Alison McBain's The New Empire!!

 

Today, we have an opportunity to talk to Alison McBain.  Alison McBain has written the book, 

The New Empire. 

 

First, let me thank you for joining me.  I appreciate you giving me your links and I want to share those with our readers.

 

The New Empire

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/New-Empire-Alison-McBain/dp/1954907427/

Author: https://www.alisonmcbain.com/

Editor: https://www.fairfieldscribes.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlisonMcBain

“Write towards the fear.” 

That is great.  Can you tell us a little about yourself and what led you to start writing?

 

Thanks, Jerry! I appreciate chatting with you today. I don’t even remember when I wasn’t putting pen to paper. I started my writing career at age four with a "self-published" horror story about the monster in the closet. 

That's awesome! Bet the family served as your critics and fans?

The story was highly lauded by my closest family members. Since then, I've received a number of writing awards and accolades from people not even vaguely related to me, but I still have a soft spot for that first short story. I started my career with shorts, and while I’m now getting full-length novels published, I still like to sit down every now and then and dash off a story. They’re addictively fun to write since you can finish them in one sitting and don’t have the same slog as writing a book over the course of months, if not years.

 

Where do you get your inspiration, information, and ideas for books?

 

For me, inspiration is everywhere. I know writers will hate me for saying this, but I don’t know how NOT to be inspired by the world around me – there are always too many stories to write and not enough time. 

"This is a business you have to love with your whole heart and soul before it loves you back. It will always be a slog from start to finish. Keep writing no matter what."

I agree. I have a whole journal filled with ideas I want to get to.

Research, however – that’s another matter. My latest book is an alternate history, so I had wade through stacks of books taller than I am in order to get everything as factually accurate as possible. (And I’m sure I still made a few mistakes.)

 

Book ideas are a bit more complicated. I’m a very straightforward type of person. I envy the writer who overwrites and has to cut back. I’m the opposite – I know where my story is going and head straight to the end without any twists or turns. THEN I have to go back and add all the extras that make a story fun and interesting. I don’t think my writing style would work well in the mystery genre – my book would simply have a Perry Mason ending, ha ha.

 

What are your hobbies and do they ever play into your writing?

 

I have a ton of hobbies, and while I put a bit of myself into every character, I’m not sure how many of my hobbies make it into my books. For example, I’ve never written about a character who can fold origami (learned from my Great Aunt Masako when I was six) or a protagonist who can play pool in a smoke-filled bar and knock down four balls in a row to win the game. Honestly, my hobbies are fun to do, but I make up more interesting people in my books because I find myself to be quite boring.

 

What advice would you give someone who wants to be a writer?

 

Write. Write! WRITE!!!

(laughs) True. True! TRUE!

 If you want to do this as a full-time gig (or even a part-time gig), you have to actually do it. Don’t talk about writing, don’t just outline a story, but get your butt in that chair as many days as you can and fill up that blank page with words. They don’t have to be great words – they don’t even have to be good to start with – but if you write down enough stories, you’ll get there eventually. Be persistent and don’t give up, no matter how much rejection you face. This is a business you have to love with your whole heart and soul before it loves you back. It will always be a slog from start to finish. Keep writing no matter what.

 

Apart from "write, write, write!" what is the best advice you have ever been given as a writer?

 

More than a few years ago, I attended a one-day writer’s conference at Southern Connecticut State University. It was a free event put on by the college and had a variety of professors and graduating MFAs who were talking about their publishing experiences. While there was a fair amount of writing advice that was practical for newer writers, most were things that I already knew, having been in the business for a while.

 

Until one of the organizing professors took the stage. I wish I could remember who it was, but he said something that stuck with me, advice handed down from his own professor when he was in college. And it was this: “Write towards the fear.”

 

That struck me then as significant, and it still sticks with me today. It was a revelation about why some of my writing was much weaker than other pieces. To me, it means don’t shy away from what you’re afraid of. Don’t hesitate to write what you believe, what you feel, what you’ve experienced because it’s taboo or strange or you think no one can relate to it. Look fear in the face and put it down on the page. THAT’S where you will find your true voice, and that’s where you will find that what shocks and appalls you can be great literature.

 

Do you write full-time or around another job? How do you schedule your time to write?

I feel incredibly lucky that all of my work is writing-related. My day job is as a freelance editor and writing coach. I do get paid to write articles, and I have several books published and more on the way, but I’d say writing is about a quarter or less of what I consider as my “real” job that pays the bills.

A good editor is hard to find! How many hours a day do you write your own material?

I don’t believe in the advice “write every day.” That’s a great way to burn out the muse. However, it’s also a business, so if I have a deadline, you better believe I’m writing every day. Depending on what project I’m currently engaged with, if I’m on a book deadline that’s not too pressing, I’ll write about 3-10 hours a day. However, I might not write for weeks at a time when I’m in between projects, so it really depends on what deadlines I currently have.

 

Please tell us about your current release.

 

In The New Empire, the world undergoes a drastic change in the fourteenth century when Chinese ships land in what is currently known as the Bay Area of California. Fast forward four hundred years to a much different America than we know, a land dominated by a tribal confederacy grown out of a strong alliance with Beijing. Told from the main perspective of Jiangxi, a Chinese slave, it’s an epic story that highlights the experiences of characters often overlooked in the history books. In doing so, it tells a unique—but still emotionally relevant—tale of American slavery and freedom that will resonate with readers in today’s conflicted world.

 

And you have won a few awards?

I was thrilled when my book won the Gold Award at the When Words Count Pitch Week contest and was offered publication by Woodhall Press. I’m hoping that this book has enough dedicated readers that I can justify writing the sequel.

 

Can you read / provide us with a small exert? 

 

In this excerpt, Jiangxi’s master Onas has just told a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) tale about a girl who doesn’t listen to her family but is saved from her foolishness by a god.

 

The fire popped as Onas subsided and the spell of the story that held his visitors captive was released. Jiangxi re-gathered the bowls from supper as the men sat thinking. He turned and walked away.

 

As he cleaned the bowls, he thought about the kuksui’s story. And it was then that he had a plan on how to carry out his revenge. The girl in the story was spoiled, and he felt no sympathy with how she made her own unpleasant fate. In fact, he had wanted her harmed for her willfulness, for having the best of everything and being contented with none. It reminded him of the slaveholders, overflowing with abundance and giving the slaves nothing in return.

 

Jiangxi’s plan was simple. He would be the beautiful serpent in their midst. He would smile and nod and be agreeable, and he would lull them into following him into the dark.

 

He would find a way to free the slaves. All of them, not just himself. He would find a way, some way—any way he could—to lead his people to freedom.

 

What exciting story are you working on next?

 

My next book is being published chapter by chapter right now on Pocket FM, a free app for eBooks and audiobooks – the story is a contemporary romance about a woman who inherits a house with a zillion problems that she wants to turn into a B&B. She has two great guys who want to help her out – and ask her out too.

 Link: https://www.pocketnovel.com/novel/1eb53a161008183cfb437891676c0d8c649633ef

 

Who are your favorite authors?

 

There are so many great writers out there that this question is almost as hard to answer as, “What are your favorite words?” Well, depends on the circumstance. But some good ones: Octavia Butler, Ray Bradbury, Langston Hughes, Elizabeth Moon, Kristan Higgins, Guy Gavriel Kay, Amy Tan, Tanya Huff, Tanith Lee, China Mieville… and about a million more. So many talented writers out there.

 

Yes there are!! I know I often struggle under their standard to do my own writing. What is your writer’s kryptonite?

 

Procrastination. I usually have about 100 things to do and can never get to everything at once. And I tend to prioritize the very LEAST important thing on my list – I don’t know why. I love to write and love the work that I do, but sometimes it’s a real struggle to just sit down and do it.

 

Are you involved in any writer groups?

 

I don’t think my work would exist without the many fabulous writers’ groups I belong to. First and foremost, those I consider family: the Fairfield Scribes. We write, we publish, we run a magazine together, and we’re the closest of friends. If you don’t have a group like that, try and find one – or even start one yourself. You’ll be thankful you did.

 

That is so key! I have the same sine quo non with my two groups:

Crazy Buffet

Corner Scriblers

Also, a shoutout to Shut Up & Write, a great organization that helps writers do just that – they provide a space either online or in person to get your butt in the chair and write. They have free events all day, every day, and you can find them through the website Meetup or their own website: https://shutupwrite.com/.

 

That is great. I will have to check them out. One more time, how do we buy your work?

The New Empire

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/New-Empire-Alison-McBain/dp/1954907427/

Author: https://www.alisonmcbain.com/

Editor: https://www.fairfieldscribes.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlisonMcBain

MY REVIEW:

I appreciated the point of view shift as we watch a Chineese boy travel to America. However, the America is very different. It reminded me a lot of the world building in The Man in the High Castle. The America presented saw the Ming Dynasty arrive first. Europeans are on the horizon on the east coast, but they are not the first to settle and interact with Native Americans.

The story centers around Jiangxi who, though born of noble birth, finds himself sold into slavery. He finds nobility, I think , even in his low station as shown by the end of the novel. Without offering any spoilers, the ending is as real and raw as the world the story is set in. Overall, I would highly recommend this book for those who like alternate histories. The author seems to have done the research necessary to honor the past as well as draw new creativity from it to form a new vision.

MAZ, Origin

Maz, Origin

by T.L. Ford

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GENRE: Sci-fi/Science Fiction

 

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Entering the witness relocation program after lawfully escaping a massive walled-in prison, teenage Merrill tries to fit into our society. Her background and decisions may not let her.

 

Maz, Origin is a story of growth and love, guilt and innocence, and changing goals. What is morally right and what is legally right? What's legal for humans may not be for aliens...

 

 

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Excerpt:

 

I heard shots being fired from below.  They were aiming at the helicopter or the guy that landed on the scaffolding above me.  The sign offered some level of protection, but they'd move into position directly below shortly.  "It's ok, miss, we'll have you out of here in a jiff.  Are you hurt?"  The man began to wiggle through the bars, which was no small feat because he was wearing some sort of heavy armor.

 

He reached down toward me, and I hesitated, terrified of grabbing that hand and leaving my life behind.  He clenched his teeth in frustration and urged me, "Come on, miss!  Just take my hand."

 

Gunfire from below decided for me.  I lifted my good arm, and he latched onto me.  As he jerked me upwards, pain shot through my shoulder and abdomen.  I gave up life and slipped into darkness.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

T. L. Ford is a programmer, writer, and artist. She spent most of her professional career supporting the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in southern Maryland.  Her science fiction novels imagine possibilities while focusing on society and personal relationships and decisions.  Her fantasy novels are heavily influenced by Dungeons & Dragons and are light "weekend reads".  She's also created two art books, a thriller novella, and an interactive math iBook.  She enjoys sailing, hiking, and spending time with her family.

 

 

https://cattail.nu/books/maz_origin/

https://www.Cattail.Nu

https://www.facebook.com/theresa.ford.52

https://www.instagram.com/theresa.ford/

https://www.amazon.com/T.-L.-Ford/e/B0034Q6Q2S

 

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Maz-Origin-T-L-Ford-ebook/dp/B0BBBXXC2J/ref=sr_1_1c

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

___________________

THANK YOU FOR READING 

Thank you for reading Jerry's Circumlocution where I promote independent authors, toss out a few reviews, wax eloquent occasionally on writing, or shamelessly self promote. 

Speaking of which, if you haven't picked up one of our featured author's works please do so. If so, and looking for more to read, please consider one of mine! And on behalf of all Indie authors including the one highlighted here, we live off of good reviews. Please consider dropping one to help them (and me) out! 

Freckles: The Dark Wizard  Middle Grade Fantasy

Simon is bullied. He also just discovered he is the only kid in school who can conjure a dragon.

InPassage

 Dystopian Western

Pitch knows three things. This is not his America, someone is trying to hunt him, and he is very good with a gun.

Or keep an eye out for these other titles!

A book is like a child. The author gives it birth. Then it is raised by the author and a team of teachers, coaches, and family (we call these people editors, beta readers, and publishers). all of this is to prepare the book for its journey into the world where it hopefully will meet you, the reader. I have the privilege of being my books' parent, but you are whom it is truly meant. Thank you.

Guest Author Post: Zanne Raby

 Today we have a guest author. I have asked him to speak with us about a topic dear to my heart: Your Writing Tribe

Thank you Jerry for inviting me to be a guest author and thanks to all the readers who’ve taken the time to have a little virtual chat with me today. Today I’m going to talk about the importance of the writer’s tribe. I want to say up front that I’d very grateful to my tribe for their supportive role in the three novels of my series “The Chronicles of Deneb”.

We all know how it feels to be alone. It’s so much more difficult trying to make sense of things when there is no one to bounce ideas off and discuss solutions. Writing a novel is a solitary activity. It begins when an idea forms in the writer’s mind and that idea swirls about in the author’s brain, picking up characters, taking plot detours and adding little stops along the way, until a story is ready be born. Somewhere, by herself or himself, using hours stolen from days that are never long enough, the author transforms the clouds of thoughts into black and white marks, be they on paper or on the computer screen. Writing a novel is a process akin to building a castle, the author builds a foundation before adding the curtain walls and towers and the keep. But everyone else has been kept out – the drawbridge has not yet been lowered. The writer is still sitting within their castle, adding bits and pieces until lush tapestries decorate the walls and there’s a roaring fire in the great hall.

The public still is not invited inside, for the novel is not yet ready. Crafted by one, reviewed with the same eyes now too tired to see the little inconsistencies – for the written word can play tricks on the author, like naughty sprites – the manuscript, like a newborn baby, is passed into loving hands. Instead of counting fingers and toes, the writer’s tribe is supportive of the long hours devoted by the author into bringing their creation to life.

Every author needs a team behind him or her. People who will spur the writer along when inertia kicks in. Those who can be counted upon to provide constructive criticism to encourage the author grow, to help make the characters come to life, and to point out those tiny things that take a story from good to awesome. I belong to a writers’ group that meets a few times a month and the pointers I get have opened my eyes to new avenues and ideas. I work with beta readers who are honest in their feedback and bring fresh perspectives to the motivation and behaviour of the characters in my novels. There are editors and proofreaders that polish the manuscript. And of course, the team behind the author also includes the important aspect of formatting the text and an illustrator to design an eye-catching cover.

I bet you’ve heard of the quote “It takes a village to raise a child”. Well, in my opinion, it takes a writer’s tribe to create an awesome novel. 

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The Chronicles of Deneb Series

by Zanne Raby

 

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GENRE: Science Fiction/Space Opera

 

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BLURB:

 

The Chronicles of Deneb is a science-fiction/ space opera series set in the near future. The year is 2080 CE. The world is dying. Get ready to travel into the future to a time when nothing is certain.   Where the science behind climate change was ignored, leading to drought and famine plaguing an already overpopulated globe. Massive waves of refugees stream across the planet, seeking sanctuary. Where terrorist groups have joined forces with biohackers to develop a deadly bio-engineered disease that marches across the continents like a conquering army, leaving millions dead in its murderous swathe.

 

Meanwhile, some of the best and brightest minds on the planet are feverishly at work - constructing gigantic Space Arks to shuttle hundreds of thousands of people to a colony on Mars.  And it seems like there’s more good news: world leaders announce that a vaccine is ready. It’s all good; it’s all returning to normal.

 

But the truth is very different. In THE FLIGHT OF THE MAYFLOWER, the first novel in The Chronicles of Deneb, Dr. Daniel Radu – project manager for NASA’s Space Ark Mayflower – uncovers a global conspiracy of immense proportions. But Daniel cooks up a scheme of  his own.  Joined by a team of global experts, he and his colleagues brace themselves for a journey of a lifetime as they trek across the galaxy in a quest for survival.

 

Mayhem follows the Mayflower in the second book of The Chronicles of Deneb series, DESCENT INTO DARKNESS. Journey along with the crew of the Space Ark Mayflower as they adapt to their new home on the planet Deneb. But along with their struggle to integrate into an alien culture, a new battle sweeps across the planet with the arrival of the human-transmitted Chimera bactovirus, bringing war and fanning the flames of racial intolerance. With a bloody conflict now raging across the planet, the crew of the Mayflower is split between the two factions and embroiled in the chaos and destruction.

 

FIRES OF FURY is the third installment in The Chronicles of Deneb. Will the survivors of the Space Ark Mayflower find their way when cultures clash and the fires of fury threaten to consume their lives? Now masquerading as citizens of the Collective, the Mayflower crew has a new reason to fear. With the end of the Second Denebian War, Wesselan’s General Pallav Kóbor and his astrophysicist wife, Dr. Tara Kóbor, have high hopes that life will return to normal on Deneb7. Yet nothing can be further from the truth.In a diabolical plot to erase the scars left by the Second Denebian War, warlord turned Wessel Head of State Gomalan unleashes a fiendish scheme to heal his nation’s wounds, while his top soldier, General Ravenna, falls under the spell of a seductive Fyjer agent intent on crushing their ambitions. Dragged into a brutal reality of terror and intrigue, can the Kóbors and warbird ace Fynn Vogel remain unscathed, or will the flames consume them and all that is evil on Deneb-7?

 

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An Exert:

 

A willowy brunette with shining brown eyes burst from the shadows, almost scaring Daniel out of his skin. “Tara,” he gasped, trying to quiet his heart. “What the hell? The president’s due here any second.” Dr. Tara Kóbor, the Nobel-prize winning astrophysicist who had discovered the find of the century – an Earth-like planet cuddled up in the Goldilocks zone of its star – was wearing a grin as wide as the Grand Canyon.

 

“You heard the news, right? I mean, the broadcasts are on fire. They’ve developed a vaccine! And whoever’s on the first shuttle flight is top priority. That means…”

 

He could hear heavy footsteps pounding on the hangar floor: time to play show and tell. Taking her by the shoulder, Daniel shepherded his friend to the bulkhead door. “It means you gotta get outta here. We’ll celebrate later,” he promised.

 

Just then, a bevy of bodyguards swooped in, all earpieces and dark glasses, and Daniel stood back as they robotically carried out their duties. No need really, NASA’s Chief of Security had seen to that. Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel spotted Tara’s husband, Lt-Col Pallav Kóbor, dwarfing the president’s team as he walked them through the hangar. He could hear the click click click of the cameras as the president approached with his staff trailing behind like good little shadows.

 

Show time, he mumbled to himself, wiping the sweat from his palms on his cobalt-blue NASA tunic.

 

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

Zanne Raby will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

RAFFLECOPTER: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4445

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Since the days of the Napoleonic War, there has always been a member of Zanne’s family in uniform.  Choosing to follow in the footsteps of her ancestors, Zanne joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1980, and was selected to attend the Royal Military College of Canada – the first year that women were accepted into that prestigious academy of learning.  After graduation, she studied to become a Transportation and Movements Officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

 

During a career spanning 38 years, some of the most memorable experiences involved command of 8 Mission Support Squadron as part of Joint Task Force Afghanistan, leading a study on support to the Canadian Arctic involving several trips to Northern Canada, including Canadian Forces Station Alert (the most northern settlement in the world), a three-year tour with NATO at Joint Force Command Brunssum, a deployment as the NATO Liaison Officer to United States Central Command, and finally a nomination as the Deputy Commander for the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group.

 

After hanging up the uniform and putting away the combat boots, Zanne bought a small acreage in Central Ontario and designed her own house.  With a cozy office overlooking the shores of Georgian Bay, she decided to pursue her life-long ambition:  to become an author.  Enough of the reports and returns that littered her desk over her career, now she could turn her attention to unleashing the creativity that had taken a back seat.  The time had come to shake the dust off begin a new career.  The winds of change had called.

 

Zanne is currently crafting The Chronicles of Deneb, a sci-fi space opera series that will take the reader from a dystopian earth on a voyage across the universe in search of a safe haven.  But trouble is in store for them when the planet they land on is anything but the sanctuary they sought.

 

When not behind the keyboard, Zanne enjoys travel, photography, hiking, and gardening.  And always, a good story to pass the time.

LINKS

PRESSKIT: https://bit.ly/3U4OenB

WEBSITE:  https://www.zanneraby.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/zanne.raby

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zanne-raby-2b4a9b1bb/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/zanne_raby/

PURCHASE VIA: https://ridgecrestbooks.com/ AND https://amzn.to/3fiZy0m

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

Zanne Raby will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

RAFFLECOPTER: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4445

___________________

THANK YOU 

Thank you for reading Jerry's Circumlocution where I promote independent authors, toss out a few reviews, wax eloquent occasionally on writing, or shamelessly self promote. 

Speaking of which, if you haven't picked up one of our featured author's works please do so. If so, and looking for more to read, please consider one of mine! And on behalf of all Indie authors including the one highlighted here, we live off of good reviews. Please consider dropping one to help them (and me) out! 

Freckles: The Dark Wizard  Middle Grade Fantasy

Simon is bullied. He also just discovered he is the only kid in school who can conjure a dragon.

InPassage

 Dystopian Western

Pitch knows three things. This is not his America, someone is trying to hunt him, and he is very good with a gun.

Or keep an eye out for these other titles!

A book is like a child. The author gives it birth. Then it is raised by the author and a team of teachers, coaches, and family (we call these people editors, beta readers, and publishers). all of this is to prepare the book for its journey into the world where it hopefully will meet you, the reader. I have the privilege of being my books' parent, but you are whom it is truly meant. Thank you.

The Adventures of a Southern (Baptist) Buddhist

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Pamela McConnell will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

This true story is about a girl who is born up north; into a conservative, fundamentalist/evangelical family—but then becomes a Liberal Buddhist.

Her family moves back to their roots in the Appalachian south, where Pam is molested by her grandfather. She later owns her sexuality by becoming promiscuous; beginning a pattern of serial dating, marrying, and divorcing.

She is first married at 18 to another 18-year-old, who gives her a beautiful son—but he is a redneck and they have nothing else in common. Her second husband is a talented musician but turns out to like sex with men. Her third husband speaks five languages and is a Pakistani, but he beats her up. Her fourth husband is a chef who makes delicious meals but turns out to be a felon and a crackhead. Finally, the love of her life neglects to tell Pam for seven years that he is married.

In the meantime, Pam completes two degrees and works as a counselor, and then 20 years as a hospice social worker. She begins her hospice career in Southern California, where she has moved to get away from the DEEP South. That is where she converts to Buddhism. From that point, she begins to look inward for the answers to her questions about life’s meaning.

Pam leaves the country after two failed relationships, some years apart. She spends a year teaching English in South Korea and goes from there to Pakistan with her third husband. In between, her dad dies and Pam reconnects and bonds with her mom, backpacking on the Appalachian Trail. When she leaves the love of her life, she goes on Pilgrimage to India and Nepal. The meaning of her life is coming into focus.

At the end of the book, Pam goes on a trek in the Himalayas, on the Annapurna Circuit. Just over the three-mile high pass is a magical Pure Land in Muktinath, with a Buddhist temple that is dedicated to the female Buddha Vajrayogini. With a new perspective, Pam has the realization that her Enlightenment is ensured; she WILL become a Buddha someday.

Read an Excerpt

I was born on a Sunday and attended my first (of many) church services that Wednesday. My first memory was gazing up at a bright globe of light, mesmerized. It was a church light and I was a babe in mom’s arms.

At the end of many sermons, our beloved pastor would give an altar call. Many would go down to the altar (a bench that one knelt before and prayed). I remember it sounded like a loud beehive: the sounds of many praying out loud; crying, shouting and whispering all over the church.

I would look around, noting the distress and fervor on the parishioner’s faces. At that point, no one was paying any attention to us kids. It seemed endless. Toward the end, someone might ‘feel the spirit’ and start jumping around or even running up and down the aisles, shouting joyfully:

“Hallelujah!”

“Thank you, Jesus!”

After that, folks would be called to stand up and testify about what God had done for them. The standard testimony for us kids was:

“I love Jesus with all my heart and I want to go all the way with him.”

We were ‘saved’ after confessing our sins and letting Jesus into our hearts as our Savior.

There was another, higher level, called being ‘sanctified.’ That was when the Holy Spirit entered you. I was saved at about five years old; sanctified at about nine. I felt full of the love of Jesus and began reading The Bible and praying.

About the Author:

Pamela McConnell, MSW, LCSW was raised in a fundamentalist/ evangelical Christian church and family. At age 34 she converted formally to Buddhism. She has recently completed a Pilgrimage in India and Nepal. Earlier, she spent two years in Asia: a year teaching English in S. Korea and a year in Pakistan with her 3rd husband. She worked as a counselor after earning a B.S. in Psychology. She worked as a hospice social worker for the last 20 years of her career after earning an MSW degree and becoming licensed as an LCSW. She is an avid backpacker and trekker, having done 500 miles on the Appalachian Trail and more than half of the Annapurna Circuit in the Himalayas.

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ENTER a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

___________________

THANK YOU 

Thank you for reading Jerry's Circumlocution where I promote independent authors, toss out a few reviews, wax eloquent occasionally on writing, or shamelessly self promote. 

Speaking of which, if you haven't picked up one of our featured author's works please do so. If so, and looking for more to read, please consider one of mine! And on behalf of all Indie authors including the one highlighted here, we live off of good reviews. Please consider dropping one to help them (and me) out! 

Freckles: The Dark Wizard  Middle Grade Fantasy

Simon is bullied. He also just discovered he is the only kid in school who can conjure a dragon.

InPassage

 Dystopian Western

Pitch knows three things. This is not his America, someone is trying to hunt him, and he is very good with a gun.

Or keep an eye out for these other titles!

A book is like a child. The author gives it birth. Then it is raised by the author and a team of teachers, coaches, and family (we call these people editors, beta readers, and publishers). all of this is to prepare the book for its journey into the world where it hopefully will meet you, the reader. I have the privilege of being my books' parent, but you are whom it is truly meant. Thank you.

Interview with John Matthew FOx

BUY The Linchpin Writer HERE 

Today, we have an opportunity to talk to John Matthew Fox. John Matthew Fox has written the book, “The Linchpin Writer: Crafting Your Novel’s Key Moments.”

 

First, let me thank you for joining me.  I appreciate you giving me your links and I want to share those with our readers.

Thejohnfox.com

https://www.instagram.com/bookfox_writer/

https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmatthewfox

The Linchpin Writer

 

That is great. Can you tell us a little about yourself and what led you to start writing?

 

I’m John Matthew Fox, and I help authors write better novels, mostly through editing and courses at Bookfox.

 I taught writing at the university level for a decade before moving to Bookfox full time, and I have an MFA from USC and an MA from New York University. Currently, I live in Southern California, in Orange County.

 I started writing because I thought people should listen to what I had to say. Ha! Yes, a bit egotistical, but I was young. Now I’m all about community building and helping writers achieve their dreams of publication.

 

What are your hobbies and do they ever play into your writing?

 

I played a lot of chess when I was young, and so naturally I tried to write a chess novel. I wasn’t quite good enough to make it sexy enough, and then Queen’s Gambit happened and I realized he had written a much better book forty years prior.

 I’m a big board game guy so I also find that I’ve used provocative board games as central ideas for my stories.

 "It’s not about talent. It’s about the number of hours you sit in the chair."

 

What advice would you give someone who wants to be a writer?

 

Well, read my articles on Bookfox, for starters. Or take a course with me, or follow me on Tiktok or Instagram or Youtube. Seriously – I’m giving away a wealth of information.

But I’d also add that you need to find a good community of fellow writers to share your work with.

 

What is the best advice you have ever been given as a writer?

 

It’s not about talent. It’s about the number of hours you sit in the chair.

 I could beat anyone in the Tour de France if you just gave me quadruple the time they had. And any writer who writes four times as long as you do will probably be much more successful than you.

 

Do you write full-time or around another job? How do you schedule your time to write?

I wake up before the family and go out to my shed which doubles as an office, and write there. The most important thing is that I have a program called Freedom that turns off my internet between 5:00 and 7:30. That way I can’t do anything but write.

What is your favorite part about writing?

Probably the imagination. I like to write books that no one else could write. I feel like most books published each year are interchangeable – there are hundreds of thousands of other people who could have written the exact same book.

I’m trying to publish a book that has so much of my imaginative DNA in it that it couldn’t have been replicated by anyone else on earth.

What does literary success look like to you?

Literary success looks like getting a single email from someone who loved my book, and for them to say: this is one of my all-time favorite books.

It doesn’t matter how much money I make or how many glowing reviews I get or how many people read my book.

 Success happens in the tiny human interactions. I’d rather a single person say, “This is one of my top-10 books,” than a thousand people read my book and forget it the next week.

 

Please tell us about your current release.

 “The Linchpin Writer: Crafting Your Novel’s Key Moments” helps writer level up their craft. Wherever you are as a writer, whether you’re just starting off or you have a few books under your belt, I’ll help you improve.

 The book focuses on key moments inside your novel, the make-it-or-break-it moments (death scene, first character interaction, end of your chapters) and gives practical advice on how to write them better (with plenty of examples!).

 

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m working on a novel set entirely upon a cruise ship.

 

Who are your favorite authors?

 I really enjoy Elena Ferrante, Haruki Murakami, Cormac McCarthy, Marilynne Robinson, Michel Houellebecq, and Ann Patchett.

 

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

The Dwarf by Pär Lagerkvist. Nobody has ever heard of it, and it’s quite a dark little book, but I’m fascinated by it.

 

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

To go to conferences. You meet people and you get jolts of inspiration and insight and connections.

 

What is your writer’s kryptonite?

 The internet. I wish I didn’t have internet at my house.

 

What part of writing and publishing was most difficult for you?

 The publishing side of things. I’ve gotten a lot of rejections over the years. Also, the discipline side of things – it’s a struggle to sit in the chair and pump out words.

 

Are you involved in any writer groups?

Not currently. I was involved in two and I miss them dearly. I’m trying to start up another in North Orange County, CA, so feel free to reach out if locals want to get together!

 

BUY The Linchpin Writer HERE 

THANK YOU 

Thank you for reading Jerry's Circumlocution where I promote independent authors, toss out a few reviews, wax eloquent occasionally on writing, or shamelessly self promote. 

Speaking of which, if you haven't picked up one of our featured author's works please do so. If so, and looking for more to read, please consider one of mine! And on behalf of all Indie authors including the one highlighted here, we live off of good reviews. Please consider dropping one to help them (and me) out! 

Freckles: The Dark Wizard  Middle Grade Fantasy

Simon is bullied. He also just discovered he is the only kid in school who can conjure a dragon.

InPassage

 Dystopian Western

Pitch knows three things. This is not his America, someone is trying to hunt him, and he is very good with a gun.

Or keep an eye out for these other titles!

A book is like a child. The author gives it birth. Then it is raised by the author and a team of teachers, coaches, and family (we call these people editors, beta readers, and publishers). all of this is to prepare the book for its journey into the world where it hopefully will meet you, the reader. I have the privilege of being my books' parent, but you are whom it is truly meant. Thank you.