The Teashop Girls

The Teashop Girls author, Laura Schaefer will post a scrumptious apple cupcake recipe Tuesday, April 7th! Right here!

Meanwhile, here's a TV interview with Laura that's really cool.

Morning Blend TV interview with Laura Schaefer

Amazon
IndieBound

MEME! 6 Book Things About Me!

My childhood best friend, Cynthia and me, cruising down the Ohio River

Chris, at Candid Canine, tagged me with Today's Meme:

Name 6 Book Things About Yourself:

So, here goes:

1. My series, Cynthia's Attic was inspired by a recurring dream I'd had for over 20 years about a mysterious attic! Once determined that the attic was in the home of my childhood best friend, Cynthia, the dreams stopped! Fortunately, the writing began!

2. I was also inspired by wanting to write stories about my ancestors. I so regret not talking more to my grandparents and finding out about their early years; What they did for fun; who was their best friend; stories about their parents and grandparents. So, I decided to write time-travel books that would let me go back in time and have adventures with my relatives.

3. My hometown library was within walking distance, just a couple of block from my house. My all-time favorite "reads" as a kid were sports biographies. A devoured the complete set from Hank Aaron to Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

4. Speaking of my hometown library...I have the honor of doing my first booksigning there on Nov. 22! Should be a lot of fun. I hope I get to see friends that I haven't seen for 20 + Years!

5. I'm busily writing Book Four in my series: Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle. I think this is going to be the best one, but I thought that about the last one, Curse of the Bayou, too. :-)

6. I'm also working on two adult mystery books. Some writers don't like to go back and forth between genres, but I find it a refreshing (and much-needed!) change.

** Your Turn: Share some book-related things about you. Be sure to comment here so we know to go visit your blog and see what you wrote.

Tag! You're It! Leave a comment that you've posted your 6 book things so we'll know to check them out!

Shannon Greenland
Janet Muirhead Hill
Anne Carter

Searching For A Starry Night

My guest this week in Cynthia's Attic is author, Christine Verstraete

Christine grew up in Chicago, the third-generation to live in the two-story house bought by her Belgian-born grandfather in the mid-1900s. She now lives just over the border in Wisconsin.

She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Chicago's Columbia College, and has received various awards from llinois and national press associations for nonfiction articles.

Her favorite pastime, building dollhouses and miniature rooms, has served as inspiration for nonfiction stories, a nonfiction ebook, In Miniature Style, and plays a role in her just released ya mystery, SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT!


*Your "Miniature Art Mystery," Searching For A Starry Night, was just published by Quake in May of this year. Tell us...What, exactly, is a miniature art mystery?

Being a long-time collector of dollhouse miniatures, I had to somehow work that into my book. The title and subtitle refer to the search for a miniature replica of Vincent Van Gogh’s famous painting, (The) Starry Night. You can see an actual miniature oil painting of Starry Night at my blog, The Candid Canine or at MySpace,

*How did you approach writing this book? Did the idea come from a personal experience?

I’ve always liked Van Gogh’s art. I started writing a set of short stories that also featured my character, Sam, from SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT. One was set in an art gallery, which got me thinking about expanding the theme of art, which led to miniatures, which led to miniature art…. It was a six-degrees kind of thing, I guess. LOL!

*Your miniatures are fascinating, Christine! The little girl in me is envious of your dollhouse miniatures. Did a particular dollhouse inspire your passion for making miniatures?

Growing up in Chicago, I was lucky enough to be able to see Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle at the Museum of Science and Industry more than once. Created by a Twenties film star, the castle is filled with fantasy, books by real authors, jewels, and everything enchanted. You have to fall in love with miniatures after you see that!

*You are also involved in the anthology, "Heat of the Moment," that benefits survivors and heroes of the San Diego wildfires of 2007. Can you tell us a little about your contributing story? A little about the book in general and the writers?

My story, “Fire and Magic,” involves Sam and her mother, who face a menace from the past. The story is a little more “grown-up” themed since the book included stories that were fire-related. I was thrilled to be asked to contribute a story along with 20 other exceptional authors to help a good cause.

*How did the idea for this book come together?

Echelon Press publisher, Karen Syed, wanted to do something to help those who lost, and went through so much, in the wildfires. It also recognizes those who give so much to keep all of us safe, the firefighters

*How did the idea for this book come together?

In miniature or in writing? ha! I write fiction and nonfiction, so it keeps me busy. And when I’m not writing, I’m planning a new miniature scene. I tend to have quite a few projects going in both miniatures and writing.


*What are your upcoming plans for the release of Searching For A Starry Night?


This is among several blog appearances I’m doing to promote Searching For A Starry Night. I also am setting up in-person appearances and will be giving away a miniature scene and some fantastic prizes to visitors to my website, and to book purchasers in the coming weeks. So please be sure to stop at my website or check in at my Candid Canine blog, to see what’s new!

Mary, thank you for hosting me!

A Book Store...Where??

Mother Goose - Random House, 1949

Diana, one of my co-writers on Women Only Over Fifty (WOOF), is my guest blogger today. She was inspired to write about a very unusual Wisconsin bookstore that was featured on CBS Sunday Morning. (Video Segment below)

We love books, right? But just how much? Enough to set aside 12 buildings on our rural property where we house one million (yes, MILLION) tomes? Sure, we would if we could. But you gotta admit, THAT amount of effort takes an amazing passion for books.

Central Wisconsin, off County Road K, that’s where Lloyd Dickman cultivates wheat and corn while his wife Lenore grows the book collection. The Dickman’s bookstore is open regular business hours on Saturday and anytime by appointment…or if you happen to find them stocking shelves and not out procuring more books.

During an interview on CBS Sunday Morning, Lenore, who rather likes her Dickman system for cataloging instead of Dewey’s, pointed to a book table she says is the most important of all. The table does not labor under the weight of leather-bound classics like “Tale of Two Cities” or “Les Miserable.” Rather small, colorful reads such as “Mother Goose.”

“If a child knows eight nursery rhymes by the time he is four years old,” said Lenore, now retired, but who, with her husband’s support and sacrifice, earned a PhD, “that child will be an excellent reader by the time he is eight years old.”

Personally, I have to trust the opinion of someone ensconced by that much paper and ink; a person who when additional book space was needed, cleaned out, fixed up and roofed a huge storage bin that once held cow manure. Actually, that project was Lloyd’s contribution. Soon he’s going to turn over one-third of his tractor garage to Lenore’s ever-expanding stockpile.

That’ll bring their bookstore “chain” to 13. All that without serving one cup of coffee or surfacing the long dirt road leading to their store.

Yeah, one has to love books nearly as much as they do to venture out to their place. And that’s exactly what the Dickman’s count on.



CBS Sunday Morning - Bill Geist reporting

Women Only Over Fifty (WOOF) Summer 2008! (Echelon Press)

Mayra Calvani: The Magic Violin

My guest today is versatile author, Mayra Calvani.

Puerto Rican author Mayra Calvani has been writing since the age of twelve. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Literature/Creative Writing from the University of Bridgeport, CT. Her stories, articles, and book reviews have appeared in many online and print publications in the States, England and Puerto Rico. She is co-editor of "Voice in the Dark" ezine, where she writes a monthly column. After having lived in several countries, she is now settled in Brussels, Belgium with her husband, two children, and a variety of pets.

Welcome, Mayra. I'm impressed that you write in so many genres! Do you have a favorite?

I love to write in many genres, but I have to admit my weakness is speculative/supernatural fiction.

The Magic Violin has such an intriguing title. Would you tell us how you came up with the title and the idea for this children's picture book?

My young daughter and I both started playing the violin about five years ago, so I know very well how difficult it can be at times, especially when learning a new piece. The violin is a very difficult instrument to master, requiring lots of discipline, perseverance and commitment, and this can be hard for a child at times. My love for the violin and watching my daughter play were my inspiration for the story. I wanted to create a tale which would be fun and magical, yet one which would encourage children and teach them about self esteem at the same time.

The title is simple yet has a nice ring to it, plus children love magic, right? In the story there is a part where Melina, the little protagonist, suddenly begins to play amazingly well--is it because of her hard work or because the violin has turned magical? That is one of the questions the reader must think about.

I noticed that you became a "paid" author at an early age. Did you have a mentor? Someone who has inspired your writing?

My mother, who writes beautiful poetry, has always been a great supporter of my writing. Because of her, our house was full of books and she instilled in my mind the importance of reading and being intellectually smart. But besides her, my inspiration was the books themselves, the great stories of mystery and romance I read at an early age. I think by the time I was fifiteen I had read all of Agatha Christie's mysteries. Conan Doyle was another powerful inspiration in my writing. During my teens I also loved the historical romances of Barbara Cartland. I loved being transported to her Victorian world of black carriages, alluring counts and lords, lace and bows, and all the elegance of that era.

You are also editor of "The Fountain Pen" newsletter and co-editor of "Voice in the Dark" Ezine. Keep two blogs and write book reviews for various print and online publications. In addition, you teach a book review writing course at the Long Story Short School of Writing. My question: How do you find time to write?

Good question! I guess my first answer would be doing my best to keep myself organized. For starters, I live and breathe with my large agenda/calendar, the kind where I can see the whole week in front of my eyes. For other projects, I keep a monthly calendar. It's very important for me to visualize what I'll be doing on a weekly and monthly basis. It keeps my thoughts and time structured. Otherwise I would forget everything! I only work on my newsletters towards the end of the month and it actually takes me a while to read and review a book. In spite of all the planning, though, I still have to struggle to write every weekday. The important thing to remember is that writing must come first. Book promotion is also extremely time consuming and emailing can become a little addictive, so many times I have to reel myself back like a fish and tell myself: 'Leave this for later; you have to write first.'

Do you have any specific writing rituals?

I love having music in the background while I write, and of course the music must match the tone of the story. Mostly I listen to violin music. Most of the times I write in the mornings when my mind is fresh and the house is quiet. If I feel particularly uninspired, I go on a walk with my dog or go to write at a cafe--these two things can be extremely effective to unleash your creativity. On occassions I may light a candle. I also have my violin at arm's reach and if I'm stuck in a scene I play for a while. Oddly, this has a calming effect and puts my annoying inner critic to sleep. :-)

What other project are in the works?

I'm very excited about a proposal I'm working on for Harper Collins. I'm also polishing a tween manuscript which I already completed. I have a work-in-progress I also need to finish. I took a break and will start on it again after the holidays. This one is a paranormal/werewolf suspense novel for Zumaya Publications.

Finally, is there something funny you can share about yourself that your readers might not know?

Hmm. I don't know if this is funny or not, but here it goes: This morning on our way to school my fifteen-year old asked me if I would give up reading for one whole year in exchange for one million dollars. I didn't have a quick answer for him so I told him I had to think about it (I really needed to think about it!). He thought I was completely nuts!

Mayra, would you tell my readers about the prize you're offering at the end of your book tour on Christmas day?

I’ll be giving away a $20 Amazon gift certificate to a lucky winner on Christmas day. To be eligible, all a person needs to do is leave a comment at the end of this post or any of my other tour stops. If the winner is from England, I’ll be giving away a £20 gift certificate from Amazon.co.uk. I will announce the winner on my blog Mayra's Secret Bookcase, on the 25th.

Mayra Calvani
Mayra's Secret Bookcase
Mayra's Secret Bookcase Blogspot