Author: cristinaisabelauthor

I love reading books as much as I love writing them. I enjoy drinking all sorts of teas and eating dark chocolate. When I need a trip back down to earth, I watch Seinfeld for comedy relief in this serious world. I'm a kid at heart that still enjoys receiving stuffed animals as gifts. I'm a Star Wars fan with the Nightmare Before Christmas as my theme music.

Women in Horror Month – Kerry E.B. Black

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AUTHOR BIO:

Kerry E.B. Black writes from a butter-yellow bungalow sinking into a swamp along the Allegheny River. This lover of fairy tales attended Penn State University and has worked several “day jobs” to support her writing habit, including journalist, membership and event coordinator, horse groomer, karate instructor, waitress, and pharmacy tech. Hobbies of this confirmed bibliophile include world travel, costume design, archery, gaming, and of course reading.

AUTHOR Q&A:

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

KB:  I’ve always been both a reader and a writer, so I suppose it was bowing to the inevitable. 

 

  1. How long does it take to write your book(s)?

KB:  I write fast and edit with excruciating slowness. 

 

  1. What is your work schedule like when writing a book?

KB:  Whether working on a book or short pieces, I write in the evening after my kids go to sleep and before I collapse. 

 

  1. Where do you get your ideas or information for your book?

KB:  Life is filled with possibilities and experiences. These provide foundations upon which to build haunted houses, Gothic castles, and cottages in enchanted woods. 

 

  1. When did you write your first book?

KB:  In a strange way, it’s good that my first writing is lost to the dust of antiquity. I began writing when I was quite young as I said earlier in this interview, and I’m not vain enough to believe myself a virtuoso. My work’s benefited from further scholarship and critique, and I hope I can continue to hone my skills.

My first published novel, Season of Secrets, came out on Halloween, 2018. It’s a YA paranormal thriller published by Rhetoric Askew. 

Through Tree Shadow Press I have two compilations of short scares. Carousel of Nightmares released in September, 2018 and Herd of Nightmares dropped in January, 2019.

 

  1. What do you do when you’re not writing?

KB:  I’d love to say I explore all the world’s greatest places. I adore travel. However, instead of jet-setting, I mostly care-give. I teach my littlest. And, of course, I read. 

 

  1. What does your family think of your writing?

KB:  My family’s marvelous. They support my writing. 

 

  1. What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your books?

KB:  I know many odd things. Some of them creep into my stories.

 

  1. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

KB:  Besides those listed above, I’ve many short stories published in literary journals, magazines, and anthologies. 

My favorite cover is from Herd of Nightmares. My brother Chris Blickenderfer hand-drew the art.

 

  1. Any tips/suggestions on getting started?

KB:  Dream it, then do it, of course. Find a group of like-minded people, support them, and allow them to support you. Listen to critiques from those who care about your growth, but always heed your inner voice, too.

 

  1. What do you think makes a good story?

KB:  I adore beautiful language, interesting characters, and perplexing situations. 

 

  1. As a child, What did you want to do when you grew up? 

KB:  Besides being a superhero, you mean? haha! 

I planned to become a jockey, but my growth spurt destroyed that plan. I aspired to theatre, too, and enjoyed my time on the stage, but writing has always been my dream.

LINKS:

https://www.amazon.com/Kerry-E-B-Black/e/B00IKURGVS/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

https://www.facebook.com/authorKerryE.B.Black/

https://www.instagram.com/kerry_e_b_black/

https://twitter.com/BlackKerryblick

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874880.Kerry_E_B_Black

https://kerrylizblack.wordpress.com/

PUBLISHED WORKS:

Women in Horror Month – Catherine Cavendish

Author

AUTHOR BIO:

Cat first started writing when someone thrust a pencil into her hand. Unfortunately as she could neither read nor write properly at the time, none of her stories actually made much sense. However as she grew up, they gradually began to take form and, at the tender age of nine or ten, she sold her dolls’ house, and various other toys to buy her first typewriter – an Empire Smith Corona. She hasn’t stopped bashing away at the keys ever since, although her keyboard of choice now belongs to her laptop.

 

The need to earn a living led to a varied career in sales, advertising and career guidance but Cat is now the full-time author of a number of supernatural, ghostly, haunted house and Gothic horror novels and novellas, including The Haunting of Henderson Close, the Nemesis of the Gods trilogy – Wrath of the Ancients, Waking the Ancients, Damned by the Ancients – The Devil’s Serenade, Dark Avenging Angel, The Pendle Curse, Saving Grace Devine and Linden Manor. Her short stories have appeared in the anthologies Haunted Are These Houses and Midnight in the Graveyard.

 

She lives in Southport with her longsuffering husband and black cat (who remembers that her species used to be worshipped in ancient Egypt and sees no reason why that practice should not continue).

 

When not slaving over a hot computer, Cat enjoys rambling around stately homes, circles of standing stones and travelling to favourite haunts such as Vienna and Orkney.

AUTHOR Q&A:

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

CC:  I can’t actually remember a time when I didn’t have some aspirations to be a writer but I guess I started to become really serious about it when I was aged around fourteen.

2.  How long does it take to write your book(s)?

CC:  It depends on how much research I need to do beforehand. Quite a lot of my novels and novellas are set in the past and I hate to get the details wrong, so I read up and make notes, visit locations, use the internet and double check my sources. Typically though, a novella can take three-six months and a novel six- nine months but they can take longer. I edit, edit, edit and then my trusted beta reader, Julia, gets to work and I edit and edit again, based on her feedback.. Every writer needs their Julia.

3.  What is your work schedule like when writing a book?

CC:  I need to concentrate fully to lose myself in the atmosphere, so I set aside blocks of hours when I do nothing else but immerse myself in the plot, the characters and the settings. I avoid distractions at that time – as much as day to day life allows, anyway – and try and get the business of writing (interviews, promo etc) done before I set off on my daily story journey.

4.  Where do you get your ideas or information for your book?

CC:  Ideas can come from anywhere; a chance conversation, something on TV, a dream (or a nightmare). Information comes mainly from books, internet, and personal visits to locations that have sparked something off. For The Garden of Bewitchment, this naturally meant staying in Haworth where I was able to revisit some childhood haunts and steep myself in Brontë lore.

5.  When did you write your first book?

CC:  My first full book was completed in (I think) 1982. I still have it. In a drawer somewhere!

6.  What do you do when you’re not writing?

CC:  I read a lot, watch a lot of films (mainly horror although I will happily watch a good comedy, crime or black and white movie in a variety of genres). My husband and I love to visit interesting places, historic buildings, art galleries and, now we have moved to Southport, I am looking forward to walks along the promenade watching the waves roll in.

7.  What does your family think of your writing?

CC:  They are very kind. One or two of them think I must be mad but they are far too polite to say so.

8.  What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your books?

CC:  That I could actually finish writing one that someone wanted to read. That’s a good feeling.

9.  How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

CC:  Now, do we mean how many have I written or how many have been published? In common with most writers, I have a drawer-ful of stories that never made the cut, and that is in addition to those I chucked out altogether. The number of novels and novellas I have had published so far (as at February 20th 2020) is 16.

10.  Any tips/suggestions on getting started?

CC:  Start with an idea, develop it, see where it goes. Get something down on paper as soon as you can and don’t worry too much about structure at this stage. Read widely – not merely your preferred genre, but well written work whatever its theme. Take advice from writers who are respected in their field. Allow yourself to become a sponge – absorb good practice. Once you have something resembling a first draft, now’s the time to start the real writing. Whoever said ‘books aren’t written – they’re re-written’, knew what they were talking about.

Join a writing group – either one that meets in your area, or online – and ask for constructive feedback. Don’t be too precious about your work. You know the phrase, ‘kill your darlings’? Be prepared to chop out paragraphs, pages even. Whole characters if necessary. If something doesn’t work, out it comes. Snip! Snip!

Before you submit anywhere, make sure it’s the best work of which you are capable. Ensure grammar, spelling and punctuation are correct. Somebody said to me once, ‘But surely that’s the editor’s job’? No, it’s yours. The editor’s job comes later – once your work has been accepted. Right now, you need to prove you care enough about your work to submit a clean, proof-checked copy.

Learn from feedback – even if it comes in the form of a rejection. If a publisher or agent has taken the trouble to make bespoke constructive comments about your work, it usually means they have spotted some talent there that simply needs working on and developing.

Never, ever give up.

11.  What do you think makes a good story?

CC:  For me, it’s a great opening hook and creating the right atmosphere so I can feel I am there, with the (well-drawn, credible) characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, smelling the same smells, tasting the same tastes, hearing what they hear, so engaging the five senses is important. Tension, suspense, scares – and an unexpected ending.

12.  As a child, What did you want to do when you grew up?

CC:  What else? A writer – oh and, yes, an actor.

LINKS:

 Catherine Cavendish

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PUBLISHED WORK:

Garden of Bewitchment cover

The Garden of Bewitchment

(published February 20th 2020 by Flame Tree Press)

About the Book

Don’t play the game.

In 1893, Evelyn and Claire leave their home in a Yorkshire town for life in a rural retreat on their beloved moors. But when a strange toy garden mysteriously appears, a chain of increasingly terrifying events is unleashed. Neighbour Matthew Dixon befriends Evelyn, but seems to have more than one secret to hide. Then the horror really begins. The Garden of Bewitchment is all too real and something is threatening the lives and sanity of the women. Evelyn no longer knows who – or what – to believe. And time is running out. 

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Thank you, Holiday Guests!

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Ta Da!  

It’s a WRAP! 🙂 –> For 2019 Author Guest Posts!

I just want to say Thank you to all the authors that participated in the Holiday Guest Spotlight.  I hope all of you had fun answering questions and digging a little deeper into what your passion really means to you – not to mention sharing with the rest of the world.

Also, I hope all of my readers enjoyed reading about these amazing authors.  Don’t forget to check them out at the provided links! (Don’t forget to network)

For those that missed out in participating, don’t worry….I will be hosting more this year. 🙂

For the month of February, if you are a lady and write horror, this month is dedicated to you guys!

For the months of March/April, if you are a writer/poet, this month is dedicated to you guys!

It doesn’t matter if you’ve written 1 book, or 20!  Be proud you have the ability to write and be BRAVE enough to share it with the rest of the world.  It’s very important to share your work because you never know who you might actually inspire.

If you are interested in signing up to be featured as a guest on my website, do not hesitate to send me an email @ authorcristinaisabel [at] gmail [.com]

 

As always, keep in touch!

❤ Cristina Isabel

 

 

Holiday Guest Spotlight: Dr. Lisa Ortigara Crego

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AUTHOR BIO:

Dr. Ortigara Crego was born in Chicago, Illinois where she resided most of her young life with the exception of five years in a small town in Wautoma Wisconsin. In her late 20’s she moved to South Florida to enjoy the tropical beaches and paradise ambiance. In her spare time she loves walking the beaches with her beloved dog Southern Grace, cycling, reading, and writing on spiritual recovery from food addiction. Dr. Lisa started in the weight-loss industry with Weight Watchers, speaking to hospital personnel, employers, and the general public on the topics of weight loss and healthful eating. To date she maintains a nearly 100 pound loss using the approach she teaches.

Dr. Ortigara Crego a clinical psychotherapist, addiction psychologist and Visiting Professor in private practice worked in the field of eating disorders for well over two and a half decades. She earned a doctorate in addiction psychology, a master’s degree in social work with the emphasis on mental health, and is certified as an eating disorder specialist, masters certified addiction professional and licensed national Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. She is the author of: Release Your Obsession with Diet Chatter: Heal from the Inside Out and Release Your Obsession with Food: Heal from the Inside Out.

Dr. Ortigara Crego worked in the weight loss industry for well over two decades. She speaks around the country on recovery from compulsive eating utilizing spiritual and mind healing. She contributed several chapters in Sage publications and runs a blog found at Weightcontroltherapy.com. Dr.Ortigara Crego’s professional membership organization affiliations are: the National Association of Social Workers, the National Board for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists, the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, and the American Psychological Association. 

AUTHOR Q&A:

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

     LOC: I first became interested in writing when I was a teenager at the age of 13 years         old.  I’ve been keeping a journal for over fifty years! I still have all of them in a                      trunk….

  1. How long does it take to write your book(s)?                                                                          LOC: My first book took ten years to finally publish. It began as my PhD dissertation (4 years). From a dissertation to book another 6 years between edits and rewrites. My second and third book each took one year from start to publish.
  2. What is your work schedule like when writing a book?                                               LOC: I work fulltime as a clinical psychotherapist and part time as a Visiting Professor teaching psychology. I write 500 words a day (which often turns to 1000 on the weekends) when I’m developing a book.
  3. Where do you get your ideas or information for your book?                                      LOC: My ideas are from past patients, research, and personal exploration.
  4. When did you write your first book?                                                                                LOC: My first book was published in 2017
  5. What do you do when you’re not writing?                                                                                LOC: I work as a clinical psychotherapist in private practice and teach psychology.
  6. What does your family think of your writing?                                                                        LOC: My family is proud and excited for me.
  7. What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your books?                     LOC: The writing is the easy part. The developing and preparation for publication is quite stressful…
  8. How many books have you written? 3 Which is your favorite?                                  LOC: They are each my baby…loving them equally.
  9. Any tips/suggestions on getting started?                                                                                  LOC: Just start with a first sentence and keep going to the end.
  10. What do you think makes a good story?                                                                                     LOC: I’m a nonfiction writer, so a good story is a true story with lessons and guidance along the way.
  11. As a child,what did you want to do when you grew up?                                                       LOC: I wanted to be a writer once I learned I couldn’t be a monkey…for real….

LINKS:

Website: http://weightcontroltherapy.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drlisaorthttp://

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/Dr.LisaOrtigaraCrego

PUBLISHED WORKS:

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Holiday Guest Spotlight: Patty McCarthy

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AUTHOR BIO:

 P. McCarthy is an eclectic Author writing in many forms and genres running the genres from Poetry to novels. Her stories run the gamut from hilarious to surreal to terrifying, although her passion lies in horror.

            Her stories are published all over the web in competitions, many winning First Place. She’s had the honor of being published in Breaking Rules Publishing Short Story Book Project books 1 & 2, as well as their new Horror Anthology, and has the honor of having a horror Drabble published in The Infernal Clocks’, DeadCades. She’s published in Breaking Rules Publishing’s The Scribe and Horror Magazines where you can find her recent short story series, Tripping with Jack, and she’s the author of a published humorous memoir, TheThingInTheChair and her newest paranormal novel, Grave.

            You can find her books at: www.breakingrulespublishing.com and also on www.amazon.com

            Currently she’s working on two terrifying novels, a surreal horror novella, and a horror short story series, as well as a busy Editor with Breaking Rules Publishing.

AUTHOR Q&A:

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

PM: I’ve been writing almost my entire lifetime. Terrible poetry to start, trying to find a place to purge emotions I didn’t understand or know how to deal with from the earliest of my memories. I’m a survivor of childhood incest and it took until midlife to finally find true healing from the betrayals. Realizing through tremendous amounts of counseling that my choices were stolen from me, and that I had the power to reclaim them and be anything I wanted. Writing was a natural fit for me, since I practically lived at my local Library as a child, but I found it difficult at first, attempting to write through walls of cinder blocks, always hiding deep emotion from my words in my stories until one day, I realized though it may be painful to open up on a deep level, those very emotions empowered my writing. Those deep emotions empower me.

 

2.  How long does it take to write your book(s)? 

PM: Typically, years. I have OCD on a grand scale and I fight with myself not to edit as I write, but that’s too difficult a beast to tame. It is what it is, and it takes the time it takes, but I finish writing my pulpy darlings eventually.

 

3.  What is your work schedule like when writing a book?

PM: It’s not very unusual I suppose, from any other writer. I fit writing in any time of the day or night, as often as I can. Often I’m burning the 2:00am oil, but I don’t mind.

4. Where do you get your ideas or information for your book?

PM: Lightning strikes at the oddest of times; in the shower, on a dance floor, but usually my ideas come to me in the middle of the night during a nightmare. Most, if not all of my horror stories came directly from my nightmares.

5. When did you write your first book?

PM: A better question would be when did I start writing my first book? I began my humorous memoir 8 years before my marriage collapsed into the ashes, and it was twelve years before it was finished. It was a cathartic ordeal for me since it was based on my defunct 32 year marriage, and called TheThingInTheChair, and yes, you read that correctly, all one word. Basically, I was married to a recliner that farts! Oh, the emotions ran rampant from beginning to end while penning that novel! It’s bawdy, brash, profane, hysterical and eviscerating all at the same time. 

I found a publisher brave enough to take it on and when he read it, he shared that he laughed until he cried, couldn’t read the words through his tears and couldn’t put it down until he read the words, ‘The End’. That book was published in August of 2017 with Breaking Rules Publishing, and though I can’t say now that I’m entirely proud of that work; I’ve grown immensely since its release, but I can say, I’m grateful that I purged it from my repertoire. Writing that book allowed me to move into my Big Girl Writer’s voice, and for that I’m grateful. 

6. What do you do when you’re not writing?

PM: Is that a thing; not writing? Sadly I suppose it has to be, doesn’t it? I never want to find myself not writing, but there is reality to deal with. At this moment, I’ve taken on the duties of Editor with Breaking Rules Publishing and boy does that small press keep me hopping! I’m running three monthly magazines, The Scribe, Triangle Writers, and Horror Magazines as well as their bi-monthly Horror Anthology and usually you can find me fielding emails, dealing with submissions to all four publications, and reading for selections. I work from morning to night, take a break for a cuppa of my favorite tea and a little telly just to get some ‘me time,’ then I’m back at it until my work is either done for the day, or I’m brain dead; whichever comes first. Even though I may not be writing for me all day right now, I’m still very much in the thick of this crazy writing biz!

7. What does your family think of your writing?

PM: It depends on who you talk to. My close circle of family think it’s fantastic and they’re very supportive! Though, only a few have taken the time to read what I’ve written. The rest of my family? I’m not sure they know I exist, let alone know that I write anything!

8. What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your books?

PM: How incredibly difficult it is to write. Just keeping your tushy in a chair long enough to string a paragraph of words together is enough to pop a cork over and celebrate, but to keep that tushy in a chair day after day for as long as it takes to finish is truly something. Innate talent or not, this is one hard gig to perform, there’s so much to know and so much more to learn! It’s an ongoing relentless apprenticeship and I adore every moment of the journey. Truth is, the most surprising thing I’ve learned is how difficult it is to get anyone to pay attention, or want to read what you’ve written. 

9. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

PM: I’ve written two novels: TheThingInTheChair (humorous memoir), and Grave, a sort of paranormal, sci-fi mishmash of a novel about a place, a realm where God doesn’t exist. The story focuses on Ian and Amy who navigate the realm of nothing in order to retrieve lost souls trapped in that dreadful place and lead them to heaven’s light. It’s a story of love, and loss, where their faith is everything walking through the dead miasma.

Grave is my favorite between the two.

I have tons of stories I’ve written out there in the internet ether or in print in magazines or Anthologies. The last 7 years, I’ve written a lot of short stories and right now, I have a series going in The Scribe Magazine at Breaking Rules Publishing, titled, ‘Tripping With Jack’. This story is about Sally who lost her husband at a young age and trips with her dog Jack from Chicago to the Pacific along Rt. 66 in her Plymouth Deluxe. It’s a heartwarming, loving tale and currently in its 5th episode. 

I also have 3 novels in various phases of completion, and hoping to finish those for publication in the New Year!

10. Any tips/suggestions on getting started?

PM: Sure. Just begin. With a letter, a word, a tiny sentence and don’t let anyone or anything stop you! Not even yourself, because that dangerous monster we call self-doubt will find ways to try and thwart your best efforts at every turn. Be deaf to those negative voices and plow through. You can do it, you just have to want to.

11. What do you think makes a good story?

PM: Emotion. If I can make myself emotional, then I know I’ve got something worth putting out in the world!

12. As a child, What did you want to do when you grew up? 

PM: Since writing has been with me my entire life, it was an easy choice, (in my mind, at least) to be a  writer. Through my lifetime there were many things I thought to become; a Scientist, a Psychologist, a professional singer, which I actually did for a few years, but in this, writing, I can be all of those things if I want to and with enough research. It’s the best of all worlds. I believe everything happens for a reason, and all my paths led me to writing. I’m certain it’s who I was always meant to be, stolen choices be damned!

LINKS:

https://www.breakingrulespublishing.com/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pmccarthywrites/ 

PUBLISHED WORKS: