Literarily Speaking

Monday, September 23, 2019

Interview with Leonard Bassed, Author of The Witch Port Video Game @leobassed #interview

thewriterslife September 23, 2019 0 Comments

“I begin to hear an eerie chant being recited in unison as the first three naked women make it to the dark summit. Holding long, makeshift brooms, in their right hands, they chant: “Drink the flight broth, wood in hand. Burn the root ...” An elderly woman with lanky hair picks up the goblet, takes a sip of its contents, and inhales the smoke of an already burning smudge stick. The chanting continues: “Then dive from the cliff...” This is perhaps the most startling scene I’ve ever witnessed. The woman runs off the edge of the cliff, seemingly to plummet to her death, but I hear “Not by wind nor by wings, airborne sisters thou shall soar.” Suddenly, the woman who vanished off the cliff reappears, hovering in mid-air on a broom. She begins cackling, and the louder her cackles, the higher she floats. Soon a host of other women mimic her actions, cackling into the night air.”

--From The Witch Port Video Game by Leonard Bassad

Writer-actor-singer Leonard Bassed was born in the town of Middleburg, Mpumalanga and raised in Johannesburg. He started taking vocal lessons at age eight and studied drama throughout his high school years. A mentor encouraged him to pursue an acting career. Leonard went on to complete acting classes in both South Africa and later Los Angeles. Currently, when not writing or singing, Leonard continues to study acting techniques with the renowned Margie Haber Studio in Hollywood. In his free time, he enjoys travel, reading and movie going. His latest book is The Witch Port Video Game.

Book Description:

Leonard Bassed had no plan to write a novel titled THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME when he set out to create a movie script with a similar name. “I had written the pilot script first and I kept the same ending for the novel…everything from the script I wrote found its way into the finished book version of ‘The Witch Port Video Game,’ said writer-singer-actor Leonard Bassed. “I was able to spend more time developing the characters and their world…the whole thing was just such an organic experience and extremely enjoyable, creative for me.”

THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME tells the story through the lives of three ordinary teens who live in the fictional town of Cradle Creek, USA – a small town they hope to one day escape, attracted by the bright lights and promise of the Big City. All three are students at a prestigious performing art school with hopes of one day making names for themselves in the entertainment world.

Mr. Bassed continued about his story, “A chance encounter the three have with a girl named Bianca Morris threatens to derail their plans. Bianca introduces them to an enticing video game, ‘The Witch Port Video Game’. This encounter, coupled with the arrival of the MacQuoid brothers sets in motion a series of bizarre events that spins their lives into chaos and disarray as the three head into a world of sorcery with an ultimate fight for survival.”

As a young boy growing up in South Africa, Leonard dreamed one day of working in the arts. He wanted to write, to act, to sing. While drawn to acting and song writing, he was also a good story teller. “The auditions I would go out for as an actor were never reflective of the kinds of roles I was after to play. It was this realization that led me to writing the pilot script which I planned to pitch to TV and movie producers. But, once I finished the script I’d grown too attached to the characters and the wonders of their world that ultimately led the script into the shape of a full novel,” he went on to say.

Interview:

Welcome Leonard! Can we begin by having you tell us how you got started young adult novels? Did the movies influence you? Books?

Leonard: Thank you for this opportunity.

I have always been fascinated by magical realism. When the Harry Potter series came along, it resonated with me. The short answer is that I had the idea to write The Witch Port Video Game script in June of 2014 after I returned home to South Africa from Los Angeles, California, in the USA. While in the USA, I took classes at the Acting Corps, a place where I got the chance to meet and interact with interesting people from different walks of life. I guess this exposure sparked my creativity. It culminated in my writing a pilot script, which I’d intended to pitch for film/TV etc. However upon its completion I’d grown too attached to the world and characters I’d dreamt up. This ultimately led to my debut novel. Why young adult novels? Being in that demographic myself when I started it was perhaps an obvious choice. In a way this genre affords one a sense of play.

I have to ask – are you a gamer? Why did you write a book about a video game that went wrong?

Leonard: Magical realism sometimes appears far fetched I had to find a way to make it relatable. A lot of young adults are into gaming. What better way to include video game in order to ground it. To answer your question, while I enjoy a video game once in a while, I am not a gamer

Can you tell us about your main characters?

Leonard: The main characters in my novel are 3 normal teenage friends who attend a prestigious Art School, in the fictional town of Cradle Creek with aspirations of making it big some day. Their ordinary lives and plans are somewhat derailed when through a chance encounter with a girl at a diner, they obtain magical abilities through a video game. Martin Robinson an altar boy sort of character, he is fashionable and dotes on his 2 best friends Francesca Dubois and Makenzie Hollister. The girls are also very fond of him. Makenzie is very driven and wants nothing more than to rise above her social circumstances. Fransesca on the other hand is a prima ballerina from a wealthy home and is accustomed to getting her own way.

Where is this book set and why did you choose that location?

Leonard: The book is set in a fictional town of Cradle Creek. I wanted the anonimity of a small fictional town. This also allowed me to be creative and follow my imagination

They say all books of fiction have at least one pivotal point when the reader just can’t put the book down. Can you give us one of those pivotal points in your book?

Leonard: The pivotal moment in my novel is when martin stands up to and holds his own against the Mccoid brothers. He is cornered by the 2 brothers and is suddenly able to conjure up a spell that could have destroyed the two brother if he chose to. This spelled in a way a point of no return.

Will there be a follow up book to The Witch Port Video or other books in the near future?

Leonard: Yes, I am already working on sequel. The Witch Port Video Game – Igniting the Coven

Is there anything you’d like to tell your readers and fans?

Leonard:Thanks again for this opportuniy. I would like to invite the readers to come with me on this journey, much remains to be revealed in the sequels.

The Witch Port Video Game is available for purchase on my website: www.leonardbassed.com

# Interviews

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

New Release! The Love Map by Jeannie Daly-Gunter @couplesseminars #thelovemap #bookblast #newrelease

thewriterslife September 17, 2019 0 Comments

Title: THE LOVE MAP: REIGNITE, RECONNECT AND REPAIR YOUR RELATIONSHIP
Author: Jeannie Daly-Gunter
Publisher: Phoenix Rising Press
Pages: 232
Genre: Self-Help

If you aren’t growing together in your relationship, you are likely growing apart. The Love Map: Reignite, Reconnect and Repair Your Relationship, gives couples a blueprint to help navigate the inevitable ups and downs of love. This book is a practical guide, an engaging story, and a workbook. Unlike many of the psychological relationship books on the market today, The Love Map is a compelling ‘teaching story’. This story follows the marriage of the main characters, Taylor and Jaymie, as they work through an ongoing conflict that has been weighing them down for a year. Sophia, Taylor and Jaymie’s marriage counselor, guides the couple through ten sessions of relationship lessons, that ultimately supports the couple in working through their conflict. Along the way, the reader is encouraged to do the relationship exercises at the end of each chapter as “home play” along with Taylor and Jaymie. This comprehensive ‘self-help story’ is endearing, motivating and practical all at once. In addition, there are links to workbook pages and videos to support couples in integrating the lessons in the book. The Love Map has been recommended by therapists and those in the personal growth industry as a powerful resource for couples wanting to deepen their connection and create a more conscious and meaningful relationship.

ORDER YOUR COPY

★ CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY AT AMAZON ★

______________________

Can You Please Just Listen?!

Sophia waited until they were settled on the couch before she continued. “During our first session, I like to take some time for us to get to know each other. I know this is a big deal for you to reach out for support, and I’m honored that you have chosen to work with me. Did you watch the intro videos, and do you have any questions for me before we dive in?”

Taylor squirmed a bit. “Well, I’m wondering how long this is going to take and if it’s really going to work.”

Jaymie shot him a did-you-have-to-say-that look?

Sophia smiled. “That’s a fair question. Based on my experience, I recommend starting with ten sessions. That gives us a chance to create a really strong foundation of understanding and essentials for helping you communicate better, learn how to deal with conflicts over time, and experience what it’s like to work through some issues. Some couples need more sessions than that to start with, and it’s something we can check in around along the way. You can also stop at any time if you feel like this isn’t for you. Some couples prefer to meet in a long-weekend intensive and some couples like to pace this out over time.”

“That makes sense,” said Jaymie, wanting to get off to a smoother start. “I like having homework between sessions, so doing this over time makes sense to me. You know, I would love just a bit more clarity on the differences between coaching and therapy, just so we know what to expect.”

“Sure,” said Sophia. “I know we talked a bit about this on the phone, but basically I combine a lot of approaches based on what you need. In a nutshell, coaching looks more toward what you want to create in the future, while counseling or therapy excavates some of the underlying emotional undercurrents of your present conflicts. Although a lot of couples get stuck in conflict, I think it’s equally important to keep putting proactive energy into our relationships. There is a saying I heard once that, ‘If you’re not growing, you’re dying.’ I believe that is really true in love. I’d say that most couples let their relationship flat-line at some point. They’re too busy or too stressed out dealing with work and family to tend to their love. I like to think of my work as a ‘jump-start’ to help couples reinvigorate their love again.”

“I like that,” said Jaymie. “I think you’re right, sometimes we do get too busy with other things we think are more important than our relationship. That’s weird isn’t it?”

“Unfortunately,” said Sophia, “I see it all the time. There are three main reasons couples come to see me. They need to repair a conflict or betrayal, they feel emotionally disconnected and they are growing apart, or they want to breathe love back into their relationships. Successful couples are always doing ongoing work to repair, reconnect, and reignite their love.

After this introduction, Taylor and Jaymie took turns explaining their perspectives on their main conflict and how they had been arguing about the same thing for a year. Taylor began to warm up to Sophia and feel more engaged in the process.

“We love each other and want to work through this; we just aren’t sure how,” concluded Taylor.

Jaymie sighed, “Yeah, we just aren’t getting anywhere with resolving this and it’s turned into a yelling match at times.”

______________________

Jeannie Daly-Gunter, MA is an author, speaker, relationship coach, seminar leader and Co-Founder of The Transformative Loving® Institute. She has facilitated personal and professional development programs for over 25 years. Jeannie and her husband Mark have committed to walking the path of their relationship as a personal and spiritual growth path. Their passion is to support other couples on that path, and help them to create the extraordinary relationship they really want. They combine various modalities in the healing arts, rites of passage, and psychology, to create a powerful container for couples to do their healing work together. Jeannie and Mark make their home near the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Boulder, Colorado.

★ WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS ★

Website: www.thelovemapbook.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/couplesseminars

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/couplesworkshops/

______________________

# Book Spotlights

Friday, September 13, 2019

5 Things You Should Know About The Wolf Queen Series by Cerece Rennie Murphy @cerecermurphy #5Things

thewriterslife September 13, 2019 0 Comments

Cerece Rennie Murphy fell in love with science fiction at the age of seven, watching “Empire Strikes Back” at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C., with her sister and mom. It’s a love affair that has grown ever since. As an ardent fan of John Donne, Alice Walker, Kurt Vonnegut and Alexander Pope from an early age, Cerece began exploring her own creative writing through poetry. She earned her master’s degrees in social work and international relations at Boston College and Johns Hopkins School for Advance International Studies, respectively, and built a rewarding 15-year career in program development, management and fundraising in the community and international development arenas – all while appreciating the stories of human connection told in science fiction through works like Octavia Butler’s “Wild Seed,” Frank Herbert’s “Dune” and “The X-Files.” In 2011, Cerece experienced her own supernatural event - a vision of her first science fiction story. Shortly after, she began developing and writing what would become the bestselling Order of the Seers trilogy. Order of the Seers was selected as one of The Best Kindle Books of 2014 by Digital Book Today. To date, Mrs. Murphy has published nine speculative fiction novels, short stories, and children's books.

In addition to working on the 3rd book in the award-winning Ellis and The Magic Mirror children’s book series with her son and releasing her 5th adult novel, The Wolf Queen, Mrs. Murphy has launched NARAZU, an online platform designed to deliver the best in indie sci-fi content and comic culture to the fans who love it most. You can visit the new site at www.narazu.com. Her current writing projects include the second book in The Wolf Queen duology and plotting a science fiction thriller set in outer space. Mrs. Murphy lives and writes in her hometown of Washington, DC with her husband, two children and the family dog, Yoda.

Website: www.cerecerenniemurphy.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cerecermurphy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cerece-Rennie-Murphy-205753729546299/

5 Things You Should Know About The Wolf Queen Series

1) It is the story of a woman who believes that she is alone in the world and how, through courage and faith, she finds her place and her power.

2) The story is inspired by ancient North-East Africa.

3) This story is set in a fantasy setting with magical creators, plenty of action, and just a little romance.

4) Many of the words and traditions in the book are based on Amharic, which is spoken in Ethiopia.

5) Both books in the duology are available in ebook and paperback NOW!

About the Book:

Title: THE WOLF QUEEN: THE HOPE OF AFERI (Book 1)
Author: Cerese Rennie Murphy
Publisher: LionSky Publishing
Pages: 242
Genre: YA Fantasy

BOOK BLURB:

Once great and powerful sorcerers, the Amasiti were hunted to the brink of extinction by the Hir and his followers. For four hundred years, their legacy faded from memory waiting for the hope of Aferi to be renewed…

In the Land of Yet

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest

A young woman lives alone.

Forced to fend for herself after the brutal murder of her family, Ameenah Yemini has made a life for herself as a master tanner and farmer, only venturing into the world to earn her living then return to the safety and seclusion of her home.

Until a chance encounter brings her work to the attention of the powerful Hir

And her careful life begins to unravel.

Drawn to the hidden magic that lingers in everything she touches, the new Hir insists on having her for himself, using the people around her to force Ameenah into his grasp.

When she realizes that her greatest enemy may hold the key to a secret she thought lost to her forever, Ameenah is determined to reclaim her stolen past. But, at what cost? As an ancient power waits to be unleashed, Ameenah's choices will make the difference between awakening a new magic or delivering it into the hands of evil.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/yxqrrsrz

B&N: https://tinyurl.com/y38gg5y8

# 5 Things You Should Know

5 Things You Should Know About MALL by Pattie Palmer-Baker #MALL #5 Things

thewriterslife September 13, 2019 0 Comments

Pattie Palmer-Baker is a recognized award-winning artist and poet. Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries throughout the Pacific Northwest. Locally and nationally she has won numerous awards for her art and poetry.

An accomplished poet, Pattie had been nominated for the Pushcart Poetry Prize. Her work has appeared in many journals including Calyx, Voicecatcher, Military Experience the Arts, Minerva Rising and Phantom Drift. In 2017 she earned first prize in the Write to Publish contest, and in 2019 she won first, second, and the Bivona prize in the Ageless Poetry contest. She has served as the poetry co-editor for VoiceCatcher: a journal of women's voices and visions.

Del Sol Press awarded MALL first prize for the most promising first novel in 2017.

Pattie lives in Portland, Oregon with her beloved husband and rescued dachshund.

Her website is www.pattiepalmerbaker.com/.

You can follow her at Facebook at https://tinyurl.com/yykrz36e.

5 Things You Should Know About MALL

1. It took me twenty years to write Mall, although I stopped off and on to concentrate on art and poetry. I focused completely on the novel for the past four years or so.

2. I was a counselor for twenty-five years so it’s not surprising that I made Nona, one of the main characters, a ‘Mental Health Practitioner’.

3. MALL is a world where everyone lives for pleasure so, of course, I had to include sex, something I find very difficult to write about (blush, blush). Somehow, I forged ahead and included many many sexual references, without writing an explicit sex scene. (phew)

4. This is not to say the connection between the two main characters (Nona and Sara) is sexual. It is not; however, it is the key relationship.

5. I wanted readers to confront the question, are deep relationships worth the pain or is a carefree lifestyle filled with pleasure a better option? While writing, another question snuck in. What price would you pay for safe pain-free life?

About the Book:

A Novel by Pattie Palmer-Baker Winner of the Del Sol Most Promising Novel, 2017

MALL is a sparkling alternate world where everyone is beautiful, employed with enough income to

consume and to experience a myriad of pleasures including drugs, gambling, theater, holographic adventures. No poverty and little or no crime. A lot of sex.

But what about the Mall Code? And what happens when Sara, a 21st century woman, accidentally finds her way into this alien yet familiar world? Nona, a MALL mental health practitioner treats Sara upon her arrival and goes against the Code to help her acclimate. Sara seems to be just what she needs, an antidote to Nona’s secret and growing boredom.

At first Sara desperately wants to get home, and, as she seeks a way out as well as answers about her new reality, Nona begins to see MALL in a new light. Is abundant gratification enough?

Things aren’t all beauty and pleasure. Sara experiences dancing in a dangerous orgiastic dance club on a lower level. She attends a gambling session where people bet on living more years when their “number’s up” and a “passing ceremony,” where Mallites are supposedly resurrected into a new life.

Junkers, outsiders lurking on the fringes of MALL, have been fighting Mall Management’s control by creating increasingly dangerous disturbances. For years they have struggled to discover an exit, based on rumors of those who made it Outside and were never heard from again. Through them Sara and Nona meet someone who might help them escape. They both must make the choice that will change their lives forever.

Who will risk leaving and who will decide to stay?

MALL by Pattie Palmer-Baker was recently published by Del Sol Press and winner of the Del Sol Press Most Promising Book, 2017.

ISBN: 978-0-9998425-5-3.

PRAISE:

What a suspenseful journey Mall was—a real "page-turner"- imaginative with firm command of psychological expression and dialogue! Pattie Palmer-Baker captures some of the sexual contradictions, insecurities, and darker motivations of her female characters, and the complex relationships between women. The "surface" allusions to sex and violence throughout the story line work well with the superficial world she describes. Sex all the time—and yet, really, not much explicit writing about actual sexual encounters—the same for violence. This tension of content and form works well for me. What gives pleasure? What gives pain? The many hallways and mirrored rooms give the setting a creepy fun-house effect and increase the sense of a closed world and claustrophobic doom. Her descriptions of the Mallites' physical appearances and their individual choice of costume in this strange place is creative—a breath of lightness in this frank examination of our quandary about the meaning of freedom in an existential existence. What is real? I was "on the run" with Sara for the entire read! And what a turn at the end!

-- Cathy Cain, Portland poet and artist

ORDER YOUR COPY AT AMAZON

# 5 Things You Should Know

Monday, September 9, 2019

Interview with Soren Paul Petrek, Author of Wolves At Our Door @spetrek_toche44 #historical

thewriterslife September 09, 2019 0 Comments

I’m not on holiday, she told herself, but it’s my first time out of Germany, and I’m not going to waste it. She’d wanted to help with the war effort, and now she had her chance. Even after the invasion, everyone back home still thought Germany would win—Hitler told them so, and the propaganda films left no doubt. Why wouldn’t she believe it as well?

--From Wolves At Our Door by Soren Paul Petrek

Soren Petrek is a practicing criminal trial attorney, admitted to the Minnesota Bar in 1991. Married with two adult children, Soren continues to live and work in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Educated in the U.S., England and France Soren sat his O-level examinations at the Heathland School in Hounslow, London in 1981. His undergraduate degree in Forestry is from the University of Minnesota, 1986. His law degree is from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota 1991.

Soren’s novel, Cold Lonely Courage won Fade In Magazine’s 2009 Award for Fiction. Fade In was voted the nation’s favorite movie magazine by the Washington Post and the L.A. Times in 2011 and 2012.

The French edition of Cold Lonely Courage, Courage was published January 2019, by Encre Rouge Editions, distributed by Hachette Livre in 60 countries. Soren’s contemporary novel, Tim will be released along with the rest of the books in the Madeleine Toche series of historical thrillers.

Book Description:

Finding the factory hidden beneath Mount Kohnstein, Hartmann contacts his old enemy, Winston Churchill and summons Madeleine to his side. While she moves to bring the mountain down on her enemies, Hartmann leads a daring escape from the dreaded Dora concentration camp to continue his revenge against the monsters who ruined his beloved Germany.

Together with the Russian Nachtlexen, the Night Witches, fearsome female pilots the race tightens as the United States and the Germans successfully carry out an atomic bomb test.

Germany installs an atom bomb in a V-2 pointed towards London, while the US delivers one to a forward base in the Pacific. The fate of the Second World War and the future of mankind hangs in the balance.

Welcome, Soren! Your new historical/action/adventure novel sounds thrilling! Can you tell us how you came up with the idea?

Soren: Wolves at Our Door is a sequel to the anchor book of the Madeleine Toche Series, Cold Lonely Courage. In Wolves, I wanted to directly address aspects of the Holocaust, the race for an atomic weapon and to feature Madeleine and her mentor in the field fighting together.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters?

Soren: Madeleine Toche is a young French woman who found her way into the Resistance during WWII, helping Jewish children escape the Nazis. Later, after she’s raped and has exacted revenge by killing the German SS officer who raped her, she escapes to England and finds her way into the British Special Operations Executive, Winston Churchill’s army of the shadows.

They say all books of fiction have at least one pivotal point where the reader just can’t put the book down. What is one of the pivotal points in your book?

Soren: I try to keep the readers hooked from the beginning. I have hundreds of reader and editorial reviews that mention, I couldn’t put the book down. What a joy it is to read that and know that those readers will remember my books fondly.

In Wolves, when we first meet Madeleine Toche her remarkable talents, skills and courage capture readers who then cheer for her, worry about her and most of all wonder what she’s going to do next.

Do you proofread and edit your work on your own or pay someone to do it for you?

Soren: I use Grammarly and have a professional editor who works for major publishers both as a freelance editor and ghostwriter. Her name is Hannah Eason. I couldn’t have a better fit for the way I write.

Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?

Soren: The cover needs to draw attention but should have a clear connection to the storyline. I like covers that are unique.

What did you want to become when you were a kid?

Soren: A Marine Biologist. I loved everything Jacques Cousteau.

What is one thing you’d like readers to know about you?

Soren: I want people to be happy. If I can contribute to their joy of reading, then I’ve accomplished a great thing.

Is there anything you’d like to tell your readers and fans?

Soren: I write for everyone. My characters appeal to men and women alike.

# Interviews

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Book Trailer Teaser Feature: WOLVES AT OUR DOOR by Soren Paul Petrek

thewriterslife September 05, 2019 0 Comments

Inside the Book

Title: WOLVES AT OUR DOOR
Author: Soren Paul Petrek
Publisher: Editions Encre Rouge/Hachette Livre
Pages: 319
Genre: Historical/Action/Adventure

BOOK BLURB:

The Allies and the Nazis are in a deadly race to develop the ultimate weapon while supersonic V-2 rockets rain down on London. Madeleine Toche and Berthold Hartmann, the German super assassin who taught her to kill, search for the secret factory where Werner von Braun and his Gestapos masters use slave labor to build the weapons as the bodies of the innocent pile up. The Allied ground forces push towards Berlin while the German SS fight savagely for each inch of ground.
Finding the factory hidden beneath Mount Kohnstein, Hartmann contacts his old enemy, Winston Churchill and summons Madeleine to his side. While she moves to bring the mountain down on her enemies, Hartmann leads a daring escape from the dreaded Dora concentration camp to continue his revenge against the monsters who ruined his beloved Germany.
Together with the Russian Nachtlexen, the Night Witches, fearsome female pilots the race tightens as the United States and the Germans successfully carry out an atomic bomb test.
Germany installs an atom bomb in a V-2 pointed towards London, while the US delivers one to a forward base in the Pacific. The fate of the Second World War and the future of mankind hangs in the balance.
Read the first chapter at Booksie and don’t forget to give it a like!

WOLVES AT OUR DOOR is available at: