Author Victoria Roder!

AN: Happy New Year! I'm pleased to welcome my first guest author of 2010, Victoria Roder! Did you make any resolution's pertaining to your writing?

VR: I’m glad you specified resolutions that pertain to my writing or I would be forced to go on and on. I would call them New Year’s goals. I always make writing goals to continue forward momentum in my career. The main goal is to edit and submit The Haunting of Ingersull Penitentiary, and then begin my next work. I also have a goal of being on a guest blog post, interview, and book signing per month.

AN: Editing and more promo ops are great goals for all writers! Have you always wanted to be an author?

VR: My mom always said I should write, but it didn’t enter my mind until I wrote a short article about our Husky Rocky that we rescued after he was hit by a vehicle and left to die. My original goal was to write children’s books. My sister told me to write down a recurring dream I was having and one thing led to another and, The Dream House Visions And Nightmares was created.

AN: How long did it take you to become published?

VR: Although I work full-time the book poured out of me within a year. It felt like forever when it took a year to find a publisher, and an even longer year to reach print.

AN: What genre do you write and why?

VR: I have always thrived on scary books and movies. The Dream House Visions And Nightmares is a Paranormal Romance, Bolt Action due out April 2010 is an Action Thriller, and The Haunting of Ingersull Penitentiary is Paranormal Horror.

AN: Let's talk about your latest release The Dream House Visions and Nightmares. What's it all about?

VR: Visions…nightmares…, and murder. The Dream House Visions And Nightmares is a murder mystery wrapped in a paranormal ghost story. Apparitions and vivid dreams reveal sins of the past and foretell of danger in the present. Hope Graham travels home to stop the agony of her sleep deprivation from horrifying visions of a house she lived in as a child. The romance comes in the form of a very sexy bakery owner named Brock Cooper that offers Hope all the things her ex-husband didn't, friendship, support, encouragement, romance, understanding and love. Can that love survive the danger Hope will face?

AN: Wow, what an interesting premise! What was the inspiration behind this paranormal romance?

VR: Since I was a child I have experienced recurring dreams about a house that my family lived in. I talked to my sister about it and she suggested I write the dream down and then perhaps it wouldn’t bother me anymore. Instead of not bothering me, it consumed me. I wrote the dream down and then mixed with my imagination it became the premise of The Dream House Visions And Nightmares.

AN: How many books have you written, Victoria?

VR: I have written three novels and two children’s mystery books still pending a publishing house. My favorite is The Dream House Visions And Nightmares not only because it is my first novel, but because I think it identifies a group of adults that suffered in silence at the devastating effects of domestic violence during a time when people didn’t have anywhere to turn or anyone to talk to. My hope is that generation that suffered in silence is able to forgive their perpetrators and live fulfilled lives. Letting go of the pain leads to recovery and strength.

AN: The power of words has always amazed me and I think it's terrific you've written a book dealing with these issues. Ok, switching gears! Is there a fave food or ritual you must have or do to get into the writing zone?

VR: I must have that warm cup of coffee. My husband designed a beautiful open porch and gazebo for me and I love to sit with my coffee, laptop, and dogs and write in the early morning during the spring, summer, and fall.

AN: Now, that sounds very relaxing and muse inspiring! Any advice you'd share with aspiring authors?

VR: How about the old High School cheer─Never give up, never give in! Work hard, be determined and take rejection with an open mind. It takes time to find the right publisher for your work.

AN: Do you have a favorite author?

VR: Favorite author is tough because there are so many, but I do have a few questions for Stephen King. I want to know if he sleeps peacefully at night and I want to know if he has any phobias or fears.

AN: Tell me one thing your readers would be surprised to know about you!

VR: Touching cotton balls gives me the heebie-jeebies.

AN: LOL . . . now that is surprising! Victoria, thank you for stopping by Poetry, Prose and Print today! I wish you continued success in the New Year!


Enjoy an Excerpt from The Dream House Visions and Nightmares:

I opened my eyes and inhaled a deep breath as if I had sucked all the air out of a Macy’s Parade balloon. Once again the house watched me, yearned for me. Motionless, I stood in the middle of the uninhabited street. The eerie quietness made me feel as if I had been swimming and my ears were plugged with water. I felt the dampness on my nightgown, but I couldn’t look down; I knew it would be blood.
Against all my strength─mental and physical─I was helpless in resisting the house’s tremendous pull. As I drew closer, I walked over decomposed human remains, grinding bones into dust beneath my feet. I couldn’t stop myself…I looked down. An ear-piercing scream split my lips as I helplessly watched my blood drain from my body onto the remains below.

The Dream House Vision and Nightmares is available now with Asylett Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Learn more about Victoria Roder at: www.victoriaroder.com

Author Ed Williams Stops by Poetry, Prose and Print!

AN: The holidays are upon us! What do you look forward to the most?

EW: Watching the "Beavis and Butthead Christmas Special," sippin' eggnog, seein' my daughter and son-in-law, and burning out my eyeballs on college football bowl games.

AN: Fudge or fruit cake?

EW: Always fudge! I love it, plus most fruit cake at the most might be usable as foundation material for houses. Oh God, those big, gooey chunks of fruit slapped into that less than scrumptious bread, I'd rather french kiss a porcupine's heiny than eat it!

AN: Do you make New Year's resolutions?

EW: Yes - I resolve to ride mega roller coasters, visit Vegas, listen to Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and to enjoy lookin' at good lookin' women. For some strange reason my New Year's resolutions seem to stay pretty static year-to-year...

AN: When did you realize you wanted to become an author?

EW: I never wanted to be an author. Back in 1995 I’d written about 200 pages worth of PG to R-rated stories about my upbringing in Juliette. I just did so as a nostalgic exercise, I never would have thought about a book coming from it, I wouldn’t have had that much nerve to believe in such a thing. What happened was soon after I finished I noticed an ad in our local paper which stated a writer’s group was being formed at my local Barnes and Noble, in fact, its first meeting was just half an hour from when I initially read the article. Seeing that and the fact that they were asking for any aspiring writers who attended to bring some of their writing with them, I went to my computer and printed out a story about my dad and I discovering the local choir leader at our church parked on a dirt road behind our house one evening with one of the ladies in the choir. I guess you could say he was giving her extremely private choiral lessons, just one of these little scandalous-type things that all small towns experience at one point or the other. Anyway, I took this story to the meeting, and out of 70 or so people in attendance I was picked at random to read. I was nervous as all hell, but I began reading, and damned if the people there didn’t seem to like my story. I then went on to meet the director of this writer’s group afterwards, who asked to see my stories. About a year afterwards a small publisher in Dallas, Texas put out my very first book, Sex, Dead Dogs, and Me: The Juliette Journals.

AN: Today, Ed is here to talk about a hot new release entitled ChristmaSin’ written in the mainstream fiction/humor genre! What's this holiday tale about?

EW: It’s my attempt to write a realistic rural Southern Christmas novel. I took real events that happened during the Christmas season in Juliette when I was growing up, combined them with a liberal dose of BS, and ended up with this book. Be forewarned that this is realistic, a bit bawdy language and content-wise, but it does end with a decent Christmas message, if I do say so myself.

AN: What was the inspiration behind the story?

EW: Mostly the fact that the Southern Christmas stories that I was seeing in print were more like June and Ward Cleaver-type Christmases, and I wanted to write something that was more in line with what I thought the reality was.

AN: Is writing in the mainstream fiction/humor genre your favorite?

EW: Depends on what I’m writing at the moment. I never stay in one place very long at anything.

AN: You’ve written 3 books. Can you tell me if there is a personal favorite and why?

EW: That’s easy - my second book, Rough As A Cob: More From the Juliette Journals. It has a chapter in it detailing how me and my two best friends got to meet Bachman-Turner Overdrive, one of our favorite bands from our high school years. We went on this big road trip in order to meet them all at a concert, and couldn’t have had a better, or wilder time. That one story alone will always make that particular book stand out to me.

AN: Any advice you would like to share with aspiring authors?

EW: Write about what you want to write about, and don’t worry much about genres or what’s hot at the moment. Write what you feel something about, because it will translate to your pages well. Create your own genre!

AN: Tell me one thing your readers would be surprised to know about you!

EW: That I have a painting of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket logo on one of my molars, my dentist is a huge Tech fan (as am I) and had an artist friend paint it on there!

AN: Wow! That is a surprise! Ed, thank you so much for stopping by Poetry, Prose and Print and Happy Holidays!

ChristmaSin' is available now with Champagne Books! Get your copy just in time for the holidays here!

Find out more about Ed Williams here: www.ed-williams.com , www.ChristmasinTheBook.com

and elwiii.gather.com

Enjoy a sneak peek of ChristmaSin' below:

The walk back into the house is a lot longer on account of toting this heavy-ass wood, and by the time we both get inside, we are hassling pretty hard. Ed Jr. turns, looks at us, laughs, and then tells us that he is going to recite an old Christmas poem for us that he’d heard many years ago. We know that it is going to be good, when he tells us to sort of listen out for Mama, and that if she happens to come into the room, mum’s the word. Once we all understand the ground rules, my dad clears his throat and recites this tender rhyme for us:

“Santa’s outfit is red and white, it’s all that he has, but it fits just right, his boots are black, his balls are blue, being cold all night does that to you.

He has a doll for Cindy, a dog for Fred, and a New Orleans woman, sittin’ in his sled.

He laughs so jolly, never sad nor whiny, now he’s off in his sleigh, to hone some Louisiana heiny.”

Not Just Make Believe by Sandra Sookoo

AN: Today, I'm welcoming Sandra Sookoo! First things first . . . why write romance?

SS: I love the happily ever after (or happily for now). I love seeing how characters have to work together in order to achieve that, all the while battling constant interruptions and life’s ills.

AN: When did you realize you wanted to be an author?

SS: When I realized that being a cake decorator was not in my future LOL That’s what I wanted to be as a ten-year-old. A cake decorator or a writer. Since cake’s are beyond me and I have an affinity for telling a story, guess which one I picked?

AN: How long did it take for you to become published and how did you deal with the challenges?

SS: It took about a year of trying, failing and getting up again. I say this often in interviews. Just because you’ve written a book does not mean you’ve written a book. LOL There is much to learn about the craft of writing. I can’t wait to see what else I’ll learn during the course of my career.
Remember that rejections are a part of it. You’ll get them—even after you’ve been published. Give yourself a day to dwell then move on. Keep writing. That’s the key to dealing with it. It may seem like you’ll never reach that publishing goal, but if you keep at it, someone will say yes.

AN: Well, I’m sure readers everywhere are glad you held on to your dream to become an author! Sandra has a cute, uplifting new release entitled Not Just Make Believe, written in the contemporary romance genre! Share a little bit about this holiday treat!

SS: This book is about an assistant manager at a hotel, Andie, who suddenly experiences a change in her job description when she’s told to be a temporary nanny to a strong-willed nine-year-old. The trouble is, the child’s guardian, Max is a stockbroker dealing with the sadness and the fact he survived 9/11. Even though Andie doesn’t know much about rearing children, she knows that Max and Piper need to reconnect and understand each other because they’re family. Somewhere in the mix, Andie falls for Max and well the ending will surprise you…you’ll have to read the book to see why.

AN: Wow! Not Just Make Believe sounds like a fantastic story with a heartwarming message just in time for the holidays! What was the inspiration behind this book?

SS: Actually, my niece Jessica inspired this story. When she was about the age that Piper is in the book, she said “I think you should write a story about a girl who lives in a hotel.” So, I thought about it, put my own spin on it, dumped the whole story into a romance and set it at Christmastime. Awesome, no?

Actually, Not Just Make Believe had two previous titles before this one was selected. It’s been a long road for publication with this story, but I’m beyond thrilled that Desert Breeze picked it up.

AN: You’ve written a lot of books. Can you tell me if there is a personal favorite and why?

SS: Hmm, personal favorite? Not Just Make Believe is a front runner. Two others would be a sci-fi novella that will come out next fall or a pirate novella that will come out in the spring.
Sometimes, there are stories that really stick with me. I’ll read through them and be amazed that I actually wrote those words. The characters are strong or quirky and I really had a great time writing their book. That’s one of the things I love about writing.

AN: Do you have favorite food or ritual that helps you get in the zone to write?

SS: Nope. Sometimes I’ll have the TV on in the background just for noise. Rarely do I listen to music—unless I’m writing a particularly hard love scene. Sometimes, I’ll listen to upbeat love songs to get me pumped to write.

The trick is to just sit your butt down and write. Chocolate helps though…

AN: You’ve found a time machine that would allow you to pick one author from our literary past to have lunch and talk shop. Who would it be and why?

SS: Mark Twain. He pushed the envelope and wrote about real life, not matter that it might have been uncomfortable for his contemporaries. Oh wait, his books are still uncomfortable for people today. LOL

AN: You been invited to lunch to talk shop with your favorite author of today. Who would it be and why?

SS: That one’s a tough call. There are many authors I like, but to pick one? I can’t do that.

AN: What's the one thing you’d like to share with aspiring authors that you wished you had of known at the beginning?

SS: First, don’t give up. Ever. Second, 90 percent of what people tell you is wrong. Don’t listen to the noise. Listen to what your heart tells you. Write what you love and don’t follow trends. They’ll do nothing for you and you’ll always be a dollar short. Third, keep writing, no matter what. It only takes one yes to break through.

AN: Tell me one thing your readers would be surprised to know about you!

SS: Well, there was this one time when I…oh, but wait. I think it’s privileged information and I’m saving that story for Oprah! LOL
All kidding aside, I’m a reader and a writer. I love to bake when I’m stuck in a story. I love Disney and my husband. Everything else, well, you’ll just have to wait and find out!

AN: Sandra, thank you so much for stopping by Poetry, Prose and Print today! I can't wait to read Not Just Make Believe which is available today! Happy release day and I wish you all the best with this book and others to come!

Get your copy here!

Find out more about Sandra at: http://www.sandrasookoo.com/ and http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com/

Enjoy the sneak peek below!

A thoughtful expression crossed Max's features as the elevator doors opened at the ping on the appropriate floor. "Andrea, I believe I owe you an apology for teasing you yesterday as well as a thank you for your excellent care of Piper."
As my Great Aunt Sadie used to say… "You bet your sweet bippie you do!"
What I said was, "I'm just doing my job. I hope she's back to her devilish self." Before I could get off the elevator, Max hit the Close Door button. "What are you doing? That's my floor." Oh my Lord, he was a stalker! Howie would be surprised when he found out he had been duped by the rich and famous. I could just see the headline now: Up and coming assistant hotel manager stalked and killed by a notable mover and shaker. Charges won't be sought…
"You're going to dinner with me this evening." It was a statement. He punched the illuminated button for the Lobby and we proceeded downward.
"Thanks for the invite, but I couldn't possibly accept. It's against company policy to accept gifts from clients. Not to mention, I just got off work and my clothes smell like the monkey house at the zoo."
Don't ask how I knew this. It's not a flattering story for me or the monkey.
A glance down at my outfit confirmed my description. Rumpled black skirt, white button down shirt with a yellow stain over my left boob--I have no idea what it was-- and black heels. Not exactly the outfit of the dining elite. That is to say if I were actually going to dinner with him, which I was most definitely not.
When the elevator doors slid open at the Lobby, I quickly hit the seventh floor button and the doors swung closed again. Good thing we were the only ones in the car or else I would surely be in trouble. I could just hear the lecture Howie would heap upon my head. He would probably give it in front of all the staff, just to make an impression.
Of course, he would!
The elevator cars are not for your own personal amusement. I snickered as my eyes slid to Max. My idea of personal enjoyment would include a can of whipped cream and a bare-chested Max…With a start, I realized he was talking to me.
"Andrea, listen, I'll clear it with Howard. You can go as a personal favor to me." He smiled cordially to the people waiting on the seventh floor as the doors swung open. "I'm sorry, but there seems to be an issue in this car. Would you mind waiting on the second one?"
I rolled my eyes when the women tittered and nodded and the men grumbled but agreed.
With a look of triumph, Max hit the Lobby button. He was already taking out his cell phone.
What nerve this guy had! Who did he think he was? I felt my blood pressure start to rise. I had already worked a nine-hour day, which had been chock full of complaining customers and a dog that had piddled on one of the sofa cushions in the Lobby. Yeah, the Stansbury had that mythical anti-pet policy but the same fussy woman kept bringing her stupid dog and Howard kept letting her stay.
Now I had to deal with a man who apparently thought that he was God.
Stop the world, I want to get off!
How about if I just grew a backbone and put a stop to all of this right now? After this little pep talk to myself, I hit the seventh floor button again as we arrived at the Lobby. "Absolutely not! I'm going to relax in my room, order room service, and watch mindless television for the rest of the night." I grinned at the surprise on his face. "Oh, did you think you were the only one who lived here? It's part of my benefits package. At least I don't have to pay rent."
"Very efficient."
I glanced up at the humor in his voice and was immediately irritated. To top it all off, he had dimples when he smiled. Once again, I was the head float in my own freak parade.
"I'll take care of it, Andrea." He punched the Lobby button and gave me a commanding glance that clearly said stay put. "I would really like to have dinner with you. That's all."
That was the last straw. "There are other people in the world, you know. We don't all kowtow to your every whim." I hit the lighted seven button.
Up we went.
Max hit the Lobby button, determined to win in the battle of wills.
My fingers curled into fists until my nails bit into my palms. "You're not listening to me." Without thinking, I methodically hit every single button on the panel, until all the little numbered circles were lit up. I gritted my teeth and tried to regulate my breathing, but when my eyes met Max's dark gaze, a tiny flame of desire flared in my gut. This was not a good sign.
Two things happened simultaneously.
First off, the elevator car shuddered to a violent stop somewhere between the tenth and Penthouse floors, throwing me against Max. Second, I guess Max chose that opportunity to completely lose his mind. Before I could do much more than blink at him in surprise, his arms snaked around my waist, and he kissed me. There's no other way to tell the story. Not a swift peck on the cheek, grandma-style. It was one of those old-fashioned curl-your-toes kinds of kisses that you would see on old movies where the heroine pops her foot up behind her. Max's lips covered mine with a warm pressure that was gentle and insistent. Shivers of excitement raced up my spine when his fingers traced circles on my back.
My traitorous body decided he was non-threatening after all and started to press itself up against the solid mass that was Max. Before I could analyze why butterflies stirred in my stomach, the moment was over.
As first kisses go, it was quite delicious. But, my foot did not pop.
In case you were wondering.

Guest Authors Blogging at PPP!

I'm very excited to announce Poetry, Prose, and Print will be interviewing and welcoming many authors to share their own journey to publication and dish about upcoming releases! Look for the first interview tomorrow with Sandra Sookoo!

Sandra may not know it, but she encouraged me before I even had a contract to keep writing and not give up on my dream of being published. I could always count on seeing her 'status' about writing or editing. Her commitment to writing has been an inspiration to me. I'm thankful to have 'met' her through social networking and I'm happy to have her as my first featured author!

(photo courtesy lusi)