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

Fascinating Memoirs I have read from Facebook Group - Real Lives

Book Description

At the age of fifteen Mickey loses his older brother who is killed in a car accident; an accident that took split second timing for two cars to come in contact on a remote highway in rural Iowa.
At age twenty he arrives in Vietnam as a US Marine Corp Infantryman.
The Grass Swale is a section of footpath in Vietnam that changes the lives of six Marines, including the author, who lives with the mental anguish and nightmares caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Mickey shares his life story with a sense of humor only those who know him can appreciate.
I have been told by a professional that you must be present during an event for it to cause PTSD. Call it what you want but events such as the death of my brother and its effect on me will also never go away.
In Arnold Palmer’s book, A Golfer’s Life, he describes an event while at Wake Forest, where his roommate and golf team member was killed in a car accident. He had been invited to go along with his roommate but declined. He describes that event as a “shadow” in his life.
I, for one, understand exactly what he meant. My shadow has been darker, much darker.
The fact I was not present when Bucky hit the booby trap does not take the anxiety away; what effect has it had on his life, how could things have been different, what could I have done? It could have been me.
Why wasn’t it? Did it happen to me in another place or time?


My Review
Five Stars

The book was interesting and lessons can be learned from it.
ByBrenchrison March 21, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
The Grass Swale is a personal Memoir of the life of the author, Mickey Thomas.
He has shared a great deal of personal information with his readers.
Not many people are brave enough to do so.
He blames himself for the death of his brother, but perhaps if he had accompanied him that night, he too may have met his death in that fatal accident.
His experiences in boot camp and as a Marine were terrifying.
No wonder he suffered from PTSD.
His wife, Hope, and four children were stabilizing factors in his life.
He was even blessed with grandchildren.
Despite the many ups and downs in his life, Mickey has a lot for which to be thankful.
The book was interesting and lessons can be learned from it.

The book is written by Mickey Thomas and can be purchased HERE


I read another Memoir written by Tracey Samios and Lis Norman.

Here is the Book Description.

Motherhood doesn’t come with a rule book.
Sometimes you wonder if anyone feels the same way you do.
Am I feeding them right? Am I loving them enough?
Can I exchange this one for a newer model that doesn’t cry so much?
There’s nothing better than feeling understood like there’s someone else out there who gets it.

This collection of two life long friends’ motherly stories, quotes, and memories – both fond and ones they’d sooner forget – will show you there’s no such thing as a perfect mum, and at the end of the day, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

After all; “Mothers are all slightly insane”
JD Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye.

My Review

Five Stars

This is a book which brought back memories of motherhood.
It was filled with humour, love, and caring.
The authors are right.
Motherhood does not come with a rule- book.
It was well written and made me laugh.
Buy the Book HERE

The book by Steven Bentley was a compelling read.

Book Description

This unflinching memoir … opens up a world of drugs, crime, passion, and fear in a way that no other book has ever been able to do: because it's true… Bentley's sympathetic and yet tough view on those that he met and the people that both helped and hindered him is gripping, and his narrative sweep can sometimes make you forget that this is fact, not fiction.

My Review

Five Stars

This book is an intriguing depiction of drugs, crime, and passion and the arduous lives of police officers. In his memoir, the author relates his experiences as a young detective right up to Detective Sergeant, and then as an undercover agent. Operation Julie was the highlight of his career in undercover work, and it was also the cause of his illness that caused him to resign. The police service treated him shabbily, but he managed to move forward with his life in an admirable way. He pursued a degree in law, followed it up with post-graduate studies, and had a successful career as a criminal defense barrister until his retirement.
The book was a page-turner, and I enjoyed reading it.
You can buy the book HERE

I will be reading more books from this group. Take a sneak peek at the fascinating books they have written in this picture.

Meet characters from Revenge of Zeeka in these Videos.

Author Spotlight with Brenda Mohammed

Short Bio

Brenda, a multi-genre author, lives on the beautiful tropical island of Trinidad in the Caribbean.
A former Bank Manager and Insurance Professional, she turned to writing after she retired from the corporate world.
Brenda loves to travel. She has written sixteen books to date: six memoirs, one children's book, four short story collections, and a horror
series of five books.


When choosing a name for your characters, what do you consider about them that determines what you finally call them?

I think about the role I have planned for my characters before I name them.
For instance, in one of my books, Revenge of Zeeka – A Trilogy, I introduced a female robot and named her Miranda.
One reviewer could not help but refer to her in his review.“The highlight is Miranda (oh, Miranda!), whose presence gives a lot of weight and realism to the futuristic theme and setting of 2036.”

Did you have a collection in mind when you were writing them?

I wrote four collections of short stories. “Heart- Warming Tales,” “Stories People Love,” “Revenge of Zeeka – A Trilogy,”
and "Zeeka Chronicles."
At first I wrote several stories as kindle short reads, but later on, I put all the stories into the above books.


How did you choose which stories to include and in what order?

The first collection, “Heart-Warming Tales,” are four stories based on real life events.

One reviewer had this to say about the book,“Heart Warming Tales is a short book of stories with intriguing plots and pleasant characters. Although each story is set within the real world, there seems to be a fantastical quality to each. The style of the writing is satisfyingly simple and easy to follow.”

The second collection, “Stories People Love” contains four short stories of crime, adventure, and love.

A reviewer referred to this book as “a collection of stories all connected by the common theme of hope.”
Another said, "This is a neat and extremely readable collection and shows an author who is able to write fiction and non-fiction elements seamlessly. It's not an easy combination and yet the author pulls it off admirably."
The third collection, “Revenge of Zeeka – A Trilogy,” was only released on 4th May 2016.

The story, which is set in the year 2036, was told in three parts, which are also available as Kindle short reads.
The book received a five-star review and five-star seal from Readers favorite in September 2016.
I thought of ending the series at that point, but Zeeka got into my head and I wrote two more books making the number of books in the series five.
That is why, I published Zeeka Chronicles, the fourth collection of short stories.

The series is all about Zeeka, and his intent on revenge for something that occurred twenty years before.

Do you have a “reader” in mind when you write stories?

I write for both young adults and mature audiences.


What do you do to get book reviews? What is the best review you ever got?

I depend on purchasers of my books to do reviews, but that does not always happen.
I had several Free promotions on Amazon Kindle Publishing and had thousands of downloads, but I received no reviews from these promotions.
I received Five Star reviews for most of my books from verified purchasers, and it is hard to say which is the best review I ever got.
However, I do like this review for Zeeka Chronicles as I found it quite perky.

"5.0 out of 5.0 stars

Teens and up will adore this book
By Amazon Reviewer
March 9, 2017
Format: Paperback
I was thrilled to receive my advance copy of this book because it contains all five Zeeka stories, which are among my favorite spooky reads.
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."

What does the word “story” mean to you?

A story is an account of real or fictitious events.
The plot and characters must be appealing to readers.
When I write, I bear this in mind.


Have any of your books won any awards?

"I am Cancer Free: A Memoir' won the McGrath House Publishing Award in the Category Non-Fiction in November 2016.
The book also received a five-star review and five-star seal from Readers Favorite in February 2017.

My Life as a Banker: A Life worth Living was voted second in Bio/Memoirs in the Metamorph Publishing Summer Indie Book Awards in September 2016.

Retirement is Fun: A New Chapter was also a Nominee in the Metamorph Publishing Summer Indie Book Awards in September 2016.

Would you like to share something with your Readers and Fans?

I want to encourage my readers and fans to continue to read my books and do reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
Your reviews help me to be a better writer.
Please follow me on Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and visit My website atAllAuthor page for continuous updates.
Without readers, there is no point in my writing.
I need every one of you.
I do not only promote my books.
I promote those of other authors as well.
You will read reviews and post of books by other popular authors when you visit my Facebook Author page.
I have started a new Facebook Page for Video Book Trailers. Please visit and like it.

Use the Contact Form at my Website to get in touch with me.
AllAuthor page