Katie, can you tell us a little about your book?

Behold the Dawn  is a medieval “blood and thunder” tale—with a love story at its core. It’s about rogue knight Marcus Annan, who has spent the last sixteen years fighting in the tourneys—the huge mock battles condemned by the church—trying to forget the great sin of his past. When confronted by a mysterious monk who played his own ill-fated role in Annan’s yesteryears, Annan is compelled to travel to the Third Crusade in the Holy Land, in an effort to save the life of a friend. When he arrives too late, he becomes responsible for delivering the man’s widow to safety in France. But when they are pursued by both his own enemies and those of the lady, Annan is forced to realize that if he ever hopes to be free of his past, he must face it once for all.

“Blood and Thunder”. . . how cool is that? Can you tell us a little about your writing journey?

Stories have been running amuck in my brain for as long as I can remember. I started writing them down when I was eleven or twelve. Throughout high school, I wrote, edited, and produced a newsletter called Horse Tails, before moving onto bigger game. My first novel,  A Man Called Outlaw, about the land wars in 19^th-century Wyoming, was published in 2006.

I think I’m seeing a theme here– strong, heroic protagonists. Maybe it wasn’t just your hair that got my attention.

So, how do you deal with rejection? Liquor? Gambling? Confession is good for the soul.

This video  pretty much sums it up!

Actually, dealing with any kind of criticism is just a matter of absorbing, gleaning the good, accepting it, and moving on. I give myself a day or so to stiffen my upper lip, then get cracking again.

As a writer, who’s encouraged you the most?

I’m blessed to have a ton of very encouraging people around me. My family, friends, and writing buddies are all supremely supportive of my writing. I don’t know that I could single out just one person, since so many have contributed in some fashion or another. But my sister Amy, my dad, and my crit partners Linda Yezak and Adrie Ashford are definitely at the top of the pile.

Explain your creative process (Do you wear fuzzy dragon slippers for inspiration? Drink your morning coffee from a chalice?)

Actually, I do wear fuzzy slippers on a regular basis! My writin’ shoes, I call them.

 I’m not one of those people who just sit down of a morning and let fly. I like schedules, I like being organized. I write for two hours, five days a week—and I stick to that time religiously. Tragedy or plague has to be in the wind to prevent me from sitting down at my desk at four in the afternoon. I usually spend thirty minutes warming up, divorcing my brain from the helter-skelter of the day and priming it for creativity. I jot ideas and plan my day’s work in my writing journal, proofread what I wrote the day before, and select a soundtrack to listen to while I work. Then I dive in! I don’t concentrate on word or page count. That’s an unnecessary pressure, I think. I like that first draft to come as organically as possible. Sometimes that means I’ll write five pages a day; sometimes it means I’ll only write a paragraph.

In a perfect world full of magical editor fairies granting your every publishing wish, what would you write next if it couldn’t possibly tank?

Oh, anything that would sell a million copies and let me retire a wealthy woman! No, seriously, I’m blessed to be writing pretty much exactly what I want to be writing. My next project is one that I’d tentatively say I’m even more excited about than I was Behold—and that’s saying something! It’s a historical piece about the passion, betrayal, and vengeance that dog two men and the woman they both love through the trenches of World War I, corruption in colonial Kenya, and the criminal underbelly of London. I also have a completed fantasy (about a man who discovers his dreams are really memories of another world) waiting for some serious edits.

Love it!

Thanks for stopping by. Best wishes on your writing adventure~

Behold the Dawn

Marcus Annan, a tourneyer famed for his prowess on the battlefield, thought he could keep the secrets of his past buried forever. But when a mysterious crippled monk demands Annan help him find justice for the transgressions of sixteen years ago, Annan is forced to leave the tourneys and join the Third Crusade.

Wounded in battle and hunted by enemies on every side, he rescues an English noblewoman from an infidel prison camp and flees to Constantinople. But, try as he might, he cannot elude the past. Amidst the pain and grief of a war he doesn’t even believe in, he is forced at last to face long-hidden secrets and sins and to bare his soul to the mercy of a God he thought he had abandoned years ago.

The sins of a bishop.

The vengeance of a monk.

The secrets of a knight.

About the Author: K.M. Weiland  writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in the sandhills of western Nebraska. She is the author of A Man Called Outlaw  and the recently released Behold the Dawn . She blogs at Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors  and AuthorCulture.

 Here’s a page I found in my empty apartment after I came home the other night – my girlfriend was gone, but the cat came back a few days later… we seem to be getting along just fine.
 
you really are clueless, aren’t you – sorry for the lack of some of the punctuation, but I can’t support myself, press shift and the question mark at the same time now, can I.  Luckily this program capitalizes certain words for me automatically.  Yes, this is the cat and yes, I do have the intelligence to do or to say anything you do – I just choose not to.  I couldn’t stand it any longer – all your talk about humanity and cruelty to animals and how you are going vegan to save the animals and yet you still eat a half-gallon of ice cream every other night and you wonder why vegetables make you fat.  YOU make you fat.  Period.  You think I’m just a dumb animal, so you can get away with sneaking that ten dollars out of your boyfriend’s wallet right in front of me – you don’t even think twice about picking your nose while sitting on the toilet and singing john lennon songs at the top of your lungs when I am trying to get in a nap before the sun moves past the window far enough that I have to move.  Okay, I get that, that’s the animal in you, and it’s natural, and it makes sense to me.  You have needs and you meet them.  Cool.  If it’s one thing cats know – it’s “COOL”.  YES, I KNOW I JUST USED QUOTES, WHICH TAKES A SHIFT KEY – damn, forgot the caps lock – I CAN do it, it’s just hard to do.  What I don’t get – is lying.  Animals don’t lie – if we want to screw another cat, we do it and make a lot less fuss about it than you did with that guy that smells like banana peels.  You would all be a lot less miserable if you lived your lives with the truth instead of all the time trying to make each other happy by lying to them.  If everyone lived that way – there would be a lot less craziness and murder in the world – not that killing is all bad, but hey, a cats got to eat, right.  You are a hypocrite and I’m so tired of it, I’ve gone against all my instincts and spoken up – now I’ll need to find a new home or you’ll be yapping at me all day, just like you do to tim – you sound like the chihuahua down the hall in 3g – and I hate those little yappy dogs.  You talk about that book you read on Sunday – yet you never follow any of it – but if I were a people – I’d follow it – it’s the only thing you people have ever done I’ve agreed with; love = good, truth = good, hope = good – all the things you say you want, but you don’t even follow your own rules.  Clueless – and yappy and even though tim won’t tell you, yes, you start to stink when you don’t shower more than once every three days, but I guess he likes the smell of fish too.  I hope tim reads this letter before he unties you – he might get a clue and realize he’s better off with just a cat, instead of a girl who is so clueless – at least when he pets me, I have the sense enough to purr and let him know I like it.  You play games and keep him guessing, which is just another sort of lie and I just can’t take it any more.  Goodbye.
 
meow,
 
WHISKERS
 
Ps. That stuff you put on your face makes you look like a raccoon, but you’re not – that’s just another lie – so stop it.

Tim Greens is an on-again, off-again writer, who’s cat Uzi (named after a submachine gun) sometimes helps him come up with stories.  Tim is a self-confessed “computer geek”, sword collector, and avid reader who has been writing a children’s book for his son for the last three years and despairs that by the time he is finished, his son will no longer be a child.

The  drawing for the $30 Amazon gift card will take place as soon as someone who isn’t me  hangs around long enough to get the job done properly. I’ll contact the winners by email and post here announcing the good news. Keep watching for updates.

And thanks again for helping get this blog party restarted. I look forward to getting to know you all in the near future.

The cup on my lovely desk is full of tiny slips of paper for the $30 Amazon Gift Card drawing and the judges are excited to see your entries. Remember, there’s no entry fee, no grammar police, no formatting requirements. Creativity rules around here.

So exciting!

One sweet lady checked in tonight (Hi Donna!) and consequently, several wayward entries mysteriously reappeared, so don’t be shy. We don’t want any renegade spam filters blocking your kitty’s path to interwebz stardom.

There’s been a shocking lack of blog postings recently but never fear. All glitches following the massive meltdown are history and book recommendations, author interviews and articles on the business of writing should resume posthaste. A friend helped retrieve some older book reviews which were reposted. A fascinating article on Flu Remedy retrieved from Old Blog will appear shortly just in time to dose those poor, unsuspecting family members. Nothing to do with writing really, but who can type with all that hacking and coughing in the background?

Doesn’t understand why cats get all the good contests…

This is a fun read and Ginger really knows how to tell a story. The interplay of history juxtaposed against the spiritual forces running alongside weave in and out from the natural realm to the spiritual to create a fascinating view into What Might Be.  The story barrels along building steam. I mean really—how does she do it? We’re talking the Black Plague here—not a lot of mystery how this will end. And yet, she’s crafted a story within a story to build suspense right up to her lovely ending.

This is why I read books. I’m heading over to buy the first book in the series right this minute.

Nice job, Ginger.

Latayne Scott’s novel, Latter-Day Cipher,  incorporates all the things that keep me reading all the way through-a compelling mystery, beautifully crafted phrasing and a plotline that doesn’t sag at the knees. Somewhere around page 261, I knew without doubt an all-nighter loomed in my immediate future.

Her opening scene has an ethereal quality that invites you to keep going- and going. The characters live with both purpose and enough human shortcomings to keep them interesting. (Note: she’s also got one of best villains ever, way too easy to identify with this miscreant and that’s scarier than any murder mystery, any day.)

Latayne’s handling of the Mormon Church and it’s changing doctrine lies balanced somewhere between criticism of the organization and compassion for the individuals inside, clearly differentiating between the two and doesn’t come across as an agenda book. It’s just a really good read.

Highly Recommended~

I spent the better part of yesterday immersed in the world of Kate Davis, feeling every pain, experiencing the mental torment. And when Kate climbs out of the refuse, Ms. Grove brings you right along, wrapping the whole story in a satisfying package of fullness and healing. Brilliant!

I’ve never lost a husband or lived through any of the other trauma in the story, and yet Ms. Grove’s talent brought me right inside Kate’s emotional journey. This is a richly layered novel– subtle, warm and beautifully written. Today I’m still picking through the imagery, wanting just a little longer with this rich cast of characters.

Frankly, I’m just blown away.

Good job, Bonnie! Here’s a fan in Texas anxiously awaiting your next release~

 Here’s the first version~

First incarnation of desk. Plastic tables, file cabinet, antique desk chair.

Writers need a place to decompress–someplace to transform from superhero to Clark Kent. I wrote my first manuscript up in a tree deck swinging in a Brazilian hammock. Very cool, not so practical once Hurricane Ike took out half the shade.

The tree deck after Hurricane Ike. Note tiny husband in blue wrestling with limbs.

My  friend Becky over at Just Bee ‘n Me moved from a lovely little ranch house in Woodlands, Texas to a lovelier little cottage in Magnolia. She downsized, I acquired this desk.

(Thank you, Becky~)

 Ah yes. Much better…

Not long after this picture, the lamp above started sputtering. Being slightly cheap (and a little thick on occassion), I sat around thinking about replacing it someday. And then I got an email from the nice folks over at CSN Lighting.

Please note the Kichler desk lamp, Becky’s 2009 Calendar and the cup holding names for the $30 Amazon Gift Card drawing and congratulate me for plugging three random and totally unrelated items in one stinkin’ picture.

A Quick Blurb from CSNLighting:

Once upon a time, I had traffic. I had content. I had folks contact ConnieBrz to feature their products.

The lamp above is one such item and when the blog went ka-blooey, the post for CSN Lighting disappeared. The folks over there are a pleasure to work with and their prices deeply discounted so I had no trouble recommending them without reservation. I agreed to keep the post up for a year. And as it isn’t their fault my upgrade ate their content, I’m reposting below.

If you’re in the market for lighting, check them out.

Westwood at Home and the Evolution of Home Office Lighting

When it comes to home lighting, desk and home office lighting have been the most boring fixtures, as their emphasis is on function rather than style.  However, in recent years we’ve seen a number of manufacturers finding ways to balance form and purpose and as a result we’re seeing a lot of great products out there that should satisfy the lighting and style needs of any working in a home office.

We’ll go ahead and highlight one such example, the Westwood at Work collection by Kichler.  This line showcases a diverse selection of home lighting that displays a flair for combining antique and classic appearances with modern accents.  This is a big reason why we’ve seen this collection increase in popularity, it offers a style that is distinctive while retaining functionality, 

One specific example of this is the Antique Brass and Bronze Adjustable Desk Lamp, an item that perfectly displays Westwood at Home’s versatile qualities.  This is particularly evident in its finish, which is comprised of antique brass with bronze accents.  The resulting appearance provides a unique contrast between the brighter sheen of the brass and the darker bronze tint.

However, the Brass and Bronze Desk Lamp is more than just appearances, it is also extremely functional as well.  It conveniently comes with an on/off switch and an extension arm, and it won’t take up much room thanks to its sleek design, which is important as space is usually at a premium with most home offices. 

Designing a home office can usually be quite difficult since not too many office furniture collections are able to match up stylistically with most people’s home décor.  But fortunately, lighting collections such as Westwood at Home are finding ways to reach a middle ground while providing any lighting needs that you might have while you work.

 

 

 

Prize: Kindle- 6” Wireless Reading Device, Retail Value $299

Deadline:  Friday, September 25^th, 2009

Your cat’s been watching. After years plotting and scheming, he ties you to a chair, sprouts opposable thumbs and swipes your keyboard. So what does he say?

• Does he start the Great American Novel?
• Compose an outline for his next masterpiece?
• Email your agent?

Anything goes as long as Mr. Fluffy Pants finally gets his turn.

Guidelines:

Keep it short. Cats aren’t so good at tying knots. Under 1000 words please, extra credit for keeping it under 500.

Points for: Creativity, Brevity, Humor

Things that don’t count much: grammar, editing, spelling, formatting, following the rules (Head-hop all you want.)

The Judges: Readers. No critique partners, no editors, no active writers. Feel free to experiment—these guys have no idea what you’re doing. If there’s a tie, we may resort to something high tech. Like coin flipping.

Please send your entry in the body of the email. Put “Cats Write Good and Stuff” in the subject line. I’ll send  email confirmation within 36 hours. If you don’t hear back within that time frame, double check the address and resend.

CatsWriteGood@gmail.com

Win a $30 Amazon Gift Card

Help promote the Cats Write Good Contest. Post a link to the blog, send a mention on Twitter, promote on Facebook.

Twitter: Add ConnieBrz  so I can see what you’re up to.

Blogs: If you promote the contest on your blog, comment here and let me know.

Facebook: Please add Connie Brzowski as a friend and promote at will.

If you belong to a forum or loop that allows such things, promote there and send a note. (Only one mention per forum– if someone beats you to it, leave a comment on the thread rather than starting a new one.)

 For each avenue,  your name  goes in the pot once. For instance, if you mention the contest on Twitter, Facebook, Your Blog, Your Mom’s blog and The Writers Are Cool Forum, you get four entries. One name will be drawn at random by whoever happens to be home at the time.

Winner of the Cats Write Good Contest is also eligible for the $30 gift card. Now wouldn’t that be nice?

Check back often for updates.

(Fine Print: No purchase necessary, open only to US residents)

Did I miss anything?