The 2K International Writers’ Blog Tour – Cheryle Baker

Cheryle Baker

Hello, I am Cheryle Baker.  I use C.Lightwalker for my virtual escapades thus the name of my Blog “Lightwalkers Blog”.

I may not qualify for this tour.  I am not a published writer, in fact I recently enrolled in WordPress Blogging U 101, as a way to discipline myself to write on a regular basis, be accountable to doing the writing and to have some sort of structure.   I write sporadically, mostly for myself.  My main focus has been on poetry.  I attended courses Intermediate, Advanced and Form Poetry taught by Micheline Maylor at Alexandra’s Writers Society Centre in Calgary a number of years ago.

What is the first piece you remember writing (from childhood or young adulthood)?

When my great grandfather passed way, I received the phone call. I about 15 at the time.  My Mother and Father were out, probably at a Friday night dinner.  My two sisters and I were home alone.  I answered the phone and someone, I don’t remember who, an Aunt or Uncle, told me that my Grandfather had passed. This was my first experience with death.  Once when I was too young to understand, I found a dead puppy in the field and I had visited one of the Death Camps in Germany. While I waited for my parents to come home I wrote a poem.   This is the first piece of writing I remember, writing with a purpose, other than a school assignment. I asked my mother to place the poem in the coffin with him, under his pillow.  I believe my intention was to make sure he has a physical representation of my love with him where ever he went.  At the time I had faith in some sort of heaven.

What is your favorite aspect of being a writer? Your least favorite?

I enjoy the clarity that comes with writing.  The sense of accomplishment and completion. I enjoy the feel and sound of the words.  Knowing what I have written down paints the picture I am expressing.

My least favourite aspect is struggling to capture the absolutely right word as it slips quickly by my inner eye.  Sometimes I can see it but not quite catch it.  Then I have to sit, try to recreate the thought process that led to the appearance of that particular.  Not being successful with that approach I then search the dictionary, thesaurus, rhyming dictionary or whatever resource would be helpful in providing me the word that perfectly fits my image of the sentence or picture I am painting on the page.

Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, what is your best tip for beating it? If not, why not?

Yes,  leaving the piece for a while.  Placing my focus on something else, even meditation.  Sometimes it is a matter of something not being right in the piece I have been working on.  When I figure out what that is things begin to flow much easier.  Other times I’m not clear as to where I am going.  Again, once I figure it out I can recommence the process.  Other times, I just have to struggle and writhe while I figure it out.  There is no one way, for me.

What is your current writing project? What is the most challenging aspect of your current writing project?

I am currently working my way through Blogging U 201.  I completed Blogging U 101 and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.  My poetry is always waiting around the door or inside the hamper. When it appears I take note and add to the collection.  I have created a feature – The Meditation Cushion – which is my way of improving myself as a meditation instructor. The most difficult challenge is avoiding the procrastination and actually doing it.  Fear sometimes stands in the way of me and the page.

What supports you in your writing?

The satisfaction of knowing I have said what I needed to.  I get this sense that there is no more to put down on the page.  I let it sit.  When I come back, I rearrange the paragraphs, edit a few things, it feels done.  Whew!  It’s out and I’m happy with it.

What are you currently reading?

Biography – Acaryia Mun Bhuridatta Thera by Acariya Maha Boowa Nanasampanno

Philosophy for Dummies – by Tom Morris, Ph.D

Tibetan Book of the Dead – A translation with commentary by Francesca Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa.

Several books, including tapes on learning to speak Thai.

Where can our readers find you and your books online?

https://wordpress.com/stats/lightwalker1.wordpress.com

http://www.facebook.com/CLightwalker

 

The 2K International Writers’ Blog Tour – Jay Dee Archer

Jay Dee Archer

Born in a very small town in Alberta, Canada, I went through an atypical childhood as a nerd, all the way up until university.  I have been living in Fujisawa, Japan, which is near Tokyo, for nearly ten years now.  I’m an English teacher, but writing is my passion.  I’m married and have one daughter.  We will be returning to Canada next year, where I will hopefully find a lot more time to write, and a lot more privacy.  Although I teach English and write, I have a university degree in physics and astronomy from the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia.  This helped fuel my obsession with everything science related, including science-fiction.  When I’m not writing (which is most of the time), I’m playing with my daughter, going out hiking and walking, and blogging.  Through my walking, I also like doing photography, and have gone on some very long walks of up to 35 km or 250 pictures.

What is the first piece you remember writing (from childhood or young adulthood)?

Back in high school, which was in the early 1990s, my English class did some creative writing.  That’s when I wrote my first short story.  I wrote about the space shuttle getting hit by some small asteroids, and the astronauts having to make an emergency landing.  My first foray into science-fiction writing.

What is your favorite aspect of being a writer? Your least favorite?

I love creating new worlds.  I can make something totally unique and build a society, people, and stories around it.  It’s my world, and it only fully exists within my mind.

I don’t like the moments when I reread my writing and find that it sounds stiff or a bit corny.  I really have to watch both my dialogue and narration.  Editing is a friend.

Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, what is your best tip for beating it? If not, why not?

It’s hard to say if I’ve ever had writer’s block, as I have other things that prevent me from writing.  Usually excuses, such as my daughter, lack of privacy, being cold in winter, and YouTube.  To me, writer’s block is a form of procrastination.  If I have trouble thinking about what to write, I go off and do something else.  But to beat this, I find inspiration in strange places.  Whenever I go for a walk or take a shower, my mind wanders into my world, and I can think of entire scenes very clearly.  After that, I either write down my ideas so I won’t forget, or go straight to my computer and write.  For other people, I would say just start writing.  Anything.  It’ll get your mind into it.  It doesn’t have to be your work in progress, just write.

What is your current writing project? What is the most challenging aspect of your current writing project?

I’m currently writing a web serial called Journey to Ariadne. It’s a prequel to my science-fiction series, which is mostly planned out, but not written yet.  This web serial is a window into the preparations of an interstellar colonization attempt, focusing on the characters rather than the action.  I will eventually incorporate these brief stories into a novel.  What’s most difficult is not so much the writing itself, but finding the time to do it.  It’s so episodic in nature that I also worry about flow between the parts.  However, massive rewriting should solve that problem in the future.

What supports you in your writing?

Determination, basically.  But since I write science fiction, particularly about space and planets, I can draw on my education to give me an accurate depiction of the science involved.

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading two books at the same time.  When I have time to sit down and read, I read a paperback.  That is Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson.  It’s a great, gritty fantasy based in the extensive world of Malazan.  The other is an eBook, and I read those when I can’t sit down.  So, when I’m on the go, I usually have it open on my phone.  I’m reading In Her Name: First Contact by Michael R. Hicks.  It’s a military science fiction series which has strong characterisation and plenty of action.

Where can our readers find you and your books online?

You can find me easiest where I’m most active, on my blog, I Read Encyclopedias For Fun (http://ireadencyclopedias.wordpress.com).

You can find my writing, including Journey to Ariadne on my official site (http://jaydeearcher.wordpress.com).

The 2K International Writers’ Blog Tour – Kimberly DuBoise

Kimberly DuBoise

I live in the Midwest with my husband, cat and dog. I have taught preschool in the public school system for ten years. I have written and published a book of poetry and a non-fiction book on faith. If I am not reading or writing I am probably cooking or walking. My blog is called the tinypoet because I am tiny- 4’6 to be exact. I have Turner Syndrome, which impacts my daily life and thus my writing.

What is the first piece you remember writing (from childhood or young adulthood)?

I wrote a book titled The Hidden Castle when I was nine and still have it. I remember choosing the cover. It was fun to illustrate, too. It is a mystery, action story that reflected my love of Nancy Drew back then! I got an A+ on it, still remember that. It meant so much to me.  My first self-published book is a poetry collection that exemplifies my heart toward worship and seeking spiritual connection.

What is your favorite aspect of being a writer? Your least favorite?

My favorite aspect of writing is expressing my deepest emotions. Using my creativity. My least favorite aspect is marketing, promotion.

Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, what is your best tip for beating it? If not, why not?

Yes, I do believe it occurs. I think so much of our mental energy is destructive unless we channel it constructively. To beat it I change my locale, surroundings, give myself a break. Staying inspired and knowing why you are doing this is important.

What is your current writing project? What is the most challenging aspect of your current writing project?

I am writing my first fiction story right now. The challenges for me have been plot development and not editing too much as I go along.

 

What supports you in your writing?

Other writers and the groups I belong to on social media.

What are you currently reading?

I am reading along with my husband as he studies his online travel course!

Where can our readers find you and your books online?

Readers can find me on my blog, http://tinypoet86.blogspot.com and find my latest book at http://amazon.com/dp/B00L2AST2I

Thank you! Happy Reading!

The 2K International Writers’ Blog Tour – Suzanne M. Brazil

Suzanne M. Brazil

My name is Suzanne M. Brazil. I grew up mainly in the Midwest and live less than an hour north of Chicago with my husband and son. We have a daughter getting married in June and our son is in college. I’ve been writing my whole life. When I’m upset, happy, loving, homicidal – it all comes out first in a letter in my head. I once tap danced in a Las Vegas showgirl type outfit in a variety show in Texas and I have owned two horses (neither in Texas). I’ve been published twice in Writer’s Digest and several time in local publications. I finished my first draft of my first novel in August 2014 and am in the thick of revisions. I blog, riff and revise from my daughter’s old bedroom at a desk my husband made for me.

What is the first piece you remember writing (from childhood or young adulthood)?

Once a week during 6^th grade at Ellis Elementary School, a small group of “gifted” students were shoved into plastic chairs at a scuffed, round table that took up all the space in a room the size of a maintenance closet. We were told we were special and  should simply “write a story” for a book to be permanently housed in the school library. Gifted is a curse visited upon normal children in support of elevating paygrades for administrators. I don’t remember being given any feedback or craft lessons and I don’t remember what the story was about. Last summer, I contacted the school librarian but she had no record of such a volume. Still, I remember the maintenance closet.

The first piece I remember fully is my 8^th grade graduation speech. The student body were required to submit a speech as part of an English assignment. Mine was among three chosen and I stood at a podium in a pale blue, empire-wasted maxi-dress with my curled hair pulled back in a barrette. The opening line was a quote “I would rather sit alone on a pumpkin then be crowded on a velvet cushion…”

What is your favorite aspect of being a writer? Your least favorite?

Writing is a release, a call to arms and a honkey tonk dance. My least favorite is, for now, having the patience to revise and rewrite. I want to be naturally brilliant and I’m just not. I’m learning to enjoy the transformed results.

Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, what is your best tip for beating it? If not, why not?

I do not. Mainly because all the famous, brilliant writers I stalk are those that deny it. I do believe in mentally allowing yourself not to write or emotionally blocking yourself from getting to the chair in front of the desk. I 100% believe if you pick up a pen (or lay fingertips on a keyboard) and start writing “I have writer’s block I have writer’s block I have nothing to say I don’t know what to write” that after a time, could be three minutes or three hours, Bob will slide down the sharp bumpy scales of the dragon without any idea how he landed in Shnarfville. And so, you are no longer “blocked.”

What is your current writing project? What is the most challenging aspect of your current writing project?

I am three chapters into my second draft of my first novel. The challenge is, as this was my first finished full-length book, I had (and have) so many things to learn about craft that the revisions required are extensive. It is daunting but I’m looking at it as a learning experience.

Knowing that I might not have any interest in publishing this project and finding the passion and joy in learning how to make it better so that I am a better writer is intimidating.

What supports you in your writing?

The most decadent thing I can imagine is supporting myself. I’m cursed with believers. From a young age, my mom, siblings, friends and now my husband and kids all think I’m brilliant. Expectations are a burden and impossible to live up to. This year, I finally refused to give into fear. I’ve treated myself to a private mentor, a retreat, classes and whatever else it takes. My motto as I turn 50 this year is “I don’t have time to be embarrassed.”  If I fail, it will not be for lack of trying.

What are you currently reading?

It is January in Chicago. I am reading The Vacationers by Emma Straub which takes place in Spain, near a beach. It’s my vicarious get away.

Also reading this great little gem I received as a gift, Book Love from Pushcart Press. It’s an ode to printed/bound books, readers and writers. Loving it!

My book club just selected Winter People which looks a little spooky.  Can’t wait. We just finished Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.

Where can our readers find you and your books online?

I’m new at this whole blogging thing but learning as I go. You can find me here http://suzannebrazil.com/

“An Ordinary Life” is a story I wrote for my mom. It will appear in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks to My Mom which is due in bookstores March 17, 2015.

The 2K International Writers’ Blog Tour – Sabina Khan

Sabina Khan

Sabina Khan is the author of Realm of the Goddess, the first in a series of YA Paranormal Fantasy books based on the gods and goddesses of India. She is an educational consultant and a karaoke enthusiast. After living in Germany, Bangladesh, Macao, Illinois and Texas, she has finally settled down in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, with her husband and three daughters, one of whom is a fur baby. She is passionate about the empowerment of girls and women, hoping to inspire them with the strong female characters in her novel.

What is the first piece you remember writing (from childhood or young adulthood)?

I think I must have been in Grade Three when I wrote a short story about two kids who found themselves transported to this magical world where giant golden raspberries hung from the trees and friendly giant snored on the fields.

What is your favorite aspect of being a writer? Your least favorite?

The fact that I can legitimately daydream and watch TV/movies and say it’s research. Also that I can watch people in public and imagine them as characters in my books, without wondering if I am slowly going insane. My least favorite aspect has to be the nailbiting moments when you wait to see if anyone will love it as much as you do.

Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, what is your best tip for beating it? If not, why not?

It has hit me over the head multiple times since I started writing, so yes I believe in writer’s block. It can be paralyzing and extremely humbling, but I find that giving yourself a good kick in the butt or better still having someone else around to do that for you can be a swift but effective remedy.

What is your current writing project? What is the most challenging aspect of your current writing project?

Currently I am working on Book Two of the Realm of the Goddess series. I would say that the most challenging aspect of this is to fill the reader in on what happened in the first book without going into it too much. It’s hard to find a balance sometimes.

What supports you in your writing?

I would have to say that the constant encouragement of my family and friends has kept me going. It’s important to have a cheering section in your corner, but equally essential to have people who keep you grounded. I feel very lucky to have both. Of course I also have a puppy who keeps my toes toasty while I’m writing.

What are you currently reading?

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. Absolutely magical and mesmerizing.

Where can our readers find you and your books online?

Follow me on Twitter: @Sabina_Writer

and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealmGoddess

Find out more at http://realmofthegoddess.wordpress.com/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Realm-Goddess-Sabina-Khan-ebook/dp/B00Q0OWI4G