Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Pure Blog Tour


Sixteen-year-old Katie Wickliff lives quietly in the small town of Elspeth's Grove, unaware of the troubled past that forced her grandmother to flee Russia with her when Katie was only a child.  When people in the town begin to disappear, and Katie's own home is attacked by a terrifying creature, Katie and her grandmother return to Russia to find answers.
Pursuing them is the handsome William – who just might be a vampire.  Katie discovers that William is indeed partially a vampire, but he is also one of the Sidh, an ancient clan whose members are gifted with great power – a clan to which Katie's deceased mother also belonged.
Soon, Katie discovers that her mother's seemingly natural death was actually murder, and she is forced to confront the question she wants to face the least:  Is William her otherworldly protector, or is he the dark creature who killed her mother eleven years ago?



 Author Bio
Catherine Mesick is the author of the three books in the Pure series, and she is currently at work on the fourth. She enjoys ice skating, reading Agatha Christie novels, and spending time with her family. Catherine lives in Silver Spring, MD.





Links

Interview
1) What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?
The hardest thing was just having the discipline to stick to deadlines and meet my writing goals each day. There's always something you could do around the house, or an errand you need to run. You have to tell yourself that you aren't going anywhere or doing anything until you get your writing done. I've heard you can tell much a writer is procrastinating by how clean his/her house is.

2) If you could meet any one of your characters who would it be and why?
I would definitely like to meet Simon. He reminds me a little bit of one of my friends, and I would like to tell him in a very nice way that he's a little too stuck in the past. It's wonderful to have cherished memories from childhood, but there are also good things ahead for him in the future. I'd like to tell him that he'll miss out if he's always looking backward.

3) How did you come up with the idea for this book series?
I was inspired by two things—Russian folklore and FabergĂ© eggs. I remember looking at a picture of a red-and-gold FabergĂ© egg and thinking that it looked like it was actually magic. And that became the basis for the 'clear fire' that appears in the books. And I'd always loved Russian folktales—they feature a lot of strong, beautiful heroines who go on dangerous quests. I wanted to bring that same sense of magic and adventure to the Pure series.

4) What's your next writing project?
I'm actually working on two things at the moment. I'm working on the next book in the Pure series, which is titled Ghost Girl, and I'm also working on a series of four supernatural short stories based on the seasons. Once the short stories are done, I'm going to post them for free on my website, http://catherinemesick.blogspot.com/.

5) What is the best way for readers to talk to you and stuff?
The best way to contact me is through Twitter (@CatherineMesick), or through my website, http://catherinemesick.blogspot.com/. I'm on both of those every day, and I love to meet new people .

Guest Post

Katie's Russian Tea Cakes
I've never been much of a baker, but my protagonist, Katie Wickliff, is actually a very good one—when she gets the opportunity. Her grandmother largely disapproves of sweets . But when Katie's hanging out with her friend Charisse, they often end up baking a few sweet treats. This recipe for Russian Tea Cakes is one of Katie's favorites.
Katie's Russian Tea Cakes
1 cup butter, softened (not melted)
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
¼ teaspoon salt
Additional powdered sugar for rolling
1) Preheat oven to 350  F.
2) In a large bowl, cream butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add the flour, pecans, and salt, and stir until just blended.
3) Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
4) Bake 10-12 minutes (don't allow cookies to get brown). Remove cookies from sheet and allow them to cool. Then roll cookies in powdered sugar. Once all cookies are coated, roll in sugar a second time.

Giveaway







Saturday, January 9, 2016

Blog Tour Fragments


Blurb:
LIFE; FEEL IT,
SEE IT, TASTE IT AND KNOW IT
LET THE MUSIC OF POETRY BEGIN
AND WALK WITH ME THROUGH THE PAGES OF FRAGMENTS

FRAGMENTS SPEAKS LIFE, THE SWEETER SOFTER, PEACEFUL SIDE THAT HAS SO MUCH PASSION AND LOVE FOR LIFE.

AND

FRAGMENTS SPEAKS OF THE ANGER, HATRED, JUDGEMENT, LACK OF LOVE, AND COMPASSION SEEKING LIFE WITHIN SOCIETY….

THIS IS THE PIECES OF FRAGMENTS OF SOCIAL ATTITUDE AT ITS BEST AND WORST




Excerpt 1:
 I choose America,
to live in this land
That was built on personal choice,
to live under a Constitution,
Of Liberty & Justice & Freedom
for ALL…

I have witness society corrupt…
Liberty & Justice & Freedom
Respect MY privacy,
as I choose not to walk
With what some call
SOCIETY!!

Some say that mine’s all wrong,
That I must live by their rules,
And not my own…
Liberty & Justice & Freedom

Social Graces,
is the simple fact,
That society can kiss my ass!!



Excerpt 2:
Shaking the feeling of the day’s end, only to find a weary line of poetry. Lines break off and trails end no-where to be found. Only me and the screen with no words to play, just struggle to express one’s words of thought. Jumping up, running from the screen, too scared to write what it all means. Lines break off and trails end no-where to be found. Writer’s block is the enemy when one wants to express, between hand and screen nothing more exists. The world continues to spin, my hands continue to type senseless words, that no-one will read. The weary line of poetry is my only friend, I can speak of secrets and taunting games of words, but the screen protects. While the line breaks off and the trails end no-where to be found….
only one, the screen




Bio:
Jeniann Bowers was born in Whitefish, Montana in 1972. She was raised in Eureka, Montana most of her younger years. She was the youngest of four children and is the only surviving girl. Jeniann attended Rexford Elementary School her kindergarten year and the following year she transferred to Eureka Elementary School where she graduated from the eighth grade in 1987. She attended Lincoln County High School until her junior year when she moved from Eureka to Medford, Oregon with her mother and stepfather. Her mother passed away in January 1991, and Jeniann soon got married and started a family. She was married for 21 years and had five children. She lost a daughter to SIDS in March 1994. Jeniann has recently become divorced and is raising her two boys with her daughter's help. Jeniann's youngest son suffers from Autism. J. also suffers from her own disabilities of Fibromyalgia, physical chronic pain, neuropathy, chronic depression and anxiety.
Jeniann attended college at Capella University throughout most of her writing career. She made both the President's and Dean's list for outstanding academic achievements.
Jeniann is published poetess. Her books have been in the top ten bestselling list on Amazon in the past and her current ratings stand at 4.5. She has published the following books: Expressions on Life Book One, Expressions and Letters, Phraseology and Letters, Collection of 25 Days of Christmas Poetry, Poems, Dreams & More, Poetry Is...???, Poetry: The Lighter Side of Silliness, The Sound of Nature: Collected Poems & Other Writings and soon to be released Fragments, and the re-release of Expressions, and Phraseology of Love, 25 Days of Christmas Poetry.
Jeniann is the owner of Poetry is...which is a blogging business of her own personal poetry, teachings of poetry, journals and other writings. Jeniann is a firm advocate for poetry publishing and writing poetry.




Author Interview: Fragments

What inspires you to write poetry?
Several things inspire me to write poetry. Nature plays a large role in most of my poetry. I was raised in the mountains in Montana and nature was all around me. Different poets inspire me as well, especially Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson’s poetry. Music inspires me when I am really sincerely in touch with my emotions. To me, inspiration is all around me, I just stay in tuned with my surroundings and how it makes me feel.

What is a measure of success as a poet?
The measure of success as a poet is just writing the poem. I don’t measure my success by my readers or by how many books I sell. I measure my success on each poem I write, how I put the poem together and how the poem makes me feel as a poet.

Who are some of your favorite poets?
Robert Frost is my all-time favorite, with poems such as, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” “Birches,” “Mending Wall,” “Fire and Ice,” Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Robert’s word play is what inspires me the most and his thought process of his poetry is unbelievably amazing.

Emily Dickinson is my hero, she just wrote poetry and never worried about society likes or dislikes of her work. Her poems depict this in each one, she wrote from the heart and soul of her emotions.

Maya Angelou, I look at her as a teacher in the modern world of poetry. I study her poetry a lot and learn a lot from her poems and how she displays her emotions through her poetry.  

What advice do you have for aspiring poets?
My advice to anyone who writes or wants to write is keep practicing. The more you write the better you will become and easier the writing process and word play becomes.  

Do the Internet and social media contribute to the well-being of poetry?
I have mixed feelings about social media and poetry. Yes, the Internet and social media opens up the door and has helped bring poetry to new audiences, however, I am choosy about what platforms I use to promote my own poetry.

What do most well-written poems have in common?
The specialty and structure.

What book are you reading right now? I am always reading more than just one book, there can never be just one. The Poet’s Corner by John Lithgow and Ponderings by Michele Ward




What does “being creative” mean to you?
Being creative to me means that I can express myself in a new way in which I have never done before. Being creative means to create a formation of words into a written piece of work that sheds the specialty of the written word.  

What kind of creative patterns, routines or rituals do you have?
I use many different creative patterns. In my Top Ten, I speak about word play and what I call the “Word Theater;” which is my writer’s notebook that I keep my creative patterns such as word banks of words that go together or rhyme together.

As for routines, I have to take a few moments and meditate, go for a walk or journal to get into the motion of creativity.

My biggest ritual of writing is having my time and my coffee to write.

Which creative medium would you love to pursue but haven’t yet?
I would love to learn more about songwriting. I have always had a love and interest for lyrics and for music.

What's the biggest mistake you've made as a writer?
Trust! When I first started out I trusted everyone! I was wrong there, I found myself swallowed up by a group of writers that only cared about themselves and their work   I thought if I helped them promote their work, they in return would help me. I have learned more about why I call myself a poet and why I write from this experience. I recluse myself more and only depend on a small handful of friends for support.

If you had to convince a friend or colleague to read this book, what might you tell them?
First, I would tell them that poetry can save your life and then I would ask them their thoughts about life. After the answer I would tell them exactly what the beginning of my book says “LIFE; FEEL IT, SEE IT, TASTE IT AND KNOW IT~ LET THE MUSIC OF POETRY BEGIN AND WALK WITH ME THROUGH THE PAGES OF FRAGMENTS.”

Where does this book fit into your career as a writer?
This book is far from being a milestone in my career as a poet. This book stands out from my usual routine of writing about broken hearts, love and grief. I am very excited and happy with this book.

What influenced this book?
Life influenced this book. Being in touch with my surroundings.


Tell me about your book.
Fragments has three sections to it, Fragments of Peace, Fragments of Social Attitude, and Fragments of Love. Fragments of Peace speaks the softer sweeter side, peaceful side of life and my social attitude towards it. Fragments of Social Attitude speaks of anger, hatred, judgment, lack of love and the compassion seeking life within society. Fragments of Love speaks about the truth I see in love and my feelings about love at this moment in my life as a whole.