Who’s That Indie Author? Paula R C Readman

Paula R C Readman

Name: Paula R C Readman

Book: The Phoenix Hour

Genre:  Time Travel

Background: I left school poorly educated. In 2002, I set myself a challenge to see if I could get something into print and beat my own expectations.

When did you first decide you wanted to be a writer?  When I was stuck working in a factory and my creative soul wanted more of an outlet.

Do you write full-time? Yes, after redundancy my husband encouraged me to write full-time.

If you write fiction, where do you get your ideas for characters and plots? I enjoy thinking outside the box. Normally the characters write themselves.

For fiction writers, have you ever written yourself into a story? Bits of me are in all my characters as their emotions come from my own experience.

What kind of research and preparation do you do before you write? I like to check out YouTube. There are some great history videos on the site. When writing a crime novel I watched True Life crime videos.

What is your editing process? Do you hire an outside editor? I used Microsoft document read-back facility. Listening to my work being read back to me helps me to find my mistakes. But I have hired an editor.   

How do you decide on your book covers? Do you outsource? My publisher has designed the covers.

How did you come up with the title of your latest book? The title came from a poem called ‘Do not expect again a Phoenix Hour’ by Cecil Day-Lewis. I quite often use poetry.

What route did you take to get published?  I’m dyslexic, so I wanted to be published by the mainstream route. I hunted out the smaller publishers.

Have you ever tried to get an agent? No. I work with three small press publishers

What kinds of things do you do to promote your book? I used Twitter, Fussy Librarian, and Readfree.ly.  I also hand out postcard size promotional cards whenever I can.   

Have you ever had a book-signing event? I’ve only just started doing that this year. I have one in the far north of Scotland in September.

Have you taken writing courses? Only in the writing magazine

Do you belong to a writer’s group? I run a writing group in my home and a Facebook group online.

Do you ask friends/family to read your WIP?  Yes, I have a friend whose an avid reader.

Name three unread books on your bookshelf.  Kirsty Ferry Bea’s Magical Summer Garden, Eclipsing the Aurora by Peter J. Foote, and Black Heart by Raelle Lo.

What is the last book you read? A Cottage in Plotlands by Dawn Knox

How many pages do you think a book of fiction/nonfiction should be?  250

What is the riskiest or wildest thing you’ve ever done? Set out on this writing job instead of finding another job

What is the hardest thing you’ve ever done? Believe in my ability and myself

What advice can you give to new writers entering the writing and publishing arena? Nothing happens overnight. There’s no magic spell to make you into a bestselling author apart from hard work and dedication. 

Website and social media links:
Blog:  https://paularcreadmanauthor.blog
Facebook: paula.readman.1@facebook
Twitter: @Darkfantasy13
Amazon Author’s Page: Paula R C Readman

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Are you an indie or self-published author?  Do you want to build your author network? Get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author!

Email bvitelli2009@gmail.com for a bio template and other details.

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In observance of Memorial Day, sharing the best war books, from now and all-time

In observance of Memorial Day here in the U.S., I’m sharing notable books about war. Too keep things simpler, I’ve mostly kept to fiction. However, I did include a few nonfiction, including The Art of War by Sun Tzu and Night by Eli Wiesel.

For more information about the books, you can visit the links at the end of this post. The linked titles in the list are books I’ve reviewed. Every time I search for books on this subject, I tell myself I need to re-read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy and a few others.

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
• All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
• The Art of War by Sun Tzu
• Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
• Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
• The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon
• Covenant With Death by John Harris
• The Debacle by Émile Zola
• Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
• Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard
• For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
• From Here To Eternity by James Jones
• Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
• Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• The Hunters by James Salter
• Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
• The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• Men At Arms by Evelyn Waugh
• The Naked and The Dead by Norman Mailer
• Night by Elie Wiesel
• Parade’s End by Ford Madox Ford
• The Quiet American by Graham Greene
• The Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker
• Restless by William Boyd
• Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
• The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
• The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
• The Winds of War by Herman Wouk

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Visit these links for more books and descriptions about each:

https://becomeawritertoday.com/best-war-books/

https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/literary/greatest-war-novels-ever-written

https://bookauthority.org/books/best-war-books

https://www.shortlist.com/news/the-greatest-war-novels-of-all-time

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What books about war have resonated with you? Leave a comment.

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Summertime Link Love!

Hi Everyone,

Today I’m sharing links to blogs I’ve recently discovered. I hope you’ll take a look and find a new blogging friend!

Belladonna’s Flashlight – The One Where She Stumbled Through Her 40’s and Faced Her Demon: Belladonna’s recent post on mental health offers a way to connect when you’re feeling down. Belladonna also posts about women’s rights and issues.

Bridgette Tales – Everybody has a story. Here’s a little of mine.  Bridgette began her blog after being cast in the spoken word show Listen to Your Mother. It was the catalyst for reconnecting with her creativity, and the people she met through the process continue to inspire her.

The Indie Spot! Indie books, authors, music, and lives! Supporting indie authors, musicians, artists, and all creative souls.

neihtn ~ Books & Photographs: Hien started his blog in 2012. He also self-published two books, Village Teacher and The Siege of An Lộc. Hien writes, “writing is something that I have wanted to do for almost all my life, but I used to have a ‘regular’ job. It took me almost four years to write Village Teacher at night and on weekends. I am now retired and intend to spend much of my time writing. I am also an amateur photographer. I now blog and post photos at least once a week.”

The Well-Read Fish reviews all sorts of Christian fiction from historical romance to science fiction and everything in between. The mission is simple: To promote contemporary Christian fiction. Featuring reviewers Mae Clair, Vera Day, Gwen Plano, Joan Hall and Staci Troilo.

Thanks for visiting—come back soon!

Grammar check – are scammers really that bad at spelling and grammar?

Do you get all judgy when you see a spam email with a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes? I have judged, I cannot lie! But think again. These scammers aren’t stupid. They know exactly what they’re doing and those mistakes? They’re deliberate!

Here’s why:

• Scammers want gullible people. They don’t want grammarians. Their deliberate mistakes weed out the righteous and save them time because they know these folks won’t ultimately fall victim.
• Misspelled words have a greater chance of making it past spam filters that look for keywords and phrases often used in phishing schemes.
• Some people think the mistakes make the sender appear more human. We all make mistakes, right? Susceptible people relate to this and are more likely to be tricked.

Spammers aren’t your friends and they definitely don’t need a grammar lesson. Don’t waste your time thinking about their mistakes. Just delete!

Thanks to this cybersecurity article from Joseph Steinberg for explaining.

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Book Review: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
by
Gabrielle Zevin

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

I waited a long time to get my hands on this popular book and it was worth it! I was traveling when I read it, so sadly, I took no notes. Now a week later, I will have to draw on memory to tell you about it.

I knew nothing about Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow when I started reading. That is my preferred method, by the way. I was delighted to meet Zevin’s characters who are brilliant, yet human, and whose decisions based on their emotions create divides that the reader is just hoping will be resolved before it is too late.

The main characters, Sadie Green and Sam Masur are brilliant gamers and game designers, who first meet in a hospital when they are children. Sam had been in a tragic car accident and Sadie’s sister was battling leukemia. In the hospital lounge, they quickly discover their mutual love for video games. They have a big falling out when Sadie turns thirteen, however, and pride prevents them from making up. Now they meet by chance in Boston as college students. Sadie is at MIT, Sam’s at Harvard. Note: sometimes I get frustrated when I read books where everyone goes to elite colleges. Don’t let that put you off. They belong there. Ultimately, they collaborate on a video game that launches a hugely successful game design company. Barely into their twenties, Sadie and Sam are millionaires and they head for California. But egos, hurt feelings and misunderstandings get in the way of happiness.

The title is a Shakespeare reference to Macbeth’s well-known soliloquy, but also refers to the essence of video games where there’s always a chance to start over. Also playing into the story are the characters’ mixed races and cultures, as well as their loneliness despite their success. Believe it or not, it reminds me of Life After Life by Kate Atkinson because it has that “what would have happened if I did this or of this didn’t happen” theme.

I’m not a gamer, but I enjoyed diving into the gaming world and especially loved reading about their creative process, which really is about developing characters, themes and story lines. It’s definitely not just graphics. I will tell you that the last section gets a little meta because you’re deep into a game and its avatars. I thought it was really clever how the author wrote that into the story.

Throughout the book, I wondered if Sadie and Sam would ever have a romantic relationship. There are many missed opportunities and Zevin fills the book with strong emotions and realistic human situations. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens!

I recommend Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow to readers who like stories with great characters. This is my second book by Gabrielle Zevin. I also loved The Storied Life of A J. Fikry.

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Now that I’m a hiker (after one trip), I need HIKING BOOKS! (I already have the boots.)

I’ve been on exactly one hiking excursion (last week to Zion National Park), and now I want to do more! I just hosted a hiking book chat at work and the people I talked there to shared great experiences and gave me a lot of ideas. Here are five books about hiking preparedness, places to go and a couple inspirational books among many that caught my eye. All blurbs are from Amazon.

To keep me prepared:

SAS Survival Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere by John “Lofty” Wiseman

Revised to reflect the latest in survival knowledge and technology, and covering new topics such as urban survival and terrorism, the multimillion-copy worldwide bestseller SAS Survival Handbook is the definitive resource for all campers, hikers, and outdoor adventurers. From basic campcraft and navigation to fear management and strategies for coping with any type of disaster.

For suggestions on where to go:

100 Trails, 5000 Ideas from National Geographic

This authoritative travel guide―the next in National Geographic’s best-selling 5,000 Ideas series―takes you from the coast of Florida to the peaks of Wyoming on a series of epic hiking and walking adventures. So grab your hiking boots and get ready to explore 100 trails around all 50 states and Canada.

The World’s Best National Parks in 500 Walks by Mary Caperton Morton

Ever since Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 as the world’s first national park, the movement to preserve natural landscapes and habitats has spread to every continent. The World’s Best National Parks in 500 Walks is the perfect inspiration for every explorer, from the armchair traveler to the veteran hiker, with full-color photos and vivid descriptions of some of the world’s most spectacular hiking trails. Helpful tips on navigating the routes, planning your trips, and preparing for encounters with wildlife will have you lacing up your boots and strapping on your backpack, whether it’s for a short weekday stroll or a multiday expedition on the world’s most breathtaking trails.

And for inspiration:

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone.

Walking the Amazon by Ed Stafford

In April 2008, Ed Stafford set off to become the first man ever to walk the entire length of the Amazon. He started on the Pacific coast of Peru, crossed the Andes Mountain range to find the official source of the river. His journey lead on through parts of Colombia and right across Brazil; all while outwitting dangerous animals, machete wielding indigenous people as well as negotiating injuries, weather and his own fears and doubts. Yet, Stafford was undeterred. On his grueling 860-day, 4,000-plus mile journey, Stafford witnessed the devastation of deforestation firsthand, the pressure on tribes due to loss of habitats as well as nature in its true-raw form. Jaw-dropping from start to finish, Walking the Amazon is the unforgettable and gripping story of an unprecedented adventure.

Have you ever been hiking? Are you an experienced hiker? Where have you hiked and what books do you recommend?

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Book Club Mom’s Author Update: News from Marian Beaman

I recently caught up with memoirist Marian Beaman who announced the release of My Checkered Life: A Marriage Memoir. Read more about Marian’s book below:

Marian Beaman

Author name: Marian Beaman

Genre: Memoir/biography

Books: Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl (2019);  My Checkered Life: A Marriage Memoir (2023)

News: Take an intimate look into one couple’s fifty-plus-year marriage in author Marian Beaman’s My Checkered Life: A Marriage Memoir. Using a quilt motif, the author stitches together stories that make up the fabric of their daily lives: the clash of cultures, crisis in a travel trailer, surviving a robbery, and enduring financial hardship.

Discover how the author and her husband learn the art of the argument with explosions both literal and metaphorical. Observe how they find common ground through their shared faith and commitment.

This volume contains excerpts from autograph books and diaries of the early 1900s, treasured family recipes, original artwork, and restored photographs—the legacy of multiple generations as two American families merge, one from the East, the other from the West. The author connects the dots of her life backwards, with detailed reverse engineering of events to discover meaning in her life as a wife.

Readers of Marian’s first memoir, Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl can especially relate to her insider narrative, a closeup of one couple’s companionable union.

Website/blog: https://marianbeaman.com

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Are you working on a new book? Have you won an award or a writing contest? Did you just update your website? Maybe you just want to tell readers about an experience you’ve had. Book Club Mom’s Author Update is a great way to share news and information about you and your books.

Email Book Club Mom at bvitelli2009@gmail.com for more information.

Open to all authors – self-published, indie, big-time and anything in between

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Back from vacation

Hi Everyone,

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog while I was on vacation! I’m back now, but I have to work tomorrow and this weekend, so I will return to my blog early next week. If you emailed me about Author Updates or about being featured on Who’s That Indie Author, look for an email from me in the next few days.

Looking forward to catching up with you soon!

I’m looking for indie, self-published and hybrid authors – is that you?

Are you an indie, self-published or hybrid author looking for a way to tell the world about your books? Who’s That Indie Author is a great way to introduce yourself to readers. It’s also an opportunity to connect with bloggers and expand your network through connections on WordPress and social media. I have a new set of Who’s That Indie Author interview questions and I’m looking for you!

Take advantage of a chance to show your talents. Submit an author profile and see your name travel from blog to blog and tweet to tweet!

Check out these Who’s That Indie Author profiles from 2022 and imagine yourself in the spotlight:

Jacqueline Church Simonds
Jacqui Murray
J.Q. Rose
Heather J. Bennett
Priscilla Bettis

Email Book Club Mom at bvitelli2009@gmail.com for more information.

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Book Club Mom’s Book on My Radar: Horse by Geraldine Brooks

My blogging friend Noelle Granger of Sayling Away recommended Horse by Geraldine Brooks to me a few months ago. Ever since, I’ve seen the book EVERYWHERE! So now I’m excited to have it on my Kindle, ready to go. I’m just about finished reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. After that, it’s on to Horse!

Here’s the description from Amazon:

Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award

A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history

Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack.

New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance.

Washington, DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse—one studying the stallion’s bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success.

Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism.

Brooks is also author of People of the Book and March, winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize.

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