Interview with Sci-Fi Author, Sheryl Steines

TS. Science-fiction author, Sheryl Steines shares her writing world with us.

Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? (please provide a photo/s of your shed, room, closet, barn….) Or tell us about your ‘dream’ work space.

SS. I write on the couch, under a blanket with the tv on for background noise. I’m slowly moving back into my guest room/office where I have a large desk, all of my research books and all of my sci fi/fantasy fan paraphernalia. Unfortunately it’s still not put back together after a small computer fire.

Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)

SS. When I’m not working full time, I always have to get my housework, errands and other chores done before I can comfortably begin to work. When all that’s taken care of, I sit down with a cup of tea, huddled under my blanket with my computer in my lap. I work best in the afternoon to early evening.

Q. Could you tell us something about yourself that we might not already know?

Me with my kids at a Cubs game

SS. My guilty pleasure is American Ninja Warrior and I have a secret dream to write the teleplay to turn the Wizard Hall Chronicles (my book series) into a tv show.

Q. Do you have a set time each day (or night) to write?

SS. My most productive times are between 12 pm – 7pm. For whatever reason, those have always been my most productive hours. Otherwise I squeeze in what I can between 7p and 9pm after work.

Q. What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?

SS. I tell writers all time; write every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a sentence, paragraph, page or chapter. If this is what you want to do, just do it and do it every day.

Q. Where/when do you first discover your characters?

SS. Hmm… That’s a good question. I’ve said it lots of time, I don’t plan a book well. I try and it just goes off course. So when I start with a new book, I try and have a beginning, middle and rough end. Since I have my main characters already, I just start writing and every once and a while, I need someone else, and usually, they pop in my head. By my tenth draft, I usually have a pretty well rounded character that adds a little something to the story.

Q. What first inspired you to write your stories?

SS. There was something about the Nancy Drew mystery series. At seven I just fell in love with the detective/mystery novel and I never looked back. But I didn’t just want to read the books, I wanted to create my own stories, so I did. I wrote my own little detective novels.

Q. What comes first to you? The Characters or the Situation?

SS. Situation definitely. It starts with a little idea, whether it’s from watching a tv show, reading a book, seeing something online, it doesn’t matter. That little spark sends me down a path and from there, I can create an entire story.

Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing?

SS. Sometimes, yes. When the story flows, when the ideas come, I can’t pull away. Part of it happens because I can’t plan books well and I just run off on tangents. However, I like getting lost in the surprises, like a reader would. It’s fun.

Join us for Part II of the Interview on February 25th

sherylsteines.com
Twitter @Sherylsteines
FB : Wizard Hall Chronicles
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MY BLOGS feature INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!   Did you miss the past few months?   November was best selling author, Grace Burrowes and in December, Reed Farrel Coleman, contributing writer for Robert B. Parker series. January is Dinah Jefferies and February’s author is Sheryl Steines.
Check out more Motivational Moments…for Writers!To receive my posts sign up for my blog, blogs, blogger, writer, author, playwright, books, plays,fiction  On the home page, enter your email address.  Thanks!

Interview (conclusion) with Reed Farrel Coleman

Reed Farrel Coleman’s love of storytelling originated on the streets of Brooklyn and was nurtured by his teachers, friends, and family.

New York Times bestseller called a hard-boiled poet by NPR and the “noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed is the author of novels, including Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series, the acclaimed Moe Prager series, short stories, and poetry.  Reed is a three-time Edgar Award nominee.  http://reedcoleman.com/video/

Q. Do you believe in muses? Who or what is your “Muse” at the moment?

A. I think a “muse” is a cute concept, but I’m a professional. This is my job. Lawyers don’t need a muse. Cops don’t need a muse. I don’t need a muse. I need a contract.  (Feels as though I’m interviewing Jesse Stone, right?)

Q. When did you begin to write seriously?

A. When I was 13 years old. I have always taken writing seriously. But I quite my career in 1987 to devote myself to writing. I gave up $40,000 per year, a company car, an expense account and trips to Europe. I guess you could say I was pretty serious about writing.

Q. How long after that were you published?

A. Three years.

Q. What makes a writer great?

A. When I find out I’ll tell you. I know great writing when I see it in the same way I know a great pianist or great painter, but defining one is an elusive task.

Q. You have kept Robert Parker’s Jesse Stone series alive for all of his fans. What’s the secret to writing in another voice? You do it flawlessly.

A. The secret for me is that I don’t write in Bob Parker’s voice. I stay true to his characters and to the form of the Jesse Stone novels, but it would be impossible for me to imitate Bob. When I first got the gig, I spoke to Ace Atkins (Spenser) and to my friend Tom Schreck (Duffy Dumbrowsky series). They both gave me great advice, but it was something Tom—a huge Elvis Presley fan, said to me that made a light go off in my head. He said that he had seen the very best Elvis impersonators in the world, but that they were trapped because the audience could never escape the fact that it was an imitation. And there was something that they could never do, something new. When he said that to me, I knew I wouldn’t try to imitate Bob.

Q. … and the all-important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like?

A. Funny, I don’t think about that much. 26 published books in, it’s not even a question for me. As long as I have a strong idea in mind that I think will sustain the novel, I just assume I’m capable of making it happen. I never outline, so it’s just the belief in my ability that drives me.

Q. Where/when do you first discover your characters?

A. In the mirror. Dylan Klein, my first series character, was very much an extension of me.

Q. What inspired your story/stories?

A. What doesn’t? Everything inspires me. An overheard bit of conversation, a newspaper story, a TV show, a situation in a friend’s life, a book …

Q. Have you? Or do you want to write in another genre`?

A. I write poetry. I’ve written some sci fi stories. I’ll basically write anything.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?

A. That I appreciate them and owe a lot to them.

Did miss Part I with Reed?

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My BLOGS feature INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!   October Author, Lisa Jackson.  November will be best selling author, Grace Burrowes and in December, Reed Farrel Coleman, contributing writer for Robert B. Parker series

Check out Motivational Moments…for Writers!

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Interview with Writer, Reed Farrel Coleman

interviews-authorsKeeping Robert B. Parker’s characters alive!  An Interview with Reed Farrel Coleman

Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? Or tell us about your ‘dream’ work space.

A. I have an office in my home with custom-built bookshelves, mementos, awards, posters, etc. It’s the only place I truly feel comfortable writing in, but because I’m committed to two books a year, I have had to learn to write on the road, in airports, and hotel rooms.reed-colman-2

Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)reed-coleman-photos

A. It’s all a ritual and it begins with coffee, the paper, doing the crossword puzzle. Then it’s downstairs to my office. I answer my emails and devote 15 minutes max to Facebook. I need absolute silence to write. No music, no noise at all.

Q. Could you tell us something about yourself that we might not already know?

A. Hard for me to know what you don’t know about me. But here are a few things: I watched someone die of a gunshot wound right in front of me when I was 15 years old, I watched General Hospital for 30 years, and I worked in the cargo area at Kennedy airport for 5 years with the cast of Goodfellas.

Q. Do you have a set time each day to write or do you write only when you are feeling creative?

A. My most productive time is 7-10:30 in the morning, but I can do work and editing throughout the day.

Q. What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?

A. Procrastination is death for your career. A writer is only a writer when he or she is writing. Thinking isn’t writing, research isn’t writing, doing anything other than writing isn’t writing. Either give yourself a page or word goal for the day. Meet it and feel good about yourself. Don’t meet it and feel guilty or disappointed. It should be like working out. When you miss a day, you feel bad about it.

Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing and for how long?

A. Absolutely. Time vanishes. Sometimes it’s minutes, but hours have passed for me when I’m in the groove.

Part Two of this fascinating Interview :  December 19th

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My BLOGS feature INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!   October Author, Lisa Jackson.  November will be best selling author, Grace Burrowes and in December, Reed Farrel Coleman, contributing writer for Robert B. Parker series

Check out Motivational Moments…for Writers!

To receive my posts sign up for my blog, blogs, blogger, writer, author, playwright, books, plays,fiction  On the home page, enter your email address.  Thanks!

Interview ~~ Grace Burrowes, Author (conclusion)

interviews-authorsQ. As a fan, I noticed that you are published by a traditional publisher and have self-published some of your romances as well. Can you give other writers some tips about that?

GB. I’m actually onto my second trade house. I started with Sourcebooks and now write for Grand Central/Forever, in addition to my indie titles. I hesitated to indie publish because I’d heard it was, “so much work,” and all I wanted to do was write. I just kept feeding manuscripts down the trad pub chute, and I kick myself for that. Good career decisions are made based on good information, and “everybody says,” is not as useful what I say about my own experiences. I find trad pubbing a lot of work, in part because I don’t control the schedule, I don’t control development of the cover and meta data, I don’t control pricing or PR. I’m at the mercy of the trad house’s schedule, process, and agenda, and to some extent, their editorial preferences.

With indie publishing, there’s start up effort—setting up accounts, and rounding up a team to do editing, proofreading, covers, and virtual assistance. The reward though, in terms of creative, scheduling, editorial and financial control is enormous. I’m very fortunate to have worked with trad houses who are supportive of hybrid authors, but then, I couldn’t see signing a contract with a house that wasn’t.

Q. What makes a writer great?

grace-at-eilean-donan-1GB. The people whose company I treasure most work hard at being kind and telling the truth (both). They laugh a lot, love ferociously, listenGrace - age 8 respectfully, and take risks in the name of love. Great writing touches the heart and makes a lasting impression. As for a great writer… I’ll have to think on this. Generosity of spirit and humility come to mind, but so do passion and fierce, unapologetic ability.

Q.    ….and the all important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like for you?

GB. I wake up one morning and roll around in bed waiting for a thought to coalesce that I can build a scene on. Could be a line of dialogue, could be a letter, could be a guy grousing to his horse about the burdens of bachelorhood. When I get something that leans toward dialogue or an opening hook (or I have to pee), I get out of bed and turn on the computer.

A scene emerges, and in that scene, I find a character, usually the hero of a romance novel. He has Troubles. I lurk in his hedges and ride pillion behind him, and scribble down any scenes he’ll give me. He also has a heroine intent on her own story, and she gets the same treatment from me. I haunt my characters until I can pry a story loose from them.

I write the opening scenes and the meet, launch the character arcs, introduce a few secondary characters, and then the begging begins. I crawl around on all fours, searching, searching, for an external conflict. To quote the brilliant and humble Joanna Bourne, “Liking, attraction, and respect pull them together. Something real, substantial, and interesting must push them apart.”

jack-683x1024If the universe is kind, the external conflict reveals itself in a flash of insight—the universe is seldom kind. I impose on friends, I talk to myself, I toss away scenes, I mutter profanities and plan trips to Scotland, and eventually, I will see the tail of an external conflict peeking out at me from under a pile of clean laundry.

By then, I’ve often gotten a handle on the main characters’ defining traumas, and that sheds light on how to write the big black moment.

Creating a rough draft usually takes from eight to ten weeks, and then it’s on to polishing, polishing, polishing. I’m awful about talking heads/white room syndrome, echoes, oh, my sins are legion…. At some point, the manuscript has to go into cold storage while I work on other stuff, then it gets another buffing and goes into production.

I try to keep at least two, more often three projects going at once, so that if any one of them needs a rest, I can forge ahead on the others. I am happier working like this, and it seems to result in the most progress overall.

Q. How have your life experiences influenced your writing?

GB. That’s a big question. My life experiences include being the sixth out of seven children in an academic family. I had to learn to use words early and well if I wanted to be noticed. I also had to learn to entertain myself, hence books and imaginative play. I’m a child welfare attorney, single mom, horse girl, animal lover, former musician, and I have a master’s degree in conflict transformation. It all goes in the pot, as does my belief in the power of loving and being loved.

Q. Have you or do you want to write in another genre`?

GB. I’m toying with a historical mystery series, mostly because I love to read them.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?

G.B. One of the quotes I keep handy, because our business can be very unfair and daunting, is from Stephen King: “If you can do it for joy, you can do it forever.” Words to write by! 
Did you miss Part I, II of this wonderful Interview? Click here
http://graceburrowes.com/
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My BLOGS feature INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!   October Author, Lisa Jackson.  November will be best selling author, Grace Burrowes and in December, Reed Farrel Coleman, contributing writer for Robert B. Parker series

Check out Motivational Moments…for Writers!

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The series:  Motivational Moments…for Writers

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Dean Koontz


Interviewing other authors


Reviews of books
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The series: Nostalgia
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Grace Burrowes, best selling author ~~ Interview (part 2)

Q. Where/when do you first discover your characters?grace_scotts-view

GB. If I’m lucky, I hear them. I hear them grousing about their life situation, or wishing on a star. What I’m after with a character is an understanding of their defining trauma or wound (neglect can hurt like heck without qualifying as a trauma, though it IS a trauma), because then I know how to build them that cave they most fear to enter, wherein their treasure will lie. When a book is really singing to me, I’m usually writing about one of my defining traumas, though I often don’t realize that until the manuscript is done and edited.

My brother Dick once gave me some great advice for how to build a character arc: Make the character choose between the competing demands of honor. The lady or the tiger is interesting, because either door leads to death for the person choosing, but add dishonor to those stakes, and you have the makings of quite a yarn.

Q. What first inspired you to write your stories?

GB. I have always loved to write, even before I could write cursive. I’ve also always loved to read, and romance novels, which are a lot more complicated than they look (when done right), were my fiction of choice. In the courtroom I see a lot of miserable-ever-after endings, and that creates a need for somewhere that I can make life happily-ever-after. When my daughter moved out, I had time, emotional breathing room, and an unsatisfied creative urge all coming together. The books blossomed, and I feel like I’ve found the thing I love to do so much, I lose track of time and self when I’m doing it.

Q. What comes first to you? The Characters or the Situation? Continue reading “Grace Burrowes, best selling author ~~ Interview (part 2)”

Interview with Best Selling Author, Grace Burrowes (part 1)

 grace-burrowsigning-use-this-2TS. Grace Burrowes is in my top three favorite historical romance writers. Great plots, well developed characters and humor! She granted this interview and I am thrilled.  The glimpse into her writing world is unique and fascinating!

Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing?  Or tell us about your ‘dream’ work space.

GB. I write at my kitchen table, though I don’t take meals there. The set up is me in the writing chair, a cat in my lap, or two cats curled up on the heated throw that covers the left end of the table. Writer dawg is at my feet, and I use a remote keyboard, so my laptop screen can sit at the ergonomically ideal height. This is bliss, to write with my four-footed buddies around, amid the peace and quiet of my nest.

Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)

GB. I start the day with one cup of jasmine green tea, with agave nectar and table cream—more bliss! I try to end a writing sessions with some trailers, or in the middle of a sentence, so my fingers will have something to do when I next put them on the keyboard. I also end the day reading over whatever I wrote that day, and when I get up, I set the alarm at least 30 minutes early, so I can stay in bed, drifting on the alpha waves and letting my happy-besomimagination nosh on the book. This is a lovely way to ease into the day, and usually means I start a writing session with some creative compression. A line of dialogue, a symbolic detail of setting, something will get me out of bed and down to the computer.

Q. Could you tell us something about yourself that we might not already know?

GB. The older I get, the happier I am—and the more passionate. I didn’t see this coming. Continue reading “Interview with Best Selling Author, Grace Burrowes (part 1)”

Interview (part 2) with internationally known author, Lisa Jackson

jackson-dogQ. Where/when do you first discover your characters?

LJ. I write from a synopsis, so I’ve met them before I actually write the book, but I don’t really know them until about 150 pages in, so, of course, I have to go back to page one. They surprise me and new ones tend to pop up as I write the real book, but I don’t know them until well into the writing.  They are unique unto themselves and I don’t pattern them off of people I know per se.

Q. What first inspired you to write your stories?

LJ. Sister Nan saw an article in Time magazine in 1980. The article was about young mothers making their fortunes writing romance novels.  She thought we could do it.  I had read the same article but had dismissed it as both aftershes-mmpNancy and I, like our parents before us, were mystery buffs.  We’d never even read a contemporary romance novel.  But, after my first arguments, I sat back and thought, “Why not?”  I was broke, broke, broke at the time with two little kids.  Who was I to say “no.”  So, we gave it a whirl and eventually found our footing, both publishing at Silhouette Books.

Q. What comes first to you? The Characters or the Situation?

jackson-writingis-such-hard-workLJ. It depends. I need the situation, of course, the crisis, then the characters come to the story.  I’m usually inspired by what I find as a unique predicament for the characters.

Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing? Continue reading “Interview (part 2) with internationally known author, Lisa Jackson”

Conclusion: Interview with Author, Joseph Drumheller

jason-3
Illustrations by Lili Avakem

The conclusion of this delightful interview with author, Joseph Drumheller.

Q. What comes first to you? The Characters or the Situation?

JD. Characters. They tend to tell me what to write.  After I found the crawdad that inspired, Jason and the Crawdad King, I spent the next morning sipping tea listening to Jason dictate.  As he spoke, I wrote the story down on the back of some napkins.

Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing?

JD. Absolutely. One day I began writing at 10 a.m. I vaguely remember getting up to grab a bite to eat or to go to the bathroom.  The next time I looked at a clock it was 3 a.m.!

Q. Who or what is your “Muse” at the moment?

JD. I have two. (1)  My wife Tamara.  She’s the focus of out next work, Aura the Angel, The Ballerina’s Beacon. She was a child prodigy ballerina whojoseph-and-tamara-1 spent 30+ years working in Off-Broadway productions in the San Francisco area.  She is the epitome of love incarnate.  (2) Lili Avakem.  She’s my award-winning illustrator—born, raised and educated in Tehran, Iran and now living in LA.  It seems everything we touch turns into magic.

Q. When did you begin to write seriously?

JD. I haven’t yet. If you love what you do, you’ll never work a (serious) day in your life.

Q. What makes a writer great?

JD. Heart, soul and passion. You can’t ‘try’ to be a writer. You either have it you or you don’t.  And if you do have it in you, it still takes a lot of time and energy to sculpt your craft.   But it it’s what you’re born to do, you’ll love it.  Also, don’t worry about spelling.  They have editors for that.

Q. and the all important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like for you?

location-of-jason-and-the-crawdad-king-1JD. For me, it’s called a magic carpet ride. I wander around in nature (places I love) then go home or out for tea and write about it.  I was born to be a free spirit.  Writing is the only thing that has completely fit my lifelong tendency to be there proverbial round peg that doesn’t fit into any the square holes out there.

Q. How has your life experiences influenced your writing?

JD. When it come to writing, my life experiences are the whole ball of wax. Almost everything I write about is based on what I’ve seen and done.  That’s why it’s so easy to write.

Q. Have you? Or do you want to write in another genre`?

JD.   I have three published books in the genres of non-fiction, fiction and now children’s books.  I also have eight more children’s books to come, with Golden Bell Entertainment out of New York.

The Subconscious, the Divine and Me (2012, Pine Wood Press) – An introduction to spirituality.  Non-fiction.

The Unity Oracle (2015, Self-published) – An award-winning spiritual adventure novel.  Fiction.

Jason and the Crawdad King (2016, Golden Bell Entertainment) – A picture book, featuring award-winning illustrator Lili Avakem.  Children’s Book.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?

Don’t force your writing and don’t stop. If you love it, it will show. I would like to thank Golden Bell’s Polar Press

Visit Joseph’s website www.CrawdadKing.com  and Joseph’s page on  facebook

Did you miss Part I of this Interview? Click here

Release date of Crawdad King  Winter, 2017.

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DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!   September’s author will be Joseph Drumheller and October: Author, Lisa Jackson. November’s author will be best selling author, Grace Burrowes                          Check out Motivational Moments…for Writers!

To receive my posts sign up for my blog, blogs, blogger, writer, author, playwright, books, plays,fiction  On the home page, enter your email address.  Thanks!

 

 

 

Interview with Children’s Book author, Joseph Drumheller

jason-1
Illustrations by Lili Avakem

We are all so looking forward to this delightful children’s book by Joseph Drumheller. Joseph, in your own words, describe yourself. TS

JD. I’m a creative free spirit with a spiritual bent and a strong connection to nature.  Cathartic mystical experiences and/or memorable happenings in the great outdoors are the underlying influences to almost everything I write.  Yet, as I mature, the most powerful force I’ve experienced is love, especially from my wife Tamara.  Without her consistent love, belief, and support, I’d be nowhere.

Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? (shed, room, closet, barn….) Or tell us about your ‘dream’ work space.

JD. I spend a lot of time outside. When I walk, kayak, or cycle, the channels open up and the creative juices start to flow.  Most of my books have been written entirely in my head.  Typing them out in a coffee shop or in my office is the part that requires discipline.

Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)

JD. No, not when I sit down and type. Walking, kayaking or cycling in nature does the trick for me.joseph-at-work

Q. Could you tell us something about yourself that we might not already know?

JD. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen some of the most remote and glorious parts of the planet via helicopter, working as an exploration geologist. Some of those places include the northern arctic of Alaska, the continental divide in the Yukon, the Barren Lands near the Arctic Ocean, and northern Sweden.

Q. Do you have a set time each day (or night) to write?

JD. No. I tend to be more of a morning person but when inspiration hits, it’s time to write.

Q. What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?

JD. If writing doesn’t flow from the core of your being, take up tennis. With that said, I’ve never had a problem with procrastination.  I was born two weeks early and always seem to get things done ahead of time.  That creates its own set of challenges, like when I’m working with procrastinators!

Q. Where/when do you first discover your characters?

JD. I write almost exclusively from personal experience.  The closer my characters are to home, the easy they are to write about.  I found a crawdad tangled up in a fishing line while whitewater kayaking.  That inspired Jason and the Crawdad King.  Aura the Angle, The Ballerina’s Beacon is a story about my wife Tamara who was a child prodigy ballerina.  My award-winning novel, The Unity Oracle,  is essentially glossed over non-fiction, detailing mystical experiences I’ve had.

jason2Q. What first inspired you to write your stories?

JD. Divorce. In the early days of a separation that led to divorce in 2009, I went on a solo self-directed retreat in a log cabin, along a mountain river. I spent four days writing.  I’ve never stopped……

Join us for the conclusion of this fascinating Interview ~~ Saturday, September 17th

Release date of Jason and the Crawdad King  Winter, 2017.

Visit Joseph’s website www.CrawdadKing.com  and Joseph’s page on  facebook
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!   September’s author will be Joseph Drumheller and October: Author, Lisa Jackson.  November’s author will be best selling author, Grace Burrowes                          Check out Motivational Moments…for Writers!

To receive my posts sign up for my blog, blogs, blogger, writer, author, playwright, books, plays,fiction  On the home page, enter your email address.  Thanks!