Friday's at the Piedmont Grille

No, don't adjust your blog. I know it's Monday. However, for the last few years I used to do interviews on Fridays, thus the name of the post. Anyway, here we are today with Bish Denham and her new book ANANSI and Company.

 Anansi, the spider, is like Coyote, the Trickster, (in some Native American cultures). Anansi only thinks about himself and what he can get out of life. However, sometimes his tricks backfire and he's worse off, but most times he's just a very sweet psychopath.

Bish has combined ten or so short stories with riddles intermixed in the
pages, and let me tell you, I didn't get one answer to the riddles. (Go ahead, try them, I dare you.)

I found the stories reminiscent or Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit, but only because these stories landed in the islands first before coming to America. I don't want to say they're the same, because they're not, so I'll use the word similar.

A few short questions for Bish --

Thanks, Anne, for taking time out from your busy schedule to let me and Anansi hang out with you for a while. Ever since Anansi found out you were once a chef, he’s been looking forward to a High Tea. I told him not to get his hopes up, but I have to tell you, he really would like to try some scones with strawberry preserves! (Anytime.)

Now, on to your questions.

Why did you decide to publish this book? (I know you have others you've been working on.)

Several years ago I entered my Anansi story, “Why Dogs Beg,” into the Children’s Writer Folktale and Fantasy Contest. To my complete surprise, I won first place. That win gave me the needed push to continue writing more stories. I tried peddling them around as a collection but no one seemed interested. When I seriously began to consider self-publishing, I thought the Anansi stories would be a good place to start. My critique partners and beta readers all seemed to really enjoy them which gave me a lot of confidence. Then, when I saw Adrienne Saldivar’s cover and her illustrations, I knew I’d made the right decision.

You can read, “Why Dogs Beg,” at: http://www.childrenswriter.com/Why_Dogs_Beg.htm

How has your self-publishing experience been? Anything you'd wish you'd known before you started that no one told you?

The experience has been challenging. I’ve never been entirely sure I’m doing it right. I’m still not sure. Were it not for you, who has patiently answered every question I’ve sent you, I don’t know if I would have taken the plunge. Even if you couldn’t answer a question (which was rare) you have been incredibly supportive and encouraging. I don’t think there’s anything anyone could have told me before I started. But I do wish I’d had someone sitting with me at my computer, walking me through the process step by step. It might not have taken me so long. There is still so much I don’t know how to do and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to learn. BUT… I have help in the blogging community, people I can turn to when I get into areas where I feel I’m in over my head.

(This was my experience too, and three years later, I'm still not sure I'm self-publishing the right way. However, it has also been my experience that the blogging community is made of win.)

What are you working on now? (Bish and her sister Erva have been working on a cookbook of authentic island foods for the last few years that I'm just dying to read.)

The cookbook is a pretty big project and is on hold for a while because my sister is exceptionally busy. It was written by my grandmother and the time it will take to review, revise, edit, etc. just isn’t there at the moment.

In the mean time there are other stories of mine waiting to be published. Once I make Anansi available in print, which shouldn’t be too long now, I’ll be working on A LIZARD’S TAIL, an exciting animal adventure for lower middle grade.

Here’s what it’s about.

From the moment he hatches, Marvin P. Tinkleberry knows he is destined for greatness. For one, he has a marvelous, well-groomed tail. For another he can puff out his throat pouch in the most spectacular way. Maybe the other lizards in his colony don’t take him seriously, but he knows the truth. It lives in the marrow of his bones; he’s going to be a hero.

When a feral cat threatens the lives of all who live at Stone Wall in the Garden by the Sea, Marvin knows it’s HIS destiny to get rid of the fearsome beast. Travelling Over the Hill to find help should be as easy as snapping up a sleeping moth. But it doesn’t take long for Marvin to see that the world beyond Stone Wall is not the same as his pampered life back at the garden. From the Sucker Cactus Forest to deadly mongooses, danger lurks around every corner and Marvin will have to decide if he’s willing to be the hero he’s long bragged about being.

Oh yes, that sounds fantastic. Who doesn't love a lizard who can puff out his throat pouch?

About Anansi and Company

How do you escape a hungry tiger? Why do ram-goats smell? What happens if you get too greedy? In this collection of ten retold Jamaican stories, Anansi the spider tricks, sings, and dances his way into and out of trouble.

But who is Anansi? It was the Ashanti of West Africa who brought the spider into the Caribbean. He clung tight to the web he wove in the minds of those who had been captured, surviving not only the harrowing passage across the Atlantic Ocean, but hundreds of years of slavery.

As a trickster, Anansi has both good and bad traits, which makes him very human. Sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses. When he wins he dances and sings for joy. When he loses, he shakes it off and keeps on living, a lesson for us all.

Buy link for Amazon 

About the Author -- Bish Denham

Bish Denham, whose mother's side of the family has been in the Caribbean for over hundred years, was raised in the U. S. Virgin Islands. She still has lots of family living there and visits them regularly.

She says, "Growing up in the islands was like living inside a history book. Columbus named them, Sir Francis Drake sailed through the area, and Alexander Hamilton was raised on St. Croix. Pirates plied the waters and hundred of years of slavery left its indelible mark. It was within this atmosphere of magic and wonder that I grew up. My hope is to pass some of that magic and wonder on to my readers."

You can learn more about Bish by visiting her blog:

Random Thoughts: http://bish-randomthoughts.blogspot.com/

She can also be found on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bish-Denham-Author-Page/553261998061448?bookmark_t=page

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BishDenham

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6439315.Bish_Denham

****

Thanks everyone for stopping by and supporting Bish.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2014

Friday's at the Piedmont Grille

On Today's Menu -- Tamara Hart Heiner

Visions of death plague Jayne, who thinks watching her boyfriend die is the worst that could happen to her. But when she witnesses a murder, Jayne finds herself caught up in a dangerous world of intrigue and suspense.

As it turns out, she is not the only one doing the stalking. The killer is on to her, and all of her visions of the dying don't reveal how her life will end. Somehow, she must stop the murderer before he arranges Jayne's own inevitable death.

Tamara's graciously agreed to answer a few questions for me.

1)  INEVITABLE sounds like an interesting premise. A girl who smells
lemons and the person she looks at dies. Where did that plot come from? 

Where do most plots come from? I really have no idea. I've had an elevator pitch for the book going around my head for a couple of years, and I finally decided to sit down and write it. Where it came from before that, I'm clueless!

 2) I noticed all three of your books have the same subcontent of death in them. That's a pretty heady subject. Any particular reason you want to write about that? 

I don't consider that I write about death. I write suspense, thrillers. If there's not death in it, it's not very
suspenseful, is it? It just kind of comes with the territory.


 3) After reading your bio, I saw that you teach, have a family, and are a busy busy lady. Where do you find the time to write? Do you have a schedule or is it catch-as-catch-can? 

I have a schedule. I give myself about half an hour during the day, when my little ones go down for naptime and quiet time. Then again in the evening, I clean up as fast as I can so I can sit down and write. That time varies, depending on the day!

I hear you on time management.

 4) As a published author we all tend to have something else brewing in the background once we release a book? What's next for you?

 For sure is a nonfiction book about the Joplin Tornado. It's under contract and should be out in April next year, in time for the anniversary! For not so sure are a myriad of projects, some of which I'll pursue, and some
I'll set aside to start something else. :)

A non-fiction book about the Joplin tornado sound fascinating. Best of luck with that. And last question...

5) What secret can you share about INEVITABLE that you haven't told anyone yet? 

The plot centers around Latvian mythology.

Okay, now that is just wicked cool. Thanks so much Tamara for sharing your book with us today.

Here's all the information you need to find Tamara's new book.


First
page


Available on Amazon.com,
Smashwords.com,
Barnes &
Noble.com, and Kobo.com!

After an awesome ebook launch on Facebook, Tamara's trying hard to top
that with the paperback. So here's the plan:

1) For the entire month of March, every comment on Tamara's blog gets entered into a
drawing to win a HARD COPY of one of her books. (You get to choose which
one!

2) Leave a comment on THIS BLOG for a chance to win ALL of her young adult
ebooks!

3) Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for another chance to win
Inevitable.

Goodreads Book
Giveaway

Inevitable

by Tamara Hart Heiner

Giveaway ends April 02, 2013.


See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter
to win

4) If you SPREAD THE NEWS, whether it's on your blog, on Facebook, on
Twitter, or just plain word of mouth, you'll be entered into a drawing for
a $50 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble gift card. Email Tamara at
tamarahartheiner dot com and tell her how many times you did it, and
you'll be entered into the drawing that many times!

Are we ready??? Get set! Go!



About the author: I live in Arkansas with my husband and three children,
two crazy boys and one pretty little princess. I used to spend a lot of
time writing until I had a baby and discovered Facebook. Now you'll often
find me on there pretending to have a social life.



I am the author of three young adult suspense novels, PERILOUS,
ALTERCATION, and INEVITABLE. You can find out more about what I'm writing
and catch deleted scenes from my books on my blog at
http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com.

Friday's at the Piedmont Grille

On Today's Menu -- The Specials for the Upcoming Month


I've done some prioritizing over the last month away, as you well know. I've always loved my Piedmont Grille Friday's and hated to give them up. Now that I've gotten my groove back, I've decided to return this feature.

Because we're all on this writing journey together and we all write in different genres, I thought it would be fun to showcase various authors and their creations. No, we don't all write romance, or YA, or horror. We all don't only read what's on the latest bestseller list. I'm taking Friday's and allowing you to see what's out there, who's publishing, what's going on.

And let me tell you what, the talent I have coming up over the next few months is AMAZING! Historical, women's fiction, literary fiction, crime, romance, the whole she-bang.

I'm also going to be reviving my Inside the Piedmont Grille as well. Those were so much fun. Like James Lipton's Inside the Actor's Studio, this feature is just a little Q&A to get inside an author's head. Just that little insight to see what it's really like to be that writer.

I do hope you'll stop by. As I said, the authors I have coming up over the next few months are super talented, and I hope you'll take a few minutes each week to lend your support. We're all in this together. And hey, who knows, you might discover a new friend.

Me and Bru Talk Books

February Grace, (Bru to those who know and love her around these parts), and I decided to do a little book swap, as we both have novels out. She's doing a quick Q & A for my REMEMBERING YOU on her blog (which you can find here if you want to swing by) and I'm doing a review and Q & A for her book GODSPEED.

This is my 5 star review I put up on Amazon.

          

       What does one say when one reads such a profound and amazing book? GODSPEED is like nothing I have ever read before – part Frankenstein, part love story, part memoir – it is all these things and more.

       When Abigail is dismissed from the only home she’s ever known and winds up in the street, the kindness of a stranger thrusts her into a strange fantastical world of one whom can only be called a “mad scientist.” Quinn Godspeed, with his brilliant mind and strange devices, saves Abigail from a weak heart. Without him and his “electric” shocks, she would die.

        However, as Abigail comes to love him, she finds Quinn Godspeed is not a man so easily loved. He pushes her away for ethical reasons, he’s her physician after all, yet, it seems Abigail means more to him than he lets on. Unfortunately, there is another person who loves Quinn as well, and jealousy cannot be quelled. Not until the end of the book do we see the whole story unfold.

        February Grace has done an incredible job of keeping us spellbound within the context of the mythical town of Fairever. Her prose is elaborate, but not purple; each and every sentence captivates and forms pictures in the mind. Pain, despair, hope, and in the end, joy, washes over you as the story draws you in. Part Victorian steampunk, the detail with which Grace writes about the machines is superb. The despair in which she feels her unrequited love for Godspeed made me weep. And the physical pain with which she writes, not only from Abigail’s point of view, but the other children as well, only shows how strong a character can be if modeled from personal experience.

         If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. I look forward to reading so much more from February Grace.

       
And let me tell you what, I wish I had something else from Bru to read right now. I cannot believe how such a "BIG" book, came out of such a tiny woman. I truly could go on ad nauseum about GODSPEED, I really did like it that much. But I won't, I'll only tell you to get yourself a copy and read it. You won't be disappointed.

Here are a couple of quick questions that Bru graciously anwered for me.

1) I've read almost all of the interviews you've done for GODSPEED, and cannot wrap my mind around that you wrote it while in pain and (at times) blind. In processing Abigail's character, did you take from your own personal experiences in the hospital?

My characters always do the talking but there is no denying that my experiences with all those surgeries and medical testing I've had in the past twenty years of my life have played into making Abigail who she is, and lent a certain weight of realism to her voice. At times I didn't even realize it, it was a subconscious thing.
 
After my husband read one scene he said to me, 'I bet you got the inspiration for the descriptions of her pain in that from that nerve conduction testing you had done years ago.'  I thought, huh, maybe he's right but I didn't consciously do that.  Nerve conduction testing is excruciating by the way- it is like being set on fire from the inside. Even doctors who'd had it themselves went pale with sympathy when I spoke to them of it.
 
I also remembered that my beloved Grandmother, who had a pacemaker the last few years of her life and despised it, told me once without going into detail how painful getting shocked with paddles was when her heart had stopped before they put it in. So I think that Abigail, like all my characters, tell me who they are but they draw from things in my own head and heart that at times I can't even figure out until much later on.

2) Are the children in the book part of this same processing from personal experience?

One of the teenagers in the book was very vaguely inspired by someone I met in real life once, but I won't reveal which one. Aside from a few shared traits they are very different, the real person and the character.  Obviously, when I wrote about Marielle's vision loss I had a lot to draw on personally. So the answer to that would be some, to some extent but this is after all fiction and not memoir. I'll write my memoir someday, it's on my 'to-do' list somewhere right after 'die'.

3) There is one character who is a revelation at the end of the book-- where did that come from? I mean I did not see that twist coming.

Neither did I, not at all. In fact, when I realized where the story and the character were going, I actually stood up and then sat back down and had to catch my breath. It was like seeing a real person evolve before your eyes- when you see someone is not who you thought they were and you understand them on so many levels after that. It was a moment of understanding, and there was something that character had to say, and I couldn't stop until the story had been told. I know which character you mean (I don't want to give it away for those who haven't yet read the book) and all I can tell you is that I love that character dearly.

(Don't you just love it when characters 'speak' so clearly?)

4) I know you've had recent publication for your poetry, and now GODSPEED, is there anything else in the works? I for one can't wait to read something new from you.

Thank you, you are very kind. Yes, I've been very fortunate to be published for the first time this year, first in The Rusty Nail literary magazine, then in Vine Leaves Literary Journal and just a few weeks ago in Rose &Thorn, where they were kind enough to also show one of my paintings that accompanied the prose piece. Then as you said GODSPEED, and the future?

Well I'm not working on a new novel right now-- I am actually taking stock of myself, my life, and where my writing is going and I know that at some point I want to do a collection of poetry and perhaps one of short stories. I wrote a screenplay a couple of years ago that I would really love to turn into a novel, too.

Right now there's a lot going on with me health-wise, and I am about to move so I'm not writing as much as I'd like, but hopefully in a while that will be set right. One thing I can tell you is that there is no planned sequel for GODSPEED. I know everything seems to be a series these days, but to me this book stands alone and to write a sequel would take away from the ending. Which means that I get to miss the characters horribly. And I do.

Aren't we an odd sort us writers? Missing people who only exist in our heads? Well, at least until we send them out into the world-- that's the greatest reward, isn't it, when they get to take up a little space in the minds, and hearts, of other people. I couldn't agree more.

Thank you so much Anne for hosting me today.

It has been my absolute pleasure.

You can find GODSPEED here for Amazon.

You can also find GODSPEED here for paperback.

Friday's at the Piedmont Grille

On Today's Menu -- A Meme

A couple of day's ago, Laurel Garver (Laurel's Leaves) passed me a meme. I've seen it around, it's called the Lucky 7 (or something like that) where you go to page 77 in your manuscript and pull out the first 7 sentences, (or 7 paragraphs). I'm supposed to tag 7 people to do the same, but I'm not going to. (I don't like to be pushy.) So, I'll tell you what, if you want to do this, (and I think it's kind of fun) just say you found it here. How's that? No pressure.

I thought this meme was especially fortuitous as I've just published REMEMBERING YOU, my contemporary women's fiction I've been hanging onto for a couple of years. I finished this book in 2009, was in fact, the second book I've ever written ( should clarify - I've written many, this is one I actually finished). I used to post excerpts from time to time. It's about Genna who goes home after a ten year absence and what she finds when she gets there. Remember Tony, and Pete, and Uncle Sally, and Aunt Fortuna. Yeah, that book.

Anyway, here's my meme. I'm doing 7 paragraphs. And funnily enough, this is one of the most highly charged scenes in the book. Angie, Genna's cousin, just finds out she has breast cancer.

*****

The hopelessness in her cousin’s voice unnerved Genna. Angie had never backed down from anything before. Not to Sal and Fortuna when Angie wanted to go to art school and there was no money for tuition. Not to Michael when he said he wanted a stay-at-home wife. Not to her mother-in-law who found fault with everything Angie ever did. Genna didn’t know much about cancer, but she knew if Angie gave up the fight to win the battle over it, she was as good as dead. She wanted to slap Angie, hard, right across the face. Knowing her cousin would reach full-blown hysteria in less than ten seconds, Genna did the only thing she knew to get her cousin grounded.

“Oh, Angie, why can’t you just do what you’re supposed to do instead of wallowing in all this hysterical self-pity? It doesn’t do anybody any good, least of all you.”

Angie looked up wide-eyed, snot mixing with her tears.

“God Angie,” Genna said. “Deal with the facts, not the unknowns. You know, you used to be one of the strongest women I ever knew. You wouldn’t take crap from anybody. Now I can understand how this whole cancer thing might knock you for a loop, but you’re bigger than it, and once you get through all the chemo, you’ll be fine. Once Fortuna goes to her doctor and we have some more information, she’ll be fine. As for Michael, well, that’s none of my business, obviously, but when I talked to him the other day at my party, I could tell he still loves you. Sure, he might have been upset about the affair, but who wouldn’t be? Ang, you’ve got to get it together. Now is not the time to fall apart. People are depending on you not to give up. You need to fight, not surrender.”

Genna hoped her little speech would knock some kind of sense into her cousin. If not, Angie would be completely useless. She’d become paralyzed within her own fear, and indulging in what-ifs would only lead to more hysteria, which no one needed.

The birds didn’t seem to care the two women were dealing with emotional overload and chirped in the branches of the trees overhead, although the silence at the table was deafening.

“You’re right,” Angie finally said. She sat back in the chair and dried her face with the bottom of her shirt. “You’re absolutely right. I need to get it together.” She stared over the back yard.

*****

Now of course, there's a whole lot more to this than I've presented here. Genna isn't as hard hearted as some of you may think. As a matter of fact, during the next few paragraphs, Genna gives Angie all the love and support she needs and by the end of the scene, both women end up laughing as Genna grosses out her cousin with her unshaved legs.

So that's that.

*****

On another note, for those of you who hate the new blogger look, I found a button (the one on your new dashboard that looks like an inner clock works -- if you hit that, you can find the tab that allows you to go back to the old blogger dashboard style. They say they're going to change it to the new one eventually, but I'm keeping the old one for as long as I possibly can.

*****

I hope you all have a great weekend everyone!

Friday's at the Piedmont Grille

On the Menu Today -- Grilled Salmon, Ribeye Steak, Fried Zucchini, and Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

My last meal at the beach. I haven't had a grill for years, so I cooked a lot while I was there.

First up, I just want to say Thank You All, for coming by and commenting on my cover Wednesday. Your words of encouragement had me weeping all day. Honest. I was so scared to unveil it, scared no one would like it. It really means a lot to hear you say how beautiful it was. So Thanks.

Back to today's post, I know most of you aren't even around this weekend, being Labor Day and all, but I thought I'd ease back into my routine. Keep myself busy.

I'm going to try and treat The Piedmont Grille as a different kind of restaurant this year, matter of fact, like the one Richard and I used to own. Last year, I was kind of all over the place with my menu, not really focused on just exactly what I was trying to achieve. This year, I'd like to really concentrate on what's important. The food, the service, the atmosphere.

So, for your dining pleasure, here's a short list of some new things you'll find here at The Piedmont Grille.

Book Reviews -- I've never done them, however, I think it's a good idea. Just like when we added comedy night at the restaurant, it was different, we took a chance, and it added something extra to the atmosphere.

Author Interviews -- Never done one of these before either, but like Barbara Walters, I want to get answers to the questions no one else has asked before.

Flash in the Pan -- Small snippets of work from me, to hopefully keep you engaged in what I'm trying to achieve. Richard always had a small pan fire burning in the kitchen on any given night and on occasion the fire department would have to step in. I don't think my flashes will require the SCFD, but I hope to leave you with a little bit more than a charred taste in your mouth.

Brunch -- Which really should be on Sunday, but I don't post on that day. I also don't know what will be on the menu, so I guess it'll be a surprise.


Next week, I'll begin to post with my regular schedule again. Mondays are about love, considering I am a romance writer, Wednesdays are about writing, as that is what I proclaim I do, and Friday's we're here at the Grille with a whole new menu. Hope you'll stop by often.

Have a great holiday weekend!