Author Interview with Susan Tarr

Susan Tarr

Tauranga, New Zealand

Hello, Susan.  Welcome to Vision and Verse.  We are glad to have you with us.  What have you written?

MIRANDA BAY and SEACLIFF are both published. Another title is due for release 2014.

What is your favorite genre to write?

Romantic comedy/humour and historical fiction

Favorite food.

Chocolate and cheese. Fondu and kiwifruit.

Where would you like to visit?

Greece. To where The Lotus Eaters was filmed. Been a longing for 30 years. I have traveled most of the globe but planned Greece for a later trip, which never eventuated. Originally I sailed to Kenya by 28ft yacht from New Zealand. Then I settled in Kenya for 10 years and had my darling girls. Back then every place was attainable.

Favorite musical artist.

Currently NZ's own Stan Walker, Pink and Adele 

What makes you laugh?

My daughter. She's often one of the characters I write about. Love her to bits with all her made-up words.

How old were you when you started writing?

Seriously writing? I was 30 years old. Living in Kenya. Writing long letters home to Mum. Reassuring her my kiddies were not growing up wild, were wearing real clothes and were speaking real English among other languages.

Very interesting.  Where do you get your inspiration?

From people. Real people make real characters and those characters sparkle and engage from page one.

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

I generally have 3 books on the go at the same time. When I am stuck in one, I switch to another. Even if it's only editing my work. I keep current with my characters and settings so spend time updating cellphones and fashions.

Who is your favorite author?

Another tricky one. Paulo Coelho, Joseph Heller, Louis de Bernieres

Best book you ever read.

I would love to be cheeky enough to answer SEACLIFF but I have read many great books and would find it difficult to settle on one title. So how about two for starters? 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' & 'God Knows'.

SEACLIFF is on my To Read List.  Who is the one person who has influence your personal life the most and why?

My mum, of course. She grew me and groomed me towards my being the woman I am today. When Mum died my daughter took over. She's more blunt.

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

My Mum and Dad. It's only as I get older and less selfish that I realise all the things I would have loved to have asked them about. We miss those opportunities only once they have gone.

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

Just start writing. I often come up with a really good title. I often come up with a really good ending. It doesn't matter where you start. Just start. The 'book' will soon follow.

Covers?

Thank you, Susan, you are delightful.  Good luck to you.  Come back and talk to us again when your new book comes out next year.
Okay, I will.

Do you any links for us?

Susan Tarr http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-Tarr-Author/536135933104449?ref=hl Susan Tarr - Author

For ebook readers, go here to order:http://www.oceanbooks.co.nz/novels/seacliff-a-regular-boy-within-1.html

GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/SusanTarr 

Wheelers //www.google.co.nz/#bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&fp=b7323987f64c7aa7&q=wheelers+books+new+zealand+miranda+bay+susan+tarr

Wheelers//www.google.co.nz/#bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&fp=b7323987f64c7aa7&q=wheelers+books+new+zealand+seacliff+susan+tarr

Email: susan.m.tarr@gmail.com

(2010) TARR, S. Miranda Bay. (Auckland, Mackay Books)

RRP $29.95. ISBN 978-0-9582914-3-9 

(2013) TARR, S. Seacliff: a Regular Boy Within. (Tauranga, Oceanbooks.)

RRP $29.95. ISBN 978-1-927215-31-9

ePub ISBN 978-1-927215-32-6

Mobi ISBN 978-1-927215-33-3

QUOTE ME ON THIS

"It has been said that art is a tryst, for in the joy of it maker and beholder meet."   --Kojuro Tomita

"Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in." 
--Amy Lowell

"Art is....a question mark  in the minds of those who want to know what's happening."  --Aaron Howard

"The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do."   --Pablo Picasso

"Art is indeed not the bread but the wine of life." 
--Jean Paul Richter

"Colors are the deeds and sufferings of light."
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Art doesn't have to matter to a lot of people to matter a lot."
--Jeb Dickerson

"What garlic is to salad, insanity is to art."  --Augustus St Gaudens

"Art is spirituality in drag."   --Jennifer Yane

"An artists career always begins tomorrow."  --James Whistler

"Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere."
--G K  Chesterton

"A great artist is always before his time or behind it."
--George Moore

"While I recognize the necessity for a basis of observed reality, true art lies in a reality that is felt."
--Odilon Redon

"Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul -- and you answer."  --Terri Guellimets

"Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together."  --John Ruskin


Image above, "WINTER" by Parker Kaufman, 6 x 9 cardstock composition.

Author Interview with Daryl Devore

Daryl Devore 

The Early Years

Ontario, Canada

So, you're a little camera shy, hmm, Daryl?

Yes

Cute picture, though.  Okay.  So what have you written?

I have four published novels and one work in progress.  A Kept Woman, Sexy Red Hood, Black Dorn and Capri's Fate.

What is your favorite genre to write? 

Erotic romance – although at the moment it's not my favourite as I am stuck in my latest book. Erotic romance is not porn. It is romance with detail. It's not publicly for everyone, but with the advent of ereaders you would be amazed at who is reading it.

Yes, I've noticed that.  No one knows what's on your kindle. And it's very unusual to have a shy erotica writer.  What is your favorite food? 

Chocolate. You can ask anyone who even sort-of knows me. CHOCOLATE!

Where would you like to visit? 

Space.

Favorite musical artist.  And do you listen to music when you write?  What?

Tchaikovsky or Beethoven. No, I don't listen to music when I write. My head would go off on other adventures.

What makes you laugh? 

British comedy. Mr. Bean. Top Gear.

How old were you when you started writing? 

Whatever age someone taught me how to put the words in my head on paper.

Where do you get your inspiration? 

Anything and everywhere triggers an idea which blossoms into a book. I once figured out a book based on a line I thought of while sitting in a hot tub.

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

Whine. Moan. Complain. Bang my head on my laptop. Eat chocolate.

Who is your favorite author? 

Agatha Christie.

Best book you ever read. 

Don't know that I have a "best book". I have favourites that I'll read over and over again. I have one that is a coffee table book of palaces and castles. I can really lose myself in those photos.

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

My daughter. My world had such a paradigm shift when she was born and even today – she's 26 – she challenges my views of the world and makes me look at things differently.

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

Queen Elizabeth II. If it was possible to get her to kick off her shoes, take off her crown, put her feet up and just talk – think of the incredible stories she could tell. The people she has met – world and religious leaders. The moments in history she's lived through.

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

Get a critique group. A real one – not family and friends. I belong to one and although several of us have become friends, we can still point out errors and plot line problems. The perspective of a different set of eyes looking at your work and seeing things from a different angle is so helpful. As writers, we get very attached to our work. Almost obsessively. Each word is crucial to the whole story. A cp (critique partner) has the distance to suggest what works and what doesn't, the old adage is true – can't see the forest for the trees.

Great advice!  Great interview, Daryl.  Thanks for coming.

Where can we find you? 

Blog - http://myeroticnotions.blogspot.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/daryl.devore

Facebook Author Page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Daryl-Devore/280168402052520

Twitter - http://twitter.com/daryldevore

Google+ - Daryl Devore

Wattpad - http://www.wattpad.com/user/DarylDevore

GoodReads Author Page - http://www.goodreads.com/DarylDevore

Amazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004TJ1354

Plus – Triberr, LinkedIn, SocialOmph etc.

Cover:

AND THE WINNER IS...

Good morning readers.  We are pleased to announce the winner of our latest give-a-way is POPPY.  So Poppy if you'll email your contact information to us at  artstory2013@att.net, we'll get "Tuxedo Cat" shipped off to you.

Thank you to everyone reading and posting comments.  Your support is greatly appreciated.

Photo "Vancouver Sunset" courtesy of Francois Peladeau.

This Week on Vision and Verse

Week of August 19 through August 24, 2013

Mon.,   Aug. 19   Excerpt from LORD OF BLAKELEY

Tues.,  Aug.  20   Interview with Author N. J. Cole

Wed.,   Aug. 21   Excerpt from BLUE LAKE 

Thurs., Aug. 22   Excerpt from Waiting for Richard

Fri.,      Aug. 23   Excerpt from CHARMING DECEPTION

Sat.,     Aug. 24   Interview with Author Sandra Shrewsbury 

Excerpt from BELTERRA

     A very big man was walked along the shore, like he did every morning, seeing what the tide had brought in.  He found some shells.   A boot.  Some driftwood.  He saw a strange beige lump on the beach ahead.

     “Ah, Sweet Thing, what happened to you?”  He checked for a pulse.  No. None.  What a waste!  She was very beautiful.  Wait.  A pulse.  Yes, but very faint, and erratic.  “Come on, Sweet Thing, let’s see what I can do for you.” 

      He turned her over and patted her back vigorously.  She coughed up some seawater.  He picked up a barely conscious, naked Neeka and carried her to his dwelling.  He had found a pack on the side of the hill with provisions and some women’s clothing earlier.  He would dress her later.  But for now he just covered her with the blanket.  From the looks of it, she had seen some bad days at the hands of the scientists.  A giant scar up the middle of her body, still red.

      “You’re okay, relax, everything is okay.”  He rubbed her back, but softly now.  All of a sudden she moved and groaned.

     “It’s okay, Sweet Thing, you’re safe.”

      She sat up, backed away from him, and clutched the blanket she found covering her.  She looked around.  She was lost and afraid.

     The big man stood up, put his hands up in the air and spoke slowing and softly.  “Relax.  Calm down.  I will not harm you.  You are safe.  Do you understand me?”  She just stared at him.

     “I found you washed up on the shore.  I thought you were dead.  Now who in his right mind would throw YOU away?”  She smiled.  “Ah, so you understand me!”  She nodded.  “My name is Robb.  I live here at the seashore alone.  Can you speak?”  She tried.  She held her throat.  She croaked out some sounds.

     “That’s okay.  Maybe you will regain your voice later.  Are you hungry?”  She shook her head.

     “Thirsty?”  She nodded.     

     “This is my own special blend, coconut milk and pineapple mash.  I like it.  I hope you will, too.”  She took a sip.  Then another.

     “Like it?”  She nodded.

     “Now, Sweet Thing, what am I going to do with you?”

     Braedon and Anton searched the land South and West from Lord Jamit’s domain to Lord Mica’s.  They looked for signs of her.  Nothing.  Braedon tried to think of where she might go.  Nobody had seen her.

     “The ocean!  She would make her way to the ocean, where the sea lavender grows.”  They rode to the southern part of the West, where Neeka had introduced his men to the ocean.  Anton and Braedon walked down the seashore searching for clues.

      Neeka felt his approach.  She ran for Robb.  She had a terrified look on her face. He hugged her.

     “Swee, what is it?  Trouble?” Robb said.  She nodded.  She covered her head with her hands.

     “You need to hide?”  She nodded.

     “Come.”  They ran.  He took her to a cave on the southernmost tip of the shore.  They went in.  He lifted her to a second level shelf in the cave.

     “Lie here and be quiet.  Ha!  That’s funny.  You’re always quiet.  I’ll put branches in front of the entrance.  But even if someone would come in here, they can’t see you up here.  The ledge is higher in the front.  It’ll cover you.  I’ll come back for you.  Don’t worry.  You’re safe here.  This is my special hiding place.  I’ve been safe here since I was a little boy.”

     He kissed her forehead and patted her arm.  On his way out, he put branches and rocks at the entrance and brushed away any tracks.

LAST CHANCE!!!

If you snooze, you're gonna miss out on the V&V latest give-a-way!!  Today is your last opportunity to comment on our posts and put your name in the running for "Tuxedo Cat", the latest work by Parker Kaufman.

Comment with your name and the winner will be announced Monday, August 16th.  Best of luck to all you readers. 

Photo above, Lily the Beagle, owner of Parker Kaufman.

Waiting for Richard

TIME AFTER TIME Series

The series, TIME AFTER TIME, follows a pair of quintessential lovers, Richard and Nicole, through their lives together, in different places, in different times, with different names and faces and sometimes even on other planets.  This follows the alternative theory that the relationships we forge in this lifetime, both the good and the bad, are continued into the future, and are rooted deeply in our past. Whatever we do, whomever we love, and the good and evil deeds we do today follow us into the future. Unsettled issues will present themselves again and again, until they are ultimately resolved. Those people who have had a profound effect on us in this lifetime will find us again in the future.  And although everything changes, love remains.

Books in the TIME AFTER TIME series are: BLUE LAKE, BELTERRA,

The BASLICATO, BENTLEY SQUARE, WAITING FOR RICHARD, and LORD OF BLAKELEY.  They do not need to be read in order.

When pleasant, efficient Skye McKenna retires from her job as insurance company office manager in Ohio, she imagines devoting herself full-time to her career as a children’s author, with calm, sunny, peaceful days planning, researching, and writing about a little elephant named Captain Pachy, the Wacky Pachyderm.  When her friend is seriously injured by a gunshot wound after they go out to dinner, Skye tries to help and becomes caught up in the mystery at home.  At first she resists a book tour to Australia.  But when she finally makes the trip down under, she finds herself involved in madcap adventures to help her friend back home, as well as an unexpected romance with renowned elephant authority, Dr. Derrick Williams, the reclusive elephant-loving veterinarian who has a people-hating reputation and is full of surprises.