What or whom inspired you to become a writer? 

I think writers are born, not made. My theory is that, if you watch closely, people will usually tell you who they are supposed to be by age eight or so. At that point I was penning Bobbsey Twins stories that would be called fanfiction today.

What types of books do you read?

I stay up on PNR. I need to know what other people are doing so that I can avoid that. My interest runs in phases. I spent a decade on the classics, another decade on Anne Rice, Stephen King and other paranomal authors. I spent a long time on nonfiction: religious studies, mythology, Viking sagas, early Germanic poetry, etc.

What well-known authors do you admire most? 

Stephen King, Isaac Asimov, Shakespeare, Gloria Steinem

What were your writing habits while writing A Summoner‘s Tale? 

Since I run and contribute to a couple of businesses, manage a band, and play Classic Rock sometimes, I write when there's time.

How did you come up with the plot? 

This book is the third installment in a serial saga. It was the natural progression of events and life patterns established in the first two books. I can't address your question properly without major spoilers.

What is your favorite part in A Summoner‘s Tale? 

The conversation between Istvan Baka and Elora Laiken near the end of the book.

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

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If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

Time to take a seat on the director's chair! If you could turn one of your favorite books into a film, who would you cast?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).

3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

The Iron Duke 
By. L. Ron Hubbard 
Director: Jim Meskimen
Starring: Michael Yurchak, R.F. Daley, Lori Jablons, Jim Meskimen, Richard Ricco
Studio: Galaxy Press
Pub. Date: January 19, 2009
ISBN: 978-1592121731
Approx. 2 hours

Review:

I know that audiobooks have been around practically my entire life in some form or another, but I have never listened to one until last year when I reviewed several titles from Stories from the Golden Age, which are all by the late L. Ron Hubbard. The majority of the short stories were written during the 1930s and 1940s where there was a boom of magazines on the newsstands. Many of them were cheap looking, made from pulp paper and featured countless adventure tales from well-known writers. Galaxy Press was generous enough to send me a box of audiobooks last month in exchange for my honest review on each one.

My latest audiobook that I listened to this week is titled The Iron Duke (winner of the Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine) and it originally appeared in the July 1940 issue of Five-Novels Monthly. The plot centers on a weapon smuggler Blacky Lee, who isn't liked by the Nazis and most of Europe due to him selling malfunction weapons. He doesn't have very many friends, beside from his loyal companion Stub Doyle.

I don’t do silence. I can’t. I grew up surrounded by chaos instrumented by three demons by the names of Ryan, Liam, and Trevor, my three younger brothers. These were not, and still aren’t, studious, well behaved darlings who liked nothing better than to sit down with a good book or play with her dolls like their angel big sister. No, these boys had enough energy and testosterone to supply an entire Starbucks and bodybuilding gym with some still left over to attempt to “kill” or “wrestle” their sister and each other. Screams, whining, and loud bangs on the television and walls were staples of my youth. So when I moved out on my own, I soon discovered I needed the noise. There is always a television or radio on, even as I fall asleep. This is true when I’m writing as well. I can write pretty much anywhere (if you have a strong desire to stalk me, see the acknowledgments page of my books to see where I write), but the one thing that helps get my creative juices flowing the most is music. The right song can make or break my scene, even inspiring me on some occasions.

As I’m writing, I find that certain songs really helped pump up the visuals and mood. They helped me get to a place where I needed to get inside my head to convey what was going on in my imagination and translate that to the page. Music just adds so much more to the experience. So I started compiling playlists for the books. Like the book, the soundtrack has a narrative flow in line with the book. You don’t have to like all the songs, I have eclectic taste, but at the very least if you sample them, you’ll get a feel for the book. Since this one, What’s A Witch To Do? is set in the South, and I am a closet country music fan, these selections are some of the best Nashville has to offer. Even if you don’t think you enjoy country music, just try one or two. We may make a country fan of you yet. So here it is:

Isosceles begins with nineteen-year-old Sean McIntyre finding his longtime best friend Trey Goodsby dead in the bathroom either intentionally or accidentally by his own hand. On the back of the toilet, a cell phone display reads, Missed Call From Madeline Edwards. Before determining the immediate circumstances that would bring the three of them to this scene, the pertinent question became where did they meet? I floated a few ideas around, but none of them seemed natural. One concrete thing was it needed to be a place where on the outset they could be equals. Ironically, the answer came to me as the first day of school. When many of us think of our school days, we think of struggling to fit in, to climb our way up the social ladder. Then I posited, that whatever lasting impressions these three had on each other should be seeded in this environment.

On a sunny autumn day, Sean walks into the classroom with a sea of children before him as an ironic homage to a scene in one of my favorite films, “Goodfellas”. There’s a famous tracking shot where the camera follows Ray Liotta’s character Henry Hill taking his girlfriend Karen played by Lorraine Bracco to the Copacabana through the back entrance. You see all the various people doing their thing, and Hill walks through like he belongs, almost like he’s royalty. However though Hill felt all that confidence, I wanted Sean to feel small and insignificant.

After that moment, I knew the next place to go was to introduce Madeline into his world in a surreal way. It had to contrast with the faces of his classmates whom he cannot put a name to, yet I knew it had to keep with the notion of his insecurity. When he sees Madeline in the sunlight and is completely transfixed, it was important to state she has an ethereal glow. This served a dual purpose, not just his attraction, but to establish her as someone whom Sean sees as above him.

Swept Away
By Mary Connealy
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764209147
ASIN: B00AHY0T0A
Pages: 320
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/iwbMo
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/mconnealy

Review:

After enjoying the Kincaid Brides, I eagerly signed up to review Mary Connealy's first book in the Trouble in Texas series from Litfuse Publicity Group and Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Luke Stone fought during the Civil War and now four years later he is returning to claim his family's ranch, S Bar S, but there is a slight problem ahead of him as his father had sold the ranch years ago to Flint Greer, or so he claims to. Greer's story has many holes in it as Luke has the deed to the ranch. He starts to wonder if Greer had anything to do with his father's death.

Ruthy MacNeil is traveling with her family to California by wagon and she isn't looking forward to it as she is informed that she'll be forced to marry her step-brother, Vernon. The family is already working her to death and being married to Vernon will probably kill her, so the only out is for her to leave. While she tries to make her escape, she is swept away at a river crossing, but out of nowhere, Luke rescues her.

Skipping the morning meal may give you extra time to get to class on time or beat traffic while heading to work, but you may be skipping out on some important vitamins and nutrients too. Fortunately, most of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that you need can be found in supplements; some of which need to be taken with some type of food or beverage, but a bagel or a glass of orange juice can take care of that without seriously slowing your schedule down.

Hazards of Skipping Breakfast

Skipping breakfast itself isn't bad, as long as you don't skip out on essential nutrients too. Having supplements instead of meal can have a significant impact on your overall productivity during the day. If you skip breakfast and do nothing to supplement the nutrients you are losing, you are more likely to make unhealthy eating choices during the rest of your day, according to research cited by the Society for Neuroscience. Other potential issues associated with skipping breakfast include:

• Raised cardiometabolic risk factors
• Elevated cholesterol levels
• Decreased energy levels 
• Reduced productivity

 
Choosing the Right Supplements 

Now that you know that you need supplements to get the nutrients you need for the day, the next step is choosing the right supplements. Everybody needs certain vitamins and nutrients to sustain energy levels throughout the day. Most of the vitamins you need to start your day can either be taken with breakfast or found in a supplement, which may include a protein shake, protein bar or a multivitamin. The basic vitamins and supplements that most people need on a daily basis include: