This week of Vision and Verse

September 16     C.A. Szarek's  Author Interview 
Mon.                   and "Collision Force," a romantic
                            suspense thriller

September 17     Excerpt from "Lord of Blakeley,"
Tues.                   a sci-fi adventure by Carol Ann Kauffman

September 18     C.A. Szarek's  "Sword's Call,"
Wed.                   Book One in the King's Riders series 

September 19     Ella Jade  Author Interview and
Thurs.                 Cover Reveal for
                           "Weekend Proposition"

September 20     Interview with Scottish Author
Fri.                      Lacey Dearie, who's written "The Tangled Web" 
                                          and the "Leger, the Cat" series

Interview with Young Author Eric Smith

Eric Smith

Montana

Good morning, Eric Smith!  It's a pleasure to have you with us here this morning.  We're already heard quite a bit about you from your twin brother yesterday.  Welcome.  What have you written?

I’ve written three books with my brother Andrew.

1.    How to Tekkit for Beginners

2.    How to Play Minecraft for Beginners

3.    How to Start a Business for Kids

What is your favorite genre to write?

How-To Books

Favorite food.

Sushi

Where would you like to visit?

Russia

Favorite musical artist.

2 Steps from Hell (it's instrumental and they wrote some of the music for the Harry Potter movies, Doctor Who, my favorite show, and Lord of the Rings).

How old were you when you started writing?

We were eight years old when we wrote our first book.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Our first book we told kids about how we started our first business which was our plant business.  We grew organic/heirloom plants and sold them.  The next books were about a game that we play.  It was kind of homeschool work, but the first one was much easier to write.  A lot of work, but easier than the second one.


What do you do when you get a writer's block?

I like to listen to music and relax a little.

Who is your favorite author?

J.R.R. Tolkien and Douglas Adams

Best book you ever read.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?

My mom and dad.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?

I guess I’d like to talk to Tesla, too, like my brother, just to see how his mind works.

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

My advice would be never give up no matter how hard it is.

And what do you like to do when you aren’t writing?  

Right now, I like boating, I swim on the KATS swim team, play violin and piano, learn Mandarin, have our 26 chickens and our egg business.  I like to play computer games especially with my cousin Nicholas.  I'm really interested in 3d printers and would like to get one.  I also like Make Magazine.  There's tons of things to make and build.  It's great.

Thank you for stopping by this morning.  The Smith Brothers are two interesting young men.  Best of luck to the both of you in the future!

Interview with Young Author Andrew Smith

Andrew Smith

Montana

Welcome to Vision and Verse, Andrew.  It's a pleasure to have you with us today.  What have you written?

    I’ve written three books with my brother Eric.

1.    How to Tekkit for Beginners

2.    How to Play Minecraft for Beginners

3.    How to Start a Business for Kids

And you are still in your early teens?  The world better watch out for you two!  And, Andrew, your How to Start a Business for Kids book is still #27 in the Kindle Top 100 eBooks for Starting Businesses for Teens Books.  That makes the Smith Brothers bestselling authors!   What is your favorite genre to write?

    Science Fiction and Dystopic Fiction

Favorite food?

    Mexican Food and Sushi

Where would you like to visit?

    Japan

What makes you laugh?

    My brother

How old were you when you started writing?

    My brother and I were eight years old when we wrote “How to Start a Business for Kids.”

If I remember correctly, you two had quite a thriving vegetable plant business going on at the time.  Where do you get your inspiration?

    We just wanted to teach other kids how to start a business for themselves.

What do you do when you get a writer's block?

    Take a break, get something to drink, have a snack, and just generally relax.

Who is your favorite author?

    Douglas Adams and I really like Arthur C. Clark.

Best book you ever read.

    The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?

    My mother, for having me do everything that was unbeknown to me; it was the best thing I could have ever done.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?

    I would love to sit down and have a conversation with Nicholas Tesla, in my opinion the most interesting guy that was ever on Earth.

And what advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?

    Don’t give up because its going to be a long painful journey before you finally finish the book of your dreams, and your going to have to go through quite a few obstacles.

Thank you, Andrew, you are an amazing young man and pretty interesting yourself!  Do you have any links to share with us?

 Amazon.com/HowtoTekkitforBeginning/The Smith Brothers

 Amazon.com/HowtoPlayMinecraftforBeginning/The SmithBrothers

 Amazon.com/HowtoStartaBusinessforKids/TheSmithBrothers  

Author Interview with Tasha Gwartney

 Tasha Renee’ Gwartney

 Fort Polk, Louisiana

Welcome to Vision and Verse, Tasha.  You have a reputation for helping new authors and being extremely supportive in the writing community.  It is truly a pleasure to have you here with us this morning.  We need more people like you.  Now, what have you written?  

I have been published various amounts of Poetry. Most of the Poetry that I write is of the dark variety. I have won numerous awards for my Poetry both here in the states and in Germany.  I have in the last year branched out into writing novels. My first novel, Fated Truth (Volume One of The True Witch Saga) is being published by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterflies. The publication date is September 10, 2013 via Amazon.com.

What is your favorite genre to write? 

My favorite genre to write is Erotic Paranormal Romance.  I am branching out and just finished my first ‘New Adult’ novel. It will be the first of a series.

Favorite food? 

My favorite food is anything Italian. Lots of carbs, I know. But it just so darn good! ;)

Oh, you need to check out my "Echo of Heartbreak, A Recipe for Life."  It's my family's Italian recipes.  If you like it, I'll send you a copy.  Back to work here.  Where would you like to visit? 

I lived in Germany for eight years with my husband and gorgeous little boy. I have traveled all over Europe. But the one place that I would love to visit is Greece. It’s on my to-do list.

Favorite musical artist? 

I love all genres of music. I wouldn’t be able to pick just one. The only thing that I can’t force myself to listen to is hardcore Rap music.

What makes you laugh? 

My son is a riot. He cracks me up every single day. He is truly my Blessing.

How old were you when you started writing? 

I was 10 when wrote my first short story.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Everywhere. Just life in general. My imagination is always turned on. I wouldn’t know what to do if it ever quit on me.

What do you do when you get a writer's block?

 I paint. I love painting landscapes and abstract art. It calms me and gets the creative juices flowing again.

Who is your favorite author? 

As of right now. That would be Dannika Dark. I love her Mageri Series.

Best book you ever read?  

I can’t answer this question. I have over 2000+ books in my Kindle Archive alone. I am an avid reader of every genre. There is always more than one favorite and those shift constantly.

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why? 

My son of course. God blessed me with a beautiful gift. One that I never take for granted and treasure daily.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? 

I would want to talk to my grams. She raised me and she died when I was still young. She was such an exquisite spirit. I would ask her for advice about daily things, life, or anything that I could think of. She was wise. I hope that I can be as she was when I grow in years.

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

Build a fan base before you even think about putting any of your work out there for publication. Utilize social media. Be there and interact with the people that take the time and interest in you. Push your book even after it has been published. This is a business and should be treated as such. 

Cover?

Links?

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7075526.Tasha_Gwartney

FB Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTashaGwartney

Twitter Link and Tag: https://twitter.com/Tattered_Me   @Tattered_me

Blog: http://authortashagwartney.blogspot.com/