My name is Maisie Thurlow.  I'm a leading character in High Places.

2.  Describe to our readers what your role in the book is.

I am (or at least I was) captain of a Star Guard patrol ship, the Commodore Dudley Saltonstall.  That's the name of a general who scuttled his fleet at a battle along the Maine coast during the American Revolution, so it's not an especially heroic reference.  When I was 10 years old, the government sent a team of "minders" to round up the religious sect my father had founded.  They'd decided we should be split up and relocated.  They chartered a star liner to take us away from the planet where we'd been living, and all but one of them (the minders, I mean) were killed when the liner's crew mutinied.  I became separated from my big sister, Eve, after I saw our parents murdered.  So when I had orders to take the Saltonstall near the planet where I remembered Eve's lifeboat being pointed, when the mutineers launched it 20 years earlier - well, I couldn't help myself.  I had to find out what happened to her.  I wasn't planning on crashing there, though, and getting trapped without much hope of being rescued!

3.  How did you convince your author to put you in this book?  For example, did you visit a dream or make yourself known some other way?

I started bothering her about three years ago, but I wouldn't tell her exactly who I was.  I came into her head the way characters usually do, by asking a "What if?" question.  In this case, "What if a whole planet's air acted on Humans the way a compressed air acts on scuba divers when they get ‘rapture of the deep'?"

4.  Is your author easy to work with or controlling?

She tries to control me.  I don't let her, though.  I do just what I want to do, and when she's smart she comes along without giving me a fight first.

5.  Would you tell us about one of your favorite friends from this book?

My executive officer, best friend, and lover is Jacques Quiero.  I call him Jack, and the worst thing that happens is having him turn on me when the planet's air makes him crazy.

6.  Do you plan on appearing in another book or are you happy to be where you are?

I'm already in another book.  My author is working on The Minder's Oath, which you could call a sequel.  Or you could call it the rest of the story that High Places begins.

7.  What would you like our readers to know about you?

I hate anyone who tries to control me.  That includes minders, in particular.  I don't agree with my parents' religion at all, now.  I've grown up to have my own life, and it's very unlike the one my folks wanted me to live.  But that's my choice to make!  Not someone else's to make for me.

8.  Did you learn anything during your adventure in this book?

I learned that nothing turns out the way I think it's going to.  And, of course, that life goes on even after you're sure it can't.

9.  Can you tell us what you think is the most exciting thing that happened to you in your book?

When I accidentally found out how to counteract that planet's crazy-making air, is what I think was most exciting.  Readers may disagree, though, because a lot of other things happened; and I guess reading about them would probably be a lot more fun that living through them.

10.  Is there anything in your story you wish you had not done? Why?

I wish the decision I made to look for my sister hadn't cost most of my crew their lives.  I'll never get over that.  But I can't change it now.

11.  What was your main motivation?

I wanted to find Eve.  It was just that simple.  She was all the family I had left, and I needed to know what happened to her.

12.  Introduce us to your main adversary?

I suppose that would be Miles Mindlothian, the "minder" responsible for kidnapping my whole community because the government didn't approve of our beliefs and how we lived them.  I thought he died in the liner mutiny, but I found out otherwise soon after my ship crashed on the planet where my sister was marooned.

13.  Is there anything you would like to have done but your author stopped you?

Yes.  Get home, of course!  She said she couldn't make it too easy for me, because "deus ex machina" endings are a cop-out.

14.  Here's your chance to speak your mind.  What do you want to tell everybody?

If you've got a family, appreciate it.  Love them even when you don't like them, because you'd miss them pretty badly if they weren't there.  Believe me, I know!  And if you're in a profession where this applies, don't compromise your duty to satisfy a personal need.

15.  Please tell everyone where they can find out more about your story and where they can purchase it.

High Places is due for release by eBooksOnThe.Net, an imprint of Write Words, on 9/1/08.  You'll find it at the eBooksOnThe.Net web site, Fictionwise.com, and in Amazon.com's Kindle bookstore.

Posted by joyceanthony at 12:01 AM EDT

Updated: Wednesday, 27 August 2008 2:07 AM EDT

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I'm Vern, "christened" (because you don't baptize dragons) as "Vern d'Wyvern" by Pope Pius. Pius was a very holy man with a very lame sense of humor.

I do not live in a book. I used to live in Faerie, the magical dimension now connected to Mundane, ie. your world. For the record--I didn't name them, either. Since making my lair in your world, I've been eeking out a living as a private detective, doing everything from finding lost cats to solving magical mysteries to saving the universes. Someitmes all three at once. Karina Fabian transcribes and publishes those cases for me. So far, she's published them in several stories and a serial, and has two books coming out next year from Swimming Kangaroo.

2.  Describe to our readers what your role in the book is.

Karina has a pretty good talent for catching my "voice," so I narrate all the stories. I do the majority of the sleuthing, deductions and solving, plus my own stunt work. Of course, once Sister Grace became my partner, she has a big hand in that, too, plus all the magical might. Big advantage having a Holy Mage on your side, let me tell you.

3.  How did you convince your author to put you in this book?  For example, did you visit a dream or make yourself known some other way?

Actually, Karina came to me. She was looking for a unique dragon story for an anthology called Firestorm of Dragons. (Now out by Dragon Moon Press, http://www.firestormofdragons.com/) It was the start of a beautiful friendship.

4.  Is your author easy to work with or controlling?

Control? Me? No one's really been able to do that since St. George, and even then, he need some major assistance from God himself. Everything I do, I do for me, and that includes aiding God and his creatures through service in the Faerie Catholic Church. See, St. George put a spell on me, a real doozy: he took everything that makes me the magnificent dragon I am--was--will be again. I've spent the last eight centuries earning it back. Can't complain, though. As an immortal, I value novelty, and it's been an interesting gig to say the least.

At any rate, Karina does a pretty good job of sticking to the facts. The only exception is the case she calls "Magic, Mensa and Mayhem." She's played all kinds of games with the facts for the serial story in the Mensa Magazine, The Prairie Dawg. (http://www.northdakota.us.mensa.org/dawg.htm) The novelization of the case is closer to the truth.

5.  Would you tell us about one of your favorite friends from this book?

My best friend is my partner, Sister Grace McCarthy, a mage and nun of the Faerie Catholic Church. We've been through a lot together, and most of the stories and novels have her in them.

In the case featured in Firestorm of Dragons, though, we hadn't yet met. Jerry Costa, another great friend, is in that story. A former fence turned honest by the love a good woman, he'd settled down to run a jewelry store and a pawn shop and have a lot of good Catholic kids. His family was one of the first to befriend me on this side of the Interdimensional Gap, and (especially as their family grew from two kids to twelve), I don't draw as much attention in church if I sit with them. Jerry also keeps in contact with his old cronies, which helps me in my job.

6.  Do you plan on appearing in another book or are you happy to be where you are?

This is where semantics get weird. I'm basically content where I am, especially now that we have a new roof on the lair--which is a run-down warehouse in the part of Los Lagos now called Territory, you can guess why. However, Karina has a score of our cases she still has not transcribed. I know she'd eventually like to start at the beginning and build up to where Magic, Mensa and Mayhem starts. I'm pretty sure that's her plan after writing Live and Let Fly.

Incidentally, if you'd like to know more about me, the Faerie world, or our cases, you can go to our website at http://www.dragoneyepi.org/.

7.  What would you like our readers to know about you?

Don't call me "d'Wyvern." Ever. Don't ask me if I'm housetrained. Don't ask if you can ride on my back. I'm from Faerie, not Pern.

8.  Did you learn anything during your adventure in this book?

Interesting, you should ask that. As I look over the stories, both from before I met Grace ("DragonEye, PI" in Firestorm of Dragons) to those with her ("Amateurs" in The Sword Review, "Mishmash" coming in Book of Tentacles, and of course, the novels coming from Swimming Kangaroo), I see what an effect Grace has had on my life. Aptly named, she was.

9.  Can you tell us what you think is the most exciting thing that happened to you in your book?

In Firestorm of Dragons, I guess that'd be stopping the evil ritual that would have closed the Interdimensional Gap. If, of course, by "exciting," you also mean "painful." But hey, I earned my fire back with that one. You're no idea how good it feels to be packing heat. Of course, most of the case files involve us saving the universes in one way or another, so there's always excitement. And pain. I could do without the pain.

In Magic, Mensa and Mayhem, I'll let your readers decide what's exciting. I could give you a long list of annoyances, however. Let's see: finding Coyote the Trickster at a Mensa convention, dealing with bellhops who have a sick sense of humor, bailing out an angry dwarf, listening to said dwarf belt out "Henry Higgens" while drunk, environmentalists protesting my very presence, pranking pixies, hyperactive elves...

Oh, yeah, and paying for the rips I put in the hotel carpet, but that never made the novel.

10.  Is there anything in your story you wish you had not done? Why?

In Firestorm, I could have wished to have escaped before the height of the ceremony, or maybe thrown myself into the elf with the satanically poisoned dagger instead of between him and his victim. Ouch.

In Magic, Mensa and Mayhem, my biggest regret is not finding a way to charge the Duke, the Church or somebody for chaperoning the convention. "Expenses" doesn't even cover the work we did. "Cushy job, consider it a paid vacation" indeed.

11.  What was your main motivation?

Was? My main motivation is acquiring comfort and treasure. That means serving the Faerie Church until I get my powers and grandeur all back and making as much money at it as I can in the meantime. And keeping Grace safe. The world would be...less...without her.

12.  Introduce us to your main adversary?

Tricky. They do change from case to case, you know. I've gone against everything from Dark Elves to neo-Nazis to demigods like Sekhmet. Plus, there are a few out there who are not making themselves known. Annoying, but then again, if I had to go up against me, I'd probably do it from the shadows, too.

13.  Is there anything you would like to have done but your author stopped you?

No. Like I said, Karina transcribes the cases pretty well. Even when she takes "creative license," she stays true to the people involved.

14.  Here's your chance to speak your mind.  What do you want to tell everybody?

Go read my blog: http://www.dragoneyepi.net/. I speak my mind there. I should have a forum up soon, too, so folks can tell me how great I am and how they love reading about my cases.

15.  Please tell everyone where they can find out more about your story and where they can purchase it.

*Firestorm of Dragons:  http://www.firestormofdragons.com/ for more information, or purchase from DragonMoon Press http://dragonmoonpress.com/books/firestorm.html

* for the rest, I'll post them on the website as they come out.  http://www.dragoneyepi.net/ Watch in 2009 for Magic, Mensa and Mayhem.

Posted by joyceanthony at 12:01 AM EDT

Updated: Tuesday, 26 August 2008 5:00 AM EDT

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Isn't this a beautiful award?  Jamieson Wolf over at:

http://jamiesonwolf.blogspot.com/

nominated me for it.  This is a pay-it-forward award and my instructions were to now choose some blogs I find worthy of this award.  The choice wasn't easy, but I have finally narrowed it down to the following.  These are in no particular order; that would be impossible to do. 

Lacresha Hayes - http://therapeofinnocence.blogspot.com/ - Lacresha is an incredible woman who shares her heart and knowledge with all in need.  Of her many blogs, this is the one I believe special recognition, as it is here Lacresha pours out her heart and soul to help.  Writer, advocate and special friend, who could ask for more from a person?

Marvin Wilson -   http://inspiritandtruths.blogspot.com/ - I've known Marvin for several years now and he has never ceased to amaze me.  Author, friend, musician - Marvin's talents are limitless as far as I can see.  His blog will have you laughing, make you think, and definitely make you feel you spent your time well.

Billie A. Williams - http://printedwords.blogspot.com/   - You won't find Billie gallivanting all over the web.  This quiet woman prefers to spend her free time penning yet one more wonderful book.  Still, she will put it aside immediately to help a friend, give advice or teach a beginning writer a new skill.  I want to be Billie when I grow up!

Nikki Leigh -  http://nikkisreviews.blogspot.com/ - Nikki is so full of energy she puts the Energizer bunny to shame.  This incredible woman is everywhere.  Much of her efforts are spent helping other authors promote and become noticed.  I often wonder where she finds the time to write her own wonderful books.

Janet Elaine Smith -  http://janetelainesmith.blogspot.com/ -  Besides being one of the best friends a person can have, Janet is a fabulous writer, promotion guru, editor and talk-show hostess. She doesn't update her blog as often as most, but you can be sure that when she does it is well worth reading. Janet is the only person I know who can make a kidnapping funny and have a happy ending.  With seventeen books already out there and another one on the way, Janet shows no sign of stopping.

Ron Berry - http://here-it-is.tripod.com/kritterwriter/ -  Ron is fairly new on the writing scene.  His humor pieces and children's stories will have you laughing out loud.  His talents do not stop with writing, however; Ron also creates beautiful beaded jewelry, is a Toastmaster and a computer genius.  He never fails to put aside his own work to help someone in need.

The rules for the above recipients are as follow:

Rules for next recipients of the Brillante Weblog Premio are as follows:

1. The award may be displayed on a winner's blog.

2. Add a link to the person you received the award from.

3. Nominate up to seven other blogs.

4. Add their links to your blog.

5. Add a message to each person that you have passed the award on in the comments section of their blog.

There you have it, folks, my nominees for this wondrous peer-driven award.  Please stop by the above blogs and drop everyone a note of congratulations!!!

Posted by joyceanthony at 2:55 AM EDT

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1.  Can you tell us your name and the title of the book you live in?

My name is Jaycee Stanton, and Different Roads is the name of my story.

2.  Describe to our readers what your role in the book is.

Hmm . . . shocking people every chance I get maybe? Seriously, the book is about the crazy journey my life has been, and my role is to show everyone how I finally made it to the place where I can feel safe at last.   

3.  How did you convince your author to put you in this book?  For example, did you visit a dream or make yourself known some other way?

That's easy. I just talked to her in her head all the time until she wrote the book. I knew I had her when I told her the stories about when I was a kid. She's almost as sappy as my husband Bud! 

4.  Is your author easy to work with or controlling?

She's a pretty good kid. Kinda nerdy, but that makes her publisher happy. She actually LOVES editing and revising manuscripts! 

5.  Would you tell us about one of your favorite friends from this book?

Well, I didn't meet her until almost the end of the book, but my best friend's name is Jeana Royal. She's an incredible lady who inspires me not to make assumptions about anyone and not to judge.

6.  Do you plan on appearing in another book or are you happy to be where you are?

I have a guest stint in an upcoming book called SYMMETRY where I meet a funny lady named Jess Cassady whose husband is almost as conceited as mine!

7.  What would you like our readers to know about you?

I'm no angel by any means, but I don't drink or do drugs because of the sorry drunk I grew up with. I also don't lie, and I'm not really as tough as I pretend to be.

8.  Did you learn anything during your adventure in this book?

I learned that everything happens for a reason. 

9.  Can you tell us what you think is the most exciting thing that happened to you in your book?

Well, don't tell him I said so (he's stuck on himself enough already!) but I think Bud is more exciting than anything-all the fights I've been in, the people I've outsmarted, even the times I almost died.

10.  Is there anything in your story you wish you had not done? Why?

Oh, there are lots of things I wish I hadn't said. Everything I think eventually comes out of my mouth, and I don't always use language that's appropriate for mixed company.

11.  What was your main motivation?

To face all my fears and get past them.

12.  Introduce us to your main adversary?

Well, it was my father when I was young, then it was Bud's rich old man for a while, but mostly it was my own fears and self-doubts.

13.  Is there anything you would like to have done but your author stopped you?

The last person who tried to stop me from doing anything is still recovering! Actually, she tried her best to keep me from throwing a particular item at Bud's head, but I told her it had to be done. I remember she wrote that part with tears streaming down her face. But I was right about it, of course.

14.  Here's your chance to speak your mind.  What do you want to tell everybody?

The most important message I have is for children who are abused or neglected like I was. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do something or let them make you feel as if you don't deserve to be loved. If you believe in yourself, you can do anything you want to do. And if you need to take yourself away from your misery while you're growing up, escape into a book like I did. They'll take you anywhere you want to go.

15.  Please tell everyone where they can find out more about your story and where they can purchase it.

You can read about my childhood in the short story called "Hope Chest" that's published in the Spring 2008 edition of New Works Review literary e-zine at http://www.new-works.org/. Different Roads (ISBN 0-9722385-3-0) is from Amazon.com or any of the online retailers, and it's also available direct from the publisher at http://www.authorsinkbooks.com/. 

Posted by joyceanthony at 12:01 AM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 24 August 2008 1:53 AM EDT

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An interview with Louis Seiffer

Lipton: Welcome to Inside the Actor’s Studio, Louis. I know our audience is thrilled that you would honor us with your appearance today. Thank you for being here.

Seiffer: Thanks. You’re welcome. And please, call me Lou.

Lipton: Very well, Lou. (pause) Lou, if you don’t mind me stating the obvious, you are an enormous man! Even bigger than you seem in your fantastically successful movie, Fiddler’s Follies. We even had to search the studio for a chair large enough to accommodate you. Just how tall are you? What is your weight?

Seiffer: (broad proud smile, a shift of weight from side to side, producing sounds of seating boards in pain) Seven foot six, three fifty, give or take, it depends.

Lipton: Depends? Depends on what?

Seiffer: It all depends on how much attention I am getting. I swell in stature the more people believe in me.

Lipton: (Looking surprised, eyes widened) Really? Such a curious quality! I’d like to get back to that in a moment, but I know everyone is just dying to know how you came from obscurity to movie superstar stature in such a short while. How did you get your big break?

Seiffer: Well, I’ve been flying under the radar for, hell, seems like thousands of years, you know, doing bit parts in any kind of nightmarish foul scripts I can get into. I’ve actually been written up in the Bible, but nobody reads that anymore. Just as well, the reviews weren’t that great. Anyway, my break into the big time came when Marvin Wilson sold the movie rights to his best-selling book, Owen Fiddler. Owen Fiddler bought the rights, you know, and produced the movie. He and I go back, he owed me one, so I got the part.

Lipton: I see, and of course we were all astonished to learn that Owen Fiddler was a real person.

Seiffer: Oh, he’s real, all right, the (bleep)ing (bleep)hole. (Lou bares his funky yellow fang-like teeth)

Lipton: What? So you don’t much care for the man who helped launch your Hollywood career?

Seiffer: Like I said, he owed me. Now he figures he has no need of me anymore. That hurts my ego. I’m barely three foot tall around him these days. (bleep)ing little (bleep)head.

Lipton: And again with the size and stature changes thing! How odd! Can you demonstrate that for us?

Seiffer: I have little control over it. It just happens. Takes a strong personality to make me change. I brought a clip from Fiddler’s Follies with me, though. It’s the scene where Owen Fiddler, myself and Frenda Fiddler meet in the never-world. Frenda is, as we all know, an outstanding phenomenon, a powerful force onstage or off. This scene was done in one take, and it demonstrates that quality in me that you and everyone else seem so (bleep)ing interested in.

Lipton: Very well, let’s let our audience view the clip. (motions to the stage hand)

(The screen lights up with the scene a dull gray ethereal room. Louis Seiffer is lying in a bed, appearing weak. Owen Fiddler stands next to the bed. A glow in the partially opened doorway begins to intensify. It simmers, then boils and pops. It bursts like a bomb going off into the room, slamming the door off its hinges. A display of blinding white lights revolve and spin around a sparkling core that dances about. Lou Seiffer looks impressed. Owen stares in awe. The light show begins shrinking and coalescing, settling into a human-like form. Frenda Fiddler now stands in the middle of the room in an alabaster translucence of divine spirit. She takes a firm stance, assumes a countenance of authority and begins to speak.)

“I need the both of you to remain quiet and listen intently to what I have to say. I do not have time to repeat myself. My words will be chosen carefully in order to convey accuracy and truth.”

(Lou Seiffer gets incensed and bursts out of the bed. He takes form as a horned indigo pig-devil wielding a five-pronged spear and levitates into a hover above her head. His breath is a visible puke yellow wind that stinks like the decomposing dead. He roars at her)

(Frenda looks firm into his eyes) “Sure, I know who you are. You are the representation of fear that resides in the hearts of humanity. You are really nothing at all, although you think yourself to be the greatest of the gods.”

(Lou starts to lose color, size and elevation as she continues)

“You’ve made an eternal career choice as the one who tempts mankind into mortal deception and fleshly pleasure. You lull the materially fortunate into a spiritual slumber as they recline in their luxurious castles built upon sand. You tantalize the “have-nots” with temporal elixirs of profane pleasures and deadly desire-fulfillments. You feel all puffed up with a false sense of power that is just an illusion. Humankind grants you that power through its ignorance and fear. You must just love it when someone commits a foolish deed and then says, ‘Oh, that wasn’t me, the Devil made me do it.’”

(Camera cuts to a close-up of Lou -  he’s back in the bed now, appearing shaken. Frenda stands over him)

“Humanity has built you up in their minds as the most powerful of evil spirits, some terrible demonized deity with the power to kill and damn the soul. For thousands of years the churches have falsely glorified your status as the mighty punisher of sins, holding spiritual freedom and enlightenment at bay out of fear. As if your power to rule over people’s will and destiny were in fact a reality. You and I both know that’s not the truth, don’t we now?”

(Lou is the size of a toddler now and lies still as Frenda concludes)

“We each hold the power of choice. We each decide with our thoughts, deeds and actions whether to create Hell for ourselves or to move toward Heaven. I choose to not listen anymore to your insipid prattle and lame threats. Frankly, I’m getting tired of all of this and quite bored with your presence. Oh, and by the way, did I tell you your breath stinks?”

(Frenda swells her aura into a bright red sphere and shouts)

(Louis Seiffer vanishes)

(The screen goes blank and lights come up to the sound of thunderous applause)

Lipton: Outstanding! Lou, thank you so much for … Lou? (looks around, incredulous) Where did Lou disappear to? (motions to the director to cut to a commercial)

***

Posted by joyceanthony at 12:01 AM EDT

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Rememer when I promised you a new feature here at Books and Authors?  Well, today we have the first of what I hope to be many character interviews.  Both writers and readersd spend hours with the characters that live between book covers--here is your chance to meet some of them!!!

Without further delay, I am pleased to bring the interview I ha with Patrick and Grace, who tell their stories time and again through Janet Elaine Smith!!

1.  Can you tell us your name and the title of the book you live in?

Grace: My name is Grace Johnson, and I live in all of the Patrick and Grace Mysteries by Janet Elaine Smith.

Patrick: Hey, don't forget me! MY name is Patrick O'Malley, and they are the PATRICK and Grace Mysteries. I get top billing-NOT!

2.  Describe to our readers what your role in the book is.

Grace: I'm the one with all the brains when it comes to solving crimes. Patrick has that typical "cop's gut instinct," but it takes me to figure out how to put it to practical use. Oh, and to get us out of all the trouble he gets us into.

Patrick: Don't you believe a word of it! Over 35 years on the force of New York's finest, and that's all the credit I get? If we left it up to Gracie all the time, we'd both be 6' under by now!

3.  How did you convince your author to put you in this book?  For example, did you visit a dream or make yourself known some other way?

Grace: Janet knew a lot about homeless people, since she and Ivan worked with Mission Socorro for a long time. So, when she saw me wandering around on the streets of New York City with no place to go, she figured I was a good candidate for explaining what homeless people really go through.

Patrick: Yeah, and shore an' b'gory, she had to drag me into it to come to Gracie's rescue. I mean, the poor little thing didn't even know the proper way to feed the birds in Central Park.

4.  Is your author easy to work with or controlling?

Grace: Ha! Now that's funny! She thought she could control us, but it didn't take more than the first few pages for us to let her know who was REALLY in charge!

Patrick: (patting Gracie's hand lovingly) I have to agree with you on that one, Gracie. She's just a patsy for what we want to say and what we want to do.

5.  Would you tell us about one of your favorite friends from this book?

Gracie: Well, for me it would have to be Mrs. D. (That's short for Mrs. Douglas.) Actually, both of the Douglas's are pretty special, even though we got off to a pretty bumpy start.

Patrick: Ya just gotta love the dear ol' priest from St. Patrick's Cathedral. God help us if he ever departs. That young one, he's okay, but he doesn't know the ropes like old Father O'Brien. I think he's got a direct line to heaven. Lord knows, he needs it, when it comes to keeping Gracie out of trouble. Like the rat poison in the rectory...oh, shucks, just read the book!

6.  Do you plan on appearing in another book or are you happy to be where you are?

Patrick: We're already in three of them, but Janet's got plans for dragging us all over the country. I hear we're going to Disneyworld and Six Flags over Georgia next. If you look at our website (of course we have our own!) at http://crumbycapers.tripod.com/ I think she has a whole list of what she plans to do with us. Just wait till we get in there and spice it up a little. <vbg>

Gracie: I never flew in an airplane in my life until I met Patrick. Now I can't wait 

 For our next great adventure.

7.  What would you like our readers to know about you?

Gracie: Probably that we are just like them. Land a'Goshen, Janet gets letters and e-mails from people all the time, wanting to know why she patterned me after them.

Patrick: Yeah, and that's from people she doesn't even know! I just want them to know that life isn't over at retirement. That's when the fun begins!

8.  Did you learn anything during your adventure in this book?

Gracie: How to take orders.

Patrick: Ha! That'll be the day!

9.  Can you tell us what you think is the most exciting thing that happened to you in your book?

Gracie: I really like the way Janet made me into my own person. I'd been somebody's wife or somebody's mama for so long, I'd forgotten there was a real me underneath.

Patrick: I think for me it was probably that Father O'Brien was right when he said "Things aren't always what they seem to be." As a cop, I learned to make quick judgments on things, but sometimes that can lead to problems, especially when it comes to people. Like Vince Bellazoni-who'd a thunk one day I'd actually almost like the fellow?

10.  Is there anything in your story you wish you had not done? Why?

Gracie: Kept in closer contact with my kids, even if they didn't understand or trust me to make my own decisions. There's nothing better than family. I'm sure glad they came around at the end of the first book though.

Patrick: No, but there's something I wish Gracie hadn't done. That's her infernal refusal to tie the knot with me. Just how long can a guy hold on when she keeps on saying, "No, but I'm thinking about it." Enough thinking already!

11.  What was your main motivation?

Gracie: To prove I could make it "on my own."

Patrick: To prove that I still had it when it came to solving a real mystery.

12.  Introduce us to your main adversary?

Gracie: Myself.

Patrick: Vince Bellazoni, no question about it.

13.  Is there anything you would like to have done but your author stopped you?

Gracie: No. Like I said, we pretty much ran the show.

Patrick: That's right. If we want to do something, we dang well are gonna do it.

14.  Here's your chance to speak your mind.  What do you want to tell everybody?

Gracie: For me, it's that when the chips are down, dig in with both feet and pull yourself up out of the mire. You never know what's on the other side of the mud puddle. And I sure hope people who read about us discover that things like being homeless could happen to anybody, but you can make the best of a bad situation if you set your mind to it.

Patrick: Simple. Just watch for our next book. Janet says the title will be "Ma Fia's Murder Mystery."

15.  Please tell everyone where they can find out more about your story and where they can purchase it.

Patrick: (looking at Grace with pleading eyes) May I, Gracie?

Gracie: Go ahead.

Patrick: We're all over the place. You can find us at almost any online store and in scads of regular bookstores all over the country. If you want to get a taste of what it's all about, come on over for a peek at the first chapter at all three books at http://crumbycapers.tripod.com/ . Or if you want to do it a different way, you can find the same thing at http://janetesmithstarbooks.tripod.com/ or http://www.janetelainesmith.com/. She even gave us our own page on that one. There is a link at all three places that will take you to a spot where you can order the books directly by just clicking on our covers. Ha! We're "undercover senior sleuths!"

Posted by joyceanthony at 2:20 AM EDT

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I am now ready to start a new feature on here--don't worry, this is in addition to the author interviews, blog tours, book reviews, etc.. you have all come to know and love :-) 

Writers all know how much their characters love to talk--so it is time to allow them a voice outside their book covers.  Pick a character from one of your books (okay--no limit to the number of character interviews, but they will be spread out to make it fair!) and have them answer the following questions--then send the completed questions to rainbow@velocity.net with the words Character Interview in the subject space.

Have fun everyone!!!!

1. Can you tell us your name and the title of the book you live in?
2. Describe to our readers what your role in the book is.
3. How did you convince your author to put you in this book?  For example, did you visit a dream or make yourself known some other way?
4. Is your author easy to work with or controlling?
5. Would you tell us about one of your favorite friends from this book?
6. Do you plan on appearing in another book or are you happy to be where you are?
7. What would you like our readers to know about you?
8. Did you learn anything during your adventure in this book?
9. Can you tell us what you think is the most exciting thing that happened to you in your book?
10. Is there anything in your story you wish you had not done? Why?
11. What was your main motivation?
12. Introduce us to your main adversary?
13. Is there anything you would like to have done but your author stopped you?
14. Here's your chance to speak your mind.  What do you want to tell everybody?
15. Please tell everyone where they can find out more about your story and where they can purchase it.

Posted by joyceanthony at 12:17 AM EDT

Updated: Monday, 18 August 2008 12:18 AM EDT

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Lacresha Hayes ( http://learntofeelpretty.blogspot.com ) went and tagged me again!!!  Here is a fun name challenge--I hope everyone leaves me a comment with their "names" :-)

1. Your real name: Joyce

2. Your Gangsta name(first 3 letters of real name plus izzle): Joyizzle

3. Your Detective name:(fave color and fave animal) Yellow Tiger

4. Your Soap Opera name:(your middle name and street you live on) Ann East

5. Your Star Wars name:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name) Antjo

6. Your Superhero name:(your 2ND favorite color, and favorite drink) Black Nofear

7. Your Iraqi name:(2ND letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your middle name, 2ND letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of your dads middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms middle name) Otaursn

8. Your Witness Protection name:(parents middle names) Ann Gerald

9. Your Goth name:(black, and the name of one of your pets) Hmmm...Black Sam/ Black Venus/ Black Spirit...the rest just sound strange :-)

Posted by joyceanthony at 4:22 PM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 17 August 2008 4:26 PM EDT

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In a perfect world, no child should have to suffer the pain of sexual abuse.  Unfortunately, our world is far from perfect; one of every three females and one of every five males has been a victim of childhood sexual abuse.  Often this abuse is at the hands of the very people responsible for a child's safety--parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts. 

Stephanie L. Jones was herself a victim of childhood sexual abuse.  In her book, The Enemy Between My Legs, Ms. Jones relates her story.  She then continues on to share details of what occurs in the aftermath of such abuse.  In a no-nonsense language, Stephanie Jones details the varied reactions of those who were victimized.  She tells readers how they can help keep their own children safe. 

Finally, Ms.  Jones shares with readers how she overcame the pain of her early abuse, and was able to forgive those who violated her.  She shares how her love of God has enabled her to move past the pain and learn to love herself.

What struck me the most about this book is the no-nonsense way in which Stephanie L. Jones reveals some surprising reasons why some children don't tell when they are being abused.  Unlike many books that portray child molestors as the dirty old man down the street, Ms. Jones tells how some molestors are children themselves.  She points out the stark realities without malice or blame. 

When you finish The Enemy Between My Legs you will view those around you with a different outlook.  You will more easily recognize a child who needs help and, for those who have been victimized, you will feel a new hope within that your soul can be healed.  This is a must-read for anyone who has a child in their life.

For more information on The Enemy Between My Legs, or to purchase a copy, visit http://www.amazon.com/Enemy-Between-My-Legs/dp/097945560X

Posted by joyceanthony at 3:03 AM EDT

Updated: Saturday, 16 August 2008 3:07 AM EDT

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