Interview with Kevin Chapman @lollujo

The Digital Ink Spot would like to welcome Kevin Chapman and allow him to introduce himself to you.
Kevin Chapman: I spent the early part of my twenties holding down a sensible grown up job as a financial advisor and living a sensible grown up life with my wife and kids. I left my job when the financial crisis happened in 2008 and shortly after, got divorced, became a minor internet celebrity, moved my new partner in, got a first class honours degree in computing, became a teacher and started writing books about it all. I claim it’s not an early onset mid-life crisis. I live in Peterborough, UK with my fiancee, three kids, a cat and a dog called Dave.

The Digital Ink Spot: What are you trying to accomplish as a writer?
Kevin Chapman: I'm trying to entertain people. I've hosted a number of successful comedy podcasts over the last four years, and did my first live comedy show last year, with another one coming up in July this year. Writing seemed like the natural extension to all of that. Obviously I wouldn't ever suggest that I'm not interested in making from it, of course that'd be lovely, but I'm just about break even after four years of podcasting and blogging, so as long as I don't end up losing my house because of writing books, I'll consider that a job well done...

The Digital Ink Spot: Tell us about your latest book?
Kevin Chapman:  My first book, Best Thing From, is an irreverent memoir / Q&A with my co-host from the podcasts and comedy partner Richard Bass, in which we answer questions sent in via Twitter on topics also selected by our followers. The first chapter is about crisps (or potato chips I guess to American readers), and we somehow get 12 pages out of that, which should set the tone for the rest of the book nicely.

We're currently writing the follow up to that book, and I've also got a couple of solo projects on the go, one of which might see the light of day before the end of the summer, but it's too early to go into too much detail about it at this stage.

The Digital Ink Spot: Where can readers find you, (social media, readings, blogs, your books)?
Kevin Chapman: I'm all over the internet! The best place to find me is on Twitter @lollujo, or via personal website kevinchapman.co.uk. If you're desperate to visit every section of the internet I inhabit, all the details can be found on my about page. Away from the internet I'm a bit harder to find, but I am doing a live comedy show and book signing in my home town of Peterborough, UK, on 19th July. Full details are available at maturegamerpodcast.com.

The Digital Ink Spot: Why should people read your stories. What sets them apart from the rest?
Kevin Chapman: We've been described as two of the funniest people on the internet, and both the book and podcasts have received overwhelmingly positive reviews. If you're into rambling anecdotes about watching Superman as a child and being overcharged at theme parks, then our book is definitely for you.

Interview with Michelle Weidenbenner @MWeidenbenner1

Who is a tennis junkie, coffee-addict, blogger and psycho writer who gets crabby when life gets in the way of her word-count? Michelle Weidenbenner. The Digital Ink Spot asked Michelle Weidenbenner what it is she is trying to accomplish as a writer.

   

Michelle Weidenbenner: I write because I am. I am because I write. I want readers to read my stories even after I’m gone. I want to be remembered. What do I want to accomplish? Fun while I’m living. The joy of having the gift to teach and entertain readers.
My next YA novel is about a teen girl, but I don’t want to give away the premise. I haven’t seen it written before, and I don’t want someone else to grab it first. Normally I don’t worry about that sort of thing because we all tell stories differently, but this premise burns.

The Digital Ink Spot: When is your newest book available?
Michelle Weidenbenner: I have a children’s chapter book series that will launch this summer about a seven-year-old girl who has to live with her eccentric grandma when her mom gets sick and her dad leaves to find a new job. I’m in the editing stages of rewriting a young adult supernatural novel (the one I mentioned above) that I wish was done yesterday. I wrote it five years ago, but had to wait in a long line for the editor I wanted to work with. She’s a ninja who will make my writing shine.

The Digital Ink Spot: Where can readers find you?
Michelle Weidenbenner: I enjoy FB because I like to connect on an emotional level with readers and friends. I enjoy listening to their fear, joys, and sorrows. It’s life. I want to be in the thick of it with them, cry with them and pray for them. https://www.facebook.com/mweidenbenner
Twitter feels like a bunch of people shouting about themselves. It isn’t about warm relationships. It feels cold to me. Nonetheless, you’ll find me here: Twitter: @MWeidenbenner1
I love to share writerly information at my blog: http://www.randomwritingrants.com Random Writing Rants. My books are at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Weidenbenner/e/B00E21RMNG

The Digital Ink Spot: Why should people read your stories? What sets them apart from the rest?
Michelle Weidenbenner: My novels will take readers to new places where emotions run high. CACHE a PREDATOR will take readers geocaching for a while. If you don’t know what that is then you should read the book. It’s a fun sport. Well, most of the time, unless you find a body part in a cache box. SCATTERED LINKS takes readers to Russia and then to the states through the eyes of a young teenager who’s never learned how to love. Did you know some parents are trying to re-home their children? It’s true. Like pets. This book will give readers insight as to why this happens.

Interview with Carol Fragale Brill

The Digital Ink Spot was lucky enough to speak with Carol Fragale Brill, author of contemporary women's literature. We start the conversation with the question, Who are you as a writer and when did you start writing?
 
Carol Fragale Brill: I have loved stories ever since my parents read me Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Black Beauty at bedtime when I was five or six. I know Grimm’s may not seem like the stuff sweet dreams are made of, but mostly they read the ones about princesses being rescued by the prince. I started dreaming about writing a book when I was 20-something. It took me another 20 years to finally get started after reading Julia Cameron’s THE ARTIST WAY. The week after I finished the book’s twelve week course, I joined my first creative writing group. I often go back to the wonderful tools in THE ARTIST WAY—like morning pages, where you do a mind dump on paper to clear the cobwebs so the creative juices can flow, or an artist date, where you take yourself out to play to recharge your batteries.
I can’t remember if it is Julia Cameron, or Anne LaMott or Natalie Goldberg, but I heard one of them say writer’s block isn’t about being blocked, it’s about being empty. I try to remember that and do things that fill me up and rekindle my creativity—walking on the beach with my husband, reading women’s fiction, watching humming birds and dolphins.
One last tidbit about me as a writer. I keep a box of 96 crayons—a gift from my husband—on my desk. There’s a line in PEACE BY PIECE where the main character, Maggie says, “I never had a box of 64 crayons.” After reading that line in a very early draft, Jim bought me my box of 96—complete with the built-in sharpener. That green and yellow box is a constant reminder of his support, and I often skim through the box reciting the names of the colors when I need creative inspiration.

 Oh, and I’m still a sucker for happily-ever-after love stories. 

TDiS: What are you trying to accomplish as a writer?

Carol Fragale Brill: My goal when I stared writing creatively was to write a book. Amazingly, I have now written and published two, PEACE BY PIECE and CAPE MAYBE. Most of my writing time is devoted to my novels, blog, and book reviews for New York Journal of Books, with a little time left over to write and publish the occasional short story. After writing and rewriting my novels many times over a 15 year period, self-publishing both in less than a year is a huge accomplishment for me.
In addition to getting great reviews on my novels, my favourite successes regarding shorter works include an excerpt from my newest novel, CAPE MAYBE being recognized by Poets and Writers as the Maureen Egen Prize first runner-up for fiction—so close! One of my writer friends referred to the prize as my best rejection to date.
My short story “Violets”, a reimagined excerpt from PEACE BY PIECE, was published in The Best of Philadelphia Stories after being voted a reader favourite.

TDiS: When is your newest book available? 
Carol Fragale Brill: Both PEACE BY PIECE and CAPE MAYBE are available now in paperback and e-book. Tuesday May 20^th until Sunday May 25^th I’m running a countdown sale on CAPE MAYBE. Sales starts Tuesday at just 99¢.
Both CAPE MAYBE and PEACE BY PIECE are great beach reads, so here’s a chance to sample CAPE MAYBE just in time for Memorial Day and summer beach reading.  
I am thrilled— and a little intimated—that many PEACE BY PIECE and CAPE MAYBE readers want sequels. It’s funny because from the day I started writing PEACE BY PIECE and CAPE MAYBE, I was always sure the stories ended where I ended them. Now, readers have me wondering if there’s more in store for Maggie, Thomas, and Izzie in PEACE BY PIECE, and Katie and Dennis et al in CAPE MAYBE.

TDiS: What sets your stories apart? 
Carol Fragale Brill: What readers tell me sets my stories apart are realistic, well-rounded characters that they care about and that feel like real people they know. One of the hardest parts of crafting my novels was finding a balance between my characters’ strengths and flaws so that readers would relate to them. 
PEACE BY PIECE – Maggie’s story about love in all its many forms—friendship, family, unshakable first love, step-parenting—all overshadowed by anorexia and bulimia. 
CAPE MAYBE - Set in Victorian Cape May, CAPE MAYBE is Katie’s story of love and loss—of the memories, addictions, and secrets that haunt mothers and daughters— and the power of hard-earned hope.
  
I would like to thank Carol Fragale Brill for taking the time for this interview. You can find Carol Fragale Brill at: 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/18BM1md

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Carol-Fragale-Brill/112297472164769 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6924892.Carol_Fragale_Brill

Blog/Website: http://bit.ly/1jNIjO0 

Other:  http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/reviewer/carol-brill

SCATTERED LINKS Book Trailer

Review: Salted Lithium: A Short Story by Karen Jung @TweetKarenJung

Salted Lithium: A Short Story (Red Shorts Series)

Summary: Peter is puzzled. How did he get into this situation? But more importantly how can he get out of it? His road trip with Lisa from London to Hastings leads him and the strange girl towards an unforeseen destination.

Review:  This is my introduction into Jung's writings and what a great job. It takes off like a rocket and quickly reveals that there is more here than you expect. Jung has to pack a lot of information in very little space of only 14 pages. It is a job well done. Please read it carefully, Jung drops clues like bread crumbs for the reader to pick up and follow to their secret destination. It pays off.
Small price with a big ending. Read it.

Interview with Dr. Madhukar Dama @drmdama

The Digital Ink Spot spoke with Dr. Madhukar Dama and asked that he introduce themselves to our readers.

Dr. Madhukar Dama: I was born in India and is an Assistant Professor by job, and a scientist and author by interest. After a career in drug discovery, I am now dedicated to research, and take pride in spreading awareness about the hidden dangers of things that we use daily but take for granted. Most importantly, the effects of human activities on our environment and wildlife, and hazards of indiscriminate use of pesticides and misuse of plastics. Microwave contamination of the atmosphere and hazards to a mobile phone user are my current interests.

The Digital Ink Spot: When is your book available?

Dr. Madhukar Dama: My book Mobile Phone Safety was published on 29 March 2014 and is available in both print and for kindle. The eBook version is available for free on the 16th and 17th of May, 2014.

The Digital Ink Spot: What are you trying to accomplish as a writer?

Dr. Madhukar Dama: I want to spread awareness about the health hazards of cell phones.

The Digital Ink Spot: And how are you going to go about that?

Dr. Madhukar Dama: My book explains why scientific studies are increasingly associating cell phone use with cancer, hearing loss, joint pains, infertility, impotence, accidents, behavioral problems, headaches, ringing ear, sleep disturbance, memory loss and so on. Every cell phone user is in danger, and needs to be aware of the health risks and understand the methods to protect oneself. MOBILE PHONE SAFETY, a first book explaining the hazards as well as protective measures and is labelled a must read for every cell phone user.

The Digital Ink Spot would like to thank Dr. Dama for taking the time to talk with us and sharing a little of his research. Dr. Madhukar Dama can be found on the Internet at the following links;

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/madhukar.dama.9

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/drmdama

Interview with Jessica Hemingway @JessicaHemingwy

The Digital Ink Spot had a chance to interview Jessica Hemingway. We asked that she tell us a little about herself. This is what she had to share.

Jessica Hemingway: British born, I now live in New Zealand with my husband. I am the mother of two wonderful daughters.  I love traveling, and recently fell in love with the stunning scenery and colors of Utah.

A life long writer of letters to friends, family and pen pals, I discovered the world of fiction writing a few years ago when looking for a new challenge. Like many authors I've always loved to read: fiction, non-fiction, the label on the sauce bottle. You name it, I'd read it. I'm an eclectic reader, so I tend to write whatever takes my fancy rather than sticking to one genre. I won't travel anywhere without a book and like to have my next read lined-up before I finish the last page of my current book, but I rarely have more than one book on the go at once.

To unwind besides reading I sew, sketch and belly dance, or spends time chilling out with family and friends.

The Digital Ink Spot: What are you trying to accomplish as a writer? What is your latest story about?

Jessica Hemingway: I'm constantly trying to improve as a writer and explore ideas, feelings, and motivations. My latest publication, Whisper of Lightning  is about belly dancer, Jaz Sinclair, who inherits the family home when her mother dies in an accident. The house is a  veritable museum of artifacts collected by her great-grandparents on archaeological digs. While discussing plans to renovate with a builder they discover the whereabouts of a secret room. Determined to discover what lies behind the wall Jaz breaks through and releases evil beings from another realm seeking a treasure that will plunge the world into darkness. Only Jaz and her cat stand in their way.
It's a story filled with magic and mystery, and suitable for adults and young adults. It's available on Amazon, along with my other books: Consumed , The Beadmaker and Spirit of Obsession .

https://www.facebook.com/jessicahemingwayauthor

https://twitter.com/jessicahemingwy