Blog Archives
Interview with The Wicked…. errr… Sorely Misunderstood Witch of Snow White
Readers, today I am excited and maybe a little nervous to be interviewing the witch from Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. I am extremely thankful that she was able to take time to meet with me here today at Book Journey as I know that this is normally a very busy time of year for witches, however she was able to fit us in. Please give a warm welcome to uhhhh……. errrrrrrr….. Snow White’s evil Stepmother…. The Witch.
♦ ♦ ♦
Welcome! I usually open up my interviews by asking my guests how they take their coffee.
Thank you for asking, but I am really more fond of apple cider. This time of year I prefer it hot.
Ummmm….. ok. I think I can handle that. I am a little embarrassed to admit this, but I do not know your first name.
Well that is kind of you to ask. Most people just refer to me as Wicked Witch or Evil Step Mother and that is a bit degrading. However, my name was never mentioned in the original story of Snow White or during the film. In both cases this is really a sore spot with me. My name is in the script though and it is Grimhilda.
Grimhilda! Why it is lovely! Thank you for sharing that.
No. It’s not lovely, it was handed down to me from my great great great great great great great grandmother, Grimhilda the first, and believe me, she wasn’t any peach. You think I was hard on Snow White? HA! That woman would have made up look like sorority sisters.
Oh. Ok. Well, since you mentioned that some referred to you as the Wicked Witch, I am curious about how you feel about all the attention now given to Elphaba, the true wicked witch from The Wizard Of Oz. I mean, ever since Gregory Maguire wrote Wicked in 1995, she has received a lot of attention.
Oh barf on a cracker! That really gets my green up! Everywhere I look it is Elphaba this, Elphaba that! Yeah poor Elphaba, you would think she was the only one ever born green. She is like a Lifetime story in the making. As if the book wasn’t bad enough, then she became the star of a Broadway play. I seen the play. What a bunch of fly stew hookey. I just rolled my eyes. You know I was there while she was growing up…. there is another side to that witch that you do not even know. I keep waiting for her and her sob story to appear on Oprah. Or maybe she will be sipping tea with the ladies of The View.
I am sorry, I didn’t realize I was bringing up such a sensitive topic. Were you not featured in the book, The Fairest Of Them All? It just came out the fall of last year.
That book? Oh please! I was so misquoted I don’t even want to talk about it.
Lets move on. Uhhh….. I must say your hair looks quite lovely and not at all the way I remember it from the book or the movie. What is your secret?
I just had these highlights put in yesterday for this interview. I mean breaks like this don’t come around often for me. No one really talks about me anymore, so I need to take full advantage when I can. I do use a little apple sauce when I wash it.
What would you like to say to everyone Grimhilda?
I just want people to know that I am still around. Sure I don’t star on Broadway, but I do exist. I have a little cottage that I live in year around just off Nantucket. The sea air really does wonders for my skin.
Well I do not want to keep you, this is Halloween after all and I am sure you probably have a lot going on.
NO, not really. I just don’t get into it like I did when I was younger and able to mess with Snow White’s head. Actually tonight I am making a huge bowl of popcorn and am watching the first season of LOST. Sawyer really gets the heart pumping.
Well, that’s just awkward. Ok, I think I should reel this interview in, but it is tradition that I ask each person…. errr….. witch, I interview to share with me a little known fact about themselves.
Well – that’s just easy as pretty much everything about me is little known because I have not been the star of me own book. Hmmmmphhh. I speak fluent Spanish. I belong to a Book Club that has been meeting monthly for 28 years. We are called The Coven and we are currently reading The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Oh, and I also play the accordion and I am working on my first novel, ‘It Ain’t Easy Being Green’.
Thank you for sharing your time with us today Grimhilda. I wish you all the best in your future and I look forward to your book!
Readers, in the spirit of Halloween I would like to offer a lovely copy of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs by Cynthia Rylant, an author I just recently read and enjoyed. I will also toss in a Halloween treat.
To enter simply leave a comment here on this interview. If you would like to ask Grimhilda a question, I believe I can get her to stop back in and respond. This giveaway will stay open until Thursday November 4th. USA and Canada addresses only please.
Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
BBAW: Book Journey Interviews In Spring It Is The Dawn
My interview swap partner this years for BBAW is Nat from In Spring It Is The Dawn. What a lovely blog she has and for my readers that love books on different cultures, Nat is a Canadian who is living in Japan.
Whoa…. wait a minute. I get to go to Japan to do an interview? 
EXCELLENT!
Yup, that’s right! Nat is blogging from Japan about books I am drooling over as I nosed around her blog. Well…. I have to know more about Nat and I hope you do too. Please welcome to Book Journey this morning, Nat from In Spring It Is The Dawn.
Nat from In Spring It Is The Dawn
So of course my first question has to be, Nat how did you wind up in Japan from Canada?
Nat: Well, just after high school I spent a year in France on a student exchange, and this experience gave me my wanderlust, my desire to travel to different places. When I came back to Canada for university I decided to major in Applied Linguisitics (Teaching English as a Second Language) since it seemed the easiest way for a non-scientific, non-mathematical person like myself to be able to live and work overseas. Then when I graduated, I looked into a few different countries but Japan made the most sense at the time. While I was teaching English in Tokyo, I met the man who is now my husband, and I guess the rest is history. I never expected to be here in Japan this long (it’s been about 9 years all together now!) and I do hope to move back to Canada or thereabouts in the next few years.
9 years! That is amazing! How long have you been blogging?
Nat: I started my blog, In Spring it is the Dawn, on January 30th, 2006, so it’ll be 5 years come next January. How time flies! Many of those early posts are quite embarrassing now though!
Nat loves to take photos! This is a lotus flower from this summer. Click on this picture to go to her photo blog
I hear you there Nat – I laugh about some of my early posts…. and almost 5 years! How did you start your blogging process? Inquiring minds want to know!
Nat: Before blogging I used to belong to several Yahoo book groups. They were pretty much my only way then to chat about books, as most of my friends in real life don’t read much. Some of the friends I made in those groups started book blogs, and after a while I decided to try it out for myself. (Andi, of Estella’s Revenge (http://estellasrevenge.blogspot.com/) is one of the first people I met online all those years ago, and her blog is one that inspired me to start my own.) And here I still am. Book blogging long ago replaced those online book groups as my main source of all things bookish.
I know Andi and her blog, I love that we all seem to remember those early connections. What do you like to blog about?
Nat: When I first started my blog I didn’t think I’d have enough to post about regularly on just books (I’m a slow reader) so I originally thought it would be part books, part photo blog, and I used to post photos more regularly. Nowadays you can find more of my photos on my dedicated photo blog, watashi no shashin, which in Japanese literally means “my photos”, and is a replacement for my older photo blog which had been on hiatus. I do still post photos occasionally on In Spring it is the Dawn, of places we visit here in Japan, or anything from daily life that somehow seems to warrant a photo. I’ve found though that there is no shortage of bookish things to talk about, so it’s now primarily a book blog, with a bit of everyday randomness thrown in.
I try to talk about all the books I read (although I’m woefully behind on reviews right now) which often ends up being a mix of various genres, but inspired by my circumstances of living in Japan, my blog has evolved into having more of a focus on Japan and Japanese literature over the last couple of years. To that end, I host a Japanese Literature Book Group, as well as some read-alongs of Japanese lit. Plus, I also host the Hello Japan! monthly mini-challenge, with topics and tasks (and prizes!) related to some aspect of Japanese culture. I’m enjoying discovering some great Japanese books and authors myself, and am happy to hopefully bring a little taste of Japan to the blogging community.
You are very community oriented! I love that! Are there certain genres you prefer?
Double stacked book shelf of Japanese books
Nat: I like to think I’m willing to at least try most genres but I definitely have a fondness for literature in translation. Whenever I hear about a book that’s been translated into English from another language, my ears always perk up! I think it goes back to my original travel bug, as I love experiencing different places and cultures through books. Otherwise, if you look at my shelves you’ll mostly see literary fiction, classics, my bookshelf dedicated to Japanese and Japan-related literature, and with some YA/kids lit, and non-fiction mixed in.
Ok…. let’s have some fun. You have been given a 30 minute notice that your boss is sending you to a remote island for a little weekend R and R. There will be no electricity just plenty of sun and beach time. The limo (I like to think big) will be picking you up in mere minutes – what book do you grab off your shelf and why?
Nat: Just one book? Something thick then, to last the weekend, and which promises to be entertaining. In other words, a book to get lost in. Perhaps The Passage by Justin Cronin, which I got at BEA but still haven’t read yet. Or maybe it would be a good time to finally read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Or maybe a big classic like The Count of Monte Cristo, which I started earlier this year but has been languishing on my nightstand. Or maybe The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, since I haven’t read any of those yet. Ultimately, it would probably end up being whichever one caught my eye as I madly dashed around throwing a few things into a bag to take with me.
LOL… that would be my first reaction too Nat, “just one book?” What is one thing you wish you would have known from day one of blogging that you would like to share with those considering or starting out?
Nat: I often wonder if I would have ever started blogging if I’d known how much time it would take, and how much my To Be Read stack would explode from all the book recommendations. But now, even when I play with the idea of giving it all up, I can’t really imagine my life without it.
Great answer! I always like to know how other bloggers pre for a book review. How do you do yours?
Nat: While I’m reading I’ll add little sticky notes to any passages that stand out, or that I want to refer back to later. Then when I’m finished reading the book, I’ll try to put down some of my thoughts about it. I usually let a review sit for a day or so after I’ve written the draft as I invariably seem to change it up as the story continues to rattle around in my head. I used to be quite good about writing reviews just after reading the book, but this year I’ve gotten so behind that I sometimes write reviews quite some time after I’ve finished the books. This can make it hard to have enough to say though, and I certainly don’t recommend it.
One of Nat's favorite books, The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki, that she is currently rereading.
If you could hang out with any fictional character who would it be and why?
Nat: Hmmm… one of the first that comes to mind is Thursday Next, from Jasper Fforde’s series. It would probably be a lot of fun hanging out with her, meeting all those characters, and visiting inside their stories. It sounds like a book geek’s fantasy come true! But then again, Thursday does seem to find herself in trouble quite a lot…
Please share a little known fact about yourself.
Nat: I used to play the piano, and took lessons for years. One year at the local music festival, my friend and I even won a medal for our piano duet. (I wonder where that medal is?) Sadly it’s been years since I’ve even touched a piano. It’s not something that would fit in our typically small Japanese apartment, that’s for sure. Besides, I’d rather save that precious space for books!
Thanks Nat, this was so much fun getting to know you! Readers, please take time to stop in and see Nat’s gorgeous blog and leave her a comment or two or three…. 
She will also be interviewing me today!
A Royal Spotlight!
I am so excited! I logged on this morning to discover that the Spotlight Interview I completed with Amy at Park-Avenue Princess is on her beautiful blog today! Color me *Giddy*!
I love interviewing other book bloggers and hearing their stories and it was fun to share mine with Amy. If you go over and read the Spotlight post I am offering up an Amazon Gift for her to give away – and who doesn’t like gift cards? Amy’s giveaway is open international so everyone click your way over to Park-Avenue Princess.
In honor of this great guest spot that Amy has given me, I too want to offer up a $10 Amazon gift card here as well. To qualify here is what you can do:
1. You must leave a comment on the Spotlight post over at Park Avenue Princess
2. For an additional entry – come back here and comment on one thing you learned about me from the spotlight interview
That’s it! 
This giveaway is open internationally as well and I will end this on the same day that Amy is, on October 30th (mine will end in the morning however as that is the day I leave for Honduras).
BBAW – Interview Swap: Ryan of Wordsmithonia
What has been fun about this particular interview is that Ryan and I had connected through Book Blogs early on and were already chatting back and forth through Twitter and on our blogs. I was excited to do this interview and get to know him even more! ~ Sheila
Ryan, first I want to know about this avatar that you use. Who is he?
The characters name is Dr. Strange. He is a Marvel supherhero.
When did you develop your love for books?
I was and still am a lone reader of the family. Now that’s not talking cousins and extended family cause I really have no clue as far 
as that goes. I am teaching my son the love of books and it seems to be one he is taking too.
Why read as opposed to do something else productive like errr…. lets say… sky diving?
Actually, I love sky diving, camping, hiking, horse back riding, snowmobiling, cooking, dancing, and a million other things. I actually want to learn how to fence. With foils and epees not sell stolen merchandise. Reading however is my escape. It’s how I relax, decompress, and feel better about myself. It’s what has saved my sanity a million times and will probably do so a million more.
Favorite book?
Favorite genre to read?
Fantasy hands down. It allows me to escape into a world that is totally different from our own that I’m able to forget everything else and allow myself to “be” there in that world for the period of time the book is open. I’m starting to read horror/suspense right now as well. Though I think it has more to do with the approach of Fall then anything else.
When did you start book blogging and why?
Your blog title, Wordsmithonia… where did that come from?
From Barnes & Noble’s bookclub site again. A few months prior they had started a laurel system in which users could give laurels to posts they like for any reason. Along with the laurels we were given different ranks as well bases off a still a not completely understood criteria. One of the higher, new ranks was that of wordsmith. On a lark another user, Kathy, made up the Kingdom of Wordsmithonia and appointed me her son and heir the King of Wordsmithonia. It started as a lark and grew into something that is just now losing steam. I love the idea though of a place were words and the usage of them is celebrated and revered. So that’s the name I chose for my blog. Not sure if I’m living up to it yet or not but I’m striving for it with every post.
Do you only blog on books or do you have other blogs out there on other topics?
What do you find to be the best part of book blogging?
What do you think is the best blog post you have written?
Since it just happened last week I do. I got Dark Time by Dakota Banks from the publicist. I was so excited I did my own version 
of Snoopy’s happy dance. I had recieved ARCs from the First Look program on B&N’s site before but this was different in a way I’m not sure I can fully put across in words.
What have you learned from blogging that you wish you would have known in the early stages of your book blog?
What do you look for in blogs that you enjoy reading?
The blogger’s personality to come through in how they write is what I connect with first in a blog I haven’t been to before. Great reviews or features are an added bonus as well as an introduction to books I haven’t heard/read before.
Share with us a little known fact about you.
I was a state officer of Health Occupation Students of America when I was in high school. After 5th grade and until I started high school, we traveled with a carnival and I would go to school week by week in whatever town we were in.
Thank you Ryan! Please stop by and see Ryan at the very cool Worsdsmithonia!
Interview with Kaleb Nation, Author of Bran Hambric
I am pleased to welcome to One Persons Journey Through a World of Books, Kaleb Nation. Kaleb is the author of Bran Hambric, the wonderful book that was just released on 9/9/09.
Welcome Kaleb! Please make yourself comfortable. When I first started hearing about Bran Hambric I had also heard how the story came to you on March 3rd, 2003, 3/3/03. You were 14 at the time. That amazes me. Would youplease tell us a little about what that was like?
I remember jumping out of bed, scrambling down the ladder of the bunk bed I shared with my brother, and dashing to my desk to write the idea down. For some reason, on that night, I knew that the date would be important, and that’s why I made sure to write it down in my notebook. I don’t know if I just had a feeling that the book would eventually be published, or if it was just part of my interest in strange and unusual calendar dates, but I’m really happy I made sure to write it down!
I can visualize that! How amazing! Did the idea for the book come to you as whole or were there parts you really had to think on and add to make it flow?
The main story came to me at once: I knew that Bran was being hunted by a creature, I knew that he lived in a modern city that banned magic, and I knew a lot of specific parts about his past. Most of the details of the story, however, had to be developed over the following years of writing.
I picture you as this young boy writing this book and have to wonder what did your parents think at the time and/or your siblings? Did they think you were on to something or just using your time productively?
Luckily, I was home schooled, so my parents actually made my writing a part of my school schedule! They were very supportive, even when I would spend hours on end writing (it got so bad they had to set time limits on my writing time!). My brother Jaden and sister Maddi were my main readers for years, and know about all the deleted scenes and characters that got cut over the years. I’d always know if something was good if they liked it, or what had to be taken out when they started to get bored.
Any friends, extended family, etc… were they supportive of what you were writing? Involved in any way?
I had a cousin who had published technical writing and fiction for magazines before, and she was a huge help in the beginning! She would read my early drafts and make long-distance calls to me on the weekends to discuss it. I was a bit starstruck that my cousin was a real writer and was actually helping me with editing. I also had a lot of great friends who read the drafts and made comments on things they liked or didn’t like.
At the age of 14, what book was your favorite?
It’s hard to remember. I know back then that I liked The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.
When you completed the book, did you have a publisher ready or did you have to go and market it?. Share a bit about that experience.
After I finished the book, I first had to find an agent. I had been researching the publishing business for years and knew a lot of the process already, thankfully. I sent out a bunch of email queries and had a few agents who were interested, but after a while of nobody taking it on, I had to rewrite my query. After the rewrite, suddenly nine agents were interested (never doubt the power of editing your query letter!). I signed with my agent, and worked with him to get the book ready for a publisher.
Is there plans for another book?
Yes! I am writing the sequel to Bran Hambric now.
Thank you Kaleb so much for your time! I imagine your life is quite busy now and with the release of the book, probably only getting busier! Readers, you can find Bran Hambric on sale now! Be sure to see my review of Bran Hambric here.
Author Interview with Laura Bingham (author of Alvor)
For the last couple of days you have heard me gushing about the YA fantasy I just completed. After 
reading the book, I knew I wanted to know more about the author behind this amazing fantasy, Laura Bingham. Laura and I had first connected in July when she offered me the opportunity to read her book. I connected with her again with questions after I had finished Alvor and Laura was gracious enough to drop everything and come visit me at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books. (Ok ok, maybe she didn’t drop everything… but she did answer my questions that I am now going to share with you.
Please welcome, Laura Bingham.
Sheila: Hi Laura! Thanks for stopping by today! Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and lets chat awhile! I just finished reading your book Alvor and loved it!
Laura: Yes! So glad to hear.
Sheila: What gave you the idea to write this style of book?
Laura: Good question with kind of a bizarre answer. The whole story fell into my head about five minutes after I said that I’ve always wanted to write a book- but I didn’t always want to write a book. I still don’t know why I said that or why the story came to me.
Sheila: Did you have a set audience in mind for this read when you wrote Alvor?
Laura: I wanted to write a story that captured the elements of my favorite kids/YA books. It was meant for kids and teens, but I also wanted the story to have an element that sucked adults into it as well.
Sheila: Is this your first book?
Laura: Yes, the first of many.
Sheila: Well that is exciting news! I really enjoyed how you used twins, a boy (Bain) and a girl (Erin) as the main characters. Why did you create twins for this main role in your book?
Laura: That’s the way the story came to me. I even tried to figure out how to make the story not be about twins, but it didn’t work. It had to be twins. It helped that I have my own set of boy/girl twins and could project some of their characteristics into the story.
Sheila: The word “Alvor” to me just speaks of mystery and fantasy… I look at the cover of your book and knew from first site that I wanted to read it. Where did the title come from? Does it have special meaning?
Laura: Before I started writing, I spent a week researching the elements in the story to build a stronger foundation. That’s when I stumbled across alvor, alva and alv. They are Scandinavian words that speak of old legends. Alvor means fairy, but also the Latin root vor means truth- I couldn’t pass up such a perfect title.
Sheila: Growing up did you have a favorite book?
Laura: Growing up I wanted a favorite book. I read Watership Down, The Lord of the Rings books, and tons of junky books about babysitting or freaky girls- but none of them really were my favorite. It wasn’t until I graduated from college that I finally started finding books that I loved.
Sheila: Do you have a favorite read or author now?
Laura: That’s a tough one. I admire different authors for different reasons. Some for the way they write and others for the way they broke out into the world with no fan base and a small press. I have so many favorites now that I hate listing them.
Sheila: What is a little known fact about you?
Laura: I spent a month touring Australia and New Zealand with a college dance team and I performed clogging, modern, jazz, ballroom and some folk dances. Most people put me in a clogging box since I own a clogging studio- but I have spent years doing other things. I coached drill team for a year, have competed in ballroom and Irish dance and have taught ballet, jazz and (swallowing hard) tap. Yes, tap. My Cloggers don’t even know that about me.
Sheila: Wow! Thanks for sharing that! Without giving too much away, the ending of this book left a sense of more to come. Is there plans for a second book?
Laura: My second book is undergoing revisions and editing right now. I love book 2. In so many ways I have liked it even more than the first one. As it stands- there will be a third book in the series as well.
Sheila: A second and a third book? Oh I cant wait! That is such great news!
Thank you Laura! Your time is appreciated and I hope that many of the readers here will go out and purchase Alvor. I think this is an incredible read with a bright future!
Author Chat with Donna Woolfork Cross (Author of Pope Joan)
If you have been reading here at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books for any amount of time you know that one of the best reads for 2009 has been Pope Joan by Donna Woolfork Cross. I loved the character of Joan, this strong independent woman born in a time when women were not considered worth much more than for birthing children. I cant even put into words how I felt as I read this book and followed Joan from birth to Pope.
Through several email conversations, I have communicated with Donna Woolfork Cross about this book and about the upcoming movie of Pope Joan due out yet this fall! I can not even imagine what Donna’s life must be like right now, I know she has observed filming and met with producers…. and yet, she took time to chat with me so I could share with all of you a little about Donna, Pope Joan, and whats next…
Please welcome the amazing Donna Woolfork Cross!!!
Sheila: Thank you so much Donna for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat a bit with me. I am so thankful for your kindness and continued communication.
Donna: Hi, Sheila! My gosh, any author should be very grateful to have you on her side! Thanks SO much, yet again, for your heart-warming–and energetic– support!
Sheila: Donna, Pope Joan is an incredible historical fiction read that I for one (and I know I am not alone) could not put down. Have you always been a fan of history?
Donna: Thanks for the kind words, Sheila! The truth is that I HATED history in high school and college, for it was so boring–filled with “memorized” information like dates and names of battles and lists of kings, etc. As I was a good student, I faithfully learned these dry facts and put them down on my exams–and then promptly forgot them. It was years later before I realized that history isn’t composed of dry old facts and dates and names; it’s the most fascinating subject of all, for it’s composed of stories–of people who loved and fought and lost and grieved and sacrificed. What could be more interesting than that? Story-telling is a very primal act for humans; when we lived in caves we sat around the fire and told tales to each other. Children crawl into our laps and beg, “Tell me a story!”
Historical fiction captures this story-telling essence of history. It’s “You Are There” history; it transports us in time, makes us feel that we have walked those streets, drunk that wine, worshiped those gods. That’s why it’s my favorite form of leisure reading!
Sheila: How did you come to the decision to write a book about Pope Joan?
Donna: I had written four previous books–non-fiction works about word and language. They did well enough, but let me tell you, no one’s ever going to be able to retire by writing word books! It was my daughter who suggested to me that I might want to write the kind of book she knows I most enjoy reading–historical fiction (for all the reasons mentioned above). I was mulling that idea over–wondering if I could make the leap (no small one) from non-fiction to fiction, when I stumbled across Joan’s story in a piece of chance reading. At first I thought it was a typo–an amusing accident that substituted the name “Joan” for “John”.
But a couple of weeks later, I happened to be in a library. And idle curiosity led me over to the the “New Catholic Encyclopedia”, just to check out that odd passing reference to a “Pope Joan.” Tell you the truth, I didn’t expect to find anything. But when I did find an entry for her in the NCE, I stood in that library with my jaw dropped open. I couldn’t believe it–here was a story included in the work of famous writers like Petrarch and Boccaccio and Platina, librarian to several Popes–and I hadn’t even HEARD of it? I think I knew on the spot that it’s what I wanted to write about. I thought then–hey, I still think–that it’s a “drop-dead” story. I couldn’t believe I’d had the great good fortune to stumble across it!
Sheila: I think it is exciting enough to be a write (a dream I have always had!), but I can hardly imagine what it would be like to write something that is destined to be a movie. Can you share a little bit how that happened and what that had to feel like?
Donna: If you dream of writing, Sheila, then you will one day do it! For the simple truth is that writing is much more “perspiration” than “inspiration”! Whether someone likes my novel or not, I can tell her this: it represents the very best I could do. Over the long course of seven years of seven years of research and writing, I really came to care about Pope Joan, and to admire her, so I gave this story my all. Naturally, I was nervous about what the movie version would be like (one fellow writer described optioning our novel to Hollywood as “handing your child over the the Charles Manson Day Care Center!)
Fortunately, I was lucky. The movie stays true to the “female empowerment through learning” theme of the book that was so important to me. And the acting is terrific! Johanna Wokalek, a newcomer to U.S audiences is brilliant as Joan; John Goodman is a PERFECT Pope Sergius; and David Wenham (voted “Sexiest Australian of 2007) is very powerful in the part of Gerold (when he asks Joan to go away with him, giving up everything that she has become and achieved, you really understand her temptation!).
When I was standing on the set, watching scenes enacted that I remember writing in the privacy of my study, I was very moved.
Sheila: What at this time as readers can we be doing to make sure the movie and the book, get around to where people all over the world can enjoy them?
Donna: What a dear and thoughtful question to ask, Sheila! There’s two things one can do immediately:
1. Buy the book in August! For healthy book sales in August will help persuade U.S. movie distributors that there’s a broad audience for this story in the U.S. Also, if you purchase the book on or before August 9th, you are eligible for my unusual “Walk the Red Carpet” offer–an opportunity to join me and my family at the U.S. movie premiere. Details are at http://popejoan.com/2009promo.htm
2. Let U.S. movie distributors know if you’d like to see the movie open in a theater near you. You can do this by going to http://popejoan.com/moviemap.htm. If you would attend with others, such as book group members or friends and family, mention that too. Your words will go straight to the producer’s ears!
Sheila: What’s next for you?
Donna: Just at the moment, I’m working so hard to promote Pope Joan, long labor and work of my heart, that I’ve had to put aside my next novel for a while. I hope to resume work on it this fall. It’s about another strong woman from history, this time from 17th century France. I admire her for many of the same reasons I came to admire Joan–reasons best summed up with a quote from George Bernard Shaw. “Reasonable people,” Shaw wrote, “adapt themselves to the world the way they find it. Unreasonable try to change the world to fit their own vision of it. Therefore, all progress depends on unreasonable people.”
Following that (in my view) very complimentary definition of the word, Joan was, in fact, an unreasonable woman. So is my next heroine, whose name, I bet you’ve noticed, I have artfully not mentioned (my agent tells me that she’ll cut out my tongue if I do!).
Sheila: Thank you Donna so much for taking time to hang out with us here. I am excited to see the movie come out and hopefully a push from my fellow book lovers can help move that along!
Please see my review of Pope Joan here
End of Grace by K. Thomas Murphy with Interview+ Giveaway
Honestly when this book arrived for review I did not think I was going to enjoy it. This is a little out of my reading genre. When I did get start reading it, from the very first page I was pleasantly surprised how the writing brought me right in! ~ Sheila
An incident in computer specialist Rick Macey’s past has put him on the path of revenge. If his plan is successful, the object of his wrath, the Church of the Latter-Day Saints, could lose millions of dollars and thousands of members. What Rick cannot foresee are the sinister ways this church will react when threatened.
Mormons begin receiving letters that question the validity of their gospel and inform them that loved-ones have been baptized into an alternative faith. It’s an assault on the authority of the church,and more importantly, it’s beginning to impact church revenues. The Mormon leadership dispatches Kay Summers, a young but capable administrative assistant, to Oregon, where she finds and follows a thread leading to Rick.
Unbeknown to her, they’ve also dispatched agents from the church’s secret army, the Danite Knights, to follow her to the source of the problem and fix it – permanently.
Initially, Rick and Kay play cat and mouse, each trying to find out what the other knows, while in the shadows the Danites use limitless resources preparing to stop not only the letters, but anybody involved with them. Soon, mysterious deaths and close calls start happening. Rick and Kay, the two erstwhile adversaries become a team; ultimately running for their lives, desperately trying to put the puzzle together as they stay one step ahead of the tempest Rick has awakened.
Much like the way Dan Brown captivated so many with his fiction book The Davinchi Code, I too became totally entwined in the fast paced adventure of this book. Normally, this is not my style of reading and I admit I was hesitant when it arrived…. computer hackers, church politics…. but from page one I let the preconceived notion of what I thought I would find in this book melt away…. it started with this:
Day One: Monday
Salt Lake City, Utah
She jogged. Not necessarily because she wanted to – more because she had to. If Kay stopped jogging for even a few days she would notice the slight weight gain on her body, the slightly pinched way her clothes felt. Her college days had been over for less than seven years, she thought. Back then it seemed she never exercised and had no trouble maintaining a slim figure. Before that it had all been high school volleyball that kept her fit. She was tall and had even played on the all-state team. Now, however, fitness was a semi constant battle – one she was more than willing to wage. She liked looking good.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t trying to look good for anyone in particular.
I liked Kay from those very first words. She was real. She battled like the rest of us (well, errr… me anyway). And the book flows on from there. I found the reading engaging, the storyline – two men trying to take the church for millions for different reasons. One for a broken heart filled with revenge, and the other for the almighty pay off.
The book moves quickly but did not feel rushed as I moved along with Kay, who works for the Mormon Church, to try to get to the bottom of who was sending the letters out to families of deceased Mormons telling them their faith is a lie. While this book touches on the Mormon faith, K Thomas Murphy handles the book well and has great characters all the way around.
Author K Thomas Murphy granted me an interview to discuss this book and what was next.
S: I am curious what made you come up with this book topic?
K Thomas Murphy: Inspiration. While traveling to Salt Lake City one time a friend and I were talking about the Mormons. He mentioned reading about the outrage of the Jewish people when it was revealed that Mormons were performing posthumous baptisms on the holocaust victims. I am not Jewish, nor Mormon, but I understand outrage and indignation.
My vivid imagination turned everything over for about ten years. Finally, about a year and a half ago, I decided to see if I could write a book. In early February I sat down and working only a couple hours in the evenings and some weekend mornings, I turned out End of Grace in a little over two months. Aside from atrocious punctuation that challenged excellent editors, the way you read End of Grace is pretty much how it came out of my head and flowed onto the paper.
S: This books deals a lot with computers and hacking into data bases. Is this something that that comes natural to you or did you do a lot of research about this in order to write this book?
K. Thomas Murphy: Writing is very enjoyable and very rewarding for me. I am not a religious person, but have been in the tech world for over 20 years. All things technical have always come very naturally to me. I consider End of Grace to be a tech thriller in a religious setting. I also love to learn and research, so spent countless hours learning about Mormon doctrine, past and present.
S: I was reviewing your website I found hints of two more books, End of Secrets and End of Fire. What can we expect from these books and when do you think they may be available to the public?
K Thomas Murphy: I have since outlined several more books using a couple of the same characters. I am currently about a third the way finished with End of Secrets, a pure technical thriller that touches heavily on the history of computers and I feel it’s as intriguing as my first story. Not meant to spoil the end of EOG for you, but Kay and Rick are both heavily featured in the sequel. End of Fire would be a natural follow-on where the two battle a new kind of technical threat, and a secret society of computer elite are reveled. Sort of a Big-Brother/ Guardian-Angel organization.
Assuming that it might be the religious aspect of End of Grace that excites people, I also have a full outline of a book that brings the Mormons back onto central stage.
Some of my future depends on me finding a person to carry my torch. Self-publishing is incredibly demanding and time consuming. Time I’d rather spend writing (not to mention I still have a day job). At the same time it’s been so rewarding that I’ll probably continue either way. Eventually I’ll be discovered, make some publisher a pile of money, and make myself enough to take the whole thing more seriously.
S: Thank you K Thomas for taking time to answer my questions and allowing me the opportunity to read and review your book.
We are offering a giveaway for a copy of this book. here is how to enter:
1. Leave a comment here
2. Receive a bonus entry by being a follower of this blog and or following me on Twitter (be sure to let me know)
US entries only please and no po box numbers. Be sure I have a way to connect with you if you are the winner.
Giveaway will end Aug 20
End of Secrets reveals one of the most obscure but powerful mysteries of the computer era. An urban legend that if true, has the potential to make the most secure, private and even top secret information freely available.
End of Fire introduces a new kind of compute threat. One that could render every computer on the planet useless. The only chance of stopping it is with the help of a secret society of the computer elite.
Merry Weather also has reviewed this book. You can see her review here
This book came from Bostick Communications – the giveaway copy is coming from the author
This is a PG13 book due to some language
Guest Blogger/Author Interview with Rachel Stolzman (+ Signed giveaway copies!)
In recent weeks I have had the pleasure of chatting back and forth with author Rachel Stolzman. Rachel is the author of the book, The Sign for Drowning.
When Anna is eight years old she witnesses the tragic drowning of her younger sister at the beach. While her parents frantically search the waves for their child, Anna watches alone from the shore. Desperate for hope, Anna begins silently communicating with her sister, begging her to resurface.
Anna’s family emotionally breaks down in the years following the drowning. In her grief and lone
liness, Anna develops the belief she can communicate to her dead sister through sign language.
As an adult, Anna makes her living working with hearing impaired children, and she develops a close bond with a deaf foster child she works with, Adrea. As Anna makes the momentous decision to adopt Adrea, she is driven to face her conflicted desire to hear her daughter speak and she is forced to delve into the connections between Adrea and her own, lost sister.
BIO:
I was born in New York and at the age of seven moved to Los Angeles with my family. My sister and I told everyone we were moving to a swimming pool. I began writing poetry in my journal when I was about ten years-old. My first poems were about children, a phony fortune teller, the question of an afterlife, and an anti-war poem called Warheads. I attended the University of California in Santa Cruz. It was during my college years that I began working in the HIV/AIDS field, work which I continue to do to this day. At UCSC, I took numerous poetry workshops, participated in readings, and I had my first poems published. Looking back, these poems were about solitude, escapism, and drunken love. A year after college, living in San Francisco I decided to apply for MFA programs in creative writing. I was surprised to see that the applications required you to choose between poetry and fiction, and I marked ‘poetry’ on each. But while completing my applications, I thought- I don’t know how to write fiction, if I’m going to go back to school it might as well be to learn something I don’t know. I sent for new applications and applied to three programs in New York. I went to Sarah Lawrence College, and received my MFA in creative writing- Fiction. An early draft of The Sign for Drowning was my thesis. In 2008 my first novel, The Sign for Drowning was published by Trumpeter. I am still writing about children, impermanence, loss and the workings of the heart. I currently live in Brooklyn and am working on my second novel.
I want to thank Rachel for taking time to join us here at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books. I have really enjoyed talking with you these past couple of weeks and I am excited to hear more about you and your books.
S: As I read your biography on line about how you were really writing from about the age of ten, it reminded me of the books of short stories and poetry that I had written at about that age. Did you feel at such a young age that writing would be a part of your future?
Rachel: As a kid I had a closet in my bedroom with sliding doors. One side held clothes, and the other held a bookcase with all my books. I was infinitely more interested in the book side of my closet. I read my favorite books over and over. I do remember thinking that these writers were leaving something in the world that would be here forever, long after the writer was gone. It only now occurs to me that I was thinking about immortality. Luckily, I didn’t know then about going out of print!
S: Your book, The Sign For Drowning sounds wonderfully deep and dramatic. I just read the synopsis again and I am so excited to actually get a chance to read and review this book. How did the idea for this book begin to develop?
Rachel: I had written a short story based on an actual event that happened to my family. When my older sister was two she was washed out of a small boat in the waves, while playing with my father. She was only underwater for a minute, but they couldn’t see her and it was very scary. My mother was filming them playing as well. A friend in the water felt my sister, Dana, brush against her leg and she pulled Dana out. In the story I wrote, there is an older sister watching and narrating the story, and the child is not recovered, but drowns. As an MFA student I returned to this story and became curious again about the family, especially, Anna, the sister who tells the story. I wondered what happened to them afterwards, and if and how this loss would affect Anna as an adult. 
S: This book centers around sign language. Is this something you knew about before you wrote the book or something you learned to write the book?
Rachel: While I was writing the book, I was taking American Sign Language classes for the fun of it. I had always been interested in sign language and I stuck with it until I was pretty fluent. I really enjoyed learning from my deaf teachers, not just the language but about deaf culture and history. I decided to make Anna, in her grief and loneliness, develop a fantasy that she could communicate to her lost sister through sign language. This childhood fantasy grew into an alternative family and home for her and a career working with deaf children. And it would ultimately lead Anna to her adopted deaf daughter, Adrea.
S: What sort of background prep work did you find yourself doing to write this book?
Rachel: I read a lot of books about Deaf culture, and about the history of ASL and deaf education. After becoming proficient in ASL, I got a job in New York City working with deaf people at Fountain House. I was around interpreters everyday, a co-worker who was the child of two deaf parents, a deaf co-worker and many deaf members. I was told amazing stories about being deaf in hearing families and vice-versa, living in deaf boarding schools, surviving during World War II- deaf and alone, and the many ways people learn to communicate and cope. Those stories helped shape the lives of my characters.
S: I just love that you are blogging your journey from your first book signing to the arrival of the paperback version. How did you decide to do a blog?
Rachel: I think I started blogging very hesitantly. My agent and publisher had recommended I launch an author website, but I had declined to do so just feeling it wasn’t necessary. Then I took a course on book promotion and it was heavily encouraged there too, especially blogging. And the final push came when I did an author interview on the radio with Reading with Robin and she actually reprimanded me on the air for not having a website for my readers to go to!
S: You are currently working on your second book. Would you share a little hint about what that is going to be about and when we may expect to see it in print?
Rachel: My current book is about a pair of twins born in NYC in the early 70’s. One twin, David, is born a reincarnated enlightened Buddhist. The Dalai Lama is a character in the novel, and he becomes David’s teacher. Jamila, the twin sister, struggles to find her soul, her purpose and her own journey as a bodhisattva’s twin sister.
I will definitely let you know when you can find it in stores, and thank you so much for having me as a guest at One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books!
Peace, Rachel
Rachel’s Blog
♥Rachel has generously offered two signed copies of her book, The Sign For Drowning to the readers here at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books.
To enter your name to win:
1. Leave a comment here about Rachel’s interview
2. Receive 2 extra chances to win if you blog/twitter about this giveaway
3. Earn a BONUS chance by commenting on any other of my posts
US only and no PO box numbers. Please be sure to leave me an email so I am able to contact you if you win.
The Giveaway will end August 16. Have fun and good luck!
Author Interview with Sarah Beth Lindberg (+ Giveaways!)
This giveaway is closed – winners announced
Thank you to all who entered…
Today I am very excited to interview the author of two great reads (a third in the making) and she is also a friend of mine who I have had the pleasure of working with, rollerblading, and talking with for hours .
Good morning Sarah! Thank you so much for joining me here today at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books! I had watched you work on your first book and had the pleasure of being one of your proof readers before it went in for the final ok to go to print. I am wondering, when did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
Sarah: I don’t know if I can pinpoint an exact time when I decided I was going to be a writer. I just know that I have always had a passion to write. I remember when I was in elementary school, my teachers always had great things to say about the stories I wrote. All my stories had inspirational meaning behind them. Writing was the one thing I truly enjoyed when I was in school. In college, I knew I wanted to some day write a book that would glorify God with the life He has given me.
Sarah: I started praying about what to write in 2004 and pursued writing in 2005.
Sarah: In my prayer time, I felt like I needed to write on the passage of Scripture that has guided my life. Psalm 37:3-6 has seen me through many hard times. It was my compass when I was a little girl and has continued to be my road map throughout life. The words in the book literally flowed from my heart through my fingers. They were words that simply shared the experience I had known of God’s faithfulness in my life. I had a few bumps in the road where the words didn’t quite flow, so I would stop. I put the pen down until the fluidity of the message came back.
Sarah: I had finished writing my book in about 6 months, but I still had a ways to go in the publishing end of it. I looked at many different places. All the publishers that are well known did not want to accept an unknown author. That was understandable because you never know what book sales are going to be like for a new author, but I wasn’t accepting no for an answer. I had looked at some of the self-publishing options, but didn’t like what I saw. I wanted something that was going to invest in my talent. I waited a few months and prayed for God to show me who to go through.
Sarah: I was at church one Sunday and someone mentioned to me that there was this great top of the line self-publishing company called Tate Publishing. The big thing was that they only accept less than 3% of the manuscripts they get a year. I was excited about that because I knew if God wanted me to publish with them, it would all go through. The manuscript was read by their board and I received a phone call letting me know it had been accepted. I had to go through the same process for my second book. They have been a wonderful company to work with because they partner with me every step of the way. They have my best interest in mind.
Sarah: The sales did very well and are continuing to do well. I have a marketing representative from Tate Publishing who works with me to market the book in various avenues. I did many book signings in book stores, coffee shops, retirement homes, malls, Bible studies, etc. I was able to speak at a few women’s conferences and at a couple church services. I have been able to speak to youth at different events. I have a website and a blog to promote the book. Also, I do a daily devotional online. A lot of promoting comes through word of mouth. The best marketing tool is yourself and others who have read your book.
Sarah: The best way for me to answer this is to say that if you are looking to find the time to write you will never find it. You simply need to designate time every day to write. It needs to be something you want to do, not have to do. If I lived each day trying to find time to write, I don’t think I would ever get anything written. I have to discipline myself to set aside time to write, to study, and to learn. Writing is one of my passions, so I choose to make it a part of my day.
Sarah: I continue to call book stores for book signings and am willing to have them in even unconventional places. Coffee shops are great and I’ve since learned that a book signing at Chick-fil-A can be very profitable. There are two things I’m strongly promoting right now. One is the devotional I write on a daily basis because it gives people a way to find out who I am and how I write before they buy an actual book. I know I always like to know the authors I read. Second I have been given an opportunity to get as many books as possible into Prison Ministry Fellowship. This excites me greatly, as I write desiring to see people draw close to the Lord. If anyone would like to support this ministry, please email me and let me know. Every book donated will go to the prison for the inmates.
Sarah: Now, what kind of question is this? It’s like asking a mom which child is her favorite. I enjoy both my books for different reasons. I love how the first book brings you through a journey of trusting in the Lord. I enjoyed writing out the testimony of who God has been in my life and how He has always been faithful. Then there is the second book. This book I wrote during some major storms in my life based on my second favorite passage, Isaiah 40:31. I was so encouraged by God through the writing of this book. God continued to remind me that He had a plan and a purpose through the storms I faced.
Website: http://godisalwaysfaithful.com/
Twitter: godizfaithful
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sarah.malanowski
Amazon Books: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_1_10?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=sarah+beth+lindberg&sprefix=sarah+beth
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