VBT Pit Stop & Review - The Bull Years by Phil Stern

What would your 20-year-old self think of the 40-year-old you’ve become?

For Steve, Sophia, Dave, and Brooke, life hasn’t turned out as planned. Rather than easy fame and fortune, these happy-go-lucky teenagers of the 1980's found young adulthood a mystifying series of dead-end jobs, failed relationships, family scandal, and surging frustration. 

Now approaching middle age, all they want is to reverse their gradual alienation from life and one another, reconnecting with their earlier, innocent selves. 

But there’s a catch. Before any of them can move forward, they must collectively confront the outrageous night back in college that first drove them apart, revealing secrets potentially shattering everything they ever were. 

Nothing is out of bounds in this stunning, often hilarious, and ultimately uplifting look within the secret lives of what is surely America’s Most Disillusioned Generation. 

My Thoughts:

The Bull Years by Phil Stern, I have to say was way better than I expected. We are given the point of view of  four characters after Steve Levine has contacted old buddies from his past to participate in the "Life Project". We learn about each of them as we are taken into their pasts and follow them into their now.

So true to life, anyone will be able to relate to this novel. I enjoyed each character and I have to say that it even had me wondering "At What Point Have You Officially Not Made It?"

This story flowed nicely and at a quick pace. I never felt like I was lost even though we see many different point of views. The ending of the book was the best and surprising. I won't spoil it for you but you've got to read it to find out! What are you waiting for? It's $.99 on Amazon right now. Go get it and read, read, read!

His debut novel, The Bull Years, was published in 2011. A hard-hitting commentary on both the frustrations and ultimate validation of modern-day life, The Bull Years follows the lives of four people throughout the late 80′s, 90′s, and into the 21st century, directly addressing the gradual alienation and disconnection often experienced during young adulthood.

“I wanted to write about characters everyone could relate to,” Stern says. “We’ve all had our ups and downs. I think people sometimes feel everyone else has experienced more success than they have, or are more firmly grounded in our world than they could ever be. My hope is that everyone will recognize a little part of themselves in Steve, Sophia, Dave, and Brooke.”

Born in 1970 in Ossining, New York, Stern grew up with a love of all types of science fiction, including the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, John Wyndham, Piers Anthony, and more.

“Speculative fiction is so different today than it was back then,” Stern says. “I wanted to write stuff a bit more recognizable to fans of my generation. Science fiction should be about ideas and alternate worlds, strong characters and good stories.

Going into talk radio after attending SUNY Albany, Stern hosted regular shows in the New York City area, Albany, Utica, NY, and Greenville, NC. He later went into the advertising and sales industries.

Stern now lives in Florida, and is working on his next novel.

http://www.philstern.com/the-bull-years/

Phil is currently on tour with the Virtual Book Tour Cafe' and you can follow his tour HERE to learn more about him and The Bull Years.

Interview with author Scott Nicholson - Speed Dating with the Dead

Author Scott Nicholson has written 12 thrillers, 60 short stories, four comics series, and six screenplays. He's also a freelance editor and journalist. He lives in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, where he tends an organic garden, successfully eludes stalkers, and generally lives the dream. He's online at www.hauntedcomputer.com.




Welcome to Immorality and Beyond Scott. May I offer you a beverage?


SN: A tantalizing tea please.


Coming right up...

Now that we're settled in, let's get started shall we?


BK: What inspired you to pen this novel?
SN: I hosted a paranormal conference at an old Appalachian hotel, and while we didn't stir up demons (that I know of), a lot of strange things happened...I did a couple of hunts there and once had the sensation of being touched by something that I couldn't see. It is the only experience I ever had that I might consider "supernatural."


BK: How did your title come into play?
SN: We had to schedule the group hunts so that everyone could rotate and get a chance at the most popular haunted sites, so I coined the term "speed dating"--50 minutes and then on to the next.


BK: How do you keep your writing different from all others in your genre?
SN: I use real Appalachian settings and experiences and legends, and I also try to explore the mysteries of faith and love in the midst of the unexplainable.


BK: What was the hardest thing about writing this particular novel?
SN: I wanted a subtle, creepy novel but I also didn't want it to move too slowly, so I brought in some demons and played a little on the psychology of ghost hunters. It was a challenge to balance suspense with action, and hopefully it works for the reader.


BK: Where do you get your ideas?
SN: I love to collect mountain legends, and I also worked as a newspaper reporter for years, so I got exposed to a wide segment of society and all the wacky things we humans do.


BK: What is the craziest thing you've ever wanted to write about?
SN: Well, I'd be afraid to write my real autobiography, although I guess I let a little of me out with each tale.


BK: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?
SN: I'm pretty spiritual and simple. I love my organic garden. I have a Post-it on my computer that says "Do good and be kind."


BK: Are you currently working on any projects?

SN: Several. My next is Chronic Fear, a follow-up to the bestseller Liquid Fear, and I will probably do an apocalyptic novel this fall.

BK: Where can readers connect with you?

SN: I'm "hauntedcomputer" on Facebook, Twitter, and blogspot, and my website is http://www.hauntedcomputer.com

BK: What is one piece of advice you can offer to new and aspiring writers?

SN: Keep at it. and don't be afraid to take chances, and don't listen to anyone who tells you to stop.

When Wayne "Digger" Wilson hosts a paranormal conference at the haunted White Horse Inn, he has motives beyond searching for the inn's legendary ghosts.

Years ago, he made a honeymoon promise to his wife Beth that if one of them died, the survivor would return to the White Horse to summon the other's lost spirit. Now she's dead and Digger's back, with the daughter they conceived during that fateful honeymoon sixteen years before. And the ghost hunters are stirring up ancient evils that were better left in peace, because the inn's basement is home to a circle of demons that have been waiting for Wayne to return.

They want his teenage daughter Kendra, and they'll play whatever tricks they need in order to satisfy their dark desires. And at the White Horse Inn, not even angels can be trusted . . .

Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today Scott. It's been a pleasure and I wish you much success in the future.

Want to win a Kindle Fire? Check out this Contest....

To celebrate the holidays and their 2nd anniversary, Nocturne Romance Reads are giving a  Kindle Fire...

Click HERE to enter.

GFP Pit Stop & Giveaway with Kristin Miller - Vamped Up

Kristin Miller has had a passion for language and literature her whole life. Born and raised in Small Town USA, she often made up stories about faraway places and edge-of-your-seat adventures.

After graduating from Humboldt State University with a degree in psychology, Kristin realized there is no scarier place than the warped human psyche. Wanting to combine her love of writing with her desire to paint twisted villains, Kristin wound up in the unlikeliest of places—the classroom. She taught high school and middle school English before giving in to the desire to create her own world, where villains can be sympathetic and heroes can be devilishly good.

Welcome to Immortality and Beyond. May I offer you a beverage?

Ooh, vampires wine sounds great!

Now that we're all settled in my lair, I'm de-bite-fully glad you stopped in.

Thank you so much for having me. I love what you’ve done with the place!

BK: Thank you, I'm glad you like it. Please tell us a little bit about your current release...

Madly possessive Ruan has one thing in mind: keep the dirty fangs of his khissmates off the neck of his one true love—a human with mouth watering blood. The fact that from the moment he invited Eve into his bed, he’s been having eerily real nightmares about violently screwing her, then killing her? Yeah, that part wasn’t fitting too well into his carefully concocted plan to keep her safe. 
Eve has no idea her life is in jeopardy. Ironically, living with the knowledge of paranormal beings and sharing a bed with one of the most cryptic vampires on the planet was not what had her protectively grasping her throat at night. It was the mention of her name in the ancient scrolls; the scrolls written by vampire elders, revealing what’s in store for the end of times…and her spilled blood.
Ruan and Eve set upon a course to stop the future dictated in the scrolls from coming true. It’s not long before Ruan realizes that breaking Eve’s heart and erasing himself from her life might be the only way to save her. If only the pull to her wasn't so strong...

BK: What inspired this particular novel/book?

When Ruan first came on scene in InterVamption as an assistant in ReVamp (Crimson Bay’s rehabilitation center for vampires), I knew he deserved his own happily ever after. He was a bit down, a bit tortured, and couldn’t wait to create a heroine who would rock his world.

BK: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A few years after college, a story idea kerplunked into my head. It was a premise I hadn’t read before. I guess you could say I began writing the stories I wanted to read. It’s been three years since then and I’m seven books deep…

BK: How do you keep your writing different from all the others that write in this particular genre?

Ah, the same but different. It’s a fine line to walk, getting inspiration from others in the genre while making your own work unique and viable. That’s part of the reason I can’t read paranormal romances while I’m writing them. Between books I read as veraciously as I can, gather ideas, tweak them, make them my own, spin a plot around a character who emerges from the mist, and off I go! I don’t know the process of others, but that’s what works for me…

BK: What was the hardest thing about writing this story?

Since Ruan and Eve are already together at the beginning of Vamped Up, it was a challenge to show the depth of their relationship to the reader up front. Paranormal readers tend to want to see the journey of first sight, first touch, first kiss, first lovemaking, and although you get to see some of that in InterVamption, it’s not “on the pages” in Vamped Up. I had to push the boundaries a bit (perhaps walking a little on the urban fantasy side) and show the depth of their love through the conflict they face in the story.

BK: What character was your favorite to write for in this story? Why?

That’s like asking me to pick my favorite child! If I had to pick (lead characters aside), I’d have to say Lilith. She’s a vampire elder—the oldest on record—and she’s not only smart, but devious in the best sense of the word!

BK: Which was your favorite scene to write?

Honestly, I loved writing the sex scenes. (Particularly the first one in chapter 2.) Ruan was so conflicted, wanting to let go and give in to his desire for Eve…but the more he gave in to her, the more he wanted to sink his teeth into her flesh. And once he tasted her, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop. Made for great tension and a scorching hot love scene.

BK: Will this become a series? If so, what inspired it to be a series?

Vamped Up is the second book in the Vampires of Crimson Bay Series. InterVamption was the first. There will be a third—stay tuned…

BK: Now for a little fun, and into your everyday life, What is a day in your life like?

Oh boy, it’s not glamorous at all, let me tell you! I take my kids to school in the morning, come home and write until noon. I pick up my son from preschool, make lunch, do some “motherly” things, then pick up my daughter and do homework, cleaning, cooking, etc. If I’m lucky I’ll get more writing done in the evening, but my inspiration flows better in the A.M, so I try to pump out as many words as I can then.

BK: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I love to read, watch really outrageous action flicks and romantic comedies. I also love to spin and snowboard, but those happen more sporadically than I’d like.

BK: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?

I can write really dark romance novels with twisted villains and bloody scenes that’d make you squirm, no problem…but I’m a scaredy cat. I can’t watch horror movies or shows about anything paranormal. (No Fact or Fiction or Supernatural, etc.) Guess I have an overactive imagination!

BK: What do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I read romantic suspense and paranormal romance for the most part. Dean Koontz, John Saul, Daphne DuMaurier, JR Ward, and Allison Brennan are my go-to faves. Right now, though, I’m loving the Highland Guard novels from Monica McCarty’s new historical series.

BK: Please tell us one piece of advice you were given as an author that you carry with you when you write?

Make sure there’s conflict on every page, either in action, dialogue, thoughts or motivation.

BK: What is one piece of advice you can give to aspiring writers/authors?

Just write. Don’t worry about grammar, editing, finding an agent or getting published. Just write the best book you can and worry about the rest later.

BK: What are you currently working on?

I’m currently editing Claimed by Desire, an erotic paranormal romance for Harlequin. I’m also knee-deep in the second of that series. The third book in the Vampires of Crimson Bay series is about a quarter finished, and should be complete around mid-April.

BK: Where can readers connect with you?

Website: www.kristinmiller.net

Blog: www.pararomance.blogspot.com

Twitter: KM_Miller

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1541294168

Thank you so much for having me today!

Thanks so much for stopping in and chatting. It was a pleasure and I can't wait to read Vamped Up.

““Vampires in Crimson Bay have been saved by the successful duplication of Eve’s pure blood. The threat to her safety is gone, Ruan. You can return to our haven. But if you choose the love of a mundane over the duty to your khiss, you’re on your own.” — Note from the San Francisco Primus

“I said stop, Eve.” A dark musky smell emitted from Ruan’s skin. It was possession. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me.”

Eve had spent an entire month begging Ruan to drink from her. To share one of the most erotic experiences a vampire and mundane could share. Yet he’d denied her. Now, there was no turning back.

“Either drink from me now, proving to yourself that you have the strength to do this, or let me fulfill my personal obligation to your race on my terms.” Stifling a gasp, she punctured her skin with the tip of the blade, then lifted the steel to examine it. Her blood, red and thick, hung on the edge. “That’s only fair, given what we both want, don’t you think?”

With a hollow-sounding groan, Ruan snatched her hand and licked her palm, sending chills exploding through her hand.

Excerpt:

“I said stop, Eve.” A dark musky smell emitted from Ruan’s skin. It was possession. Deep rooted need. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me.”

It was too late. There was no turning back. Eve had spent an entire month begging Ruan to drink from her. To share one of the most erotic experiences a vampire and mundane could share. Yet he’d denied her. Time and time again.

“Either drink from me now, proving to yourself that you have the strength to do this, or let me fulfill my personal obligation to your race on my terms.” Stifling a gasp, she punctured her skin with the tip of the blade, then lifted the steel to examine it. Her blood, red and thick, hung on the edge. “That’s only fair, given what we both want, don’t you think?”

With a hollow-sounding groan, Ruan snatched her hand and licked her palm, sending chills exploding through her hand.

Giveaway: 

HarperCollins and I will be giving away a $25 Amazon giftcard to one randomly drawn commenter on the Vamped Up blog tour via Goddess Fish. Comment here for your chance to win!

GFP Pit Stop & Giveaway with Tom Mach - An Innocent Murdered

Tom Mach wrote two successful historical novels, Sissy! and All Parts Together, both of which have won rave reviews and were listed among the 150 best Kansas books in 2011.Sissy! won the J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award while All Parts Together was a viable entrant for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Award. He also wrote a collection of short stories entitled Stories To Enjoy which received positive reviews. Tom’s other novels include: An Innocent Murdered, Advent, and Homer the Roamer.

His poetry collection, The Uni Verse, won the Nelson Poetry Book Award. In addition to several awards for his poetry, Writer’s Digest awarded him ninth place in a field of 3,000 entrants. His website is: www.TomMach.com He also has a popular blog for writers of both prose and verse at http://tommach.tumblr.com

Welcome to Immortality and Beyond Tom. Please tell us a little about your current release.

An Innocent Murdered is a murder mystery that would be considered a “whodunit” wherein a priest is murdered in the rectory with a suspect named Jacinta. This appears to be an open-and-shut case, a slam dunk, if you will because there is DNA evidence, a tape recording of her intention to murder him, her fingerprints on a cigarette butt left at the scene, her fingerprints on a photo at the scene, and a witness who claims to have seen her entering the rectory at about the time of the murder. But it’s not an open-and-shut case for Detective Matt Gunnison. The real murderer is out there and Matt still has to find him or her.

What inspired this particular novel?

I actually wrote the first draft of this novel back in the 1990s, when the media was filled stories about priests who were accused of committing pedophilia. I didn’t like the fact that all priests seemed to be painted with the same broad stroke since the vast majority were decent God-loving and God-fearing men. I wanted to turn the corner on this by asking what would happen if an innocent priest got murdered. Also, I was fortunate to have advice from a real detective on how such a case might be handled.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’m not sure anyone can really answer this question. I write because I have to, in the same way a person climbs a mountain because he/she has to. I thought about being an English professor when I went to high school because I loved literature and read a lot. But I never thought of myself as having a career in writing.

How do you keep your writing different from all the others who write in this particular genre?

The typical detective story is plot driven and the characters go through their motions to carry off the plot. An Innocent Murdered, on the other hand, is mainly character-driven. Before the priest is even murdered we learn a lot about him so when he is killed the reader cares about his murder. Also, the detective is more than a suit of clothes solving the case--he has faults, concerns, things that make him happy, things that sadden him. The reader ends up understanding this flesh-and-blood human being who happens to be a detective.

What was the hardest thing about writing this story?

It was difficult for me to write about a child molestation case. When I started this novel in the 1990s I struggled with how to do this because I felt I had to describe the molestation. I absolutely didn’t want that, and I left the manuscript alone for a long time. Just two years ago I made a decision to hardly mention the molestation and to give all my attention to the murder of the priest itself. The next hardest thing was for me to make the detective come alive. In the 1990s he was a stick figure, now in 2011 he is a three-dimensional caring human being.

What character was your favorite to write for in this story? Why?

Actually, it’s a tie between Detective Matt Gunnison and his friend Susan Stratford. Matt could not shake off his past when, as a teenager, his African-American girlfriend was murdered by a woman whom he now had to face as a suspect in the priest slaying. He struggles with that. Susan was a former nun who helped Matt solve the case but who had to trust Matt with her curiosity about sex even though she felt ashamed to bring it up to him. For her, sexual intercourse was both a sin and an epiphany.

Which was your favorite scene to write?

That would be the one where Matt and Susan enter the cellar of an abandoned rectory that is haunted by the ghostly sound of a little girl crying.

Will this become a series? If so, what inspired it to be a series?

I’ve thought about writing a series of detective novels that feature Matt Gunnison. I actually wrote a mystery in my short story collection entitled Stories to Enjoy. I’m still pondering whether I want to take the short story and expand it into a novel.

Now for a little fun, and into your everyday life. What is a day in your life like?

…5:00 am. Hey get your butt of bed and write. …8:00 am I really n-e-e-d that cup of coffee. …10:00 am Honey-do-this and Honey-do-that. …12:00 to 2 pm Find ways not to write. …3 pm Do crossword puzzle …5 pm--Write again if you expect to eat dinner.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Anything, as long as it doesn’t involve writing.

What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you.

That I came close to winning a Pulitzer Prize for All Parts Together (a novel about Lincoln), that I had a feature story on writer’s block that made the cover of Writer’s Digest. And that I once interviewed “Roots” author Alex Haley in his hotel room.

What do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

Right now I’m reading James Thurber. I love mysteries by James Patterson. But I also love the classics, especially novels by Dostoevsky.

Please tell us one piece of advice you were given as an author that you carry with you when you write?

One well-published novelist told me to always work on developing your characters because without great characters your novel is dead. I’ve always remembered that and pride myself on good character development.

What is one piece of advice you can give to aspiring writers?

My advice would be to spend 20% reading and 80% writing. I can’t tell you the number of people who’ve approached me when I’m signing books and who say they’ve always wanted to write. Well, don’t talk about it, do it. Put your butt in a chair and write.

What are you currently working on?

Two books--one is a historical novel. The other is a Christian suspense novel.

Where can readers connect with you?

By clicking on my blog site http://tommach.com and then click on the “Contact Me” button on that side.  

http://twitter.com/kansasauthor

http://www.facebook.com/kansasauthor

http://www.amazon.com/An-Innocent-Murdered

http://youtu.be/ndsPTht08EA

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/74459

Father O'Fallon has been murdered, and police officer Jacinta Perez is arrested and charged. Detective Matt Gunnison, however, is not convinced and with the help of Susan, an ex-nun, he discovers a fascinating link between the priest's death and the death of a child 25 years ago. Will Matt be able to solve both murders? 

See video: http://t.co/H1siZOg

Excerpt:

“What’s critically important here,” Matt said, “is the time this event happened. Mr. Zylinski, you said you knew it was about 9:13 pm when this occurred. How would you know that?”

“It’s all in the deposition, sir,” the man replied. “I checked my watch just before I got to my car. I had to be somewhere at ten and didn’t want to be late.”

The attorney leaned forward, a smile on her face. “I am sure you learned by now, Mr. Gunnison, that the bank clock was correct after all. During the day, that clock was not set back an hour for daylight savings time, but it was corrected by the bank manager at 6:00 that evening. So it really was 9:13 after all.”

Matt was a bit miffed at her know-it-all attitude. “Thank you for pointing that out to me, counselor.”

Giveaway Time:

Tom is offering one lucky commenter from his tour that he feels has the most intriguing comment a chance to win $50 Amazon Gift Card. So be sure to leave a comment with your email address for your chance to win.

Thanks so much for taking time to chat Tom, it's been a pleasure!

Review - The Evil Within Anthology

The Evil Within Anthology

The Evil Within, the first Indie Book Collective Anthology, written by Amber Scott, Cristyn West, Kelli McCracken, Matt Posner, Patricia McCallum, and Elena Gray is a fantastic, "fear fest" compilation. I was able to read this quickly and was completely enthralled from beginning to end.

Dirt Nap by Amber Scott: Buried Alive? When Darby wakes to find herself wrapped in plastic surrounded by dirt, she doesn't let panic set in, knowing her oxygen is limited. After breaking free, the confusion sets in and she calls her best friend. As the memories unfold, she learns the truth of what happened, and of Zombies. *grins*

Dark Lullaby by Cristyn West: I just loved this one. When a twelve year old is being stalked by a serial killer, a world reknown profiler steps in to solve the case. Murder hits a little too close to home before the clues are fully clear. Awesome!

Screaming Skin by Matt Posner: One heck of an imagination that left my own skin crawling. Exactly how things can go wrong in the research industry. Brilliant!

The Face of Evil by Kelli McCracken: Sometimes Churches hold the evil within. Leslie knew there was something odd about this church, but when a demon tries to take her soul, she got more than she bargained for just being a cleaning lady. *Demons Beware*

Coffee Shop by Patricia McCallum: This one had me wondering. A beautiful young girl falls for gorgeous guy. They meet everyday in this coffee shop where he walks Rose home. The curiosity begins when this man proposes, but doesn't want her to tell anyone, "yet". Hmmm. Wonder why that is. Then WHAM! Sure enough he comes in with another girl, and completely ignores Rose. She's left with no choice but to infuse her rage into his Latte. Ooops, Rose isn't exactly who she seems to be neither! What a surprising ending, so not what I was expecting.

There Are No Monsters by Rachel Thompson: What can I say? I didn't know Rachel had it in her, but boy she did, and she didn't disappoint me neither. Sasha has just watched her fiance' kill himself in a gruesome way. Sent to a psych ward, she meets Dr. Charlie. Working through the monsters from her past, surprising revelations are made and the truth is found; there are indeed monsters! Phenomenal! Another great twist at the end to have your mind reeling *heehee*.

Highland Chills by Elena Gray: This is one that was so captivating, I actually would love to see this as a full out novel. From falling in love with ghosts to possession, oh yeah! I'm so hungry for more!

Supper by Cristyn West: Holy-Throw-Me-Right-Into-A-Wrong-Turn-Movie! I loved this. My stomach was actually turning as I envisioned this supper, and could so see it playing out in my mind's eye. In my head I was screaming, "Don't eat it! Just Don't!" Awesome ending too. Could so see this one in a movie, for sure!

The overall theme of this book couldn't have been said better than by the title itself. The Evil Within is a brilliant compilation of gory, get your heart pumping stories. I strongly recommend this book! Once you get your hands on it, you will see exactly what I mean.

Hands down 5 Flaming Hearts!

Giveaway & Interview with Spargo Postle - Alone Among Many

Please Welcome Author Spargo Postle!

Welcome to Immortality and Beyond. May I offer you a beverage? (frothy guiness, zesty zombie, tantalizing tea, vampires wine, mystic brew)

Guiness I have tried many times, frothy guiness will be a new experience so I will have one of those please.

Now that we're all settled in my lair, I'm de-bite-fully glad you stopped in.

You are most welcome and I have to say it is a real pleasure to be here.

BK: Please tell us a little bit about your current release...

Alone Among Many is a collection of poetry that has a theme of loneliness throughout… I hope that hasn’t put you off speaking to me, being a poet and talking about people who are alone can be a bit of a conversation stopper…

BK: What inspired this particular book?

The world can be a lonely place, no matter how many we are surrounded by... Even the internet, though it provides us with opportunities like this to reach out to many hundreds at a time, leaves us isolated... Once we press the off button and the hundreds flicker away we are left alone, unable to express to those that surround our real world what our life should have been like... If you do get someone to listen you can see their smiling disdain of your world, just before they turn and forget what you just said...

I'm a poet, so watching people is a voyeuristic compulsion that I have never been able to deny from the beginning of my time... Each poem is a little bit of me and a lot of who I see around me, but all of their worlds and mine get jumbled and messed with so that the world I see is the world I want it to be... So I wrote my thoughts in an attempt to reach out to those who are similar to me...

BK: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

The first time I heard the song Paperback Writer by the Beatles when I was very young… I know it sounds really corny, but I’m afraid it’s true…

BK: How do you keep your writing different from all the others that write in this particular genre?

I don't try to... I read other poets’ work, some is a little like mine some is nothing like mine to the point I don't understand it... I use my own voice, express my own thoughts... After all poetry is nothing more than thoughts that fall out of the mind of an individual... As a contemporary, or modern, poet the rules are available but best viewed as a guide of what some people like and not followed like some mythical tablet handed down since the dawn of yestermorrow...

BK: What was the hardest thing about writing this book?

Dragging up all the feelings you try to ignore is probably the hardest part of the book.

Each poem is in some ways like a chapter of a novel because you are trying to ensure there is form and structure that enables the reader to connect with the work... It has to have a tempo or rhythm that resonates not just with the written words but also how it will 'play' in the head of the reader as they mentally speak to themselves... If at all possible for the reader it should try and cause them to read out loud, without letting them stumble over some bullshit words that nobody ever heard of or don't understand... In my particular case I try to use as few words as I can as they are meant to feel like the reader is simply thinking out loud... And at the end, when the reader has finished, it has to become their poem... It should feel that they now own the meaning of the poem and not me... It has to make sense to them, not just me... (to those that read my work please let me know if I am simply talking bull or I am on the right track)...

BK: What character was your favorite to write for in this book? Why?

The main character in the poem Beauty Became the Beast, I couldn’t possibly give you her name… It is about someone I once saw in a nightclub, during my single years, who also happened to live down the road from me… Married, with young kids, in her late twenties to mid thirties… What fascinated me then and still does now in many respects is the fact that she always appeared to be so together when I saw her during the day but on Friday nights, in the club, she literally became an animal… She would quite literally paw at every man that went near her… Yet by the end of the night she would be sobbing her heart out, distraught…

She was my favourite because of the extreme duality of her life… If you set aside the so-called moral aspects I found her totally fascinating... Why did she sob at the end of a Friday night? How did she get on with her partner? What did her friends think? What….? For a while you could say that she became my Poetic heroin… Sometimes not knowing someone means that you can know so many others…

BK: Which was your favorite scene to write?

In the poem We’re Standing at the Edge of a Precipice I have attempted to paint a picture of how dark change can feel… This is a subject that only the reader can ever understand as change affects our personal emotion differently from person to person… I wrote it sitting in a hotel restaurant in a coastal town near Shanghai, China… Egypt had started its civil unrest and there were reports of other middle-east countries, including Libyia, heading down the same unknown path… Unrest was starting to secretly, quietly, bubble to the surface in China… So I wrote a poem… Depending on what side of the fence you are and if you are Egyptian or Libyian it will have a different meaning and context than if you are Chinese or Syrian…!!! In the same way that any single person who reads will get a totally different emotion from it based on their own experience or feelings about change…

BK: Will this become a series? If so, what inspired it to be a series?

I was just about to say no, I’m a poet… But the truth is that I will continually return to the overall theme of being alone as it is so comfortable to wear… Poetry becomes an addiction once you realise what it can communicate to the reader… That is not say I am any good as a poet, just that I can never imagine a time where I don’t think about turning a thought into a poem…

BK: Now for a little fun, and into your everyday life, What is a day in your life like?

It used to be that I travelled to China a lot as I worked for a very large Chinese vehicle manufacturer… Unfortunately I was made redundant from that job so now I spend my days researching… Don’t feel too sad for me because I have now realised who I really am…

BK: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I love music and music videos, but I can’t play a note and am virtually tone deaf to my own poor voice… I try to draw but have the hands of a builder and the eyesight of a middle aged man… My garden is my guilty pleasure… And I watch people so much I’m surprised I haven’t been arrested or beaten to a pulp…

BK: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?

I believe that sometimes I feel the earth wobble, just a little... Then there tends to be an earthquake somewhere in the world within the following week... But please don't tell too many people they will think I'm mentally unstable...!!!

BK: What do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I love to read anything that lets me think, it doesn’t matter if it’s a novel, non-fiction, biography or poetry… My current favourite author is T.S. Eliot, he was an American poet who spent most of his adult life in England…

BK: Please tell us one piece of advice you were given as an author that you carry with you when you write?

“Don’t ever give up and have more confidence in your own inner voice, you can only be you.”

BK: What is one piece of advice you can give to aspiring writers/authors?

Sorry but it will have to be ‘one piece of advice’ twice…

1 - Learn all the rules you want but remember every writer of note tended to break the rules they had learnt... Rules usually provide the writer with a plan for how to be mediocre... The rules however are important because they usually provide you with advice on what readers like at the moment... So break the rules slowly, evenly, in service of the reader... You can be as smart-arse about your writing as you like but if a reader doesn't like your work they will not care about your sticking to the rules, or the perfect grammar, or the never used but ever-so-clever words that require a dictionary to understand...

2 - Once you have written your work and pass it to the reader it is no longer yours... So trust yourself to give the reader what you know they will want to enjoy...

BK: What are you currently working on?

I have started on a collection of poems with a mythical gods/entities/otherworld/guardians/ feel to them... Imagine if we did not have the bible or quran stories, or greek mythology, or egyption mythology, what would we have...

Now that I have told you there will probably be a dozen poets, novelists and short-story tellers who get their work out before me... Should have said nothing...!!!

BK: Where can readers connect with you?

They can simply email me at spargo.postle@btinternet.com... and yes I will get back to you, unless you want to discuss some sexual perversion, and then I will politely tell you to get lost...

The print book can be found at https://www.createspace.com/3685601 (I earn more money if you buy it from there)

The eBook, just google Spargo Postle and there are a number of sites you can download from.

BIO:

Who am I…??? I am a 48 year old man who lives in Birmingham, England. I have three of my own children and a step-child with my new partner… I have one grandson and another due around Christmas… Having had a somewhat difficult upbringing, becoming a writer never presented itself as a viable opportunity... I never actually felt that life was difficult at any point during my life, but it was, funny that I only know that now I look back…

Synopsis:

Alone Among Many by Spargo Postle - Paperback & eBook - A collection of contemporary, modern poetry that tend to have a lonely, isolated, sometimes haunted slant to them. This book tries to articulate to a reader who is in some way lonely that there are others out there and that it is ok to be who we are. In some areas the poems can be deep but the language used is as simple and pragmatic as is possible because the poems are simply thoughts (of mine) that yearn to connect with others. We can be lonely in the most crowded of places and among the most loving of families...

Excerpt:

We are lonely… (Copyright Spargo Postle)

We are the ones that shy away,
set ourselves adrift,
nearly apart from others,
the solitary many.

You may think,
you may wonder,
you may say,
we are one of you.

But we are not!

We stand at the edge of your life,
neither in nor out.
Rarely speaking,
just seeing and hearing.

Don’t say you are sad,
we know you don’t care.
Just remember that we,

we many,
we are lonely...

Giveaway Time:

Spargo is kind enough to offer 5 of our readers who leave a comment a chance to win a copy of Alone Among Many! Simply leave a comment with your email address to enter and I will announce the winners  December 9th.

Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today Spargo. It's been such a pleasure and I wish you much success in the future.