Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Watch Author, Simone Salmon's Video Interview with Salil Jha of The Naked Soul Talk Show


I am so excited to share my very first video interview with the wonderful talented poet, artist and creative host of the Naked Soul Talk Show, Salil Jha. I had the best time speaking with Salil. Our interview was so natural and free flowing. Loved it!!



Please excuse the glare from my glasses 
can't see without them and didn't realize that would happen
oh and the lighting - you live and learn right!

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Ursula K. Le Guin - Interview Magazine Article




Ursula K. Le Guin's first novels—set on alien planets and published as trashy head-to-toe double paperbacks by Ace Books—were first unleashed almost half a century ago, in 1966. She was 36. Two years later she published A Wizard of Earthsea, the defining and enduring classic of the genre of wizards going to wizard school. The Left Hand of Darkness, the book that forced writers everywhere to examine how they wrote gender, was first published the very next year and became one of the most acclaimed books of the last century. 

She published a dozen books in that first decade, a pile of words built up largely during her thirties that, once released, changed the American conversation about fiction. She is the reigning queen of writing about "the nature of human nature," as Margaret Atwood once described it, in regards to Le Guin's "Ekumen" series. Le Guin is one of the rare authors to have twice taken the Hugo and the Nebula awards in the same year. She published three stories in the New Yorker in 1982 alone. 



Friday, September 25, 2015

Author Spotlight - A.B. Funkhauser


Today the spotlight is on the extremely talented and generous author, A.B. Funkhauser and her latest novel, 
Heuer


Book Description 

Unrepentant cooze hound lawyer Jürgen Heuer dies suddenly and unexpectedly in his litter-strewn home. Undiscovered, he rages against God, Nazis, deep fryers and analogous women who disappoint him.

At last found, he is delivered to Weibigand Brothers Funeral Home, a ramshackle establishment peopled with above average eccentrics, including boozy Enid, a former girl friend with serious denial issues. With her help and the help of a wise cracking spirit guide, Heuer will try to move on to the next plane. But before he can do this, he must endure an inept embalming, feral whispers, and Enid’s flawed recollections of their murky past. 

Is it really worth it?

“Heuer” as in “lawyer”: Heuer the Lawyer


Here is a short excerpt:
Two Weeks Ago

The house, like the man who lived in it, was remarkable: a 1950s clapboard-brick number with a metal garage door that needed serious painting. Likewise, the windows, which had been replaced once in the Seventies under some home improvement program, then never again. They were wooden and they were cracked, allowing wasps and other insects inside. 

This was of little consequence to him. 

The neighbors, whom Heuer prodigiously ignored, would stare at the place. Greek, Italian, and house proud, they found the man’s disdain for his own home objectionable. He could see it on their faces when he looked out at them through dirty windows. 

To hell with them. 

If the neighbors disapproved of the moss green roof with its tar shingles that habitually blew off, then let them replace it. Money didn’t fall from the sky and if it did, he wouldn’t spend it on improvements to please strangers. 

They were insects. 

And yet there were times when Jürgen Heuer was forced to compromise. Money, he learned, could solve just about anything. But not where the willful and the pernicious were concerned. These, once singled out, required special attention. 

Alfons Vermiglia, the Genovese neighbor next door, had taken great offense to his acacia tree, a towering twenty-five foot behemoth that had grown from a cutting given to him by a lodge brother. The acacia was esteemed in Masonic lore appearing often in ritual, rendering it so much more than just mere tree. In practical terms, it provided relief, offering shade on hot days to the little things beneath it. And it bloomed semi-annually, whimsically releasing a preponderance of white petals that carried on the wind mystical scent—the same found in sacred incense and parfums. 

What horseshit. 

It was a dirty son of a bitch of a tree that dropped its leaves continuously from spring to fall, shedding tiny branches from its diffident margins. These were covered in nasty little thorns that damaged vinyl pool liners and soft feet alike. They also did a pretty amazing job of clogging Alfons’ pool filter, turning his twenty-five hundred gallon toy pool green overnight. 

This chemistry compromised the neighbor’s pleasure and it heightened his passions, blinding Alfons to the true nature of his enemy. He crossed over onto Heuer’s property and drove copper nails into the root system. It was an old trick, Byzantine in its treachery; the copper would kill the tree slowly over time leading no one to suspect foul play. 

But Heuer was cagey and suspicious by nature, so when the tree displayed signs of failure, he knew where to look. 

The acacia recovered and Alfons said nothing. Heuer planted aralia—the “Devil’s Walking Stick”—along the fence line and this served as an even thornier reminder that he knew. And if there was any doubt at all, he went further by coating his neighbor’s corkscrew hazel with a generous dose of Wipe Out. 

Intrusive neighbors and their misplaced curiosities were, by turns, annoying and amusing and their interest, though unwanted, did not go unappreciated. The Greeks on the other side of him weren’t combative in the least and they offered gardening advice whenever they caught him out of doors. The man, Panos, talked politics and cars, and expressed interest in the vehicle that sat shrouded and silent on Heuer’s driveway. He spoke long and colorfully about the glory days of Detroit muscle cars and how it all got bungled and bargained away. 

“They sacrificed an industry to please a bunch of big mouths in Hollywood,” Panos would rant in complete disregard for history: Al Gore and Global Warming didn’t kill the GTO; the OPEC oil crisis did. But there was no point in telling him that. 

Panos was an armchair car guy and incurable conspiracy theorist. He also kept to his side of the fence, unlike his wife, Stavroula, who was driven by natural instinct. Not content to leave an unmarried man alone, she routinely crossed Heuer’s weedy lawn, banging on the door with offers of food and a good housecleaning. 

Heuer had no trouble accepting her cooking. But he declined her brush and broom. Was it kindness, or was she trying to see inside? He suspected the latter. 

No one was ever seen entering Heuer’s house and while this piqued public interest, he never gave in, not even to those who were kind to him. He liked Panos and Stavroula and he regretted poisoning their cat. 

But not enough to let them in to his home. 

Others on the street had less contact with him. Canvassers at election time would disturb him, in spite of the lawn sign warning the solicitous away. That this didn’t apply to neighbor kids brave enough to pedal cookies and magazine subscriptions in spite of the sign, was a testament, perhaps, to some residual soft spot in his heart that endured. 

Even so, he knew that people talked about him and, frankly, he had trouble accounting for their fascination. Short, curt, bespectacled, he courted an ethos that favored enforced detachment. When people got close enough to hear him speak, they detected a trace of an accent. Now faded after years of U.S. residency, his speech still bore the unmistakable patterns of someone undeniably foreign. Elaborate, overwrought and heavy on the adverbs, he spoke very much like his neighbors. Yet the distance between them was incalculable…

About the Author 


A.B. Funkhauser is a funeral director, classic car nut and wildlife enthusiast living in Ontario, Canada. Like most funeral directors, she is governed by a strong sense of altruism fueled by the belief that life chooses us and we not it.

“Were it not for the calling, I would have just as likely remained an office assistant shuffling files around, and would have been happy doing so.”

Life had another plan. After a long day at the funeral home in the waning months of winter 2010, she looked down the long hall joining the director’s office to the back door leading three steps up and out into the parking lot. At that moment a thought occurred: What if a slightly life-challenged mortician tripped over her man shoes and landed squarely on her posterior, only to learn that someone she once knew and cared about had died, and that she was next on the staff roster to care for his remains?

Like funeral directing, the writing called, and four years and several drafts later, Heuer Lost and Found was born.

What’s a Heuer? Beyond a word rhyming with “lawyer,” Heuer the lawyer is a man conflicted. Complex, layered, and very dead, he counts on the ministrations of the funeral director to set him free. A labor of love and a quintessential muse, Heuer has gone on to inspire four other full length works and over a dozen short stories.

“To my husband John and my children Adam and Melina, I owe thanks for the encouragement, the support, and the belief that what I was doing was as important as anything I’ve tackled before at work or in art.”

Funkhauser is currently working on a new manuscript begun in November during NaNoWriMo 2014.

You can find out loads more about A.B. here:



Grab your copy: BUY LINK

PRAISE

“The macabre black comedy Heuer Lost And Found, written by A.B. Funkhauser, is definitely a different sort of book! You will enjoy this book with its mixture of horror and humour.”
—Diana Harrison, Author ALWAYS AND FOREVER 

“This beautifully written, quirky, sad, but also often humorous story of Heuer and Enid gives us a glimpse into the fascinating, closed world of the funeral director.”
—Yvonne Hess, Charter Member, The Brooklin 7 

“The book runs the gamut of emotions. One minute you want to cry for the characters, the next you are uncontrollably laughing out loud, and your husband is looking at you like you lost your mind, at least mine did.”

“The writing style is racy with no words wasted.”
—David K. Bryant, Author TREAD CAREFULLY ON THE SEA

“For a story centered around death, it is full of life.”
—Rocky Rochford, Author RISE OF ELOHIM CHRONICLES

“Like Breaking Bad’s Walter White, Heuer is not a likeable man, but I somehow found myself rooting for him. A strange, complicated character.”
—Kasey Balko, Pickering, Ontario

Raw, clever, organic, intriguing and morbid at the same … breathing life and laughter into a world of death.
—Josie Montano, Author VEILED SECRETS




Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Author Spotlight - Raegyn Perry


Welcome Raegyn Perry today whose sweet smile and huge heart are both reflective of her newest work, 
Lavender Fields


“All I can tell you is this. When love is right, it’s true.
When it’s true, it’s forever.”

Torrential rain spikes. A scream pierces the dark night followed by
shattered glass and a wash of blood.



The haunting dream came upon Greye yet again as it had in years past. It was a nightmare a child could never fully comprehend, and remained as unsettling as an adult. Always set in a faraway place and time; yet there was something more. Under its surface hinted at an unknown that should somehow be familiar. It was like an ending that wasn’t quite finished.

Author Bio


Raegyn (pronounced Reagan) Perry is thrilled to share her debut novel, Lavender Fields, with readers. This is the first book in the Eternal Journey Series. It asks the question:

'What if love found the right people at the wrong time?'

With the inspiration coming from a true family story, and having found the uninhibited time to write, a story was born.

When not writing, Raegyn is perfectly content curled up with a good book, TV binge watching, or on a fun travel adventure. Also, anyone who knows her knows she loves to dance (a lot!) wherever and whenever possible!

How would she describe Lavender Fields? 

It’s a paranormal romance that centers around reincarnation; so it’s basically two romances! The story is funny, sexy, dark, and raw while being twisted, mysterious, and still somehow romantic.

Raegyn believes readers can connect with her lovers, Connor and Greye, on a few levels. It has the elements of the classic love story: boy meets & gets girl, but it also tackles some real and uncomfortable issues, while introducing characters that anyone can relate to, root for, or despise altogether! Then, throw some odd clues with a helping of paranormal in, and you have a unique take on a timeless aspect of romance. The author hopes so anyway!

After Raegyn completes the Eternal Journey Series, she hopes to begin work on another series, which readers can actually catch a glimpse of first within the pages of Lavender Fields


The beautiful Pacific Northwest state of Washington has been home since 2001. She has one grown son whom she adores. Raegyn is currently working on the second book in the series, Cypress Groves (working title), and will be investigating options to maybe get her full length stage play produced in the area.

You can check out Raegyn at:

      FB AUTHOR PAGE
    TWITTER
    WEBSITE
    BLOG

Affiliations: PNWA (Pacific NW Writers Association)
Publisher: Solstice Publishing/Summer Solstice







Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Read My Interview with Bernard Foong - loving these chats woohooo!!!




Author: (Preferred pen-name) – Simone Salmon
Your latest/current work: Camille and the Bears of Beisa – Drafnel
Date: 8-28-15
Publisher: Solstice Publishing

Young: Tell us about your Latest Book/Book about to be released? Release Date? And can you give us a teaser?


Monday, September 21, 2015

Destroying Young Minds





I realized yesterday that after all the years of schooling and practical experience, I know nothing. Everything I have learned is based on someone else's experience. We are taught that 1+1=2, but now we are learning that this sum may in fact equal 3. These interpretations are someone else's experience of this equation. What if my experience tells me otherwise? Does that negate the theory or do we all continue with the rationale of what has been touted as a mathematical proof in millions of textbooks for centuries. 

Status quo discourages independent thinking. Children are considered rebellious and disruptive when they become bored with the norm. They are medicated, sometimes held back a grade or placed in "special ed" classes  to subdue their natural free flowing objectivity. Whenever there is refusal to accept the entrenched academic standards the problem is never with the system, but with the person pointing out the imperfections or acting out because of the lack of interest. 

Through experiential learning I have come to realize there are other dimensions of reality. I believe this fact was known to me as a child, but the cultural route to academia interfered with my ability to explore and make use of that knowledge. The same limitations continue to dictate the genius of our youth. Creativity, innovation and intelligence are diminished capacities curtailed and marginalized in favor of institutionalized learning. The harm is obvious: there has been no true renaissance for centuries only regurgitation of established principles and intermittent speckles of brilliance throughout the disciplines. 

My son creates music. His lyrics are explicit, but I choose to see past the profanity. There is magic in his ability to put words to notes that have never been written or heard before. This is a special talent that only a few are courageous to pursue then master. What if he listened to the naysayers or those critical of the content? Think of the lasting damage to his creative expression. 

Unless we free ourselves of the insatiable egoic centers of exclusion which inexplicably imprints antiquated methodologies in youthful minds to ultimately determine their livelihood, we will continue to be deprived of incredible ingenuity outside of the current realm of possibility.  There is considerable potential beyond our five-sensory applications demanding non-traditional, innovative, evolutive constructs of expansion and cultivation which remain untapped and unexplored.

How will we commit to revolutionizing our archaic controls of education to foster enlightened approaches for thinking and learning? 

Join me in discovering the alternatives.


Thursday, September 17, 2015

Origisims - Creativity





creativity is the uncensored expression 
of the soul

Simone Salmon, Author and Seeker


Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Review: Spook Lights: Southern Gothic Horror

Spook Lights: Southern Gothic Horror Spook Lights: Southern Gothic Horror by Eden Royce
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved Eden Royce's collection of short stories. Her prolific writing style held me captive from the first page. Each story reminded me of the old Twilight Zone series flavored with people of color and that book cover really does not disappoint. This is a memorable conjuring of back-home hush hush magic that is quite simply terrifying and truly spooky. You know, those old-school obeah or voodoo tales which disrupted your sleep so much the lights stayed on all night long - yeah that kinda scary. Most intriguing is that each story's weirdness tapped into different elements of fear.

There were many instances where I wanted to learn more about Ms. Royce's unique characters, their environments, and history. The creative content is intelligent and I found myself re-reading the prose because the literary constructs had such surreal and inspiring elements. I love when a writer's play on words has me questioning my ability to evoke similar emotional distortions and connections. Eden Royce's writing did that for me. I hope the author plans to convert this into a novel at some point - it's really that well-written and deserving.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

Note: I received a free review copy for a fair and honest assessment.

View all my reviews

CHECKOUT MY THOUGHT PROVOKING INTERVIEW WITH A.B. FUNKHAUSER - U GOTTA READ THIS!!





Author Simone Salmon’s unbridled enthusiasm for EVERYTHING leaps off the page. Whether in her debut novel CAMILLE AND THE BEARS OF BEISA-DRAFNEL or in a simple print interview, she goes, grows and thinks OUT LOUD. See for yourself!

Welcome, Simone!


Friday, September 11, 2015

Southern Writers - Suite T: What’s at Stake in Your Novel?




Check out this great blog post.

Southern Writers - Suite T: What’s at Stake in Your Novel?: By Beth K. Vogt Do you know what’s at stake in your novel? No matter what type of story you write – romance, suspense, fantas...


Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Out of control characters: Spotlight on Simone Salmon!

 Checkout out K.C. Sprayberry's blog today as she spotlights yours truly - wooohooo!!

Out of control characters: Spotlight on Simone Salmon!: Years of deception and suppressed trauma do not prevent secrets from unraveling when parallel worlds clash, intertwining fami...




Friday, September 4, 2015

Guest Author - Heidi Mason, Author of Investigating the Heart


A hearty welcome to Solstice author, Heidi Mason, whose novel, Investigating the Heart, is available for readers today. Heidi's creation is a spice-filled steamy romance mixed in with some serious mystery. Make sure you check it out!



After the death of her husband in a plane crash, Emma McCoy, a single mom of three, has given up on love. When she meets Liam O’Reilly, an FBI agent who is new in town, the chemistry is immediate. Emma tries to keep her distance, but Liam is determined to win her over. As the two navigate their feelings, Emma’s resolve begins to crumble. What Emma doesn’t know is that Liam is connected to her past in a way that she could never have imagined, and this connection could put their future in jeopardy. In the small town of Beckland, Ohio, danger is the last thing that Emma expects. However, since Liam’s arrival, it seems like peril is waiting around every corner.

AUTHOR BIO


Heidi Renee Mason always knew she would be an author. Heidi is passionate about writing, and writes fiction, as well as poetry. In her spare time, Heidi enjoys music, genealogy, all things Celtic, and chick flicks. 

A native of the Midwest, Heidi now resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters. Investigating the Heart is Heidi’s debut novel. 

Visit Heidi at:
HEIDI'S TWITTER: @heidireneemason



Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Cover Reveal - The Beach House by Deborah Melanie




What could possibly happen when two work colleagues meet moonlight, champagne and the sound of the surf at a magical beach house? 

London solicitors Raine and Greg are working in California for a month. It could be the perfect opportunity for shy Raine to finally come clean about her attraction towards her colleague. Enigmatic Greg is the perfect English gentleman and a conscientious solicitor. Can a new and sensual environment open up a whole new world for them both?

The Beach House Excerpt


A gentle breeze shimmered through the curtains, the sheer fabric swaying with grace across the open French doors. The sounds of the ocean followed the breeze into the room, bringing the summer’s evening closer to the couple in the beach house. Outside, the moon cast its silver glow onto the shore below. Raine smiled. She loved the London skyline, but these Californian evenings were a beautiful sight to behold. Walking back across the lounge room towards her companion, she felt relaxed. Champagne and a good-looking man could do that for a girl. Greg Harper looked more than relaxed; his arm lay along the back of the sofa, his crisp white shirt unbuttoned a little more than earlier in the evening, his long legs stretched out in front of him. She found it hard to recall a time when she'd seen him look more handsome. Perhaps it was the beach house; perhaps it was the evening. Perhaps it was the man himself.  Placing their wine glasses on the coffee table, she caught Greg scanning her cleavage. She sat down next to him, a small smile playing on her lips. At last she, too, could relax. Crossing her legs, she sighed. The sensation of stockings whispering against her thighs sent a shiver down her spine. She wondered if he sensed the same anticipation, the same level of heat. On the surface, her companion appeared to be the very essence of the calm and collected work colleague he always was. To Raine, there were no outward signs Greg wanted her. Nevertheless, he had agreed to share a taxi and a nightcap with her. Wasn’t that enough to give a girl hope? Four solicitors from their London law firm had been sent to California for the month, each of them accommodated in the finest beach houses their firm could rent. Though Greg was not her nearest neighbor, it still made relative sense for them to return home together.   As Raine leant forward to reach for her glass, she felt his hand touch her own gently. “Let’s not waste time sipping wine and indulging in polite conversation, Raine. We spent the whole evening doing that. Law firm dinners aren’t my idea of a good time, even if they are hosted in fabulous style. But you, however…   I know why you asked me here. I know you’ve been looking for the perfect excuse.”

The Beach House will be released by Solstice Publishing on September 1st 2015.

Cover art for The Beach House by Deborah Melanie.


About the Author


Deborah Melanie is the wife of a retired, semi-professional footballer. She is a mother, cat lover, designer, reviewer, and published author. Deborah writes stories describing life in England, with a backdrop of rolling hills and beautiful landscapes. She loves to write about small market towns and close-knit communities. Her stories are contemporary; often combining her interests in the paranormal, comedy, and food. Deborah enjoys writing both sweet and erotic romance.   


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