Interview with Mary Danino

Interview with Mary Danino, author of

Ado in the Meadow

Questions: R. Murry

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

I’m Mary Danino. I live by the sea side, along the eastern Mediterranean shore in a lovely city called Ashdod in Israel.

I spent all my early childhood in Ashdod, Israel. After my military service in the Israeli Air Force, I went to the university and studied, of all things, Physics & Chemistry. It was fun but apparently not my destiny although I’ll always have a warm spot in my heart for physics (I love it!). When my son Roy was born, we lived in Arad, a small city close to the Dead Sea area. There I worked with people from all over the world for quite a number of years. Meeting all kinds of people from different countries and cultures fascinated me. My second son, Guy, was born shortly before we moved back to Ashdod, in which we still live. What really curious is, that although I always loved to write and was truly hooked on being a writer, I never did it seriously. Just now, this last year, I'm actually writing stories. So you see, it's never too late.

Do you remember the first story you wrote?

Yes, it was in the sixth grade. A young student came to our class and asked if we would like to answer some questions for a research she was doing. One of the questions was, “What would we want to do when we grow up”, I immediately said, “A writer”, so she asked me to write a short story, which I did.  I don’t even remember what the story was about, I just remember her saying, after reading the story, that she was really impressed. 

Were you inspired by someone or something?

Since I remember myself I knew I want to be a writer, I can’t even tell how, or what lead to it. I love reading. As a kid I read up to 6 books a week. I’m always creating stories in my mind. When my sons were young and we would drive long distances, I used to make up stories for them. Many of our outdoor walks would be accompanied with stories I made up about all kind of things that we encountered on our way. The funny thing is that I never actually wrote these stories down, not until recently anyways. 

What do you like about writing a story?

Writing a story, to me, is like creating a “bubble of existence”. As I see it, the space around us is filled with bubbles, every bubble is a story created by someone. In every given moment we can choose to get a peek at one of them, just like watching outside the window of someone we don’t know. When I write a story, I create a new bubble, one that all kind of people that I don’t know, never met and probably will never meet, can look into and while doing so, become part of that story. In a way, all the people that read my stories carry a little bit of me within them, like I carry within me a part of all those authors I read.

Can you tell us about your book?

Ado in the Meadow is a story about a cheerful hedgehog named Poddy. Poddy finds himself, unintentionally, in the center of some unfortunate events taking place in a beautiful green meadow. He tries to transform himself, thinking that becoming someone else might solve his issues... Eventually, he finds out that being true to his nature serves him and his friends, best. It’s all about self esteem and friendship.

The book is most suitable for young children, age 3-6, and naturally for beginner readers.

What genre best fits for the book?

Children’s books.

Are you working on something new at the moment?

Yes, I have several ideas running all together. One of them involves a squirrel and a snail. I think I might pick this one for the next story, though I haven’t made up my mind yet.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

You just have to look around and be attentive to nature, people, stories you hear. In everything you can find a hidden story that waits to be told. Yet, the most important thing, on my opinion, is to enjoy doing it. When you enjoy doing something, it shows on the outcome.

Where can people go to read your work?

“Ado in the meadow” is published as a kindle book on Amazon

http://bit.ly/17WafwB

Do you have anything to add?

Last, but surely not least, I would like to thank Roy Murry for this interview! I enjoyed doing it, and I hope you’ll find it interesting!

FaceBook: User name- Mary Danino              https://www.facebook.com/mary.danino?fref=ts

Twitter - @MaryDanino.                                           https://twitter.com/MaryDanino

Review of Thackery's Journal

Review of John Holt’s

The Thackery Journal

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Bones and blood humans are the ones that fight wars. The journal is written by one who is convinced that his reasons for fighting a war pitting families, friends and relatives against each other are noble. His future is set because of those convictions; and you read his journey through Mr. Holt’s straight forward account.

This account leads to a show down between two childhood friends whose parting words prior to the American Civil War were not amicable. Through Thackery’s journal, we feel the pain of a young man following orders of his superiors.

These orders put him in a predicament that is in conflict with his core belief system and a face to face deadly situation with his friend who is fighting for the opposition, the Union Army. You’ll be surprised with the way that adventure is concluded.

Mr. Holt writes a genuine tale of human conflict. Through his prose you feel the historical dilemma that this war produced, which carried on many years after the guns and uniforms were put away for good. That being, where do you draw the line when deciding what is worth fighting for to the death.

John Holt’s story is worth the read if one cares for the feelings of other humans. 

I have a web site, although I don’t use it that often - http://johnholt1943.blogspot.co.uk/

My Facebook pages are - https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Holt-Author/553064201380567

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Thackery-Journal/583932428307932

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Kendall/524023174290695

          

Interview with John Holt

Interview with John Holt,

Author of The Thackery Journal

Questions: R. Murry

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

Firstly let me say a big thank you Roy, for giving me this opportunity. I hope that you and anyone reading this enjoy it, and hopefully gain something from it.

I was born in 1943 in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. I currently live in Essex with my wife, Margaret, and my daughter Elizabeth. 

For many years I was a Chartered Surveyor in local government. I was a Senior Project Manager with the Greater London Council until it was closed down in 1986. I then set up my own surveying practice, preparing architectural plans for extensions, and new houses. I had a heart attack in 2004, and vastly reduced my work load, and eventually retired in 2008.

I had always wanted to write a novel but could never think of a good enough plot. My first novel, The Kammersee Affair, published in 2006, was inspired by a holiday in Austria. 

We were staying in Grundlsee. The next lake, Toplitzsee, was used by the Germans during the war to test rockets, and torpedoes. There were rumours of gold hidden in that lake. Despite extensive searches the gold was never found. In my book, however, it is found, only in the next lake, Kammersee.

The books that followed, The Mackenzie File, The Marinski Affair, Epidemic, and A Killing In The City. all feature Tom Kendall, a down to earth private detective. In August 2012 I decided to go down the self-published route, and formed my own publishing brand PHOENIX..

Do you remember the first story you wrote?

I suppose it must have been whilst at school. I wrote a story about a small settlement in Australia, and how it developed into a town. The story covered a period of about 100 years, and was told in a half a dozen hand written pages. 

Needless to say it was never published. I wonder what happened to that manuscript. In the early sixties I used to write articles, and reviews for a couple of magazines specializing in Negro Blues. Both magazines no longer exist, and with their demise gone to are my articles.

Were you inspired by someone or something?

I was brought up on Enid Blyton. Every week my father would bring home the latest copy of the Enid Blyton magazine. Sadly not very fashionable now, but the Famous Five and the Secret Seven, would keep me occupied and entertained for hours. 

Later it was Alastair Maclean, and Hammond Innes, who provided the excitement. Then Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime. But did any of these fine authors inspire me? Maybe, but I certainly have never tried to copy their style.

What do you like about writing a story?

I got a lot of enjoyment out of readers the novels of the people mentioned above. To enter into a different world and meet exciting people, and encounter dangerous adventures whilst in the safety of your own home. 

I get that same kind of enjoyment from creating my own works. I hope that others get that same enjoyment.

Can you tell us about your book?

I normally write Private Detective novels, and so far I have four self published.

My latest novel "The Thackery Journal" is quite a departure, and a long way outside my comfort zone. It is an Historical Fiction novel set during the American Civil war. It is a "What If" novel regarding the assassination of Lincoln. 

I have been working on it, on and off for about four or five years. During that time it has gone through a few changes. My first book, “The Kammersee Affair” is about the search for Nazi gold. Whilst researching I found an article about some Confederate gold that went missing as the Civil war came to an end. 

I thought that could be the basis of a fairly good story, and that was the start of “The Thackery Journal.” So I had the missing god, and I knew that somebody had taken it. I wondered how that person would feel as his pursuers closed in. So the final chapter of “Thackery” was written. That chapter, written many years ago, has basically remained unchanged, even though the rest of the story has.

What genre best fits for the book?

Historical Fiction

Are you working on something new at the moment?

I am currently working on two more Tom Kendall novels and I have made a tentative start on an Adventure novel. I also have some ideas for another American Civil War novel. I’m rethinking the missing gold item.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

The main tip I can give is write for nobody but you. There will be a lot of people who will like your work (we hope), but there will be a lot of people who hate it. 

You cannot please everyone all of the time, so don’t even try. As long as you like what you have written, that’s good enough, if someone else likes it that’s a bonus.

Where can people go to read your work?

I have a few chapters from my novels over on Wattpad - My latest novel "The Thackery Journal" is a "What If" novel regarding the assassination of Lincoln.

I have a web site, although I don’t use it that often - http://johnholt1943.blogspot.co.uk/

My Facebook pages are - https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Holt-Author/553064201380567

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Thackery-Journal/583932428307932

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Kendall/524023174290695

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kammersee-Affair/141374892672877

Do you have anything to add?

I realized pretty quickly that the chances of being published by one of the traditional publishers was pretty remote. I wasn’t a celebrity chef, or a footballer, or a TV personality. Eventually I was published by Raider Publishing International in New York. Sounds impressive yes? 

Well Raider is a vanity publisher, and I paid them to get published. Nonetheless it was a good feeling to have my work in print. The contracts were very short, and when they ran out I did not renew. I decided to take the Self-Publishing route. With the likes of Lulu.com, Createspace, and KDP, it is now so easy, and at no cost. With the help of friends on Facebook, and Twitter, it has worked out reasonably well, and I wish I had done it a lot sooner.

So thank you once again Roy. It is very much appreciated.

Review of The Dragonfly Door

Review of The Dragonfly Door

Written by Margaret A. Millmore  

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

The story told by Ms. Millmore, in her novel The Dragonfly door, is one of true fiction. She has stretched the reader’s imagination, bringing them to the edge of reality with a thrilling story that keeps you reading on, and on.

Each time the door is opened or closed a new twist is brought to light. Traveling with the speed of light in and out of the door, the main character learns more about why he was placed on earth and how his life has an effect on those that follow him after he makes a decision.

A conundrum, we all try to solve on a daily basis is how what we say to our children will affect their lives and our future with them, is placed in question. In her tale of the unknown, that gap is bridge and revealed somewhat.

This revelation presents eventful situations for the main characters where they meet the future. One of their own, in the present, has contaminated the world with a virus, leading to why one of the doors was opened in the first place.

You may be confused at first, but Margaret brings it all together with exciting prose, beginning with a man who is put in a psychiatric ward to the acceptance that that man and his mission is needed to save the world in the future. But, he is a lunatic. Or is he? You’ll have to read The Dragonfly Door to find out.

This novel hits all the right buttons: entertaining and gripping. A fine read over three or four sittings.

eBook link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FL572Q4

Interview with Margaret Millmore

Interview with Margaret A. Millmore, 

Author of The Dragonfly Door 

(a modern day time-travel thriller/suspense novel)

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 author of 5 books; Doppelganger Experiment and Books I through III of The Four Series via World Castle Publishing (2011, 2012, 2013), and The Dragonfly Door via Amazon (October 2013).

Were you inspired by someone or something? 

A few years back I was driving home from the grocery store, located out by Ocean Beach in San Francisco – the neighborhood is generally quiet and residential, suddenly I noticed swarms of dragonflies, they were everywhere, so many that I had to pull over to watch them. I couldn’t leave the experience alone, so I wrote it down upon returning home (the ice-cream melted a bit while I did this….). That’s where it stayed for a while, but I knew there was something there, it just hadn’t formed yet. A little bit later I was visiting family in Southern California during the Thanksgiving holiday, we were driving through the high desert and the landscape suddenly spoke to me, and the plot was born. It took me a little more than 3 years to bring this book to fruition, but it was worth every minute of it.

Can you tell us about your book?

The Dragonfly Door:

Most people would envy Frank Mann for living off a trust fund in beautiful San Francisco. But Frank was directionless and spiraling downward – lonely, drinking heavily, getting into brawls. He was sitting at a bar when above the gleaming bottles he first glimpsed the thing that would change his life forever.

“It was the largest dragonfly I’d ever seen. Its wings were silver and its body a luminescent blue-green, almost metallic. I swear it was looking right at me.”

But it wasn’t looking at him. It was looking for him. Because it wasn’t a dragonfly at all. It was a door into the future. And it was sent to find Frank Mann for one specific reason: because only he could save mankind from extinction… But success will not be as easy as stepping through the dragonfly door.  (for a detailed synopsis, visit: http://margaretmillmore.com/home)

eBook link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FL572Q4

What genre best fits for the book? 

This book fits a few different genres. First, there is a time-travel element, its integral to the plot, but it’s not the plot, however that element puts it into the science fiction genre. The story itself falls under thrillers and suspense.

Are you working on something new at the moment? 

I’m currently working on a new novel that I’m hoping will evolve into a series. It’s a bit far off at the moment, but I can say there will be ghosts, and of course bad guys, I’ll toss some good guys in there too, just to balance things out.

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). For more information, visit: www.margaretmillmore.com

Do you have anything to add? 

I hope you have the opportunity to read my newest novel, The Dragonfly Door, and if so, please post a review on Amazon.com, the review is the lifeblood for independent authors and we very much appreciate the time you spend reading and posting. Thank you Roy, for the opportunity to visit your blog again.

Freedom of the Monsoon

Freedom of the Monsoon

Written by Malika Gandhi   

Reviewed by Roy Murry

The horrific events of the Mahatma Gandhi’s Quiet Revolution and the conflict between white and brown Indians are brought to light in Ms. Gandhi’s Freedom of the Monsoon. Mahandas, his real name was the Bapu, endeared father of the non-violent revolution that led India to freedom from British rule in 1947.  

In Malika’s historical novel we feel the pain of being dominated by another race of people, who have no real understanding of what being a Hindu or Muslim Indian entailed in that era. Conflicts arose because of these misinterpretations. Using a village’s involvement as the nucleus of her story, the Indian point of view is enhanced.

Un-necessary deaths, jailing’s, and killings were the norm according to the flow of events that led to the uprising that followed. This story has been told a number of times; however, Ms. Gandhi gets to the core of the conflict.

That miss-understanding of language and customs lead to conflicts. She details the areas between the caste system and the religious norms using the language of the period throughout this story. The reader will have to go with the slow flow of the Indian polite dialog to get the feelings behind each character’s adventure.

Those conflicts: love affairs between people of different classes, religions, color, and government vs. the people will keep you involved. Villager’s interwoven into what was an era that changed all their lives.

Ms. Gandhi did a fine job with her interpretations of the era surrounding The Quiet Revolution.

My book is available on amazon: http://amzn.to/1a50xb6

Interview with Malika Gandhi

Interview with Malika Gandhi

Author of Freedom of the Monsoon

Questions by R. Murry

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

I am a young author of one and bit years and I love it. I am also a wife, and a mother to two boys.  I am an illustrator as well as a writer.

Do you remember the first story you wrote?

Yes! I was in junior school then. My story was about a monkey called Manglu and a dried up watering hole! I had the book laminated and wrote Author: Malika Gandhi on the back. I knew then on that I wanted to be an author.

Were you inspired by someone or something?

I was (and still am) an avid reader. I used to read a lot of Roald Dahl and C.S Lewis books then. I think they were the ones who inspired me.

What do you like about writing a story?

I love how characters take over and tell their story themselves. I like to add a little drama and bring the characters to life.

Can you tell us about your book?
Freedom of the Monsoon is set in the harrowing era of pre-independence India, when Mahatma Gandhi called for Quit India in 1942. The story focuses on five individuals who fight battles – of their own, and of their country’s. The reader will see 1940 India, and “live” the lives of those troubled, who face the dangers of losing a lot more than they bargained for.

What genre best fits for the book?
Historical Fiction.

Are you working on something new at the moment?
Yes. I am writing a trilogy based on Fantastical creatures, witches and powerful spells. The story focuses on two worlds: Earth and another which is fictional. I am very excited about this project as it new territory for me!

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Be true to yourself. The thing about being an indie author is patience. Being indie is not just about writing the book but also marketing it. You are the creator from start to finish.

Where can people go to read your work?
My book is available on amazon: http://amzn.to/1a50xb6

Do you have anything to add?
Love your writing and don't ever let anything stop that. It is a unique treasure we hold.