Tuesday, September 16, 2014

ANN HOWLEY- Twelve Question Tuesday

Please join me in welcoming author Ann Howley to Twelve Question Tuesday.

1.  Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you. 
A.  I see humor everywhere and find reasons to laugh every single day. If something makes me burst out in a gut-busting belly laugh, then that qualifies as a bonus day.
B.  I’ve run 16 marathons so far and I’m trying to coax my middle-age mom legs to make it to 20.
C.  I am a very non-violent person unless I see a big, hairy spider in the house, and then my vengeance is swift, explosive and complete. I am willing to train US Navy Seals or Special Forces if asked.


After a 10 mile run
2.  Are you a dog person or a cat person?
At the moment, my dog Sparky is sacked out at my feet, but when he’s awake, he will confirm that I am hopelessly devoted to dogs. However, I love those funny videos where cats cram themselves into something tiny like a Kleenex box and then practically dare you to think it’s abnormal.

3.  Tea or coffee?
Every morning: Coffee. Black. Bold.
Rainy days: Tea. Hot. Sometimes with honey.


 

4.  Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, or commando? (Either what you prefer or what you prefer on others.)
I regret to inform you that I am so acutely unfocused on male undergarment choices, I had to think hard to envision a boxer-brief. So men, wear whatever you want. And plumbers, just please keep the crack covered.

5.  What was the first thing you ever wrote?
At the tender age of 9 or 10, I wrote a letter to the editor of National Geographic Magazine to express my shock over a story about rats that are considered holy and are allowed to overrun a famous temple in India. I distinctively remember telling the editor that the article made me feel sick (which was true), and that I could hardly bear to look at the magazine (which was a lie, because I couldn’t stop staring at the appalling photographs of rats and humans living, dining and sleeping together.)

My heartfelt missive must have made an impression, because several months later I received a response, not from the editor, but from the publisher of National Geographic Magazine, who said that my letter had come to his “particular” attention. He thanked me for writing and said he was glad I “enjoyed” the article.

I think my rat letter gave him a good laugh.


6.  When did you finally decide to call yourself a writer?
When skirt! Magazine sent me a check in the whopping triple-digit range for my unexpectedly heartwarming story about the 3 days I spent in the Orange County Jail in 1984. 

7.  Which of your works are you most proud to have written?

I am proud of every paragraph and every word in my new memoir, Confessions of a Do-Gooder Gone Bad, except maybe the part about getting revenge on an angry driver by using the Five Pound Booger Look, which, by various Facebook comments, appears to be a fan favorite anyway.

8.  What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
To quote my excellent stepson who just finished reading my book: “Between Turkey, Israeli army outposts, East LA, Bakersfield and various randos in your apartment, it is my unprofessional opinion that you are incredibly lucky to be alive.” 

Good thing I was too young and naïve to realize it!

9.  How did you end up getting published?
It took 3 years to write Confessions of a Do-Gooder Gone Bad and one year to edit and revise it before I even started sending queries to agents, editors and publishers. Out of the 24 query letters I sent, I got 3 requests for the full manuscript and a contract from Oak Tree Press!

10.  Would you be food or fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen?
I would KICK ZOMBIE BUTT. Let me at ‘em!

11.  What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
When I hit the send button to email my first query letter to a literary agent, I felt so scared and nervous I thought I was going to be sick. Nothing made me feel more vulnerable than exposing my work to the outside world after sitting in solitary writing confinement for so many years. That felt very daring.

12.  Would you rather be rich or famous--and you could only have one-- and why?  The fame would be based on something good, not something like being the best serial killer or anything like that.
When discussing what we would do if we won the lottery, all my friends talked about buying a new house or car or traveling the world, but the only thing I could think of was that I needed new underwear. This proves that a) I am not meant to be rich, and b) although I don’t pay close attention to men’s undergarments (see question 4 above), I know enough to know when I personally need new underwear. I would choose fame, but even then I would rather live in obscurity than be famous in a Kim Kardashian or Honey Boo Boo kind of way.
 



From the Author:

Confessions of A Do-Gooder Gone Bad is a wry, humorous coming of age memoir about a well-intentioned “problem child” raised by conservative, evangelical Christian parents in Southern California during the Sixties and Seventies.  As she naively stumbles through her youth and young adulthood, one misadventure after another, she also struggles to reconcile her ultra-Christian upbringing with women’s liberation, prejudice, protest and poverty during this turbulent era, eventually gaining a different perspective of faith in a world more complicated, funny, terrifying and wonderful than she expected.
 


Find out more about Ann Howley:



http://annkhowley.com/waves-of-gratitude/

Buy Confessions of a Do Gooder Gone Bad by Ann Howley:





Tuesday, September 9, 2014

HELEN OSTERMAN- Twelve Question Tuesday



Today I am pleased to welcome fellow author Helen Osterman to Twelve Question Tuesday.

1.  Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you.
The three most important things people should know about me are:
a.  I’m the mother of five, grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of one.
b. I’ve been a nurse for forty-five years and am currently retired.
c. I have fulfilled a life-long dream of being a writer. I have eight published books, another coming out this fall, and have written a number of short stories.


2.  Are you a dog person or a cat person?
I love dogs. Do not have one now because arthritis prevents me from giving it adequate care.

3.  Tea or coffee?
Most definitely coffee. I begin my day with two cups of freshly ground Rain Forest Rescue coffee.

4.  Question omitted.

5.  What was the first thing you ever wrote?
The first thing I ever wrote was a very short story when I was in the primary grades. It was terrible, but, I persisted. In my mind I was always doing something adventurous.

6.  When did you finally decide to call yourself a writer?
All through my nursing career I wrote articles for nursing and medical journals. I perceived myself a writer then, but only when I held my first published book in my hand, did I feel like a real author.

7.  Which of your works are you most proud to have written?
Song of the Rails, a Love Story, is dearest to my heart because it is partly autobiographical. I shed many tears writing it and readers tell me the same, both men and women.

8.  What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
The scariest thing that ever happened to me was hearing that my thirty-five year old mountain climbing son had fallen fifty feet. He was climbing in Mexico and I couldn’t get to him. He was severely injured and rushed back to Chicago where, a surgeon with whom I worked, had to remove his right foot. I nursed him back to health knowing just what to do because, ironically, I was working with amputee rehabilitation at the time.

9.  How did you end up getting published?
I was at the Love is Murder Conference in Chicago where publishers and agents were taking pitches. A representative of Thompson/Gale listened to my ten minute pitch and loved the plot. I had the foresight to bring a CD with the manuscript on it. Five weeks later, I had a contract. 


10.  Would you be food or fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen?
If the zombie apocalypse happened, I would die of fright. So I guess that makes me food.

11.  What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
The most daring thing I’ve ever done is having my picture taken clinging to the forty foot mast of my son’s forty-nine foot sailboat. Same son who was mountain climbing.


12.  Would you rather be rich or famous--and you could only have one-- and why?  The fame would be based on something good, not something like being the best serial killer or anything like that.
I would rather be famous for my writing. I try to teach something in every book I write. My medical knowledge always sneaks in, whether I realize it or not. When readers tell me how much they enjoyed a certain book and why, that’s all the riches I need.





FROM THE AUTHOR:
 
I received the following blurb for my novel, Locked Within, and Emma Winberry Mystery, #5 in the series from the late Michael Palmer, MD, author of medical thrillers. I will always treasure it.

Locked Within is a simply wonderful story written by an author who clearly knows our craft.  I had a great time with this book and recommend it to any reader who enjoys clever plotting and vivid characters.

Osterman is a nurse who understands what it means to care and be cared for. Her writing is scalpel sharp and much more intelligent than some of the cozies I have read.

Locked Within is fun and fascinating. Fans of my books will have a great time with it.
Bravo, Helen Osterman!

Michael Palmer, MD
New York Times Winning Author: Political Suicide

My books are available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com. Also from Oak Tree Press.

Website:helenosterman.com