To all my fans out there, I have another website titled, theparkhunters.com. It is a website my husband and I created together sharing our park adventures. We have pictures posted of parks we’ve been to along with sights we’ve encountered at the parks. Please feel free to look around and follow us as well.
If you love parks as much as we do, then you will definitely love this website. More coming soon!
Thank you,
❤
Cristina Isabel
Hello Fans! I’m sorry for being so “away” from you guys. There has been a lot going on since the COVID-19 pandemic. People I know personally have struggled mentally because of this pandemic, among other things, and that is the topic of choice: Mental Awareness. There are different types and there are different ways in which people can cope with them. My cup of tea is Depression. Over time, I have dealt with Depression in not a constructive way, whether I drank myself away or cut myself down (literally!). I am not ashamed because I have cut myself multiple times trying to cope with my Depression, but I can say I have learned new ways in which to cope. Talking to someone, at first, was not an option, but it is now. Also, I have learned that since speaking is not always easy, writing is!
It is a challenge to help someone who might be suffering from Depression. You never know if you will end up adding to the triggers. From personal experience, I always appreciated when someone offered their ear to listen, that’s it. To me, someone willing to truly listen was what made Depression easier for me to cope. Now, I offer my ear to listen to those who are going through different stages of Depression.
I have been working on another poetry collection, Melancholy Dreams – Surviving the Battle of Depression. This book is important to me because I had to gather my thoughts on what I was feeling when I was depressed. Broken down into 3 parts: Part 1 – The Beginning Triggers, Part 2 – Into the Darkness and Part 3 – The Aftermath; I take you to what started it all and how I’ve come out of it. By no means has it been an easy journey, but one I am still walking on.
What I did learn from my Depression is just how strong I really am on the inside. I am not ashamed for what my Depression has put me through, because then I wouldn’t be able to talk to others who have experienced the same mental illness.
To end with a wonderful note, I have this to say. Please, be patient to those who suffer or have suffered from Depression. You may not understand why they go back and forth with their emotions, and that one day they may be up or may be down. Encourage them instead and give positive reinforcements to get them out of that mind set. Don’t fight with them, instead reach out your hand to them. On the outside, they look alright but on the inside they’re screaming for help. Please be that help. Let them know you care.
I love you guys!
❤ Stay Safe and Take care of YOU!
❤ Cristina Isabel
(If you are interested in delving deeper and aren’t afraid to read my thoughts, here is the kindle link to Melancholy Dreams – Surviving the Battle of Depression –> Surviving the Battle of Depression)
AUTHOR BIO:
Red Lagoe grew up on 80s horror and carried her paranoia of slashers and sewer creatures into adulthood. She often spends several hours a day spewing her horror-ridden mind onto the page. When she’s not writing, she is substituting at the elementary school like a normal upstanding citizen. Red also enjoys amateur astronomy and can be found lingering in the inky shadows for a better view of the stars.
AUTHOR Q&A:
1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
RL: There was no sudden moment of realization. I’ve always enjoyed creating art. And I enjoyed stories. But the two didn’t meet up with each other until 2011, when I decided to write and illustrate a children’s book. After that, I knew I wanted to keep writing, but it wasn’t until years later that it really clicked that I should be writing horror. That’s when I started approaching my writing more seriously.
2. How long does it take to write your book(s)?
RL: My upcoming collection, Lucid Screams, is a culmination of three years’ worth of stories. Fair Haven, my debut novel, took almost two years. But that was a lengthy learning process as well. I would write, then learned a little more about writing, and then rewrite. I did that several times, so Fair Haven took a lot longer than it should have. Now, a book usually takes me a few months to finish the first draft. But then after that, it goes through several months of revisions, editing, and polishing. If I had to estimate, I’d say around a year for a novel-length book at this point in my career.
3. What is your work schedule like when writing a book?
RL: I am fortunate that I work only part time. So when I’m not working out of the house, I write (or edit, or promote, or other writing career-related things). When I’m working on a book, I’m incredibly focused. As soon as the kids are off to school, I’m in the chair. And I’m not done until they get home.
4. Where do you get your ideas or information for your book?
RL: My ideas just come to me in everyday life. Something might strike me when I’m walking the dog, or when I overhear a conversation. With a simple “what if” I turn that seed into a little sprout of an idea. Then I put it in my phone in my idea folder. When I’m ready to start a new book or short story and I need an idea, I look to that sometimes for inspiration.
5. When did you write your first book?
RL: I don’t know if it counts, but I wrote a short story (that I called a book) when I was eleven years old. Creature from Over the Hill. As for my adult life, I was in my 30s when I wrote that first children’s book, and pushing forty when I finally settled into horror. My debut horror novel Fair Haven came out in 2017. It was meant to be a practice novel, but as I wrote and rewrote, pouring everything I had into it, it became more than just a silly zombie story to practice writing. I grew to love the characters and the plot. Those who read it, loved it, and encouraged me to publish. So I did.
6. What do you do when you’re not writing?
RL: I substitute at an elementary school. It’s the perfect job for me right now as it doesn’t interfere with getting my kids off the bus, or after school chauffeuring. When I’m not substituting, or doing general mom things, I enjoy amateur astronomy. I volunteer with my local astronomy club and do free public outreach in the community. Astronomy is my first love, and often has a way of sneaking into my writing.
7. What does your family think of your writing?
RL: My family thinks I’m insane, but that probably has little to do with my writing. When it comes to writing, they’re incredibly supportive. The kids, my husband… my mom—they’re my number one fans. It’s so important to have people encouraging me to keep going.
8. What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your books?
RL: Aside from the surprising number of survivals from nail-gun injuries that pierce the skull? (Google research surprises me almost every day.) I don’t know if I was surprised, but it certainly was a bit of an awakening for me when I learned there was no scientific formula to writing: Just because you study, read, take the workshops, take the advice from experts in the field—just because you follow the rules—doesn’t mean you’ll get accepted. I’m very much a “become the best at what I do” kind of person, so when I put everything I had into making my stories better, making them what I thought the industry wanted, it was a rude awakening to find out the system was so subjective. Once I stopped trying to write like a pro, and started writing like myself (following some important rules, but letting some rules go for the sake of voice or style) I started getting an occasional acceptance. Every publisher, editor, and agent has their own individual preference, and all I can do is provide the best story I can tell that’s authentic and mine, and hope it resonates with someone.
9. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
RL: I have Fair Haven and Lucid Screams. Fair Haven has a dear place in my heart because it’s the zombie story I’ve been dying to tell since before I knew I wanted to write. It’s also the book that taught me so many things about being a writer. But Lucid Screams has most of my short stories to date. I think the quality of writing in Lucid Screams is better than Fair Haven, but they both mean so much to me for different reasons.
10. Any tips/suggestions on getting started?
RL: Absorb as much as you can. Read. Take classes and workshops on craft, if you can. Find a local writers’ organization that might help you find affordable workshops. Join a critique group that you vibe well with. Listen—really listen—to the critiques and make changes to your work. You may find that not all the advice works for your piece, and that’s okay, but you have to at least consider it. I highly recommend writing short stories in addition to your novel. Write, submit, get rejected, rewrite, submit, repeat…until eventually that story gets accepted.
11. What do you think makes a good story?
RL: I love when the author’s choice of words allows the mood or the tone of the story to bleed through the pages. This, with solid pacing and tension that turns those pages for me, really makes for an excellent reading experience.
12. As a child, What did you want to do when you grew up?
RL: I wanted to be an artist. Painting or drawing. Something creative. I have no regrets with the paths I took in life. My husband and I worked our butts off full time for many years just trying to feed the family, so my art took a back seat. I’m very fortunate to be in a position now, even if it’s at 40 years old, that I can set some time aside to pursue my love of art. It may not be the art form I thought it’d be when I was a child, but it’s still creating. And creating is my happy place.
LINKS:
Lucid Screams: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50260509-lucid-screams
https://www.amazon.com/Lucid-Screams-Red-Lagoe-ebook/dp/B084KK2GPN
Fair Haven: https://www.amazon.com/Fair-Haven-Red-Lagoe-ebook/dp/B0717B2PJ7/
PUBLISHED WORKS:
AUTHOR BIO:
AUTHOR Q&A:
LINKS:
PUBLISHED WORKS:
AUTHOR BIO:
When Cécile is not busy doing vintage shopping, saving cats or drinking tea, she writes stories. She likes to navigate between different genres and atmospheres… Horror, Gothic or Chick-lit and children’s fiction. Reading her books is like a journey into a curiosity cabinet, sometimes dark, sometimes sweet.
AUTHOR Q&A:
CG: I sent a short story for an anthology – just for fun – and the publisher loved it and decided to publish it. It was a big surprise and it made me want to write more and try to publish other stories.
CG: Between 6 months and a whole year.
CG: Yes, I do. Good reviews are always good for the ego, and bad reviews is also important: it makes you understand what your strengths and your weaknesses are and help you improve your writing. (Of course, bad reviews must be argumentative and respectful).
CG: I don’t really know where my ideas come from – maybe a mix of feelings and moods inspired by other books or music, but concerning information, I love doing research and often buy nonfiction books to help me.
CG: 10 years ago.
CG: I’m working in a french publishing house. At home, I take care of my daughter, I read a lot and I like doing crochet or embroidery.
CG: My parents think something like “stories about witches? what a weird idea, there are so many subjects more interesting. Nobody reads this kind of bull.” XD
Fortunately, my husband thinks it’s great.
CG: Maybe, that it could help me know myself better and it could help people feeling better by reading it. Stories are not just stories.
CG: Write what you love and be yourself. Don’t try to stick to a genre, or to follow a trend.
CG: Consistent characters and emotions.
CG: I wanted to be an artist or a journalist.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/cecile.guillot.auteur/
https://www.instagram.com/cecileguillotauteure/
PUBLISHED WORKS:
