Special Guest Susan J.P. Owens on the Benefits of Local Chapters

Author Susan J.P. Owens

Nervous, I shoved my fingertips in the front pockets of my denims. Striding toward the door to my first chapter meeting, the darn skinny jeans crept down from the weight of my hands. I inched my fingers around to draw them up, hoping no one would notice.

A perky voice sounded behind me, “Hello, you must be Susan.”

Caught adjusting, I swallowed the first words that came to my mind for wearing the pesky denims and answered, “Sure am!”

I soon discovered I didn’t have to impress the folks inside the conference room. They welcomed me with absolute acceptance. Continue reading “Special Guest Susan J.P. Owens on the Benefits of Local Chapters”

Cathy Speight’s Tips on Reviewing

Reviewer Catherine Speight

It’s no secret that I’m the President of the Cathy Speight fan club. Part of the reason for that is Cathy doesn’t just review, she teaches authors with her reviews. I think the highest purpose of reviewing is to improve authors.

As the gatekeepers of the traditional publishing world run for their lives to escape the tsunami of independent authors headed toward them, more and more authors will be seeking reviewers to gain credibility. Not all those reviewers will be as thorough and helpful as Cathy Speight.

What should an author (or for that matter, a prospective reader) expect to see in a well-rounded review of a book? Cathy was nice enough to share her thoughts about the essential ingredients of a thorough review: Continue reading “Cathy Speight’s Tips on Reviewing”

Author Carol Wyer Radio Interviews!

Friend and author Carol Wyer was interviewed on BBC Radio Nottingham last night. She talks about her book, Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines:

Desperate housewife Amanda Wilson can’t decide between murder, insanity and another glass of red wine. Her shelf life is up. Not only is she facing 50 but she hasn’t had sex with her morose husband for over a year. She really shouldn’t have pressed that ‘send’ button. They say your past always catches up with you – still, her colourful past is far more exciting than her monochrome present.

Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines is Carol’s first in a series of novels, lampooning and harpooning the aging process.

Carol is an avid social net-worker, and is also the comedic mastermind behind the blog Facing 50 with Humour. Among her American fans, she has been given the nickname BOTUK (Bombeck Of the UK) for her humorous style.

Aside from her writing, Carol has spent the last decade trying out all sorts of new challenges such as kick boxing, diving, flying helicopters (yes that is her with the whirlybird in the photo), learning to paint, and attempting to teach herself Russian.

Carol says she’s now ensuring that her fifties are “fab not drab.”  She reports that this is all much to the dismay of her “. . . neglected husband who has to put up with ready-made meals and a very dusty house.”

Her entertaining BBC interview is in two parts. You can listen to part one here, and part two here. Both segments are short, but entertaining. Totally worth it if for nothing more than to just hear her accent!

Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines is available in print from Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Barnes and Noble (among many other retailers) or in multiple e-book formats from Smashwords.

Sneak Peek: WWII London Blitz Diary (Volume 1)

Today, Vickie Washuk shares a sneak peek of Volume I of her series of the war diaries written by her great grandmother detailing both her personal and historical experience living in London during the World War ll London Bombing Blitz.

Ruby Alice Side Thompson was born in England in 1884. Ruby grew up during a time when education was just beginning to be encouraged for both upper and middle class women. Women were seeking new opportunities and equality. During the late 1890’s Ruby explored many radical political ideas of London, England. She met many famous people including the writers George Bernard Shaw and William Butler Yeats. The moth and the star: Ruby’s sister Aileen Pippett wrote a biography of Virginia Woolf. Ruby loved to read and always dreamed of writing famous novels. Ruby was not able to express her opinions or feelings about either the war or her marriage except in the privacy of her diary. Being able to do so was her saving grace. Many of the things she says in today’s world would be considered politically incorrect. Our children today have no idea what life was like then and what opportunities they have that would never have been possible 70 years ago. World War ll London Blitz Diary is being published on Amazon in 4 volumes. The 1st and 2nd volumes are published.

Volume 1 and 2 of the collection are available from Amazon in print or Kindle format.

The following is an excerpt from Volume 1 of World War Two London Blitz Diary (A Woman’s Revelations Enduring War and Marriage) Continue reading “Sneak Peek: WWII London Blitz Diary (Volume 1)”