Jamallah Bergman- Guest Author Interview

Jamallah Bergman

Website: http://jamallahbergmansstoriesoflove.weebly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamallahbergmanauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/silentbutloud1
Book Page: http://www.amazon.com/Jamallah-Bergman/e/B006HT16WY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Publisher Name: Secret Cravings Publishing

Question: What inspired you to write your first book?

“Well my first book “”If…Only You Knew”” was a story that came about by way of me dealing with some issues in my life that really made me want to write this story. I was dealing with alot of issues as far as my health and it got me to thinking about how I had wished things could have been better in my life and stuff. It was a pretty grey period that I am glad I don’t have to go down that road anymore.
I had been thinking about someone from my past that meant a great deal to me when I was in high school. I didn’t really enjoy going to high school much less school period because from the time I was in 3rd grade up until I graduated from high school, I was bullied by my classmates on a daily basis. But there was always a ray of sunshine when I ran into my friend, who I have named him “”J”” because as of to this day, he doesn’t know that my 1st book was written with him in mind.
He was a jokester, a funny man, he was also very handsome and popular with everyone and I called him my good friend. I had a tendency to make friends with alot of guys (most of which played sports or where very popular) and he was one of the many. He never treated me badly, never called me names or anything like the others. He treated me like an equal which I really cherished alot. As I got to know “”J””, I developed feeling for him, which was not common for me because I had the knack for having crushes on guys that I knew I could never get with and eventually I would get heartbroken over the outcome, which was me getting hurt.
Well this is what happened with “”J”” for I had fallen hard for the guy but I didn’t want to lose my friendship with him because, as I said, our friendship meant the world to me and I decided to never tell him how I felt. He went onto graduated from high school and I never got the chance to tell him exactly how much of an important part of my life he was.
I decided to write about this because there are people who have felt like I have, where they are too shy and too timid for they’ve been through so much in their lives that they are afraid to say anything to the one person that they want to tell their feelings for. I based it on my own experience with “”J”” because I know there are plenty of people out there who wished they would have had a second chance in telling their feelings for the one they love.”

Question: Do you have a specific writing style?

“I usually get my ideas from one of the following things:
1. Talking with people
2. A picture I’ve seen
3. A idea that pops up if I hear a song

I really don’t have a style, I start off with the characters and if I feel like I know what they will look like, I write it down and then build up everything else about the people from there. I also think up their names, along with the secondary names of characters too.
Really and truly it’s no big thing for me because the ideas pop up automatically.”

Question: What are your current projects?

“Right now I am in the midst of several things, most importantly I am finishing up on the 4th and final book in my The Ciprianos of Kellington series “”Federico””.

I am also in the midst of two other stories right now, one I’m very passionate about as well as another that I know will be very emotional.”

Question: Do you have any advice for other writers?

“Never give up on what you believe in.
Never let anyone tell you that you can’t write and that writing is nothing because I’ve had people tell me that and made me weary about even becoming a writer. People will want to drag you down and make you feel that you can’t do what you’ve always set your mind and heart to do.

Also don’t get discouraged over a bad review…….I know easier said than done for I’ve had bad reviews myself from people who have read my work and its very hurtful to see your work being down played and basically torn down by someone. It’s hard reading them because you’ve put so many hours of work into your story, only to have a some leave remarks about how bad it is. I’ve been discouraged plenty of times by comments about how people hated what I’ve written but I’ve also had some who have contacted me about how they love my work and how much the stories and characters meant to them. For those people, I write for.”

Rachel Walter – Guest Author Interview

Rachel Walter

Website: http://rachelwalterauthor.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/rachelwalterauthor
Twitter: http;//twitter.com/rachelw_auth
Book Page: http://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Walter/e/B00DX77Q1I
Publisher: Rachel Walter

Question: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Aside from preparing a novel for my editor, I’m working on a Young Adult Contemporary. It’s called Pucked and the story follows two teenagers through their chaotic journey to adulthood. It touches on several real issues that some teens are subjected to, such as Parental Alienation.

Question: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

“You are not alone and you are loved.
That’s a big theme in most of my work.”

Question: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Madeline Sheehan is one of my favorite authors. She doesn’t write the hearts and flowers of life, she writes the raw, gritty romances that hang out in my head like they’re renting space. They’re powerful stories, deeper than I thought they’d be but amazing just the same. I never expected to like the Undeniable Series, it’s not my normal go to genre, and frankly I was afraid of Undeniable just from the blurb. But then she posted the beginning of Unbeautifully, and I knew I had no other choice but to read book one. Because of that, I’m positive I’ll read anything and everything that amazing woman puts out for us.

Question: Do you have any advice for other writers?

My advice is simple. Go with your gut, but always, always, always find an editor you can trust.

Questions: What are your current projects?

Soul Promise is my number one focus at the moment. It’s book two in my YA series, The Soul Mate Series. Once I send the file to my editor, I’ll be refocusing on my YA Contemporary, Pucked. And because I can’t work on one thing at a time, I have two works on the back burner. One is a romance and the other is a young adult paranormal.

Rick DeStefanis – Guest Author Interview

Rick DeStefanis
Website:http://rickdestefanis.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rickdestefanisphoto
Book Page:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5009527.Rick_DeStefanis
Publisher: Amazon/Create Space

 

Question: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

 

I believe I would not have used the sub-title, “A Vietnam Sniper’s Story.” Although it is a large part of The Gomorrah Principle, it is not THE story, nor is it the only story. I’ve actually been fortunate to receive a great many positive reviews from female readers who have discovered the deeper aspects of mystery and romance this novel contains. The flip-side of course is the number of strong reviews I am receiving from veterans. And their comments pertain more to the realistic portrayals of characters and events than they do to the inevitable battle scenes. If The Gomorrah Principle were accurately described, I suppose it might read something like,”A historical fiction, espionage thriller with elements of romance and mystery.”

Question: Do you have a specific writing style?

I like to write what I like to read–if that makes sense. In other words, I can spend four pages describing a summertime hillside in Vietnam, and lose my reader after a couple or three paragraphs, or I can blend that description with a ratcheting tension, my character’s inner thoughts and a variety of other literary techniques. I can put my reader in a scene and describe it such that the reader’s own imagination does the rest of the work. Pages 76 to 79 of The Gomorrah Principle are a good example of this. There are several very successful authors who drag their readers through the minutiae of multi-page descriptions of simple objects, and I truly believe they are exercises that demonstrate more of the writer’s ego than his or her skill with engaging readers. 

Question: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Naming single favorites of anything from food to authors is just something that doesn’t fit my way of thinking. I might want fresh buttered popcorn today, charcoal broiled porterhouse tomorrow and a pecan loaded chocolate brownie the next. Authors are the same, and my writing tends to reflect certain aspects of many different ones. I like the simplicity of prose used by certain twentieth century writers like Steinbeck and Hemingway. I like tension woven effectively like so many of our thriller authors do today. I especially like to set a scene with vivid, but simple descriptions, and I do have a particular author I believe does that well. James Lee Burke writes what I call “detective novels” that take place in southern Louisiana. I don’t particularly care for the subject matter, but I read and re-read his novels to study his style. He’s a master of the craft.    

Question: What are your current projects?

I have never been a fan of sequels or prequels, but I am presently working on a prequel to The Gomorrah Principle. Some reader friends have all but demanded it. This will be mostly Duff’s story. I am up to Chapter 16 right now, but finding it difficult to keep the tension and mystery with what be the inevitable ending. And the answer is “no, there will be no sequel.” I have another project I want to start, but that’s a discussion for another time. Right now, I’ve got to finish this one, and I need a title. Any suggestions?

Question: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Yes. If you’ve read The Gomorrah Principle share your thoughts with me on Facebook, and right a review of the book on Amazon or Goodreads. There is no better advertisement than word of mouth, and these are the best ways to get the word out to other readers.