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This week’s question:
I saw this article the other day that asked, “Are you ashamed of skipping parts of books?” Which, naturally, made me want to ask all of YOU.
Do you skip ahead in a book? Do you feel badly about it when you do?
My Answer:
I can honestly say that I don’t.  What would the purpose be?  If it is to see the ending, then I would think that it would just  take away from the pleasure of the whole story line.  Or, if  it is is because, you just don’t like the book, then for me, it would end at my 50 page limit and go in my DNF pile.  Why would I care how it turns out if it didn’t grab me from the start?

What about you…are you a skipper of pages?  Why or why not?

Hosted by Miz B atShould Be Reading 

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

I am quite excited about today’s guest.   Matter of fact, it is an honor for me that he is visiting, talking about his latest novel and has given me the opportunity to interview him because he is one BUSY guy!!.  Besides  writing novels and working, he is also a reviewer for Partners In Crime Tours.  So without further ado, please help me welcome, Mr. Joel Andre.

ABOUT JOEL ANDRE

Joel M. Andre was born January 13, 1981. At a young age he was fascinated with the written word. It was at fourteen that Poe blew his mind, and Andre began to dabble with darker poetry.

Between the years of 1999 and 2007 Joel was featured in various poetry anthologies and publications. In 2008 he released his first collection,Pray the Rain Never Ends.

Knowing there was something deeper and darker inside of his soul, Joel decided to take a stab at commercialism. Releasing the dark tongue in cheek, A Death at the North Pole, created a dark world among the death of Kris Kringle. Ultimately providing a tale of redemption.

October of 2008 saw Joel release his second book, Kill 4 Me. A tale in which a woman is haunted by a vengeful spirit through text messages and instant messaging.

Taking some time off and doing a lot of soul searching, Joel took things in a new direction and dabbled in the Fantasy Genre with, The Pentacle of Light. The tale dealing with five major races battling for control of Earth, and the acceptance of their God.

Finally, after missing his detective Lauren Bruni, he released the book The Return in October 2009, this time moving the action from the North Pole and placing it in the small Arizona community he was raised in.
Andre’s latest book is The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen about a dead man who seeks revenge on the woman that tormented him in peaceful Northern Arizona.

Currently, he resides in Chandler, AZ.
You can visit his website at www.joelmandre.info

INTERVIEW

*Where and what do you draw from for the premise of your books?
I let my imagination run wild with my books. Usually, a concept will come to me and I will build on it. In some cases, a title will come to me and I will build off the title.

*What kind of research do you actually do for your books?
I spent quite a bit of time researching locations, psychology and police procedures to ensure that my books have some validity to them.

*Do you draw from real life experiences?
I can answer this question with a no. Since I write horror with violent deaths, it would be a very bad thing if I was pulling the content from real life.

*Are your characters all purely fictional or do you use people that you know and build from there?
All my characters are purely fictional. I would hate to have something bad to happen to someone I know in a book as it puts it out there to the world.

*Who are your favorite authors?
Stephen King, Anne Rice and Poe. I will read a mixture of other authors as well, but those three really have never let me down over the years.

*What are you reading now?
J.A. Jance – Fatal Error

*Do you write every day?  How many hours?
Since I work for www.needanarticle.com, I spend almost all day, every day writing. I do try to devote a few hours a day to my own personal stuff though. That way, I am able to continue putting out new content. I think my experience writing online content for others has helped to boost the quality of my writing and I have had the chance to learn about new topics that I can use in my books.

*Have you ever had  the dreaded writer’s block?  If so, what helped you to bypass it?
I think every writer has experienced this. I just write useless filler until I get past it and then revisit what I was working on. Sometimes, the filler draws out new ideas for future books.
Thank you Joel for visiting.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Synopsis (borrowed from B&N):
Detective Lauren Bruni has dealt with death for her entire life. She has watched it ruin lives, and brought people closer together. Her job taught her to separate fact from fiction. But on a cold December day, all Lauren had believed in would be shattered and tossed aside. Thrust in a world unlike any she has seen before, she investigates a prominent figure’s grisly murder, and searches for answers along a strange new set of people. With a killer watching her every move in the background ready to strike again at a moments notice. What is the secret of the death at the North Pole, and what is the larger horror at hand? Life lessons are learned and a realization that sometimes the most real things in this world, are the ones we believe in the least.

Nicole from Tribute Books is starting 2012 by introducing us to an amazing and inspirational author.  So without further ado, please help welcome, Mr. Paul H. Magid as our guest today.

ABOUT PAUL H.  MAGID

Paul H. Magid started writing his debut novel, Lifting the Wheel of Karma, twenty-five years ago while still in high school. It took him so long to complete because he tried repeatedly to abandon it, but the work refused to be forsaken. Eventually he realized that sharing this story with the world was, in fact, his Dharma.

Along the way he has worked as a Wall Street financial analyst, a waiter (not a very good one), a Hollywood Agent Trainee, a real estate developer, a summer day camp director, an award winning screenwriter, and independent filmmaker—including his autobiographical film, A Life Unfinished, which screened in The Hamptons International Film Festival.

GUEST POST

Topic: researching and/or concept for premise of book.

Research takes much more legwork than premise, but it’s also hands down the easier of the two. In the case of my novel, LIFTING THE WHEEL OF KARMA, I knew I needed multiple forms of research, because I chose not only an unfamiliar locale of a horse ranch in Montana, but also predominantly in another country with over 5,000 years of history and culture.

For me, for research to be “authentic”, it must have hands on, first person experience to come alive. Just as a person who learns a foreign language only from books will always speak only an “academic” version of the language, lacking in its true texture, idioms, colloquialisms, and lively nature, I believe research is best experienced as well as studied.

For India, I read dozens and dozens and dozens of books –everything from history, to religious texts, to mythologies, to social constructs, but I knew this would only at best form an accurate foundation. No matter how many books I read, nothing compared to actually living for months in India with little more than a backpack and a Lonely Planet guidebook.

Feeling the heavy heat and intoxicating spices that filled the air only came alive by being there, and I think it’s urgently important for an author to know first hand how to convey a new environment to properly enable a reader to embark vicariously on a journey.

The same truths applied to Montana. I was lucky enough to find an amazing and authentic mentor who knew what my needs were and selflessly taught me what I needed to know.

Setting the premise of a book in infinitely harder, because once that has been established by the author, every fiber of the story must work tirelessly to achieve that goal. I think that’s one of the reasons my novel took me twenty-five years to write. It wasn’t just the amount of research required, but I knew that I had chosen a premise of such depth, that it would not be easy to properly convey.

For me, every moment of the twenty-five years it took to write LIFTING THE WHEEL OF KARMA was worth it, because readers and reviewers around the world have universally lauded how much the story touched them emotionally and how much they enjoyed reading it, sometimes more than once.
You can find Mr. Magid at the following sites:
website, Facebook, Lifting the Wheel of Karma FB, Tribute Books Blog Tours FB, Lifting the Wheel of Karma blog tour site

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Profound Spiritual Journey of Extraordinary Healing and Redemption

Joseph Connell is a gifted high school athlete from Montana, loved deeply by his family, yet tormented by nightmarish visions he can neither explain nor escape.

He believes the answer to what threatens to crush him can be found in the knowledge possessed by a mystical old wise man, who lives deep within the remote Himalayas of India.

If Joseph is ever to find the peace he so desperately seeks, he must get this wise old man to reveal what he truly knows, but that will not be easy…for this sage knows far more than he admits.

A modern tale that harkens back to the myths of antiquity. It takes you on a remarkable journey, while exploring the themes of healing, redemption, forgiveness, sacrifice, and ultimately…peace within.

Amazon buy link
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984016066?tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes&Noble.com buy link
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=dcSBhG3Rj8w&offerid=229293.9780984016068&type=2&subid=0

eBook
Price: $9.99

Kindle buy link
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005TJ3I4C?tag=tributebooks-20

THANKS TO AUTHOR PAUL H. MAGID,
I HAVE THREE (3) COPIES OF
THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading 

Today’s question:
What devices –if any– do you read books on? Do you find it enjoyable, or still somewhat bothersome? Or: If you only read the print books, why haven’t you chosen to read on any devices?
My answer:
I have 2 devices, a Kindle and a Sony EReader.   I find both to have pros and cons.  I like the Sony because of the touch screen but it doesn’t have an archive feature and “the Sony Store” sometimes doesn’t have all the books available and isn’t wi-fi.  The Kindle is easier to read on, but doesn’t have the touch screen, I can archive the books I have read and is wi-fi.  Both are easier to fit into a pocketbook than a print version.  But then I still need to be surrounded by my Print versions and need to use all the senses when reading a Print book.  I find I need to alternate between a digital read and a Print.

What about you?  Have you taken the plunge yet into the digital age of reading?

January is being hosted by At Home with Books

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.

According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”

                                    The Story Plant                    Author

                               Meryl L. Moss Media             Author

And purchased by me since I am computer challenged………

Hosted by An Island Life

From An Island Life:

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

MY QUESTION:
Do you have any stationery supplies with your blog logo (ex: business cards, post cards, pens, etc?