INTERVIEW

David Keith Wardrop: A science fiction author with an interest in nature

INTERVIEW

David Keith Wardrop was born on the 24th of December 1984 in Glasgow Scotland.

David started writing at the age of twenty and mostly writes Science Fiction. He reads a lot of graphic novels and Science Fiction and occasional non-fiction having been a subscriber to Scientific American for three years.

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Also has an interest in nature and is a member of many conservation groups such as RSPB, Butterfly Conservation, Plantlife, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Buglife, Glasgow Natural History Society and Scottish Wildlife Trust.

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In addition to writing David currently spends a lot of time on two website www.zooniverse.org and www.futurelearn.com.

David Keith Wardrop’s Books

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Long Walk Home

It is the end of the world as we know it. The planet has run out of petroleum and the main character decides that this would be a good time to take a long walk home.

Buy link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/537805

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The gardens of Zarma

The gardens of Zarma has species of plants from all over the universe. Zarma is considered by many to be the greatest paradise in existance. When a chemical used to fuel starsips is found in the planet Zarmas oceans the paradise comes under threat.

Buy link: http://www.lulu.com/shop/david-wardrop/the-gardens-of-zarma/ebook/product-17411265.html

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After

AFTER by David Wardop is a story about mental anguish and suicide told in two parts. Keith Campbell is a quiet and shy boy who loves comic books and science fiction until he begins to contemplate suicide. The first part of the story, which is told in reverse order, describes the world of tragedy that is left after Keith dies with his family struggling to understand why he kills himself. The second half of the story, on the other hand, describes the world that Keith lives in because he did not commit suicide. This is a reflective and revealing account of one person’s mental struggle with suicide and the effect that it has on his health and those who care about him.

What sets this novel apart is the fact that Keith takes his own life right and the novel opens after his death attempting to illustrate Keith’s rationale for his suicide. The novel is, at first, depressing, sombre and dark, yet it progressively gets more blithe and hopeful. The novel’s conclusion is ironic and thought-provoking, and the reader has to remind himself/herself that although the novel ends on a positive note, because of the manner in which the narrative has been presented, this is not necessarily the case.

Buy link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/After-David-Wardrop/dp/1849910154

AZHAR LAHER AND ‘Confessions of a Dad’

INTERVIEW

Azhar Laher is a proud father and husband, social entrepreneur, teacher and mentor. Confessions of a Dad came to fruition after Azhar realized that he had a responsibility to explain the basics of money management to his kids without boring them to tears. He wanted his kids to avoid making the early financial mistakes he made in his own life.

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– So Azhar how did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“I became a writer by accident. I am a part-time writer who wanted to leave a legacy for my children. Writing allows me to express my thoughts and ideas without any parameters and boundaries. I can write on any topic without being restricted by rules and norms. Writing is an outlet.”

– Was getting published hard?

“Understanding the world of self-publishing is difficult in the beginning. Once you understand the formula, the road to publishing becomes easier. I did not even pursue the non-self-publishing route, purely because of how competitive the market is.”

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– Are your characters based on people you know?

“The two characters in my book are my teenage children. This non-fiction book on the topic of personal finance traces their money mistakes and provides advice from a Dad on the value of money.

– What genre is your book?

“Personal finance aimed at young adults.”

– Do you have a specific writing routine?

“I try and write for 30 minutes every day.”

– What are your current projects?

“No current projects. But exploring topics related to leadership.”

Confessions of a Dad

This is the definitive guide to personal finance for teenagers and young adults! Azhar Laher started out on a journey to educate his own children about how to manage their money, and ended up writing an entire book on the subject. With light hearted wit and heavy sincerity, Confessions of a Dad is filled to the brim with a lifetime of wisdom on topics that everyone should know, including:
• Educating your children about financial responsibility.
• How to create and stick to a budget to track your spending.
• Using credit cards and staying out of debt.
• Being wise about the big financial decisions in life.
• Living free to pursue your passions.
Young people today have far less financial knowledge than any other generation that has come before them. The schools don’t teach it, the media doesn’t teach it, and if you’re like the majority of parents out there today, you haven’t done a very good job of teaching them yourself. To make matters worse, our young are some of the primary targets of the ever-present advertising industry.
If you don’t want your kids to come running to you to get them out of financial trouble; if you want them to be able to take care of their own money; if you want to make sure that their children are ready to go out into the world on their own, this is the book for you, and it’s the only book that you will ever need to buy on the subject.

THE GOAL OF THE BOOK

Good parents teach their children the importance of eating well. They stress personal hygiene and insist on regular flossing. The majority of moms and dads also emphasize academic achievements and a good work ethic to guarantee a brighter future for their kids.
Unfortunately, most well¬ meaning parents have missed a vital ingredient necessary to help their kids become financially astute adults.
This book will help parents (and young adults) with the confidence to talk about money and learn to be financially free.
It is our job as parents to give our children the wings to thrive in the real world.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Azhar Laher volunteers with the Toronto District School Board, preparing new Canadians for the job market. He has worked in the Human Resources industry for over twenty-five years and held senior strategic positions in both South Africa and Canada. Azhar is also a real estate investor, public speaker, sports fanatic and enjoys travelling with his family.
Since 2014, Azhar Laher has been teaching graduate and undergraduate students in the fields of Human Resources Management and Strategy. He is currently Professor of Human Resources in the School of Business at Seneca College. He continues to have a keen interest in personal finance, money management and financial freedom.

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AZHAR LAHER WEBSITE

www.confessionsofadad.ca

Confessions of a Dad Book Trailer

www.confessionsofadad.ca/trailer

BUY LINK

Kindle & Paperback

Mario & Jennifer Fazekas: Amazing Southern African Wildlife photos and ebooks

INTERVIEW

Mario & Jennifer Fazekas are a husband and wife team who are fanatical about photography and African wildlife. Jenny works full-time their eBooks and Mario has a day job.

“So we don’t consider ourselves to be professional photographers,” says Mario. “Keep in mind that you don’t have to be a pro to capture great wildlife images!” he adds.

Since I discovered their website, full of Southern African Wildlife photos, I was looking to having a chat with Mario and Jennifer. I finally made it and here is what we talked about:

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  • How did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“Photography was just a hobby that eventually became our passion. We have been visiting African national parks since 1995 and have spent over 800 days on photo safaris so we built up an enormous collection of images that were just sitting at home. We encountered visitors in the parks who were struggling to get decent photos as they could not find certain subjects and/or they did not know how to best photograph them. We had been through this frustrating stage and had learnt many lessons over the years, so we decided to share that knowledge on our website and via eBooks so that visitors to the parks could accelerate their learning curve and start getting good photos on their first safari and not on their third or fourth!”

  • Was getting published hard?

“We approached a few publishers who were interested in publishing our books but the one wanted to change the content too much while the other eventually decided our books would compete with some of their current authors’ books on wildlife photography so we decided to self-publish and have never looked back.

Our Kgalagadi eBook was written by ourselves but we also team up with co-authors when needed as we realize that we don’t know all there is to know about a park, so combining our experiences with other wildlife photographers can add value to the book. For our Etosha eBook we partnered with Kathryn Haylett, who owns and runs YourSafari.co.uk as she has spent over two years doing photo safaris in Etosha National Park. For our Pilanesberg eBook we partnered with Edward Peach, who was a field guide in the park for 18 months. Both these people know their park’s fauna & flora and are photographers, so they were the ideal partners for us on these two eBooks.”

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  • Are ebooks as popular as traditional books?

“Oh yes, especially for people on African safaris as they already have so much luggage and photo gear so the last thing they need is a few more kilograms of books to lug around with them! In addition, eBooks never run out of print, they can be easily updated to include new camps and waterholes, they can be read not only in dim light but also in total darkness on smart phones and iPads, an eBook is easy to hold as it does not require use of both hands, they can be taken with on self-drive or guided safaris, and reproduction costs are negligible so they can be sold for less than a print book of comparable number of pages.”

  • What genre are your books?

“Art, and in particular Nature and Wildlife Photography. Our ebooks fill a much needed gap in the market as there are hundreds of books on wildlife photography and many books on African game reserves but not much on how to photograph the wildlife at each specific game reserve. Our eBooks provide detailed information on each camp, lodge, waterhole, viewpoint and route in the reserves providing ‘how-to’ information that can be applied from day-one of the photographer’s safari.”

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  • Do you have a specific writing routine?

“We both take photographs but Jenny does the initial writing of the books before, during and after each safari. We both decide on what images and lessons to include and then, once we have all the necessary information, I do the image insertion and checking of Jenny’s text for typos. The word document is then converted to a PDF for sale on our website or converted to Kindle format for sale via Amazon.”

  • What are your current projects?

“We are working on three eBooks:

  • The photographer’s guide to the Greater Kruger Park, which includes the Kruger National Park and the surrounding game reserves such at the Sabi Sands, Timbavati, Manyeleti, plus concessions within the park and lesser known reserves like Makuya.
  • The photographer’s guide to Madikwe Game Reserve that features more than half of the 21 lodges within the reserve with wildlife photography lessons.
  • The photographer’s guide to Namibia – Etosha is the crown jewel of Namibia s national parks but Namibia has so much more to offer so we focus on other parks and photo attractions such as Namib Naukluft park, the Fish River Canyon, Kolmanskop, Damaraland and Solitaire to name a few.
  • What’s next for you?

“Africa is a big place and so far we have focused on some of the more popular and affordable Southern African parks. We are considering finishing southern Africa by doing some of the parks in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia and then we will look at the East African parks such as the Serengeti and Masai Mara. We were tempted to look at national parks in other countries, such as India, but Africa is where our heart is.”

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About Mario & Jennifer Fazekas

Mario Fazekas was a city-boy who had lived in Johannesburg and Durban all his life. Jennifer, his wife, had tried numerous times to get him to go to one of the national parks but Mario was not interested. At the end of 1994 Jennifer got him as far as Old Joe’s Kaia, which is about halfway between Johannesburg and the Kruger Park. And that’s how it all started.

Since 1995 Mario & Jennifer have been visiting various African national parks – from the lush subtropical Kruger National Park to the red desert dunes of the Kalahari thirst-land.

They’ve been on more than 1000 game drives on 140 African Safaris, 80% self-drive safaris and 20% guided safaris, and have spent over 800 days and nights in the African wilderness.

In their web site, ‘Kruger 2 Kalahari’, Mario & Jennifer share their passion of nature photography by showcasing a selection of their images that capture the essence of God’s creation in these and other contrasting wilderness areas

Keep in touch with Mario & Jennifer Fazekas on

http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/

https://www.facebook.com/kruger2kalahari

Buy Links

PDF

http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/photographers-guide-ebooks.html  

Amazon Kindle

http://www.amazon.com/Mario-Fazekas/e/B00CE9HLKC

Rahul Sahay: A successful blogger and author of computer & technology books

INTERVIEW

Rahul Sahay is a software developer living in Bangalore, India. Rahul has been working in various aspects of the software development life cycle since 7.5 years, focusing on Microsoft technology-specific development. He has been part of the development in different applications, ranging from client applications to web services to websites.

He has also authored couple of books on MVC Hands-On with ASP.NET MVC and Angular using MVC, Web API; written completely right from the scratch with live demo by hosting the same on azure.

– So Rahul, how did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“It’s just started with last year. First of all I started my blog as http://myview.rahulnivi.net/ as a New Year resolution. Here, I am writing articles on different technologies like .NET, WCF, MVC, Angular, JQuery and many more latest things. Then, I started getting good response from readers that you should consider writing book as well in way that is more pragmatic. Hence started.”

– Was getting published hard?

“Not really. I think I am blessed in this part and keep on receiving mixed feedback which keeps me motivated to always produce the best output.”

– Are your characters based on people you know?

“I can say my mentors are many like Scott Guthrie, Scott Allen, John Sonmez, Dan Wahlin to name a few. I always try to learn the cross cutting things with these legends.”

– What genre are your books?

“Technology.”

– Which of your books is your most favorite?

“Basically, all books are my favorite. But, the latest ones like Pragmatic WCF: End To End and Building Single Page App With ASP.NET MVC 5 and Angular are my favorite. These are actually based on the opinions of my blog readers. They have given the advice like how the book should be. So, both the books are very pragmatic end to end. Here, it meets all the industry-accepted values and requirements.”

– Do you have a specific writing routine?

“Hmmm. I do maintain blog writing routine. And when, I see topics which need more detailing chapter by chapter, then I pick that topic and write book on it.”

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– What are your current projects?

“Let me mention in descending order. These are the ones which I have completed and really proud on these.

Pragmatic WCF:- http://bit.ly/pragmaticWCF-kindle & http://bit.ly/pragmaticWCF
Building Single Page App With ASP.NET MVC 5 and Angular :- http://ow.ly/Jh4bI
Hands on with ASP.NET MVC: Covering MVC 6:- http://bit.ly/handsonmvc”

– What’s next for you?

“Currently, I am focusing on blogging only specifically on the topics which my readers want to read. While doing so, I will again pick any new relevant topic of my interest and complete the book. However, as of now did not really decided.”

AUTHOR BIO

Rahul Sahay is a Senior Consultant at Capgemini. But he works for Capgemini’s client Dell R&D, on their premier e-commerce portal (“http://www.dell.com/account”).

His roles and responsibilities at this project are very tech-oriented like analyzing existing use cases and taking the new requirements to add features on the existing segment. Prior to Capgemini, he has been associated with Mindtree and TCS.

He is also an active blogger; his writings can be viewed at http://myview.rahulnivi.net/.

You can also refer his professional profile @ http://in.linkedin.com/in/rahulsahay19.

Alternatively, follow him at twitter “@rahulsahay19”.

You can refer this book at this URL http://ow.ly/JetAi & http://amzn.to/1w9sIlt

Hawk Mikado on ‘How To Avoid The 3 Challenges That Can Kill Your Business’

INTERVIEW

Hawk Mikado is a businessman and entrepreneur from San Diego, California (USA). He is the leading expert in online to offline marketing and sales systems and he has built over 7 profitable businesses, in the multi-six figures.

Hawk Mikado has dedicate his time to helping companies increase revenues and their employees become focused on their passion, and confident about their path.

Today we are discussing his latest eBook ‘The 3 Major Challenges That Can Kill Your Business… And How to Easily Avoid Them’.

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  • Hawk, you are a successful entrepreneur, an adventurer, and a family man. But life hasn’t always been roses for you.

“When I was in High school, I felt very misunderstood and I was defiantly different. As a result of being different, I wanted to fit in, to be “normal” to have lots of friends. I started to hang out with the wrong crowd, we would drink, smoke, and skip class. This didn’t help me fit in, because I was still able to make A’s & B’s through it all. I did have the occasional C and one class I got a D, but that didn’t stop me.

I traveled the world, visiting 13 countries and nearly 1/2 of the US. I saw people all around the world who felt misunderstood, and have a message to share with the world.

Move forward to when I was 18, I had just broke up with my girlfriend of the time and, was devastated. I spiraled into my business, and I was in full force creative mode, but I didn’t eat… All I did was drink OJ (with Vodka most of the time)… I would be up working for 20 hours at a time, getting maybe a few hours of sleep, the right back to it when I got up.

I got to a point where my body shutdown, and as a result I ended up in the hospital, The first night I was there I Died 3 Times, My heart Stopped 3 Times, and every time they were able to revive me.”

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  • What was the turning point?

“When I came to the Dr. walked in and said to me “You need to change your life, or you will die”… I made a decision to commit my life to supporting people to live their passions. I started to work on my 1 on 1 practice. I found I needed leaders to share their wisdom to support me in growing and being able to communicate in a way that everyone understood me. Since then I have been mentored by leading experts and received the training I needed to be able to support companies to share their message in a compelling, inspiring, and value driven way and create an environment that is conducive of great success.”

  • Has business and entrepreneurship been your passion for many years? How did it all start?

“My passion for business started when I was in second grade. My dad and I were at the grocery store and he said, “You can buy anything you want.” I was excited and I searched through the store until I found something that I simply couldn’t resist. Going around trying different samples, until I came upon natural dried mango! Oh my, it was delicious! I made a bag of it for myself and brought it to my dad. As we were walking out of the store, I was eating it… I ate it ALL! And I asked my dad for more, he was shocked that I had eaten the entire bag and told me “If you want more you’re going to have to figure out how to get it yourself.” I was determined to buy more… but how could I make money, I had no allowance, no way to earn money. While at school, I learned how to create paper balloons. I got an idea… I could sell them. And that is how it all started. The rest is history.”

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  • What strategies did you use in building your own businesses?

“Pre-selling has been the number one way to grow my business. This is one of the strategies that we teach to our clients and in our programs. The principle is to sell your products or program to enough people that you get paid to develop a new product or program. I go more in depth with this in our Linked With Clients Online training, and in my other book ‘The CMO Handbook’. What I’ve found though, is most businesses need to address the first 3 challenges they face, before they can pre-sell.”

  • What are some of the mistakes you’ve learned from along the way?

“The first was thinking that I could grow off of referrals alone. I didn’t have enough qualified leads to grow my business and follow up on. So I went out and found leads, and things began improving.

Once I had leads, I assumed that everyone would want to buy my program, and I had people who could buy, but I didn’t understand how to sell to them. I had to learn how to sell to them. Which led to me selling small ticket programs for $100 – $200. Those caused me more problems than I could have ever imagined. I soon figured out that selling a $200 program was just as much effort as selling, the exact same program for $2,000, but the people buying it were much more satisfied.

The last was thinking that I could do it all on my own, because it was my baby and I was the only one who could do it right… Boy was I wrong! The moment I brought team members on it made things better. I had to fire my entire team because of performance issues; I learned the value of having the right team around me. Our company now has 3 partners, a core support team, and over 70 people who help us deliver, as we need them.”

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  • What are three strategies you recommend for moving a business to the next level of success?

“Spend the time to learn how to get more qualified leads, increase big-ticket sales, and bring the right people onto your team. You can learn about all 3 in our book Available at http://nvrt.me/3killers”

  • Who can benefit from learning ‘The 3 Major Challenges That Can Kill Your Business… And How to Avoid Them?’

“Business owners and executives who are struggling to get their business to the next level. They may be working on their first $10,000 in revenues or on their next million, but can’t breakthrough. These principles can also be taught to team members, and management to improve productivity and increase profits in their entire company.”

  • Can implementing what I learn in your book be used to increase sales?

“The simple answer is YES! The long answer is, on average we see an increase of up to 300% in engagement and 199% increase in sales conversions. In the last quarter we have experienced over a 1,500% increase in our sales, leveraging these principles.”

  • These days, there are so many opportunities for companies to have a good presence online. What are some of the tools businesses can use to achieve a greater brand exposure on the Internet?

“One of my favorite tools is LinkedIn. It’s the #1 way for a B2B company to gain massive exposure to the people who are interested in buying what they have to offer. We have an entire list of tools that we use and recommend, which are included at the back of the book. You can download the book at http://nvrt.me/3killers”

ABOUT ‘The 3 Major Challenges That Can Kill Your Business… And How to Avoid Them’

In ‘The 3 Major Challenges That Can Kill Your Business… And How to Avoid Them’ one will find the simple yet important keys to developing a business that will grow.

The best part about this is that these 3 “laws” of business are seen by businesses that are making multiple Billion’s to those just starting out.

The first challenge is all about your relationships and InVert share some very cool techniques on how to develop these relationships.

The second challenge is related to making sales. This means you have to convert the leads you get into PAYING customers. Yet not just any type of paying customer, you’re going to need some BIG-TICKET products & services that you can offer and sell.

So why are you focusing on the $500’s when you have $1,000’s laying at your door?

The last is around your team. The right team can make all of the difference, and having the tools that get you the results you want to begin with is even better.

Another part of your team are your centers of influence. They are the JV’s, Affiliates, & promotional partners that give you the ability to leverage everything you’re doing.

If you’re interested in learning all of these things you can download our book and watch the free training video inside as well.

How to get this book:

Text InVert to 96000 or visit http://NVRT.ME/3Killers

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Hawk Mikado’s Bio

Hawk Mikado (Me-Caw-Doe) Speaker, Best Selling Author, & CEO of InVert

Hawk Mikado is the leading expert in online to offline marketing and sales systems. He is the creator of The Ultimate Marketing and Sales System, a powerful 9 step process to attract, convert and deliver value to your customers so you build trust while increasing sales. He will help you craft values-based messaging that inspires and engages your customers to buy every step of the way. Hawk Mikado has co-founded 7 profitable businesses and sold all but this marketing company which he has been nurturing over the last 14 years to be the success it is today.

Hawk Mikado is an entrepreneur, an adventurer, and a family man. He has fun every day and truly love everything business. It’s his passion and life purpose to help companies succeed. He is the expert in marketing and sales strategies. Hawk Mikado traveled the world 12 times over, and knew at a young age that he wanted to help and serve in a HUGE way.

He set out to learn everything about business and gives back by sharing his knowledge with others. He continues to have fun traveling the world, spending time with the love of his life, Caitlin and going to the zoo, and Disneyland with his friends and family. He has a very giving heart, dedicating his time to helping companies increase revenues and their employees become focused on their passion, and confident about their path.

Need to Contact Hawk?

Email Concierge@InVertStrategies.com

Phone Number is 855.350.4295.

FREE DOWNLOAD

‘The 3 Major Challenges That Can Kill Your Business… And How to Avoid Them’

Go to http://nvrt.me/3killers or Text InVert to 96-000.

Timothy Starnes: the ‘Tune In’ and ‘Sassafras Cannon’ playwright

INTERVIEW

Timothy Starnes is a playwright, located in Charlotte, NC, mostly known for his plays ‘Tune In’ and ‘Sassafras Cannon’. His first short play is published by JAC Publishing while Heartland Plays and Musicals, and Off the Wall Plays manage the rest of his plays.

I had the pleasure to have a little chat with Timothy and ask him about writing and publishing.

Here is what he said to me…

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  • How did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“My publishing experience has been eclectic, to say the least. My first short play, now published by JAC Publishing, was first written as largely both a time-waster and joke, during my freshman year of college. After sharing it with a friend that had been theatrically involved for years, she encouraged me to do some submissions and see where it went. I, honestly, wasn’t expecting anything to come of it. Off to a wide selection of companies, all who rejected it.

Nearly 6 months later, out of the blue, I received an acceptance letter. From there, the play was run in the magazine Scene 4 – I sincerely believe that the combination of these two things are what truly opened the door for me. You’ll probably hear this from other writers as well, but I find that after your first published work, things become much easier, as you’ve proven yourself to be a viable investment, at that point.

Other plays of mine are currently managed by Heartland Plays and Musicals, and Off the Wall Plays, which currently handles the majority of my label and catalog.”

 

Lose your “special snowflake syndrome”

 

  • Was getting published hard?

“I have to admit, getting into the publishing industry is one of the fastest ways to get promptly put into your place, and completely unapologetically, at that. I try and tell anyone who tells me that they want to get published as well, to lose your “special snowflake syndrome” or you’re going to end up either, one, hating your idea and throwing it out after a few rejections when it could really be published, or two, end up lashing out at the editor who sends you your rejection letter, which will get you widely laughed at, and if you think that the all-caps email you sent back won’t spread faster than cellulite at a candy convention, you’re dead wrong.”

  • Are your characters based on people you know?

“Yes, and no. Generally, all of my plotlines are in some way derived from personal stories, inside jokes, or stories heard from someone else. Characters in many of my shows possess qualities lifted from other people, for example, my long-time partner largely inspired Constance in ‘Sassafras Cannon’ in sassy retort and devil-may-care attitude toward others, but in reality, that is not what she is truly like. All characters are their own caricatures, where pieces of real personalities are far-bloated past their real state.”

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  • What genre are your books?

“I categorize, and I suppose my publisher would agree on this, my books as dark, farcical comedies. I highly doubt any of the events in the scripts have happened in real life, as they are written. However, I have to admit, many of the plot pieces or details in multiple shows are based on realities, for example, Jefferson Davis appearing in drag during ‘Sassafras Cannon’. I’m sure any history buffs out there will understand what I’m talking about, even if that detail is debated. I have a strong belief that entertainment should entertainment – the world isn’t a great place to be, and for at least an hour or two, you should be able to escape. However, having said that, I also find that comedy that holds its roots in reality is the funniest, the ability to laugh at what is scary is an essential survival tool, and in the process, makes life more bearable.”

  • Which of your plays is your most favorite?

“I’d have to say, it is tied between ‘Tune In’ and ‘Sassafras Cannon’, for two different reasons.

‘Tune In’ will stay a permanent favorite, as it fulfilled a long-held dream. ‘Tune In’ was originally thought up in a near-library of short stories written between myself and my best friend, Wil Harris, even going as far as an 80-page unfinished novella, which currently sits on an unused external hard drive, occasionally opened up and read for nostalgia’s sake. We always said that we wanted to have something to do with the characters and plot to be published one day, and I made that dream come true. All of the works, in the growing catalog of that universe, are all dedicated to him.

‘Sassafras Cannon’ is another permanent favorite, as I was able to work with a cast of highly talented people who now are moving on to do other great things, and the material largely wasn’t appropriate for the place where it was performed. The anxiety of waiting to see what would happen day by day was scary, yet exhilarating. We did get away with it, and ran like the end after the production wrapped on opening night.”

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  • What are your current projects?

“I am currently working on multiple adaptations of ‘Tune In’, including a comic and audiodrama, working on the upcoming published release of ‘Sassafras Cannon’, and freelancing on the side.”

  • What’s next for you?

“We’ll see as it comes.”

AUTHOR BIO

Timothy D. Starnes is originally from the small town of Waxhaw, North Carolina, a place consisting of aging train tracks and a few overpriced antique stores, and now resides in the bustling city of Charlotte, North Carolina in order to pursue his college education, where he studies Political Science and Criminal Justice in order to go on to law school. His plays have been featured internationally in Scene 4, a monthly arts and culture e-magazine by the Aviar Center for Preforming Arts, and have seen performances at events including the 24/7 Play Festival at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is currently writing new works during every moment of his spare time, an oversized martini glass of sweet tea in one hand and typing with the other. His works are best described as “realistic characters in impossible situations.” He draws inspiration from real life, scalping stories from his closest friends, family and even his own life experiences, turning them into pieces of art one stage direction at a time. Having studied endless books on history and watched more period dramas than would be considered advisable by the Department of Health, this research has allowed him to explore history through different colored lenses in his work. His theatrical series, the “Empire” series, based on post-Civil War America in an alternate universe setting is currently being written, with more plays being added to the series as time goes on. His personal knack for the odd, outrageous and macabre also shines through in his work, spicing scripts with odd occurrences, invasive visitors from outer space, drag queens, the mishaps of suburbia, small town politics, underground societies, hand puppets with PTSD, hauntings and more.

LINKS

Timothy Starnes’ Play Scripts

http://www.scriptcircle.co.uk/author/380/Timothy+Starnes/

TWITTER

https://twitter.com/MrTimtheWriter

TIMOTHY D STARNES AT DOOLLEE.COM

http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsS/starnes-timothy-d.html

Tune In – Two act comedy about a television station

http://offthewallplays.com/2014/10/22/tune-two-act-comedy-television-station/

Maren Higbee on the awarded ‘Lana Fray and the Grand Plan’ and her ‘Modern Workplace’

INTERVIEW

Maren Higbee (Patterson) is an Emmy nominated producer and writer. Some of her most favorite career highlights include working on The Deadliest Catch, Oprah’s Big Give, and Jockeys. After many years in the industry, she decided to update her skills received her Masters in Digital Communications from the University of Washington in June of 2015.

Maren celebrated her most recent success when her book ‘Lana Fray and the Grand Plan’, released in 2014, won the 2015 Indie Book Reader award for the Chick-lit category.

Recently I had the pleasure to have a little chat with Maren and I had so much fun that I can’t wait to share her interview with you.

Here we go…

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– Who exactly are you?

“I’m a risk taker, a dog lover, an art collector, and a storyteller. I have loved telling stories since I was a kid. Always fascinated with the twists and turns in both life and art. Because of this love, I went to Film School at Ithaca College then moved to LA and began a career in television and film. While working on shows were I was risking my life like Deadliest Catch, meeting people in crisis like on Oprah’s Big Give or stumbling around trying too hard to find a husband, I began to create story. This story slowly morphed, with the help of my very talented editor, into Lana Fray and the Grand Plan.”

– How did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“After numerous bad dates in the early days of internet dating, I felt inspired to tell an uplifting story about the desire to find Mr. Right in the rough dating world of today. It is astonishing how goofy I could get on dates when I was attracted to men as well as to see how men reacted when they were trying so hard to impress. I mean napkin penis’ and oven mitts? But to be fair I was so busy focused on Mr. Right that I forgot to see if I even liked the men I was dating. Lucky for me, I have met my Mr. Right!”

– Was getting published hard?

“I started out biased thinking that self-publishing would not be a good option for me. After receiving a call in response to sending in my manuscript from a very gracious publisher where I was informed that the days of publishers buying unknown writers was over I took her advice and decided to self-publish and make my dream come true.”

– Are your characters based on people you know?

“Very loosely based. I found inspiration in many people and situations from my own life, but no characters are just one person in my life, they are all combinations of people and personality characteristics I saw in my friends and colleagues.”

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– What genre is your book?

“Lana Fray and the Grand Plan is the winner of the 2015 Indie Reader award in the Chick-Lit category. So I would say, Chick-lit!”

– Which of your books is your most favourite?

“Since I have only published one, I would say Lana Fray and the Grand Plan…but keep your eyes out next Fall/Winter for the next in the four part series.”

– Do you have a specific writing routine?

“Yes, I try to write every day. I don’t win this battle because I am also still producing videos but I try.”

– What are your current projects?

“I currently produce a business talk show called Modern Workplace which hosts leading innovators from multiple businesses. I am also writing the second book in the Lana Fray series.”

– What’s next for you?

“I love to do so many things that I am always knee deep in many projects, but for now my next goal is to grow the audience for Modern Workplace as well as to finish all four novels in the Lana Fray series. Then I may move into another series I have started called the naïve traveler.”

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 ABOUT Maren Higbee (Patterson)

Maren is an Emmy nominated producer and writer – having experience working with TV networks, large corporations, and agencies. Some of her most favorite career highlights include working on The Deadliest Catch, Oprah’s Big Give, and Jockeys. After many years in the industry, she decided to update her skills received her Masters in Digital Communications from the University of Washington in June of 2015.

Though originally from the Pacific Northwest, the desire to work in production and film took her to the East Coast to pursue her education in that field. Upon graduation, she immediately moved to the pulse of the L.A. scene to follow her dream of writing and directing films. Her adaptable style and creative nature got her into quickly learning new skills like crafting pitch packets, writing branded content, developing budgets, overseeing project timelines, and managing vendor relationships.

After a few years working on a variety of projects, she found herself entrenched in the brand new Reality TV business. Maren’s passion for telling others’ true-to-life stories inspired her to write a fictional novel as a reflection of actual occurrences in her life as a single, successful professional. What she calls her labor of love has become her most recent success by publishing the 2015 Indie Book Reader winner for the Chick-lit category, ‘Lana Fray and the Grand Plan’ released in 2014.

She is currently working as a Producer for Mighty Media Studios based in the Seattle area. Her main project at the moment is an enterprise business talk show for Microsoft called Modern Workplace – which has been nominated for two Emmy Awards in its 2014 season.

Maren is a native of Seattle where she resides with her husband, Brandon, and her four-legged furry love, Napoleon. In her spare time, she enjoys wine tasting, long walks outdoors, and – if you get her on the right day – she’ll even go skydiving.

 BUY LINKS

AMAZON

http://www.amazon.com/Lana-Fray-Grand-Maren-Higbee/dp/1633153290/

KINDLE

http://www.amazon.com/Lana-Fray-Grand-Maren-Higbee-ebook/dp/B00M9O1TXM

AUTHOR WEBSITE

http://www.lanafray.com/#main_slider

FACEBOOK

https://www.facebook.com/lanafraybooks

TWITTER

https://twitter.com/LanaFrayBooks

It Takes Guts To Be Happy: Julia Loggins on how to detoxify and recharge your life

INTERVIEW

Julia Loggins is a colon wellness expert and author, from Santa Barbara, CA.

Julia has had a private practice for over 30 years and wrote her first book, Dare To Detoxify, in 2012. Julia’s second book, It Takes Guts To Be Happy! A 21-Day Cleansing Plan to Heal Your Belly & Recharge Your Life, will be published this month.

Julia Loggins in her Santa Barbara home.

Julia Loggins in her Santa Barbara home.

Recently I had the pleasure to have a little chat with Julia and here is what we talked about:

– Julia, how did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“I’ve always loved writing. I co-wrote my first book with my former husband, Kenny Loggins, in 1998, and that experience reminded me how much I loved writing. But writing about my passion, gut health, has been the most fun I’ve had.”

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– Was getting published hard?

“I made the decision to self-publish when I met my publishing mentor, Deborah Nelson, of Inspired Living Books. I knew that I wanted to own my books and be in charge of the marketing. It’s been an incredible experience that has taught me so much more than I could have imagined.”

– Are your characters based on people you know?

“My books are non-fiction, written to motivate, educate and inspire. In my first book, I created composite characters, and I told their stories of healing in the third person. In my new book, I asked my clients to write their stories themselves, in the first person. I believe it’s much more powerful.”

– What genre are your books?

“My books are non-fiction, and the subject is health, happiness and well-being. The stories my clients shared were about healing life-threatening illnesses and diseases, using my program as a part of their wellness protocol.”

– Which of your books is your most favourite?

“Doesn’t every author love their newest book best?!”

– Do you have a specific writing routine?

“I have a full-time healing practice, so I write in the morning before I see clients, at night, at the end of my day, and on the weekends. When I’m in the heat of writing, it’s all I want to do…but I do find that my work informs my writing in a very beneficial way.”

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– What are your current projects?

“Since my new book is just coming out, my current project is shepherding it out into the world… speaking engagements, interviews and of course, my blog, all to support the book’s success.”

– What’s next for you?

“Definitely another book! I have a few subjects I’ve been wanting to tackle in the area of women’s health that have not seen the light of day, and deserve to, so I’ll choose one (or more!) and start my next book within this year.
I have a book I’d like to write, inspiring women who own their own businesses, that’s on my list. And, maybe one of these days, I’ll try a novel.”

BOOKS BY JULIA LOGGINS

Dare to Detoxify on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Dare-Detoxify-Volume-Julia-Loggins/dp/0615601189

It Takes Guts to Be Happy BRAND NEW BOOK

https://www.createspace.com/5169552

GET JULIA LOGGINS’ FREE TIPS TO YOUR INBOX

21 Days of Happy-Gut tips

http://www.daretodetoxify.com/landingpage/happy-gut-tips

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AUTHOR BIO

Julia Loggins was born in Hollywood, CA in March of 1955, and began the study of holistic medicine by saving her own life, after a childhood of life-threatening illness and disease, including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, bleeding ulcers and blood sugar issues.

Julia Loggins embraced the world of regenerative medicine and the understanding of stress and toxicity as the source of illness and disease. She embarked on a living foods diet, wheatgrass therapy, juice fasting and other forms of detoxification. She studied for two years at the Hippocrates Health Institute, then in Boston, with Dr. Ann Wigmore, doctors Brian and AnnaMarie Clement and Viktoras Kulvinskas. She completed the Health Educator’s Course there in 1982. She studied with psychiatrist Dr. Ernest Pecci, whose work is now being carried on at the Hoffman Institute in Northern California, exploring the mind-body connection and the understanding of how family patterns affect health and well-being. In 1983, she became a certified colon therapist and opened a private practice in Santa Barbara, CA.

Having been told by doctors that she would never have children, and after having four miscarriages, Ms. Loggins studied with Niravi Payne, a pioneer in the field of the mind/body connection to fertility. Following her study, she gave birth to two healthy children, now 17 and 21, and became certified in Ms. Payne’s method.

Ms. Loggins wrote her first book on health, Dare to Detoxify, in 2012, the culmination of over three decades of work in the holistic medical field, with a specialty in detoxification, digestive and autoimmune disease. She has a private practice in Santa Barbara, California, and lectures and teaches nationally.

Ms. Loggins believes there can be no black and white thinking with regards to our health, focusing on a team-centered strategy for healing, aligning with both allopathic and alternative medical doctors and practitioners. The Mission of her work is to bring to as many people as possible the understanding that gut health is intrinsic to vitality and happiness; if our gut is happy, we’re happy.

Michael Diamond and “Agents of the Beyond”

INTERVIEW

Michael Diamond is a writer living in Illinois. He enjoys telling tales, from old world based stories to far flung futuristic hazards. The Black Idol was his first full length novel, followed by Shattered Gods – Book 1 and Book in the Mythos Division series. Agents of the Beyond , his third novel, is set to release on July 17th.

– Who exactly is Michael Diamond?

“I’m an author living and working in Northern Illinois. When I’m not pounding out words on the keyboard, I drift between cups of coffee and my dog Zelda.”

– How did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“I’ve been writing since the age of 13. Early on it was works of fantasy and near future dystopian realism. I’m a storyteller by heart, and if I don’t get the words out, they take on a mind of their own.”

– Was getting published hard?

“It’s been said that this is the Golden Age of self-publishing, and no one personifies that more than me. My third novel – Agents of the Beyond – is set to release on July 17th, and each one has been put out without the assistance of a major publisher.”

– Are your characters based on people you know?

“Most of my characters are inventions of my own imagination, rather than draw from any one person I know. This keeps me from having to explain to a friend why I killed their character off as the book progressed. In Agents of the Beyond, one of the characters is based on a close friend, and they are aware of that, which should make it a more interesting read.”

– What genre are your books?

“Historical Fiction, Horror, and Science Fiction.”

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– What are your current projects?

“Agents of the Beyond is my current project. It’s set in Monte Cook Games Numenera setting. You can pre-order it here http://bit.ly/1GGdUOt”

CONNECT WITH MICHAEL DIAMOND

Author website: http://www.thediamondwriting.com/

Twitter: @diamond_writing

Google+: https://plus.google.com/117718009269495971219

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackIdol?bookmark_t=page

Rebecca Vorster: an erotica author with a soft spot for sweet romance

INTERVIEW

Rebecca Vorster has travelled extensively throughout her short life, living in other cultures and exchanging with people the very thing she loves, stories.

Even though her erotic writing started early in life, it was not until one lonely night in The Netherlands when she decided to contacted a publisher to see what they thought of her work, they loved it!

Since then Rebecca has been writing short erotic stories of all kinds, where only the top are selected to be published for the world to read.

Rebecca loves writing about new ideas and feelings, her attention to detail shows the character’s emotions in such a way that all of us can relate to it.

Her stories are never the same, each new stories is created based on her emotion in that time period, her mood plays an important role in each piece or work, and you can feel the emotion clearly in each story.

“Writing is a like art, each story is a masterpiece.”

Between her travels Rebecca found some time to have a little chat with me in an interview which I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading.

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  • Who exactly is Rebecca Vorster?

“I am just an ordinary girl from a small town.”

  • How did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“Well, actually it chose me. I have always enjoyed writing, I never thought I would be writing full time, but here I am doing just that.”

  • Was getting published hard?

“At first it was, I could not decide if I wanted to self-publish or find a publisher. I contacted a publisher and they loved my work. I liked that idea so I sent them more stories. After giving it more thought I decided that I wanted to self-publish and that is exactly what I done.”

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  • Are your characters based on real people?

“Yes and no, most of my characters are about two or three people in one. I would take all the good from different people and make a super being, same goes for bad qualities some people have.”

  • What genre are your books?

“I mostly write erotica, I do however have a soft spot for sweet romance novels. Nothing beats the real deal.”

  • Which of your books is your most favourite?

“Trick question, I like all my stories. If I feel a story is not working I don’t complete it. I only complete a story I know is top quality.”

  • Do you have any specific writing routine?

“I like writing at night, it gives me enough time to think and process ideas without interruption. Once I have an idea I have to start working out the plot else it bothers me.”

  • What are your current projects?

“I have about two more stories to complete and then I want to start focusing on a novella I have been thinking about. It will be a romance, not so much hardcore erotica.”

  • What’s next for you?

“Right now it is a little difficult to say. I really am hoping that I will be able to complete all the stories I have planned out. The only real next thing I would like to do is to complete my small projects and hopefully move to bigger deeper waters soon.”

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KEEP IN TOUCH WITH REBECCA VORSTER

Website – http://bekah1604.wix.com/rebsterbooks

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id993252222

B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unexpected-surprise-rebecca-vorster/1121885934?ean=2940152168433&itm=1&usri=2940152168433