TC O’Reilly talks about ‘8th round’

TC O’Reilly is a businessman and a lawyer. He has a passion for reading and a love for writing.

I had the chance for a little chat with TC O’Reilly and my first question to him was how he decided to pursue a writing career.

“Initially I wanted to write something just to tick it off my bucket list, but once I started I realized how much I loved it and haven’t stopped since,” he said.

Was getting published hard?

“I went the indie publisher route and I am very pleased that I did.”

What genre are your books?

“The genre is horror with a touch of sci-fi.”

Which of your books is your most favorite?

“The 8th round is my baby, but I am also fond of Delusions.”

Do you have a specific writing routine?

“No routine.”

-What’s next for you?

“A follow up to the 8th round.”

8th round

The story is about a man named Jacob (Jakes) Patrick Wallace who is sent back in time over various lifetimes. He thus carries knowledge of a global plague called the Husk plague, that causes people to go crazy and bloodthirsty, that will spread throughout the earth and that leaves only him with the power and knowledge to try and stop it. Throughout the book he deals with various people in his life including a love interest named Julia Baldacci and his younger brother named Andy. This first book mainly sets the scene of the oncoming plague by giving glimpses of the future in 2017 etc. but mainly plays out over a period starting from 1995 up to date. The Ebola virus which ravaged West Africa during 2014 plays a central theme in the book and helps to set the pace of the oncoming plague. The antagonist in the story is for the first part mainly played by a man called Rudansky who forms part of a larger group of people which is mainly referred to as the Company. The Company helps to set the scene for a larger worldwide conspiracy which dates back as far as the early 1600’s. With the VOC as the main background of this conspiracy, hence the settings in Amsterdam. Jakes however also starts to develop certain abilities which helps him to be stronger, faster and even some psychic abilities which helps him throughout the book from time to time.

BUY LINK

http://www.amazon.com/8th-round-Birthday-According-calendar-ebook/dp/B01273FUFW/

AUTHOR AND PAINTER RAFAEL H. DERCHANSKY TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW BOOK ‘CORRIDOR ONE’

INTERVIEW

Rafael H. Derchansky was born in a small village in Siberia in 1954, 14 years after Stalin forcefully deported his parents from Lithuania. In 1960, he and his family moved to the city Tomsk, one of the oldest towns in Siberia. In 1970, he finished high school and enrolled in Tomsk Polytechnic University. In 1973, the USSR temporarily lifted the Iron Curtain to allow some of its citizens to leave the country. Rafael and his family used this opportunity to immigrate to Israel. There he completed his studies and met his wife while working in the hi-tech sector and serving in the country’s Air Force. Seeking new horizons, he immigrated to Canada in 1988, where he currently resides with his wife and two sons. When he is not writing his latest novel, he can be found painting or navigating the Great Lakes with his boat.

Recently I had the pleasure to have a little chat with this talented author and painter and here is what we talked about…

So Rafael how did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“For many years I was brooding with the idea of writing a book about a family that was torn apart. I imagined a scenario where a sister and brother would pass each other on the street and not recognize each other while at the same time actually searching for each other. The idea came from some personal experience in my early life in Siberia.”

Are your characters based on people you know?

“Some of the characters are real :)”

What genre are your books?

“Mystery, adventure, drama, but without dead bodies, and no blood and shattered bones.”

Do you have a specific writing routine?

“I start writing the book with only a general idea and usually during the writing process, its details and plot start moving in many directions. Then I go back and trim off the unwanted branches. When I write I’m completely submerged in the life of my characters but for some reason, I may forget what happened in the previous chapters due to the richness of the details, so I find myself sometimes needing to go back and read. Sometimes the writing process feels like torture and can be physically and mentally exhausting. That being said, I am reluctant to rewrite any parts of the book. Still, I think that writing is powerfully amazing.”

What are your current projects?

“’Corridor Two’, screenplay for ‘Corridor One’.”

What’s next for you?

“To write ‘Corridor End’ book – last book in Corridor trilogy”

‘Corridor One’ book synopsis

Dina, a tenacious art forgery expert, is suddenly dragged back into her past life when an extraordinary package is left at her apartment by a mysterious man who seems to know the most personal and intimate details about her past. Why now? Can he be trusted? With new revelations, her life quickly spirals into a maelstrom of confusion and Dina is torn between her innocent desire to believe the stranger and her professional instincts telling her that everything is not as it seems. As she struggles to understand what is happening, an unsolved, decades-old crime linked to a missing treasure becomes the center of her life. Embarking on an unexpected and mystifying adventure that interrupts her busy life, Dina must confront the shadows of her past and face the truth about her family. What happened more than twenty years ago when her father and brother were torn away from her? Together with her colleagues and their expertise, the mystery might be solved. But will her team unconditionally support her in her effort to put together the pieces of this long-broken puzzle?

To shed light upon the truth, Dina will have to travel to a place that holds many painful memories and face the ghosts of her past. There she will learn about the fate of her doting father and beloved brother, who has been lost to a shadowy, clandestine organization known only to a few locals as Corridor One. Dina will have to rely on the help of an unlikely partner and an old, long-forgotten Siberian mental art to accomplish her goals. But is Dina alone on her path or is somebody quietly watching her steps?

BUY LINKS

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH RAFAEL H. DERCHANSKY

‘Corridor One’ on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/corridoronebook

Rafael H. Derchansky’s Books and Paintings

http://www.rhdera.com/#!my-gallery/cd0h

More about Rafael H. Derchansky

http://www.writersinterviews.com/2015/07/corridor-one-derchansky.html

“Lowlands and a Highlander’s Love”, “Highland Promise”: J.C. Hughes’ breathtaking Scottish novels

INTERVIEW

J.C. Hughes is living a very peaceful life in United States with her loving family. Although she lives far from Scotland, she never forgets the place where she grew up and came from. It will always remain in her heart and inspire her to write Scottish novels.

J.C. Hughes want to present to the world the beauty of Scotland, a place full of stories waiting to be known by the next generation.

Her heartwarming Scottish Historical Romance stories are thrilling and breathtaking, they are real page-turners.

J.C. Hughes’ new book Lowlands and a Highlander’s Love (Scottish Historical Romance Highlander) was recently released and that gave me the chance to have a little chat with her. Here is what we talked about…

– So, what separates J.C Hughes from other authors?
“Well, I read a lot of romance books myself and feel that just because it is a romance story doesn’t mean it shouldn’t also have an element of suspense to it. I also like to sometimes add some elements of mystery since romance at its core can be a very mysterious emotion.”

– Why do you think readers like your books?
“Well, I like to think that my stories provide the same heartwarming feeling I get when I read a great romance story. I myself love the escape that is given which allows you to live through your fantasy. As I mentioned I myself love romance books, but even the bestsellers are sometimes too long. I decided that in the heat of the moment readers would prefer a thrilling romance story which can be finished the same day.”

– What inspires you when writing your romance books?
“I do get inspired by other great authors like Julie Garwood and also Karen Marie Moning although I feel that romance novellas can complement romance novels as they can be read in one evening.

– How did you decide to pursue a writing career?
“I have written a lot of theatre stories in co-operation with others and I realized that writing was something that was very personal to me. After reading romance stories and other genres that I could relate to for years I decided to try this as well.”

– Was getting published hard?
“Yes, the writing part. The editing, the shredding, the lack of confidence, the writers blocks and of course you need inspiration. On top of that it has to appeal to several different people to even be considered to be published. Kindle unlimited on my kindle reader helped with this process a lot.”

– Are your characters based on people you know?
“Not entirely. They are a mixture of different people and their reactions to certain situations. So my characters aren’t solely based on one person. They’re a few different personalities made into one that fits the character and story.”

– What genre are your books?
“Mostly Scottish Historical Romance. I’ve never experienced anything with such passion and authentic love. When reading Scottish Historical Romance you can’t help but to connect on an internal level. I also add some Medieval Romance and Scottish highlander stories into the mix.”

– Which of your books is your most favorite?
“I am excited about my latest release Lowlands and a Highlander’s Love. My kindle reader makes it so easy to have all of my favorites like Julie Garwood and Maya Banks in one place. I love it. My favorite all time is probably the “Outlander” series by Diana Gabaldon.”

– Do you have a specific writing routine?
“Usually, I just write to get my thoughts out. I start with an idea, let it develop, then organize it. Taking breaks are also important when writing. I don’t want to mentally exhaust myself during the process.”

– What are your current projects?
“Another story coming shortly. Possibly an e-book. Right now I’m just basking in the moment.”

– What’s next for you?
“Me and my Kindle reader will probably take a short hiatus to travel and gain more inspiration. A change of scenery and a good read is always refreshing.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J.C. Hughes’ fascination with history has gone a long way, from being a voracious reader to a writer of her own novel about Scottish heritage. She is also a big fan of romance, that she was inspired to write the “Highland Promise”. She is a woman of strength, faith, and substance. After her previous novel, Hughes plans to do more love stories in the future. Right now she is brainstorming and collaborating with friends to publish another novel that will inspire people, mostly adults who believe in the power of love.

J.C. HUGHES’ AMAZON PAGE

http://www.amazon.com/J.C.-Hughes/e/B012RL4GZE

BUY LINKS

Lowlands and a Highlander’s Love (Scottish Historical Romance Highlander) http://www.amazon.com/Scottish-Historical-Romance/dp/B013FA5ZE2/

HIGHLAND PROMISE (Scottish Historical Romance Highlander)
http://www.amazon.com/Scottish-Romance-HIGHLAND-Historical-Highlander-ebook/dp/B010W0STSW

T. Mike McCurley on ‘Emergence’, ‘Firedrake’, ‘Jericho Sims’ and all his superheroes

INTERVIEW

T. Mike McCurley lives in a suburb of Oklahoma City, occasionally banging out superhero prose on a battered laptop.

His stories of the ‘Emergence’ – a worldwide explosion of metahumanity beginning in 1963 with a scared little girl – were first published online in 2004. From them came the character of Francis Drake, an Emerged cop born in the form of a humanoid dragon. The stories of ‘Firedrake’ first saw light online in 2008 and spanned numerous chapters, eventually becoming a series of books.

The Adventures of Jericho Sims stem from long-ago discussions and have at last seen the light of day!

Jericho Sims is a cursed gunslinger in a wandering search across the American Old West as he seeks the demonic doctor who killed his comrades. Paranormal and supernatural events and creatures assail him on all fronts, and Jericho finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into a world he never knew existed.

T. Mike McCurley’s smaller, unaffiliated short stories have been published on various sites, and some of them are now available for perusal at www.tmikemccurley.com.

T. Mike McCurley did me the honor of visiting my blog and the result was one of the most entertaining interviews ‘A Book And A Cup Of Coffee’ has ever hosted.

Who exactly is T. Mike McCurley?

“I’m pretty much the guy next door. The one with a head full of weird ideas about how things should be as opposed to how they really are, and a desire to set down on paper the crazy things that run through my head on a daily basis. I chase dreams, and sometimes I catch them.”

How did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“I’ve always written stories of one stripe or another. All through school and on through the years since. One day I stumbled across a website offering superhero stories, and I decided to try my hand at submitting a few. That was my breakthrough into the superhero genre. The short stories I put together for that site became the backbone of my Emergence world (soon to be the default superhero setting for Lester Smith’s D6xD6 roleplaying game!). My Firedrake stories were a direct result of the Emergence tales. At the same time, my serial of post-apocalyptic survival, “Skyfall” (written under the pseudonym Jujen Kai), was making the rounds of the survival sites one chapter at a time. I have an eclectic group of stories. One of the only things that ties the vast majority of my stuff together is action.”

Are your characters based on people you know?

“For the most part no. Remember, though: I write about cursed gunfighters and seven-foot tall humanoid dragons. There are a few attributes here and there that come from someone, but they get dropped into the blender of character creation and slapped down as just a part of the overall product. Elements of appearance – a hairstyle, perhaps – or a manner of speaking that sparks an image in my mind when I craft the character are not out of the question. But as to, “Hey that guy sounds just like Fred,” or similar? Nope. Unless you see yourself as my hero, in which case I encourage you to keep visualizing. The world needs more of that!”

What genre are your books?

“Firedrake definitely falls into the superhero genre. I have several short stories that also fit neatly in there. Jericho Sims is more of a science fiction/supernatural Western. I like to describe him as “Josey Wales meets Carl Kolchak” — a gunfighter who encounters elements of the paranormal that no one else seems to come across.”

Do you have a specific writing routine?

“This is where I am supposed to discuss how I sit down at my immaculate desk and everything is perfect. Not so much. I generally grab my laptop and literally put it on my lap. I put on some music and try to make sense of the myriad images rolling about in my head. I’m not one of those, “Every morning from six until seven-fifteen I write” kind of folk. I write what I can when I get the chance. I have a notebook and/or journal with me pretty much all the time for scribbling down random thoughts, and my phone is full of recorded messages to myself that I try to remember to transcribe. I’m kind of jumbled and piecemeal.”

What are your current projects?

“Well, I just released Book 2 in the Adeventures of Jericho Sims. “Buried Treasure” sees Jericho in a race across Oklahoma Territory as he tries to recover a Native artifact before the creature it controls manages to stop him…the hard way.

I have another two Jericho short stories in the works, in various stages of first draft, and about seventy-five percent of the first novel, “Jericho’s Gold”, has been drafted. I’m also working on the next Firedrake release, a novel titled “Inquisition”, where the sinister Inquisitor finally makes himself known and begins a series of attacks on metahumans everywhere. A multi-part story of assassination and crime in the Anthills of Tulsa is also underway for Protodimension magazine, soon to be released in serial format.”

What’s next for you?

“The sky is the limit! It’s my intent to drop a few more Jericho Sims stories while I work on the novel. Let people come to know the man and follow his story. The short stories are litle snacks, and then the novel will be a full meal for fans. There are two additional Firedrake novels on the horizon as well, so folks who like the big guy can relax. I haven’t shelved him!

Rest assured, folks, that I am just getting started. What you see now is but a sample of what is to come.

Thanks for having me here for the interview. Y’all stay groovy.”

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH T. MIKE McCURLEY

Website link: www.tmikemccurley.com
Twitter link: https://twitter.com/TMikeMcCurley
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-T-Mike-McCurley/1421173078141721
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HBJ9XXS

Marilyn Redmond talks about ‘Heaven on Earth’ and healing your soul

INTERVIEW

Marilyn Redmond is a winning international writer syndicated columnist, consultant, counselor, regression and past life therapist, and speaker sharing the dynamics of life for healing your life. She is a member of the American Board of Hypnotherapy and the International Board for Regression Therapy. She was inducted into Who’s Who for Professionals and Executives for her innovative and pioneering work restoring traumatic lives, healing emotional causes of illness and releasing negative energy through her innovative Therapeutic Hypnosis.
Marilyn’s first book, Roses Have Thorns is available at Amazon.com along with her other writings. Her next book is ‘Paradigm Busters, Reveal the Real You’. Her website offers articles, her radio show, interviews, lectures, and her art at angelicasgifts.com.

I had the honor to have a little chat with Marilyn and here is what we talked about.

– How did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“I wrote my first column for a local newspaper as a guest writer. I enjoyed it and began writing letters to the editor. I won a poetry contest and traveled to New York to receive my Golden Poet Award in 1991. I found the Long Ridge Writer’s correspondence course, from which I graduated and joined a local writing class. I also joined a local writers’ group that critiqued my work. Winning their international contest, gave me the courage and inner push to continue my writing. I found gradually that writing was easier and I enjoyed it.
My serious writing started when I began writing the book I am getting ready to publish which began 25 years ago. For about 8 years, I attended the Santa Barbara Writers Conference and I was able to attend the many classes throughout the week. During the time of working on my coming book, I included writing articles, other shorter books and E-books, and twice being a columnist. At this point more than a million readers have read my writing. I continue to post articles on my blog, other blogs, and metaphysical internet newspapers.”

– Was getting published hard?

“I was most fortunate in getting my first book published. My writing teacher also was a publisher. After class one evening, I asked her if she was interested in publishing my book. Her immediate answer was yes, she thought it should be in every waiting room of therapists. It was so easy. It has not always been that easy.”

– Are your characters based on people you know?

“Most of my writing has been based on my own experience and wisdom; however, my forthcoming book is also based on my clients’ experiences from being a counselor. I have slightly adjusted the stories to disguise the people, and have changed the names. However, the stories are basically true.”

– What genre are your books?

“I write about empowerment, personal growth, relationships, hypnosis, past lives, holistic health, addictions, domestic violence, education, and spiritual topics as channeling, ascended masters, and angels.”

– Which of your books is your most favorite?

“I have not thought about a most favorite book as they all tell different parts of my life in various parts of recovery and victory over traumatic difficulties.”

– Do you have a specific writing routine?

“I keep thinking I should have a routine. My life is unpredictable with seeing clients, speaking, and volunteer work. I write when inspired and the opportunity and time opens. Surprisingly, space appears when I need to write.”

– What are your current projects?

“I am getting my next book, ‘Paradigm Busters, Reveal the Real You’ ready for publication. This has been a 25-year project. I am also ready to produce an audio and CD presentation that is a joint work with an Australian writer.”

– What’s next for you?

“I have several more books on the back burner waiting to be published. My channeling that is on You Tube will be in a coming book. I plan a Vol. Two of my poetry, and a next book to follow ‘Paradigm Busters’. In addition, I have several articles waiting to be written.”

STAY IN CONTACT WITH MARILYN REDMOND

Marilyn was ordained as a spiritual minister to do readings and spiritual counseling along with healing illness, regression therapy, past life therapy, and healing your soul. In addition, she channels Ascended Masters, Archangels, and brings in your family members who have passed over to the other side. Enjoy her channeling on YouTube along with her lectures and interviews. Marilyn is multi-talented and wishes to share her abilities with everyone.

Marilyn Redmond Skype ID: angelicasgifts
Author website: http://angelicasgifts.com
Twitter account: http://twitter.com/RedmondBooks

BUY LINKS

https://www.createspace.com/4947290
http://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Redmond/e/B0069WIKDC

A book and a cup of coffee

Month: August 2015