More Events Galore!!

Well, I am really excited to tell you about several up coming events for me. I have been working very hard and I am gratified that I am seeing some good results.

The first event is a meet up I am having to learn about your life story and how to produce it. I am so excited to meet people and help them bring their life to other people. The date of the Meet up will be very soon, I will let you all know as soon as it is set in stone. I really hope to see you all there:)

Before that on line I am having another of my Virtual Events, I will discuss all the exciting new developments and my new book. The new one is really different, so come join us on Friday to hear all the great new information. Here is the link; http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189840741083902 .

Exciting news about a reading that I am going to join on line. The event is call A Live Reading. The one I will be on is September 18th. I will be reading with three other writers and the whole reading will take a couple of hours. Your going to have a couple of choices you can listen on your phone or watch it on your computer. Kind of cool, huh? We can all do it in the comfort of our homes, and my little kitty Xena is very happy I won't be leaving her that day:)

There is a new article I wrote for Working Writer called Why Should you Stick To One Medium.

Here is the Link, tell me what you think; http://workingwritersandbloggers.com/2011/08/10/why-should-you-just-stick-to-one-medium/ .


I would like to welcome my newest writer to my Interview Series; Annette Jahnel. She is here to chat about writing and her novels; My Year of Beds and Andi Micki and the Men of Mallorca. So lets give her a warm welcome:)

What was the first book you remember loving? Do you still own it?

It was an antique, cloth bound copy of Grimm's fairytales. Yes, I still own it, but in wanting to read the stories to my daughter, I discovered that those original German fairytales were anything but pleasant. As example, the original version of Cinderella involves the bloody business of chopped off toes and heels. The prince only noticing that the shoe was forced to fit the ugly sisters when he noticed the blood welling from it. And so all the stories go. How time change. I wonder that I liked the book at all. Perhaps it was rather the act of being allowed to sit on fathers or mothers knee while they read to me that holds the appeal, and the illustrations are very beautiful.

What kind of books do you like to read? Do those books have an affect on your own writing?

My reading habits have changed over the years. But if I am to find a thread, the books that appeal to me always deal with discovery. From the Adventure Series of Enid Blyton or her Wishing Chair series, I wanted a chair like that, one that would take me to far away places. I got myself a Wish Mobile instead. I read all of the James Michener's books in my teens.

Now I read books that explore the mind, and the possibilities that are contained in our expanding knowledge; Quantum physics, Philosophy, and my favorite light reads are books that seem to delve into the absurd, but managed to expose the simple truths of life. Tom Robbins and Douglas Adams are two of my favorite authors for light yet deeply thought provoking reads.

I think everything we experience in life affects how we think and express ourselves. Which is why my advise to my daughter has always been; be careful what you allow into your mind, once its in there you can never get it out.

Do you remember what is the first book that touched you deeply?

So many books, so many moments. No, I cannot say that I do, although Dr Seuss and his mad world of strange creatures, bent trees and twisted language is making a serious play for my attention right now.

Is there an era of writing that affects you? 1920, 1800's so fourth?

No, although I do like really fat books, I hate getting to the end of a really good book. There is a little death right there in the last full stop.

One of my favorite books is a monster called A Terrible Beauty. I have read it three times, and will probably read it several times more. In this modern age of limited attention span, the fat book does seem to be a dying breed. Fat is bad...even for books.

Where do you like to write? Is there a favorite nook or corner?

I am nomadic by nature so I don't have a favorite nook or corners. i do have the great good fortune of having friends with cottages tucked away in exotic corners of the world.

Do you prefer one genre' to another?

No, I will read just about anything. Life is a quest for knowledge, and, as we learnt from the movie Men in Black, knowledge can be found in the most unlikely places.

Do you like the feel of a book in your hands or do you prefer an electronic device?

I don't yet own an electronic reader so have no way of judging. I imagine that in time there will be no choice. I do know that for the digital native (those people born into the digital age) the question is moot. They read electronically... is there any other way?

Can you tell us about what your working on now?

I am just about to embark on a countrywide talk tour through South Africa, promoting my book, My Year of Beds. In the background I am doing spade work for my next book, Andi Micki and the Men of Mallorca. It promises love, lust, travel and general youthful misadventure.

Thank you so much Annette, it was a really good interview! Your answers filled my mind with more questions, maybe we could have another chat sometime. Please go to Annette's website athttp://www.ajahnel.com/ .

Till next time:)