Category: awesomeness

Interview with Author Cory Martin

Two weeks ago, I reviewed Love Sick, by Cory Martin. Today I have a lovely interview with the author, who was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions. Love Sick is a great read for anyone who has ever struggled with an illness, dating, or trying to find themselves. The author is open about her struggles, and this honesty shines through on every page. You can pick up a copy here.

(I was interested in reading Love Sick because I’ve been through health issues, too. I had a major stroke almost three years ago. Learning to live with a new reality is challenging, at best. If you’re interested, you can read about that here and here.)

Who is your favorite author and why? (Do you love being scared by Stephen King, inspired by Maya Angelou, loved by Nicholas Sparks, entertained by Jane Austen?)

You know what’s funny is I literally just looked at my bookshelves to find an answer, like I was just going to pluck one out of thin air so I could look smart, but the truth is I don’t have a favorite author. I have plenty of authors who I admire and whose books I adore, but there’s not one that I return to over and over. If I went through the books on my shelves I could probably give you a reason why I like, love or admire each and every author. But let me just give you a sampling…I love Erica Jong for her fearlessness and portrayal of women, and Curtis Sittenfeld for her well crafted character based stories, and Jeannette Walls for writing a memoir that felt like a piece of literary fiction and Jenny Lawson for making me laugh out loud on an airplane and Dave Eggers for taking his writing and parlaying that into a publishing company and an amazing non-profit (If you don’t know about his 826 program you should check it out.) and Tom Wolfe because he is such a part of history, and Fitzgerald and Austen and Hemingway and so many others. I guess I am a fan of writers in general and anyone who can persevere and not only finish writing a book but then put themselves and their art out there to be judged by all has my support.

What is your absolute favorite, read over-and-over again, book? (Mine is “Gone with Wind,” which I’ve read about 25 times, because the story and the characters are so real to me.)

The one book that has stuck with me forever is “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin. I have only read it a few times, but the way it made me feel the first time I read it has been imprinted on my soul. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to go out and change your life or do something grand and against the norm when you finish reading it.

The two other books that I have read over and over have more to do with me being a writer. They are Stephen King’s “On Writing” and Erica Jong’s “Seducing the Demon: Writing for My Life”. If anyone reading this is a writer or aspiring writer, I highly recommend these books. They’re about the craft, yes, but they also make you feel less alone in your idiosyncrasies and habits that have to do with writing.

Where is your dream place to write? (Personally, I have visions of white sand and waves. Maybe a drink with an umbrella in it.)

Oh my gosh, I’ve had visions of white sand and waves too, but I know me and I would get way too lazy and comfortable there and would probably never write another word. But take me to some old flat in Europe with character and history, somewhere like Prague or Vienna and I think I might thrive. Whenever I travel I love to research the writers who were from that place, or who were ex-pats there and I try to visit the locations where they lived or wrote or got drunk on a daily basis. I have always been fascinated with the lives of writers, and to be where they once were inspires me.

How has writing changed your life? (If I’m doing “character research,” people-watching is much more socially acceptable.)

I don’t know if it’s necessarily changed my life because I’ve always been an introverted observer who loved writing, but I can definitely see now how it has affected the way I interact with the world. I think being a writer has taught me how to empathize with people. To be a writer and to be able to develop characters and write dialogue you have to really understand the way humans interact and work and think and feel, and I believe that because of this I have become a great listener and I have learned to sympathize with someone before jumping to conclusions or passing judgment.

How is your health these days? Do you feel like your body betrayed you? (One of the reasons I wanted to read your book was because I have had a major health issue myself. Almost 3 years ago, at the age of 36, I had a major stroke without warning and almost died. Overnight, my entire world changed, and it felt like my body had tried to kill me, literally, so I had to relearn how to trust it again.)

Wow. How scary. I can’t even imagine what that must’ve been like and all that you’ve probably had to go through and might still be going through as a result. That must’ve been so hard to learn to trust your body again. I hope you are doing much better and are as healthy as can be. Thank you for sharing that. Stories like yours and mine and so many others are the reason I wrote the book. I knew I couldn’t be the only woman struggling with an illness or betrayal of their body who was also trying to navigate life in the most normal way possible and I wanted to share my story in the hopes that it would at the very least make other women feel less alone.

My health these days is quite good and I feel very lucky. The one major thing I deal with is my cognition. I forget things or names of things quite frequently and there are so many mistakes in my writing these days that I swear I spend more time editing than I do writing, but this I can tolerate. However, and this is the thing that makes MS so hard to deal with, you can never predict what will happen next, so while I don’t feel like my body has betrayed me yet, I live in constant fear that one day I will wake up and it will have done so.

What is your advice for anyone interested in getting into yoga? (Because I’d like to, but I have limited time and resources. It seems like such a beneficial practice. And maybe my brain would stop talking to itself so much.)

Ah, yes, yoga is great for quieting the mind and getting your brain to stop talking to itself so much, but it definitely takes practice. My advice for anyone interested in getting into yoga is to not assume that it has to be perfect right from the get go. Try a class here and there, or just learn one or two poses you enjoy, or follow a video online or read a book (not to plug my own work, but I did write a book called Yoga for Beginners, which might be helpful). Also, know that it might take time for you to find a teacher or a type of yoga that you connect with and that’s fine. There are so many different types of yoga out there and you have to try them out to find out what works for your body. I think the problem now, especially in the US, is that yoga has become this big flashy thing you see on Instagram where yogis are tying themselves into knots or doing these poses that are displays of amazing feats of strength. And that’s great and I don’t want to take away from any of that, but the real yoga lies in being able to simply be in the moment. I practice yoga constantly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I get on my mat and move my body into the poses. The poses are just a way to help you get to the point where you can, as you said, get your brain to stop talking to itself so much. So truthfully if you can get into one pose, which might be Sukhasana, which is basically sitting Indian style like you did as a kid, and get your mind to quiet even if just for one second, you are doing yoga and that’s the best place to start.

Thank you, Cory, for taking the time to answer these questions. I purchased “Yoga for Beginners,” and I can’t wait to start reading it. I have some cognition problems, too, but they are sporadic–and without warning–which is quite frustrating. I still worry sometimes that something else will happen, so I understand your fear. I’m happy that you are doing so well, and I hope “Love Sick” does well. I recommend it to everyone.)

What I’m Reading Now: February

Reading is always a priority for me. However, I’ve been super busy lately, so it fades a bit under the need for sleep while working 12-14 hour days. With only small increments of time at my disposal, I’m reading several things, in tiny chunks. So, here’s what I’m reading currently:

Suddenly Spellbound, by Erica Lucke Dean. (Just started it, but I like the breezy voice.)
Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell. (Will always be my favorite, but only time for a little bit at a time right now.)
The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. (Just a few chapters in, but I’m liking it a lot.)
Beginning Theory, by Peter Barry. (Quite dense textbook.)
Fatal Revenant, by Stephen R. Donaldson. (Considering this series has been around since the year I was born, I’m really loving it.)

Night Study, by Maria V. Snyder

B&ENight-Study — (I do not own this image. Image belongs to Mira.)

Maria V. Snyder is the author of Study Series, the Glass Series, and the Insider Books. Her newest book, Night Study, is the second book in the new Study Series. It released yesterday.

Yelena Zaltana has always lived a dangerous life. But now, with her Soulfinder abilities gone, her life is even more dangerous than usual. Not to mention the assassins, psychopathic grudge-holding mages, and threat of war between Ixia and Sitia. Oh, and the Commander, ruler of Ixia, seems to be making questionable decisions of late. Decisions that put Yelena, Valek, and everyone they love in grave danger.

Valek has always been loyal to the Commander. But the Commander is keeping secrets. Dangerous secrets. Secrets that could cause the death of Yelena and their future as war looms. Valek must find out the truth as he struggles to protect Yelena, bereft from her magical protection, and try to prevent the war that seems inevitable as violence and betrayal looms on the horizon.

Night Study is the fifth book in the Study series of books. It picks up the tale of Yelena, former poison taster but now Soulfinder, as she struggles with the loss of her powers, trying to find out what caused the loss and how she can counteract it. The relationship between her and Valek is deeper as they fight their unseen enemies together amidst a world torn apart by lies and deception.

(Galley provided by Mira via NetGalley.)

Frankly, My Dear…

Friday I spent a little bit of time in a place I never really imagined I’d be: the house where Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone with the Wind.

The Margaret Mitchell House, where the tiny apartment the author and her husband lived in was located.

Gone with the Wind is my favorite book. I read it for the first time when I was 11 years old. I’ve probably read it at least 25 times. I’m reading it now (Sort of.). The name of this blog comes from the novel. It’s not that I idolize the era it takes place in. I don’t. There was a lot wrong with that society, its practices, and its beliefs. It’s not that I wished I lived there. (Ha. I despise wearing dresses, so living where elaborate dresses was the norm is a joke.).

20160115_133842 — This painting was actually used in the movie. Gorgeous dress, but not my style.

But the characters are so vividly realized I feel like I know them, as is the setting. I think Margaret Mitchell did an astounding job creating characters and bringing them to life. I still laugh, and cry, every time I read the book.

20160115_132550 - Copy — Where she actually wrote the novel (Although not the actual desk or typewriter, which is on display at the Atlanta library.). She used a towel to cover her work when unexpected visitors dropped in.

I did not know that Ms. Mitchell had her husband burn the first draft (there was only one copy) of the novel after her death, as well as any other projects she was working on. I didn’t know that she never intended to publish it at all, and wanted it back after she did let a publisher look at it.

I knew she worked as a reporter for a while.

Ms. Mitchell was so short that the legs of the desk she used as a reporter had to be shortened.

What I did know: still my favorite book. Ever.

What I’m Reading Now: The First Week in January

So, last year, I joined the Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge. Initially, I set my goal at 50 books. Between school and work, I decided that was a good number, but I ended up revising it to 75 later in the year, when I passed the 50-book mark with plenty of time to spare. I actually ended up reading 110 books (My Goodreads account only shows 108, but I re-read The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear, both of which I had previously read, and if there’s a way to mark them as re-read, I haven’t figured it out yet.)

This year, I’m setting my goal a bit higher right from the start, at 75. We’ll see how that works out.

Currently, I’m reading this:

The_Runes_of_the_Earth_-_2004

And this:

gone-with-the-wind-gone-with-the-wind-3046341-1024-768 — (This isn’t the actual book cover, but it is the movie poster that is hanging over my desk, on a piece of old barn wood. My parents got it for me somewhere years ago.)

I’m also reading Warrior Chick, by Holly Wagner, and various assorted other books (textbooks) for school.

Can we talk about The Runes of the Earth? I read The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant I-have-no-idea-how-long-ago, when my mother gave me the initial two trilogies. Meanwhile, these last four books have been on my TBR shelf for…I have no idea how long. At least 6 or 7 years (hence the goal of actually reading from this shelf this year). It’s ridiculous. Initially, I didn’t start the first book because the second book was about to come out and I wanted to wait…then life happened.

I picked this up New Year’s Eve, and immediately got sucked in. Now I’m slapping myself in the forehead for not reading these years ago.

So, what’s everyone reading right now? What do you plan to read this year?

New Year, this Time with Some Actual Goals

Happy New Year!

I used to make very complicated, intricately planned-out lists of resolutions every year. A few years ago, I stopped that, but this year I decided to give it another go. I ended up with three separate lists (Life, Writing, and Reading), each with eight goals.

Here are my Writing goals for the year:

1) Finish Witches HTRYN.

2) Finish 1^st draft of Siren Song.

3) Finish 1^st draft of The Fall.

4) Start Camelot

5) Revise Casting Shadows.

6) Finish copyediting classes and make X dollars at it per month.

7) Have 500 followers on this blog. (I can dream, right?)

8) Have 200 followers on my personal blog (It’s a goal.)

HNY

Here are my Reading goals:

1) Read Gone with the Wind (for at least the 25th time. I normally read it every year, but it’s been a few years.).

2) Read 1 book per month from my TBR shelf.

3) Read all books on the reading list for my American Women Writers class (8 total).

4) Read one classic per month.

5) Read one book of poetry.

6) Read 2 books per month to review.

7) Read one inspirational book per month.

8) Read 75 books total.

Did I mention I Love You, by Estelle Maskame

DIMILY — (I do not own this image. Image belongs to Sourcebooks Fire.)

Estelle Maskame was sixteen when she finished writing her Did I Mention I Love You trilogy, which went viral via Wattpad with over four million hits. Estelle lives and writes full-time from Scotland. Did I Mention I Love You is her first published novel, available now.

Eden Munro hasn’t heard from her father in years, not since he left her and her mother behind. Now he’s re-married, with a new family and a new life, and he wants her to spend the summer with him in Santa Monica. Even the prospect of the beach and three new stepbrothers can’t make Eden look forward to the visit.

Tyler Bruce is Eden’s oldest stepbrother, and her total opposite. Angry, egotistical, and with a troubled past and a drug problem, Tyler is bad news. But Eden soon finds herself hanging out with Tyler’s friends, going to parties and doing things she knows she shouldn’t be doing. Despite Tyler’s clingy, vindictive girlfriend and her own love interest, Eden finds herself drawn to Tyler. Can she find out what’s really behind Tyler’s façade and help him win his battle against himself?

Did I Mention I Love You is an edgy young adult romance with dark layers. The parties and drugs aren’t glorified, but presented in a realistic manner that makes them heartbreakingly real. Eden finds herself going along with things she never imagined, as she searches for a way to save Tyler from the depths of his anguish. Their relationship is tense, complicated, and ever evolving. Did I Mention I Love You is a fast-paced read that is not all sunshine and light, instead focusing on the darker moments that give life its depth.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.)

Viking Warrior Rising, by Asa Maria Bradley

(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Sourcebooks Casablance.) — (I do not own this image. Image belongs to Sourcebooks Casablanca.)

Asa Maria Bradley was born and grew up in Sweden, although she now lives in the Pacific Northwest. She studied both creative writing and Medical Physics and now writes paranormal romances. Viking Warrior Rising is the first book in her Viking Warriors series, and it releases November 3^rd.

Leif Skarsganger and his band of warriors were sent to earth to stop Loki from destroying humanity. Leif is a warrior above all, and that’s all he has time for. Until he’s under attack by Loki’s minions and finds himself rescued by mysterious Naya Brisbane. His half-conscious kiss triggers an ancient Norse bond before Naya disappears into the night.

The unfinished bond awakens Leif’s warrior spirit, and he knows if he doesn’t find her soon, he will be overcome with the berserker rage. But Naya has secrets of her own, and doesn’t want to be found, no matter how attractive she finds the mysterious Norse stranger.

Viking Warrior Rising is a fantastic beginning to an intriguing new series. Though the Norse gods are familiar from the popular Avengers movies, their presence is where the similarity ends. Naya is a strong character with a dark past, but the relationship between her and Leif grows, making both of them stronger.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley.)

Mischief Managed

The Muse is being mischievous.

I haven’t gotten much writing done this week (if any), between working six days and wrestling with trying to decide whether or not to start drafting another story. I’m still pretty torn. The Muse wants something new to play with, but she still likes Siren Song, too.

Decisions, decisions.

So…I think I’m going to get Siren Song outlined as I continue writing bits of it (I have an outline for the next couple of thousand words anyway). I’m also going to work on brainstorming, then outlining The Fall and the Camelot story. Then…I’ll start drafting at least one of those ideas, albeit in smaller chunks than Siren Song. This will keep the Muse entertained and engaged. I’ll also continue to do my POV-edit on Witches, then do an in-depth edit when I finish that.

There.

Mischief managed.

Pale Highway, by Nicholas Conley

(I do not own this image. Image courtesy of Red Adept Publishing.)

Nicholas Conley loves to tell stories, especially when fueled by travel or good coffee. His newest novel, Pale Highway, combines his love of storytelling, science fiction, and his experiences working with Alzheimer’s patients. The novel is available October 20^th.

Gabriel Schist was once the Nobel Prize winner for creating a vaccine for AIDS. Back then, Gabriel was younger, rebellious, and had one of the finest minds in science. Now he’s stuck in a nursing home, suffering from Alzheimer’s. And he’s aware of it, making life in the nursing home that much worse.

When a fellow resident is struck with a horrible new virus, Gabriel’s world is turned upside down. One by one, the other residents fall prey to the virus, and Gabriel realizes he’s the only one who can stop its spread. But Gabriel’s brain isn’t cooperating this time. He’s losing bits of himself, having debilitating hallucinations, and fighting every step of the way as he tries desperately to find a cure. This time, his enemies aren’t just a horrible disease and a disbelieving public. Now he must struggle with his very mind if he’s to win the race to save the human race.

Pale Highway is a fast-paced ride into the mind of a man struggling against one of the most horrible diseases on the planet. Gabriel’s past is told in flashbacks to his youthful brilliance that contrast sharply with his Alzheimer’s symptoms. The enclosed world of the nursing home is his reality, and the other residents are vibrant characters who don’t understand Gabriel, or his struggles to save them. Even Gabriel doesn’t fully understand himself, but he wants to. Pale Highway brings his struggles for survival along with his fierce desire to hold off his symptoms long enough to save everyone around him to brilliant, beautiful life.

On a personal note, I have a family history of Alzheimer’s, so Gabriel’s struggles with the disease were both heart wrenching and familiar. I’ve never read a story like this, where the protagonist struggles so profoundly with the disease, and the narrative brought it vividly to life. There’s also magic in this story, in the little things, and the big ones, that Gabriel discovers along the way. It’s well worth the read!

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