Interview with Danielle Zwissler of Firefly and Wisp Publishers

1. Did you start your writing career first or did that come later,
after joining Firefly and Wisp publishers?

I started my writing career first. I wrote a children's book called "The third wish." I entered this into a contest for scholastic and won a free computer, book contract and 3500 dollars That started the process...

2. What is some advice you have for all of the authors who choose to
go the self-publishing route?

There is nothing wrong with self publishing. You have to be your biggest cheerleader. You know that your book is good, and if you don't think so, you shouldn't self publish Self publishing is hard enough with the money, editing, and time constraints.. you need to have confidence in your writing and in yourself. Once you have that, you can do anything. The sky is the limit... NY TIMES Best seller title is next.

3. Who and/or what is your biggest inspiration and cheerleader when it
comes to your writing career?

My husband is definitely my biggest support as a writer. He tells me if something is stupid or if it doesn't gell well with a character. For example, when I was writing, "Her Last Chance," he would say, "there is no way that Bill would do that." lol... I would tease him and say, "well, he just did!"

4. Which of your books would you most like to see made into a movie?

I have put one of my books into a screen play and have been contacted by Lifetime Movie Network about it! Two Spoons, a collaboration between my husband and myself... He actually wrote the beginning part, and I went from that and took it into complete book form. It was fun, and he was a part of it, which made it even better.

5. Share your 5 favorite books and/or authors

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.. Obviously the wonderful goddess herself, JK ROWLING The Confessor, Terry Goodkind, Stone of Tears, Terry Goodkind... You can't go wrong with Fantasy

6. What are 5 random facts about yourself?

1.Sams Club Espresso Roast is my favorite 2. I have 4 bikinis but would never wear them out in public. 3. Last year I read over 400 romance novels, not including submissions to Firefly & Wisp. 4. My favorite vehicle is a minivan... Seriously.. I make them look good. 5. I love a man with a cowboy hat on..

Curse of Yama Winner!

Congratulations to Jennelle!

You've won a copy of The Curse of Yama!

Please leave us a way to contact you so we can mail you your copy!!!

DON'T CURSE YOURSELF! Read the interview, leave a comment and enter to win a copy of The Curse of Yama.

. 

If you want to live your life w/out regrets, you might want to read The Curse of Yama by K. F. Ridley. 

 Dumb old curse... When Dad unwittingly unleashes upon himself a deadly and ancient curse, it’s up to 12-year-old Chloe Walker to come to the rescue. Once the entire family is deep within the Indian rain forest, Chloe and her local friend, Sotol, head out to find a cure for the illness that threatens her father’s life. To find the Golden Seed, Chloe and Sotol risk life and limb, facing ruthless poachers, desolate elephant burial grounds, and the fantastical wilds of nature. With a magical amulet, arguing gibbons, a mama tiger on the run, and an impossible rope bridge that only a nut would try to cross—Chloe is on the adventure of a lifetime. Decode the map, find the seed, and defeat Yama. No problem... Yeah Right!

I'm a big fan of exiting Juvenile literature, as long as it has plenty of adventure.  I was not disappointed with The Curse of Yama.  If you like Indiana Jones, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Jungle Book, you will LOVE this exiting adventure that takes place in India.

K. F. Ridley takes you deep into the Indian jungle and through a unique adventure where magic, curses and riddles keep you turning pages to see what happens next.  And today, the Chicks are very pleased to have Kim herself visiting us!

As a child, K F Ridley was labeled as the kid with too much energy. Desperately, she did her best to conform to the ways of the world. Later, she realized she had to be herself. As a result, her imagination went wild. These days, she funnels her energy, exuberance, and high-jinx into her debut series, The C. Walker Adventures, beginning with, The Curse of Yama. There's no telling where her mind will take her-and you-next. 

Lets start from the beginning, why did you start writing children's literature?

I homeschooled my kids for 14 years. During that time, I had to read everything my kids read. I fell in love with children's literature all over again. It was different reading it as an adult. I wanted to tap in to my creative vault and become of apart of the writing community.How did you get the idea for The

Curse of Yama?

I love the movies (Indiana Jones, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Spyderwyck Chronicles...things like that). Also, we were studying the rainforest at the time. And things just kind of popped into my head. Scary isn't it??? LOL

How did you know so much about India?

Research. Research. Research. 

Have you been there?

No. I have never left the United States and actually only been to 3 other states in the Union. I haven't had the chance to travel much and I hope that is something that will soon change.

How long did it take to write it?

About 5 years the first time. I had to rewrite it and that took about a year. I but it down for several years after writing it in the 90's. But I got serious about getting published about 5 years ago.

Are you working on any other projects right now?

I am presently working on the sequel to The Curse of Yama, called THE CASTLE OF FAMILY SECRETS, as well as YA fantasy romance that is about finished called DIRT. It will be the first of The Dirt Trilogy.

Any words of encouragement for those who are still working on their WIPs or hoping to get published?

Don't ever give up and enjoy the process. Write as much as possible, and read as much as possible. Attend conferences. Learn your craft. God knows your heart. Do your best and leave the rest to Him.

Thanks Kim, for visiting with The Chicks today! I hope you come back and see us once DIRT comes out!  It looks awesome! ...If we are to judge a book by it's cover alone!  ;)

For those of you reading, make sure you leave a comment below and "Like"  The Curse of Yama for a chance to win a free copy of the book!

Victoria~The Sci Fi Chick-chick~

Hey everyone!!

My name is Victoria. I absolutely LOVE to read! I play the piano . . . and the violin . . . and the saxophone! During my free time I like to read (of course), write, draw, and do crafts. My favorite authors are Rick Riordan, Brandon Mull, Madeleine L’engle, and James Patterson. I’ve also become very interested in S.B. Niccum! I’ll read any genre, but my favorites are Science Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Mythical, and Fantasy.

I’m a teen contributor and hope to be able to offer good clean reads to youth & adults. I’m very exited to be part of this blog! Thank you so much Silvina for inviting me!

Rules

A Novel By Cynthia Lord

Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She’s spent years trying to teach David the rules from “a peach isn’t a funny-looking apple” to “keep your pants on in public” -in order to head off David’s embarrassing behaviors.

But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the potential next-door friend she’s always wished for, it’s her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?

This book was AMAZING! I read it three times; it was so good! It was filled with humor and warmth. It taught me a lot on what it would be like to have a brother with autism; the happy moments, the heart-braking moments and the humorous moments. This book was an easy read for me; but if your child is a reader I feel they could read it starting at age 9 and up. This definitely is another book to be added to my list of favorites!

This book is the recipient of many awards, check out her brag list!

Winner of:Newbery Honor Medal
Schneider Family Book Award
Mitten Award (Michigan Library Association)
Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan)
Maine Student Book Award
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award (Vermont)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
Great Stone Face Award (New Hampshire)
Buckeye Children's Book Award (Ohio)

~Parting Ways~ A Novel by Patrick Sipperly

    I am so excited and honored to bring our featured book to you this week. And an interview with author, Patrick Sipperly.
                   

     Peter Bishop's faith was  shaken by his Church, but his desire to live his life in the Grace of God never wavered. His Church was in his heart and not in the ways of Great Assemblies. Parting Ways is for everyone, but especially for those who have struggled with their faith or the workings of their church.
     I was very touched by this fight to do the right thing and knowing in your soul what the right thing is for you as an individual.

     Enjoy some time with Patrick Sipperly to see what makes him tick and watch the trailer at here.

Who is Pat Sipperly?

Just an average guy who loves his God, his family and his country. I've spent a good part of my life in ministry and video production. My greatest desire is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others and point souls to heaven. I'd like to invest my life into accomplishing that using all the creative talents and gifts God has given to me.

What inspired you to write? And what was the inspiration for writing this particular book "Parting Ways"?

For many years, I've had a desire to make great movies with a wholesome, godly message. But “making movies” is too broad of a term when you consider all the necessary ingredients that go into making movies. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the story was most important to me, so I pursued writing screenplays. While I was writing my first screenplay, Snowed Inn, I connected with a friend from high school who had a burning desire to write a novel. We started talking more about writing and later collaborated on a book of short stories called Time Out On A Roller Coaster. After we published that book, I started thinking more seriously about writing a novel rather than a screenplay. If a screenplay doesn't turn in to a movie, it just lays there collecting dust. With a novel, at least you have something to show for your work. Then if it's good enough, it can turn in to a movie. Parting Ways touches on some of the most important elements of life to me like faith, church, and the scriptures. I hope to make it the first book in a trilogy.

As writers, we are always told to write what we know. Does this book mirror your life in any way?

Parting Ways reflects many personal experiences both good and bad. I've incorporated snippets of my time in the military, both sides of the pulpit in ministry, working in a coffee house, and traveling in Arizona.

Many authors have a certain time of day when their creativity peaks. When do you feel most creative?  And is there a special place you like to write?

I have to admit, I'm a bit of a moody person. Time of day is less influential than being in the right frame of mind and creative mood. I get some of my best ideas in the shower or on one of my long walks. I'm still working on the discipline of writing whether I feel like it or not. As far as a special place to write, I don't have a special desk at all. I prefer to sit comfortably on the couch near window with my computer on my lap and coffee nearby.

Do have a favorite method of writing, for instance, do you use an outline or do you like to just go were the story takes you?

Learning to write screenplays first has really helped me to stay on track. I can go off on a crazy unimportant tangent quite easily and the story can get bogged down. With a screenplay, timing and page count are very important because of production budgets. It's not the same with books. Working from an outline, and regularly asking myself, “Why is this section important? How does this move the story forward?” helps me to keep focused.  

What other projects are you working on?

I have the outline for the next book in my mind that will continue the Parting Ways story. I'm also still producing videos and still plan to make movies. The media landscape is constantly changing and I'm prayerfully navigating which direction to go for the future.

Where can we find you? (websites, blogs, etc.)

I have three primary outlets online.

For writing: www.PatrickSipperly.com

For words of encouragement and churches meeting in homes: www.ChristianHomeChurch.com

For Video Production, Voice Talent or Graphic Design: www.ArizonaVideoCompany.com

by Cindy Schuerr ~The Ethereal chick~