It’s your lucky day when there’s an invitation in the mail ― and I’ve had one, thanks to author Kat Varn. Kat asked me to join a virtual blog tour, and of course I said yes even though I wasn’t entirely sure what the heck a virtual blog tour is. Ever so patiently, she shipped emails to me explaining that it’s an ongoing program in which a series of authors reveal a bit about their work, post it on their blogs, and then pass the torch to a handful of other writers. Okay, I thought. I’m IN! I met Kathleen Varn last spring when she was a guest at a book party for GOING ON NINE in her hometown of Charleston. Throughout a balmy South Carolina afternoon, Kat and a few other lit-lovers gathered on the charming screen porch of our mutual friend, writer Pattie Welek Hall. Lounging on white wicker, surrounded by blowsy flowers and new-mown lawn, sipping (okay, glugging) Pattie’s wine, I read excerpts from my new novel, GOING ON NINE, and we all chatted about our childhood experiences. Pattie’s sister, Mary, drove over from Atlanta, just to be with us ― I hadn’t seen Mary since we were high school girls in plaid skirts. After the reading, we stood awhile in Pattie’s kitchen, enjoying more of Pattie’s wine, Pattie’s stupendous artichoke dip, and Pattie’s gigantic chocolate-covered strawberries. Everybody was feeling kinda mellow at that point, which was nice, because I sold lots of copies of GOING ON NINE. Before she left, Kat told me she had recently published her debut novel, and she gave me a copy of AMEERA UNVEILED, which I loved. At the age of forty-eight, happily remarried and retired from her legal assistant gerbil wheel, Kat decided to break out of her shell and try her hand at belly dancing. What began as a hobby lead her to filling a coveted spot in Palmetto Oasis Middle Eastern Dance Troupe…and to writing AMEERA UNVEILED.The cover design won a huge award, and the story is terrific. (For more, visit katvarn) Pattie Welek Hall is the founder and moderator of JoyRadio, a blog radio show featuring interviews with authors who write in every genre under the sun. Pattie’s adapted excerpt from her novel-in-progress, A MOTHER’S DANCE, was published in June in CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL. Okay. Onward. Now that GOING ON NINE is published, now that Im enjoying a multi-state agenda of author talks and book signings (which, truly, is the fun part), now that I have, with bittersweet emotion, left Thistle Way behind, and despite the fact that I am more comfortable asking questions than answering them, its high time we got to me, moi, ME in this blog tour post. Here goes. 1) What am I working on? I’ve started a longer work that began as a YA novella and has morphed into something akin to a magical realism story for readers with fortitude when it comes to outside-the-box grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. Here’s the first sentence: I am a spindrift cloud in an unblemished sky, a far view in the pitch of night, a seventh tine on a snowflake, a colorless rainbow. 2) How does my work differ from other books in the genre? My two published novels, and many of the essays I’ve written and had published as well, are loosely drawn from aspects of my own life. Loosely. Moreover, in the case of GOING ON NINE, the voice of the young heroine is entirely my own creation, and, sheesh, I’m a kabillion times proud of it, I’ll tell you that. 3) Why do I write what I do? I’ve always enjoyed reading. Early in the summer between sixth and seventh grade, I gobbled up GONE WITH THE WIND. The following summer, my mother gave me THE NUN’S STORY and THE GOOD EARTH, and I lost myself to those stories of sweet Belgian nuns and starving Chinese villagers. I think it was the very next summer when Mom plunked ATLAS SHRUGGED on my bed. That one almost killed me! But I never lost my love of books, especially novels, and especially novels about people, families, friends, about extraordinary people and events, sure, but also about the extraordinary things that happen on ordinary days to ordinary people, and how they react to them. 4) How does my writing process work? I often get my bursts of inspirations early in the morning, before rising, before breakfast or even coffee. On those days, I can’t wait to get to the computer and bank a few hundred words, or more. Then I edit, and re-edit, and edit some more, and fiddle a bit, restore the text to the original, and start editing again. Yep, that’s pretty much the process. Well, that’s it. Many thanks again to Charleston author Kat Varn for inviting me to tour along with her and a chain of other writers across the country. I will be passing the tour torch to three other poets/writers in the coming days. If you love reading many different genres and styles, then take a moment to check out these accomplished colleagues of mine. You won’t be sorry, I’ll tell you that! Karla Linn Merrifield is a seven-time Pushcart-Prize nominee and a National Park Artist-in-Residence. Hundreds of her poems have been published in prestigious journals and anthologies, and she has nine books to her credit, the newest of which are LITHIC SCATTER AND OTHER POEMS and THE ICE DECIDES: POEMS OF ANTARCTICA. An adventure traveler and gifted photographer for whom no place on Earth is too far or two wild to investigate. Karla’s blog, Vagabond Poet, is well worth following. Find it at karlalinn.blogspot. A. Y. Stratton grew up wanting to write mystery stories, and has found success as the author of page-turner romance mysteries. Her latest novel, BURIED SECRETS, is guaranteed to keep you up at night. Is it just coincidence when Kate and Nathan sneak into the same house on the same frigid evening in Suburban Milwaukee... or really bad luck that they’ve landed smack in the middle of a vendetta. Witnesses to murder. Bound to secrecy. And denying their desire. Whew! Find out more at aystratton. Mary T. Wagner’s brand new WHEN THE SHOE FITS ― Essays of Love, Life and Second Chances is a “best of” collection of essays from her award-winning trilogy of wry, witty and contemporary novels: Running with Stilettos, Heck on Heels, and Fabulous in Flats. One reviewer hit the nail on the head when she said Mary’s “slice-of-life personal narratives are obviously geared towards inspiring women, and I’m sure that they do just that.But her stories, born from the trials and tribulations of loves and losses, are universal in the lessons they teach.” Check out Mary’s other works at marytwagner. Cripes, this might be the longest post in the history of posts, but its finally finito. Done. Kaput. But wait, theres more! Go to goingonnine to see scads of fabulous pictures and links to the fabulous web sites of these fabulous authors. goingonnine
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 02:02:30 +0000
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