Book Club discussion

Tell us about yourself. What have you written and are planning to write.

If you are not an author, tell us about yourself and what are your interests.John Cicero

Hi, I'm Arch. I am not an author, but I am a writer and I have been writing for 23 years.

I write interracial (black woman/white men) stories, poems, etc.

Writing is my talent. I am a firm believer that although, a person has a talent, it doesn't mean that it can't be perfected. I love learning to spice up my writing.

I write for fun. I don't desire to get published. I'm very shy, when it comes down to my writing. Yes, I know that I have shared some of my work with buddies and have them on here, where it could be viewed by other people.

I like talking to other writers and yes that includes authors, because they are writers too.

I like reading other people work. I don't read erotic stories, same same stories, paranormal (That might change in the future), fantasy, amongst other themes.

I read contemporary books (To me, contemporary books are books that's not historical. The books shows things that I am use of, such as cars, cell phones, etc.) I'll read some historical books, but I'm mostly a contemporary book reader.

Okay, enough about me. :)

Hi, I'm Andy and I love to write. I've been writing little stories since I was little but started attempting full stories four years ago. I've finished three full books and have written scenes and beginning and ideas for countless other (I'll be writing forever at this rate :))

I love to bounce ideas with friends (most of whom love to write like me) and we check each other's work, much like proof reading since we always miss the obvious mistakes.

I liked to write paranormal and I always add some degree of romance, which is usually exactly what I like to read, though there are exceptions.

I submitted my first book to a few agents recently and hoping for the best! Since I'm a slow writer (most of the time) I hope I can get a jump start on the rest of my ideas for that particular series. Deadlines terrify me!

Hi. I'm Amanda and I'm a published author of erotic romance. I write mostly gay romance and erotica these days, although I hope to one day complete a horror novel.

What free time I have is usually spent with my nose in a book. :D

Hola! My name is Raymond, I'm from San Antonio, TX. I really enjoy reading. Usually when school starts I slow down on the books and occupy myself with school and activities, but in the summer I really try to shove in as many books as I can. I'm just looking for a good place to see who's reading what and what I should read next!

Hi John! thanks for invite- Rick here- Founder of James Mason Book Group- I keep PUTTING OFF!!! writing a book I have planned for a while- a comic thriller set in South FL, where I live- the main plot revolves about a 2 ton diamond that falls from the sky into a condo commando (A retired man from NY who is not very lovable) and the various unique characters that become involved.

Hi John! Thanks for the invite. I write erotic romance. CALL OF THE WILDS was released in June from Siren-Bookstrand and MATING CALL is coming in Nov. I also have a MM romance coming in Oct. from Silver Publishing. I love to write. The only downside is that I have less time to read.

Hello. I'm Catherine and I am a self-published author. I released my debut YA novel Song of the Moon in February 2010.

I only write fiction and mostly fantasy. My favorite subjects are werewolves. So far I've only released one novel, but I have others, both in YA and Adult, ready to go.

Hello, I'm Paul and I'm a writer...

I always seem to have had two parallel lives. I was a schoolkid when I got (birthday) a portable, manual typewriter. I was happily churning out awful pastiches of Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler when I was twelve.

Then Uni, work etc, before I quit full time work in 80s. The I did the 'traditional' route of struggling writers - you know, barwork, gardening, window-cleaning, whatever came to hand, writing in my spare time. Only difference was, I had a wife and two young children by that time. Had some rejections so I went back to work and spent quarter of a century in the wastes of IT.

I now work in education and have been writing again for about three years. So far, three film scripts wandering around looking for a good home, two published short stories, four more accepted, four full length manuscripts being edited prior to sending off, and several more stories and novels underway.

I write under several nom-de-plumes, some of whom think they have an independent existence. But we all write horror, sci-fi, fantasy or action thrillers.

Why do I write? Because I relish the challenge of creating new, coherent worlds; love the thrill of pouring out the ideas onto paper and I technically enjoy the craft of refining it to be publishable. Hate the sales and marketing aspect.

For fun - at my age, reading the obituaries! No, seriously, hillwalking, new films (some might be good), and, of course, reading - nearly every spare minute.

Hi, I'm Sharon E. Cathcart. I've been writing for as long as I can remember, and have published four books. I have one in edits right now, aiming for September publication, and another work in progress. I am primarily a non-fiction essayist, but I have published one novel in the UK and the US, and the WIP is its sequel.

I look forward to getting to know all of you.

Hi!! I'm Francis (Sawyer). I'm from Spain. I have a little story that I'm slowly turning into a book. I have an idea thought and I have written two chapters, I hope when I have time to finish it ^ ^ XoXo from Spain!

Hello everyone! I'm Sandy and I live in Nevada (Lake Tahoe area). I am a writer whose muse has very eclectic tastes. I do write some straight-up romance but more often than not my books have a genre identity crisis.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone here!

Sandy

Greetings, everyone

My name is Marsan Champion. I am the author of the newly released book "Lost Soul". http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Soul-Marsa...
I am currently writing my second book "Goin Pro" which will be released in October. I am thankful to be apart of the Author Talk Book Club. I look forward to speaking and meeting with you all. If you get a chance to purchase then let me know what you think after the read. I'm looking to better my craft. :)

Hey everyone! I'm Pam from St. Louis, MO...I am NOT a writer but I am a reader of just about anything. You folks write it and I will read it. I am not afraid to give you an honest review!

Thanks for the invite to the group and I look forward to getting some new books to add to my TBR list!

Hello, I'm A. F. Stewart from Nova Scotia, Canada.
I write fantasy stories and other speculative fiction and poetry. I've independently published two poetry books, a couple of short fiction collections and a dark fantasy/horror novella about vampires, as well as two non-fiction movie books.
I'm looking forward to particpating in the group.

Pam wrote: "Hey everyone! I'm Pam from St. Louis, MO...I am NOT a writer but I am a reader of just about anything. You folks write it and I will read it. I am not afraid to give you an honest review!

T..."

Pam, great to have you part of the group. Spread the word on our new blog here. I'm sure my fellow authors would love to have more readers to be part of our group and discussions.

John
John Cicero
www.RainbowsShadow.com

Hi All!

My name is Jo-Anne Vandermeulen *supporting my fellow writers comes naturally*...for free marketing tips, you are welcome to take what you like at *Conquer All Obstacles* http://www.joconquerobstacles.com
Enjoy!

>Hugs<

Jo
”Premium Promotional Tips for Writers”
Author, Founder & Marketer of Premium Promotional Services,
Jo-Anne Vandermeulen
http://vandermeulen.laurusbooks.com

Hello peeps in the newly formed "Author Talk Book Club." The majority of my time is spent out in the real deal world marketing and speaking about my book. I will surprise you though from time to time and pop back into cyperspace at lighting speed! My genre is non-fiction but I was intrigued by John's fantasy books as everyone needs to get away from it all at times and visit the dream world. I also love the simple fact that he reads to his children... My first published work is titled, "A Beggars Purse." So bring on the questions and I'll search my pea brain aka sea sponge for some enlightening conversation. :)

Welcome to all the new members. It's great to have you as a part of our Group!

Spread the word on our blog and feel free to invite others to join....

John

Hello everyone,

My name is Ahmed Nader A.K.A. A.N. Gretly, I'm from Cairo Egypt and I write Horror fiction. My write short stories -for now and a lot of those stories got published in local magazines and online. I have a book coming by the end of the year, a horror anthology.

Nice to meet you all. :)

Wow, nice mix going on here, John.

First, want to say thanks for the invite.

I'm proud to say I'm an indie author (self-published). I have 2 novels out, and my YA .

I'm also a reader.

Currently I'm in the middle of wrapping up a first draft for my fantasy novel and have at least 3 other novels in the works/various stages of completion.

The genres I write in are science fiction, fantasy, paranormal and romance

I currently reside in sunny Florida, though I'm from the Appalachian Mountains area in Virginia where I was "born and raised."

I'm a single parent and I'm a college student. I wear so many hats that I can't remember if I'm coming and going sometimes.

It's nice to meet everyone.

Hi all:

Am an editor and short story writer. Literary fiction. I have a collection of stories out, and the book on flash fiction that I edited last year won an award. So, a good couple of years. My website is www.taramasih.com.

Happy Reading, Tara

I'm a writer of romance, predominantly romantic suspense, although I prefer to think of them as mystery romances. I have 5 novels published, with a 6th due out in May of 2011. I came to writing relatively late in life, so I'm always glad to learn more, and also willing to share what I've learned. Writers are a most supportive group.

Terry
Terry's Place
Romance with a Twist--of Mystery

I am a writer of action/suspense thriller novels. My debut novel Mind Walker was published last September. I am currently working on the sequel.

Roy McConnell, Author
Thrillers that grip you to the end
Latest Release - Mind Walker
www.roymcconnell.com

Hi, Thanks for the invitation. Jean Holloway here, author of Ace of Hearts, Black Jack & coming 10/10/10: Deuces Wild (my 60th b'day! In fact, just turned it in to the publisher this week! Let the editing begin! ;o)
I'm a mother of 6, gramma of 8, great-gramma of 2 and now a full-time editor & author of adult romantic thrillers. Life is full of surprises!

http://www.deckofcardz.com

Thanks, Dani, for the invite. I'm not an author or a writer, but I am very interested in the process of writing. I do love to read and often think about where the writer is coming from. I also love to analyze a book besides enjoying it. This would be a very interesting forum for me.

Hello all!

I am a writer and educator, with degrees in psychology and theater studies, and certificates in English teaching and Japanese proficiency.

I was born in Canada, but have spent most of my adult life traveling and working abroad. Along the way, I've climbed Mt. Fuji, touched noses with a Maori elder in New Zealand, snorkeled in Fiji, survived a tsunami evacuation in Samoa, snuggled a koala in Australia, chaperoned high schoolers on a bus tour of England, thrown up in the Czech Republic, attended grad school in Malta, worked on an archaeological dig in Spain, had laser therapy in Germany, taught at a university in Hungary, scaled pyramids in Mexico...

My books include:

Reading English News on the Internet: A Guide to Connectors, Verbs, Expressions, and Vocabulary for the ESL Student

Reading English News on the Internet: A Guide to Connectors, Verbs, Expressions, and Vocabulary for the Japanese ESL Student

The Well-Tempered Body: Expressive Movement for Actors, Improvisers, and Performance Artists

An Invitation to Kagura: Hidden Gem of the Traditional Japanese Performing Arts

Absolute Beginner's Guide To Hiragana

Survivors: The A-bombed Trees of Hiroshima

Welcome, David. Wow, you've had an interesting life.

First thing to say, thanks for the invite Danielle!

Hello, my name is Camila. I'm not a writer (unfortunately) but I'm a enthusiastic reader.
Looking forward to know emergent writers and read their works. I read more sci-fi, paranormal-romance and urban fantasy, but honestly I read almost everything (but poems.... I'm not capable of read poems in English, but Italian and Portuguese yes...). BTW, I read in English, Italian or Portuguese.

Best wishes to all writers of this group, and feel free to recommend me books. I love to discuss about books and read is not my hobby, but my biggest interest in this world

Hi, I'm Shay. My dad always says that he loves cooking, he just likes the eating half. So, I guess that applies to me and writing, I like the reading side of the equation. I read about 700+ books a year, although this year a lot of the books I'm choosing are longer, so this year about 600+. I'll read anything, except romances. I'm not a snob about it, just not my thing. My preference is mysteries and science fiction/fantasy. If I ever did decide to write something, it would probably be a cookbook.

Shay, I'm a cookbook collector. I have tons of them.

Aloha wrote: "Shay, I'm a cookbook collector. I have tons of them."

Are you from Hawaii? I'm originally from Oahu. What's your current favorite cookbook? I'm hooked on the Lee Brothers right now. Love their red velvet cake and coconut cream pie. I also really love the Junior League/kid's soccer team/church, etc. spiral bound cookbooks. Lots of interesting home style, regional recipes.

I was in Oahu for 4 years as a pre-teen. I love the Donna Hays cookbook series. Her meals are quick, but very elegant. I love international cooking, so I try to collect cookbooks of cuisines from all over the world.

Do you have the Nuuanu Hongwanji cookbooks? There are three and they are kind of the cooking "bibles" for many local families. Pretty much every ethnic group in Hawaii represented.

No. But I do have some Hawaiian cookbooks that contain traditional recipes. I also have some by famous Hawaiian chefs, such as Sam Choy and Alan Wong. Don't you love how in Hawaii, instead of learning about old white guys in white wigs, we get to learn about brown guys in loin cloths, and how to make poi? Remember how fun it was every May Day when we get to have the May Day festival, make poi, do the bamboo stick dances, and vote for the May Day queen? And we get to wear shorts and flip-flops everyday to school?

Hello, all, thanks for the invite! I'm Gene Doucette, and I'm a novelist, humorist, screenwriter, playwright and blogger. I have a novel debuting on 10/1/10 called IMMORTAL, plus a few humor books kicking around. Right now I'm mainly concentrating on promoting IMMORTAL prior to release, doing research for the third book in its series (the second IMMORTAL book is already written) and writing some film treatments for a project that's a few months away from real funding.

Nice to meet you all!

Immortal

The Other Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: A Parody

Beating Up Daddy: A Year in the Life of an Amateur Father

Vacations and Other Errors in Judgment

Welcome, Gene.

Aloha wrote: "No. But I do have some Hawaiian cookbooks that contain traditional recipes. I also have some by famous Hawaiian chefs, such as Sam Choy and Alan Wong. Don't you love how in Hawaii, instead of le..."

Good memories. Love poi. Can't get fresh poi where I live. I should make it one day. I come from a very traditional family, so no shorts or flip-flops. Dresses, shoes with matching handbags. My dad didn't even like shoes that showed toe cleavage. Did not own a pair of jeans until high school, mom insisted.

Roy Yamaguchi has a good seafood cookbook. Very suitable for the home cook, but good flavors.

Yes, I've been to Roy's restaurants when I vacationed in Hawaii. I'm glad I was raised to be with the wild kids. That's where I fell in love with the visual arts, too. I had a great art teacher and art environment. It was a stimulating experience, especially compared to moving back to the mainlands, where everything was straightlaced and traditional, and the art class was very, very boring.

Hi, my name's Lisa. Thanks for the invite, Danielle. I'm in the final stages of editing my first book--a fantasy romance--but stay busy writing content for my husband's website.

Hello to all. My name is CK Webb and I am the co-author of CRUELTY TO INNOCENTS. We are represented by Tribe Literary Agency and are in the shopping phase with our novel. We also run the WebbWeaver website & review blog where we review books, movies and music and also have author interviews. Love reading and writing and greatly enjoy talking 'shop' with other authors... You can find me on various social networking sites and at http://bit.ly/HWQKW or www.webbweaver.net

Welcome Ck.

Hello GR crew. My name is Charlie Courtland and I am a book addict and author. I do book reviews and write original fiction. My book review blog is http://www.bitsyblingbooks.com.
Here are my books:
A historical fiction (bk.1&2)

I'm finishing up my third novel: "The Secret of A Spicy Jalapeno" which is a noir/horror story that I tend to make into a short series.

Follows, friends, twitter adds, all welcome. I do have an awesome bookblogger and writer community over at Twitter.
http://twitter.com/bitsyblingbooks

Hi All, Thanks for the invite, John.
I've got a few novels out in eBook (smashwords, scribd, and apple) My last paperback was 'The Twain Shall Meet', Mark Twain's mind in modern times; insight with bite. (fifteen 5*,two 4*,One 1*--Mom never did want me to be a writer; and still holds a grudge.)
My next is 'The Keepers of Himal'. Coming any day now. A Himalayan adventure from Earth's highest peaks to the valley of your soul.
It's got two 5* national reviews, so far., which has created a little buzz. It's eBooked on smash.
Both novels are fiction, however, people places and events are not.
Thanks, John for coming up with this group. Long overdue. I'm excited. Now, if I can just find a 25-hr day.

j guevara,
(lower case 'j' and 'g' pls. it separates me on Google search from all those who've plagiarized my name:)

www.jguevarnovels.com

Aloha wrote: "Shay, I'm a cookbook collector. I have tons of them."
@Aloha, here's one to collect, 'Cookin' Away With j: the man who takes the 't' out of diet'. (http://www.scribd.com/doc/19031527/Co...)
Bon jour, on me,
j

Je vous remercie pour le livre. I hope I don't "die" from the recipes, j. :o)

Try the Tea-smoked Duck. It's a killer. :) The five-layer, triple-cheese, pork sausage, pepperoni, ground beef lasagna will take a few years off your life, too. It's NOT a health book , as you can tell by the name. But at least when you get to heaven, everyone won't laugh at you because you ate kelp.

even if you're not cooking, it's a fun book to read. laugh your ass off...

j

The Tea-smoked Duck does look good. I just had a few days of half a roast duck from a Vietnamese grocery store. It was only me eating it, so I'm imagining the build up of saturated fat in my arteries. But it's so good! I'm fully capable of killing myself without your recipes.

What are you talking about? Kelp is delicious. I'm sure you've eaten the kelp salad appetizer featured in Japanese restaurants. I also love jellyfish salad, too. I love to snack on dry seaweed and nori wrappers.

YUK! I lived in Japan a few years. damn near starved to death. Looks good, but no substance. Like a lot of Nihon teki.

私が付いているコーヒーを飲むのを好む日の出の朝の日の出か。

j

I love Japanese food. It's refreshing. The cuisine doesn't make me feel like I have a log in my stomach. Things Nihon teki looks good but no substance? Have you ever looked at their art and ideas? It's elegant, no frills and beautiful. I like the Zen and Wabi-Sabi concepts. I also like their art aesthetics. I'm into the Shibori craft myself, which the west had turned into this brazen tie-dye. While the hippie tie-dyeing is fun, it's not subtle or elegant like Shibori.

Oops, one Japanese translation was odd. This one I think is more accurate. Yes, starting the day off with coffee is great. I deleted my Vietnamese response. Sorry.