Fair Catch: Author Interview & Giveaway

You may remember my review of 'Fair Catch' that I posted about a week ago, well here is the interview that the author, Cindy, was awesome enough to grant me!!

Questions from Me:

What inspired you to write this book? I was a huge fan of a professional football player who was single and seemed to earnestly be seeking to find a wife. I noticed the guy dated all kinds of celebrity type girls and I wondered what it would be like if he were to pick someone who was ordinary like a divorced single mother.

Were any of the characters modeled after real people? All of my characters have a little bit of someone I’m acquainted with.

Did anything help with your writing process? Reading is the number one aide to a good writer. Attending writing workshops and conferences is a huge help. I’m also a member of critique group which is very beneficial to a writer.

What inspired you to start writing generally? I have always loved reading. One day, I had this idea for a story and I thought, “Hey, I’d like to write a book.” Once I started writing, I couldn’t stop.

What is your favorite book of all time? Hmm, limiting it to one is a tough question. I guess the one book I’ve read a few times and could easily sit down and read again is Love Starts with Elle by Rachel Hauck.

What should we expect next from you? I have several works in progress, including Discovering Sophie which is due to be released right before the Thanksgiving holiday.

What is your dream job or life? A successful author :)

Questions from Becky:

1. I appreciated your approach to religion in your book.  You managed to include it as a natural part of your characters lives without it feeling overbearing and you also never mentioned a specific religion thus allowing people of differing religious backgrounds to fill in the details themselves. Was that intentional?  How did you envision the role of religion in your novel as you began the writing process? I love romance, but found it was hard to find “clean” romance until I discovered the Christian market. It opened up a whole new world of fantastic stories. I especially like the books where the characters’ faith is a part of who they are and what makes them do the things they do. Naturally, when I started writing, I wanted my characters to have morals and those morals backed by their faith.

2. Sometimes the romance between characters can seem too cheesy and unrealistic  or too forced and unbelievable.  How did you try to strike the right balance between the two? It’s important to know what genre you like to read and to write. I like happy endings, and a romance will always have a happy ending. If you pick up a romance, the two main characters are going to be attracted to each other.  So knowing these rules up front, the reader is expecting there to be chemistry between the two main characters. I like to infuse humor in all my stories and I believe that makes the relationship much more fun to see unfold. 

3.  What was the most challenging part of writing this book?  What was the easiest? For me the biggest challenge is getting the ending right. I want the reader to feel satisfied with the outcome. I always include an epilogue which allows the reader a little glimpse into the lives of the main characters. The easiest part: Hmm, I guess I know my characters so well that it was fun to put them in different situations to see how they would handle each event. I love writing dialogue and can almost hear the conversations in my head. 

Giveaway!!!

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 Available only within the US.

 Fair Catch is available for purchase as an e-book and also as a paperback. 

Already read Fair Catch? Comment and let us know what you think of the book.
 

Dream Sequence: Review, Interview, & Giveaway

Review:
I came across this album because my really good friend's husband, Mat, is the bass player in this band (and he helped produce the album as well!!). I wasn't sure what to expect from this local group that I had never heard before. I AM ADDICTED TO THIS ALBUM! I seriously have been listening to it ever since I bought it. I especially like Arm's Length and Twice. So good. I really love the sound, smooth and jazzy but also fun and upbeat. It's very catchy. Take a listen:

http://youtu.be/QCU69hqRbuU

The Dream Sequence EP is available for purchase Here.

Interview:

Q: How long has this EP been in the works and what kind of things did you have to do to see it through?

A: I've been writing songs since I was 8 years old (can't say when they started getting decent, haha). I didn't really commit to making an album, though, until 2011, when I was in a rock band. The oldest song on my album, "I Wanna Be Wrong" was started in July 2011 with my co-writer Michael Hollingshaus (lovely, empathetic lady). So I guess you could say it's been in the works since then. I didn't actually receive the money for my album until March 2013, which is my birth month, so it was almost like God's birthday present to me: "Here, go follow your dreams." In order to obtain the money, I joined this savings program designed especially for poor folk. They matched my dollars 3:1 (every dollar I put in was matched with three). This took about two years. At the end of the program, you could invest the money in one of three things: education, a home, or a small business. When the time came, I opted for the last one, and used the money to create my album. I had to write a business plan, which had to be approved by a committee, then open a business account, and many other hoops to jump through. I got help writing the business plan from Ann Marie Thompson over at the Women's Business Center at the Salt Lake Chamber. A wonderful non-profit organization. They provide many free services for entrepreneurs, especially women. They really help you navigate things and have connections to many resources and resourceful people. I recommend checking them out. Anywho, the process of writing my business plan took about two and a half months, but was really helpful. I was worried Ann Marie would laugh in my face and tell me to pick a different industry because, as I've been told many times by those who don't understand the motivation behind making music, "music is so impractical." But she didn't. She approached the whole thing with such an enthusiastic, hopeful attitude. It was great working with someone who really believed ANYTHING was possible. 

Q: What were some inspirations for the songs?

A: Both "Cupcake" and "Lead Me On" were songs that came to me in a dream. I was taking a nap and I happened to dream the song and then force myself to wake up just enough so I could write down what I could remember. It's an odd thing being half asleep and trying to get your body to function without totally waking up so you can keep remembering what came to you in a dream. At the time, my husband was recently back from his third deployment and whatever was going on in my waking world was causing me strong enough feelings that they were expressing themselves in my dreams in musical ways. "Arm's Length" was inspired by a moment I had with my husband in early 2013 where he just melted my heart. I didn't write down the specific experience, but I remembered the feeling. I remembered not knowing that I had walls that I needed to take down, but unwittingly, he said or did something that brought them down. I stepped back feeling so amazed and grateful in that moment that my husband could do that. The experience kept popping up in my mind and eventually music started to come with it. I got down what I could and then brought it to my co-writer, Michael to help give it more shape and structure. 

Q:What music/artists/songs have inspired you as a musician?

A: I've been inspired by so much. Currently, I'm inspired by artists that embrace their quirky selves and don't try to fit into any one mold. That's how I've been for as long as I can remember: never wanting to be pinned down into being someone other than me. So artists like Cee Lo Green, P!nk, and Zooey Deschanel. When I was younger I was a big Whitney Houston fan, especially "The Body Guard" soundtrack. I loved Mariah Carey as well. I became more familiar with Barbra Streisand when I entered college and one of my voice teachers assigned me one of her songs. We discovered that most of her songs seem to fit really well in my voice. I've also listened to a LOT of classical music (Stravinsky, Massanet, Rachmaninov, etc.), and Big Band and Jazz (Miles Davis, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, etc.).

Q: What are your future plans as a musician?

A: I plan to make as much music as I can for as long as possible: on the stage, in the studio, on TV, and in movies — everything I can get my hands on or make myself. Having a career that mixes the careers of Danny Elfman, Zooey Deschanel and Barbra Streisand would be awesome! I want to collaborate and work with as many people as possible. Performing at an awards show like the Grammy's or the Oscars, would be such a dream come true. Presently, the plan is to promote my EP and further grow my fan base, so those other things can be made possible. I just love the way music can make you feel. It can lift you up and give words to your feelings. There's nothing that connects people quite the way music does. It's a beautiful thing.

Giveaway:

I like this album so much that I have put together a giveaway for you all!! Good luck!

You may not be able to enter the raffle from 'mobile view.' If this is the case, scroll down to the very bottom and switch to 'view web version' OR click the button that allows you to view the site from your browser if accessing through FB.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stay up to date with Jessy Kaye's music by signing up for her newsletter Here. 

Jacob of Avondale Interview and Offer

Offer:
I'm starting with the offer because I know that's what you really want to read about. ;) You guys voted and decided that  you would like be able to buy the book at 50% off.  Well here it is!!  Craig is offering At The Beech House readers Jacob of Avondale paperbacks for $10 each or $25 for three books!! That is a great deal, especially with Christmas coming up!!! You can purchase the books from me (Lindsey) or at Craig's office in Farmington, UT.  If you don't happen to be in the Davis County-ish area and/or would like your book otherwise shipped, call Craig's office to get that sent to you for an additional $5.  Here is a little coupon for redemption or you can mention the At The Beech House Discount to get the deal.

Please make sure you review Jacob of Avondale on Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, and wherever else you might recommend books!!
You can also share your review on the Jacob of Avondale website and the Jacob of Avondale Facebook page.

  
Interview:
A big Thank You to Craig for being so awesome as to do an interview for us (me)!! I think you all should join with me in asking him to write another book...or two or three.  :)   -Love the poem to his sis!

Are you going to write more books? OR What should we expect next from you?

I’ve been asked this question a number of times from people who have read my book.  Some have asked for a sequel, but most have wanted me to write a prequel.  I guess there are some who want to know who set up the adventure upon which Jacob embarks.

At this time, I don’t have anything in the works.  Jacob of Avondale took me nearly 5 years to complete and I felt like I had homework hanging over my head the whole time.  Everytime I sat down to read a book, I felt like I should be working on my own instead.  That, and the fact that I have a regular job and a busy family life, rules out any immediate plans for another book. Maybe sometime in the future I will reconsider.

What inspired you to start writing generally?

My oldest daughter, who is turning 16 years old in a couple of weeks (yikes!), was my impetus for the book.  She went through a stage in her earlier years where she had a lot of “school anxiety.”  She’s very intelligent, and has always loved reading, but we had a difficult time getting her to go to school in the morning.  She would actually become physically ill because of her worries.  One morning I made a deal with her that if she went to school, I would write a chapter or two of the book that I had in my head (see question 1 from Becky below).  She went and I wrote.  Hours later she came running home from the bus stop, swung open the door, dropped her backpack on the floor and stuck out her hands.  I placed the stack of papers on top of her precious little palms and she turned and ran up the stairs to her room.  A short time later she returned to the kitchen, handed me the pages and asked, “What happens next?”

Did anything help with the writing process? (Music, treats, or anything else)

I couldn’t write at all if there was any noise in the house - especially piano practicing.  Most of the time I had to be alone in the home or at least have my noise canceling headphones over my ears.  I also found that I needed to turn off my email, phone, etc. because if a single interruption pulled me out of the time period that I was writing in, it took me a while to get back into the Avondale mindset.

Were any of the characters or places modeled after real people or places?

That’s a good question!  The kingdom was completely in my head, and I can still picture the places, rivers, trees, and overall layout just as I imagined it while writing.  There was one character that was modeled after a real person.  My great, great grandfather’s name was Ossian Leonidas Packer.  I used his first name and described him from an old black and white photo that we have of him.  Although, I added the part about his bushy eyebrows being “dangerously close to touching in the middle”.

What is your dream job or life?

Well, I wish I would have had the opportunity to make money playing basketball, but since the Utah Jazz never knocked on my door, I had to get a real job.  I’ve been practicing dentistry for over 13 years now.  As far as a dream life goes, I would love to have a secluded home and small ranch tucked up against a river that is loaded with hungry trout.  I guess Raoul isn’t the only one around here that is a bit of a recluse.

Questions from Becky:

Where did you get the idea for this book?

Apparently this is a common answer from authors who are asked this question, but it came from a very vivid dream that I had.  I dreamt that a young man had found a secret room in an old, ornate castle.  He saw on a shelf an old, white human skull.  In my dream he rushed to the skull and after picking it up, threw it to the ground.  When it broke into hundreds of pieces he found a bunch of magical figurines among the bony shards.  That’s when I woke up.

What inspires your ideas?

I’m not sure exactly how to answer this one.  I’ve always been an avid reader and especially loved books by Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper, C.S. Lewis, and of course J.R. R.Tolkien.  I guess when it came time to try my own hand at writing, I was already used to living in fictitious lands and with make believe people.  I also grew up being intrigued with superheroes and their amazing abilities so Jacob’s character was especially fun for me to create.

How long did it take for you to find a publisher? Did you have to send it out to a ton of publishers or did the first one take you?

I kind of took the quick route to getting published.  I sent it to a local publishing company and was not accepted.  As I then studied the process and learned about agents, New York based publishers, etc., I realized that I didn’t have the time or desire to spend a lot of effort doing things the traditional route and started looking into self publishing through internet companies.  Just as I was about to do that, I heard about a company who likes to publish from first time authors.  After submitting my book, they called with a contract offer and I accepted.  They claim an acceptance rate of less than 10% but I’m skeptical.  There are some marketing fees that they require, and at times I wish I would have held out and tried harder to use a mainstream publisher.

Question from Ann:

What is your writing process? Does the story just come or do you start with an outline? What about the land and maps?

For me, it was very important to have an outline.  I would at times go many months without writing a single sentence and so I needed to be able to just read the last couple of pages and start right where I left off.  I also drew a rough map of Avondale and of the castle so I could be consistent as I moved the characters around from place to place.  After the book was completed, my amazing wife (who graduated from college with an art degree) took over and turned my rough sketches into the works of art that they are now.

Question from Emily:

What is it like to have the coolest sister ever?

Wow, where do I even begin?  Maybe with a poem that I wrote when I was only 12 or 13.

“I have a little sister she’s as cute as she can be,

And every time I smile at her she smiles back at me.

I couldn’t live without her  . . . I wouldn’t stand a chance.

If I tried to live without her I’d be as miserable as can be.

I just don’t know what I would do without my little Emily.”

Now, many years later, I feel the same way.  Love you Sis!

Book Review: Jacob of Avondale

Hey, blog followers! Here is the extended review that I promised you.

Jacob of Avondale

By: P. Craig Packer

***** 5/5 stars! This is a very fun, uplifting adventure book with just a touch of romance. It is set in a castle with the frivolous, gaudy, and power hungry King and Queen and their unexpectedly kind and down to earth daughter, Catherine. Jacob is an orphan servant in the castle who likes excitement but knows when to keep his head down. It all starts with Jacob seeing something he wasn't supposed to see, something that will change his life forever.

As the adventure begins and then throughout Jacob's quest, we encounter some magic that moves the story along without the magic taking over the story. The real story is about kindness, strength of character, and the importance of friends and family.

We see Jacob and his friends learn and grow throughout their journey while loving and supporting each other. We see all of the characters in the book be given opportunities to choose between right and wrong and how those choices effect those around them.

I love happy endings, I love when the good guys win, and I LOVE THIS BOOK!

This book would be great for readers about 10ish up and would be a super fun book to read as a family with only one warning, I had a hard time putting it down!!! 

Stay tuned for my interview with the author, P. Craig Packer, as well as the book offer!!

My original review:

I really liked this book!! It was mostly adventure with a bit of romance. A fun read that I had a hard time putting down. It is a young adult book probably good for 10ish up. It is clean with no bad language. Could be a fun bedtime book with the whole family!!

Get Excited About Jacob of Avondale!!

Some of you may remember that I read this book a little while ago and really,really liked it. Well, I have been emailing with the author, Craig Packer, and he has agreed to give me an interview!! I am super excited about this and literally had butterflies in my stomach when I received his acquiescence!!! :D

BEST OF ALL, Craig offered (because he is awesome like that) to either:

A. Give a free copy of Jacob of Avondale to one of my lucky blog readers

OR

B. To make Jacob of Avondale available for purchase at half price (on a preset number if books). 

I need your help, blog readers! Let me know which offer sounds better to you, A or B.

Also, I would love submissions of interview questions! I am fully capable of coming up with random interview questions, but I would love to have the questions you have answered as well.  I will give you about a week to submit questions which should give those who want to read the book, time to do so.

Comment either on the blog or the blog's Facebook page your vote on the offer as well as any interview questions you may have. 

I'll be posting my extended review of Jacob of Avondale soon. In the meantime, I suggest everyone get to reading so you all can be as excited about this as I am!!! (You won't regret it ;)

http://jacobofavondale.tateauthor.com/