A Book and a Chat with Daniel Nayeri

Daniel Nayeri, my guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat” was due to be one of the guests during my Male YA Author Month, unfortunately at the time he fell foul of his own prescient for sampling any type of food. I am very pleased to say, that illness free he was able to join me on today’s show.

Daniel has always been into writing and books, though his other jobs along the way as he described through a very entertaining show, are something else. From working as a builder, where at least he was able to create book shelves, to a fairly unsuccessful bicycle currier, which at least aided him in becoming a stuntman… after all somebody has to cover the cyclist going over the top of the car during a police chase. Daniel has done plenty, including at one time being fairly high class pastry chef.

Then his sister Dina came up with the idea of a book roughly based on “Foust” an idea that soon became the thread for a trilogy. The first book, “Another Foust”, being written jointly by Dina and Daniel, and not without some rough waters along the way, was then joined by “Another Pan” and now as we heard on the show, the trilogy soon to be joined by “Another Jackal”.

Another Foust:

One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish - only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange andelegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city’s most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary “gifts.”

But as the students claw their way up - reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty - the side-effects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins.

At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.

Another Pan:

Sixteen-year-old Wendy Darling and her insecure freshman brother, John, are hitting the books at the Marlowe School. But one tome consumes their attention: THE BOOK OF GATES, a coveted Egyptian artifact that their professor father believes has magical powers. Soon Wendy and John discover that the legend is real—when they recite from its pages and descend into a snaking realm beneath the Manhattan school. As the hallways darken, and dead moths cake the floor, a charismatic new R.A. named Peter reveals that their actions have unleashed a terrible consequence: the underworld and all its evil is now seeping into Marlowe.

Of course Daniel is a writer in his own write, and he shared with us about his long titled book (marketing is going to love you Daniel) “Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow”. A book consisting of four novellas, each one written in a different genre.

So sit back and listen to today's interesting and entertaining as I host today's "A Book and a Chat with Daniel Nayeri"

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat with Daniel Nayeri".

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Daniel Nayeri"

You can find out more about my guest and his books at:
"Daniel Nayeri - Another Foust, Another Pan"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

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Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

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A Book and a Chat with Joel M. Andre

My guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat” is poet and writer Joel M Andre.

Joel always knew he wanted to write, and thanks to the support of his family, and a creative writing instructor named Terrance Pratt who nagged Joel telling him he had a gift, he has gone from writing poetry and now several novels in print.

Early on Joel wrote many poems, eventually he produced a book of many of these items called “Pray the Rain Never Ends” included in the book is a poem he wrote for his nephew Christopher Andre, which shows a different side to the normally darker range of Joel’s writings.

After this first book, Joel went on to write perhaps his own favorite novel “A Death at the North Pole” which shares with the reader a dark journey through a winter wonderland. Unfortunately like my own first delve into creative writing, the book when produced was not as the author wanted it, and I’m glad to say there will soon be a new and very much improved version of this very popular novel available.

Joel’s next creation, as we heard on the program is a technological ghost story called “Kill 4 Me”.

The book is thriller set in rural America, follows Casey Dwyer, a small town girl who becomes caught in a spirit’s unrelenting quest for vengeance after she receives a cryptic and seemingly harmless text message. It is a supernatural thriller that explores how technology can be used to torture others through the lens of a horror novel. Some have said “it shows horror writer Joel M. Andre at his best.”

Fresh off the press we heard about the first book in a possible trilogy called “The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen”...

“On a warm summer afternoon, in Northern Arizona, a double homicide stains the ground with blood. Detectives are called out to handle the investigation, each plagued with their own internal demons, and aren't prepared for what they are about to find.

Detective Lauren Bruni, faces a world of darkness and evil, as a demonic force begins to leash an attack on a small town. As the stakes begin to rise, so does the stunning truth, that not even Lauren can imagine.
In a world where her life had started to fall apart, she must pick up the pieces and push forward in an effort to save those that she loves the most.”

With several more books already written and further books in the The Black Chronicles series underway, Joel continues take the Horror genre and push the boundaries. His is a name I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more of.

So listen to an interesting and entertaining show as I spend thirty minutes sharing "A Book and a Chat with Joel M. Andre"

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat with Joel M. Andre".

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Joel M. Andre"

You can find out more about my guest and his books at:
"Joel M. Andre - A Death at the North Pole"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

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A Book and a Chat with C.S.Lakin

When I read that my guest on today’s show had written that she” prefers to write than even eating chocolate,” I thought this is a lady I’d love to have on the show. C.S. Lakin (Susanne) did not let me down, in an hour full on entertainment and interesting facts she shared with us much of her path to literary success as well as what she has to share with us in the future.

She wrote her first novel over twenty three years ago, and got picked up almost straight away by a top literary agent. But it was not an overnight success, writing subjects from suspense and mystery to sci-fi it never really happened. That is until the last couple of years, when two of her books were published within months of each other.

Her contemporary fiction novel “Someone to Blame” won the Zondervan First Novel contest in 2009. The book is full of tension, written with scenes and characters that make you wanting to keep turning the page, keeping the reader guessing as to what happens next.

At the same time she produced “The Wolf of Tebron” her first book in her fantasy series “The Gates of Heaven”. With book four of the series already written, and at least three more yet to come, this fantasy series is going to prove hugely popular.

C.S. Lakin has not just taken over the mantel from C.S. Lewis for adult fairytale/fantasy writing, but with her other writing has set her literary level of success to something that others will be looking up to.

So listen to an interesting and entertaining show as I spend sixty minutes sharing "A Book and a Chat with C.S.Lakin"

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat with C.S.Lakin".

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"C.S.Lakin"

You can find out more about my guest and his books at:
"C.S.Lakin - The Gates of Heaven Series"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Nicholas Oliva

My guest today Nicholas Oliva has been a musician, poet, photographer, an audio engineer, an Entertainment and Technical Director for over twenty-five years, and more recently an author.

His first book "Only Moments" was published in 2007, was written about the lifetime journey of the professional musical career of a husband and wife team to the year 2020. However as we discovered during an interesting show, in writing this book, and some of the actions that happened, it opened up a door to a locked memory of his own life, facing up to the fact that had had been abused himself when young.

Nicholas’s second book, “Finding God: To Believe or Not To Believe” is based on his own near death experience in 2004. He waited a long time to begin writing this book. Firstly and most influential was the reasoning that by taking a stand on what he had experienced and believed, would have many detractors and people who would attack him in order to perpetuate and bolster their own beliefs or perhaps lack of beliefs, using Nicholas as an example.

The book explores the world of science, religion, and atheism and integrates them into the aspects of Twentieth and Twenty-first Century physics, as well as Nicholas’s thoughts on his own near death experience.

As he shared with us, the results have not been without some very negative feedback, as well as the loss of some…so called friends; the result however is a book of contemporary issues are combined with the latest scientific and philosophic theories in the search for real truth of subjects that have brought down entire empires in bloodlust, and have each of us pondering the eternal “Why?”

At the end of the day, as the Beatles once said… “All you need is love”

So listen to an interesting and entertaining show as I spent thirty minutes sharing "A Book and a Chat with Nicholas Oliva"

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat with Nicholas Oliva".

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Nicholas Oliva"

You can find out more about my guest and his books at:

"Nicholas Oliva - Finding God: To Believe or Not to Believe"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with M.M.Bennetts

M.M.Bennetts, historical author, accomplished pianist and cross country horse rider, is my guest on a fascinating “A Book and a Chat” today.

Not many people in the US realize that where as quite a few presidents have met an untimely end in America, only one British Prime Minister has been assassinated, and that was Prime Minister Perceval who was killed in 1812. A turbulent time in world history, with Napoleon sweeping across Europe, and all that was going on at the time in England.

After over 50 rejections “M” finally got her book “May 1812” published, closely followed by a second book “Of Honest Fame”. These are the first two of a quartet investigating and sharing knowledge which, some of which as we heard during the program has only recently been discovered or in some cases disclosed.

While “May 1812” takes you into the realms of politics and how England must have been with the shock of the Perceval’s assassination, it also shares much of what life was like during that time period, which is the theme throughout the second book and the two yet to be published.

The whole quartet looks at the world at that time from four different sides, and if “May1812” was the political scene, then “Of Honest Fame” is like a 19th century James Bond story. While we think that spying is a modern event, we learn from “M” writing how nearly every section of the government had its own set of spies from the navy and army to even the Bow Street Runners (early police force).

Just the snippets we learn on this dark cloak and dagger stuff would keep a reader turning the pages of this great pair of books. Add to that the knowledge one learns, the exiting plots, and view of a world that is still shrouded in mystery and you can see why not only are the first two books by M.M Bennett’s already proving hugely popular, but also why many are already asking for the view of that world in the next books.

As we learned from a truly interesting chat, we will be visiting and learning about the historical issues in Italy and Vienna in these next two eagerly awaited novels.

The name M.M. Bennetts might have taken a few rejections before it hit the book shelves, but I’m sure it will be a name that will soon spread around the historical fiction readers throughout the world.

So listen to an interesting and entertaining show as I spent thirty minutes sharing "A Book and a Chat with M.M.Bennetts"

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat with M.M.Bennetts".

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"M.M.Bennetts"

You can find out more about my guests and their books at:

"M.M.Bennetts - Of Honest Fame"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Cheryl C. Malandrinos

The name Cheryl C. Malandrinos my guest on the show today, may not be one that drops from readers lists, however it is one known by many authors who have been on virtual tours. Cheryl, is one of the tour guides for the wonderful virtual tour group “Pump Up Your Book”.

I was also lucky enough to join Cheryl as a member of a panel talking about the use of the internet for authors at “Write Angles 25”.

Now Cheryl is herself touring with her wonderful children’s book “Little Sheppard”.

As well as writing and being a Tour Coordinator for Pump Up Your Book, Cheryl is a freelance writer and editor, a regular contributor for Writer2Writer, her articles focus on increasing productivity through time management and organization.

About “The Little Sheppard”

“The Little Sheppard” is a lovely story that tells the birth of Jesus through the eyes of a 5 year old shepherd boy named Obed.

Obed's story gives a fresh and heartwarming view of what it must have been like for a child to have witnessed such a great event. While the book is marked as one for ages 4-8, though with its bright illustrations and sweet story, it will certainly be a hit with all ages!

This book would be a wonderful addition to any Christian family library and perfect to read for a bedtime story.

Through a really interesting an entertaining show we heard how the story went from being originally aimed at the adult market to a story being seen through the eyes of a young child.

Cheryl also shared with us about her recent winning of a picture book month where she had to come up with a different idea throughout the whole of November for a picture book.

With other books already in the production line, and as proved last month many ideas for future book, I’m sure we will hear more of Cheryl C. Malandrinos as an author.

So listen to an interesting and entertaining show as I spent thirty minutes sharing "A Book and a Chat with Cheryl C. Malandrinos"

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat with Cheryl C. Malandrinos".

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Cheryl C. Malandrinos"

You can find out more about my guests and their books at:

"Cheryl C. Malandrinos - Little Shepard"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Melinda Marchiano

Melinda Marchiano was a happy thirteen year old, academically at the top of her class, enjoying dancing six days a week and enjoying life, when suddenly her world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with “Hodgkin Lymphoma”.

As Melinda shared with us during the show, in some ways to finally have a diagnosis it was a relief.

Over the next “forty-eight doses of chemo, a trip to the ER, two doses of morphine, three drug reactions, forty-one shots, over one hundred-fifty needle pokes, fourteen days of radiation, an eating disorder, a mass the size of a softball, a PICC line, a port, two biopsies, a bone marrow aspiration, total hair loss, nine months of intense therapy and so many doctor appointments…” A first in her journal and then in her now international award winning novel Melinda shared a written record of her diagnosis, treatment for and recovery from Hodgkins.

Throughout the bad times, as we learned, Melinda’s faith, her love of dance, therapy dogs, and warm blankets kept not only Melinda aiming for the future, to beat the illness, help others and lead to an enhancement in her own faith and believe.

Her book “Grace: A Childs Intimate Journey Through Cancer And Recovery” is filled with countless upbeat, smiling photos of Melinda - posing with friends and family members, snuggling with the therapy dogs that kept her company during chemo, mugging for the camera in the hospital with a water bottle balanced on top of her bald head. But every chapter or so, her tone changes, becoming more serious, somber even, as she tries to make sense of her health crisis.

It is an uplifting story of thirteen-year-old Melinda Marchiano’s battle with cancer—told in her own unflinchingly honest words.

Melinda has taken on the mantel of advocate on behalf of many different organizations, her way of expressing gratitude for her life. Her story is a gift that will aid others both those fighting such an illness or those who have friends and love ones going through such times.

The first edition of Grace won 2010 International Book Awards: Award Winner in the : Health/Cancer Category and Finalist in the : Spirituality/Inspirational

I will leave the final words to Lance Armstrong…

“In her book, Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery, Melinda Marchiano offers an honest and inspiring portrayal of her cancer experience through the eyes of a teenager and proves there is medicinal value in love and laughter. Melinda and I share a common bond. We are survivors. And we believe in the importance of empowering fellow survivors to live life on their own terms. By sharing her story, Melinda is giving a voice to this global epidemic that needs immediate attention. I am grateful to Melinda for having the courage to speak up and for her generosity in helping others fighting cancer.”
-Lance Armstrong

So listen to an interesting and entertaining show as I spent thirty minutes sharing "A Book and a Chat with Melinda Marchiano"

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat with Melinda Marchiano".

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Melinda Marchiano"

You can find out more about my guests and their books at:

"Melinda Marchiano - Grace"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat Author Warning

After my Male YA Month we are back with general books and issues for all ages and people. As you all know and have heard from numerous authors and guests who have appeared on the show, us small, and in some cases not so small authors about supporting the small independent book stores.

There are though sometimes some issues, and my two guests on the show today, both of whom have appeared as show guests in their own right Melissa Crandall and MJ (Mo) Allaire talked of their own experiences and issues at one of our CT local stores. Providing some very useful information and guide lines, for other authors who might be planning book signings on a small local shop.


Both these ladies explained about issues with “Burgundy Books” Norwich Road, East Haddam CT. Both of the authors have in the past done book signing events in this store, and neither has received any money for the books sold, and as we heard through the show, even though they have taken the store to the small claims court, and won, and have a marshal trying to recover their money, nothing so far has come to fruit. It almost seems if you turn round and play the ostrich burying your head in the sand then you can get away with things.

Several interesting aspects and tips for authors were discussed during the show including perhaps just having a simple contract you and the store both sign to protect both of you.


As well as this warning I was able to bring up something myself and yesterdays guest Alan Gratz were able to discuss about some small book stores, and I’m “not” talking second hand stores, but some stores he has seen selling “arc” copies of books. There again I’m sure the author and the publisher might be interested if seen, as an “arc” is just an advance copy donated to people for reviews etc, not sold.

To end the interesting show we heard what the two ladies are up to in their own literary lives, with fresh books on the way.

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat Author Warning".

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Author Warning"

You can find out more about my guests and their books at:
"MJ Allaire"
"Melissa Crandall"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry