Sunday, March 1, 2020
My blog has been nominated for the SUNSHINE
BLOGGER AWARD by the highly
talented and reliably supportive, Pamela Allegretto. Pamela is an accomplished artist
whose artwork is collected worldwide. She is also an inspired author. THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS AND DREAMS, her
novel of World War II historical fiction, is one of the best books of the genre
I have read in recent times. I am thrilled to learn that she will release a new
book sometime soon, a novel titled ASHES
TO ASHES, DIAMONDS TO DUST. I highly recommend Pamela’s work. Below is
the link to her blog: https://pamelaallegretto.com/2020/02/22/sunshine-blogger-award/.
This day tender green sprouts are
conspiring to shoot their little heads up and through winter’s frozen ground
and reveal themselves in all their glory. 2019/2020 has seen the warmest
weather on record, and we in Columbus, Ohio, USA feared real winter would never
come. But come it has finally, and I exult in it because it exclaims Mother
Nature’s resiliency. She will do Her job if human beings get out of Her way and
leave Her to Her own devices. Her spring flowers will arrive right on time, through
purer, sweeter earth, in air that is cleaner, and sated by rain unpolluted with
lethal toxins. I see the sunflower banner of this award as a symbol of our hopes
for a brighter future in so many critical areas. Climate change is the most
serious among them, in my opinion.
I am sincerely thankful for the support
I receive from so many of my peers in the Indy author world. No group of
individuals of my experience is made up of finer human beings. They are faultlessly
sympathetic to their fellow authors, as well as to people of all walks of life
everywhere. World leaders would benefit enormously by their example.
My latest novel, A CHANCE AT THE MOON, is doing well, and I am so grateful to
readers for embracing it. I sure would appreciate more reader reviews, though. It
is available in paperback and eBook. This is the link to the eBook: https://www.amazon.com/CHANCE-AT-MOON-Betrayal-Murder-ebook/dp/B07Z44YN9X/.
You can
access all my books by typing in my name on Amazon’s search engine. I plan to
publish two new novels this year. One of them will be my first book of World
War II historical fiction titled, SEARCHING
FOR SOLOMON. It will be a long-held dream come true.
Pamela sent me 11 questions to answer,
and following are my answers:
§
When you were young, what was your dream career? If it wasn’t to
be a writer, what changed your mind?
Females of my time and socio-economic circle aspired to marriage
and motherhood almost exclusively. College was out of reach and out of mind, no
matter our native-born talents. I came into the world as a natural artist and
writer, but those things were not in the cards other than as hobbies. Divorce
and life as a working, single-mother changed all that, however. College became
a necessity then, and it was there in which my flair for the arts began to take
form, mainly in fine art. A couple of decades later, life-threatening illness
was the catalyst to my writing career. It saved my life, and continues to do
so. That situation could fill a 300-page book.
§
What makes you angry? How do you tame the lion?
One of my best girlfriends describes me as a “smooth, calm
river.” I am not easily riled. But yes, I am very angry over the current
political climate in my country. I tame the lion through watching movies on TV,
reading, writing, and visiting family and friends.
§
Have you ever allowed a “dream-crusher” to cloud your self-worth
as a writer? How did you lift that cloud?
I am lucky in that I have developed an ability to keep such
things in perspective, most of the time. I try to bear in mind that people have
their own challenges with which they are dealing, which sometimes manifest in
uncharitable behavior towards others. At the times I have succumbed to such
treatment, it made me angry at my own anger rather than uncertain of my
self-worth. My younger self would have answered this question quite
differently, however. Unimpeachable self-worth has been a byproduct of aging
and experience for me.
§
What literary figure, alive or deceased, would you like to
interview?
My two favorite authors are Australian author, Shirley Hazzard
and American author and adventurer, Peter Matthiessen, both of whom passed away
within the last two or three years. At the times I am faced with a block in my
writing, I bury myself in one of their books, and soon I am free and clear
again. I would have loved to ask them the secret of their magic.
§
Do you enjoy the editing process? If so, why? If not, why not?
I do enjoy editing my own work. I am an Intuitive Pantser writer,
with a touch of Methodology in the mix, which means that I write free of an
outline or much of any idea of where the story is taking me, and I edit as I
write. I am constitutionally incapable of tackling a new chapter until the one
at hand is fully formed, editing and all. Once I complete the manuscript, I
send it to a beta-reader and proofreader. At the time I receive it back, I make
the appropriate corrections. I let it rest for several weeks, and then go back
and read it again. Something mysterious happens to it during its rest period. A
sly little trickster slips in among the pages and stirs up problems. Of course,
some rewriting is then required, and the whole process begins anew. Writing a
book is a complicated affair—at least it is for me.
§
If you could be proficient in another language, which would you
choose? Why?
I would dearly love to learn to speak and write in Italian, and
mainly for the reason that it would allow me to communicate with singer, Andrea
Bocelli. Vah vah vah voom!!!
§
If you believed in reincarnation, what century might you have
lived in and who were you?
I am absolutely convinced that in one of my incarnations, I was
an Indian maiden in the early days of human settlement in what is now known as
North America.
§
If you were a schoolteacher, what class would you teach and why?
That is an easy one: I would teach creative writing and
political science, for obvious reasons—at least the reasons are obvious to me.
§
Do you prefer to stay in touch with close friends via texting,
messenger, email, or phone call? Why?
The way of the world has forced me to turn to texting as my
major form of communicating. I prefer phoning or face-to-face when possible,
though.
§
What was one of your best days?
On my best day, I gave birth to my first child. It opened up for
me a world of love I never knew existed or was possible.
§
How would you like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered as a person with a deep sense of
purpose who did my best to do a good job of it. I am on a quest to fulfill that
mandate in all ways possible before I take my final breath.
One of the nicest perks of this SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD is that it
empowers its recipients to celebrate and introduce other bloggers deserving of
reader’s interest and time, bloggers whose highly creative work promotes
positivity to the blogging community. And
in that vein, it is now my turn to continue the tradition and nominate 11 bloggers
for this award:
Ritu Kaur BP
Sloane Taylor
Sharon Ledwith
Catherine Castle
Chris Pavesic
CD Hersh
Ken Wigal
Elizabeth Crocket
Lynn Miclea
Anita Rodgers
Paulette Mahurin
Marilyn Francis-Ferguson - Oops! That’s
twelve—but I cannot omit any one of them…
***A note to the nominated bloggers:
There are a few rules to follow:
Thank the blogger who
nominated you and link back to her/his current book and blog.
Answer the 11 questions
that I set above.
List the rules and display the SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD photo on your own blog
post.
Nominate 11 new bloggers and their blogs and ask your
nominees 11 NEW QUESTIONS.
