#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Michael Hingson

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I’d like to welcome Michael Hingson to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Sometimes coming up with the words to express a thought. Coming up with appropriate ideas about concepts especially about blindness so that readers will really understand

Easiest thing about being a writer: telling personal stories. Once I have ideas fixed in my mind, putting them down. Making people laugh.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Quiet time. Help from others to make ideas real. Making myself smile.

Things that hamper your writing: Outside noises. Interruptions. Suggestions from others that simply don’t fit into the story.

A few of your favorite things: Garlic bread. Chocolate. Good clean comedy. Quiet time to ponder everything.

Things you need to throw out: Old papers. Old electronics that doesn’t work any more. Negative thoughts since they only hurt me and not others.

Favorite foods: Garlic bread. Rib eye steak. Chocolate chip cookies. PG Tips tea.

Things that make you want to gag: Tomatoes. Kiwi fruit.

Something you’re really good at: Laughing at myself. Public speaking. Working with dogs.

Something you’re really bad at: Creating visuals for videos. Quickly coming up with ideas to include in books I am writing, but I do get there.

Favorite music or song: Swing and big band music. Michael Buble. Classical pops music like from the Boston Pops.

Music that drives you crazy: Rap. Hip hop. Heavy metal.

The last thing you ordered online: USB cables. Pizza. Treats for my guide dog.

The last thing you regret buying: A ladder that didn’t meet my needs. USB cables that were wrong because the online description didn’t give me enough information to reject them. An audio book I didn’t like.

Things you always put in your books: True snippets about me. Some relevant bible verses to emphasize a point. Stories about my late wife.

Things you never put in your books: Swear words. Negative things about people, even terrorists.

Favorite places you’ve been: New Zealand. Hawaii. San Francisco. New York. Boston.

Places you never want to go to again: Any hotel that is inaccessible to blind persons. Any restaurant that serves only fried food, (too much isn’t that good).

Favorite things to do: Cruising. Talking with people. Traveling with others.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Cruising alone. Listening to any politician that isn’t interested in listening back. Not being able to have calm conversations with others because they won’t share respectfully. Sitting through a speech where the speaker spends most of their time simply pointing to items on a screen

Best thing you’ve ever done: Married my wife. Escaped from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Began my public speaking career and continuing it after the pandemic. Starting my podcast, “Unstoppable Mindset”.

Biggest mistake: Not starting an IRA earlier. Starting my speaking career later than I should have. Not learning to play Chess well.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Larry King. Peter Falk. My wife.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: I wouldn’t know about that, needless to say. However, Adam West, (TV’s Batman), who was quite unfriendly.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: Your book changed my life. I have a whole new perspective on blindness because of your books.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: At a book club meeting where everyone swore they had read Thunder Dog, “What were you doing in the World Trade Center anyway?”. “How do blind people have sex?”

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Helped perfect Ray Kurzweil’s Reading Machine. Helping to bring assistive technology products to the blindness market. Teach people about accessibility. Opened a New York office in the World Trade Center.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: Constructing a Braille computer terminal. Running my own business from 1985-1988, we didn’t get the revenue we wanted.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: Escaping from the World Trade Center. Talking about public speaking. Lessons I learned from my eight guide dogs that are in “Live Like A Guide Dog”.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: I personally lead 30 people out of the World Trade Center. I was lead out of the World Trade Center by my guide dog, (guide dogs don’t lead, they guide). Others wrote my books, not I.

About Michael:

Michael Hingson, blind since birth, was born in Chicago to sighted parents who believed in raising their son with a can-do attitude. Treated like all other children in his family, Michael rode a bike did advanced math in his head and learn to read and write – Braille that is!

Michael’s family relocated to the warm Palmdale area of California when he was five years old. It is here that Hingson had his first adventure with Guide Dogs for the Blind and received his first guide dog. He later went to college receiving a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Physics along with a secondary teaching credential from the University of California at Irvine.

Michael then enjoyed a nearly-30-year career working for high tech companies spending most of his time in management roles.

Michael Hingson’s life changed dramatically on September 11, 2001 when he and his guide dog, Roselle, escaped from the 78th floor of Tower One in the World Trade Center moments before it collapsed. Soon after, Michael and Roselle were thrust into the international limelight where Michael began to share his unique survival story and 9-11 lessons of trust, courage, heroism, and teamwork.

Mike has served as The National Public Affairs Director for one of the largest Nonprofit organizations in the nation: Guide Dogs for the Blind; He has served as the vice president of the National Association of Guide Dog Users; Michael has held a seat on the Fort Worth Lighthouse for the Blind. He is the chair of the board of directors of the Earle Baum Center for the Blind and is the vice chair of the Colorado Center for the Blind; Michael is The National Ambassador for the Braille Literacy Campaign of the National Federation of the Blind.

Until October 2019 he worked as the CEO of the Do More Foundation, the non-profit arm of Aira Tech Corp, a manufacturer of assistive technology which makes a revolutionary visual interpreter for blind people. In January 2021 Mike joined accessiBe as its Chief Vision Officer to help advance the company goal of making the entire internet fully inclusive. AccessiBe provides an artificial intelligence-based product that makes web sites accessible to many persons with disabilities.

He is the author of the #1 New York Times Best Seller: “Thunder dog –The True Story of a Blind Man, a Guide Dog & the Triumph of Trust” – selling over 2.5 million copies Worldwide. In 2014 Mr. Hingson published his 2nd book “Running with Roselle”- which Is the first of its kind- A story for our youth shedding light on one of Americas Darkest Days. Mr. Hingson’s third book, “Live Like A Guide Dog”, was released on August 20, 2024. This book shows readers how they can learn to control fear and not, as Mike would say, “become blinded by fear in the face of crisis”.

Aside from his talents and advocacies, Mr. Hingson has traveled the Globe from Japan to New Zealand, the Netherlands to his hometown, Chicago. Speaking to some of the world’s most elite: from former President, George W. Bush to Larry King, to Fortune 500 companies and colleges and Universities Nationwide. After sharing his story of survival on hundreds of TV and Radio programs, Michael is now an Expert hired by many of today’s major corporations and organizations. Speaking and consulting on the importance of Teamwork and Trust, Moving from Diversity to Inclusion, as well as offering Adaptive Technology Training – spearheading innovation for ALL! - Thus, bringing organizations to the forefront of the ever-changing competitive modern world.

In June, 2024 Mike was inducted as an alumni member into the honors Fraternity Phi Beta Kappa.




#WriterWednesday with Mary Ann Miller

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I’d like to welcome Mary Ann Miller to the blog for #WriterWednesdsay.

Things I never want to run out of: ice cream.

Things I wish I never bought: crappy luggage.

Hardest thing about being a writer: naming things. People, streets, restaurants, anything that requires a name. I will admit to using the internet to help me with restaurants. I google popular names, make a list, say them aloud, and pick one or change one to better reflect my novel.

Easiest thing about being a writer: writing the rough draft. At this stage of writing, it’s exciting to know the story can go anywhere. Thoughts come out of nowhere and some make it into the book.

Something I’m really good at: gardening. I lived in the Midwest my entire life except for the last five years and learning a new ecosystem has been a challenge, but I’m getting there. In March, I planted eighteen-inch elephant ears and by mid-August they were six feet tall. I had to dig them up and transplant them because they covered the front of the house.

Something I’m really bad at: cooking. I hate to cook and I’m terrible at it. Just ask my husband or my kids.

Last best thing/worst thing I ate: In December 2023, I got Covid for the fourth time and lost my sense of taste and smell. Both are coming back slowly and food either tastes disgusting, not so disgusting or has no taste at all. I have been surprised at what tastes awful. Chocolate, bananas, bread, bacon all taste the same and they’re terrible. I search for foods that have no taste and when I find them, I eat them until they too, taste terrible.

Last thing I ordered online: Ty Beanie Babies for my six grandchildren.

Last thing I regret buying: white cushions for the patio furniture. The mold and mildew in Florida is unbelievable.

Things to say to an author: I love your book.

Things not to say to an author: Your book was boring. I couldn’t finish it.

Favorite places: Rome, Italy and Athens, Greece

Places I never want to go again: China.

People I’d like to invite for dinner: Louise Penny. I’d like to pick her brain about creating fictional small towns. She has readers who ask where Three Pines is and can they visit. That’s a writer’s dream.

Cancel dinner: Sean Diddy.

The nicest thing a reader said to me: my brother, Ed is an introvert, but he has come to both book launches. After the Cracks Beneath the Surface book launch, he sent me a text “You should write more books. That was a fun party.”

Craziest thing a reader said to me: “I’m glad you don’t write stupid books.”

Real-life story that made it into a book: In Cracks Beneath the Surface, my main character, Sheriff Jhonni Laurent is in the kitchen of Aubrey Holmes, daughter of the victim and they’re talking about chocolate cake. Laurent says that her mother used to put mayo in her cake because it keeps the cake moist. I had a neighbor who did that, too.

Something readers think is about me, but it’s not: batting cages. In my youth and even later into my forties, I was active in sports. Either playing, coaching, or refereeing soccer, volleyball, softball. One of my characters, Stacy Simmons, is the softball homerun champion. I never hit a homerun. I wish I had.

About Mary Ann:

Mary Ann Miller currently lives in Florida with her husband, where she is working on the third novel in the Sheriff Jhonni Laurent series. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northern Illinois University and earned a paralegal certificate with Roosevelt University. Miller is a member of MWA, ITW, and Sisters in Crime and when not writing, can be found reading poolside or hosting family and friends fleeing the cold winters of the north.

Let’s Be Social:

Website:https://maryannmillerauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormaryann/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryannmillerauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/148508877-mary-ann-miller

Twitter/X: https://x.com/mary_mille12370

20 Ideas for Blog Content

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Sometimes, I get stuck when I’m trying to come up with blog topics that are new or a fresh take on an old idea. Here’s a list (in no particular order) of things that might spark an idea for a post.

  1. Interview other authors.

  2. Make playlists for your books (songs that relate to your book or your characters).

  3. Write about your latest project or hobby.

  4. Take a picture of your desk or your desk drawer and give readers an insight into your workspace.

  5. Write about your pets (and include lots of pictures).

  6. Look for nonfiction hooks in your books that are interesting to readers. It may be a setting, a character’s job, or a character’s hobby. My private eye, Delanie Fitzgerald, lives in a Sears Catalog home that was shipped and assembled in the 1940s. The quaint house fits her quirky personality.

  7. Talk about what you’re reading.

  8. Write about what you’ve been watching or streaming recently.

  9. Look up special “holidays” like National Cheese Day or Potato Chip Day. There are lots of calendars out there that showcase all kinds of celebrations.

  10. Tell your readers who you would want to play your characters in a movie adaptation of your book.

  11. Write a post about what famous people that you’d want to have dinner with.

  12. Create a post about your favorite children’s books and how reading influenced you as a writer.

  13. Show your readers how to do something. Add videos and pictures for more detail.

  14. Visit landmarks or sites in your town and talk about your adventures.

  15. Write a post about where all of your characters live and why you chose this location.

  16. If you write fiction, create a blog about elements in your story that are real or based on truth.

  17. Create a post where you share what you wanted to be.

  18. Write about your writing and researching process and how long it takes you to create a first draft.

  19. Explain why your main character has the job that he or she does and how you chose it.

  20. Talk about the sidekicks in your stories and the role that they play.

What would you add to my list?

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Teresa and Bill Peschel

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I’d like to welcome Teresa and Bill Peshel to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Teresa: Getting those words on the page and out of my head!

Bill: Finishing what I start.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Teresa: Ideas are everywhere. They’re piled up in heaps in corners, begging for attention.

Bill: Plotting out a story. The first draft is really hard but once it’s there, I can rewrite it.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

Teresa: To have finished my daily hour and 15 minutes of online solitaire. I’m really good at it!

Bill: The willpower to get started without getting distracted by the internet.

Things that hamper your writing:

Teresa: Having to sit down and see my beautiful vision turn into clunky words. Also, I MUST finish my hour and 15 minutes of solitaire before I can write a word, even on deadline.

Bill: Self-loathing, depression, and fear of being discovered a fraud. You know, the usual writer anxieties.

Something you’re really good at:

Teresa: I’m really good at solitaire. I play at www.worldofsolitaire.com and have scored in the top 50 leaderboard on MANY of the hundreds of variations. Look for tdbpeschel or tbpeschel.

Bill: Naming any popular pop song from the ’70s to the ’90s within the first 10 seconds.

Something you’re really bad at:

Teresa: Bill says I’m perfect as I am. How about getting our adopted cats to love me. They don’t, despite being rescued from the PetSmart. They’re ungrateful.

Bill: Playing the guitar, no matter how expensive the guitar I bought or the lessons I’ve taken. Teresa here: he’s right!

Favorite music or song:

Teresa. I dunno. Music is aural wallpaper. I have eclectic tastes for my wallpaper: electronica, big band, jazz, classical, original video game soundtrack. No country after the death of Hank Williams. No vocals.

Bill: I’m a simple man. I like nothing but the best. If the song is lyrically interesting and melodic, if it’s witty or emotionally deep, I love it. I grew up in the late ’70s and early ’80s so that’s my favorite era.

Music that drives you crazy:

Teresa: Irritating lyrics that don’t make any sense. Too loud or banging. May God save me from awful guitarists playing too loud at the farmers’ market.

Bill: Modernist, atonal opera.

Favorite smell:

Teresa: Vanilla. Good top soil. The scent of flowers. A scent must be strong for me to smell it as I have a very poor nose.

Bill: Cinnamon, fresh coffee, mint, and peppermint.

Something that makes you hold your nose:

Teresa: Cat hork and cleaning products to remove cat hork.

Bill: You never forget the first dead mouse you didn’t get out of the attic in time.

Last best thing you ate:

Teresa: Last night’s ice cream sundae of Tillamook Coffee Almond, hot fudge, whipped cream, and nuts. We enjoyed the sundaes as a reward for spending the entire day at Cozy Fete.

Bill: I added beer to wash down my ice cream sundae.

Last thing you regret eating:

Teresa: I avoid eating anything I don’t like to eat. Fortunately, I like eating a wide variety of food!

Bill: A diner served me a Rueban in which the brisket was so gristly and thick, it was inedible. I hate leaving food on my plate but I had to here.

Things you always put in your books:

Teresa: Complicated characters who feel real. Even minor characters have complete lives although I can’t put them into the narrative. But I know their backstories.

Bill: I always put in humor. Even a grim story needs some leavening.

Things you never put in your books:

Teresa: Gratuitous violence, sex, obscenities, or swearing. There better be a darn good reason!

Bill: Politics. Nothing dates a book worse or drives away half the audience than what is in essence propaganda.

Things to say to an author:

Teresa: Your book really meant something to me. You took me out of myself for a while.

Bill: I bought all your books (even though I haven’t read any of them) and I recommended them to all my friends.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

Teresa: This hasn’t happened to me yet but it has to Bill!

Bill: I reviewed an author’s debut novel and wrote that her determination to be humorous reeked of “flop sweat.” She murdered me in her next book. Lee Goldberg asked permission to kill me in one of his Mr. Monk novels, but as a thank you for favorably reviewing his books. See! You can get killed either way.

Favorite books (or genre):

Teresa: I like romance, romantasy, science-fiction, fantasy, and Agatha Christie. I’m an omnivorous reader so if it’s good, I’ll read it.

Bill: I read very widely, which is why we have 8,000 books in our house. Mysteries, biographies, histories, books by and about writers, true crime, and in my early years a LOT of fantasy and science fiction.

Books you wouldn’t buy:

Teresa: Hardcore pornography; gruesome, blood-soaked horror; or diet books.

Bill: Same as above plus fashionable literary novels. They’re as ephemeral as mayflies and have just as much heft after their day in the sun is over.

Best thing you’ve ever done:

Teresa: Marrying Bill and having my children.

Bill: Marrying my second wife (Teresa).

Biggest mistake:

Teresa: Too many of them so we pretend they never happened and move on.

Bill: Marrying my first wife.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done:

Teresa: Gardening! It’s art in four dimensions. You’ve also never seen creative fiction like a gardening catalog. I also design quilts as a highwire act. I don’t know what the finished quilt will turn out until I’m done.

Bill: Creating Teresa’s three-minute video introduction for her presentation at the International Agatha Christie conference in Torquay, England. I wrote the script for her to narrate as if she was introducing a documentary on Agatha’s films, complete with clips.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it:

Teresa: My gardening efforts. The plan is so much better than the slug-eaten, weed-infested reality. Same with the quilts I make. But the plants grow and the quilts keep people warm at night so it’s all good.

Bill: Teresa’s two-shelf rolling bookcase. I never could settle on a final design which is why it took a year and a half to build when I could have bought and assembled an Ikea bookcase.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books:

Teresa: I put a lot of history, science, and soil-building into my science-fiction romance. I’m terraforming Mars and it was a great moment when a reader who’s a soil scientist said I got it right.

Bill: I set one of my Mark Twain/Sherlock Holmes stories in Heidelberg, Germany. I was invited to visit one of the dueling clubs one drunken night in the ’70s and was shown how they wielded their swords to leave decorative facial scars. Since Twain stayed in Heidelberg for several months, it was easy to integrate my memories of that night with his fictional encounter with Irene Adler.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not:

Teresa: So few people have read my books that this hasn’t come up yet. I have watched over 300 Agatha Christie films to review them but those are her stories, not mine, so no one confuses me with a serial killer or Poirot.

Bill: My first wife complimented me on my portrayal of her in a short story. Since she was pleased, I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’d written it long before I’d met her.

About Teresa and Bill:

Teresa:

Teresa Peschel lives with her family in the Sweetest Place on Earth. She has long been interested in sustainability, resource depletion, and finding a balanced life, not too much and not too little. This led her to write “Fed, Safe, & Sheltered: Protect Your Family and Thrive Amid Tough Times” (formerly “Suburban Stockade”), and “Sew Cloth Grocery Bags: Make Your Own in Quantity For Yourself, For Gifts, and For Sale.” Her collection of Agatha Christie movie and TV reviews, “Agatha Christie, She Watched,” was nominated for an Anthony award at Bouchercon. Teresa also explores these issues, as Odessa Moon, in her science-fiction romances on a terraformed Mars.

Bill:

A lifelong fan of Dorothy L. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey stories, Bill Peschel began Peschel Press in 2011 to publish “The Complete, Annotated Whose Body?” He has gone on to annotate the first six novels by Agatha Christie, collections of Sherlock Holmes pastiches and parodies from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s lifetime, and a short-story collection featuring Sherlock Holmes and Mark Twain.

Bill is also a mystery fan who runs the online Wimsey Annotations and interviews mystery authors for the Mechanicsburg Mystery Book Shop’s YouTube channel. Peschel lives with publishing partner (and wife) Teresa and his family in Hershey, where the air really does smell like chocolate.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.peschelpress.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peschel_press/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeschelPress

X/Twitter: https:@PeschelPress

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@peschelpress9911



#WriterWednesday with E. J. Copperman

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I’d like to welcome E. J. Copperman to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you never want to run out of: Raisinets. Diet Coke. My spouse. Not in that order.

Things you wish you’d never bought: A pressure cooker. A 1980 Mustang II. My last bicycle.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Promotion. Convincing people you tell a good story.

Easiest thing about being a writer: The commute is great.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My iMac. That’s about it.

Things that hamper your writing: Loudness from the street behind me. Running out of ideas.

A few of your favorite things: Sony noise-canceling headphones. My Takamine 12-string. Rubber Soul. A copy of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum signed by Larry Gelbart.

Things you need to throw out: My old desk chair. Half the stuff in the basement. 4-million cords to electronic devices I don’t use.

Words that describe you: Short, curly-haired, rarely serious.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Short, overweight, undisciplined.

Something you’re really good at: Listening

Something you’re really bad at: Playing the piano.

Things you always put in your books: Jokes

Things you never put in your books: Dogs in danger.

Things to say to an author: I have a question about a book of yours I read. This thing in your book made me laugh. I really enjoy your work. Or… anything you want to say. Except…

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: You know what you should write next?

Favorite places you’ve been: Rome. Paris. California.

Places you never want to go to again: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Mel Brooks. Michelle Obama. Ringo Starr.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Must we get political?

Best thing you’ve ever done: Josh and Eve

Biggest mistake: Spending 20 years on unsold screenplays.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “My husband escaped the Twin Towers on 9/11 and years later, yours was the first book he could read all the way through.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Are you a man or a woman?”

About E. J.:

E.J. Copperman is a figment of someone’s imagination. Writing the Jersey Girl Legal Mystery series and the Fran and Ken Stein (say the names fast) series, E.J. also has been responsible for the Haunted Guesthouse mysteries, the Agent to the Paws mysteries, the Asperger’s mysteries (with Jeff Cohen) and the Mysterious Detective mysteries, among others. The books are meant to be funny and engaging, and if they’re not for you, feel free to blame E.J., who lives and works in New Jersey because someone has to.

Designing Your Newsletter

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Whether you’re creating your first newsletter template or polishing one you have, these are some ideas for designing and organizing your document.

I subscribe to a bunch of different author, publisher, and company newsletters. It’s good to peruse a sampling to get ideas of how others present information and what content they include. Make note of what catches your eye and how it appeared on the page.

It helps me to sketch out (storyboard) how I want my content to look and what sections I want to have. Most newsletter services have templates that you can use to make the design easier once you know what you want to include.

My newletters go out quarterly, so I usually have some sort of seasonal theme to go with each one.

Include a give-away if you can. You can put this in the subject line to build some buzz and hopefully, entice readers to open it to see what’s inside.

Your subject line needs to be short and interesting. People get hundreds of emails a day, and you are trying to make yours stand out.

I always have some kind of introduction that is a welcome to new followers.

If you write a blog, look through your posts to see if one or two can be repurposed in your newsletter. I do interviews of other authors on my blog, and in each newsletter, I feature 10 to 12 of them. My hope is to introduce my readers to some “new-to-them” authors.

Vary the content. Think of interesting things to share. People are looking for information and entertainment. All of your content shouldn’t be “buy my book.”

Make sure that the fonts and colors that you choose match your branding.

After you add all the content, photos, and graphics, send a test draft to yourself. Make sure everything looks the way you intended. Proofread all content. Check all forms and links to make sure they work.

My newsletter software has a scheduling feature, and it offers suggestions for the best time to send a newsletter. (Usually, you don’t want it to go out first thing on Monday morning when mailboxes are already full from the weekend.) I schedule based on the most optimum time. Since I’ve been doing this, I have had a better open rate.

Be prepared. You’ll get some unsubscribers each time you send a newsletter. Don’t take it personally. People sign up for all kinds of things, and then they clean up their email boxes later.

Look at the analytics page a week or so after you send a newsletter to see what you can glean from the data. It should show you things like how many went out, how many opened it and when, how many unsubscribed, etc. This can help you with planning your content and your schedule for your next one.

Your newsletter subscriber list, like your website, is yours and you manage the contacts. It’s valuable. Your social media sites are a key part of your marketing strategy, but if they shut down or ban you, you have no way of reaching your followers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday!

I hope you get to enjoy some family traditions and create new memories.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is to watch the WKRP in Cincinnati’s great turkey drop. Here’s the link in case you’ve never seen it.

In our house, it’s food, family, fun, football, and board games. Happy Turkey Day!

#WriterWednesday with Russell Little

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I’d like to welcome Russell Little to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: In Murder for Me, the story of Larry Lamb is real, as insane as that answer sounds. The character goes through a book long struggle trying to determine what is real, struggling to maintain a sense of reality. I cannot reveal any more, you’ll just have to read it yourself.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: O.C. Simms, the detective in Murder By Storm that is chasing Marilyn through the hurricane, readers assume that’s a character that I base on myself, but it’s not. This created character was inspired by a close friend that has all of the features that I write in the book, I just exaggerate to make the humorous point. By the way, he doesn’t understand what’s funny about the character I write about him.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Mountain climbing. I know that doesn’t sound ‘creative’, but for me it was. I am afraid of heights, so I forced myself to face my fears. And sitting on a ledge of a mountain, having a sandwich as you watch the sun rise, was one of the most beautiful things in my life.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: Learning to weld. I’d planned on becoming a sculpture welder and when I started lessons, I quickly learned that I wasn’t tough enough to do what I’d planned. It’s incredibly difficult. But it is also magnificent to weld. Anyway, I’m not a sculpture welder.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “Why’d you have to do that to the lawyer?” I was at a Bar function for lunch one day and an elderly attorney walked up to me upset. He’d read Murder For Me, and he wanted an answer to why I’d written what I had. I considered it an incredible compliment. I had made him think about what I had written. Feel it. Think about it long enough that when he saw me, he grabbed my arm and asked what he did. I’ll never forget that.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Why’d you make the street thug curse so much?” I was shocked. He’s a street thug. As characters develop multi-dimensionally, their language tracks who they are. He’s a street thug.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Travelers. I’ve traveled around the world, and I truly love having dinner with brave travelers. I get to hear tales of places I haven’t been and things I hadn’t thought to try. A conversation with one of these people years ago inspired me to start my traveling, and I’ll always be grateful.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Judgers. Can’t stand them. I’m not talking about the way we all are to some extent. I’m talking about those that put judging in overdrive. We all know those people. They’re not my people.

Favorite books: Proust. He wrote seven books, and they are all my favorite. Before I travel to a new country, I read the literature from there that won the Nobel Prize, or other awards. Like before I traveled through Japan, I read Snow Country.

Books I wouldn’t buy: Anything written according to a form, like much of the popular multi-series authors do now. They have a whole group of writers spitting out books according to a formula and they put their name on it. Not interested.

Favorite places you’ve been: The Amalfi Coast. It really is as beautiful as you could dream of. And the food, I had a pizza that made me sad because I had lived my life up to that point without knowing what a great piece of pizza really tasted like.

Places you never want to go to again: The Ganges River at Varanasi, India. Being there, floating on the river, seeing 500,000 people on the banks chanting, and fires cremating corpses, changed my life. I couldn’t believe that I got to see it and be a part of it before I died. I won’t do it a second time.

Things you’d walk a mile for: A great Old Fashioned. There’s not many bartenders that can actually make a great one, and I’ll go across town to one if I know about them.

Things that make you want to run screaming from a room: Hallmark movies. When Christmas gets near, my wife starts watching them. And, by the way, my running screaming from the room does not please her.

The last thing you ordered online: Ton Brady’s Vegan protein powder. I’m a vegetarian now at the orders of my cardiologist, so that’s how I get daily protein.

The last thing you regret buying. I just bought a leather backpack that looked great online. It’s not even here yet, and I already regret buying it. So, not so good.

Last thing you ate: At a great Atlanta restaurant I had a Thai salad that I dipped in Tabasco sauce. It was great, but I had to use sauce to kick the spice level up.

The last thing you regret eating: The same salad. That sauce gave me heart burn all night.

Something you’re really good at: Reading people. I spent my career reading people. I practiced trial law for 41 years, so you can imagine.

Something you’re really bad at: Assembling something that comes in pieces from the store. I also can’t seem to assemble or sit up tents. Ask my wife. She does it, and she’s good at it. I just hold the tools!

About Russell:

Russell G. Little is a writer and practicing divorce attorney. Murder for Me is a fictionalized compilation of the many people he’s encountered over his lifetime and thirty-two-year career.

He lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife of thirty-two years, Melinda.

Let’s Be Social:

http://russelllittleauthor.com