Author Spotlight Week - Michelle Levigne shares her favorite TV Series

Favorite TV series .... current or old?

Old series .... M*A*S*H -- after BJ and Col. Potter joined the cast. The writers explored a lot of issues, dealt with real questions of ethics and responsibility. Before those 2 characters joined, most of the episodes were ... stupid, focused on sex and drinking and flouting authority whenever possible. After ... the characters grew and changed. I liked how Margaret changed, her relationships, her friendships with the nurses. I liked how Hawkeye learned to play nice, to get off his high horse and listen and let Col. Potter teach him about what really matters. All the characters were good people with rough edges, thrown together in a horrid situation, and trying to do some good. I can still remember how life effectively STOPPED short on campus, when that last episode of M*A*S*H aired. Every single TV in every single dorm was watching it. (Okay, almost every TV was tuned to Luke and Laura's wedding, too, but honestly ....) That says something about the pervasiveness of a show that has something to say to everyone.

I was always irritated that I never got a chance to propose a script to the producers. I was a drama student, still learning screenwriting, but I had ideas!

Author Spotlight Week - Michelle Levigne shares her passion for Inspirationals

I think part of the fun of writing inspirationals, the attraction is the freedom to write openly what I believe, and to explore issues that question or challenge that belief.

Inspirational fiction allows me to talk freely, to preach without words -- to borrow from St. Francis. It allows me to stage a drama to show my faith in action, and explore the questions and problems. Because it's staged as fiction, there's a distancing, a safety zone, so to speak, and people are more likely to read stories than to read essays or listen to lectures. People who don't share my moral and spiritual beliefs are still likely to read my stories because they're good stories ... and some of what I believe might infiltrate, plant seeds, touch their subconsious.

Subversive, huh?
Like the old Mylon LeFevre album -- Sheep in Wolves' Clothing.

Author Spotlight Week - Q&A with Michelle Levigne

STEPH: I don't know much about Behind The Scenes. Can you tell us a little about the story?

MICHELLE: BEHIND deals with the Randolph family "crisis" that is mentioned in several other Tabor Heights books -- Joel and Emily, the parents, were hit by a drunk driver in a construction truck, and the university and church community rallied around them to help out, including staging a Shakespearean production at their theater, Homespun.

Readers also met Joel and Emily in the short story, "Homespun," which shows how they met and fell in love during summer stock.

Max, 4 years old in the short story, is now 25/26, and making a name for herself in writing novels and screenplays and stage plays. She is left in charge of the theater and her half-brothers while her parents are in the hospital. Her best friend and writing partner, Tony Martin, is in CA as a writer-in-residence when the book opens. He hurries home to support Max, and is stumped how to share with her the insight he gained while he was away: He's in love with her. He knows, from writing romance with her, that Max won't appreciate him breaking the news at the wrong time -- but what IS the right time?

Things get complicated when Joel's sister, Rose, shows up, and essentially moves in with him. And Max has a production of "Taming of the Shrew" to stage. And a book that is going to miss its deadline. And a temperamental actor to deal with. And the big problem of a film fellowship that she won -- that will take her to California, right into the path of her birth father, who doesn't even know Max exists. Thanks to Max placing in the fellowship, using her mother's maiden name as her pen name, and the sudden media attention from the accident, Max's natural father knows she exists now. And that, along with someone trying to steal her writing identity, might destroy her career before it can get started.

How's Tony going to convince Max that they belong together, as more than writing partners, when she has so many distractions?



STEPH: What was in the inspiration for the story?

MICHELLE: I honestly can't remember the exact germ of the idea, but it originally started as a series of half-hour scripts for a TV series I proposed to the Family Channel, back when CBN owned it. And the original story began after Joel was killed in that traffic accident, leaving Max and her two brothers running the theater. In the original story, Emily had been dead several years. And Rose showed up for Joel's funeral, having been kicked out of the house by their tyranical father. So she moves in with Max and her brothers because she has nowhere else to go.

So you can see, I changed a LOT of things when I turned it into a book!

As for the TV series ... the production company chose "Big Brother Jake" instead of my series. Does anybody remember "Big Brother Jake"? Nope! Their loss....

STEPH: How long have you been writing?

MICHELLE: Seriously, aiming toward publication ... my sophomore year of high school. I'd been scribbling story ideas, sometimes tending toward fan fiction, since junior high. I remember a Star Trek-type story I tried to write. I had one of those 3-prong folders, that you put reports in. I filled it with notebook paper, and wrote the opening couple of scenes -- stranding the captain's daughter on an alien planet. Then I couldn't figure out what came next, so I flipped to about halfway through the stack of papers -- maybe 50 pages, and started writing the scenes where the ship comes back to the planet. I figured I'd fill in the middle later. Yeah, right!

STEPH: How do you create your characters? Do you cast them? If so, who are the leads?

MICHELLE: Sometimes I cast characters. For BEHIND, I cast Jim Burnes (Joe Dawson, from the Highlander TV show) as Joel Randolph. And Ricardo Montalban was Carlo Vincente, Max's natural father, right from the TV series writing days. Emily was kind of nebulous, as were Joe and Jeremy. I was Max, of course. I always make myself a character in lots of my books -- at least, at the beginning. Then as it grows and solidifies, I take off the mask, so to speak, and step back and let the characters do what they want.



STEPH: How did the story find a home with Desert Breeze?

MICHELLE: I had my Mafia cousin, Guido, make Gail an offer she couldn't refuse.


Actually, I just pitched the first story, "The Second Time Around," and wrote on the cover page, "A Tabor Heights, Ohio Novel." Gail asked if I had any other Tabor Heights books, and if so, what were they about .... and from there it was history. It's kind of intimidating, the responsibility of trying to make sure each subsequent book is just as good as the one before.



STEPH: What's your favorite place to go to vacation?

MICHELLE: Y'know, I don't really go on vacations. Because that kind of means doing things other than writing, and I'm kind of addicted to this thing, y'know? When I was working, and I had paid vacations, I usually used my vacation time to go to conferences. I'd do the sightseeing thing sometimes, but there's always this guilty feeling of "Why aren't you writing?" that kind of ruins any goofing off time.

That's awful, isn't it?

I like the Lake Erie islands. Just for a day. And there was this canoeing trip we took to Canada when I was in high school -- just the quiet and cleanness and scenery. And I liked the inland passage in Florida - we traveled it by water taxi/ferry.

If I went away for a week, you know I'd have my computer open and writing at least four hours every day, and what kind of vacation is that?

STEPH: Fun question: If you were a NASCAR driver, who would you want to sponsor your car?

MICHELLE: Hmmmm, they usually have a few sponsors, don't they?
How about .... TJ Maxx, Target, Fictionwise/B&N, and Hershey's!

Author Introduction - Welcome Author Jillian Chantal to the Desert Breeze Family

STEPH: Jillian, welcome to Desert Breeze. Tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up?

JILLIAN: I spent my elementary school days in Virginia about thirty miles outside of Washington, D.C. where my father was in Federal Civil Service. We moved to Pensacola, Florida when I was in the sixth grade when his job relocated him. I loved living in Virginia where there was a distinct change of seasons. The move to Pensacola was kind of a shock- the two things I remember having the most impact on me were (1) the friendliness of the people. People would greet me on the street and say hello (or hey, in the vernacular) even if they didn’t know me. (2) The shocking lack of clothing. I came from a place where we wore knee socks, mid calf dresses and real shoes. I moved to a place where everyone had bare legs, flip flops and mini skirts. And most shocking of all, bare midriffs. I’m happy to say it took me less than a week to acclimate and, to this day, I abhor panty hose.

STEPH: Who were some of your favorite authors growing up?

JILLIAN: I adored all of the British writers. Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Noel Streatfeild.

STEPH: What genre do you write?

JILLIAN: I call it romantic adventure with an international flair. I think traditionally, it would be romantic suspense. I usually stay in the contemporary arena but my Desert Breeze Publishing upcoming release is a historical set in 1920.

STEPH: You have an upcoming release with Desert Breeze. Can you tell us when, the title, and let us know what it's about?

JILLIAN: July 2011 is the release date. It’s called Redemption for the Devil. It’s a 1920 historical. The hero is a member of the Irish Republican Army on a mission against the English. The heroine is an Irish lass that signs on to work on the RMS Mauretania to earn her way to America and a new life. Most of the adventure takes place at sea between Southampton and New York Harbor but there is an element of Chicago gangsters and Arctic exploration as well.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

JILLIAN: Yes, I have the Sony.


STEPH: Do you have any other books that are available

JILLIAN: I have a release in January 2011 called Solo Honeymoon. I also have a few short stories published under both this name and my real name. I use this pseudonym for my romance stories and my real name for the general fiction.

STEPH: Can you tell us a little about the state you live in?

JILLIAN: Florida is unique. It’s a huge state and from where I live, I can drive to North Carolina faster than I can get to Miami. I actually live eight miles from the Alabama line going toward Mobile. My part of the state is green and has lots of trees. The southern part is much more tropical. My hometown is a casual, fun, beach town. I love living here.

STEPH: Just for fun: pick your favorite: Monet, Picasso, or Renoir?

JILLIAN: Renoir- I like the fact that he uses people in his works. It is very hard to paint people that look realistic and I like realism.

STEPH: Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? Have you done it in the past?

JILLIAN: Last year was my first time doing NaNoWriMo and I had a ball with it. I got the 50,000 words written in 21 days. I later edited the story to 75,000 words and I’m proud to say it’s the story that Desert Breeze Publishing is releasing in July 2011. So, I’m definitely in again. This year, I’m writing a story that’s tentatively called Obsession. Who knows, it could be my next release with Desert Breeze!

STEPH: Where can we find you on the web?

JILLIAN: I have my own blog/website at http://jillianchantal.wordpress.com/ and I’m also part of a group blog called the Southern Sizzlers where I blog every Saturday about the bad boy of the week, it’s called Badurday http://southernsizzleromance.wordpress.com/ You can email me at JillianChantal@gmail.com

Author Introduction - Welcome Author Theresa Stillwagon to the Desert Breeze Family

STEPH: I'd like to welcome author Theresa Stillwagon to the blog. Her Desert Breeze Release is Saving Pale Moon and will be released 15 April 2011.

Theresa, welcome to Desert Breeze. Tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up?


THERESA: I was borned and raised in a small town in Ohio called Conneaut. I lived there most of my life until I went into the Air Force in the late '70s. The older I got the colder it seemed so my husband and I decided to buy an RV in 2006 and start traveling. Right now we're living in Savannah, Georgia. This new lifestyle is both a blessing and a curse, but I'd never change it for the world.

STEPH: Who were some of your favorite authors growing up?

THERESA: I really can't remember anyone specific. I did read a lot though.

STEPH: What genre do you write?

THERESA: I write contemporary romance,

STEPH: You have an upcoming release with Desert Breeze. Can you tell us when, the title, and let us know what it's about?

THERESA: I have a western contemporary coming out April 15, 2011 called Saving Pale Moon. Basically it's about a woman unsatisfied with her life who decides to meet her birth mother. In the process, she also meets the love of her life. He doesn't really trust her. He doesn't understand why she showed up at the ranch twenty years after finding out about her birth mother. Pale Moon is a stallion that she evidently gets to trust her. Watching her with the horse, the hero realizes he can trust her to.
I loved writing this book.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

THERESA: No, but I want one. The only thing I've wanted for Christmas for the last two or three years is an ebook reader. Maybe this year.

STEPH: Do you have any other books that are available?

THERESA: Yes, I have three other romances out now. I write for two other epubs.

STEPH: Can you tell us a little about the state you live in?

THERESA: I live in Georgia now. I love it here even though it was a culture shock when we first moved from Ohio. After living in the north for so long, it seemed like a completely different country to me. I don't notice that difference now. I love the history of the area around here. Savannah is a beautiful city. My husband and I haven't seen many sites around yet but we plan on traveling around the state in the next year or two.

STEPH: Just for fun: pick your favorite: Monet, Picasso, or Renoir?

THERESA: It's between Monet and Renoir I'm thinking. Isn't Picasso the guy who paints weird symbolic stuff? If I'm looking at a picture of a tree, I need to see a tree.

STEPH: Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? Have you done it in the past?

THERESA: No, not this year. I did do it a few years ago. I actually enjoyed it. Nothing like putting yourself under pressure to get some work done. The book may be far from perfect but at least you can put 'the end' on it.

STEPH: Where can we find you on the web?

THERESA:

My website --
http://www.theresastillwagon.webs.com

My blog --
http://www.tstillwagon.wordpress.com

Author Spotlight week -Excerpt from Black Jaguar

THE BLURB:
Kahuel of Yalta, nicknamed Black Jaguar like his emerald-eyed feline, volunteered to sail away on his brother's Galleon go get away from his roguish past, and prove his worth as a blood prince. When a typhoon hits, and he realizes the powerful Mutant who commandeered the expedition has ulterior motives, his world is turned upside down.

Talina of the Chosen has never seen a foreigner, until destiny brings to her shores a group of baffling strangers who cannot read minds… among them a prince, and the Lost Daughter of the prophecy. She knows her fate is about to change, but the Star People protecting her clan view the outsiders as a threat to their crucial experiment.

Can Black Jaguar, with his few warriors and felines, simple weapons and Human ingenuity, save Talina and her people from a horrible fate? Against impossible odds, can he prevail upon a highly advanced enemy?

EXCERPT:

When the tall, dark man emerged from the thick vegetation, so close, Talina thought her heart would stop. He paused and stared at her with deep emerald eyes.

Sitting on her favorite stump, Talina stiffened and averted her gaze to the waterfall beyond him. "I called you here, Black Jaguar."

"You speak our language?" His eyes rounded in surprise. He looked pleased. A light touch on his mind told her he was pleased to see her... and more. "How do you know my name?"

"That's what your people call you, isn't it?" She didn't dare meet his striking green gaze.

"Indeed." He strode closer, the scabbard on his hip clicking against high leather boots. He wore short blades on his belt as well... forbidden blades. Up close, he smelled of sea spray.

Talina jumped off her stump and took a step back, keeping the stump safely between them. "I saw your people bring you the boar they killed."

Black Jaguar grinned, revealing strong white teeth. "It's a great way to start the day, knowing that we won't starve."

"Killing land animals for food is cruel and cowardly." Talina detected no shame in his mind. He was proud of what he was, and that scared her. "They have no defense against your metal blades."

"Believe me, the boar had a fighting chance." Black Jaguar chuckled. "Have you seen his tusks?"

Talina shuddered. How could anyone be so mean? "You should be ashamed of yourselves."

"We have to eat, and meat is best for a warrior's strength." He straightened his spine, exulting pride. "We Zerkers are warriors."

"Warriors?" Talina understood the word, but the implications were too odious to comprehend.

"It's easier to fight on a full stomach." Black Jaguar exuded a lusty happiness.

"Fight? Fight what? Fight whom?" All Talina believed to be good in this world would be trampled by a people who glorified fighting.

Black Jaguar froze and frowned at her. "Why are you looking at me as if I'd killed your best friend?"

"That boar was a friend." Talina choked on the words. "All the animals in this jungle are my friends." Anger clouded her mind. "Your people are truly evil, like my brother said, like the Star People said."

"The Star People?" His eyes narrowed as if he struggled to understand. But of course, he didn't. He couldn't read her mind.

Talina steeled herself. "I didn't want to believe them, but now I see why they want you and your people dead. You do not deserve to live."

Black Jaguar's dark face hardened and his jaw clenched. "Only the Great Engineer decides who lives and who dies."

Author Spotlight week -Vijaya Schartz shares her favorite authors

Author Victor Hugo

When I came to America (I was born and raised in France) I discovered the fantasy section of the bookstore and my greatest fear was that I wouldn’t buy enough books to last me the entire week. From Terrence Brook, Anne McCafrey’s dragons, and historical fantasy sagas, like The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. But when it came to pure science-fiction literature, I loved the stories, like the Dune series by Frank Herbert, but some other sci-fi was a little too out there and unbelievable, and I missed the romance. And in literary Science fiction, the ending is often dark, not always satisfying, or it’s an open ending. I hate that.
From my childhood, I still love the French classics, Antoine de Saint Exupery (The Little Prince is his best known work in America but he wrote incredibly beautiful novels) Victor Hugo is a god in my eyes, the nineteenth century equivalent of Hemingway, and I love Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers). All have a special place in my heart.

In romance, I love Diana Gabaldon (although she doesn’t consider herself a romance author), but I read across the line and one of my favorite authors is Richard Bach (his airplane stories remind me of the French author St.Exupery).
Maybe because I am French, I bring something foreign to my stories, and that’s why I fit so well in sci-fi.

Author Spotlight Week -Vijaya Schartz shares her favorite movie

When it comes to sci-fi, I would have to say there are more relevant TV shows than movies. If you do not count horror movies (like the Alien series) true sci-fi movies are rare. There was THE MATRIX series, of course, a little dark but very interesting intellectually, like most good sci-fi movies. There was the blue flying creatures of Avatar. I loved that one, but mostly for the special effects. The last sci-fi movie I saw in a theater was with Leonardo Di Caprio, a tangled mess of dreams within dreams. I liked it, but found it a little too twisted. My husband didn’t get it at all.

But my favorite kind of sci-fi movies are space operas, like Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate. These are the movies I really enjoy without having to twist my brain cells into knots. After all, I go to the movies to relax and see the good guys win. But that’s just me. I’m a sucker for popular fiction. And that’s another reason why I write romantic sci-fi. I’m definitely partial to good endings, and I hate it when characters you’ve learned to love don’t get the happiness they deserve.

TV, though is where I find my regular sci-fi fixes. From Battlestar Galactica to Caprica, from Stargate SG1 to Stargate Atlantis and now Stargate Universe, even daily reruns of Star Trek the next generation, I have to have at least one hour of sci-fi to enjoy before I can go to bed. In the summer, I also watch Eureka, whimsical and inventive. To think of it, no wonder I write sci-fi. All these shows are running in my head while I sleep. LOL

Author Spotlight Week -Vijaya Schartz shares her passion for Science Fiction

I've been a sci-fi fan since childhood. I was reading it from the school library, hiding behind my bed, driving my mother crazy. Of course, I was also reading detective stories, and adventure stories. But I watched all the sci-fi movies and TV shows. It was like a drug. I couldn't wait until I could go on a spaceship myself and explore the universe. Turns out I was born a little too early for that. Do you know that if you fly high enough in a plane, you can see the curvature of the Earth? Well, I’ve seen it. But I’m also watching the progress of Virgin Space Flights (they have regular update documentaries on the Science Channel) and I hope it will be possible for anyone to travel in space in the next few decades. It’s definitely on my bucket list.

So, naturally, when it came to my own writing, it made sense that I would write sci-fi. At first, it was straight sci-fi and weird fantasy, then my stories took a more romantic turn. Why not have the best of both worlds. All women like romance (whether they admit it or not). So now I write sci-fi romance. it's still a fully developed science-fiction plot, with a love story throughout. But even without the romance element, the story would stand on its own. That's what makes what I write sci-fi romance, and not futuristic romance, where the future is only a backdrop for a sizzling love story, with not much of a realistic plot.

I like to sprinkle a lot of action and adventures in my books, and dangers, and difficult situations. I love to get my characters in jeopardy, then figure out a way of getting them out of there (or leaving them stuck together long enough, so they can learn to appreciate each other). And what better place for that than being prisoner on a spaceship? Of course, that’s what happens in Black Jaguar.

Author Spotlight Week - Q&A with Vijaya Schartz

STEPH: I'd like to welcome author Vijaya Schartz to the Spotlight this week. Vijaya has an awesome series, the Chronicles of Kassouk which I enjoyed very much. I hope you get a chance to check it out.

Black Jaguar is your latest release in the Chronicles of Kassouk. Can you tell us a little about the story?

VIJAYA: This particular story is one of exploration. At this point in the series, the Human population has grown, and for the first time crosses the ocean on a Galleon. They do not expect people, even less mind-readers, and the hero soon realizes that there is more at stake than a culture clash. As usual in my books, there is plenty of adventure, and some cool but sinister aliens with an important agenda, who are going to make life extremely difficult for my hero and heroine. But this is also a romance, so there is a developing relationship throughout the book, and all the expected romantic rewards... but you'll be wondering until the end.

STEPH: What was in the inspiration for the story?

VIJAYA: I definitely had in mind the plight of the conquistadors, isolated, away from home, and the plight of the indigenous tribes coming in contact with a technically more advanced people. I do not take sides, history is what it is. But since it's science-fiction, why not imagine a better world, where people try to get along despite enormous obstacles.

STEPH: How long have you been writing?


VIJAYA: I've been writing since childhood, but for publication only since the mid nineties. My first paperback came out in 2000 and I had many books published since. After a dozen, I stopped counting. Many of my older titles are now out of print, but I intend to bring them back to light in eBook very soon.

STEPH: How do you create your characters? Do you cast them? If so, who are the leads?

VIJAYA: Sometimes a novel is the heroine's story, and sometimes it's the hero's. In this case, Kahuel, aka Black Jaguar, is the hero. He starts as a young, inexperienced, roguish prince, thrown in a position of responsibility by extraordinary circumstances, but he learns and grows in wisdom and tolerance. By the very end of the book he is completely transformed. The heroine is already wise, but she has problems of her own, the most important being cultural. She is an animal lover, a vegetarian, and he is a hunter and a meat eater. But when it comes to bonding rituals and mating rules, Kahuel is up for a big surprise...

STEPH: What attracts you to writing science fiction/futuristic?

VIJAYA: Sci-fi is the last frontier of fiction. Anything is possible, there is no limit to the imagination. There are no boundaries or rules, other than those you impose yourself on the world you create. Besides, I've always been for progress, technological advances. My husband says I must come from the future. I was inventing epads with GPS, blue tooth, and instant picture transmission in my books years before the technology came out. I think the ipad stole my idea - just kidding :-) Although Sci-Fi writers do influence technology. Where do you think they got the idea of a flip phone? If you watched the first Startrek series, you know where.

STEPH: How did the story find a home with Desert Breeze?

VIJAYA: Actually, Desert Breeze contracted this title way before the book was written, as it's parts of a series. This is Book Three, and two more books will follow. I'm actively writing book Four, Blue Lioness, scheduled for release in 2011, and book five is scheduled for 2012.

STEPH: Do you have any hobbies you'd like to share with us?

VIJAYA: When does a writer find time for hobbies? I don't know. But there are a few things I love to do, although I don't have much time anymore. I love martial arts (no wonder most of my heroines are butt-kicking warriors). I sometimes jump out of perfectly good planes (and I am terrified of heights). I have an eye for color, and I used to paint, but not for a long time. Writing is taking up all my free time (event my sleep when I dream).

STEPH: What's your favorite place to visit in Arizona? A festival? A town?

VIJAYA: Arizona is wonderful. I love the many national parks, with the Anasazi ruins in particular (which inspired some of my past stories), also love the Grand Canyon (I did some rough water rafting on the Colorado river), and the red rocks of Sedona full of ancient myths and legends.

STEPH: Fun question: Who is your favorite cat? A Tiger, Leopard, or Jaguar?

VIJAYA: Like in my books, when readers ask me who is my favorite hero, it's always the one I am writing at the time. So, although I loved to write about Rascal the leopard, and Diablo the black jaguar, I would have to say that my favorite feline at this particular time is a silver blue lioness named Hellion.

Thank you Steph, for your insightful questions.

STEPH: It was great to have you here today, Vijaya. You can find her on the web at:

Vijaya Schartz
Award-winning Sci-Fi, Guns, Swords, Romance with a kick
http://www.vijayaschartz.com

Vijaya's paperbacks, kindle, and audiobooks at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JP7UJ4

Vijaya's eBooks at ARe:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Vijaya+Schartz

STEPH: PS - Did I mention, Vijaya's first book in the series, "White Tiger," won the Arianna Award from EPIC for best cover? Kudos to Vijaya for writing a kick-ass story and to the cover artist, Jenifer Ranieri for bringing Vijaya's vision to life!