fan. I’ve been on Facebook since 2008. I love that it’s allowed me to re-connect with old friends that I thought I’d never be in contact with again. And lately I’ve gotten to FB-know all these great mystery writers I’m meeting through conferences and groups like Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. I recently started an author page, which has been a great way to connect with readers. I love when they touch base.

For what would you like to be remembered?
For being funny, warm, and giving.

What scares you the most?
Flying!! And death – especially death by flying! As I write this, I’m thinking, what if I die in a plane crash, and then someone reads this and thinks, oh, it’s so sad and ironic that she just told A Blue Million Books that was what she was most afraid of!

That's a writer's mind for you! What five things would you never want to live without?
My husband, daughter, dogs, laughter, and money. I know it’s a little crass to list money, but I’m being honest. There ain’t much laughter when you’re low on dough.

True. Who would you want to narrate a film about your life?
Tina Fey.

If you had a swear jar, would it be full?
No. It would be overflowing!

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Oh, definitely an extrovert.

What's your relationship with your TV remote?
Since I’m writing day and night, I hardly see it anymore.

Do you spend more on clothes or food?
Food. I barely attempt being stylish anymore. I found these great black cotton drawstring pants at Target. I went to buy another pair, but couldn’t find them in Juniors or Misses. A salesgirl checked, and told me that they were men’s pajama bottoms. Did that stop me? No. I have five pairs and wear them all the time.

What is the biggest lie you ever told?
When I was about five, I was using the bathroom and as I sat there, I absentmindedly pulled off a loose piece of wallpaper. When my furious parents asked if I’d done it, I said no. So they blamed my younger brother, who burst into tears. I still feel terrible about it. I apologized to him years ago, and he didn’t even remember the incident. But I’ve never forgotten it. I feel bad even writing this!

What is the most daring thing you've done?
Two things I swore I’d never do were ride on a motorcycle or in a helicopter. Then on a vacation, I got trapped in a snowstorm in Zermatt, Switzerland. I was supposed to meet my parents and brother in Venice, Italy, the next day. I kept checking at the hotel desk to see if there was any way out of Zermatt, and they finally said that the only way was by helicopter. I hesitated for maybe a second, and then said, “Sign me up!” It was like the fall of Saigon at the helicopter pad. They were throwing people on the copters and waving them off. It was actually a really gorgeous ride. We didn’t fly that high up due to the storm, and there were forests of snow-laden pine trees below us. I made it onto a train to Italy, thank God. I heard that my helicopter was the last one out that day.

What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
Opened my big mouth to the wrong person about something that was none of my business.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
Um . . . wearing men’s pajama bottoms as pants everywhere?

What choices in life would you like to have a redo on (besides wearing men's pajama bottoms everywhere)?
See “what’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.” And I wouldn’t mind taking another crack at some business opportunities I passed on.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“Forward ever, backward never.” It’s from The Year of Janie’s Diary, a book I read in 7th grade. When I go to that “shoulda, woulda, coulda” place, I recall that quote and get back on track.


Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
I love all libraries, but my favorite might have to be the Scarsdale Public Library. My parents moved to the town when I was ten, and the library was only a few blocks from our house. It was old and made of fieldstone, and it had the most beautiful reading room (or maybe it was the children’s library) with a giant bay window.

You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
A guest at one of Jay Gatsby’s incredible Jazz age parties.

Who would you invite to a dinner party if you could invite anyone in the world?
Tina Fey, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, and Emily Bronte.


What's your relationship with your cell phone?
Way too tight. My excuse is that as a working mom, I need it to keep in touch with my daughter, which is totally true. But really, I could do that with a flip phone. So who am I kidding?


How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Usually about five. Which sucks. I want more, I really do. I just always wake up way before I need to. It’s nuts because when I lived in New York City, I was a total night owl.

What is your favorite movie?
I have three: Amarcord, The Haunting (original version), and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Do you have a favorite book?
Oh, yes. Wuthering Heights.

How about a favorite book that was turned into a movie? Did the movie stink?
I love Great Expectations, and I’ve actually enjoyed every version of that I’ve seen. And I’ve seen a lot.

Do you sweat the small stuff?
Honest to God, I’m not even sure what the small stuff is anymore. Remember, I only get five hours of sleep.

If you had to choose a cliché about life, what would it be?
“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

How long is your to-do list?
I add to it every day, so . .  endless.


What are you working on now?
Book two in my Cajun Country series, Body on the Bayou.

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Frosting, fo sho!
Laptop or desktop? Both.
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Oh, no contest, Bill Murray.
Emailing or texting? Email. I have to text, but I hate it. I think it’s giving me Carpal Tunnel.
Indoors or outdoors?
Indoors. But I like to look at the outdoors from my indoor window.
Tea: sweet or unsweet?
I live on tea and it must be unsweetened. I love nothing more than a pure cup of green jasmine or Earl Grey.
Plane, train, or automobile?
My husband and I are train fiends. I’d go everywhere by train if I could. We took an Amtrak route called The Pioneer from Portland to Denver before it was discontinued. I have two embossed wine glasses from the trip that I’ve saved as mementoes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ellen Byron is a native New Yorker who loves the rain, lives in bone-dry Los Angeles, and spends lots of time writing about Louisiana. She attributes this obsession to her college years at New Orleans’ Tulane University. Her debut novel, Plantation Shudders: A Cajun Country Mystery, was chosen by the Library Journal as Debut Mystery of the Month. Her TV credits include Wings, Just Shoot Me, and many network pilots. She’s written over 200 magazine articles, her published plays include the award-winning, Graceland, and she’s the recipient of a William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant.

Connect with Ellen:
Website  |  Blog  |  
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads