November 11, 2016

Blogger Interview with Roland Yeomans (and Mark Twain?) + Don't Buy My Book! Blog Tour



I am happy to welcome Roland Yeomans from Writing in the Crosshairs (and any ghostly friends who might be hanging around him) to Write with Fey for a Blogger Interview. Coincidentally, this is also a part of his Don’t Buy my Book! Blog Tour. He certainly knows how to gain attention by trying not to get attention. ;)


Thanks, Chrys, for having me on your blog.  It is quite an honor. 

See?  I didn’t even bring one of my trusty ghosts with me. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if the ghost of Mark Twain is lurking about somewhere.

You asked me some very interesting questions:

1. WHAT DOES WRITING IN THE CROSSHAIRS MEAN?


I wrote a whole post on that very question: WHY WRITING IN THE CROSSHAIRS?

The Cliff Notes version is that all writers write in the crosshairs. Take the imagery of the hunter sighting in on his target.

We writers start out the same way:

At first our goal is blurry, but slowly we fine-tune our words to sharpen the focus for our reader until each detail, each emotional nuance stands out.

We tighten the focus with revealing dialogue, vibrant characters, engaging crises, and creative descriptions.

Pacing and plot tighten the image even more. Sometimes we get it with dead-on clarity. Most times we don't.  Only Shakespeare got it right most of the time.

Take flames:

They look like objects but are actually processes.

Humans are like that.  No human is actually complete.  We are in a constant state of process, of becoming.

If our words are focused in the crosshairs, each of our characters become more real, more distinct with each page.


2. WHAT WAS YOUR VERY FIRST POST ON YOUR BLOG?

It was posted on February 15, 2010

The Title fittingly FIRST GREETINGS:

The Second fittingly was on Mardi Gras, MARDI GRA MUSINGS:

Since that Mardi Gras, I have often posted on masks:

The ones we wear in public, at work, even among our friends – and saddest, the one we wear when we look in the mirror of our thoughts …

For which of us could stand the sheer truth of our lives with no embellishments?

Each of us lives a myth of how we view ourselves; a myth we create in order to stay the course of our lives.


3. SOMETIMES THE GHOST OF MARK TWAIN TAKES OVER YOUR BLOG.  CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY?

(The ghost of Mark Twain pushes me from the chair to wink at Chrys)

Why, Missy, didn’t you know?  The boy here bought an autographed picture of me, and a bit of my spirit was attached to it.

‘Course that wouldn’t have been enough to bring me over, don’t you know? 

But the first time I met old DreamSinger here, I was still alive, a boy in fact, and he t’weren’t even awake but dreaming!

You can read about it for yourself here, and dang if Marlene Dietrich wasn’t strolling about, too: GHOST OF MARK TWAIN HERE_OF LAST RITES AND FIRST MEETINGS

It’s a prelude of sorts for GHOST OF A CHANCE where me and old Marlene help the boy after his being framed for the murder of the ghost of Ernest Hemingway.

Once it looked like the poor boy had died, so I took over his blog for a time.  This is my first official-like article for his electronic journal: MARK TWAIN_KEYS TO SUCCESS

I am mighty proud of my critique of that there FIFTY SHADES OF GREY.


4. DO ANY OTHER DEAD AUTHORS TAKE OVER YOUR BLOG FROM TIME TO TIME?

(Taking back my chair from an amused Mark Twain)

As a matter of fact, they do.  In fact, Samuel McCord had me exchange personal letters with John Steinbeck in the 1930’s for a time! LETTERS FROM JOHN

William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Chandler, Robert E. Howard, Roger Zelazny, Tennessee Williams, Dorothy Parker, Emily Dickinson, even the ghost of Bruce Lee wrote a post on how to write well. BRUCE LEE_GHOST_THE WAY OF THE WRITER

(I emailed his daughter for permission to use her father, and she graciously allowed me to do so.)

The first time the ghost of Ernest Hemingway visited my blog was quite an event: THE WORLD BREAKS EVERYONE


5. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP FIVE MOST-VISITED POSTS?

(Not many visits.  I am just a minnow in the ocean of the blog-verse!)

THE HIDDEN SECRETS OF THE KINDLE FIRE: (Nov. 11, 2011) – 10,723

WHEN LIFE KNOCKS YOU DOWN: (May 3, 2016)    2,125 visits

WHY FRIENDSHIP?  (Sept. 11, 2011)   1,966 visits

DON’T MISS THIS POST! (May 11, 2016)   1,796 visits

TIME’S CURRENCY.   (Sept. 4, 2016)   1,567 visits



Oh, you want to know my bio?

Roland Yeomans was born in Detroit, Michigan.  But his last memories of that city are hub-caps and kneecaps since, at the age of seven, he followed the free food when his parents moved to Lafayette, Louisiana.  The hitch-hiking after their speeding car from state to state was a real adventure.  Once in Louisiana, Roland learned strange new ways of pronouncing David and Richard when they were last names.  And it was not a pleasant sight when he pronounced Comeaux for the first time.

So far he has written thirty-four books.  You can find Roland at his web page: www.rolandyeomans.blogspot.com  or at his private table in Meilori’s.  The web page is safer to visit.  But if you insist on visiting Meilori’s, bring a friend who runs slower than you.

LINKS:


You knew it was coming, didn’t you?


Don’t Cringe!  It will be mercifully short.


What does the Sidhe kidnapping Princess Victoria, the werewolves of Paris, the vampires, Abigail Adams & Benjamin Franklin, an insane Abraham Lincoln, and Dragons attacking the Eiffel Tower all have in common?



There is illicit love, Red Weddings, Betrayal, Revenge, and Star-Crossed Lovers – all for 99 cents!  What are you waiting for?  Oh, yes: an honest review will get you a FREE audio book by Neil Gaiman.

Who knew he liked my novels?  I don’t.  I’m just hoping!

The Sky Is Not The Limit; It Is Only The Beginning!



Thanks Roland...and Mark Twain.

Please leave a comment for Roland. Or Mark. Maybe he'll stop by again. :)





26 comments:

  1. Hi Chrys and Roland or Mark - great questions Chrys ... and you only started blogging in 2010 ... I thought you'd been going longer. You've also produced loads of book ... and I hope this Don't Buy My Book blog hop has generated many extra leads and some sales ...

    Good luck to you both - cheers Hilary

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    1. Sometimes it does feel like I have been doing this for much longer! :-)

      So far this tour has generated few sales but I am ever hopeful!

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  2. haha those dead authors still want to be heard it seems. Crosshairs focusing sure makes words better in the end.

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    1. Thanks, Pat. I have discussions inside my head with those famous authors -- especially when I read their essays on life and writing. :-)

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  3. Great post and interview, of a much talented writer.
    Yvonne.

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    1. What a nice thing to say, Yvonne. The ghost of Mark Twain just swatted me with his white bowler hat, saying he was the reason behind whatever quality was to my writing. :-)

      May your weekend be all you wish it to be.

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  4. This blog hop has been one of the best I've followed, Roland. Great job and a great wind up here on Chrys' site. I, of course, am a fan, so there may be a touch of bias, but since that bias stems from genuine delight in reading your books, I'm sure no one will object to my compliments.

    May Mark Twain's spirit continue to inspire more stories.

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    1. I certainly don't object! :-) Although the ghost of Mark Twain is muttering under his breath that he is the true magic to anything I write. That rascal.

      I really tried to make this blog hop a fun, always different journey from one port of call to the other.

      I am just now starting on the sequel: THE NOT-SO-INNOCENTS AT WAR ...

      The beginning chapters actually jump forward 3 decades for a time to an adult Nicola Tesla, a more seasoned Mark Twain, Lt. Winston Churchill -- and of course Samuel and his otherworldly wife, Meilori ...

      as the Xanadu is brought out of seclusion to do battle with the invading Martians of H. G. Wells fame.

      Those chapters are an early taste of the third of my Egyptian steampunk adventures: RED LAND, BLACK DEATH.

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  5. Is that why Mark Twain visits to often? I'll be careful whose photos I purchase.
    You started blogging not long after I did. It's been a journey, hasn't it?

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    1. Yes, it has! You've become a mountain; me a pebble! :-) But you've earned every bit of it.

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  6. Congratulations, Roland. I agree with you 100%. As writers and human beings, we are constantly evolving. How boring otherwise. Best of success with your tour. I hope you sell so many books that your heed not to is completely crushed.

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    1. I will write whether anyone buys or not. I guess I am the Emily Dickinson of science fantasy!! :-)

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  7. Great interview, Chrys! Nice to meet you Roland and thanks for bringing Mark along with you. Or does he just show up without your say so. The book trailer is fantastic. Very interesting book! Congrats on the new release.

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    1. Yep, Mark shows up pretty much when he wants to. Usually I am lucky in that he doesn't bring the ghost of Lovecraft with him!

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  8. Interesting about the masks. Good point.

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  9. What a fun interview. Thanks for the chuckles. :-) I too love masks, especially when it's me wearing it.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. In this part of the country, some Mardi Gras masks are truly works of art all by themselves. I am so happy you enjoyed Mark and my talking with Chrys. :-)

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  10. What a great name for a blog tour! It was fun meeting the spirit of Mark Twain. Thanks for hosting Roland, Chrys! Best of luck to both of you with your new books!

    Julie

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    1. Thanks, Julie. Sadly, too many are the name of my blog too seriously and not buying my books. Stop that, folks! :-)

      Mark Twain himself is in both of my NOT-SO-INNOCENTS books plus he accompanies Oscar Wilde in Egypt in DEATH IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE and its sequel, THE STARS BLEED AT MIDNIGHT (which also stars his two daughters Susy and Clara).

      Thank you, Chrys, for having me and asking such cool questions, Roland

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  11. Good Luck Roland! I'm nearly done with the first book of this series (The Not So Innocents Abroad) and expect your 'At Large' novel will continue the fun and intrigue. I liked reading which posts have gotten the most viewers.
    Thanks Chrys for highlighting a fave author of mine. . .I think I've read more of Roland's work over the years as he gets better and writes with gorgeous eloquence. It helps that Sam McCord is his main character, too.

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    1. Thanks so much, D.G. It means a lot that you like my work!

      Samuel is fun to write since his perceptions have deepened over the turbulent decades during which he has lived.

      Have a healing weekend, Roland

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  12. Congratulations to Roland! I loved reading this interview.

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  13. Fabulous interview, you two! Roland were you wearing the famous white suit? You so well personify the essence in both character and prose - very best wishes!

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  14. I have been having so much fun getting to know Roland through his blog tour and this interview was fantastic. Loved it! Wishing Roland the best of luck!
    ~Jess

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