Wednesday, November 21, 2012

THE BEGINNING

THE BEGINNING, Book I
Author Margaret A. Millmore     

Reviewed by R. Murry


Imagination is a gift and putting it down on paper is a challenge.  Ms. Millmore has met that object by presenting a novel for readers of vampire and werewolf cult adventures.  She takes a group of friends brought together by fate and follows their growth into young adulthood, where they all but one, dream similar visions.

These unbelievable figments are put together through brainstorming by the group led by Clare, the narrator, and Kate, the one not hallucinating.  It is interesting to note they all believe they are going out of their minds except Kate, who intelligently helps the group understand what is happening.  Kate notices everyone’s change in behavior over the years.  In the end, they reach a common ground of understanding  - they're different than the rest of humanity.

Margaret Millmore developed her characters well.  The reader will understand why one character in the group is going to be a vampire and another will turn into a werewolf.  This is explained in conversations between Clare and Charlie a man she met in her dreams and in real life through Margaret’s characterization.    
The story is well told in detail.  It is slowly developed to lay the foundation of what will be, in my opinion, an interesting adventure series of the good battling evil – this group against the Dark Ones, who destroy humanity for their perverted end.  Good vampires and werewolves care for humanity as told in the story.

Ms. Millmore has done a fine job of keeping the reader interested.  I, being a non-believer and never thought I would read this type of book, was completely drawn in.  She kept me wondering if the story was plausible.  Now, if you are a believer, you’ll be hooked by her chronicle of young vampires and werewolves.

Links to her and her novels are below in Ms. Millmore’s interview.




 

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Margaret A. Millmore


Interview of 
Margaret A. Millmore, 
Author of Book I : 

THE BEGINNING

Questions by Roy Murry

Can you tell me a little about yourself? 

I’m a native Californian, and have lived in San Francisco since 1991 with my husband Bryan. I’m the grandniece of Irish author Benedict Kiely and the second cousin of Irish author Sharon Owens.

Do you remember the first story you wrote? 

Argh, that was so long ago…

Were you inspired by someone or something? 

I take inspiration from everything I experience on a daily basis. However my early literary loves were CS Lewis, Ray Bradbury and Stephen King.

What do you like about writing a story? 

Ever since I was a child I've been telling myself stories. Nothing is more cathartic than actually writing them down and seeing them develop and of course sharing them with others.

Can you tell us about your book?

The Four Series: They do exist and they always have. They live, love, and work among us and they are part of us. But they are different too, they are stronger and they live longer. They are the topic of many books, movies and myths, but their existence remains a secret, not everyone would accept them. And like us, they have those that are simply evil. Keeping these evil ones under control is the price they must pay to continue the lives they love. They must protect their human brethren from the Dark Ones, those that would rather kill than preserve.

Century after century the good battled the Dark Ones, always prevailing and preserving the lives of their beloved humans. In the 17th century, two powerful Dark leaders emerged, they organized their forces and a bitter war ensued. It was a fight to the death and the good thought they’d won. Four warriors led the battle, four warriors whose strength was beyond anything they knew, four warriors whose legacy had to be protected…

The good formed a consortium and with the help of a powerful sorcerer, a spell was cast; a spell that would follow the warriors’ lineage in case their power was needed again. The warriors are long dead, but their heirs are not, and now they must fight. The Dark Ones have re-emerged, they are more powerful, more resourceful and they want to control mankind and the world.

The Beginning-Book I: Clare had an ideal life. She lived in the perfect little town, had a great family and four of the best friends in the world.  She also had nightmares, nightmares that plagued her for almost a decade. But these are not ordinary nightmares; they are premonitions, warnings of what is to come and what she will become.

She discovers that she isn't alone in these vile dreams; her friends are having them too. They are dreaming of their ancestors and their own future...  The discovery of their destiny and the future they must embrace is shocking and terrifying.

What genre best fits for the book? 

Unfortunately, I don’t think it fits neatly into one genre, it’s a suspense/thriller with a sub-genre of vampires and werewolves.

Are you working on something new at the moment? 

I’m currently working on books 3 and 4 of The Four Series as well as another full length novel.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? 

Writing and getting published is a daunting and frustrating task – Don’t give up! Edit, edit, edit!

Where can people go to read your work? 

All of my work is available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Millmore/e/B005ME8QTQ) as well as other major on-line retailers. For more information, visit: www.margaretmillmore.com

Do you have anything to add? 

Book II in The Four Series is now available and we expect to release Books III and IV in early 2013

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Becoming Mona Lisa


Becoming Mona Lisa
      Written by Cat Holden Robinson

Reviewed by R. Murry

Developing characters is an art and takes time to bring them alive on the written page.  Ms. Robinson was able to bring alive her main protagonist Mona Lisa Siggs from the dead, figuratively speaking.  Mona and her husband Tom for years have drifted apart, loosing whatever connection they had when they courted and wed.

Here is where Holden Robinson begins a story that will have you crying and laughing at the same time.  The Siggs’ battle among themselves to return to the love they once had; they battle with Mother Nature; and they battle an antagonist who is out of his mind with loneliness.

After looking in the mirror, Mona makes a decision to get back her life that has been declining for years.  Living with a husband who she has lost verbal contact with, she probes him into active reaction by getting a makeover.  It works and the characters come out of their cocoons of living daily boring lives.

From here on in, this novel has you hoping for the best for this couple.  As they move into loving reconciliation, their relationship is hit with situations that are comical, heart breaking, life changing, and dramatic in nature.  The twists and turns will keep you reading, wanting to know what else could get in their way from getting back to that loving feeling they yearn for.

This romantic comedy will keep your eyes pegged to the page; and you may reminisce into how your relationship developed and flourished.   Ms. Robinson wrote a creditable story that one would believe that it really happened to the Siggs’ family.  Or, did this happen to you?

I know you romantics will love this read, as I did.  Publisher Black Rose Writing found another fine writer, as they did with me.  LOL!  Have a good read! 

Cat's fans can reach me through my website at http://www.holdenrobinsonproductions.com/,  

Monday, November 12, 2012

Cat Robinson


Interview with                   

Cat Holden Robinson


Question: R. Murry






Can you tell me a little about yourself?

I would love to.  I am a survivor of single motherhood, and anyone who has ever done this knows this is something of which one can be very proud.  I am a long time lover and performer in community theater.  I am a passionate animal lover and advocate, and I hope to one day open Tenth Life Sanctuary, a respite home for senior cats. 

Do you remember the first story you wrote?

I remember the first serious story I wrote was about a child who had come upon an accident in which another child had been seriously injured on a bicycle.  The rescuer had to make a perilous journey down a hill to rescue the victim.
Were you inspired by someone or something?

I was inspired to reevaluate my life after the loss of my father in 2006.  I had begun writing in 2005 after he was diagnosed with cancer.  After his death I really committed to completing a novel.  Writing was my sanctuary, the one place I felt safe and protected from the grief that threatened to overcome me.

What do you like about writing a story?

I love the journey.  Writing and reading allows to travel to another place without ever leaving the comfort of our favorite chair.  I love bringing characters and images to life, and more than anything I love to make people laugh.  I think writing, or any art for that matter, is a true gift.  The opportunity to put something beautiful into the world is amazing.

Can you tell us about your book?

My book follows Mona Lisa Siggs, as she struggles to cope with the tedium of everyday life.  Trapped in a marriage gone stale from boredom, Mona gets a makeover, recommits to her landfill of a marriage, and begins to embrace the joy that life has to offer. 

What genre best fits for the book?

Romantic comedy.

Are you working on something new at the moment?

I am always working on something new.  I am rewriting my first novel which has not yet made it to print.  I am doing a blog-to-book conversion of my hilarious comedy blog, Tommy's Tool Town, and I am working on a project titled, And Her Name Shall be Beloved, a poignant story of animal rescue.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Don't give up!  Learn as much as you can, even from the negative stuff.  Believe in yourself, your message, and your talent.  Surround yourself with a great team, and don't be afraid to ask for help.  Most of all, keep writing!

Where can people go to read your work?

Becoming Mona Lisa, and, The House of Roses, are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Link: http://amzn.to/1jUmL3vhttp://amzn.to/1jUmL3v

Do you have anything to add?

I would like to thank anyone who has ever supported my writing, and those fans yet to come.  My ultimate goal is to open my animal rescue.  If you're supporting my writing, you're making that happen, and I adore you for it.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Terry Tyler


Interview of Terry Tyler

Questions: R. Murry

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

I live in the north of England with my husband.  What else would you like to know?  I used to run my own shop in the 1980s; I made a range of mohair jumpers.  My then husband was a goldsmith, and we sold his jewellery, too, amongst other things.  I lived in Northampton from the age of 2 until the year 2000, then on the North Norfolk coast until 2009 (wonderful place), then up here from 2009.  I hope you noticed how skillfully I have given those details, thus not revealing my age.  Joking – I am not coy about stuff like that!  I’m 96.  Oh, you mean you want to know about the writing?  

Brief résumé: a few appalling stories and some funny stuff in younger days.  I wrote about 9 novels in the 1990 s.  Had interest in some of my work from an agent, but was too silly and stubborn to change it slightly to fit in with what she thought likely to impress a publisher.  I've always written funny stuff to entertain friends.  When I was working in Cromer Job Center I wrote a short play based on a day at work there, and my manager found it so amusing that he didn't tell me off for writing it in work time, and took it to a management meeting to show everyone.  He was a bit of a nutter, though (a very nice one!), and the others at the meeting were probably too ‘straight’ to be amused by it.  I've written four novels since 2010, which are on Amazon, and I’m in the process of writing the 5th , which is a sequel to the 4th.

Do you remember the first story you wrote?

No, but I’m sure it was ghastly.

Are you inspired by someone or something?

I've written about the people who've influenced more than once in other interviews, so I won’t repeat myself in case the same people are reading this one!  When I am writing a novel, though, I’m usually inspired by a concept about which I wish to write; for instance, in ‘You Wish’, which you recently reviewed on this blog, I wanted to write about the idea of destiny versus personal choice.  With ‘The Other Side’ I had decided to write about how the decisions we make in youth influence not only the next few years, but the whole path of our lives.  Once I know what the theme of the story is to be, it’s a matter of thinking up a story to illustrate it. 

What do you like about writing a story?

Suddenly having a great idea about how to make the plot better!   I love it when you suddenly have a brainwave!  I also love being able to write about subjects that interest me, and that I like to read about – for instance, people ruining their lives through addiction or obsession, grand passion type love affairs that wreck the lives of people around them – and more ‘light’ things, like rock musicians in pub bands, send-ups of the pseudo and the pretentious, the day to day problems facing ordinary people , the powerful influence of social networking sites.

Can you tell us about your book?

There are four; as I said, ‘You Wish’ is about destiny versus personal choice, ‘The Other Side’ about possible alternative lives – it’s about what might have happened, had the main character made different choices.  ‘Nobody’s Fault’ is about the breakdown of a family after the father falls in love with another woman, and ‘Dream On’ is about struggling musicians!  All of them are set in the UK and mostly in the present, no longer ago than the 1980 s.  I’m aware all the time of popular culture and current trends when 

I’m writing; for instance, ‘Dream On’ features both a TV talent show and a spot on The Jeremy Kyle Show, and the young women in ‘You Wish’ use Facebook, of course - Petra’s stalking of the chap she loves takes place mostly via this.  In ‘Nobody’s Fault’ there is a mysterious fake Facebook profile – and one of the characters goes internet dating.

What genre best fits for the books?

Contemporary fiction.  I used to say contemporary women’s fiction, but men read them too!

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Oh dear, hundreds!  It’s only what I think, though; other people might disagree with me.  I don’t pretend to be an expert on anything.  But here are a few things that might help:

Don’t try to write like anyone else.  Write what you want, let Amazon worry about fitting it into a genre.  

Don’t jump on bandwagons.  Be prepared to spend A LOT of time promoting your work, or it will sink without trace, unless you are very lucky.  Don’t think you have to have a blog in order to sell books, and if you do have one, write about something other than writing.  Accept that you will have to put writing before, for instance, going to the pub or watching television, if you want to get it done.  Learn how to tweet in such a way that it sells your books.  There is an article called ‘Twitter Tips for Beginners’ on my blog http://terrytyler59.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/twitter-tips-for-beginners.html - many people have told me they've found it very useful – it tells you a bit more than the usual ‘how to use social media to promote your book’ type articles.

If someone tells you they've enjoyed your book, ask them to write you a review.  Don’t get stressed about bad reviews; not everyone will necessarily think your work is the best thing since sliced bread.  Beware of cliches like that one!


Where can people go to read your works?


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

YOU WISH


YOU WISH
      By Terry Tyler

Reviewed by R. Murry             

Her main character Ruth tells the stories, including her own, about the desire of having something the easy way by wishing for it.  This is where the human imagination kicks in – one believes what one cares to believe.  And we attach the notion that it is some universal circumstance that we put in motion because we wish for it, using a conduit albeit a cross, a candle lit in a church, or a stone.

Ms. Tyler takes us through encounters with fate that keeps the reader engaged to find out what happens right to the end.  The people come alive trying to change their personal situations – love of a particular individual, being the right size, or possessing something that hard work can only attain.

There were no lulls in any of the situations Terry introduces.  She has you thinking from the first plot – why would anyone believe that?  The truth be known, we all might fall into the traps of life that Ms. Tyler puts her characters through.  We all want to be loved.  We all want to be the right shape.  And we all want to say the right thing at the right moment, but we always don’t, like the people in her book. 

I give thumbs up to this novel that gets into what motivates the human mind in such a clear and precise way. 
    

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Danny Kemp



Interview with Danny Kemp, Author


Questions: R. Murry, author


Can you tell me a little about yourself?

         This should be easy so let me first confess something to you, I'm vain and like talking about myself. Usually I'm surrounded by people who only want to speak about themselves. I call them selfish and myself; misunderstood.
I will not bore you with my likes and dislikes; there are far more interesting people out there where you can measure your own against theirs. Instead, I will give you an example of what influenced my life. Just past my seventeenth birthday my Father died suddenly leaving me, his only child, and my Mother, who was verging on blindness. I was studying to be a Chartered Accountant, having changed my aspirations, from becoming a Helicopter pilot, on getting my 'O' level results from Shooters Hill Grammar School. I was a disappointment to both parents, having concentrated more on becoming a competent cricketer and the best open side wing forward never to play rugby for England than on my academic studies. Anyway, there I was on my way to the office when, without rhyme nor reason, I signed up to become a Police Cadet.
At the age of nineteen I was an up and running Police Constable, and here comes the thing. One day, whilst on duty, I found an eight year old boy who had been reported as missing from his home. Dutifully I returned him there to be greeted by a thankful Mother and a contemptuous Father sitting next to a roaring fire, stoking it with a steel poker.
When I saw the fear in his sons' eyes I knew immediately what had caused the inch wide festering wound on the boys face. I'll let you imagine what injuries I wanted to inflict on that man, but I didn't; and I've been ashamed of myself ever since. I had a short career in the 'Job,' but no less eventful. I was the first to arrive at three deaths. One a sudden natural death, one a very 'bloody' suicide and one, where a jealous soldier shot his wife full in the face with both barrels of a 12 bore shotgun. All three were horrific and disturbing, but nothing has haunted me as much as that eight year old wounded child. I wonder if he ever lived long enough to extract revenge on his Father. I guess, in the age that we all live, I shouldn't say that, should I?

Were you inspired by someone or something?

         More by something than someone. I was at work one sunny November day in 2006, minding my own business, stopped at a red traffic light when a van, driven incompetently, smashed into me. I was taken to Hospital and kept in for while, but it was not physical injuries that I suffered from; it was mental.
I had lost all confidence in myself, let alone those around me. The experts said that I had post traumatic stress disorder, which I thought only the military or emergency personnel suffered from. On good days, I attempted to go to work, sometimes I even made it through Blackwell Tunnel only to hear, or see, something that made me jump out of my skin, and the anxiety attacks would start.
I told my wife that I was okay and going regularly but I wasn't, I could not cope with life and thought about ending it.
Somehow or other with the help from my dear wife, and professionals, I managed to survive and ever so slowly, rebuilt my self-esteem.
It took almost four years to fully recover and become what I now am, somewhere close to what I was before that day, but it was during those dark depressive days that I began to write.
My very first story, Look Both Ways, Then Look Behind, found a literary agent but not a publisher. He told me that I had a talent, raw, but nevertheless it was there. After telling me to write another story, he said that there were two choices open to me: One, wait for a traditional deal. At sixty-two, with no literary profile or experience; little hope. Two, self-publish through New Generation.
This, I'm delighted to say, I did.
The success of my story, The Desolate Garden, is down to my sheer hard work, luck, in meeting a film producer and the uncompromising stance taken by Daniel Cooke my publisher, who never 'massages my inflated ego,' as he so often puts it.

What do you like about writing a story?

         Playing with words and living the life of the characters I have created. My Father used to call me deceitful, by that I think he meant that I told lies and stories to conceal the truth. Not much different then, than writing a book!

Can you tell us about your book?

         It is a twisting murder mystery centered on a secret Government bank known as Annie’s, which is situated in Queen Anne’s Gate, Westminster. The bank has been managed, since its inauguration in the fourteenth century, by one family; the Earls of Harrogate and always by the youngest son born into that family.
Shortly after taking over the bank, in 2007, Lord Elliot Paterson starts to ‘modernise’ its affairs, leading to the discovery, in a hidden 1936 ledger, of an address in Leningrad, Russia. As he digs deeper he finds some unexplained initials, and an unaccountable missing fortune.
         He suspects that his deceased grandfather, Lord Maudlin Paterson, has been funding a Russian spy and the family will be disgraced.
Six months after telephoning his estranged eldest son Harry, and telling of his suspicions, he is found murdered in his London home, in Eton Square.
         Harry, already working for the Secret Intelligence Services, is recalled from the family home, the grand Harrogate Hall, to London to meet with the head of that mysterious department.
         He stays at The Duke’s Hotel St James’s and on returning there, from that prearranged engagement, seemingly meets by ‘accident,’ an attractive women; Judith Meadows.
         “Tell me a joke,” she says, enticing him from the lobby into the Martini Bar. “I’ve had a really shitty day and need cheering up,” she adds.
She plays him, until he believes that his luck is in, and then she destroys his hopes of bliss.
Calling him chauvinistic, she discloses that she works for The Home Office and is to be his case officer, in trying to unravel the circumstances of Elliot’s death.
         As the story unfolds, the rubber band relationship between the two is paramount to the tale. Harry knowing more than he is willing to reveal and Judith having more knowledge of his family than he knows!

How did you come up with the story?

         My wife and I were given as an anniversary gift, an invitation to a dinner and wine tasting event at Berry Bros. and Rudd, in St James’s Street London. Knowing that I would be drinking that night a booked a room at The Duke’s. One night, after returning home, I dreamt of such a meeting and built the story out of that.

What genre best fits for the book?
  
        I didn’t believe that it fits a so called genre, the book is a combination of a thriller, romance and historical fiction. All in all, it’s an old fashioned adventure story.

Are you working on something new at the moment?

I was writing another story, titled Mitzy Collins, and had completed about 56,000 words of it before the publication of The Desolate Garden, but all my time is taken up by promotion of that novel now, so I have stopped writing.
It is a moralistic tale of how lies, told by influential people covering up the death of a seventeen year old, affect the life of Mitzy, a successful photographer, told by her dead twin brother in a third person narrative.
If the film, for which I have been paid for the option, is made, then I will be able to afford time away from driving a cab and then, maybe, I can continue.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

         I am neither old enough, nor wise enough to advise anyone.

Which authors inspire you?

         I have read a wide range of authors, but two would stand out: John Fowles, with ‘The French Lieutenant’s Women’ and ‘Daniel Martin,’ and John Le Carré, with all the ‘Smiley’ novels.
On two occasions I picked up, in my London cab, the late Sir Alec Guinness who played the part of George Smiley in the BBC production of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Where can people go to read your work?

         It is on forty odd internet sites worldwide, including all Amazon sites, and its accessibility can be found here;
http://www.bookbutler.com/compare?isbn=9781908775924

         It is in all major UK Bookshops including Waterstones, where it is available in 48 hours.
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/simpleSearch.do?simpleSearchString=The+Desolate+Garden&typeAheadFormSubmit=

Where can people find you on the internet?

Face Book.     http://www.facebook.com/dannyandpatkemp?ref=tn_tnmn
Twitter.            https://twitter.com/danielkemp6
My blog.          http://theauthordannykemp.com/
Webpage.       http://www-thedesolategarden-com.co.uk/