Who’s That Indie Author? Angela Paolantonio

February 14, 2021March 6, 2021 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 23 Comments

Author Name: Angela Paolantonio

Genre: Memoir/Place-Based Travel Memoir/Women’s Studies

Books: Still Life with Saints (2020), The Ghosts of Italy (2016)

Are you a full-time author? If not, what’s your side gig? No I am not a full-time author. Once a twenty-year resident of Los Angeles life and culture, I have been an artist agent and photo editor/director for national and international advertising and editorial companies. Now in Italy, I’m an English language coach and consultant, while also keeping my other art and photography interests alive as curator and consultant for art and photography exhibits, books, and events in both Italy and the U.S.

Favorite author/books: At the moment my favorite international author is Elena Ferrante. I read her Neapolitan Novels, there are four in all, about a year or two before they hit the USA market. They were recommended by an Italian friend. Ferrante captures the life of Italian women’s experiences beautifully, accurately, in spectacular emotional prose. Other favorite authors or books are too numerous to list!

What experiences or people have influenced your writing the most? As a memoirist, experiences and people are the main influences for my writing.

Do you keep a writing journal and if so, how do you use it? I do not journal, however, I have kept and filled many plain notebooks with experiences, feelings, drawings, and ephemera for years, both in the USA and Italy. They resemble more art journals than writing journals. I have referenced them when writing; they inform me of where I’ve been.

Do you belong to a writers’ group? If so, describe your experience: I do not belong to any writers’ group.

Are you up with the sun or do you burn the midnight oil? I’m still a morning person. But with the help of a good Italian espresso or two I can burn the midnight oil with the best of them!

How do you get over a writing slump? I don’t typically have writing slumps. But to loosen up, I may write a letter or a blog post or do a twenty-minute stream of conscious exercise by hand.

Do you prefer writing dialogue or descriptive passages? I love both.

What are you working on now? I am always taking notes—as I recall my own stories of the many experiences I have had here over the years or listen closely when a neighbor or an acquaintance is telling me theirs. So book three or a screenplay…

What advice would you give to someone thinking about writing and publishing a book? It is one of the most rewarding creative processes I have ever experienced. But it is a longer process than you may think at first. The time you put into it is all your own. Be prepared to be challenged.

Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which podcasts do you find the most interesting? I have only recently been listening to podcasts due to our sort of global lockdown. Here in Italy we were the first. I love The Michelle Obama Podcast, Dax Shepard on Armchair Expert is great, and I like You and Me Both with Hilary Clinton. I’ve also been a guest on one called The Literary Goddess.

Favorite escape: An LA movie theater for a matinee. A medieval city in Italy. A simple passeggiata.

Have you ever tried Kombucha tea? I made Kombucha tea super moons ago in LA when an artist friend gave me a starter.

Do you prefer a couch with pillows or no pillows? I prefer a big deep couch with no pillows.

Would you rather rake leaves, shovel snow or weed? I’m an East Coast girl who lived for twenty years in LA, so all three.

Favorite mask – disposable paper, plain fabric, colorful print or something else? A plain white, pleated mask officially issued from the Regione di Campania.

Biggest writing challenge since Covid-19: Publishing Still Life With Saints by the end of this year. We did it!

Website and social media links:
Website: angelapaolantonio.com
Blog: lamericana@blogspot.com
BookLife: Angela Paolantonio
Instagram: AMPaolantonio | @ghostsofitaly

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.

Thanks for visiting – come back soon!

Book Club Mom’s April, May and June recap

July 1, 2020July 1, 2020 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 28 Comments

It’s no coincidence that I haven’t posted a monthly recap since this pandemic started. I haven’t felt like there was much to say or report. But now that three months have passed, I thought I’d better get the recaps back on schedule.

I’m sure we are all doing many of the same things. The empty shelves were really frightening to me in the beginning, but now the grocery store seems to be much better stocked. I missed out on the mad paper products run back in March, but we made it through without running out just the same.

I’ve been cooking and baking a lot. Have you?

I’ve mentioned our bird feeder in other posts. It has been a major form of entertainment for us and the subject of many conversations. Here a woodpecker is pretending no one will notice that he’s way too big to be on the feeder. He doesn’t care and jams his beak in there to get whatever he can get.

Last week we had a summer rain right before dinner and soon we had a pretty rainbow. Rainbows never get old, do they?

So, on to the blog. Here are links to my posts in April, May and June, in case you missed them.

Book Reviews

A Mother for His Twins by Jill Weatherholt
Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes
The Tenant by Katrine Engberg
A Hero of France by Alan Furst
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey
Yellow Door by C. Faherty Brown
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Outsider by Linda Castillo

Marian Longenecker Beaman
Jason R. Koivu
Matthew Arnold Stern
Eileen Stephenson
Christy Cooper-Burnett
Cendrine Marrouat
Alice Benson
Lillian McCloy
John W. Howell
Darlene Foster
Dorothy A. Winsor
C. Faherty Brown
Graeme Cumming

Miscellaneous book and blog talk

Short reviews from 2013: The Cay, The Giver and Orphan Train
Blog views and other obsessions – coping with the coronavirus part 2
On animals, nature, books and live feeds
On YouTube today – books coming up and what I’ve been doing
Pretty, colorful and unique book covers
On audiobooks and coloring
Blog views and other obsessions – switching to new WordPress Block Editor on June 1
On virtual book hauling
Book talk – epistolary novels
Celebrating 7 years of blogging!

How are you doing? Did you settle in to this new way of life? Are you now adjusting to re-openings? Leave a comment and tell me how it’s been.

Thanks for visiting – come back soon!

Who’s That Indie Author? Alice Benson

May 15, 2020May 15, 2020 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 14 Comments

Author name: Alice Benson

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Fiction

Books: A Year in Her Life (2019), Her Life is Showing (2014)

What’s your story and how did you become a writer? I’m a writer, a reader, a spouse, a mother, a grandmother, a friend, and a dog lover. I recently retired from a job in the human service field, but I have part-time work to help me make the transition. Spending time with family and friends is a constant priority. I also belong to a number of social action groups, focused on ending violence and promoting racial justice.

I’ve always loved to read. Some of my happiest childhood memories are days spent lying in the shade of a walnut tree with a bag of cherries and a book. I love words and I dreamed of writing something that other people would find meaningful. I’ve written for the majority of my life, but mostly I wrote pieces of things: rough drafts of stories, half an essay, one act of a play, and small pieces of a novel. When my children grew to adults and moved away from home, I decided to get serious. I found a class and a teacher, and I took pieces I’d written and strung them together into the cohesive story I wanted to tell for my first novel. After that, I just kept writing.

How do you balance your work with other demands? I’m not as disciplined as I could be. I do my best writing in the morning, so I try to get up early and write for an hour or two every morning before I jump into the day.

Name one of the happiest moments in your life: Not to be a cliché, but giving birth to my three children was amazing. Receiving that first book contract from my publisher was a close second.

What’s your approach to writing? Are you a “pantser” or a planner? I’m definitely a “pantser.” I don’t outline or plan ahead. I just start writing and see where it takes me. Often, I start with one idea in mind and end up in a completely different place, because the writing takes on a life of its own. I once wrote a story about a stripper who gets bitten by a monkey. I started it as a light, humorous piece, but it changed into a darker, more intense story about sexual abuse and lost dreams.

Could you write in a café with people around? I write in cafés fairly often. I have a writing group I get together with in a coffee shop twice a month. It’s great motivation to just write for two hours.

Have you ever written dialogue in a second language? If so, how did you do it? I wish I knew another language well enough to write dialogue in it, but I don’t.

What’s your favorite book and what are you reading now? I don’t have a favorite book, but I’ve been touched by the writing of Roxane Gay, Therese Mailhot, Celeste Ng, Barbara Kingsolver, Louise Erdrich, and Kathie Giorgio, among many others. I recently read Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid and loved it. I enjoy a variety of genres, and reading great writers inspires my writing to be better. At least, I hope so.

What’s your favorite way to read a book: hardcover, paperback, eReader? Paperbacks are my favorite.

Do you think print books will always be around? I believe we will always have print books. There’s nothing to take the place of the feeling of the pages.

Would you ever read a book on your phone? I read on my phone now and then. It’s nice to have a book always available.

What’s your go-to device? iPhone, Android or something else? I have an iPhone.

How long could you go without checking your phone? I love movies and always turn off my phone, so I can go at least 2 hours.

Do you listen to audiobooks? If you do, what do you do while you’re listening? I listen to audiobooks while walking my dogs. I’ve been able to increase the number of books I read in a year by listening to audiobooks.

Do you like using social media to promote yourself and your book? If so, what’s your favorite platform? As many writers do, I find marketing and self-promotion challenging. I think Twitter is my favorite platform, because I’ve found so many supportive writers in the Twitter community.

Website and social media links:
Website: alicebensonauthor.com
Twitter: @Alice19Benson
Facebook: Author Alice Benson
Instagram: abenson59

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.

Who’s That Indie Author? Christy Cooper-Burnett

May 1, 2020May 1, 2020 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 18 Comments

Author name: Christy Cooper-Burnett

Genre: Adventure, Light Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Book: No Way Home

What’s your story and how did you become a writer? I spent many years in the corporate world and began writing my novel on lunch hours and weekends. Although I began my writing career later in life, I found it a wonderful source of stress relief, and stuck with it. After completing my book, I took a chance and sent it out to small publishers to see if there was any interest. No one was more surprised than me when I received four contract offers.

How do you balance your work with other demands? I am lucky that I was able to retire early so I can write full-time now. While still in the workforce, it was difficult to find time to write more than a few hours a week. However, I always made sure to carve out a few hours of ‘me’ time to do so. I think it is important for women to take time for themselves and do something they enjoy, something that is all theirs. Between work and family, it is easy to neglect our own needs at times.

Name one of the happiest moments in your life: Hands down, the day my son was born was the happiest of my life. However, receiving a publishing offer was a close second! It was a validation that my writing was good enough to share with the world, and that was a defining moment for me.

What’s your approach to writing? Are you a “pantser” or a planner? I’m definitely a planner. While I do not need to have a formal outline for a book, I do need to have a complete storyline mapped out in my head. Subplots will materialize as I write, but I find that once I have the basic storyline settled it is far easier and faster to move forward. I do take notes on research though as organization is a must for me.

Could you write in a café with people around? I could, yes. Because I began writing in my office during lunch hours, there was constant noise and activity around me. I think I trained myself to shut out the distractions as I do not need quiet in order to write.

Have you ever written dialogue in a second language? If so, how did you do it? I have not. I’m not sure how successful I would be at that as I am not bilingual. I would require an online translator and that may be a train wreck waiting to happen!

What’s your favorite book and what are you reading now? I don’t think I can choose just one book. There are several books I thought were so well written and entertaining that I have read them twice. For instance, Justin Cronin’s The Passage and City of Mirrors. I have also read William R. Forstchen’s One Second After series twice. I just finished a wonderful book, Dear Dad, A Novel by John Hazen.

What’s your favorite way to read a book: hardcover, paperback, eReader? I have always thought that holding a print book, whether hardcover or paperback, is part of the experience for me. However, I am beginning to come around to the eReader. My last few books have been on Kindle.

Do you think print books will always be around? I hope so! I know the trend and forecast is that eBooks will eventually take over. But there is something so magical about the weight of a book in your hands, the smell of a new book, the weathering and history of an old book that will always draw me in.

Would you ever read a book on your phone? Yes, I have read books on my phone in the past but given the choice I would always opt for an actual book.

What’s your go-to device? iPhone, Android or something else? iPhone. It’s easy to navigate for people in my age group. LOL

How long could you go without checking your phone? The only reason my phone is typically with me is because my son lives eight hundred miles away and I never want to miss a call from him. If that were out of the equation, I could go all day and be happy without my phone.

Do you listen to audiobooks? If you do, what do you do while you’re listening? I have never been able to get into audiobooks. I enjoy reading the words and building the story in my mind. When I read dialogue, I like to imagine the tone and inflection in the characters voice. There is something exciting about turning the pages and anticipating what is coming next that I can’t get with an audiobook.

Do you like using social media to promote yourself and your book? If so, what’s your favorite platform? Yes, I do. I think social media is vital to an emerging author such as myself. My favorite platform is Facebook, because it is more personal than twitter in my experience. Twitter tends to be a quick post and then people move on. I think Facebook is more relationship centric.

Website and social media links:
Website: christycooperburnett.com
Facebook: Christy Cooper-Burnett Author
Instagram: christycooperburnett
Goodreads Author: Christy Cooper-Burnett

Awards/special recognition: I do not have any awards as of yet, however, my publisher will enter my book into the Pencraft and Maxy Awards this year.

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.

Who’s That Indie Author? Eileen Stephenson

April 24, 2020April 24, 2020 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 8 Comments

Author name: Eileen Stephenson

Genre: Historical Fiction and History

Books: Tales of Byzantium, Imperial Passions – The Porta Aurea, and Byzantine History in the 11^th Century – A Brief Introduction

What’s your story and how did you become a writer? I grew up loving history and stories about far off places, and I had a dream about being a writer, but could not decide what to write about. Eventually, I got into a day job in finance, married and had three daughters before I found my subjects – Anna Dalassena and the Byzantines.

How do you balance your work with other demands? I still have a day job so the time I can devote to writing is limited to nights and weekends (when family needs don’t interfere). I will be leaving the day job this summer and I’m already working on a schedule to increase my productivity.

Name one of the happiest moments in your life: When I attended my first Historical Novel Society Conference in London in 2012 and realized that I had finally found my people.

What’s your approach to writing? Are you a “pantser” or a planner? I write about historical people and the events they lived through, so planning is critical. However, you can’t plan everything!

Could you write in a café with people around? No, I can’t even write with music playing. Silence is golden.

Have you ever written dialogue in a second language? If so, how did you do it? Not that ambitious!

What’s your favorite book and what are you reading now? Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander is my favorite for entertainment, while John Julius Norwich’s A Short History of Byzantium is my favorite for inspiration. I just finished Philippa Gregory’s first novel, Wideacre, so trying to decide on the next book now.

What’s your favorite way to read a book: hardcover, paperback, eReader? I prefer eReaders for fiction and entertainment. Paper of any kind for research material.

Do you think print books will always be around? Yes.

Would you ever read a book on your phone? Only when desperate due to my chronic case of abibliophobia (fear of being without books).

What’s your go-to device? iPhone, Android or something else? The day job keeps me tethered with an iPhone, so I think that’s what I’ll always use.

How long could you go without checking your phone? Let’s not go into that. I’m working on it.

Do you listen to audiobooks? If you do, what do you do while you’re listening? Yes, my daily commute is crazy; I’ve kept my sanity with audiobooks.

Do you like using social media to promote yourself and your book? If so, what’s your favorite platform? I am on Facebook and Twitter and love them both. The people fascinated with Byzantine history are all over the world. Social media has connected me to them and helped me find many of my readers.

Website and social media links:
Website: eileenstephenson.com
Twitter: @Byzyeileen
Facebook: Eileen Stephenson

Awards/special recognition: All of my books have been awarded the Indie/B.R.A.G. gold medallion. Imperial Passions – The Porta Aurea has been recommended by Discovering Diamonds – Independent Reviews of the Best in Historical Fiction. Imperial Passions – The Porta Aurea was a semi-finalist for the Chaucer Book Awards by Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media.

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.

Who’s That Indie Author? Jason R. Koivu

April 10, 2020April 10, 2020 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 16 Comments

Author name: Jason R. Koivu

Genre: Fantasy

Books: Beyond Barlow, The Rue of Hope (#2 in Beyond Barlow series)

What’s your story and how did you become a writer? I got the bug early on, but didn’t do much about it until I started self-publishing some travel journal stuff after my wife and I went to Oaxaca in 2014. It was a great trip to a wonderful place. I wanted to write about all the amazing things we did and saw, so I kept a daily diary and that eventually was turned into a book. A couple years after that I secured a contract with a publisher and since then I’ve mainly been working on my fantasy series.

How do you balance your work with other demands? I run a photo booth operation, doing occasional party events in the evenings and on weekends, so I have an unusual schedule. It gives me plenty of free time for writing.

Name one of the happiest moments in your life: Getting that first book contract was an incredibly happy moment. Not to bring down the mood but…Just minutes after receiving the news of the contract, I opened the email that informed me a friend of mine had taken his own life the night before. So, that day will be forever burned in my memory, the two events always entwined.

What’s your approach to writing? Are you a “pantser” or a planner? Planner. I organize the crap out of the books I’m about to work on. I used to pants it as a kid, but after a couple unfinished manuscripts that went nowhere because I didn’t have an ending or I boxed myself into a bad idea, I decided any future work would include outlines. However, once I construct the skeleton, I allow myself the freedom to dress it in flesh and muscle of my choosing. Changes to my plans happen often and I embrace them.

Could you write in a café with people around? Sure! My favorite brewpub down the street from my house has a nice corner spot at the bar where I can be out of the way while I type. Writing in public isn’t ideal, because of the distractions, but over the years I’ve developed a fair ability to block out extraneous noise.

What’s your favorite book and what are you reading now? The most meaningful book for me would be To Kill a Mockingbird. But for pure nostalgic enjoyment it’s The Fellowship of the Ring. Right now, I’m reading The Murder on the Links, Agatha Christie’s second book in her Poirot series.

What’s your favorite way to read a book: hardcover, paperback, eReader? I love a paperback, but it doesn’t much matter, just as long as I’m reading.

Do you think print books will always be around? No. Not in profusion, at any rate. But I hope to be dead by then. J

Would you ever read a book on your phone? I have and it wasn’t fun. But it was on an early iPhone which had small screen, so…probably not the best conditions for a good reading experience.

Do you listen to audiobooks? If you do, what do you do while you’re listening? Yes, I go through quite a few of them. I line up some household duties and knock them out while listening. The dishes, laundry and yard work don’t require concentration, so it’s a good time to listen to an audiobook. Plus, it makes it feel like the drudge work is going by faster. I actually look forward to weeding the garden or raking the lawn if I’ve got something good to listen to.

Do you like using social media to promote yourself and your book? If so, what’s your favorite platform? Probably Instagram, because I don’t have to talk about myself. I hate doing promotion. I don’t like selling myself or my work. It doesn’t feel right and I’m not good at it…. How’s this interview going? Lol

Website and social media links:
Blog: jasonrkoivu.blogspot.com
Instagram: jason_r_koivu
Facebook: @beyondbarlow
Twitter: @JKoivu

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.

Who’s That Indie Author? Gary D. Hillard

March 20, 2020March 22, 2020 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 11 Comments

Author name: Gary D. Hillard

Genre: Fiction

Books: 12.5 so far: Betts’ Best, Betts’ Becoming, Betts’ Belonging, The Buckman Kids, Road Trip, The Fosters of Camp Algonquin, Page of Swords, Alicia and the Queen of the Forest, Kenny and Stan, Cora Jenny, and the Keeper, Anna, Flossy Underoak. Jessica Jett Takes Off is a work in progress, which I hope to have done in early April.

What’s your story and how did you become a writer? I retired at 57 after twenty-two years as a child and family therapist, and eleven years as a school teacher. I had raised four kids, including two girls I adopted out of foster care, and was a foster parent as well. I came away from my work pretty well burned out, and filled with stories, that I thought needed to be told.

How do you balance your work with other demands? Work wins. I’m single, retired, and my youngest child is 22 years old. I don’t even have a dog at this point.

Name one of the happiest moments in your life: A seven-week cross-country tent-camping trip with my two youngest girls. All done in an early 70s Toyota. It’s pretty much their favorite time, too.

What’s your approach to writing? I wait at the end of a dock, and out of the fog, a story-ship appears. When it docks, I climb aboard and explore, taking notes as I go. It’s magic. There is usually about a day or two in between finishing one book and starting on the next.

Could you write in a café with people around? I could, and have. But most of my writing is early in the morning, in my Vermont cabin. Tunes on, coffee or tea, and the story.

Have you ever written dialogue in a second language? Nope. Can’t imagine it.

What’s your favorite book and what are you reading now? Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger, is my long-term favorite. Read it. It’s pretty great. I’m currently reading Invisible Americans, by Jeff Madrick, The Poet’s Corner, edited by John Lithgow, and Sunday’s Children, by Ingmar Bergman. I can do multiple books if only one of them is fiction.

What’s your favorite way to read a book: hardcover, paperback, eReader? I spend about four to six hours each day writing on my MacBook. That’s way more screen time than I would like, so I only read paper.

Do you think print books will always be around? I hope so. Something magic about paper and ink.

Would you ever read a book on your phone? I have a flip phone, without internet connection. No books on there. I have to squint to see the texts.

What’s your go-to device? iPhone, Android or something else? Probably a guitar or a mandolin. If it has to plug in, it would be my turntable, a vintage receiver and JBL speakers. Plus maybe ten feet of vinyl records. Currently listening to Dire Straits.

How long could you go without checking your phone? Days at a time. My kids hate that.

Do you listen to audiobooks? If you do, what do you do while you’re listening? Once or twice, when traveling. I’m kind of a fan of silence these days. Wanting to just sit and think about stuff. I love to drive and see where I am, and think about it.

Do you like using social media to promote yourself and your book? If so, what’s your favorite platform? I’m on Facebook, and pretty much hate it. I used it to stay in touch with my students, who now have kids of their own. I push my books on FB as well, awkwardly, with some success.

Website and social media links: Bear Hill Books, on FB

Awards/special recognition: My kids think I was a pretty good dad. That’s the best one.

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.

Book Club Mom’s May recap – books, birthdays and a graduation

May 31, 2019May 31, 2019 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 14 Comments

I don’t know what happened to May, but here we are at the finish. It’s a big month for birthdays in my family and we squeezed in a college graduation too! It’s always nice to settle into a comfy chair during the down times and relax with a book, a show or a puzzle.

I’ve become a bit crazy with a word game I have on my ancient Kindle called Every Word: Crossings, and I have been playing it obsessively. I never look at that as a waste of time, though. Things like that always help me sort out my day.

And I went a little overboard with my Barbie doll posts (see below), but it’s been fun (for me, at least!) sharing something that I loved as a girl.

This month, I read and reviewed three regular books:

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd – if you like mystery series, this is the first of the Bess Crawford stories, set in England during World War I. I enjoyed both the characters and the historical setting. The author, Charles Todd, is actually a mother-son writing team.

More and more, it seems, fiction books are being co-authored and this month I wrote a post about this very thing!

Author teams and pen names – if the story’s good, does it matter? Not to me!

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren – in this memoir about becoming a female scientist, Jahren writes a compelling personal story about family, love, friendship, mental health and the difficulties of earning a living as a scientist. (Jahren made it big, after a long road, and has won many awards.)

The Beneficiary – Fortune, Misfortune, and the Story of my Father by Janny Scott – a biography of Robert Montgomery Scott, written by his daughter. A tale of four generations of a wealthy Main Line, Pennsylvania family and their 800-acre estate and the complicated relationships among family members.

As I mentioned above, I also started a series that celebrates books about the Barbie doll’s 60^th birthday. Here are the first two posts, indulging my obsession. I’ll share my final Barbie post next week.

Dressing Barbie: A Celebration of the Clothes That Made America’s Favorite Doll and the Incredible Woman Behind Them – Carol Spencer

Look what Barbie’s wearing! Barbie Fashion 1959-1967 by Sarah Sink Eames

May was a busier indie author month. I introduced three hard-working writers:

Richard Doiron
Lucia N. Davis
Frank Prem

If you are an indie or self-published author and would like to be featured on Who’s That Indie Author, please email me at bvitelli2009@gmail.com. To shake things up, I’ve updated my interview with a new set of questions!

Next week, we’re starting a Summer Reading program at the library where I work, so I’ll be signing up for that. I plan to work these two books onto my list:

June book previews: Lot – Stories by Bryan Washington and Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

And last, I was sorry to see that American author Herman Wouk died on May 17, at age 103. I’ve enjoyed many of his books and think I will go back to some of them this summer. I had a fun time looking at these book covers – did you notice that the last two, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, fit together to make a bigger picture?

Remembering American author Herman Wouk, 1915 – 2019

I hope you had a good month, out in the world and between the pages. I’m looking forward to a good summer!

Thanks for visiting – come back soon!

Who’s That Indie Author? Giselle Roeder

March 6, 2019March 6, 2019 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 10 Comments

Author name: Giselle Roeder

Genre: Health, History, Memoir

Books:
Healing with Water, Kneipp-Hydrotherapy at Home
Sauna – The Hottest Way to Good Health
We Don’t Talk About That – An Amazing Story of Survival/WWII
Forget Me Not, A Bouquet of Stories, Thoughts and Memories
Ein Mensch von Gestern – Heute – a German poetry book

When did you begin your writing career? Probably already in Grade 3; I loved writing essays while everybody else hated it. As a young adult, I wrote about our kayak races, results and stories for a newspaper. As a young mother, I had a newspaper column about healthy living and exercise. I also wrote articles about alternative health, the benefits of exercise and skin care for several health magazines.

In 2000, Healing with Water, Kneipp-Hydrotherapy at Home was published, a year later, Sauna – The Hottest Way to Good Health, and my memoir, We Don’t Talk About That, followed in 2014. It is a true story about the horrors happening in the war, the Russian invasion of Germany, rape, murder, hunger, disease and surviving against all the odds. Forget Me Not is a collection of short stories about people who greatly influenced my life. The German (happy!) poetry book was written during a respite from my serious writing. Right now I am working on the sequel to We Don’t Talk About That and I plan to publish it later this year.

What’s your approach to writing? Are you a “pantser” or a planner? I am a planner. I seem to be quiet or even moody and explain “I am pregnant with my new book.” My thoughts follow me into my dreams.

What’s your working style – morning or late-night writer? Afternoons, and I get better at night without interruptions.

Do you work at a computer or write long-hand? Mainly computer. Long-hand when a thought hits me, and I am not at home. Always carry a pen and paper.

What gets those words flowing, coffee or tea? Neither. I love water with some apple juice mixed in to give it a bit of taste. Sometimes fresh lemon.

Favorite book: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Plus many other writers. My favorite modern books are Lyn Alexander’s The Schellendorf Series, covering the time from before WWI to after WWII.

Favorite movie: Dr. Zhivago

Favorite musician: Beethoven

Links:
Website: giselleroeder.com
Facebook: @WeDontTalkAboutThat
Twitter: @GiselleRoeder1
LinkedIn: Gisselle Roeder

Awards/special recognition: Honorary Master Herbalist

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

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

Thanks for visiting – come back soon!

Book Club Mom’s February recap – a month of blog posts

February 28, 2019March 31, 2019 ~ Book Club Mom ~ 9 Comments

February was both cold and icy in my world! Image: Pixabay

Phew! February was a short and busy month, both here and out in the world. I’m sure it’s the same for all of you. I try to visit as many blogs as possible, but sometimes I run out of time. Some of the bloggers I follow post weekly or monthly summaries and I’ve always found that helpful because I don’t like to miss out!

So here’s an “ICYMI” summary of what went down in February at Book Club Mom. Click on the links to visit each post.

Book Reviews – I don’t always power through books, but I do try to read one book a week. That’s about all I can handle. Here’s what I read this month:

Feb 2: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Feb 11: The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi
Feb 19: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
Feb 25: Leaving the Beach by Mary Rowen

I enjoy meeting indie authors and learning about their books and lives. I aim for one feature a week. Keep those requests for profiles coming!

From left to right, HL Carpenter, Pamela S. Wight, Kathleen Jowitt

Feb 7: HL Carpenter
Feb 15: Pamela S. Wight
Feb 24: Kathleen Jowitt

General Interest – I have a lot of fun thinking about book trends and book related ideas. And because I work in a library, I’m surrounded by books and often get the scoop on what’s new from my work friends.

Feb 4: Litsy – have you heard about this social media app for book lovers?
Feb: 12: When “silent” characters find their voices
Feb 18: The characters you love to hate: the role of the villain in stories
Feb 19: New York Books – the list is growing!
Feb 20: Book Talk – Dreyer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer
Feb 26: Books with double titles – am I seeing things?

On YouTube – I’m still experimenting with ideas and settings. I’m working on a “field trip” video for next month, but I’m waiting for the weather to improve. So these two posts are from my couch: