Great Giveaway and Tribute to a Personal Hero

When I was a kid my father use to read a lot of stories to my Brother and I. He loved stories. When we got older one of the authors he use to tell us stories from was Ray Bradbury. He made it so we could understand it but we loved his stories. As I grew older and read his short stories and books I fell in love with his writing all over again. Ray Bradbury passed away Wednesday at 91 years old. He was a hero of mine for many reasons, If you have read my short stories and books you would see his name as one of my favorite writers and an inspiration to me.

Also I was lucky enough to meet him on several occasions. The first was in college. I saw him at CSUN. As you can see from the picture on top he talked about trusting what you love. To chase your dreams, he truly believed that. He also talked about one of his passions, he was full of enthusiasm and passion about Dinosaurs. Yep, Dinosaurs. He was really funny but he meant it, later he did bring a lot of his concepts to life but he talked about his life long passion for them. I was so charmed, I never forgot it. I even reminded him of it years later when I saw him at a Science Fiction Convention, he didn't remember the talk but he laughed and said that it sure sounded like him. He was such a nice man, as well as a genius. The most approachable famous person I had ever met, I will miss him.

I have a giveaway with the great site Goodreads! You will get a signed copy of my book Fantasy Time Inc. So cool! Here is the link; http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/27034-fantasy-time-inc .

I am starting a new series of interviews this time I am trying an exchange with different writers here is my first guest for the series the talented T. M Souders .

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

The first book? Several things come to mind, but the books that really got me reading were The Girl Talk series (I think they were called). They were middle grade fiction and about a group of four friends. I absolutely loved them. I believe my mother donated them a long time ago, but I so wish I still had them now so I could let my daughter read them when she’s old enough.

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

I read a myriad of genres, but what really draws me in are character driven novels, where the plot is good, but the focus is on the characters, their interaction, and development. What make a good story, to me, are the emotions the novel evokes. I definitely think my preference has an impact on my writing. I write what I like to read, which is mainly women’s fiction and romance, which are character driven.

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

Hmm…that’s a hard one, but I would say The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I hate that that sounds like such a commercial answer, but the topic of Alzheimer’s hits home for me, so the book was particularly emotional.

Is there an era of writing that affects you? 1920, 1800’s so forth?

Not really. I love historical fiction as well as novels set in present day. No one era draws me in more than the others, but I do love learning something new about time and place in a novel.

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

Ha! I write everywhere, which is why I insist on having a laptop to carry around. Once, I even took taken my two young children for a car ride so they’d fall asleep, and I wrote with the car running, hunkered down behind the steering wheel.

Do you prefer one genre to another?

I have a very eclectic taste in books. I read everything from literary fiction, women’s fiction, romance, to mysteries and young adult. I would say I most frequently read women’s fiction and romance though.

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

I love a real book, but have to say that if someone gave me a copy of the same book in paperback and on my Kindle, I would turn to my Kindle. I love it! Still though, there’s something nostalgic about a tangible book that no eReader can replace.

Can you tell us about what your working on now?

I just finished a young adult/crossover novel, which is waiting for editing. The title is Freedom Road. Here’s the basic premise: a coming of age story and family drama, about an eighteen year old girl, with a dream to play guitar at Julliard. In a single moment, all her dreams are shattered when her father severs her left ring finger, and she　must pull herself up by her bootstraps and relearn how to play the guitar with one missing digit. Or be destined to give up her dreams forever.

In the meantime, I have started plotting my next project, which will be a romance.

Thanks so much for your great interview if you would like to buy her book please click the below link.

http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-On-Hope-T-M-Souders/dp/1463721013

Here is the link to my feature on her great site; The Cheap Kindle Daily;

http://cheapkindledaily.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/todays-featured-read-167/

Till Next Time...