BLOG TALK RADIO – RRW LIVE SPECIALS
On Wednesday, July 1st, 2 pm Central, April Robins
April and Co-Host Laurie Zieber took questions from listeners directed to the following FaceBook Group members schedule to give a two minute elevator speech about their work: Carol Crigger, Barbara M. Hodges, Marlo Schalesky, Beverly Stowe McClure, Latayne C Scott, David Lee Summers, Don Hoesel, Virginia S Grenier, Shirley Ann Howard, Velda Brotherton, and Michelle Marcos. A varied genre of Authors, Writers, and Illustrators. Main chatroom topic was e-books which the Guest Authors gave their suggestions and opinions about at the end of the show. This show was EXCITING!
Laurie Zieber
http://www.lauriezieber.com/Home.html
April Robins
http://www.robinfalls.com/
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Below are the elevator speeches written for the show by its Guest. Book covers can be viewed at http://www.robinfalls.com/redriverwriters.html. To hear the taped show, go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/RRW-Specials.
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Latayne C Scott
Many people have Mormon friends and admire their lifestyle. But hundreds of thousands of people regretfully leave this religion they once loved, and I am one of them.
My novel, Latter-day Cipher (Moody, 2009), has been called "The DaVinci Code of Mormonism." Christian Retailing (March 2009) named it a "top pick," and reviewers have called it "elegant and chilling," and spoken of how it "dazzles the senses with her poetic prose, bang on descriptions and hold your breath suspense."
Released about the same time as my reviewer-acclaimed novel, Latter-day Cipher (Moody 2009), was a nonfiction on the same subject.
The Mormon Mirage: A Former Member Looks at the Church Today (Zondervan, 2009) is a compassionately-written, heavily documented primer not only of the Mormonism of the past but also a fresh look at this religion in the Internet age.
It has stayed on the Amazon bestseller list for its category since its release. Here is what one reviewer said about it:
"Latayne Scott is a gifted writer with a thorough knowledge of Mormonism. The book is filled not only with excellent information, but keen analysis. Moreover, she demonstrates genuine kindness and empathy toward Latter-day Saints, based on her positive experiences growing up in the LDS Church."
http://www.latayne.com/
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David Lee Summers (Las Cruces, NM)
My name is David Lee Summers and I'm an author, editor and astronomer living between the western and final frontiers in Southern New Mexico. I am the author of five novels including Vampires of the Scarlet Order that tells the story of vampire mercenaries who used to work for the Spanish Inquisition and now operate out of a secret base in Northern New Mexico. My most recent novel is The Solar Sea that tells the story of humanity's first voyage to the outer planets aboard a solar sail space craft. Learn more about my novels at www.davidleesummers.com
I also edit the science fiction and fantasy magazine Tales of the Talisman which features work by new and established, award-winning authors. Learn more about the magazine at www.talesofthetalisman.com
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Beverly Stowe McClure
My name is Beverly Stowe McClure. When I was a kid, I hated to read. Even though my eighth-grade teacher sent my poem "Stars" to a high school anthology, and it was published in Young America Sings, I hated to write. In spite of my rocky relationship with books, I attended the university, read a lot, and graduated with a teaching degree. Imagine that. Reading great books to my students and to my sons opened my eyes to what I'd been missing: reading was fun. Now I read, and I write for children and teens. And I love it.
Rebel in Blue Jeans, my latest YA novel, touches on the effects divorce has on young people. Sixteen-year-old Rebel Ferguson faces this problem when her mother runs away with the drummer in a rock band. As if she doesn't have enough to deal with at home, the Garret boys on the neighboring ranch, who have been her friends all her life, suddenly are looking at her in a different way, and a handsome college guy with a bad
reputation has taken an interest in her.
Rebel decides to do three things:
1. Bring her mother home where she belongs.
2. Show the Garret boys she's not interested in either of them, except as friends.
3. Prove to the boys, and to herself, that the college guy is a gentleman.
Nothing turns out the way Rebel plans, however. If only people were as trustworthy as her puppies, cat, and horses.
If you'd like to learn more about Rebel, she keeps a diary at her blog:
http://rebelinbluejeans.wordpress.com You can also read reviews of her book there or at my blog:http://beverlystowemcclure.wordpress.com
The book is available for purchase at Amazon.com or at the publishers:
http://www.twilighttimesbooks.com
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Don Hoesel (Nashville, TN)
Elisha's Bones
"The bones of the prophet once raised the dead to life... but they vanished from history in a whisper. Now Jack Hawthorne, part-time skeptic and full-time professor of archaeology, is enlisted to sift them from the sands of time. Bankrolled by a dying man of unlimited means, Hawthorne's hunt spans the globe and leads him into a deadly conspiracy older than the church itself. And he soon discovers those sworn to keep the secret of the bones will do anything to protect them. "
Author Web site: http://www.donhoesel.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Elishas-Bones-Don-Hoesel/dp/0764205609
Publisher: http://www.bethanyhouse.com/ME2/Audiences/Default.asp
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Barbara M. Hodges (Central Coast, CA)
Barbara M. Hodges' is the author of five published novels, four fantasy and one science fiction. Wynd Stallion is her first young adult fantasy. Sixteen year old Allyn of Morayn, already in trouble with his father, is sent to bring home his twin sister, Alyssa's new filly, Deva. Allyn loses Deva in a horse race and turns to Alyssa, who is a user of magic, for help. Against her better judgement she agrees.
Rivlyn, their older brother is a Wynd Stallion. When the new moon is above, he becomes a stallion, and no mortal horse can outrun a Wynd Stallion. Alyssa fashions an amulet to keep Rivlyn in Wynd Stallion form for an extra night so they can race him and win back Deva. But when Rivlyn is stollen, they must battle evil and magic to rescue him before he remains too long a Wynd Stallion and can never return to his human form.
To read excerpts and reviews of Barbara's books, check out her website.
http://barbarahodges.gobot.com
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Virginia S Grenier (St. George, UT)
I'm the Founder & Owner of Stories for Children Publishing, and Editor-in-Chief of Stories for Children Magazine and SFC Newsletter for Writers. I'm also a children's author and freelance editor for Halo Publishing; in addition, to running my own editorial and critique service. I was voted one of the Top Ten Editors of 2007 and 2008 in the Preditors and Editors Reader's Poll, won 2nd place for my article, "Yes, Virginia, There IS a Santa Claus" in the Preditors and Editors Reader's Poll for Best Nonfiction of 2007, and won 7th place for my article, "Dinosaur Tracks in My Backyard" in the Preditors and Editors Reader's Poll for Best Nonfiction of 2008. I learned how to hone my writing skills at the Institute of Children's Literature, and I'm a member of the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators (SCBWI), the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) and Musing Our Children.
My works include: Babysitting SugarPaw (release date July 2009), the Best of Stories for Children Magazine Volume 2 anthology (release date Fall 2009), the Best of Stories for Children Magazine volume 1 anthology and over 30 short stories, articles, and crafts for children along with newsletter articles for writers.
A California girl at heart, I currently lives in Utah with my husband, our two children, and the family's big fat cat Speed Bump and miniature schnauzer Taz.
VS Grenier's sites are:
http://storiesforchildrenmagazine.org/default.aspx
http://vsgrenier.com/authorbio.aspx
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Shirley Ann Howard (Boston, MA)
I'd love to be on the show to discuss writing, reading, and publishing... which I've been doing since I could walk to the library or sit a table with paper and pen. That's longer than the thirty years I spent in the classroom.
I'd love to discuss my novels: TALES OUT OF SCHOOL and TALES OUT OF COLLEGE. Every woman will relate to the teacher/heroine's search for self and love in an unclear world.
Great reading for teachers, teenagers, and college students.
Recommended reading for anyone who wants to teach.
www.ShirleyAnnHoward.com
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Velda Brotherton
I'm Velda Brotherton and I've been writing for about 25 years. I write both fiction and nonfiction, and enjoy them both equally. I've had a total of ten books published and am working on two more under contract.
The only education I have comes from experience. I learned to write from an inner spirit and a great desire to share my words with others.
My book, FLY WITH THE MOURNING DOVE, is the biography of Edna Smith Hiller. In 1921, when she was six years old, she moved to a homestead in New Mexico with her parents. She grew up there on the high desert, and learned to love the life. Until the age of 85 she was a rancher and teacher, and enjoyed taking long hikes and rides to explore the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The book is written as creative nonfiction, and explores her life and beliefs in novel form, using journals and diaries from her and her mother. It was a finalist for creative nonfiction in the 2008 WILLA Literary Awards.
My website is http://www.veldabrotherton.com
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Marlo Schalesky
I'm author Marlo Schalesky. I write love stories with a twist for Waterbrook- Multnomah Publishers, a division of Random House. If you wonder what "Love Stories With a Twist" are, think the poignancy of a Nicolas Sparks love story matched with the jaw-dropping twist of an early M. Night Shymalan movie, and you'll get a taste of the books I write.
My latest is called IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES. Here's what I like to tell people about it:
They say you should reach for your dreams. This time, they're wrong…
Childhood sweethearts Kinna and Jimmy Henley had simple dreams—marriage, children, a house by the sea…everything they needed for happily ever after. What they didn't plan on was years of infertility, stealing those dreams, crushing their hopes.
Now, all that's left is the memory of young love, and the desperate need for a child to erase the pain. Until…
Kinna rescues an elderly woman from the sea, and the threads of the past, present, and future weave together to reveal the wonder of one final hope. One final chance to follow not their dreams, but God's.
Can they embrace the redemptive power of love before it's too late? Or will their love be washed away like the castles they once built upon the sand? The past whispers to the present. And the future shivers. What if tomorrow never comes?
Find out more about me, my books, my own infertility journey, and tips for surviving infertility on my website: http://www.marloschalesky.com/
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Carol Crigger
One Foot on the Edge begins a new historical suspense series, featuring China Bohannon. China is a young lady very much of the modern 1890s mindset, with a yen for independence. She has no wish to rely upon her male relatives for her keep, and while not quite a suffragette, in one scene she studies a pamphlet by May Arkwright Hutton, who is. China's aim is to make herself indispensable to her uncle, Montgomery Howe, and his business partner, Gratton Doyle, helping out in their private investigative office. Of course, the men don't believe they need China's help, even though she proves herself as a bookkeeper and office manager right away. It's when she is drawn into one of her uncle's cases and helps him solve it that her life becomes more complicated. First she is drawn into inquiring about the circumstances surrounding the murder of a young girl and unwittingly puts herself in danger. Then she becomes the victim of more than one inexplicable attack, each becoming more violent and frightening. Apparently she's struck a chord in someone with her blundering inquiries, but it is her penchant for finding dead bodies that has Gratton in an uproar. The men in China's life regard her adventures more as awkward and reckless than dangerous, but then she is kidnapped, snatched from her bed in the middle of the night. Now she will need to extricate herself from almost certain death. Oh, where is Gratton Doyle whom she wants to kiss, but not to fall in love with, when she needs him?
As in nearly all my books, a dog plays a part in Edge. China's little dog Nimble takes on a character's role in the book. Nimble is a Bedlington terrier, a rather rare breed in the U.S. I chose a Bedlington for her role in the story because of her unique appearance and terrier personality. Nimble is based, in part, upon my own sweet bichon frise.
http://www.ckcrigger.com/
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Michelle Marcos
WICKEDLY EVER AFTER, by Michelle Marcos
I just love writing about bad girls. I am drawn to them in spite of their imperfections...maybe even because of them. There's an old adage that says every villain is the hero of his own story. Well, I want to know what makes bad girls tick. So I opened the doors on a place called The Pleasure Emporium, London's most notorious bordello. In this series, the heroines are surrounded by scarlet women, making them a little pink around the edges, but that's precisely what makes them so irresistible to our heroes.
In the third novel, called WICKEDLY EVER AFTER, Athena McAllister is an unattractive marriage prospect. She's plump, poor, and a lower aristocrat…and to top it all off, she's Scottish. But just as the perfect man is about to marry her, she finds him in the arms of a courtesan. After all, most men prefer the company of their mistresses to their wives. So how can she, and other brides to be, become both wife and mistress to a man?
Athena decides to find out by setting up a "finishing school," wherein ladies will learn the polite arts of, say, keeping a man entertained at the dinner table, while keeping him entertained under the dinner table.
Captain Marshall Hawkesworth's sister was one of her students, a lady who had become far too knowledgeable in the ways of sex. So when he stomps off to close down this salacious school, he is surprised to meet this decidedly attractive headmistress who does nothing but insult him. And to further shock him, Athena mistakes him for the nude artist's model she's expecting, and insists on auditioning him right on the spot.
Marshall decides to play along, even teaching a few of the classes himself. But when the newspapers get wind of this disreputable school, it threatens to expose not just his family to public shame, but also Athena. They've got to learn to trust each other…before these forces destroy them both.
Readers can watch the trailer and indulge in an excerpt onhttp://www.michellemarcos.com.
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