Sunday Brunch 3/23/14

 TODAY'S BRUNCH SPOTLIGHT
SHINES ON AUTHOR
PATRICIA T. (P.T.) MACIAS

First and foremost, it is a pleasure to have you here. Welcome to Harper’s Sunday Brunch Interview!
Hello Harper, thanks for inviting me to your Sunday brunch. I love being here.

So, can you tell us what makes P.T. Macias tick? What got you started on the path to becoming an author?
I started to write in 2011. I’ve always dreamed of writing, but life kept me busy. Then one day I woke with the thought, I’m going to start writing. I bought my laptop, and I started writing, writing, and writing. My family thought I was crazy.

What are you currently working on? Would you care to share a snippet?
I’m working on Thunder, Razer 8. He’s out this week. Lightning, Razer 8 is scheduled to be released on April 1st.

Do you include some of your own personal experiences in your books or do you prefer to use your imagination?
Lol, no I don’t use my life experience in my work. I prefer to use my imagination. My mind is full of stories to write.

What genre do you typically write in and why did you choose this over others?
I write in the thriller romantic paranormal suspense. I love writing thrillers and suspense with a dash of romance because I want to give the reader a variety of emotions.

Do you have a specific process or a ritual you go through when sitting down to write?
I don’t have a ritual. I sit down and write. I love to write at my desk in my office and with no interruptions. I don’t listen to music.
 
Where do you find your inspiration for your plots? Do you have any tricks of the trade you would care to share?
I’m afraid I don’t have any tricks. My inspiration for plots come to me in a dream or as I sit down and start writing. I feel my characters and write their stories. I have a general idea on the plot.

What is the oddest place/situation where an idea for a book/plot has come to you?
The oddest place would be when I’m working at my day job.

What makes a book stand out and perk your interest?
The book cover really grabs me, then the synopsis. The excerpt has to make me want to learn what happens next.

We all have our favorite authors. Can you share some of yours and tell us why you like them?
I have a few authors that I enjoy to read. They’re paranormal authors with a dash of romance.

We all have a pet peeve, care to share yours?
Yes I do have a pet peeve, and it really annoys me. I hate it when someone sets anything on the kitchen counter that isn’t for cooking or eating.

When you’re not writing, what are the things you enjoy doing to relax?
Lol, hmm…I love to hug and kiss my grandkids. I love spending time with my family.

Thank you so much for joining me here today, Patricia. I know my followers will enjoy this spotlight as much as I have conducting it. Good luck on all your future endeavors.
Thank you Harper for your well wishes. Good luck to you too. ♥

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT P.T.

I love writing, and I hope that my stories transport you into another world. I exercise the right to write of a unique and creative world, to exercise the right to use my Artistic License, and to write how I see or feel my story. I write in the present tense because I believe it puts the reader "IN" the action, rather than as part of an "after thought." I believe it brings my characters to life!

I love writing about drama, suspense, and intrigue. I throw in a dash of love and passion. I'm intrigued with the different types and depths of love.

Love is powerful and motivates an individual in diverse dimensions. I'm fascinated with the physiological, spiritual, and psychological process that love creates. The range and facets of love that an individual is capable of feeling is what I strive to illustrate in my stories.

I love to write about military men. In my stories, you will meet awesome men that are part of the Delta Force, Navy SEALS, FBI, CIA, and special operatives. My champions are amazing, strong men. They're intelligent, sexy, and passionate men that love with their entire being.

The lovely ladies in my stories capture their heart. They're smart, sexy, and full of love. My ladies blossom, mature, and complete my heroes.

I wrote my first series, the De La Cruz Saga, in one year. The saga has a subtle influence of Spanish and the Spanish becomes more laced (as the story progresses). Dare to read the awesome De La Cruz Saga that's full of passion and suspense.

Enjoy my new Razer 8 series. It's about action, adventure, passion, and romance. Razer 8 is about elite Delta Force operatives’ missions and love.

My Tasty Sexy Mexy Recipes cookbook is done. I hope you enjoy the recipes. Get your copy!

My latest, greatest project is my new paranormal series, Tequila 10. Tequila is a special operative team that works for the government. This series has paranormal operatives. They're several different species. The government doesn't have a clue that they're another species. They believe that the operatives only have special telepathic, psychic, and supernatural abilities. That's why they were recruited.

Tequila operatives have their own agenda. They're the paranormal enforcers. They monitor and protect the humans from the renegades. Oh yes, of course there's love, passion, and suspense.

I was born in San Jose, California. I currently live in Sacramento, California with my family. I have three children. I also enjoy spending quality time with family and friends. I love to read romance and paranormal.

I've always dreamed of writing and I'm extremely happy to be achieving my dream. I wanted to write since I was young. My characters are my best friends. They're always talking and living in my mind and dreams. I would tell you that writing is my passion.

I graduated from the University of Phoenix with a dual Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management Administration.

 WHERE TO FIND P.T. ONLINE

FACEBOOK P.T. MACIAS AUTHOR PAGE
FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE
RAZER 8 FACEBOOK PAGE
TWITTER or @pt_macias
GOODREADS
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
BARNES & NOBLE P.T. MACIAS PAGE
SMASHWORDS
HER WEBSITE
RAZER 8 BLOG
DE LA CRUZ BLOG

P.T.'S LATEST RELEASE

William Davis, Thunder, is a Razer 8 Delta Force operative. He enjoys a dangerous carefree lifestyle along with his identical twin. He’s oblivious to the fact that his mate is close real close.

Cassandra Johnson, Dawn, is a special operative on Tequila 10. Dawn is cute, happy, and full of dreams. She dreams of her mate and wedding day. Dawn is extremely close to Thunder and his siblings.

Thunder’s new mission hauls him into the arms of his mate. Their natural mating is inevitable. The mission keeps them apart.

PURCHASE LINKS FOR 

THUNDER, RAZER 8

AMAZON
AMAZON UK
SMASHWORDS 

OTHER RAZER 8 BOOKS IN THIS SERIES

The delta force operatives, Razer 8, made a promise to be united and linked for infinity. They have the infinity symbol tattoo. 

“Good morning, Officers,” says Commander Knight. He stands straight in front of the room. “I want to welcome you to the new Delta Force team. The name Razer was selected because you will be able to raze any entity, country, or structure in the world.”

Commander Knight observes each team operative. He needs to register their commitment, excitement and aspiration.

“The agency believes each one of you will be the best operative in the world, in your field of expertise. Every single officer on this team was selected because of his outstanding skills, education, and physical condition. Each operative has a special talent or ability that will be honed to excellence. Each of you will undergo an extensive training that will take you high into the realms of the infinite power. Your training starts now!”

The eight operatives stand straight, proud, and anxious to start the next phase in their military career. Each one has a reason, a dream, and need to be a Delta Force operative.

Months later, the eight operatives are celebrating their accomplishments. Their training is over. Each one has excelled in every facet of their training. Their bond is strong, absolute, and invincible.

Infinity is the name taken by Razer 8, the Special Delta Force operatives. The infinite power Razor 8 team operatives are an offensive team working against the drug cartel, drug dealers, and all types of terrorist groups. The U.S. Delta Force Special Operatives Unit, organized for the conduct of missions, requires that the Delta Force team be highly adaptable and completely self-sufficient. These men know that they can rely on one another when they have no one else. This is their new family!

LOCO, RAZER 8
GHOST, RAZER 8
BULLDOG, RAZER 8
RED FOX, RAZER 8
PHANTOM, RAZER 8
PANTHER, RAZER 8
COMING SOON - LIGHTNING, RAZER 8

Sunday Brunch 3/16/14

 INDIE AUTHOR GRACIE LONSDALE
IS JOINING ME FOR BRUNCH TODAY

First and foremost, it is a pleasure to have you here. Welcome to Harper’s Sunday Brunch Interview!
So, can you tell us what makes Gracie Lonsdale tick? What got you started on the path to becoming an author?
Well, I actually started out writing in a role play group online, and found that I really loved it. It kind of segued into writing stories and submitting my first few to a publisher. This is my first venture in self publication.

What are you currently working on? Would you care to share a snippet?
I have two projects that I am currently working on. This is from an untitled project at this point, but it’s something very near and dear to my heart. It’s a bit raw and unedited:

She was adorable, the way she blushed. I’d noticed her the minute she walked in. She was beautiful, petite, and worked out hard. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her and thanked my lucky stars the elliptical machines were positioned in front of the treadmills. For forty-five minutes, I had an unobstructed view of heaven. I had to chastise myself for staring at her, feeling like a schoolboy at my age, not to mention the guilt.

Why did I feel guilty? It’s not like I was doing anything wrong. Lori had been gone for nearly two and a half years—twenty-nine months, and six days to be exact. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her, and wish she were still here. The world as I knew it ceased to exist the minute I got the phone call that there had been an accident. The only consolation I had was knowing that she didn’t suffer.

I didn’t really want to come on this cruise. It was a gift from my girls who were worried about their old man, hoping that I would be able to enjoy myself. Their hearts were in the right place, but I don’t know what they were thinking. I didn’t want to disappoint them. I knew they were concerned about me. Lori and I had a great marriage. She was a wonderful woman, a great wife and mother, and I missed her terribly. My girls were both married and had young families of their own, worrying about me only added to their already busy lives and hectic lives. When they gave me this cruise as a birthday gift, along with the—we know you loved mom, but you need to move on with your life, speech—giving me their blessing to date. I was a little taken back, not mad, it’s just that I’d always thought of Lori as the love of my life, and dating hadn’t even entered my mind. I really hadn’t been interested, but being alone wasn’t much fun, especially since Lori and I had just started to get our own lives back. With the girls married and out of the house, it was just us, and we were really enjoying our time alone. We traveled, went out to dinner a few days a week, golfed. We really couldn’t be happier, it was like we were starting all over again…and then it was gone.

Maybe I’d get lucky and run into Miss Elliptical again. It would be nice to talk to someone more my own age.

Do you include some of your own personal experiences in your books or do you prefer to use your imagination?
I do put a little bit of my real life in most of what I’ve been writing lately. It’s easier to draw on emotion and convey it when it comes from my memory.

What genre do you typically write in and why did you choose this over others?
I mostly right happy ever after contemporary romance. It’s one of my favorites to read, so it seems more natural for me to write what I, myself, enjoy. I’m a hopeless romantic at heart

Do you have a specific process or a ritual you go through when sitting down to write?
No, not really. I just need complete quiet to write. So, the middle of the night is great, or very early morning.

Where do you find your inspiration for your plots? Do you have any tricks of the trade you would care to share?
Finding plots seems to come easy for me. I have about fifty of them written down. Actually writing them out is the problem. They just come to me. There are a lot of stories in just the ordinary things around us.

What is the oddest place/situation where an idea for a book/plot has come to you?
Probably the supermarket, of course when I didn’t have a pen or paper. I ended up using my notes on my iPhone so I wouldn’t forget.

What makes a book stand out and perk your interest?
I do look at covers first, I’ll admit it. If the cover doesn’t interest me, I’m not likely to look twice. I will read things recommended to by friends.

We all have our favorite authors. Can you share some of yours and tell us why you like them?
My favorite author is who I am reading at the time. Most recently S.A. Wolf, Jasinda Wilder, Priscilla West, Angel Payne, and Belle Aurora.
 
We all have a pet peeve, care to share yours?
Mean people.

When you’re not writing, what are the things you enjoy doing to relax?
Hanging out with my family and reading.

Thank you so much for joining me here today, Gracie. I know my followers will enjoy this spotlight as much as I have conducting it. Good luck on all your future endeavors.
Thanks for having me Harper!

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT GRACIE 

I was born and raised on Long Island, NY where I reside today with my husband and children. I am an avid reader of all genres, especially contemporary romance novels. After years of writing down small blurbs, characters, and story line ideas, I have finally taken the time to bring them all to life. 

PLACES TO FIND GRACIE ONLINE

FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE
HER WEBSITE
TWITTER or @GracieLonsdale

GRACIE'S CURRENT RELEASE

Ivy Hughes, a graphic artist from New York City, has devoted all her time and energy to her career, until she finally realizes something’s missing. Fed up with a string of bad first dates that all turned out to be last ones, Ivy takes a risk and fills out an application for a new online dating service, Access to Love, hoping to find her soul mate. Meanwhile, Deacon Brooks, a rugged yet sophisticated horse rancher from a small town in Colorado, decides to take the same risk.

Sparks fly on their extended date over Valentine’s weekend, where they spend two magical, passion-filled days at a ski resort. Then, as they travel to Deacon’s Ranch, the passion only grows deeper for the pair from completely different worlds. Will they find their happily ever after, or could their love be strong enough to survive living half-way across the country from each other?

PURCHASE LINKS FOR 

PURSUIT OF PASSION

AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
SMASHWORDS
ARE

Sunday Brunch 3/9/14

TODAY'S SUNDAY BRUNCH
SPOTLIGHT FEATURES
AUTHOR SANDRA SHREWSBURY

First and foremost, it is a pleasure to have you here. Welcome to Harper’s Sunday Brunch Interview!
Thank you for having me, this is a real honor.

So, can you tell us what makes Sandra Shrewsbury tick? What got you started on the path to becoming an author?
I met an author online and we became really good friends. I told her my story, and she said I needed to write a book about it. I thought she was crazy at first, but she kept telling me to do it, so finally I did.

What are you currently working on? Would you care to share a snippet?
I am working on part two of my first book. It will be released June 1st. The title is Aftermath Of An Addiction.

Snippet
The words were enough to send a cold chill of terror down my spine. Our lives had been irrevocably destroyed; we would never see our angels again. Tears pricked my eyes but I forced them back and shook my head. No. I never thought this day would come. The day when justice would not prevail, the day my daughter would destroy our lives once more. How do I tell them that she is fighting me for full custody of them? "Dammit," I muttered, frustration beginning to peak. The real question is will she win? I had to look out for their best interests. And I am determined to do whatever it takes to make sure my grandchildren are happy, to keep them safe. She cannot win this battle. I don’t know why she bothered; she hadn't shown any concern over these children for years now. My mind was racing and plagued by the fear of something terrible happening to them if she did get them back.

Do you include some of your own personal experiences in your books or do you prefer to use your imagination?
Yes, all of my personal experiences are in my first book.

What genre do you typically write in and why did you choose this over others?
I will have three nonfiction books out, and then I will be working on a YA book. I want to try out different genre.

Do you have a specific process or a ritual you go through when sitting down to write?
First, I grab a cup of coffee, and then I sit down to write . That happens every time I begin to write. lol

Where do you find your inspiration for your plots? Do you have any tricks of the trade you would care to share?
My inspiration comes from my life experiences.

What is the oddest place/situation where an idea for a book/plot has come to you?
I would have to say while using the bathroom. lol

What makes a book stand out and perk your interest?
I would have to say the cover, because that is what the reader sees first.

We all have our favorite authors. Can you share some of yours and tell us why you like them?
I have so many! V.C. Andrews because of the emotions she puts into her books. Stephen King because of the ideas and great writing he does. I could go on and on about authors.

We all have a pet peeve, care to share yours?
I guess I would have to say I am a clean freak, everything has to be a certain way in my house or I am not happy.

When you’re not writing, what are the things you enjoy doing to relax?
I love to read, and I also love the outdoors.

Thank you so much for joining me here today, Sandra. I know my followers will enjoy this spotlight as much as I have conducting it. Good luck on all your future endeavors.
Thank you so much for having me, it was an honor to be on your blog.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT SANDRA

I am a first time author! I live in West Virginia, I am a single mother of five children. I started writing for fun when I was younger and decided to go further with it. This journey has been a wonderful experience. I am so excited about my new book. I hope everyone enjoys it! I find that everyday life can be such an inspiration for writing. I love writing about everyday experiences. I also want to write about romance in the near future.

PLACES TO FIND SANDRA ONLINE

FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE
GOODREADS
ABOUT ME
TWITTER or @hazeleyes051367

SANDRA'S CURRENT RELEASE

PURCHASE LINK FOR 

OUTSIDE THE ADDICTION - 

A MOTHER'S STORY

AMAZON

Sunday Brunch 3/2/14

 AUTHOR/SCREENWRITER 
STUART LAND
IS JOINING ME FOR
SUNDAY BRUNCH TODAY

First and foremost, it is a pleasure to have you here. Welcome to Harper’s Sunday Brunch Interview!
Thanks for such a warm welcome, Harper. That spotlight is bright…and kinda hot. Hey, this stuff looks good. Do you mind if I eat while we talk? I missed breakfast.
 
So, can you tell us what makes Stuart Land tick?
My mechanical heart. No, I’m kidding (maybe). I’m not sure I’m best qualified to answer that. No one’s been able to figure it out yet, and plenty have tried. Maybe if you read everything I’ve ever written, and saw everything I’ve ever sculpted, and everything I’ve created or done, you might get an idea. If you figure it out, would you mind emailing me the answer?

What got you started on the path to becoming an author?
I blame it on a disastrous love affair. She was the love of my life. My whole universe crashed to a halt. Birds stopped singing. I trudged home and spent an unknown number of hours writing down the whole affair. It was very cathartic. It allowed me to move on with my life. I was 14.

Twenty years later, I had quite a different motivation. I was working in the movie business as a sculptor for special effects, and had to read all the scripts of the movies I was working on. This instantly brought back those feelings of loss and regret. I thought, jeez, this stuff is really s**t, I can do better than this. Then a friend (at least that’s what he called himself) challenged me to do just that. I took to it with zeal and ended up with zilch. It was a dismal failure. Writing a screenplay turned out to be harder than it seemed. From that failed attempt, I was hooked. It probably would have been better in the long run if I’d been hooked on something a little more illegal, but there you have it. I became everyone’s public enemy #1. Since I had the most famous directors, actors, and producers at my disposal (as it were), I harassed them until they gave up their secrets of moviemaking. They were left with an uncomfortable choice: drop me in the Pacific with cement boots, or spill their guts to get rid of me. Luckily for me, they chose option #2.

What are you currently working on? Would you care to share a snippet?
I’m actually working on two things at once. (Don’t try this at home, kids) So, I’ll give you two snippets. One is a resurrected spy novel that takes place around the time the Soviet Union implodes. The other is a chick-flick screenplay. What? One has to have balance, right? I’ll leave you to figure out which is which.

Snippet #1:
The bullfrog surfaced, breaking the slimy surface of the pond only with its eyes. The black orbs swiveled, searching the immediate sky for food. The prey was there, buzzing about in erratic circles, but nothing flew within reach. After some time, the eyes sank back into the water. The ripples smoothed out to a mirrored reflection of the overhanging branches, robust with autumnal splendor…

Motion exploded in the forest as a contained blur of muddied green broke the still water, airborne. The frog landed, like metal to magnet, on the rotted leaf covered bank, and froze. The air vibrated, but nothing delectable came along. Its throat puffed and a croak barked into the damp air. No response. He moved his corpulent body a few degrees and set himself for another jump, thigh muscles taut. Its leap was high, legs extended. At mid-flight the prey was in sight. The mouth opened, tongue rolling out in a graceful flick. The flittering insect never saw the frog explode into shards of flesh and blood, but the resounding percussion of the old breach loader seemed to make it alter course momentarily.

The brush parted and Vasili Yanovitch Petrokov stepped to the edge of the muddy water to survey his handiwork. Scraps of bloody meat floated on the inky surface of the pond and spots of red glistened on the dying yellow leaves hanging from the low branches. A sour expression crossed the boy’s nine-year old face. It's too easy now, he thought, and there's never anything left to look at. He needed something bigger. Smarter.

Snippet #2
INT. FAITH'S OFFICE - STARMATCH.COM - DAY

Faith sits behind her desk in her Post-Modern, Hippie, Per-Raphealite office, a collision of styles much like her outfits. She's liberally sprinkling Perrier on her used-to-be white blouse, trying to blot out the coffee stain with Kleenex. A huge tissue pile is a soggy sculpture on her desk.

GEMMA (early 20's) sits across from Faith, totally bemused. Voluptuous to the nth degree, every move Gemma makes is sexy. She leans forward, cleavage jammed together.

GEMMA
Vaudeville.

FAITH
What?

GEMMA
You're in the wrong calling, dear. Astrology's not your thing, it's Vaudeville. Look it: today it's the spilt coffee on a potential suitor--

FAITH
He was an illiterate construction worker!

GEMMA
Yesterday it was setting your Fendi scarf on fire while attempting to toast an English Muffin, and the day before that you broke off the heel of your Prada flushing the toilet-for the life of me I can't figure that one out--

FAITH
(three octaves high)
You expect me to actually touch the handle of a toilet in subway station?

GEMMA
You're missing the point, my darling. I think you could take that show on the road.

Faith throws down her handful of tissues and jumps up.

FAITH
You'd better get out of here before I take you on the road!...or, whatever.

Laughing, Gemma scurries out of her chair for the door.

GEMMA
Don't forget, tomorrow night at Adam's. It's a surprise.

FAITH
A surprise? For who?

GEMMA
Well, if I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?

Exasperated, Faith stands with hands on hips.

FAITH
Only if it's a surprise for me, Ms. Brainiac.

GEMMA
Oops.

FAITH 

What do you two have cooked up? It's nowhere near my birthday.

GEMMA
You didn't hear it from me.

FAITH
Hear what from you? You haven't said anything yet.

GEMMA
Alrighty, then. I'm ghost.

Gemma disappears down the hallway.

GEMMA
The folders with the new match potentials are on your desk. Maybe there's something in there for you.

Faith glowers at the empty doorway, then glances down to the now wet folders peeking out from under her sopping pile of tissues. She sinks back down in her chair, then scoops the tissue mess off the folders and into the trash can.

As she tries to peel the wet pages apart with one hand, she reaches under her desk with the other to turn on her computer. She reaches further and further, then looks down to see why she can't find it, but smashes her head against the desktop.

Do you include some of your own personal experiences in your books or do you prefer to use your imagination?
Finally, something I can answer. The answer is yes.

What genre do you typically write in and why did you choose this over others?
I typically write in paranormal, science fiction, thriller, action adventure, comedy, drama, mystery, romance, horror, fantasy, and speculative. I might have left something out. My real life isn’t in one genre, so neither is my fantasy life.

Do you have a specific process or a ritual you go through when sitting down to write?
I put my right foot in, them my left foot out, then I do the hokey-pokey and shake it all about. What? It works, you should try it.

Oh, you want to know the serious ritual? Okay, it’s this: Do everything you have to do before you sit down to write, then don’t get up for at least two hours. Then take care of any naturally occurring tendencies, and sit back down for another two hours. Repeat until eight writing hours have passed. Do this every day. Those with children and cats can adjust as appropriate.

Where do you find your inspiration for your plots? Do you have any tricks of the trade you would care to share?
Live a lot. I can almost always tell if a writer is writing from their head and not their heart, or from any kind of experience. Nothing trumps life experiences. Doesn’t mean you have to experience mayhem and murder, vampires or werewolves, Armageddon or space travel to write about it. But you do need to experience and understand human nature, and as a much emotion as you can handle.

When I first started writing, I couldn’t think of anything to write about either. But the more I wrote, the easier it became. I can find stories in just about everything. Why? Because stories are made up from what people do. Find your characters, and you automatically have your story.

Plotting stories comes from practice and learning the craft. I learned screenwriting. It’s all about structure, about plotting, about character and dialogue. It’s helped me immensely with writing novels. Want to be a better writer? Learn to write screenplays.

Now here’s the rub. No two people are going to interpret what you write in the same way. Nearly everyone knows this. You must endeavor to not let this bother you. Easier said than done. Case in point: The other day one of my screenplays won the best in category for an international writing contest. Yippie! The very next day the exact same script was trashed by another writing contest. It is life. The upside is, I can put “Tom the reviewer” into my next book or script and torture him to death. Mahahahaa!

What is the oddest place/situation where an idea for a book/plot has come to you?
Isn’t this a family blog?

What makes a book stand out and perk your interest?
Great writing. Compelling characters. Compelling storyline. Of course, a cover helps me to notice a book, and the blurb. If the blurb is written poorly, not only uninteresting, but bad grammar and sentence construction, I don’t go any further. I usually read the first page of a book I’m interested in. I can tell in one page if the person can write, and whether I want to read another three hundred pages if they can’t. Mostly, I know within a few lines. So many authors make the same basic mistakes, and it’s obvious within a few lines. It’s also obvious if they’re really good.

We all have our favorite authors. Can you share some of yours and tell us why you like them?
I like a lot of the Latin writers, like Gabriel García Márquezars (One Hundred of Solitude) Ye, Jorge Amado (Tereza Batista: Home from the Wars), and Isabel Allende (The House of the Spirits). I also like George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones), and on another end of the spectrum, Ayn Ran (The Fountainhead)…too many others to name.

Screenwriters in no particular order: Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo), Woody Allen (Manhattan), Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seatle), Ingmar Bergman (Fanny and Alexander), François Truffaut (The Story of Adele H), Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights), John Huston (Chinatown) James Cameron (Aliens)…too many others to name.

These folks write living, breathing characters who have their own voices, needs, and desires. It’s the insights these writers have into the human condition, which is all portrayed through their characters.

We all have a pet peeve, care to share yours?
It annoys me when people who profess to be writers, stop learning. They write the same thing over and over. Even worse, are people who profess to be writers who never learned the craft in the first place. Then there’s biting into bad sushi.

When you’re not writing, what are the things you enjoy doing to relax?
Isn’t this a family blog? Okay! I live in an exotic land and am surrounded by incredible food, jungle, cultural events, food, jungle, waterfalls, hiking trails, ancient temples, young people, old people, food, modern music, ancient music, dance, movies, nightlife, daylife, so basically way too many distractions. Oh, I forgot massage.

Thank you so much for joining me here today, Stuart. I know my followers will enjoy this spotlight as much as I have conducting it. Good luck on all your future endeavors.
Thank you, Harper. I enjoyed your company too. Especially the food. No, I mean I enjoyed the food equally as much. Well, I might have enjoyed it more if I knew what it was, and why it squirmed.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT STUART

Stuart’s story ideas come from his vivid imagination, but his inspiration draws from extensive world travel and fascinating careers: from US military medic to hairstylist, then Washington D.C. Police officer to NYC photographer.

Later, he converted a chicken coop in the woods into a live-in studio and taught himself metal sculpture. That rudimentary craft expanded into the fine arts. Sculptures in bronze and fiberglass led to shows in the US, England and Thailand.

Stuart’s passion for all arts segued into: costume design (top 100 designers in the book, Fashion: 2001); modeling agency art director; fashion show designer; water feature designer, computer illustrator and a top sculptor for special effects, sets and props in the entertainment industry with work in over thirty major films, hotels and theme parks worldwide.

During Stuart’s film career, he learned screenwriting firsthand, writing over a dozen screenplays. To explore character and environment more, Stuart took up narrative fiction. He’s completed many short stories and five novels. His writing places high in contests and his screenplays are optioned.

He continues on the journey.

PLACES TO FIND STUART ONLINE

HIS WEBSITE
FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE
FACEBOOK

TWITTER or @StuartLand_wrtr
GOODREADS
PINTEREST
GOOGLE+
ABOUT ME
BOOKDAILY
BOOK BLOGS
FREADO

ONE OF STUART'S CURRENT RELEASES 

PURCHASE LINKS FOR EPIPHANY

AMAZON KINDLE EDITION
AMAZON PRINT EDITION

STUART'S OTHER PUBLISHED TITLES INCLUDE

Original Blood Series: Gailene's Vow & Szejna's Revenge
Shadow House
Back From the Dead: The True Sequel to Frankenstein
Crossing the Double Yellow
Claiming Lives
Endless Sky (The Sergeant's Pledge)