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Three Questions with Van Heerling. My Guest today Kenyon Ledford

5/31/2012

Welcome to Three Questions with Van Heerling. This is where you get to meet authors, actors, painters and anyone else that is bent toward the arts, but on a more personal level.

Today I welcome Kenyon Ledford author of Space Creature Versus Earth Creature. He is a songwriter too, and a downright hilarious personality.

Here we go.

VH: If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be and why?

Kenyon: Good question, Van. Okay, dinosaurs would rule the world again, but this time, instead of being all aggressive and roaring all the time, they would be chocolate chip ice cream, and their hooves, or feet, or whatever, would be waffle cones. Except for the raptors. They would be bellhops, and they would roar all the time, but not because they were being aggressive, but because they were mad about their tips. I think this is a good idea because chocolate chip ice cream is really good, and bellhops need to speed up their service, but at the same time not eat children.

VH: That Kenyon, is quite a picture.

If you knew the exact date of your death down to the minute, what would you change about your life starting tomorrow?

Kenyon: It depends on the date of death. If the date of death was to be tomorrow, at say eleven O'Clock in the morning, I would call in sick to work, drink plenty of fluids, and then sit in a chair and stare at a stop watch. I would breathe in a calm manner, and if I didn't die at the exact moment I would say, "I knew it was all bull crap," and then would act really smug the rest of my life. However, if the date of death was decades and decades ahead, I would have to think that I could do anything I pleased, and still not die. With that in mind I would begin smoking again, but instead of using ashtrays, I would grind my cigarettes--no, Cuban cigars out in the eyes of bikers. I would shoot Wild Turkey whiskey into my liver with some hypodermic needle I found in a downtown garbage bin, and I'd rob banks and shoot people. However, if indeed it was all bull crap, well, there would be some awkward moments, then I suppose, hey?

VH: Okay... well now I am almost afraid to ask.

After a difficult day, what do you do to recuperate? Does it work?

Kenyon: After a difficult day I close my eyes, and then snap rubberbands into them. Does it work? Not really, it hurts more than anything, to be honest.

VH: Kenyon, truly you are one of a kind.

Bio: Kenyon Ledford loves animals, and especially underdogs. He has been published in "Short, Fast, and Deadly", "Jersey Devil Press", and "Flash Fiction Online." He has had songs recorded by Jonathan McEuen, and contributed to the Everton fanzine, "Speke From the Harbour". He runs the following websites: http://www.kenyonledford.com and http://www.schoolofscience.eu He has written a novel he hopes to publish, entitled, "The Big Monster Monkey", and would like to publish a collection of his short stories, and become a ghost writer. His published fiction and a few of his songs can be found on his Kenyon Ledford website. Have a bitchin' day.

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Three Questions with Van Heerling. My Guest Today is Claude Bouchard.

5/27/2012

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Welcome to Three Questions with Van Heerling. This is where you get to meet authors, actors, painters and anyone else that is bent toward the arts, but on a more personal level.

Today we welcome Claude Bouchard author of Vigilante, The Consultant, Discreet Activities and several others stories you probably should be reading. I have had the pleasure of conversing with Claude via Twitter and Facebook. Fasten your seat belts... this should be a good one.

VH: If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be and why?

CB: I would abolish egos. Without egos, common courtesy would become the norm, bullying would disappear, wars would cease to exist, the list is endless. If people didn’t have those pesky egos, there would be nothing urging them to put themselves before others. Nobody would even think of cutting ahead, be it on the road or in the supermarket checkout line because there would be no reason to do so. Backstabbing, lying, cheating, etc would all become obsolete as there would be nothing to gain from such actions.

If, for some reason, ego abolishment was impossible, my second choice would be to rule the world as the all powerful master. :)

VH: If you knew the exact date of your death down to the minute, what would you change about your life starting tomorrow?

CB: I would re-arrange my schedule to make sure all enjoyable events and activities such as trips and parties took place before my death and would push unpleasant ones like doctors’ appointments, hospital stays and the like until after my death.

VH: If a zombie virus took over the world, how many days do you think you could last before you were infected? And what would you do to postpone the inevitable?

CB: In consideration of this question, I’d like to go back to the first one, forget about that ego thing and opt for the all powerful master thing instead and do some major zombie virus butt-kicking.

Next, we should move on to the second question which explicitly foresees my knowing exactly when I would die. By applying simple math, I could determine the number of days asked here by counting how many days there would be between, a) my date of death and, b) the date the zombie virus took over the world. Without these specific dates, performing such a calculation becomes quasi-impossible though I suspect the likely answer to be somewhere quite close to 42.

As to what I would do to postpone the inevitable, I’m doubtful destiny, which was so clearly established in all of the above, can be changed but, just for fun, I’d consume rum cocktails for their medicinal benefits and, as always, wear my trusty battle helmet.

VH: Claude you are the first to intermingle the questions and with such grace. As for your abolishment of egos... it reminds me of a quote, "Desired fame is caused by a cancerous Ego. Boy, do I need Chemo.” This one is mine. Sheesh... there is that pesky ego again!

Thank you Claude.

Vigilante
Book 1 of the Barry/McCall Series". . . hits you like a hook to the liver, and addresses the timeless issues of murder, revenge, and the human yearning for justice . . . a witty thriller, full of passion and suspense . . . virtually impossible to put down." -- John Locke, New York Times best-selling author

Montreal . . . the long, hot summer of 1996. . .

. . . and in the dark of night, moving like a shadowy wraith, a vigilante prowls the city's streets.

The targets of his bloody rampage: the worst of the worst.

Murderers. Gangbangers. Rapists.

Six months. Sixteen murders. The harried police are still without a clue . . .

. . . until the day they receive an email from the assassin himself.

Lieutenant Dave McCall, head of Montreal's Special Homicide Task Force, needs help to crack the secrets of the killer's taunting message. He calls on an expert--Chris Barry, who runs a security firm specializing in computer communications.

Together, McCall and Barry launch a grim quest to track down a man who preys on predators--an urgent quest to bring this remorseless killer to justice.

But whose justice will prevail: theirs--or the vigilante's?

The Consultant
Book 2 of the Barry/McCall Series

"Chris Barry is back and better than ever." - Jessica Subject, Mark of the Stars

The friendly takeover of CSS Inc. leaves computer executive Chris Barry unemployed, very wealthy and pleased with the situation.

But the hiatus is short-lived...

As a result of his involvement in the recent Vigilante investigation, Barry is approached by Jonathan Addley and invited to joinDiscreet Activities, a government agency of the clandestine variety,

Accepting, he promptly takes on his first assignment under the guise of an IT consultant, to investigate possible links between a local import business and the murder of its MIS director.

As he discovers the firm is being used to import narcotics, his cover is blown and things get personal, spurring him to show that murderers, drug lords, biker gangs and kidnappers are no match for...

...The Consultant

"...I have no doubt that Clint Eastwood, in his prime, would have bought the rights to play the lead in movie version of The Consultant." - Dee Marie, author, Sons of Avalon: Merlin's Prophecy

Discreet Activities
Book 6 of the Barry/McCall Series

Note: Though this is the sixth book of the series, it can be read first as no crucial plot elements of the previous installments are revealed therein. It is possible that some readers may subsequently feel obliged to go back to the beginning of the series withVigilante and onwards but that's okay.

"Bouchard is quite simply one of the only authors I know who can throw me for a loop with the last line of his novels." - Amber Norrgard - Co-host of TweepNation

As a result of information gathered via electronic surveillance by intelligence agencies in the U.S. and Canada, a budding terrorist organization, the Army for Islam or AFI, is suspected of planning an attack, its target possibly NYC, Burlington, Vermont or even Canada's famed Montreal.

When four foreign students from Pakistan with known ties to the AFI's Montreal cell arrive in the area on New Year's Eve, Discreet Activities' head, Jonathan Addley, along with Chris Barry and other DA consultants are more than willing to take on the additional workload.

After two of the DA team members die violently in an AFI related suicide-bombing, the job becomes getting revenge on those responsible for this Holy War...

I was born in Montreal, Canada, where I still reside with my spouse, Joanne. I completed my studies in human resources, accounting and management at McGill University and worked in various management capacities in the fields of HR and finance for a handful of firms for what seemed like decades, because it was. I should also mention I love pizza, but who doesn't and, in my opinion, nothing rocks more than cooking on the grill.

My first stab at writing was in 1995, the result being my first novel, Vigilante. This was subsequently followed by The Consultant (1996) and Mind Games (1997), all of the same series.

Professional obligations and other creative interests led me away from writing for a number of years but I found myself busy at the keyboard in 2009 with The Homeless Killer after having finally published my first three novels. I then followed up with 6 Hours 42 Minutes in 2011, also part of the Barry/McCall Series born from Vigilante. In July 2011, I released ASYLUM, my first stand-alone novel and Discreet Activities, my sixth Barry/McCall crime thriller was published in January 2012. I think I'm really starting to like this writing thing.

Besides writing, editing and promoting my work, I also spend some artistic energy with my five guitars, oil paints and watercolours. Other passions include cooking (big time with fine wine to go with it, of course), reading, traveling and working out just enough to stay fit. It should also be noted that following several years of practice, I now excel at being cat furniture for Krystalle and Midnight, or so they tell me.

Need more Claude Bouchard?

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Three Questions with Van Heerling. My guest today is Heather Hummel.

5/24/2012

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Sopris Sunset

Photo by Heather Hummel. Used with her permission.

Welcome to Three Questions with Van Heerling. This is where you get to meet authors, actors, painters and anyone else that is bent toward the arts, but on a more personal level.

Today we welcome Heather Hummel, author of Whispers from the Heart, Write from the Heart and Signs from the Universe.

VH: If you knew the exact date of your death down to the minute, what would you change about your life starting tomorrow?

HH: Because I believe our soul lives through many lives, I am as much at peace with the idea of death as I am with life. In fact, there are many days in this lifetime that I look forward to the ones in my next life and the ones thereafter. I also have insight to many of my past lives, and the kinds of lessons I’m here to learn in this one that I didn’t in past ones. With an expansive view such as this, I live my life with little fear of death, and there is not one thing I would change about how I live my life. Those who know me know I’m an adventurist. A free spirit. A soul passing through this life in hopes to learn the lessons I’m meant to because Karma really can be a bitch.

VH: For what are you grateful?

HH: I am most grateful for a short, yet poignant, relationship I had when I was in my late thirties. It acted as a catalyst to leaving a ten year dead-end relationship that wasn’t working for me. But more importantly, it catapulted me into a spiritual awakening. Since knowing this particular man, I have not seen life in the same way, and I’m most grateful for my new-found spirituality and personal growth because of our time together. People come into our lives as teachers and there are times when we don’t see the lesson until after the relationship ends (be it friend, romantic, or otherwise). It’s the timeless gifts this man gave my soul that I am most grateful for.

VH: At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy?

HH: For me, being seventeen was probably the happiest time of my life. Funny that I was the happiest at an age when people are often the most troubled. But, when I look back on that year, I was still a virgin, so men didn’t impact me the way they did later on. (Why does sex have to complicate everything?) I hadn’t known the pain of losing the love of my life. I had a few great friendships, some several years older and others my age, but none of them were filled with angst, agendas, or teen drama. I was active, healthy, ambitious, and carefree. I knew I wanted to be a writer and a photographer and at the time, it seemed like nothing would get in the way of those goals. Yes, seventeen was a good year to be me.

VH: Heather what a delight it has been interviewing you. I must say that my seventeenth year was far from what you just described. Maybe one day we will sit down together, coffee in hand, and I will tell you all about my awkward years.

Whispers from the Heart

Whispers: The heart's way of speaking...

Madison Ragnar is a high school English teacher determined to connect with her students, to finish the next running race with a respectable time, and to avoid ever falling in love again.

But life has other plans for Madison. A man named Michael shows himself in the most unexpected places, raising questions from her best friend, Olivia, and issues around Madison's last relationship.

In the classroom, the death of a student prompts her grieving ninth graders to depend on her for answers. They turn to journal writing as a form of understanding the weight of what's happened in the walls of their teenage existence.

When Madison meets Phil, who throws a wrench in her declaration to not fall in love, it seems that her escape through miles of running is the only real footing she has in life.

Will fate determine Madison's life? Or will she have a say in its outcome?

Write from the Heart

Journals are a woman's best friend...
When Samantha Sounder quits her office manager job the day after yet another boyfriend breaks up with her, the emotional havoc of these two events launches the beginning of her new life.
Samantha dives into therapy with Ragnar Axel, a traditional therapist who explores her failed relationships and sends her on a wild goose chase through her old journals to rediscover herself.

Despite the unsettling reactions of her best friend, Amanda, and Ragnar, Samantha decides to walk away from the corporate world and follow her dream as a novelist. She sets out to craft her first novel, Winter's Truth. Hesitantly, she accepts the unexpected guidance from Craig, an unlikely man she meets at the coffee shop.

Along her journey, Samantha picks up a new journal and titles it her "Positive Journal," declaring to only write positive thoughts in it. Samantha's life transforms from one of despair and loss to hope and faith as she navigates through new territory and explores the possibility of finding love over lattes.

Signs from the Universe

If you've ever felt deep love and then lost it; if you miss a grandparent who has passed away; if you ever had to put a pet down; or if you've ever seen your own Signs from the Universe, you'll "get" this book.

GO BIKE & OTHER SIGNS FROM THE UNIVERSE is a series of vignettes that exemplify events that most would see as “coincidences,” but, as will be understood, there are no such things as "coincidences."

GO BIKE & OTHER SIGNS FROM THE UNIVERSE highlights the author's uncanny knack for receiving messages from the Universe, most of which are delivered to her in the form of license plates, of all things! From GO LOOK to URDSIRE to GO BIKE to WRITE ON to CARMEL to THYKNGDM to HOT4LP and more, the author was shown these license plates only moments after having a related thought or question. As an avid cyclist, for cycling is her muse, she became noticeably aware of license plates while out on daily rides. When she realized these plates were practically screaming at her, she awakened to the Universe’s mode for delivering messages she needed to know.

After eight years of compiling the most compelling vignettes, some of which occurred right up to the final draft of this book, she is now releasing them in this inquisitive and fun book.

Gracefully Looking and Being Your Best at Any Age

Discover the Art of Aging Gracefully At age sixty-eight, cover model Valerie Ramsey is the new face of beauty. She has appeared in magazines and ad campaigns and on runways and television. Now, in her wonderfully inspiring new book, Valerie shares a lifetime of hard-earned wisdom, insider secrets, and practical advice on how to look and feel your best--inside and out--at any age. Gracefully includes: Proven nutrition secrets for staying slim and healthy Professional beauty tips for looking your best Personal visualizations for living your dreams Positive workouts for your body, mind, and soul " Gracefully is simply wonderful. Valerie Ramsey is living proof that being older than fifty can be exciting, healthy, and sexy." --Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Mother-Daughter Wisdom, The Wisdom of Menopause, and Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom "Valerie Ramsey is the new face, style, and attitude of aging. In Gracefully she inspires us to bring out the best in ourselves--physically, mentally, and spiritually--in order to make the fifty-plus years the best years of our lives. A terrific, uplifting, and informative book." --Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., president and CEO of Age Wave and author of Bodymind, Healthy Aging, The Age Wave, and The Power Years "I like the snappy way this gal thinks. She sends out a powerful message!" --Rue McClanahan, Emmy Award-winning actress and author of My First Five Husbands . . . and The Ones Who Got Away

Heather Hummel is a "photonovelist" who blends her love for photography with her award-winning career as an author. Heather's books have appeared in newspapers such as: Publishers Weekly, USA Today and the Washington Post; and in magazines that include: Health, Body & Soul, First, and Spry Living, a combined circulation of nearly 15 million. A graduate with High Distinction from the University of Virginia, Heather holds a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree with concentrations in English and Secondary Education. She is currently earning a Ph.D. in Metaphysical Sciences.

Her published works include:
Journals from the Heart Series:
Whispers from the Heart (2011)
Write from the Heart (2011)

Nonfiction
Signs from the Universe (2011)
Gracefully: Looking and Being Your Best at Any Age (McGraw-Hill, 2008)

Essays:
Messages of Hope and Healing ( Sunpiper Media, 2006)
Blue Ridge Anthology (Cedar Creek, 2007) with David Baldacci and Rita Mae Brown

Awards:
2009 Mature Media Awards, Merit Award
2009 New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention

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Three Questions with Van Heerling My Guest today is Carrie Green

5/20/2012

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Welcome to Three Questions with Van Heerling. This is where you get to meet authors, actors, painters and anyone else that is bent toward the arts, but on a more personal level.

Today we welcome Carrie Green, author of Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, and Sugar is Sweet.  A trilogy of shorts stories in the horror genre.

Let's get to it.

VH: For what are you grateful?

CG: Friends and family are on the top of that list. My husband has been a rock in my life. We're a true team. We accomplished great feats together like the complete and total remodel of our home. He's fearless, willing to jump into any new project (while I'm great at coming up with solutions when problems crop up). We balance each other. Boy, I sound much more like a romance author than a horror author, but it's the truth.

VH: At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy?

CG: No particular age, it seems to me that true joy is fleeting. Reading has always been a reliable source as well as watching movies. I'm actually happiest at old time family activity centers such as drive-in movie theaters and amusement parks (Indiana Beach is my all-time favorite vacation spot, Wisconsin Dells is number two). Apple picking is a blast as well as visiting public gardens. Zoos and museums are delightful. Pets are an endless source of joy that you can experience daily. The feeling of joy, or perfect contentment, doesn't last forever, usually it's shared in a smile or a laugh.

VH:  If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself?

CG: To really enjoy my grandparents and value my time with them (everyone was alive when I was seven). A grandparent is often the first relative to pass for most of us; his or her death is how we learn to live in the moment and to never forget to say 'I love you.' I recall being devastated at the loss of each one of my grandparents throughout my childhood. Birthdays and holidays are never the same. It's important to never take for granted the people who love you and whom you love. Children can be extremely self-centered. I'm not sure how I would convey all of this (mortality) to my seven year old self, but I would try.

VH: It truly is amazing just how much we change. It was a pleasure, thank you Carrie.

ROSES ARE RED, A Collection of Short Stories (Book 1 of the New Blood Trilogy)

A LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP--Drunk, Allan ended an all-nighter of partying with a hit and run that escalates into First Degree murder.

A LUCKY HUMAN--Traveling the Universe aboard a space cruise ship may be the hottest trend, but a young man may be exchanging his life for this privilege.

CASH ONLY--This bounty hunter only cares about the paycheck.

"The sudden violence of a domestic dispute, a curious futuristic world where computers fall in love and choose their mates, a bounty-hunter reeling in his charge... An author who neither minces nor overplays her words, Carrie Green is one to read." Sheila Deeth, Gather.com Reviewer, Author of Refracted, Black Widow, and Flower Child

VIOLETS ARE BLUE, A Novella (Book 2 of the New Blood Trilogy)

Newly-wed Sarah was delighted to move in with her mother-in-law, Martha, a widower who had raised her son, by herself, on an isolated Midwest farm.

A kid from a broken home who had been raised in a group house in Chicago, Sarah had struggled to put herself through college on scholarships. She considered herself to be self-reliant and willing to work hard for her dreams. She wanted only one thing, a real family. Todd was the love of her life, so that she was sure that she'd love Martha, too.

It never occurred to Sarah that Martha would see her as competition, to be eliminated.

SUGAR IS SWEET, A Collection of Short Stories (Book 3 of the New Blood Trilogy)

PLAYING FOR KEEPS--Sometimes a mother/daughter bond can be too close.

LOVED--Being loved is sometimes a fairy tale, sometimes, a nightmare. It all depends on who falls in love with you.

CHRISTMAS IN STRIPES--An ex-con spends his first holiday back home with his family and realizes that you can never go home again."

A trio of disquieting short stories offered up by author Carrie Green, who quickly shows readers sugar is not always sweet. At the heart of each is a twisted family dynamic gone horribly wrong. The characters are believably drawn, and contains family interplay that rings true if not a bit disturbing. Most of us know families like these." Mark Souza, Horror writer and storyteller featured in numerous anthologies, Author of Second Honeymoon, The Dead Shoe Society, and The Love Shack, among others...

Carrie Green "a powerful new voice in horror and suspense" will have her first novel, 'Walk a Lonely Street,' published by McMullin Press in 2012. Set in Chicago, a jazz nightclub owner is found dead in the parking lot with a bullet to the brain. Police have written it off as a suicide, but his wife and best buddy think that it's a murder and they embark on their own investigation. Carrie is excited to build her audience, in the meantime, with the 'Roses are Red,' 'Violets are Blue,' and 'Sugar is Sweet,' trilogy of shorts stories and a novella being released as eBooks for a limited time. Born and raised in Chicago, Carrie now lives with her husband in the northern suburbs of the city. Contact Carrie or sign up to receive notification of the publication of her next book at www.CarrieGreenBooks.com.

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Three Questions with Van Heerling. My guest today Bonnie Trachtenberg

5/17/2012

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Welcome to Three Questions with Van Heerling. This is where you get to meet authors, actors, painters and anyone else that is bent toward the arts, but on a more personal level.

Today we welcome Bonnie Trachtenberg, author of Wedlocked and Neurotically Yours.

VH: If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be and why?

BT: I would stop the cruelty of human beings toward each other and toward our precious animals. Nothing upsets me more than hearing about man’s inhumanity. To know there are those needlessly suffering at the hands of malicious or callous people is emotionally devastating to me and sucks the joy out of my life. This is why I give charitably to organizations who seek to protect the most innocent and vulnerable souls on our planet.

VH: If you knew the exact date of your death down to the minute, what would you change about your life starting tomorrow?

BT: Well first, I’d have one heck of an anxiety attack. Then, I’d probably spend a lot less time at my computer, and a lot more time walking around hugging everyone in my life like an amorous lunatic. I’d also be more focused on daily good-deed-doing and a lot less on sweating the small stuff.

VH: For what are you grateful?

BT: I’m grateful for so much these days. I was born into the most wonderful, loving family. My husband is a gem of a man and we have made a beautiful and cozy home together. I have adorable cats and a very sweet dog. They put a smile on my face every day. I’m grateful for my friends, some of whom have sustained me through the difficult years of my life. I’m grateful for my God-given ability to write and for the success the universe has lavished on me. I’m also very grateful to my loved ones who look out for me from heaven.

VH: Thank you Bonnie. And like I said the other day... I want to be like you.

Wedlocked

On what should be the happiest day of her life, Rebecca Ross is panic stricken. Rebecca has just wed Craig Jacobs, but she realizes she put more thought into choosing her florist than she did in choosing the man she’s just pledged to love for the rest of her life.

Before Craig, Rebecca, a talented Long Island girl, dreamed of following in her grandmother’s footsteps with an acting career. Unfortunately, she was cut down to size by years of disappointment, and by her first love—a Hollywood director. She returned to Long Island a lost and broken woman, and ended up in the last place she ever wanted: her old bedroom at her parents’ house.

But Rebecca’s mother, an overzealous convert to Judaism, has a long held dream too: marry off her three daughters to Jewish men. So no one is more thrilled than her when Rebecca meets and marries bon vivant Craig Jacobs, the man who has won over the whole family. Too bad they’re all about to discover that underneath his charismatic shell, this Prince Charming is anything but!

“Wedlocked is a funny, warm, and engaging story about life, love, marriage and family. This page-turner is the perfect summer read!” —Wendy Walker, bestselling author of Social Lives.

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Neurotically Yours

Smart, attractive, and ambitious, thirty-seven-year-old Dara Harrison is, nonetheless, still single--and on sabbatical from dating. Ironically Los Angeles' most renowned relationship advice columnist, Dara has become a Southland sensation with her "tell-it-like-it-is" approach to the mating game.

Parlaying her success into a new business, Dara launches a revolutionary dating service geared for the perennially single and romantically challenged. Its no-holds-barred theme soon makes the company a roaring success, even catapulting Dara onto the national talk show scene--until, of course, it all backfires.

With her company under threat and a publicity stunt gone haywire, Dara is forced to join the ranks of her lonely heart clientele, and suddenly realizes that saving the business she cherishes, means facing her lifelong fears--and maybe even falling in love again.

Witty, poignant, and immensely engaging, this romantic comedy from the bestselling author of Wedlocked: A Novel features sparkling dialogue, colorful characters, and a story that pulls you in and never lets you go.

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Bonnie Trachtenberg is the author of the recently released romantic comedy, Neurotically Yours: A Novel and the award-winning, bestselling book Wedlocked: A Novel. She writes a monthly relationship and advice column for LoveaHappyEnding.com. Bonnie was senior writer and copy chief at Book-of-the-Month Club and has written seven children’s book adaptations. She has also written for three newspapers and penned countless magazine articles. She lives in New York with her husband, four cats and a dog.

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Three Questions with Van Heerling. Today my guest is James P. Wilcox.

5/13/2012

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Welcome to Three Questions with Van Heerling. This is where you get to meet authors, actors, painters and anyone else that is bent toward the arts, but on a more personal level.

Today I welcome James P. Wilcox author of Sex, Lies, and the Classroom, The M-16 Agenda, and Musings of a Particular Bear: A Poetry Collection. James, a former newspaper photographer and writer, is currently a high school teacher in the Kansas City area, where he lives with his wife and three children. He is currently working on his third novel.

Let's get started.

VH: If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be and why?

JPW: Of course, I could always go with the easy answers like I would end all war, hate, and injustice, but that would just be too easy (and just slightly unrealistic). Therefore, I would go with something a little more challenging and I would make honesty a requirement for all politicians. I would make them work to make the world a better place instead of just serving their own selfish needs. We really need politicians who are willing to serve the people and do what is right, instead of simply serving themselves and doing what will get them re-elected.

VH: If you knew the exact date of your death down to the minute, what would you change about your life starting tomorrow?

JPW: This question is really difficult because it would depend on exactly how much time I had left. If I had only two days for example, then I would quit my job so that I could spend every single moment I had left to be with my wife and children. If I had forty years, for example, then I would probably keep the job, but try to focus on my wife and children a little more. I would also make my writing a more integrated part of each and every day.

VH: If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself?

JPW: This question is easy: eat your vegetables. Seriously, this is the advice I would give myself. I am very happy with how my life has turned out to this point and I wouldn’t want to change any of it other than the struggles I have had with my weight. If I could eat more vegetables, hopefully I would be a little thinner and healthier.

This week as a special treat, we have two bonus questions from Mr. Wilcox.

VH: For what are you grateful?

JPW: I am grateful for the love and support of my family. I am grateful for my parents, especially my mother who instilled in me the love of reading, politics, and learning. I am grateful for my children, for good books, for all the authors who have come before me. I am also grateful for everyone who has taken the time to read my books. I am grateful for too many people to mention.

VH: At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy?

JPW: Honestly, I think I am happier now than I ever have been before right at this moment. I have a wonderful wife, three adorable children, three published books, a job I enjoy, and I have wonderful friends. What could be better?

VH: Indeed, what could be better than that? Thank you James for letting us peek into your life. I hope you have a plate of vegetables tonight. It is never too late to eat more veggies.

Sex, Lies, and the Classroom

Nathaniel O’Connell thought he knew what it takes to survive at Southwest High School, a low-income, ethnically diverse, inner-city school. After seven years of teaching, he thought he had discovered how to get through to these children of poverty. That was before he met Tyreshia, Krysteal, and Ebony, who know how to inflict pain, both physical and emotional. After a confrontation on the first day of school, O’Connell finds himself fighting for his reputation, his job, his family, his very survival. With his wife, Alexandria, O’Connell must battle the school system, the justice system, racism, and his own weakness, as he seeks redemption. Faced with investigations by the school’s administration, the Department of Family Services, and the District Attorney’s Office, he must find the strength and the courage to reach out to these same students to save his very soul.

M-16 Agenda

A man is not apt to forget the instant he becomes a killer; that one fateful instant when he takes another's life. It would not matter that Jack Granger has killed, all soldiers train to kill, except that he is the Democratic nominee in the presidential election of 2020. Having secured the nomination as Governor of Missouri and on the strength of his M-16 Agenda, his political platform developed in the killing sands of Iraq, Jack is days away from the White House when the situation in Iraq and in Washington D.C. changes everything. Now it is a race against time, and his own past, as he makes a last ditch effort to save his bid for the presidency, and possibly the world. From the war torn battlegrounds of Iraq to the halls of power in Washington D.C., M-16 Agenda follows one man's rise to the heights of political power, as he struggles to live up to the promises he made to his fellow soldiers, his family, and himself.

Musings of a Particular Bear: A Poetry Collection

Author James P. Wilcox takes a break from fiction to bring readers Musing of a Particular Bear: A Poetry Collection. The poems included in this new collection cover the usual, but timeless themes of love and loss, life and death, growing up and growing old, solitude and union, joy and sorrow. In a style that is both complex and free, Musings of a Particular Bear is easily accessible to all.

Need more James P. Wilcox?
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Three Questions with Van Heerling. Today we have Christine Cunningham

5/10/2012

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Welcome to Three Questions with Van Heerling. This is where you get to meet authors, actors, painters and anyone else that is bent toward the arts, but on a more personal level.

Today we welcome Christine Cunningham, author of Eternal Beginning, Spring Argyle and several other works.

Let's do it.

VH: At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy?

CC: The age I remember being the happiest was around age seven. I hadn’t drawn a line yet between reality and fantasy. I played outside from dawn to dusk, alone or with my sisters. It was the freedom of knowing I could do/explore anything I wanted and within reach was food, facilities and fun.

VH: For what are you grateful?

CC: *Sunshine *Dry Humor *Keyboards *Tea *Electricity *Cats *Music *Emotions *Cars *Sunrises *Warmth *Holidays *Money *Nail Polish *Gardens *Books *Facebook *Pillows *Piano *numbers wow I could go on indefinitely!

VH: If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be and why?

CC: Through personal experience I have found I can’t change the world, I can only change myself.

VH: Good times Christine. Pleasure!

Eternal Beginning

Life is hard, right? Each day is filled with people who are stopping you from living how you want to live.

What if that's not true? What if the ogre in your life is you?
Eternal Beginning is an introduction to the law of attraction in concise, vivid prose. Learn why emotions are key communications. Discover the power you wield to live a passionate life. Follow me under the moss-laden arch to your magnificent destiny.

Thirty-day Guide to Apply Eternal Beginning

This book is designed to take you through a thirty-day guide to apply the lessons within the book, Eternal Beginning. Each day is divided by a quote from Eternal Beginning, the lesson to apply, a paragraph to motivate, and finally, an action step that will cement the lesson in place.

Spring Argyle (Willow Reed)

Jacob just bought Willow Reed's book store. He loves the quiet life between the shelves of dusty books. If only his best friend Liz would see him as more than a friend life would be complete. Enter Sydney, a flirtatious brunette who turns Jacob's world upside down. Who will be the one for Jacob when the dust settles?

Five Fables

Christine Cunningham is spinning a few tales, five to be exact, ranging from the whimsical to the twisted. Why read one good story when you could read five?

1. Sweetest Release: Sometimes the world conspires against you when all you need is a bathroom.

2. Tic-Tac-Toe: Can a boy protect his mother and sister from the shadow in the yard?

3. Happy Birthday: Find out why you'll never want to sing the song Happy Birthday to your child again.

4. Story Shopping: Things go awry when an author has no story to write.

5. Tarantula: Saving your best friend from your mother isn't easy to do.

Five Fables Volume 2

Christine Cunningham is spinning a few tales, five to be exact, on that elusive thing called love. Why read one good story when you could read five?

1. A Different Perspective: Is it possible to find love in a retirement center?

2. Backwards: This is what you do when you know the best of life is behind you.

3. Our Day: Waiting in the airport has never been so painfully sweet.

4. Something Blue: Something old, something new, something borrowed and something's wrong.

5. Love or Money: What would you rather have an abundance of in your life, love or money?

First Snow
(Willow Reed)

Hello, may I offer you a cinnamon roll? Maybe a cupcake? I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Nell, and I work at the bakery here in Willow Reed. I have lived in this quiet town all my life. The only thing I'm wishing for this Christmas is a family of my own. I hope Hasan will notice me soon. Don't tell him I said that. He has already made me nervous with his education and sophistication. What's a woman to do?

Christine Cunningham writes fictional stories to uplift and inspire. She is a life-long student of happiness and how to attract it. She compiles what she learns and weaves it into an understandable, enjoyable story. She is the author of Eternal Beginning, 30 Day Guide to apply Eternal Beginning, First Snow (Willow Reed Volume 1), Spring Argyle (Willow Reed Volume 2), Five Fables volume 1 and 2.

Need more Christine Cunningham?
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Three Questions with Van Heerling Today we have Kellie Elmore

5/7/2012

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Welcome to Three Questions with Van Heerling. This is where you get to meet authors, actors, painters and anyone else that is bent toward the arts, but on a more personal level.

Today we welcome Kellie Elmore, author of Magic in the Backyard.

Let's get started.

VH: At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy?

KE: O.k., confession time... I have battled with my weight all my life and the year I turned 31, I was kicked into gear and motivated to get in shape. I took off quite a bit of weight and had a new lease on life as they say. I came out of my shell and felt like a brand new person... and I was a brand new person. Life seemed to open up for me and I leaped straight into its arms. When you are overweight, there are a lot of things that either you cannot do or things that you simply will not do because of it. Like swimming for example, I refused to wear a swimsuit and I didn't spend much time at all near the water (something I loved) because of my "issues" and insecurities. So, in 2007, I wore a swimsuit for the first time in years and I never left the water.

VH: If you could go back in time to when you were 7 years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself?

KE: When I was seven, I lived in a pretty large city in Ohio and it was all I ever knew. We ended up moving to a small town in Tennessee, the town I still live in today. I thought my life was over. There was nothing here. Nothing. We didn't even have a McDonald's until about three years after we got here. I remember the two lane roads that seemed so long, going anywhere seemed to take forever and my grandma had family all over the county that she enjoyed visiting so I was in the car a lot. I hated it and gave her such a hard time. Now, looking back I wish I hadn't been so rough on her because this little town is what has made me who I am as well as been a major influence in my writing. All my roots are here and I could never imagine living in the city ever again. I suppose I could tell my seven year old self "you'll appreciate this when your older" as my grandma used to tell me but, I have a feeling I wouldn't listen. ;) You can't teach appreciation. It is something that has to be instilled.

VH: What is the number one lie you tell yourself? How is that working out for you?

KE: I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way but, I tell myself that I am really not that good of a writer. It's just something I still have trouble with... believing in myself I mean. However, I have the most amazing readers and following that keeps telling me otherwise. Now, whether they are just being polite or "blowing smoke"... I don't know but, it is definitely encouragement that I need and take to heart very much.

VH: Kellie, it has been a pleasure getting to know you better. And by the way you happen to have the same name of my first crush all the way back to kindergarten. Oh to be young again huh?

Magic in the Backyard

Growing up in a small town, Kellie Elmore learned of love and loss within her humble “backyard” surroundings. Weaving stories inspired by these emotions and the vast nature of the East Tennessee foothills has become her passion. You will feel the enchantment at the center of this collection of prose and poetry as you are completely taken in by the allure of Magic in the Backyard.

Kellie Elmore is a Southern writer who believes self-expression is most beautiful in its pure, raw and unedited form, transforming the simplest words into something you can feel.
Kellie finds inspiration in nature and in the humble surroundings of her "backyard" - Southeast Tennessee. Through poetry and prose, Kellie writes freely about cherished and magical moments as well as tragic losses. Her goal is to take readers back, rekindle a memory or elicit a feeling.

You think you don't like poetry? Read the work of Kellie Elmore and find your new found love when you read her beautiful prose.

*Kellie's poetry was recently selected and included in the Voice Your Verse project, an anthology titled "If the World Were Your Classroom" by shesthefirst.org

Need More Kellie Elmore?
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