Book Review: A Bride’s Dilemma in Friendship, Tennessee
April 26, 2012 by Lillie
A Bride’s Dilemma in Friendship, Tennessee by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I met Diana Brandmeyer online several years ago when we both had books with the same electronic publisher and have been a fan a long time. While I was predisposed to like Diana’s latest book, historical romance isn’t a favorite genre for me, so my review is as objective and unbiased as humanly possible.
I love the characters, especially Heaven, Angel, and Travis. My minor complaint about the characters is that I wondered for about halfway through the book how old Angel was. At various times in the story, I guessed her age to be younger or older than it actually was when it was finally mentioned. I hope to read more about Annabelle and Jake in a future book.
The faith message is intricately woven into the story so that it teaches but doesn’t preach. A strong woman’s struggle to be independent, a discouraged doctor’s desire to avoid medical failures, a pre-teen’s will to live a normal life in spite of a disability, a father’s attempt to provide a safe future for his daughters, a guilt-ridden soldier’s efforts to withdraw from society, and a jilted young woman’s plan to run away from embarrassment combine in an intriguing story in post-Civil War Tennessee. Add a little humor, and you have a real winner that will appeal to fans of Christian fiction, lovers of romance, readers who enjoy history of Civil War times, and those who like to read a love story that acknowledges physical attraction but focuses on emotional connection.
View all my reviews
Interview with Author Barri Bryan
March 16, 2012 by Lillie
My guest today is my very dear friend Billie Houston, aka Barri Bryan. I met Billie and her husband Herb at the San Antonio Romance Writers. They had already electronically published several books when my novel Stroke of Luck came out, and they invited me to join them on an e-booksigning tour to Hastings Book Stores. None of the three of us has a good sense of direction, and we invariably got lost driving through the little towns. We always seemed to find the county courthouse everywhere we went! We had a lot of fun and developed a great friendship during our travels.
Billie and Herb introduced me to EPIC; we went to several conferences together, and Billie and Herb were part of my ideal writing weekend after one of the conferences. Billie and I will be attending the eFiesta at EPICon on March 17, and I’m really looking forward to both the event and seeing Billie.
Billie has recently released a book of poetry—Four Part Harmony, which I have reviewed.
Lillie: Welcome to A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye, Billie.
Billie: I’m glad to be here. Thank you for inviting me.
Lillie: As I mentioned in my review, I’m not normally an aficionado of poetry, but I love your work. When did you develop a love of poetry, and how long have been writing it?
Billie: I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t fascinated by the magic of words set to meter and rhyme. The first poems I recall hearing were nursery rhymes that were printed on my little brother’s baby powder can. My mother would read them to me over and over again, and I never tired of hearing them. I wrote my first poem when I was in the second grade.
Lillie: Two of my favorite poems in Four Part Harmony are “After the Fact” and “Hindsight.” I really identify with them because they so poignantly express the feelings of someone who has a loved one with dementia. Alzheimer’s is often called “the long goodbye” because the person loses cognitive skills, memory, and the ability to communicate even though their body is functional. We know our loved one is still there, but it’s difficult to connect. How were you able to capture those feelings so movingly?
Billie: The inspiration for both these poems was sparked by a fleeting moment of insight as I pondered a question my granddaughter asked. “Grandma, what will you do when Granddad is gone?” I suddenly realized the man I had loved for so many years, the man who had been my husband, my friend, my lover, my partner, and my protector may still be alive, but he was already gone. That brief and heartbreaking revelation was the beginning. Later I would work many hours to control and match the language of my imagination to the rhythm I heard in my head and the visions of my inner eye. Composing verse may seem on the surface to be simple and easy. It is arguably the most disciplined and structured of all literary undertakings
Lillie: I have no doubt that poetry is extremely challenging to write. What is the most important thing you want readers to take away from Four Part Harmony?
Billie: I hope readers will take away from Four Part Harmony the idea that poetry is not something esoteric and removed from daily life. It is a reflection of daily life.
Lillie: That’s what I like most about your poems—they address real life. You’re also the author of a book on writing. Tell my readers a little about that.
Billie: The title of my book on writing is A Core Curriculum for Creative Writing. Occasionally someone asks me, “What is creative writing?” I am always honest and tell them that I don’t have a definitive answer for that question. I do know that every creative writing act overpasses the recognized order in some way, that creativity is a process, and that a creative writer always begins with that small spark that fuels imagination.
I taught English in public schools for several years. I became convinced during that time that the best way to learn to write is to write. A Core Curriculum for Creative Writing is predicated on the belief that learning to write well is not about reading, remembering, and reciting. It is about comprehension, perception, and recognition. The aim of A Core Curriculum is threefold: to help writers understand the importance of purpose, to perceive writing as a process, and to recognize the underlying principles that govern that process.
Lillie: You and Herb have also written a number of romances under the name Barri Bryan. I got such a kick out of the story of how and why you and Herb came up with the pseudonym. Please share that delightful story with my readers.
Billie: Twenty-two years ago when Herb and I first began writing as a team, we used our own names Billie and Herb Houston. One afternoon our then-quite-young-son came roaring into our front yard on his motorcycle. He came into the house, scowled at Herb and me, and announced, “You two are embarrassing me.”
I looked at his several tattoos, the ring in his ear, and his pony tail and wondered how I had managed that feat.
Herb ventured to ask, “How?”
Our son has a business in San Antonio. It seems that some of his employees had found one of our publisher’s web sites. A steamy love scene from one of our romantic novels was posted there. They read it and immediately began to ask, “Are these Houstons related to you?”
I seriously doubt that our son admitted that we were his parents.
It was then that we decided, or rather he decided, we needed a pen name. We chose Barri Bryan because two of our grandsons are named Barry and Brian.
Lillie: Where can readers learn more about you and your books?
Billie: I have books at Amazon
Fictionwise (search for Barri Bryan).
Lillie: Plenty of places to find your books! Several years ago, as a part of EPIC, you and I worked together to start the New Voices writing competition for junior high and high school students. That competition has grown dramatically and is now one of EPIC’s showcase programs. You came up with the rules, guidelines, and categories, and they have changed little through the years. What in your experience enabled you to come up with such an effective competition?
Billie: The idea for the rules, guidelines, and categories for New Voices came for my experience as a teacher. There were often contests that students could enter to compete for scholarship money or other prizes. I remembered rules, guideline1,s and categories from several different contests I had worked with in the past, and I drew on that knowledge to put together what I thought would best work for New Voices.
I am proud to have had a small part in starting this work. It is such a great way to encourage fledgling writers and to recognize young talent.
Lillie: Is there anything I’ve failed to ask that you would like to share with my readers?
Billie: My current WIP (work in progress) is titled Forbidden. It’s, of course, a love story. It’s almost complete. Below is a blurb:
Forbidden delights are sweeter by far than any other pleasures are.
It seemed the perfect summer job, in a perfect setting, a luxurious ranch in far West Texas. Then the mystery and intrigue that surround this isolated utopia begin to unravel. Zoë Martin finds herself caught in a web of deceit and lies and falling in love with the one man in the world that she has no right to claim.
Can she find her way through the maze of secrets and taboos that haunt this forbidden place or has fate conspired with circumstance to ensnare her in a net of cunning and deceit?
Lillie: Sounds great, Billie. I’ll be watching for it. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing about your writing with my readers. They will probably have more questions for you. Will you check in during the day to respond to comments and answer questions?
Billie: Yes, I will be happy to do that.
Lillie: If you have questions for Billie, leave a comment below.
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strong>BIO
Barri Bryan is the pen name for Billie Houston. I acquired a pseudonym at the behest of my adult children when one of them discovered a steamy excerpt from one of my romances at the website of a publisher.
I am a former teacher and educator. I like poetry, George Strait’s music, old movies, and Earl Grey tea. My hobbies are reading, quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, taking long walks, and growing houseplants and herbs.
I’m a four-time EPPIE winner and a published author with over twenty novels, four books of poetry, numerous essays, several short stories, and one non-fiction how-to-write-book to my credit. I have been writing since 1990. I write the kind of books I enjoy reading — romantic tales about relationships, stories that explore feelings and probe emotions. The plots revolve around ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances and faced with difficult decisions.
National March into Literacy Month 2012
March 13, 2012 by Lillie
We’re in the middle of National March into Literacy Month, sponsored by Marine Toys for Tots Literacy Program.
The purpose of the program is to provide resources for the most economically disadvantaged children to develop reading skills. I want every child to know how to read and to love reading and books as much as I do.
In honor of this month devoted to children’s literacy, MAT@USC has provided an infographic of best-loved children’s books.
Via MAT@USC: Become a Teacher
Read an E-Book Week 2012 Is Here
March 4, 2012 by Lillie
Updated 3/11/12: Read an E-Book Week has ended, and the free ebook offer has expired. The file and link have been removed.
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Last week I gave a preview of Read an E-Book Week, which runs March 4-10, 2012.
Find special offers from publishers, authors, and booksellers on the Read an E-Book website.
When Fern Tate sold her interior landscape company to a national corporation, she didn’t expect to have a boss like Pendleton Morgenthal, III. Had she made the biggest mistake of her life?
Pen never allowed a woman—especially a subordinate—to distract him from his fast-track career. What was it about Fern that made her different?
Your free download is a zip file. Unzip the file and choose your favorite format: .mobi (Kindle), .epub (Adobe Digital Editions), .pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader), .rtf (word processors), and .txt (a variety of programs on any computer).
Read an E-Book Week, March 4-10, 2012
February 28, 2012 by Lillie
The download link and file were removed when Read an E-Book Week ended.
When Read an E-Book Week first began in 2004, there were many people who had never read an e-book. Once the Kindle
If you still have never read an e-book next week is the perfect time to get started. You can download free e-books in a variety of genres, so you can try e-books without risk.
If you, like me, are a e-book fan, you can stock up on free reading material to keep you busy for a long time.
Find special offers from publishers, authors, and booksellers on the Read an E-Book website.
My humorous contemporary romance, Fern’s Fancies, will be available for free download here during Read an E-Book Week.
Book Review: Four Part Harmony by Barri Bryan
February 24, 2012 by Lillie
Four Part Harmony by Barri Bryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
On one hand, I would be inclined to like this book because the author is a very dear friend of mine, and she dedicated the book to me and sent me a copy. On the other hand, I would be inclined not to like the book because I am usually not a big fan of poetry. So the result is that my natural inclinations cancel each other out, and my review is based totally on my reaction what I read.
Four Part Harmony is composed of four short books.
Touch Me contains poems of love and loss, happiness and regret—deeply emotional. My favorite in this section is After the Fact. It touched me deeply and brought tears to my eyes. He Said She Said brought a smile and chuckle.
Highway Thirty Five South may be my favorite section because the poems are about sights and scenes on a highway I know well, and I recognized many of the places described. I appreciated that something as mundane as an abandoned car became the subject of a poem that creates a scene in the reader’s eye and an old cemetery brings thoughts of life and death.
Point of Reference is filled with poems about flowers and places and seasons and times and challenges and emotions. I wonder where the author came up with the poem Affliction, about having a barbed wire tongue. It certainly can’t be from her own experiences as she is one of the sweetest people I know!
Thursday’s Child more closely fits what I think of as poetry. To me these poems were more esoteric and philosophical. Although this was my least favorite section, it would probably have strong appeal for poetry aficionados.
The best way to explain how much I liked this book is this: I intended to open the file to make sure I could read it … and I read the entire book before closing it. Once I started reading, I wanted to keep reading. That is not my usual reaction to poetry, but it demonstrates how enjoyable Barri Bryan’s poems are.
Be sure to come back on March 16th for an interview with Barri Bryan!
Disclaimer: The author is a dear friend of mine who dedicated the book to me and sent me a copy. However, I had no obligation to write a favorable review and I did not receive any compensation for my review. My friendship with the author and the gift of the book did not influence my review; nor was I influenced by the fact that I am not usually a fan of poetry. The only thing that influenced my review was my reaction to the book when I read it.
Interview: Christian Author Molly Noble Bull
January 10, 2012 by Lillie
My guest today is multi-published author Molly Noble Bull. Although I have not seen Molly in quite a while, we got to know each other through the San Antonio chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Later, Molly started an email loop of Christian women authors and invited me to join. The fellowship with other Christian authors was a real blessing for years.
Lillie: Welcome to A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye, Molly. Let’s begin with a little about you, including how your Christian faith has impacted your writing.
Molly: I have commitment to marriage and family, and I love children. Before I wrote articles, stories and books to sell, I was an elementary and early childhood teacher. Therefore, my Christian faith inspired everything I have written since the nineteen eighties. The following words are written on the dedication page of every one of my novels—“But to God give the glory.” These words are also posted on the dedication of my first non-fiction book—The Overcomers: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities by Ginny Aiken, Margaret Daley, Jane Myers Perrine, Ruth Scofield and me, Molly Noble Bull.
Lillie: Please tell us about the books you have written before this latest collaboration with other authors.
Molly: I first published two novels with Zondervan way back in the late nineteen eighties. These titles were For Always and The Rogue’s Daughter. The novels were reprinted and came out from the book division of Guide Posts as Promise Romances.
More recently, I published with Love Inspired. The titles are Brides and Blessings and The Winter Pearl, and both are now available as e-books.
Tsaba House published Sanctuary, and it won two awards in the inspirational category for published authors in 2008—the Gayle Wilson award and the Winter Rose contest. Tsaba House purchased five more of my books. However, the company went out of business before any of them came out.
Lillie: Where can readers learn more about you and your books?
Molly: Go to Amazon and write Molly Noble Bull in the search slot. This will take you to my page at Amazon where all my books are listed. The Overcomers: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities is my newest book, and you can’t miss it. It’s the book with the yellow cover.
Lillie: The Overcomers: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities was recently released. You wrote the book along with several other Christian authors. Share with my readers something about your collaborators.
Molly: I am dyslexic, and I met the other four ladies who authored The Overcomers on a loop for Love Inspired authors. All five of us suffer/suffered with learning disabilities, and it was such a blessing to get to know them and realize that I was not the only published author in the world who had a hard time learning to read and spell.
Lillie: How did this book come about—who had the original idea, what writing process did you use, how did you find a publisher?
Molly: After we discovered that we all suffered from similar problems, we decided to write a book together to encourage others. Back in 2007, a small Christian book publisher bought the book, but it never came out because the publisher went out of business. We sat on it for a while. Then in 2011, we decided to self-publish the book via Westbow Press. It came out in paperback and as an e-book in December 2011.
Lillie: What is the main thing you want readers to take away from reading The Overcomers?
Molly: Learning Disabilities don’t go away—at least at this point in time. One simply learns to go around them. Cope. Triumphing over learning problems like the ones mentioned in The Overcomers: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities is not easy. It takes determination, work, and a lot of patience, but it can be done.
I want my readers to know that according to Ron Davis, who wrote The Gift of Dyslexia, talents and abilities of all kinds are often hidden behind labels like dyslexia and learning disabilities. The only real danger is giving up. All five of us overcame and are now published novelists. Others can do the same.
Lillie: Is there anything I’ve failed to ask that you would like to share with my readers?
Molly: I would like to invite readers to visit my website and blog.
Click here to go to the author page for Molly Noble Bull at Amazon.com right now.
Also, to find my books online or in a walk-in bookstores, ask for books by Molly Noble Bull. My title, The Overcomers, is not unique. Other books written by others authors share that title. So ask for the book’s complete title—The Overcomers: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities.
Lillie: Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing about your books and the new book, The Overcomers. Readers will probably have more questions for you. Will you check in during the day to respond to comments and answer questions?
Molly: You bet. And thanks again, Lillie, for inviting me here.
Lillie: If you have questions for Molly, leave a comment below.
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I was born in Kingsville, Texas, and since I talked early, my parents expected great things from me. It must have been a huge disappointment to discover that I couldn’t learn to read and spell as other children my age did. But with God’s help, I learned.
I am still married to my college sweetheart, and we have three grown sons and six grandchildren. God is good.
Interview: Nicole Langan of Tribute Books
December 6, 2011 by Lillie
My guest today is Nicole Langan, owner of Tribute Books. She’s here to share some exciting news about upcoming changes at the publishing company.
Lillie: Welcome to A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye, Nicole. Please tell us what is changing at Tribute Books at the beginning of the year.
Nicole: Thank you for inviting me, Lillie. It is great to be here. Exciting things are happening at Tribute Books. Beginning in 2012, we will transition into an ebook publisher of young adult titles.
Lillie: How did you decide to publish only young adult titles specifically in electronic formats?
Nicole: Our main reason is the explosion in popularity of e-readers such as the Kindle, Nook and iPad. Over the course of 2011, we’ve watched our ebook sales outpace our print sales by 2 to 1. The under $5 price point of most of our titles and the ease of purchase and delivery are surely contributing factors.
On a business level, the young adult genre sells especially if it is well written and has a paranormal romance theme. On a marketing level, the devotion of the young adult fan base is unparalleled. On a personal level, I thoroughly enjoy a good young adult novel and review many on my blog at http://tributebooksreviews.blogspot.com.
Lillie: What electronic formats will you offer, and where will the ebooks be sold?
Nicole: In terms of formats, we’re looking at .epub, .mobi, .pdf and .doc. The ebooks will be available through Kindle, Nook, iPad, Smashwords and as PDF downloads through Tribute-Books.com. They will retail between $2.99 and $4.95.
Lillie: Please tell my readers what you are seeking and where they can find guidelines to submit to Tribute Books?
Nicole: Manuscripts that have already been professionally edited will receive greater consideration. Our preference is to work with previously published authors who know the ins and outs of book promotion. An established social media platform is a must, and we will not consider writers who do not have a well-followed blog, Facebook page, or Twitter account.
Our preference is for darn good writing, the particular topic is secondary in importance. However, books written with a series in mind or those that delve into the paranormal will have a slight edge.
We’re looking for submissions that are not explicit or erotic in nature. In keeping with the young adult age range, we’re looking to keep things PG-13.
Interested authors can submit their manuscripts via email to info@tribute-books.com. There will be no charge for the authors we select to work with, and they will receive 50% of the net profits of their ebook sales in quarterly royalty payments. We’re looking for Microsoft Word documents with a maximum of 350 pages of text with no photos, charts, illustrations, graphs, etc.
The complete list of guidelines can be found at: http://www.tribute-books.com/publish.html.
Lillie: Is there anything I’ve failed to ask that you would like to share with my readers?
Nicole: My hope is that we are able to recruit some talented writers of well-written, well-crafted stories in order to develop an eager fan base for the titles we publish. We want readers to be excited about the ebooks we produce. Young adult authors have the most devoted fan followings out there, and we’d like to introduce that audience to a whole new host of talent.
We try to keep an active online presence with our web site, Facebook, Twitter, and blog. We’d love to have anyone who loves young adult literature to join us for the ride.
Lillie: Thank you so much for stopping by and letting my readers know about Tribute Books’ change to become an ebook publisher of young adult titles. They will probably have more questions for you. Will you check in during the day to respond to comments and answer questions?
Nicole: Absolutely! I’m looking forward to it.
Lillie: If you have questions for Nicole, leave a comment below.
Nicole Langan has spent roughly the last 12 years in the publishing world. She was awarded a B.A. summa cum laude in English and Communications from Marywood University. From 1999-2004, she went from being an intern to an editorial assistant to an associate editor of a regional Pennsylvania magazine. In 2004, she started Tribute Books. Since that time, she’s worked with dozens of authors, illustrators, photographers, and editors in publishing over 30 books. Some of these books have gone on to win awards such as the Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year and the Mom’s Choice Award, while others were endorsed by PBS and The Thoreau Society. In 2012, she’ll embark on a new transition becoming solely an e-publisher of young adult titles and continue to coordinate blog tours for outside publishers and authors via Tribute Books Blog Tours.
Interview with Christian Author Donita K. Paul
November 22, 2011 by Lillie
My guest today is Donita K. Paul, author of Taming the Wild Wind. I’m delighted to have her here to talk about this latest book and also others she has written.
Lillie: Welcome to A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye, Donita. I enjoyed Taming the Wild Wind. The faith element is well-woven into the story, as is the history. The characters are well-developed and are easy to identify with. Tell us a little about the book.
Donita: Taming the Wild Wind is set during the mid 1800’s in what is now Northeast Oklahoma. My protagonist, Ida Meade, journeys from her wealthy, ordered life in Pennsylvania to teach at a rustic school in the Indian Territory. Ida has an intense passion to serve God, which is revealed by her commitment to teach and her spontaneous worship. Ida means well, but she has a lot to learn about assumptions she has made about her own walk with God.
Things are not always as they appear on the prairie, and she is challenged by much of her new life. Ida falls in love with the Indian children she is to teach and the wild prairie that surrounds her. She must deal with an absent fiancé’, a prejudiced community, ghost children, and a handsome Indian agent.
Lillie: You have been published by several different Christian publishers. It seems that Taming the Wind is self-published as an ebook. Are you joining the many authors who find self-publishing ebooks is more advantageous than signing with a traditional publisher, or is this just another publishing option for you?
Donita: There are advantages to both types of publishing. I like self publishing because I can choose what I want to release without worrying over whether or not my manuscript will be accepted. However, I appreciate working with a publishing company which has a vast array of resources for marketing, editing, and printing. I hope to have another fantasy book published soon by a standard publisher, and I am polishing an older Christian romance manuscript to put out as an e-book.
The future of e-books has not been decided yet, and it is exciting to be in on the first wave.
Lillie: I know you weren’t published until after you retired as a schoolteacher. Did you always like writing or was this a brand-new interest after retirement? How long have you been writing?
Donita: I have loved to write ever since I was in elementary school. Getting published was simply a wonderful God’s gift to me when my health took a downturn and I could no longer work outside the home. Principals frown upon teachers who can not catch first graders. They weren’t getting faster; I was getting slower. I find that I reach many more people through writing and have the opportunity to share how important God has been to me.
Lillie: Many writers tend to stick with a favorite genre. What genres do you write and what led you to write in so many different genres?
Donita: I began writing Christian romance novels and novellas under the name Kathleen Paul. The first was written from my daughter when she became interested in reading romance. I wanted to make certain there were good, clean books available.
About ten years ago, my mother challenged me to write a young adult fantasy novel. It was an experiment, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. That book was DragonSpell, and it did well enough that I was given the opportunity to write The DragonKeeper Chronicles and the Chronicles of Chiril.
Since then, I wrote a Christmas novella, Two Tickets to a Christmas Ball, which is a modern romance with a hint of magic. Combining my two favorite genres gave me great satisfaction
My daughter and I co-wrote two children’s books, The Dragon and the Turtle, and The Dragon and the Turtle on Safari. I love children’s books. I have shelves full of them. I am a bit of a literacy nut. I envision children curled up in their comfy spot with a good book and a light shining on the books and their hearts. If I could draw, I’d draw that picture.
Lillie: Why do you write Christian fiction?
Donita: If I ignored all the stories playing in my head, I would probably go mad. I write Christian fiction because my beliefs are a part of the way I think. I don’t ever start a tale with the thought, “I think I will convey a profound thought today.” I focus on the characters and their problems. As C. S. Lewis demonstrated, fiction is a perfect medium for exposing readers to God’s Truth. Many of the emails I receive are from readers who caught the allegorical message of my books, and discovered something to encourage their faith.
Lillie: Please tell us about some of your other books.
Donita: My newest published book is Dragons of the Watch. It is the third and last book in the Chronicles of Chiril. It is a bit more romantic than my other fantasies, but also contains adventure, mystery, and humor.
The Chronicles of Chiril are a spinoff of The DragonKeeper Chronicles. The DragonKeeper books follow the story of Kale, who learns she has a talent for finding dragon eggs. These tales are full of quests, adventures, and deep friendships. The turned out to be an allegory for the phases of a Christian walk.
Lillie: Writers like to say that “everyone” should read their book, but we know that the more closely authors define their target audience, the more successful they are. Describe your ideal reader for Taming the Wild. If you like, you can also tell us who your ideal readers are for the other genres you write.
Donita: Taming the Wild Wind is for people who enjoy historical romances with a little bit of fun mystery mixed in.
My fantasy books are found in the young adult section of the bookstore, but they are for anyone who enjoys Christian fantasy. I receive enthusiastic emails from children, teens, parents, and grandparents.
The Dragon and the Turtle books are children’s books for parents to read to their kids. The stories are designed to stimulate conversations about friendship. We often tell a child to go make friends, but Padraig and Roger model the behavior that cements a relationship.
Lillie: Where can readers learn more about you and your books?
Donita: My website is: www.donitakpaul.com
The website for our picture books is: www.dragonandturtle.com. We often run fun contests and give out prizes.
Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/don.k.p
Find me on Shoutlife and Twitter under Donita K. Paul.
Lillie: Is there anything I’ve failed to ask that you would like to share with my readers?
Donita: One of the things that people overlook when evaluating the worth of reading a good tale is that the reader is experiencing a set of circumstances and is given the opportunity to determine right and wrong and appropriate reactions to the scenario. We all learn more about ourselves in the safe environment where we read of someone else’s trials. Classics address a universal truth and lift the reader to a nobler mindset. In a society where morality is deteriorating, it is important to raise our children in the way they should go. Lectures often fall short of achieving changed behavior. Stories are more beneficial.
Lillie: Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing about your book and your writing and your faith with my readers. They will probably have more questions for you. Will you check in during the day to respond to comments and answer questions?
Donita: Lillie, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to talk with you. I would be more than happy to answer questions your readers might have.
Lillie: If you have questions for Donita, leave a comment below.
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Donita K. Paul retired early from teaching school, but soon got bored! The result: a determination to start a new career. Now she is an award-winning novelist writing Christian Romance and Fantasy. She says, “I feel blessed to be doing what I like best.”
She mentors all ages, teaching teenagers and weekly adult writing workshops.
“God must have imprinted ‘teacher’ on me clear down to the bone. I taught in public school, then home schooled my children, and worked in private schools. Now my writing week isn’t very productive unless I include some time with kids.”
Her two grown children make her proud, and her two grandsons make her laugh.
Author Interview: Karen Fisher-Alaniz
November 11, 2011 by Lillie
My guest today is Karen Fisher-Alaniz, author of Breaking the Code: A Father’s Secret, a Daughter’s Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything 
Lillie: Welcome to A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye, Karen. I’m delighted that your book is finally available. Your journey began on your father’s eighty-first birthday. Tell us what happened.
Karen: Thank you for having me, Lillie. More than 50 years after WWII, my father, a WWII veteran, had started watching graphic war movies and reading piles of WWII books. He also seemed depressed. I’d tried asking him questions about it, but to no avail. Then, on his 81st birthday, he put two old notebooks on my lap. They were full of more than 400 pages of letters he’d written during the war.
Lillie: What is “the question that changed everything”?
Karen: Oh boy. That’s a hard one. There are a lot of questions in the book. I was always asking my father questions. I wanted to know more. But he was experiencing nightmares and flashbacks, symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. So, I walked a fine line—wanting to know, but not wanting to push him too far. I don’t think I can choose one question that changed everything—it just depends on how you think about it. And I’m finding that people who are reading the book have great ideas about what the question is too—so, my own view is evolving.
Lillie: I’m glad to know I didn’t miss one specific question. There were so many important ones, I kept trying to figure out which was the one that changed everything. Breaking the Code is so much more than a memoir. As I said in my review, it is a story of relationships with a historical perspective of World War II that our generation never experienced, and it offers insight into PTSD. Yet it reads like a mystery novel. How did you incorporate all that into a book that can easily be read in a few hours?
Karen: The first fiction series I ever read was by James Patterson. The one thing I was in awe of was that with every chapter, something happened that made you want to read the next one. I’d find myself, past my bedtime, saying, “OK, just one more chapter.” I love books like that. I love books that when I am a few chapters from the end, I’m thinking, I don’t want this experience to end. So, it was quite consciously that I set out to create a memoir like that.
I also took a screenwriting class and applied some of those techniques to my book writing. In screenwriting, each scene has its own mini-story. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. So, I tried to do that. I was very fortunate that my editor at Sourcebooks, Peter Lynch, thinks like that too. So, when I lost that focus in some chapters, he gently guided me back to it. A good editor is priceless!
Lillie: I certainly agree on you about the value of a good editor. An author does not produce a great book entirely on her own. Writers like to say that “everyone” should read their book, but we know that the more closely authors define their target audience, the more successful they are. Describe your ideal reader—the person who would benefit the most from reading your book.
Karen: You are so right. And when you’ve put all that you have into a book, it does seem that “everyone” will want to read it. The best way to avoid this thinking and really hone in on who your audience is, is to think about who will not read your book. For me, I thought about groups of people, like children, teens, and young adults. I have kids in those age groups and couldn’t imagine them just going into a store and picking up my book to buy. Those audiences are also not big buyers of books like mine.
When I visited my publisher in Chicago, one of the marketing people asked a really important question. He said, “Who are the first 1,000 people who will buy your book?” Of course, I started with my family and my friends. And then he asked, “And then who?” After that, he asked, “After the first 1,000 people, who will buy your book?” That really got it down to the people I really felt needed my book in their hands: baby-boomers like me followed by military families.
Of course, that is the main focus, but it can still branch out from there. For example, my own son, who is sixteen, really surprised me. He started reading Breaking the Code for his English and history classes. He came home raving about it; he said that it’s like reading a history book that reads like a really good novel.
Lillie: What is the most important thing you want readers to take away from Breaking the Code?
Karen: That everyone has a story and every story matters. Everyone has someone in their circle of family or friends who has stories to tell. Maybe you’ve heard portions of their stories all your life, or maybe you’ve just had a hint at them. Whatever the case, none of us are promised tomorrow. I can’t tell you how many times someone has told me a bit about their loved one and then said, “They’re gone now. I wish I’d written those stories down.” And it’s so true. We’re waiting for the perfect time—when the kids are grown or when life isn’t so crazy. But time can run out and for some, their stories will be gone forever. I like to say of family history writing, “If not you, who? If not now, when?”
And for veterans, the message is that telling your story can be healing. When we share our stories, we honor each other. For veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, the message is to create an Intentional Time of Remembrance—a time to remember. There are more details about it in the book and how we did it with Dad.
Lillie: I recognize my own family in the common lament you hear. My grandfather, who died when I was 12, was a cowboy and told marvelous stories of his experiences on the cattle trail. My parents and aunts and uncles thought they would always remember the stories they heard so often, yet just a few years after his death, all the stories were lost. That’s one reason I helped my mother and my mother-in-law write their own stories—not for publication, but for the family—and also wrote Preserving Memories: How to Write a Family History to help other families tell their own stories.
With Breaking the Code, you’ve really been on two journeys—the first to learn your father’s secrets and help him overcome his PTSD symptoms and the second to publish the book. Will you share a little about your publishing journey?
Karen: Ah, where do I start? I think I start with what every writer understands—rejection! I had plenty of rejections with Breaking the Code. It was a difficult sell for some, but I always believed in the story. I believed that when the timing was right, the perfect publisher would be there. And that’s what happened. I met my editor at a writer’s conference. If you want to be a published writer, you have to become a student of the whole process from the nitty-gritty of writing to the whole publishing industry. Education, persistence, and belief in your own abilities—those are the keys to success.
Lillie: Where can readers learn more about you and your books?
Karen: My website, http://www.storymatters2.com is the hub for my writing life. At the bottom of the welcome page, you’ll find a list of places you can purchase my book. When I developed my website, I did something that is not recommended—I always seem to be doing that (Ha!). I created a whole website around this particular book, not just around me as a writer.
Lillie: I know you have come to believe that everyone has a story to share, and you are encouraging others to write their own stories. Tell us about Story Matters.
Karen: StoryMatters2 is my website. A WWII veteran recently told me that he has a story too, but no one has ever asked. So, I added a forum for sharing your stories—but it’s not just for veterans. My ultimate goal is to begin a story-telling revolution! Wouldn’t that be fabulous? I mean, just imagine if everyone told someone just one story. What if each story was written down? It’s time for us to talk to each other, and this is particularly true of our elders. Don’t let them pass through your life without telling their story. So, my website is a place to begin. I want to hear veteran stories, of course. But I also want to hear your stories about almost anything—nostalgia, childhood memories, and life experiences. I want my website to be a gathering place where people can share their stories and others can join in the conversation.
Lillie: November is National Lifewriting Month, so your message is timely in two ways: Today is Veterans Day, and your book honors your father and other veterans, and we’re talking about writing memoirs and family histories during the month dedicated to doing just that. Is there anything I’ve failed to ask that you would like to share with my readers?
Karen: Don’t give up. Don’t give up on the book you’ve written. Don’t give up on your loved one who seems to want to tell their story but can’t seem to get the words out. Give yourself, give others—the gift of time.
Lillie: Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing about your journey and your book with my readers. They will probably have more questions for you. Will you check in during the day to respond to comments and answer questions?
Karen: Absolutely!
Lillie: If you have questions for Karen, leave a comment below.
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Karen Fisher-Alaniz is a writer and author. She has written freelance articles for regional and teen magazines. Her work has appeared in anthologies such as Chicken Soup for the Soul II and Voices of Multiple Sclerosis. She lives in her family in the Pacific Northwest.
