Author Spotlight on Peter H. Green

Today I interviewed PETER H. GREEN, a writer, architect, and city planner with an impressive background.
Peter is a member of the Real Lives Team, a sub-group of Books Go Social.
He told an interesting story about why he became a writer.


Short Bio
PETER H. GREEN, a writer, architect, and city planner, found his father’s 400 World War II letters, his humorous war stories, his mother’s writings and his family’s funny doings too good a tale to keep to himself, so he launched a second career as a writer.
His first book recounted the often hilarious antics and serious achievements of his father's World War II adventure, Dad’s War with the United States Marines, Seaboard Press, 2005.
It was reissued as Ben’s War with the U. S. Marines in 2014 by Greenskills Press.
His first novel, Crimes of Design, a Patrick MacKenna mystery, an intrigue of murder and sabotage set in St. Louis during the highest flood of record, which first appeared in 2012 from L&L Dreamspell, was republished, along with the second in this series, Fatal Designs, by Greenskills Press in Spring, 2014.
He lives in St. Louis with his wife Connie, has two married daughters and three very young grandchildren.
The story of the last pet his family owned, “The Night We Ruined the Dog,” can be found on his website.


1. What inspired you to become a writer?

It started with my parents, a homemaker and an ex-Marine, both writers and publicists, a grandfather who was a construction contractor and me, an architect that has seen plenty, and who just loves to tell stories.
My dad did a lot of writing for his radio and ad agency jobs, and Mom had always wanted to be a writer and never went through with it.
They had always said I had the ability to be a writer, and I’d always wanted to but needed to earn a living.
In a way, I felt I owed it to them and to myself to finish what they started.
And in my profession, my favorite activity was always describing the projects and getting people excited about hiring our team.
I gravitated toward the marketing side of the business, writing proposals, reports, and publicity for my firms.
This resulted in millions of words cascading from my pen and then from my computer screen over the years.
That’s a lot of writing practice when you think about it.

2. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Other than some early expressions as a child, and some early interest but few thoughts of a writing career, it all started with a college class reunion.
The bravest of our classmates tried to answer the provocative question: What are you going to do with the last third of your life?
The prospect of all that time of relative ease stretching ahead of us beckoned like an unexplored continent.
On that reunion trip, my wife and I also visited Mary Oates, one of her college classmates, a writer and editor herself, in Andover, Mass.
I happened to mention that I spent the summer of 1945, when I turned six, just up the coast with my mother, sister, aunt and her family in a rented seaside house at Annisquam, while Dad was off to war.
Two days later she drove us to Gloucester and we found the very seaside cottage where we’d stayed that summer.
That night, over much wine and good seafood, we were reminiscing about wartime problems, like coastal blackouts and rationing, when Mary blurted, “Peter, you’ve got to do it—write your dad’s story!”
I said, “Gosh, I can— I’ve got Dad’s letters!”
In the basement was an old cardboard box my mom had given me with 400 of my father’s World War II letters, which she had saved in their postmarked envelopes.
Adding to these, his humorous war stories, my mother’s writings and my family’s often hilarious doings, I realized I had a story too good to keep to myself.
I decided to launch a second career as a writer.
After years of architectural work, report preparation, promotional copywriting and proposal writing for my design firms, I went back to Washington University to study creative writing with such accomplished authors as Catherine Rankovic, Robert Earleywine and Rick Skwiot, resulting in the release in 2005 of my biographical memoir on the hilarious antics and serious achievements of my father’s World War II adventure, Dad's War with the United States Marines, James A. Rock & Co., Seaboard Press (Florence, SC), reissued in 2014 as Ben’s War with the U. S. Marines.

3. What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?

My biography and family memoir, Dad’s War with the United States Marines, was just handed to me, from the letters and other family lore I had at my fingertips.
Why I write mysteries is kind of a mystery to me. But I can tell you this:
Both my parents were avid readers, especially of mysteries, a habit that fueled their interest in writing and life in general.
They loved clever plots, like Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter.”
A good mystery was always passed around the family with Mom’s urging to “read it right away.”
One time she gave me a mystery-thriller called Loophole, about an architect who was so broke he planned a bank robbery—and got away with it. Whenever we were in a hotel room, Dad was fascinated with how a murderer could defeat the locks through the connecting doors to the adjacent room and leave undetected.
When Mom died, she left a bookcase bursting with mysteries—she shamed me.
I guess I felt that I’d been too busy earning a living and was way behind on my reading.
Besides the recent reads on her shelves, she had read every mystery writer out there—including Mary Roberts Rinehart, Raymond Chandler, Ernie Pyle, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, John S. MacDonald and William Macdonald.

4. Where did the inspiration for your books come from?

My choice of architecture as a career was a matter of interest and aptitude, but it also had something to do with finding a “practical” way to earn a living.
And for a long career, I have designed buildings, planned development sites and promoted my firm.
On that journey through the world of design and construction I’ve met real estate developers, bureaucrats, politicians, office rivals–all human, mind you, many of them honorable and even noble–but with a few bad apples that undo the hard work of all the good folks just trying to make life a little better for the rest of us.
Throughout my career I saw enough close calls, suspicious acts and outright skullduggery to wonder, what if?
In a way, I wished I could have been taller, more handsome, more heroic than I was.
In second-guessing my life, I wondered what would have happened if, instead of becoming the cautious, conservative person that life teaches most of us to be, I wondered, what if I had taken more risks, been braver, more outspoken and more confrontational than I was?
So I created someone who was all of these things, even though he is a perfectionist, far from perfect—with a weakness for beautiful women—architect Patrick MacKenna.

In Crimes of Design, he discovers the body of the staunchest advocate for his controversial flood-protected dream project in the site’s storm water pumping station during a record flood in St. Louis. He is forced to become an amateur sleuth to save his career, his family. and his very life.
Before the first chapter of the book is over, he’s in all kinds of trouble.
I wanted to see what would happen if my main character was larger than life, the kind of person who, when challenged to the breaking point, did what had to be done.


. How long did it take you to put your first book, the World War II biography story together?

Ben’s War with the U. S. Marines was a five-year effort, requiring historical research to set my father’s story in context, going through eighteen drafts. Although I’d been pondering a second volume for a decade, Radio: One Woman’s Family in War and Pieces, came together in less than three years.

. Can you share a little about your latest biography with us?

Radio: One Woman’s Family in War and Pieces, by Alice H. Green and Peter H. Green
This eyewitness account of World War II social history weaves women's progress since the Great Depression, the Golden Years of Radio, women’s heroic role in the war and the postwar housing shortage into one woman's humorous and poignant autobiography of her family struggles and her attempts to fulfill her creative dreams., richly illustrated with 50 historical photographs and sketches.
This was the book my mother always wanted to write.
She started it several times. but somehow life always got in the way.


What has surprised you the most about the whole process of getting your book on the market?

I’m constantly amazed by how long it takes to write, revise and perfect a book and how large a team of beta readers, fellow authors, publishers and news media I’ve had to enlist to help me with this project.
While writing’s creative cycle begins as a solitary pursuit, it’s not complete until it has been launched by a big group of players and shared by a large audience.
It seems it takes a village to raise a novel.

Now that your book has hit the stores, describe how you feel in one sentence?

I’m thrilled that our story is being well-received by those who have read it, but I’m anxious about how well I’ll be able to communicate my enthusiasm for this story to the wider world of readers.



Would you like to share what the reviewers are saying about your book?

Here’s my favourite so far:
Rating 4.5 for humor and a true story that needs to be told.
“He loved me, he treasured me, and he pampered me—and then he left me for the Marines.”… “He finally had to admit….that I was his equal.” —Alice Green
This is a wonderful gift book. Alice Green’s writing is fresh and at times laugh-aloud funny, parts of it reminiscent of Cheaper by the Dozen. Thorton Wilder instructed Alice in creative writing.
I recommend this book to all readers who enjoy a good laugh.
The section “We Bought a Crooked House” was hilarious.
Co-written by Alice and her son Peter, I enjoyed snippets about the history of radio, radio advertising, and the home front before, during, and after WW II.
Throughout the book, Alice endured her share of problems.
She was born at a time when women totally acquiesced to their spouse’s wishes, a time when women did not have the vote.
During WW II, Alice raised two youngsters while dealing with rationing and a reduced income.
Her ordeal can be compared to being hand-fed through the wringer of her new electric washing machine. She emerged changed and stronger.
This book will appeal to readers who love the true story of a woman of Irish Catholic heritage, a product of Chicago, as she was strengthened by trial and tribulation.
Alice progressed from a shy wallflower to a woman who supervised countless volunteers for the American Red Cross.
I intend to buy a copy of this book for a dear aunt.—Paula B., Amazon reviewer


How many books have you written?

Four, although the first, entitled Dad’s War with the United States Marines, 2005, was improved and reissued as Ben’s War with the U. S. Marines in 2014. Those now in print are:

Crimes of Design, A Patrick MacKenna Mystery, 2012, 2014
Fatal Designs, A Patrick MacKenna Mystery, 2015
Ben’s War with the U. S. Marines, 2005, 2015
Radio: One Woman’s Family in War and Pieces, 2016



What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?

My wife and I enjoy visiting our daughters’ families in Houston, I like swimming and golf, We attend theater, art galleries, concerts and the Missouri Botanical Garden, enjoying St. Louis’s rich cultural stew.



Connect with Peter H. Green on

Facebook
Linked In: Peter H. Green
Twitter
Website
Blog
Email: writerpeter@peterhgreen.com

Author Spotlight on Rebecca Long Howard

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing another talented author, Rebecca Long Howard, from the Real Lives Team, a sub-group of Books Go Social.
She is a survivor of a great disaster in her country and has written a remarkable true story about it.

Tell us a little about yourself

Rebecca is a writer and a tornado survivor, but God has involved her in other roles where she, also, receives more than she gives.
She is a mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, and friend.
She is a middle-aged silly girl, an animal rescuer, and a very active member of the human race.
She is addicted to coffee, nicotine, words (both her own and the writings of others), and studying whichever random subject strikes her fancy. Rebecca is made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions and the grace of God.

When and why did you begin writing?

I wrote my first little story when I was around five, “The Turtle Who Thought She Was A Lion”, and Aesop and Rudyard Kipling are probably still rolling over in their respective graves.
I've written constantly since then, but I never really told anyone about it.
I was not raised around creative people, and the fact that writing has always been as natural and essential as breathing did not seem a valuable trait in a world where making a living was the ultimate priority.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

The Day After the End of the World has been in existence for almost a year, and I am still wrapping my mind around identifying as a Writer. “I'm no Writer. I just write.”
A few months ago, a friend asked if I would do some writing for her nonprofit.
I responded, “I'd love to help, of course. But, um, don't you know any writers?”
She laughed and laughed.

What inspired you to write your first book?

Trauma-induced writer's block, actually.
I have always used fiction and essays as a way to privately deal with life events.
I think with my pen.
After a tornado destroyed my neighborhood, I developed panic attacks.
Creative writing, of any kind, was a trigger for over two years.
The act of writing, which had always been my way to figuratively breathe suddenly caused a physical inability to breathe.
And, frankly, it pissed me off.
So, pushing slowly through the panic and symptoms of PTSD, I began writing about the tornado.
It took about three years.

The Day After the End of the World became therapy, a way for me to say goodbye to who I had been, to understand the fundamentally changed person I had become, and to face the disastrous catalyst in between.
I was editing a dear friend's book, and I accidentally emailed her the wrong file.
She told me that “People need to read this story.”
I said, “Absolutely not!”
She talked about compassionate people who just don't know what a disaster is from the inside. And, she talked about those who do know how grief feels, but who also need to know that they are not alone, that there is hope.
That got to me.
The following Spring, I unleashed my story on an unsuspecting public.
I can write again, and I am busy making up for lost time.
As for the girl who was a little ashamed to admit that she could never grow up and quit making up stories, well, in a way, that girl died in a tornado.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Hope. There is always hope.

What book are you reading now?

Mist Falcon by Ryan J. Doughan. How Not To Write A Novel by Howard Mittelmark. Radio: One Woman's Family in War & Pieces by Alice H. Green & Peter H. Green.
And, beta-reading the next installment of the Brain Child series by Alan Garrett.

What are your current projects?

A short novel that serves as a practice run, as I haven't written any fiction for six years.
Also in progress, a lovely little historical fiction.
I'm writing pieces for nonprofits and ministries and filling journal upon journal with thoughts on all kinds of subjects.
I'm writing, again.
I'm writing. I'm writing. (deep sigh of relief)

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

Other writers have been simply amazing. I have been warmly welcomed into the Tribe. And, I'm staying.


What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Publishing took most of the courage I had available in my personal arsenal.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

It's your story. Write it. Write the heck out of it.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Hang in there, loves. It gets better. Not just my story, but yours.

If you were not a writer what else would you like to do?

Nothing. I'm good, here.

Connect with Rebecca on Facebook and Twitter

Buy her book at Amazon

"The book chronicles her journey through loss, reality and restoration... Howard's honesty with God and her struggles with her own emotions are recorded without varnish." - Bettie Marlowe, Cleveland Daily Banner

Amazon Giveaway - Zeeka Chronicles

Today I feel like celebrating so I am giving away ten EBooks of ZEEKA CHRONICLES to ten lucky readers of my blog.

Before I give you the lucky link, here is the Book Description.

Zeeka Chronicles is a series of five spine - chilling stories about Revenge of Zeeka.
How can one man misuse Medical science for Revenge?
The book is about betrayal, kidnapping, revenge, secrets, lies, killer zombies, murder, and evil.
To what end is Zeeka willing to go to unleash terror on the small exotic island of Gosh?
Will he and his zombies escape the law?
Is he angry because his former lover jilted him?
Or is it because his child was born deformed and his wife died in childbirth?
Why did this vengeful man kidnap the son of his former lover?
One man knows his secrets.
Can he stop him before more blood is shed and save the islanders?
Find out the answers to these provocative questions.
Get the book.

And here is one of the best five-star reviews

"This series is about the havoc the sinister Zeeka and his Zombies unleashed on a little island in the Caribbean and the impact on people who live there. The darker side of humanity is explored with unforeseeable plot twists taking the reader down a sometimes grisly path. Thankfully, there is light at the end of the tunnel and I eventually emerged with feelings of redemption and satisfaction. Future tech is highlighted throughout the series making me desire one of the book's robot helpers who does dishes and kicks butt too."

So go ahead and click the link below to see if you are one of the lucky winners.

AMAZON GIVEAWAY

N.B.
Brenda Mohammed has paid for all prizes, sales tax, and shipping.
Entry requires an Amazon.com account. Amazon will ship prizes to winners. Winners' names may be made public.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. 10 winners will be randomly selected after the giveaway ends.
All winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond.
This giveaway started April 6, 2017 6:28 AM PDT and ends May 6, 2017 11:59 PM PDT.
Winner: Randomly selected after Giveaway has ended, up to 10 winners.

Requirements for participation:
Resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia
18+ years of age (or legal age)
Follow Brenda Mohammed on Amazon




Have a nice Day.

Author Spotlight with Cheryl Evans

Bio

Wife, mother, friend and best-selling author Cheryl B. Evans was born and raised in Canada.
She has been happily married to her husband for more than twenty-three years and together they have raised two wonderful children, one of whom is transgender.
In her spare time, Cheryl is an avid reader of non-fiction books and when she isn't writing or reading, she enjoys painting on canvas with acrylics.

She even shared 50 Fun Facts about herself which can be found here:
Fifty Fun Facts
Cheryl B. Evans is the author's pen name.
It is used in order to protect her family and specifically her son Jordan who she writes about in her emotional parenting memoir 'I Promised Not to Tell'.
It is the author's personal desire that the book leaves a positive mark on the world helping others to better understand transgender people.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I wish I could tell you that I always wanted to write, that since I was a little girl it was in me to be a great writer.
The fact is that simply is not true.
Yes, one of my favorite pastimes is reading.
I have a home library full of non-fiction books but writing one of my own was not something I had ever planned to do.
It took something rather extraordinary to happen to bring me to a place when I wanted to write, rather I needed to write.
Some call it a trigger, but it was my motivation, my inspiration.
It was the day my youngest daughter told me the thing she needed most in the world was to be a boy.
The impact that statement had on me was surreal.
I began to document every step of our family’s journey for the days, months and years that followed until without even realizing it I had become a writer.
The end result of all my writing was the book that I wished I had available to me when our story first began.
While penning our story I allowed the pages to be filled with the most intimate and deeply personal details of what was happening to our family, believing my eyes would be the only eyes to ever see it.
Towards the end, I became acutely aware of the hardships many transgender people face and the families that are unwilling to accept a loved one who has come out as transgender.
There was a need for others to know our story existed, a need to know they were not alone.
The families turning their children away simply for being who they are needed support and guidance.
They needed to be shown an example of unconditional love and a way to acceptance.
The book I had written needed to be shared, to be published and with my son’s permission, it was.

While I became an author by chance, it was not without purpose.
My writing helped me, it healed me and now I pray it can help to heal others.

Do you have a specific writing style?

Yes. I would say that my writing style is very casual and conversational.
I speak from the heart and am deeply honest in my writing.
I do not write to impress but rather to connect with my reader on a personal level so they can feel like they are experiencing things along with me.


Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?

The main goal of my book I Promised Not to Tell was to educate everyone on what being transgender really means.
To humanize transgender people and help other people going through a similar situation to know they are not alone.

What are your current projects?

I am currently working on my second book which I hope will be out later this year.
While the book itself is coming along nicely, it remains without a title.
If anyone would like to offer their suggestions on that I have set up a blog post with more details about the book and an offer to help me title it. This is the BLOG LINK

Do you see writing as a career?

I am not sure.
My first book was well received as I hope my second one will be also but, only time will tell.
Let's just say I am not ruling it out at this point.

What book are you reading now?

As usual, my current reading list is full of non-fiction books.
Here are three I am currently reading: Who, Why, How... Are You? by Mertha M Nyamande, Pride by Dr. Ronald Holt and 5 Minute Marketing For Authors by Barb Asselin.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you! Sincerely, I want to thank each and every one of them.
I appreciate that through picking up my book they have decided to come along side our family on a deeply personal journey and I hope in the end they feel it was well worth their time and attention.

Connect with Cheryl Evans at:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon
Goodreads
Barnes and Nobles

Cheryl's book received a five-star review and five-star seal from Readers Favorite.

Author Spotlight with Mary Thorpe

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Mary Thorpe, a retired Social Worker and Author.
She has written a moving family tale, “That’s Just How It Was," through which much can be gleaned about life during the push for Irish independence. The book is the biography of her remarkable grandmother, Bridget O’Rourke.



Tell us a little about yourself

*I am a retired Social Worker {Manager] I have five children and seven grandchildren.
As a Social Worker, I felt the driving need to record my grandmother’s story, in recognition of Bridget’s harsh life and also as a tribute to her and the millions of others like her.
These were people who made the best of things whilst still retaining a sense of pride, of the worth of education as a ticket out of poverty, and of the importance of retaining one’s dignity and commitment to the family through good and bad times,while acknowledging that Bridget possessed the old Irish good luck as well, in marrying a good man and in gaining the sponsorship of her patron, N. Stanislav Murphy.

This is from the Foreword .. but I could not have written it as good myself.

Within Bridget’s story, however, Mary is also writing about an era of tough times, and she acknowledges ‘these roots’ as the make-up of her own resilient Irish character. She is proud of her grandmother’s achievements, especially with regard to the life chances Bridget was able to create for her family – and rightly so!

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?


*Yes.It is a Historical Biographical story about my grandmother's life, and it was through these harsh times that many thousands of Irish people emigrated to many, many foreign shores... I would like to believe that this book would help them understand their history and the reasons why immigration was so right.


Are your writings based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

*My Grandmother's life.

What books have most influenced your life most? a mentor?
• Irish History Books

What book are you reading now?

*The three sister queens


What are your current projects?

I am writing a 2nd book of what I hope will be a theology!

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

*A Local historian in Bray Co Wicklow called Henry Cairns


If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

*Yes... I would read more of the history first.
Basically, it was my granny's story and I now wish that I had put more effort into it about Irish History.
Although she walked through that history, I would leave some things out and put others in.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

The research and then trying to sell it are challenges.


Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Yes . I would like them to read the book, and gain an understanding of why Irish people left their native land and all the reasons for it.
If they could find that understanding, then I believe that I had told the story well.


Other than writing do you have any hobbies?
Knitting/crochet .. my grandchildren

What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

Murder mysteries

Favorite foods / Colors/ Music
* Country and Western

If you were not a writer what else would you like to do?

*A Barrister /Lawyer/ Criminologist !!

“That’s Just How It Was" is a moving family tale through which much can be gleaned about life during the push for Irish independence
This is a satisfying, emotionally involving read.”- Clarion Review
Get Mary's book at this link.

Author Spotlight with Ann Marie Mershon

Today I am chatting with Ann Marie Mershon, a former English Teacher from Minneapolis.
Her Memoir on living in Turkey has 55 reviews on Amazon.
Now, that is impressive!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a retired English teacher, adventurer, and writer (duh!).
I was raised in a Minneapolis suburb and moved to the wilderness of northern Minnesota as soon as I could.
I’m energized by nature and try to ski, hike, bike, kayak or swim every day.
I decided to take up writing when I took a career development course as a part of a counseling degree.
I realized that I was ignoring the creative part of myself and decided that writing would blend well with my teaching career.
I also wanted to write for young people—I love kids.
I wrote a newspaper column about health, travel, and fitness for five years as well as publishing a number of articles for both local and national publications.
I’ve published three books to date, a children’s historical novel, a walking tour guide for Istanbul, and a memoir about my years in Turkey.

What inspired you to write your first book?

I was taking a course in writing for children at the Grand Marais Art Colony, and I’d just read a short family history written by a neighbor.
It touched me deeply and I decided to ask her permission to write a children’s book based on her family’s emigration to Minnesota.
That was the beginning of a treasured connection with Eleanor and her family.
Sadly, she died before Britta’s Journey was published.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

My memoir, You must only to love them, is an account of my years teaching high school in Istanbul.

I wrote the book because I wanted people to see and feel the warmth of the Turkish people and their Muslim culture.
It breaks my heart that so many people are afraid of Muslims when it is one of the most gentle faiths in the world.

Are your writings based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

My years in Turkey changed my life, particularly my perspective on America and its place in the world.
All of the events in the book are true, and though I’ve changed a few names, all the characters in the book are people who touched my life.
I’m only sorry I had to leave so many out; the first version of my memoir was far too long, so I had to revise out a lot of precious friends.

What are your current projects?

I’m working on a sequel to Britta’s Journey, continuing Eleanor’s family saga to Minnesota.
In the first book, I only got them from Finland to Ellis Island.

I was amazed at how that book wrote itself even though I had a clear outline.
Historical fiction is great fun to write.
I also have a half-finished version of my time in Turkey viewed through my little dog’s eyes. Libby was my sidekick and toured much of Turkey with me. Her favorite part of Turkey was the cats, which are much more fun to chase than chipmunks.

Do you see writing as a career?

I guess I see writing as a passion more than a career.
I’ve been doing it for years, and I get up early every morning to get in a few hours of writing.
I enjoy both writing and revision, but I HATE marketing, as I imagine most writers do.
I’m trying, though, and maybe this year my income will exceed my expenses. Who knows? I have to admit, my writing business has been a great tax write-off, and it’s brought income for the past fifteen years. Not much, though, and certainly not enough to live on.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I doubt there’s any writer who would say their work was perfect.
I think I was happiest with my tour guide, because it was cut-and-dried factual stuff.

At a workshop once a writer said, “You know you’re done with a book when you can’t bear to look at it another time.”
Revision is a continuing process, and it’s hard to stop and say, “Enough!”
My memoir is not perfect, but it’s done.
There’s a lot I’d love to improve on, but it was time to move on.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

My favorite book in the world is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
I taught that book to ninth graders for years, and I read it aloud a few times.
It’s a book with passion, depth, humor, and a strong message.
Harper developed interesting and believable characters, and her empathetic treatment of all the characters in the book deeply touched me. I have yet to enjoy a book (or a writer) more.

Who designed your covers?

I had a friend design the cover of Britta’s Journey, and I chose the photo for the cover of Istanbul’s Bazaar District, though the publisher had an artist do the final cover design.
I put together the main design of my memoir, which I self-published through Amazon.
I asked my son, a graphic designer, for advice on the design, and he improved the graphics for me.
So basically, I had input on all three covers but had help from professionals as well.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

I wrote a YA novel in a year and submitted it to two publishers, who rejected it.
I was totally discouraged.
I learned two important lessons from that experience:
1.Read, read, read and write, write, write.
Also take advantage of every workshop, seminar, and course that you can. I continue to attend workshops regularly. They’re both educational and motivating.

2. Don’t let rejection slips discourage you.
I could wallpaper my office with all the rejection notices I’ve received, but I soldiered on.
I’m not alone.
There is no end of writers, both famous and inconsequential, who have received scores—no, hundreds of rejection letters.
Hang in there! Katharine Stockett was rejected by 60 agents before one finally agreed to represent The Help, which subsequently spent 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

Connect With Ann Marie on her Website

Turkey blog

Writing blog

Twitter

facebook

Facebook writer page

Why I Wrote Memoirs

The following is an extract from an article by Rachel McGrath of Indies United Facebook Group.

Brenda Mohammed is a multi-genre author living in Trinidad and Tobago who has now written and published sixteen books.
Six of her books are memoirs and so we asked Brenda to share what instigated her journey to write such personal stories and share them with the world.

Brenda's response:

When I retired from the Bank at an early age, I was depressed.
Everyone in my family noticed that in the weeks leading up to my retirement that my demeanour had changed.
I had ceased to be jovial and fun loving.
My husband and my sisters did their best to brighten up my days and I managed to force a smile or a giggle to appease them, but no one realized that I was feeling as if I had come to the end of my life.
I went through the motions at the grand retirement party, which the bank staff hosted at a popular restaurant in South Trinidad.
Customers and staff were present.
The ambience was enchanting, and the speeches were great.
Superiors, colleagues, customers, and staff showered me with praises and gifts.
Their words brought tears to my eyes. However, all I could think about was, ‘What lies ahead for me?’

Fortunately, for me, my husband had planned a trip for both of us to attend a friend’s wedding in Virginia in the USA.
We left the morning after the retirement party.
All during the flight, I kept remembering the words of the many who spoke at the party.
It all seemed like a dream.
When we arrived in Virginia, I felt relaxed.
Virginia is remarkably beautiful.
We had so much fun over the next three weeks that I forgot all about the bank.

We returned home after a glorious vacation. I gave away all of my working clothes as I felt that I no longer needed them.
I decided to dabble in art.
Out of nowhere, my talent for art surfaced and I painted several pieces, which I framed and hung in my library.
I applied for other jobs and received positive responses from many firms.
I accepted a job in an Insurance Company, and of course had to buy a new wardrobe of clothes.
Since I did not have to work full time, I needed something else to keep me busy.
It was then that I decided to write My Life as a Banker: A Life worth Living.
The book has been very popular with fellow bankers in Trinidad.
I revised the book in 2014, published it on Amazon and Create Space, and donated copies to the National Library of Trinidad and Tobago, and my Alma Mater St. Augustine Girls’ High School.

My Life as a Banker - A Life worth Living" is a banker's memoir, in which I describe changes in the banking system and changes in the bank's attitude to its employees throughout my working years in a Trinidad bank, with ties in the United Kingdom.
Personal details of my life are the highlights of the memoir.
Reviewers have described the book as Fascinating, Intriguing, Inspiring, Positive, Heartwarming, and Motivational.

Later on, I was having so much fun as a retiree, that I wrote, Retirement is Fun: A New Chapter.
The book is a sequel to "My Life as a Banker - A Life Worth Living."
I learned through my many experiences at the end of my banking career, that retirement is a time to enjoy life.

I faced many challenges such as cancer, deaths of loved ones, and an accident in Miami, which made her realize that life is very short. On the other hand, I landed a new job in an Insurance company and had numerous travel opportunities after I left my job at the bank. I have proven that when one retires from a first job one does not retire from life.


My recovery from cancer inspired me to write another memoir, I am Cancer Free.
It is a book about my battle with Ovarian Cancer.

The killer disease threatened my life and financial well- being.
My strong faith in God saw me through all the trials I had to undergo.
Cancer does not have to be a death sentence.


My career in the Insurance Industry was successful.
I qualified each year for membership in The Million Dollar Round Table [The Premier Association for Financial Professionals], and this gave me many opportunities to travel to different parts of the United States to attend conferences.
My frequent travels worldwide prompted me to write another memoir, Travel Memoirs with Pictures: Exploring the World.

It is an entertaining book filled with reflections of my travels around the world.
I also relate the family adventures and treat readers to a pictorial story of priceless memories.
I describe places visited and the wonderful times my family and I had in our tourist trips.
The book is great to read while on a vacation or for some travel inspiration.


I was later inspired to write yet another memoir – Your Time is Now: A Time to be Born and a Time to die.
I had a driving force within me to write this one.

I based the content on powerful words spoken by King Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes about times and seasons. "There is a time to be born and a time to die, and a time for every purpose under the Heaven."

Both My Life as a Banker: A Life worth Living and Retirement is Fun: A New Chapter were nominated in the Category Bio/Memoirs for Metamorph Publishing Summer Indie Book Awards 2016.
The final results showed that My Life as a Banker: A Life worth Living placed second in that category.

I am Cancer Free: A Memoir won the McGrath’s House Indie Book Awards in the category Non-Fiction in November 2016.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all my Facebook friends, family, former banking colleagues, and friends in Author groups, who all voted for my books.
All of my books are registered in the matchbook program on Amazon. When you buy any book in Paperback you get the Ebook FREE.
Here is my Amazon Universal Link