Author Interview: Camille Di Maio

elizabethcaulfieldfelt author, books, interview, reading, writing

camilleToday I’m welcoming Camille Di Maio to my series of author interviews. Camille is the author of The Memory of Us, the story of a young and wealthy Protestant woman in pre-­‐war Liverpool who befriends an Irish Catholic seminarian. Torn between her family’s expectations and her growing love for someone she’s not supposed to be with, the story follows Julianne’s journey through war, tragedy, secrets, and redemption.

Elizabeth: Welcome, Camille. Can you tell us more about your novel?

camilles bookCamille: Thank you for having me. I have always wanted to write a novel, ever since I was twelve years old. The idea to write something about a forbidden love appealed to me. When I was a teenager, we participated in something called the Ulster Project. It brought teens from Belfast, Northern Ireland to Denver for a summer. At the time, tensions were still very high between the denominations over there. Catholics and Protestants did not mingle, date, do business together, etc. So, this became the basis for the idea of a forbidden love. Ratcheting it up with Kyle, a poor immigrant on the path to priesthood and Julianne, a wealthy Protestant socialite, put many obstacles in their path – money, religion, etc.

Elizabeth: What drew you to this topic?

Camille: The topic really came together for me one day as I was driving, and the Beatles song, “Eleanor Rigby” came through on my iPod. Although I’ve heard it many times, I think I had this “forbidden love” theme brewing, and the song hit me in a particular way. Who was the old priest in the song? Who was the lonely woman? Then I thought – what if they had a history together? All the pieces started to fall in to place.

Elizabeth: How much historical fact is woven in to your story?

Camille: Quite a lot. While the plot is entirely fictional, everything surrounding it is not. The cultural tensions. The details of nursing school at the time. The terrible bombings during the Blitz. I meticulously researched fashion, food, history, lingo and such to give it as authentic a feel as I could. Nearly every place mentioned is real.

Elizabeth: What is your writing process?

Camille: While writing The Memory of Us, I drank lots of Dr. Pepper (I’m a good Texan) and stayed up until about 3 or 4 every morning writing a first draft. We have four children and run a business, so this was the only quiet time I had. My husband was a champ. Now that I’ve learned so much more about the craft of writing, I am trying to be disciplined by writing about one thousands words per day. Either the early morning or late night works best for me – when everything else in the house is settled.

Elizabeth: What are you working on now?

Camille: My publisher just bought my second book, Before the Rain Falls, which will be out in the spring of 2017. I’m about halfway finished writing it. It is quite different from the first book. It is partially historical, being set in Texas during the 1940s. And, it is told from three points of view.

Elizabeth: What have you read recently that you feel passionate about?

Camille: I am an unabashed Kate Morton fan, and her most recent book, The Lake House, was full of her signature poetic words and captivating story. This one was her first attempt at a mystery, and I found elements to be quite like another of my favorite authors, Agatha Christie.

Elizabeth: Can you tell us more about yourself?

Camille: I love the phrase “suck the marrow out of life”. I really don’t waste a minute. My bucket list is a zillion miles long, and I’m always in pursuit of something adventurous. My biggest passion is travel. I’ve been to about three-­quarters of the states, four continents, and I’m always figuring out a way to plan another trip. But, most importantly, I have been married to my husband, Rob, for nineteen years, we home school our four children, and Rob and I have been real estate investors/counselors for sixteen years. And, my faith is a big component of my life.

We’ve now reached the time in our interview for the let’s-­get-­to-­know-­the-­author-­better, nearly pointless, sort-­of-­silly, rapid-­fire questions:

Elizabeth: Coffee or tea?

Camille: Coffee – but only if it has loads of sugar and flavoring so that it masks the actual taste of the coffee. I like the IDEA of coffee.

Elizabeth: Ocean or mountain?

Camille: Ocean. I grew up in Denver at the foot of the Rockies, but I am SO at home near water.

Elizabeth: Hiking or shopping?

Camille: Shopping. I don’t own one pair of shoes that would be appropriate for a real hike.

Elizabeth: Violin or piano?

Camille: Piano. I studied it for eight years, but I’m quite rusty now.

Elizabeth: Mystery or fantasy?

Camille: Mystery.

Elizabeth: Darcy or Heathcliff?

Camille: Both! But, even better, Mr. Rochester. (I’m a huge fan of British literature.)

Elizabeth: Love scene or death scene?

Camille: Death scene. I love a good cry.

To learn more about Camille and her books, visit the sites below:

Website: http://www.CamilleDiMaio.com
Twitter: @camilledimaio
Instagram: camilledimaio_author
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/camilledimaio.author
Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LhGrvDii9g

Poem in Your Pocket Day

elizabethcaulfieldfelt Poem in Your Pocket Day, poetry, writing

April is National Poetry Month, and today is Poem in Your Pocket Day. To celebrate, I gave out poems today at the YMCA on behalf of the Portage County Literacy Council (I’m a volunteer tutor). The poems were chosen by librarians at UWSP and cleverly put together by students. I also printed out some children’s poems by Kenn Nesbitt.

poem in your pocket

When I heard about the opportunity to give out poems for Poem in Your Pocket Day, I thought, Yes! That is something I want to do! I volunteered and got all the stuff. This morning, I thought, Oh no! I have to talk to strangers. I have to put myself out there. As a shy introvert, this is very uncomfortable for me.

As people walked into the Y, they saw me and saw that I was offering something. They avoided eye contact with me. They tried to hurry past.

I said, “Can I offer you a poem?”

They stopped and looked at me funny. “A what?”

“A poem,” I said, holding out a small scroll of paper tied with a colorful ribbon. “It is Poem in Your Pocket Day. Would you like a poem?”

Their eyes shined with surprise and delight. “Yes!”

Delight. People were delighted to get a poem. It was fun! I’m glad I volunteered to share poetry today. If you would like to share a poem with a loved one, an acquaintance or a stranger today, the following links will give you some poems to choose from.

Kenn Nesbitt’s Poetry4kids.com

The Writer’s Almanac, offering a poem a day.

I’ll end this blog by sharing one of my own poems. You are welcome to print and read and share this poem with others. You are not welcome to sell or do anything with my poem to make money. I haven’t made any money off this poem, so it would be really unfair if you did.

Boys Pee on the Floor
by Elizabeth Caulfield Felt

I am a wife
I am a mother of boys
I should not have been surprised
I have a father
I have two brothers

My husband taught my first son
“No matter how you wiggle and dance
the last drops always lands in your pants.”
            (or on the floor.)

I listened
I laughed
I taught my boys to pee standing up
(because boys pee standing up)

My first son was five
when I discovered:
At night
           or first pee of the day
he stands to pee (as he was taught)
but he does not turn on the bathroom light.

Second son was only two
too tall for a stool
too short without
So, a stool
He's just learning, so we
wait
      wait
             wait
out pours the stream over the toilet bowl
          to 
          the right of the upright seat
          against the wall
           and
           down
           to
            the 
          floor

Married ten years I
brush my teeth
while my husband pees
“Oops,” says he, “split stream.”
I turn and see he
           missed.
I see him 
see me
see him
He cleans the pee

I wonder
Would he clean the pee if I didn't see?
If you are female and read this,
you may wonder too
If you are male,
you know
           boys pee on the floor

Buy a book; help an African village

elizabethcaulfieldfelt author, books, donations, Ghana

imageI am donating all the money I make from sales of Syncopation in the month of April to A Ray of Hope Mission Project. This is an interdenominational project that supports the village of Aworowa in Ghana. Money will be used for social projects including expanding the availability of clean water, support to the Aworowa Clinic, teacher training, school computers, uniforms and playground equipment, supplies for four schools, support for the Wenchi Hospital, medical equipment, small business support, job training and more.

So, please help me help the people of Aworowa. My church has a close working relationship with the Methodist church in Aworowa. The money I raise will be spent by the people of Aworowa.

Syncopation is available as an e-book for $4.99 from Smashwords ,  Barnes and Noble , Kobo, iBook (via your iProduct’s Apple store). My cut of the price of the book is different at each retailer, but I will donate all that I earn.

I grabbed the can (pictured above) from my church, St. Paul’s United Methodist, this morning. My family’s goal is to fill it with $100.

Thanks for your support!

Author Interview: Michelle Cox

elizabethcaulfieldfelt author, books, reading, writing

michelle cox

Today I’m welcoming Michelle Cox to my series of author interviews. Michelle is the author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard mystery novels. The first in the series, A Girl Like You, has just released.

Elizabeth: Welcome, Michelle.

Michelle: Thanks for having me, Elizabeth!

Elizabeth: Can you tell us about your novel?

michelle cox book coverMichelle: A Girl Like You is the first in a historical mystery series set in 1930’s Chicago. It’s about a young, impoverished woman, Henrietta Von Harmon, who works as a 26 girl at the local bar to support her mother and siblings until she is persuaded by a friend to take up taxi dancing. Soon after she starts working there, the floor matron is murdered, and Inspector Clive Howard appears on the scene to investigate. Drawn to her apparent innocence and beauty, he persuades her to go undercover for him in a burlesque house to search for the killer.

Elizabeth: What drew you to this time and place?

Michelle: I’ve always loved the war years, and originally I wanted to set the story in the 1940’s, but the real woman that the fictional Henrietta is based on had a job at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933, and I really wanted to use that detail, so I set the story a decade earlier. As for the place, I love Chicago. I’ve been here since 1986 when I came for college and have never looked back. It’s a very cool, unique city.

Elizabeth: How much historical fact is woven into your stories?

Michelle: The character of Henrietta is based on a real woman’s story I heard while working in a nursing home. I’ve written an article in which I outlined what parts of the story are real, and oddly, the more outlandish parts are the truth! Obviously, though, her story didn’t really involve a murder nor an aloof, handsome detective! The streets and the neighborhoods are all real, as are some of the places mentioned, such as the Aragon Ballroom and the Green Mill, but other places are made up.

Elizabeth: What does your research process look like?

Michelle: Honestly, a lot of Googling. Unlike a lot of other historical fiction writers, I don’t really get caught up in researching all the details. I’d much rather write the story. Anything that requires a bit of research gets written as “XXXX’s” in the narrative, and then I go back later and fill it in.

Elizabeth: What is your writing process?

Michelle: I have to write first thing in the morning, so as soon as the kids are off to school and my husband to work, which is 6:50 am, I sit down and start writing. No exceptions. I write even on vacations and sometimes even on holidays! When I first started, I would write just an hour a day, then two, then four. Now I set aside seven hours, but a lot of that these days is taken up with promo work.

Elizabeth: In what sort of situation will we next find Henrietta?

Michelle: Great question! Book 2 and 3 of this series are already written. In fact, I’m due to turn in the manuscript for Book 2 (working title, But Was He Honest?) for edits any day now. I don’t want to give anything away, but Book 2 picks up just where Book 1 ends. We find out what happens next in Henrietta and the Inspector’s relationship and what trouble they find themselves in now. Also, the reader has to figure out who the “he” is in the title who wasn’t exactly honest. Is it the Inspector? Or someone else? Or both?

Elizabeth: You are also the author of “How to Get Your Book Published in 7000 Easy Steps–A Practical Guide” which appears on your blog. Can you tell us about that?

Michelle: Thanks for asking about my blog! It’s the thing that gives me the most dread each week to write, but once it’s done, I find it amusing. I hope others do, too. I started it because I wanted to write about the publishing process in a funny way, from the newbie’s perspective. Everyone thinks that getting a book published is the end-all, the pinnacle! But then you find out that your work is just beginning, that you’re not at the pinnacle, you’re just at the base of yet another mountain. There’s something tragically funny there. But I try to throw in some real tips, too.

Elizabeth: What have you read recently that you feel passionate about?

Michelle: To be honest, I haven’t read a ton of contemporary fiction. I’ve spent most of my teens and adult life reading the classic canon, so questions like this always make me nervous. Since I’ve ventured out of my hole, I find Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series and Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody series extremely well-done. Excellent writing and very funny. I also think Barbara Stark-Nemon’s Even in Darkness was incredibly well-written, in my humble opinion. I absolutely loved it. It goes beyond entertainment into the realm of serious literary art.

Elizabeth: Can you tell us more about yourself?

Michelle: I’m married to a Brit and have three children, all of whom present their own challenges, especially the Brit. We live in the Chicago suburbs with a very needy dog. I used to love baking, gardening and board games before the book took over my life.

We’ve now reached the time in our interview for the let’s-get-to-know-the-author-better, nearly-pointless, sort-of-silly, rapid-fire questions:

Elizabeth: Coffee or tea?

Michelle: Coffee

Elizabeth: Ocean or mountain?

Michelle: Mountain

Elizabeth: Hiking or shopping?

Michelle: Hiking

Elizabeth: Violin or piano?

Michelle: Piano

Elizabeth: Mystery or fantasy?

Michelle: Mystery

Elizabeth: Darcy or Heathcliff?

Michelle: DARCY!

Elizabeth: Love scene or death scene?

Michelle: Love scene!

To learn more about Michelle, her mystery series, and her tips for newbie writers, visit her blog at http://michellecoxauthor.com

You can also friend her on Facebook, https://wwwfacebook.com/michellecoxwrites

Follow her on twitter: @michellecox33

And buy her books on amazon: http://amzn.to/1RELGYi

Thanks to Michelle for joining us today.

Winners Announced

elizabethcaulfieldfelt Uncategorized

Thanks to everyone who entered my Facebook/Twitter drawing for a chance to win a free e-copy of Syncopation. And the winners are . . . <drumroll>

Sinead O’Rourke

Alma Banks

Linda Zupancic

I will contact the winners privately to explain how to download a free copy.

Discount Copies Available

Did you enter the contest and not win? Did you hear about the contest too late? You can still get a copy of Syncopation. Use the code XF64N at Smashwords to get $2 off the list price of $4.99. This is a limited time offer, so get your copy today!

Syncopation_Ecover

 

 

Syncopation E-Release Day

elizabethcaulfieldfelt Adele Hugo, books, e-books, Syncopation, writing

Today is the release day for the electronic version of Syncopation: A Memoir of Adèle Hugo.

Syncopation_Ecover

Syncopation is the fictional autobiography of Victor Hugo’s scandalous daughter.

In Nineteenth Century France, a woman’s role was explicitly defined: She was a daughter, then a wife, then a mother. This view was held by novelist and poet Victor Hugo, but not by his daughter, pianist and poet Adèle Hugo. An elderly Adèle recounts her desperate attempts to gain personal freedom. Her memoir blurs the fine line between truth and madness, in a narrative that is off-kilter, skewed, syncopated.

“For humans there is only memory, and memory is unreliable.”

Syncopation is available for $4.99 at Smashwords and other e-book retailers: Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iBook (via your iProduct’s Apple store), Overdrive (ask your library to order it), and more. (It is not currently available at amazon–I will update this blog if that happens).

Syncopation was originally published by Cornerstone Press and is available in paperback from a number of central Wisconsin bookstores or through online ordering.

 

Fairy Tale Discussion Group

elizabethcaulfieldfelt books, Cinderella, Fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood, reading, writing

image

I’ve started a Facebook Discussion group called Fairy Tales: Reading, Re-Writing and Scholarship. If you are on Facebook and would like to join, type “fairy tales: reading” into the search box at the top of Facebook. This group should appear.

This is a venue for people to share information about fairy tales: new scholarship, research, favorite new versions, thoughts on re-writing these stories, etc. Promotion is allowed as long as it is relevant to the group.

I belong to some wonderful book discussion groups on Facebook, and I’m excited to get this one going. If fairy tales interest you, I hope you will join. Let me know if you have any questions.

The above illustration is one of a series of sketches by Hermann Vogel depicting The Little Red Riding Hood story.

 

 

E-book Release of Syncopation Scheduled for March 15

elizabethcaulfieldfelt Uncategorized

Syncopation: A Memoir of Adele Hugo will be available as an e-book on March 15, 2016. This gives me time to do some marketing and pre-order work including several give-aways. The formatting of my novel in Smashwords was not the disaster I feared in my last post. Everything worked and looks beautiful.

I want to thank Caitlin Hartlaub at Hartlaub Creations for the lovely new e-book cover:

Syncopation_Ecover

Formatting my e-book

elizabethcaulfieldfelt Adele Hugo, author, books, e-books, Smashwords, writing

I’ve decided to go with Smashwords as my e-book distributor. There are lots of reasons: the reach of their distribution, the no up-front cost, their strict format requirements. I’m impressed with how much formatting they ask authors to do before uploading a book. Smashwords e-books have a consistent, high-quality look. Smashwords makes available an easy-to-read, easy-to-follow formatting guide. Although the formatting is time-consuming, it isn’t difficult.

A began re-formatting my book at about 7:30am this morning. Smashwords requires that the author save her document as a .doc file. I did that, then I followed the guide, formatting my novel and saving as I went so as not to lose my work. I took a long break for lunch, and finished the formatting about 4pm.

My book looked clean and beautiful. I was SO happy with the formatting! A day well spent!

I decided to send myself a copy on email so that I would have a backup.

When I clicked on the folder where I had saved my document, I was surprised to see two documents with the same name. Looking more closely, I saw that one was called Syncopation.doc and the other was called Syncopation.doc.docx.

My stomach started hurting.

I opened the document with the Smashwords required .doc file name. It was my original document, lacking the formatting clean-up I’d spent the day doing.  I opened the .doc.docx file and it was my beautifully clean, perfectly formatted document. Probably hiding all sorts of foul .docx formatting garbage.

I felt like throwing up.

Sighing heavily, I clicked “save as” and gave this document a new name and chose the .doc extension. When all other aspects are ready for my e-book upload, I will use this file and see if Smashwords accepts or rejects it.  I may have to spend another long day doing exactly what I did today.

Well, hopefully not exactly.

 

Best Books of 2015

elizabethcaulfieldfelt books, reading

I read 112 books in 2015, a lot of them children’s books. The order of this list is chronological: the order that I read them. I’m mixing children’s books (MG), young adult books (YA), and adult (A) books. Don’t limit yourself. They are all worth reading!

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (MG/YA)

This won the 2014 Newbery Award and deservedly so. My first response to the book is here. The Crossover is a novel-in-verse about two African American teen brothers who play basketball and have to get through some tough times.

The Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage (MG)

I wish Sage got as much attention for Septimus Heap as Rowling does for Harry Potter. This series in a magical world stars a lot of female characters and stays appropriate for elementary-aged readers. Exciting stories, good characters, impressive world-building, fun POV changes. I blogged about it earlier.

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber (A)

A Christian missionary to a distant planet copes with the strange new world and with the difficulty of maintaining a relationship with his despairing wife back home.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (A)

A crew leaves earth to make contact with inhabitants on another planet. The story unfolds in two time periods: as the exploration unfolds, and later, as the only surviving member stands trial on earth.

Here is a longer blog entry about both of these science-fiction novels.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (A)

An Australian geneticist decides to get married and creates a survey to help him winnow out unsuitable partners. In the process, he meets Rosie (completely unsuitable) and agrees to help her find the identity of her father. The way Don sees and interacts with the world is hysterical. Especially funny if you work with or are married to or are a male scientist/mathematician/engineer.

One Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (A)

This is about a farming family. The patriarch has three daughters and is getting older, so decisions must be made about the family farm. Smiley is an incredible writer. Her characters are layered and real, and their development unfolds in ways totally unexpected. A captivating and painful read. Smiley won a well-deserved Pulitzer for this novel.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green (YA)

David and John wrote this story in alternating chapters about two teenage boys named Will Grayson. As I understand it, before they started writing, they picked the name the two characters would share (Will Grayson), David picked a time of year (February/March) and John picked a location where they would meet (Frenchy’s in Chicago). Other than that, nothing in the novel was planned. One would write a chapter, send it to the other, who would write the next chapter, send it to the other, and so on. How fun! I’d love to do something like this. Strangely, the starring role in the novel is neither Will Grayson, but a gay teen character named Tiny Cooper. He’s the best friend of the straight Will Grayson and eventually falls in love with the gay Will Grayson (not really a spoiler: Tiny Cooper is always falling in love). This book is funny and insightful and well worth the read.

The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth (A)

The Brothers Grimm did not travel the German countryside collecting fairy tales. Most of their fairy tales came from Dortchen Wild, a girl who lived next door to them and would eventually marry one of the brothers. As a lover of fairy tales and historical fiction, I wanted to read this novel from the moment I heard of it, but Forsyth is Australian, and the novel wasn’t immediately released in the US. I got it as soon as it was and wasn’t disappointed. Forsyth does a great job of bringing to life her characters, mixing in the themes and details of the fairy tales, while keeping true to history. Loved it!

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz (MG/YA)

After the death of her mother, Joan works the farm with her father and brothers, feeling uncared for and unappreciated, with her intelligence wasted, and her dream of becoming a teacher dwindling. When her father burns her books, she runs away and is hired as a servant by a wealthy Jewish family in Baltimore. The story is told by Joan who keeps a journal. She is a delightful character, naïve and caring, adventurous and hard-working, and above all curious and smart. Her mix of intelligence and innocence is beautiful drawn.

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (MG)

Ada was born with a clubfoot, and her mother has never allowed her out of their one-room London flat. When she learns from her little brother that children are being evacuated to the countryside, she makes her escape. She and her brother are placed with a depressed woman who does not really want them. A beautiful story about love and death, acceptance and family, set amid World War II. A Newbery contender.

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (MG)

Suzy can’t believe her former best friend could have drowned because Franny was such a strong swimmer–but she could have been stung by a jellyfish. Suzy copes with Franny’s death by learning about jellyfish and no longer talking. Although never stated, Suzy appears to be mildly autistic. Franny and Suzy had stopped being friends, something Suzy also struggles with. Painful, beautiful, insightful, and I learned so much about jellyfish! My vote for the Newbery Award. (Note: I don’t actually have a vote.)

Winter by Marissa Meyer (YA)

The Lunar Chronicles conclusion! When I first started reading this, I was a little embarrassed by the sappy teen romances, and I thought to myself: Why am I so into this series? Then, the plot kicked in and I remembered why. Fast-paced action, fun characters, (sappy romance) and fairy tale tropes. Not only are Meyer’s characters racially diverse, but this title character, Winter, struggles with mental illness. A fine conclusion to a wonderful series.

Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton (A)

I got this for Christmas. If you don’t follow Brandon on Facebook or read his blog, you should. It doesn’t take much time, and it will connect you to humanity. Brandon is a photographer who began by taking pictures of people in New York City. Sometimes he included a quote or two from his subjects. Then he began interviewing them and including their stories with their photographs. Then he expanded beyond New York City. This book is just NYC. The photographs and stories are beautiful, painful, joyful, surprising, but most of all, they uncover the diversity of the human experience.

So, there it is. A year of good books. I hope you have found some new titles to add to your reading list.

Happy New Year!