ARIA Expo Blog Tour, Ashley Richer

Mike:  Hi, Ashley.  I’m happy to have yet another Association of Rhode Island Author (ARIA) to introduce to my Overlords fan base.  As with the others, we’re going to do an old fashioned interview.  Here we go!

Mike:  Ashley, please introduce yourself to my Overlords fans with a little information about you and where you’re from.

Ashley:  My name is Ashley Richer.  I was born and raised in Rhode Island.  I have lived in Narragansett for 12 years and don’t plan on ever leaving.

Mike:  What are you working on these days and what’s the current status of that project?

Ashley:  I am in the final stages if self publishing my first children’s book of a series.  I have been writing the, “Tyler’s TALL Tales” series for 10 years now.  It is a dream come true to be publishing, “Chasing the Moon” which is the first book in the series!

Mike:  Can you tell the audience what inspires you to write?

Ashley:  My high school English teacher inspired me to pursue my writing.  She is now my editor for my books!  However, my biggest inspiration the past four years has been overcoming medical odds.  When I was 24 I survived a rare medical scare, which put life into perspective.  It was at that time that I decided to publish my books.

Mike:  What genre do you enjoy writing the most?

Ashley:  I am known as the kid whisperer… all things kid related is what I excel at. So, writing children’s books with tons of adventure and imagination is definitely my favorite genre.  However, I am writing a young adult novel too!

Mike:  Any upcoming projects we should now about?

Ashley:  Be sure to follow the Tyler’s TALL Tales adventure at www.facebook.com/tylerstalltales or help the self-publishing process at www.gofundme.com/tylerstalltales

Mike:  OK, time for some quick ones, ready?  Favorite movie?

Ashley:  The Goonies, clearly

Mike: Favorite food or dish to make?

Ashley:  I am a crockpot genius… and I make a mean carrot cake from scratch

Mike:  Favorite place you have ever visited?

Ashley:  Italy, hands down

Mike:  Favorite music band?

Ashley:  I am a country girl!

Mike:  Favorite book, and no it can’t be one of yours!

Ashley:  Unbroken

Mike:  Ashley, thanks for being such a good sport!  Is there anything you would like to leave my fans with?

Ashley:  Mike is an awesome guy, a huge supporter of his fellow authors, and a great guide for me to have as a new author.  Keep following his work and thanks for reading a little bit about me!

Mike:  Ashley, thanks for being part of this great blog series.  Please follow the links above to get in touch with Ashley and most importantly, support her upcoming book!

ARIA Expo Blog Tour, Don Hagist

Mike:  Hi, Don.  I’m happy to have yet another Association of Rhode Island Author (ARIA) to introduce to my Overlords fan base.  As with the others, we’re going to do an old fashioned interview.  Here we go!

Mike:  Don, please introduce yourself to my Overlords fans with a little information about you and where you’re from.

DNH:  I’m Don N. Hagist, a native Rhode Islander with a great interest in the people who fought in the American Revolution.

Mike:  What are you working on these days and what’s the current status of that project?

DNH:  I’m just finishing up the manuscript of a book called “The Revolution’s Last Men: the Soldiers behind the Photographs” which will be released by Westholme Publishing in March 2015. It deals with six veterans of the American Revolution who lived long enough to have their photographs taken, but whose actual wartime service has never been accurately told.

When that’s done, I can get back to my real area of interest, the British soldiers who fought in America. The same publisher has asked for a new work on that subject, which I’ll start as soon as this current book is done.

Mike:  Can you tell the audience what inspires you to write?

DNH:  I always enjoyed reading military biographies and autobiographies. When I began to study the American Revolution, I discovered that there are great numbers of personal stories in manuscripts that have never been published.

Mike:  What genre do you enjoy writing the most?

DNH:  Well annotated but readable non-fiction. I strive to write history that a casual reader will find lively and engaging, and that a subject-matter expert will find impeccably accurate.

Mike:  Any upcoming projects we should now about?

DNH:  I’m on the editorial staff of a web magazine called Journal of the American Revolution which has been highly successful. It’s a great example of embracing a modern publishing model – the internet – to reach a wider audience than would otherwise be likely for informative, readable history. See it at http://allthingsliberty.com

Mike:  OK, time for some quick ones, ready?  Favorite movie?

DNH:  Um… anything with airplanes. If I wasn’t writing about the American Revolution, I’d be writing about aviation.

Mike: Favorite food or dish to make?

DNH:  Oh, I like food to much to pick a favorite. It’s all my favorite!

Mike:  Favorite place you have ever visited?

DNH:  Ooo, that’s also difficult – I’ve had the good fortune to travel a fair amount and to live in some other countries. I really enjoyed living in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. But every place is full of interesting details.

Mike:  Favorite music band?

DNH:  Whatever’s playing on the alt rock stations right now.

Mike:  Favorite book, and no it can’t be one of yours!

DNH:  Again, I can’t pick just one. To Kill a Mockingbird; The Life of Pi; A Thousand Splendid Suns are favorites that I’ve read recently. I don’t write fiction because I could never do as well as those authors.

Mike:  Don, thanks for being such a good sport!  Is there anything you would like to leave my fans with?

DNH:  Besides “Thanks for reading?” In all modest, I do really good book talks, so if you need a speaker, keep me in mind!

Whether it’s reading, food, travel or what have you, always be open to trying new genres – in the famous words of Calvin and Hobbes, “There’s treasure everywhere!”

Mike:  Don, thanks for being part of this great blog series.  Please follow the links below to get in touch with Don and most importantly, buy his books!

You can get to all of his current books here:

https://www.amazon.com/author/hagist

You can follow the progress of the new book here (you don’t need a Facebook account):

https://www.facebook.com/HagistNewBook2015

ARIA Expo Blog Tour, Sean Fay-Wolfe

Mike:  Hi, Sean. I’m happy to have yet another Association of Rhode Island Author (ARIA) to introduce to my Overlords fan base.  As with the others, we’re going to do an old fashioned interview.  Here we go!

Mike:  Sean, please introduce yourself to my Overlords fans with a little information about you and where you’re from.

Sean:  My name is Sean Fay-Wolfe. I’m seventeen years old, and a senior at South Kingstown High School in Rhode Island. My first book was “Quest for Justice: A Minecraft Novel,” set in the world of the titular video game, and published in January of 2014.

Mike:  What are you working on these days and what’s the current status of that project?

Sean:  Right now, I’m working on a sequel to “Quest for Justice” which is called “The Noctem Ascension: A Minecraft Novel.” I’m working as hard as I can to have the manuscript finished by later September or early October, and the book will be published in mid-December.

Mike:  Can you tell the audience what inspires you to write?

Sean:  I’ve always enjoyed being creative in all types of areas, like music and game design… it’s just part of my personality. I wrote my first short stories in Elementary School in the back of my notebooks. I got the idea for “Quest for Justice” by playing Minecraft online, and seeing people interact with each other in the open-ended world. I thought that that world would be a good setting for a story, and two years later I had a full-length novel about it.

Mike:  What genre do you enjoy writing the most?

Sean:  I mainly write fiction set in the modern day but with some sort of fantastical twist. Examples of this are the Elementia Chronicles (the collective name of my Minecraft trilogy) and the other book I’m working on, “Legacy of the White Katana,” about a high school student who inherits a magic sword with the ability to kill demons only she can see.

Mike:  Any upcoming projects we should know about?

Sean:  As of now, my only upcoming project is “The Noctem Ascension,” which will be out in December of this year. I will release the third book in the series, “Herobrine’s Message,” the year after that, and I will probably release “Legacy of the White Katana” sometime after that.

Mike:  OK, time for some quick ones, ready?  Favorite movie?

Sean:  Hunchback of Notre Dame

Mike: Favorite food or dish to make?

Sean:  Fried eggs, the only lunch I can consistently make well.

Mike:  Favorite place you have ever visited?

Sean:  Philmont Scout Reservation, New Mexico

Mike:  Favorite music band?

Sean:  Coldplay

Mike:  Favorite book, and no it can’t be one of yours!

Sean:  Probably The Giver by Lois Lowry… it was my favorite as a kid and nothing’s surpassed it.

Mike:  Sean, thanks for being such a good sport!  Is there anything you would like to leave my fans with?

Sean:  Ever since I published “Quest for Justice,” it’s been my dream to become a full-time professional author. I’m incredibly thankful for all of those who have supported me in my dream, especially my family, as well as my fans and all those who have read my book. I’d like to thank you, Mike, for giving me this chance to put myself out there to the world. You can check out my website at www.sfaywolfe.com and follow me on my author’s page at www.facebook.com/ElementiaChronicles.

Mike:  Sean, thanks for being part of this great blog series.  Please follow the links below to get in touch with Sean and most importantly, buy his books!

ARIA Expo Blog Tour, Patricia Mitchell

Mike:  Hi, Pat.  I’m happy to have yet another Association of Rhode Island Author (ARIA) to introduce to my Overlords fan base.  As with the others, we’re going to do an old fashioned interview.  Here we go!

Mike:  Pat, please introduce yourself to my Overlords fans with a little information about you and where you’re from.

Pat :  I am a Rhode Islander, born in Johnston, and with the exception of a few years, I’ve lived here all my life.  I began writing in about fifth grade when my teacher would assign me essays as punishment for my sarcastic attitude; what started as punishment became my passion.  I studied English, Communications and Creative Writing at Rhode Island College.  Two years ago, with the help and support from my family and my fantastic book coach, Lisa Tener, I wrote a collection of essays about my mother’s life growing up on Federal Hill during the Great Depression.  I self published “A Girl from the Hill – My Mother’s Journey from Italian Girl to American Woman” last April.  I have done various readings and am slowly getting myself immersed into the world of professional writing as I hold down my steady job as a Business Analyst.  I live in Smithfield with my husband Jeremy, daughter Julia and beagle Trudy.

Mike:  What are you working on these days and what’s the current status of that project?

Pat :  Right now I am working on my second book, which is in fact my first middle grade/YA book.  I just began the process of totally restructuring it based on an epiphany I experienced while I was driving my daughter to basketball practice. We were arguing about her music and my music and it all just came together.  I hope to cover mother daughter relationships from a whole new level in this book, and show how a mother can give her daughter strength from anywhere at any point in her life, if the daughter is ready to look in the right places.

Mike:  Can you tell the audience what inspires you to write?

Pat:  I write to connect with people, to tell stories and present descriptions that express how I feel but that I believe others can relate to.  I love when my work results in something that a reader finds truly funny, or meaningful, something that they can hold onto and use to branch off into other new and interesting directions.  I also write as therapy, to work through difficult or indescribable emotions. I am extremely sensitive and am sometimes bursting with feelings that need to be expressed in productive and positive ways.  I’ve always done this but only recently understand why I do it.

Mike:  What genre do you enjoy writing the most?

Pat :  I love writing essays, which is why I enjoy blogging so much.  I enjoy taking a subject and examining it in various ways, but also challenging myself to keep it brief enough to peak someone’s interest without getting preachy.

Mike:  Any upcoming projects we should now about?

Pat :  Well my in-progress book, working Title - ‘Carry That Weight,’ deals with mothers, daughters, music, health and power.  Hoping that it hits a chord with YA and/or Middle Grade readers, as they are at a point in life when they are able to still receive valuable lessons from a very unique perspective as they discover the ‘grey’ in life instead of classifying everything as black and white they way younger children often do.  Finding the grey is part of becoming a well-rounded, mature adult.

Mike:  OK, time for some quick ones, ready?  Favorite movie?

Pat:  Rio Bravo – big Western fan and it’s got Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson!

Mike: Favorite food or dish to make?

Pat:  Anything that my 14 year old will actually eat and not complain about.

Mike:  Favorite place you have ever visited?

Pat :  Dublin, with London a close second.

Mike:  Favorite music band?

Pat :  The Beatles.

Mike:  Favorite book, and no it can’t be one of yours!

Pat :  Memoirs of a Geisha.

Mike:  Pat, thanks for being such a good sport!  Is there anything you would like to leave my fans with?

Pat :  Try to make positive connections with other people to gain different perspectives whenever you can.  Even if you’re dead set against what a person stands for, everyone has motivations and reasons for what he or she does.  You don’t have to like it, but you can always learn from it.

Mike:  Pat, thanks for being part of this great blog series.  Please follow the links below to get in touch with Pat and most importantly, buy her books!

Pat’s book is available online in various formats on Amazon, B&N, Alibris and the Balboa Press Bookstore.

​http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Hill-Mothers-Journey-American/dp/1452569444/ref=sr_1_4_title_2_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1411604877&sr=8-4&keywords=a+girl+from+the+hill

​

​http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-girl-from-the-hill-patricia-l-mitchell/1115212574?ean=9781452569451

http://www.alibris.com/A-Girl-from-the-Hill-My-Mothers-Journey-from-Italian-Girl-to-American-Woman-Patricia-L-Mitchell/book/28402895?matches=10

http://bookstore.balboapress.com/Products/SKU-000621846/A-Girl-from-the-Hill.aspx

ARIA Expo Blog Tour, Nora Hall

Mike:  Hi, Nora.  I’m happy to have yet another Association of Rhode Island Author (ARIA) to introduce to my Overlords fan base.  As with the others, we’re going to do an old fashioned interview.  Here we go!

Mike:  Nora, please introduce yourself to my Overlords fans with a little information about you and where you’re from.

Nora: I’m Nora Hall, author of Survive Your Husband’s Retirement. The book is a light-hearted look at the trials, joys and tribulations of adjusting to a retirement marriage. My husband’s retirement sparked the research and the research sparked the book!

Mike:  What are you working on these days and what’s the current status of that project?

Nora:  Right now I’m working on creating workshops to help people plan for and adjust to the changes that frequently occur when we retire. Although Survive was primarily written for women with retired husbands, I have discovered that almost everyone experiences some difficulty adjusting to retirement. Consequently, the workshops focus on the social changes we ALL encounter in retirement––regardless of whether one is single, married, in a partnership or even an almost total recluse. I am also working on my second book, Retirement Shock. It will include information and support for all of the above situations.

Mike:  Can you tell the audience what inspires you to write?

Nora: First and foremost, I am inspired by really good writers such as Myala Angelou, Nicholas Evans or our own RI writer, Betty Cotter. Content wise, I’m inspired by people who have strong views of retirement––positive or negative and their stories.

Mike:  What genre do you enjoy writing the most?

Nora: My favorite genre is Historical Fiction—-from centuries ago as well as just yesterday.

Mike:  Any upcoming projects we should now about?

Nora: In addition to participating in ARIA’s Expo on November 8th, I’ll be speaking on  Retirement Shock at the HIVE in North Kingstown on October 30.

Mike:  OK, time for some quick ones, ready?  Favorite food or dish to make?

Nora:  My favorite foods are just about any kind of fish and great hors d’oeuvres. 

to cook…Sometimes I like to explore and create a new recipe—especially when I don’t have the ingredients in house that the recipe calls for.

Mike:  Favorite place you have ever visited?

Nora:  Waiheke Island in New Zealand

Mike:  Favorite book, and no it can’t be one of yours!

Nora:  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I found the the author’s use of voice quite intriguing and I loved that I could enjoy a touching, but sad, story while also learning a great deal about the people who lived in Europe during WWII.

Mike:  Nora, thanks for being such a good sport!  Is there anything you would like to leave my fans with?

Nora:  Thanks for the opportunity to speak to your fans; I hope many of them will join us at the EXPO in November. Anyone seeking more information about my book or workshops can find it on www.surviveyourhusbandsretirment.com.

Mike:  Nora, thanks for being part of this great blog series.  Please follow the links below to get in touch with Nora and most importantly, buy her books!

ARIA Expo Blog Tour, Patricia Hinckley

Mike:  Hi, Pat!  I’m happy to have yet another Association of Rhode Island Author (ARIA) to introduce to my Overlords fan base.  As with the others, we’re going to do an old fashioned interview.  Here we go!

Mike:  Pat please introduce yourself to my Overlords fans with a little information about you and where you’re from.

Pat:  Thank you Mike for this opportunity to introduce myself and my book Claiming Space/Finding Stillness that inspires Action. I wrote this book because I feel it is so important for each of us to step back and take time for ourselves. We’re missing out on something really important when we don’t – and more and more studies are coming out showing the benefits of taking a little bit of time away from constant on the go and our gadgets. It’s an ongoing issue for me and I suspect for many others. So my book has simple ideas for taking care of yourself that don’t take lots of time and can be done wherever you are.

I moved form Asheville, NC to live near the beach in Wakefield, RI. I love it here.

Mike:  What are you working on these days and what’s the current status of that project?

Pat:  I am working on getting my book out into the world. I am offering classes and talks in various places.

Mike:  Can you tell the audience what inspires you to write?

Pat:  I was inspired to write when I saw this dance between action and time off in my life. I suspected it was larger than just me and wanted to explore it.

Mike:  What genre do you enjoy writing the most?

Pat:  Have only written this one non fiction book.

Mike:  Any upcoming projects we should now about?

Pat:  I will be signing books at the RIC Homecoming Festival on Saturday Oct 18 and on Sat. Nov. 8 at The 2nd Annual Rhode Island Authors Expo at the West Warwick Civic Center. Beginning Feb. 23 2015 I will teach a series of 3 classes based on my book and called Time for Your Whole Health at OLLI at URI.

Mike:  OK, time for some quick ones, ready?  Favorite food or dish to make?

Pat:  Ahhh food --- I love most of what is healthy and well prepared.

Mike:  Favorite place you have ever visited?

Pat:  Italy

Mike:  Favorite book, and no it can’t be one of yours!

Pat:  How can I possibly say – there are so many.

Mike:  Pat, thanks for being such a good sport!  Is there anything you would like to leave my fans with?

Pat:  Please do take time for yourself.  Discover what is hidden beneath the busy-ness of life.

Mike:  Pat, thanks for being part of this great blog series.  Please follow the links below to get in touch with Pat and most importantly, buy her books!

ARIA Expo Blog Tour, Edwin Lionel Flynn

Mike:  Hi, Edwin.  I’m happy to have yet another Association of Rhode Island Author (ARIA) to introduce to my Overlords fan base.  As with the others, we’re going to do an old fashioned interview.  Here we go! 

Mike:  Edwin, please introduce yourself to my Overlords fans with a little information about you and where you’re from.

Edwin:  Hi, Mike.  My name is Edwin Lionel Flynn and I am currently the Membership Director of the Fellowship of Elves.  The Fellowship of Elves is a secret society whose members share the job of helping and caring for Santa Claus. It is our job to help Santa spread his magic around the world each year for every new generation to enjoy.

Mike:  What are you working on these days and what’s the current status of that project?

Edwin:  I am currently helping Santa get his staff organized for the upcoming holiday season.  We are updating our behavior records, ramping up production in the workshop, and exercising the reindeer.  Most importantly, I am starting my annual Elf Fellow Recruitment Drive. Since helping Santa is such a tremendous task, the Fellowship of Elves is always looking for highly qualified candidates.  

If you know of child that is ready to learn the secret behind Santa’s magic and become one of Santa’s real helpers, please let us know!  Based on your recommendation, we will gladly help your child begin the process becoming  an official Elf Fellow.

Mike:  Can you tell the audience what inspires you to write?

Edwin:  My goal is to help parents foster a child’s transition from experiencing the joy of receiving to understanding the greater joy of giving.  As a child matures into preadolescence, learning the truth about how Santa’s Magic works is a special milestone indicating that he or she is becoming more connected to the outside world. The Fellowship of Elves wants to help you celebrate that your child  has matured to the special age where he or she is now old enough to learn how the kindness and generosity of the human spirit is connected to Santa’s magic.

Mike:  Any upcoming projects we should now about?

Edwin:  In addition to recruiting Elf Fellows, I  am very busy helping Santa update and compile his “Naughty and Nice List” for the upcoming holidays.  I am also helping the elves manage their workshop inventory and restock supplies for the busy season ahead.

Mike:  OK, time for some quick ones, ready?  Favorite movie?

Edwin:  My top pick is definitely “Elf”, but I also enjoy Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.

Mike: Favorite food or dish to make?

Edwin:   One of my favorite treats is the extra Christmas cookies Santa sneaks back to the workshop after he delivers all his gifts to the good boys and girls.  I always have a nice big mug of eggnog waiting for Santa when he returns late Christmas eve.

 Mike:  Favorite place you have ever visited?

Edwin: McAdenville, N.C. (pop. 619),  it has biggest holiday light display in the U.S., it  is often referred to as  Christmas Town.

Mike:  Favorite song?

Edwin:  “The Christmas Song”  by Nat King Cole

Mike:  Favorite book, and no it can’t be one of yours!

Edwin:  “T’was the Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore  and “How to Talk to Santa” by Alec Greven.

Mike:  Edwin, thanks for being such a good sport!  Is there anything you would like to leave my fans with?

Edwin:  If your child is ready to make the transition from the joy of receiving to understanding the greater life-long joy of giving, he or she is ready to become an Official Elf Fellow.  Let us help you foster the joy of giving and start a new family tradition that allows your child to help keep the magic of Santa alive for younger siblings, friends, and future generations to enjoy.

 *Keep a membership kit on hand and you will not be caught off guard when your child asks the inevitable question, “Is Santa Claus real?"

Finally always remember:  Small unexpected acts of kindness are the building blocks of greatness. Start your day with a smile and see where it takes you ... 

— Edwin Lionel Flynn

Mike:  Edwin, thanks for being part of this great blog series.  Please follow the links below to get in touch with Edwin and most importantly, buy his books!

Official website:

www.FellowshipofElves.com

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/fellowshipofelves