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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. I am honored to have Janet and Chris Morris on my blog today. Between them they hold over sixty copyrights, and have many used titles on Amazon and B&N. Janet's first fantasy series, "High Couch of Silistra," (four volumes) had over four million copies in print in the late 1970s and early 80s. Let's get started. VH: If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be and why? Janet: The world we inhabit is not the thing I wish to change: it is the humanity that inhabits this world. The world on which we live is consistent, honest, and fair. Humans are not. The sun rises; the wind blows; then seasons turn: all in right proportion. It is the improportionate behavior of humans that threatens all species on our world. The world doesn't single out one group or any different group as its enemy. Humans do. The world does not lie nor cheat nor steal. Humans do. If humans could share a secular ethos, take a long-term view, hold themselves to a common standard of mercy, honesty, loyalty, courage and trust, then humans would deserve the beautiful world on which they live. As things stand now, we are a killer species, destroying all, including one another, to serve our short-sighted goals. Chris: I would change the human tendency to adopt and follow thoughtlessly and mindlessly the religious and political dogma touted by others in preference to what one's own experience has shown. We have legions of "life potatoes," those who sit back and watch, rather than join an effort to which they could contribute. The one-hundred-fifty character comment mode of web-based social discourse is exacerbating, rather than ameliorating this problem. The greatest adventure is your individuality. VH: If you had two years left to live from this moment, what would you change about your life? Janet: I try to live every day as art, but the mundane concerns of modern times often intervene. If I had but seven-hundred thirty days yet to live, I would spend it writing the books and music I still want to write and helping the animals with whom I live to assure their survival. I would try to aid the worthy people who are within my reach. Certain truths still draw me, and some of those I can broach in fiction. Other problems still attract me in the human realm, problems that cannot be solved but by direct action: for these problems I would try to establish legacy groups to act when I cannot. Chris: I often imagine a world without me in it. It's a Zen thing. I'm okay with it, so I wouldn't change much. I'd do the things I like to do and be available when needed. Like one of our characters in The Sacred Band, I need to strike a "balance" between my inner goals and the necessities pushing on me from without. "Balance" is my greatest achievement in life, and I find it in music and writing. Balance makes possible my ability to follow my natural course without being swayed, diverted, or tempted to try to manipulate circumstances beyond my control. VH: For what are you grateful? Janet: I am grateful for the grass and the sky and the rain and the snow and animals and the joys of being human, most especially for our triumphs as a species in thought and literature. I am grateful for the works of those who have gone before me: for the Sumerians and the Hittites and the ancient Greeks; for the philosophers and the cosmologists and the poets and the playwrights; for the philosophers and storytellers who have given us so much and who reach across time to help us define ourselves and our future. I am grateful for Heraclitus of Ephesus and Einstein, for Milton and Marlowe and Shakespeare, for Bach and Corelli and Chopin and Coltrane; I am grateful for Rubens and DaVinci and and Michelangelo. I am most grateful for the myths and music of the ages, for the stories that make us better humans, for the insights that are our legacy from history, and for the common values in those myths and insights and music and art that are transmitted from generation to generation through the miracle of language and song. Chris: I am grateful for the opportunity to be close to animals, to engage in communication not based on deceit. Animals teach me every day: they do not make light of their problems, nor overstate them; they face each day with enthusiasm but with caution; they live in the present, but remember their past and look forward to their future. They take leave of this life with grace and dignity, when we allow them to do so. They trust Nature. They trust us, if we deserve it. I am grateful for the chance to try, every day, to deserve that trust. Most of all, I am grateful for a partner who has helped me find these wonders and share them. VH: Janet regarding your answer to the first question, I felt as though you were in my head. I couldn't agree more. I enjoyed getting to know the two of you better. Thank you again.  VH: I invite the readers of this blog to engage in a dialog with Janet and Chris. Normally I am not so blatant in requesting comments, but today is an exception. It isn't everyday one meets an author with four million books under their belt. Note from the authors: We'd like to say that we write the book we want to read. We write about the human condition. Sometimes we write under pseudonyms, but most often under our names or one of our names. We most often write fantasy or science fiction, although we have written nonfiction books such as "The American Warrior" and strictly historical novels such as "I, the Sun." Whether writing about the past or the future, we always write strong heroic themes and strong female characters as well as male characters who face the eternal questions of life and death and loyalty and morality and courage. Our characters are often pansexual, and in general are intelligent people facing intransigent problems. We love the ancient world and what it can teach us, and often our characters have an ancient view of humanity and its relationship to the universe, the gods and Nature, as well as to human nature. We do this because it is often easier (and more compelling) to deal with these large themes in a backdrop different from today, in a milieu where contemporary politics do not warp human behavior. Our ancient characters have the morality of their times, and we do not try to dress up modern people in ancient clothing: the anicent world has much to teach us. Sometimes, however, we write a contemporary novel or a "high-tech thriller" or military science fiction. Our stories are written firstly for ourselves, to take us somewhere else, to entertain us, and to take us where we can see problems more clearly and posit solutions. And, finally, we want to say that the Sacred Band, with their horses and their lovers and their ethos and their trials of courage, are our favorite characters. They found readers in the 20th century and are finding new readers in the 21st. For those readers and ourselves, new adventures lie ahead. The Sacred Band takes us places we have never been before and we are the better for it. (Janet) First, The Sacred Band, a mythic novel (c) by Janet Morris and Chris Morris (copyright 2010, 2011) on Amazon and on B&N , in trade paper, e-book, and hardcover:  The Sacred Band The Sacred Band of Thebes lives on, a world away, in this mythic epic of love in war in ancient times. In 338 BCE, during the Battle of Chaeronea that results in the massacre of the Sacred Band of Thebes, Tempus and his Stepson cavalry rescue twenty three pairs of Theban Sacred Banders, paired brothers and lovers, to fight on other days. These forty-six Thebans, whose bones will never lie in the mass grave that holds their two hundred and fifty-four brothers, join with the immortalized Tempus and his Sacred Band of Stepsons, consummate ancient cavalry fighters, to make new lives in a faraway land and fight the battle of their dreams where gods walk the earth, ghosts take the field, and the angry Fates demand their due. Amazon Ebook Amazon Paperback Barnes and Noble Ebook Barnes and Noble Paperback (Janet) Next in this series is "The Fish the Fighters and the Song-girl."  The Fish the Fighters and the Song-Girl New blood and old warriors face unforeseen challenges as one war ends in triumph and another conflict looms. Stories you'll love to hear again and stories you've been hoping to hear for the first time in a brand-new Sacred Band anthology that takes the Stepsons where they've never been before... Tales of risk and glory, past, present and future, among the Sacred Band of Stepsons cavalry in The Fish the Fighter and the Song-girl, the second Sacred Band anthology: Tempus and his Sacred Band won the battle of their dreams, but now the time has come to count the cost and face the consequences in fifteen tales, old and new, of the iconic Sacred Band of Stepsons, including the last six classic Sacred Band stories from the million-copy bestselling shared universe of Thieves' World® and nine new adventures. Amazon Ebook Amazon Paperback Barnes and Noble Ebook Barnes and Noble Paperback (Janet) We have two newly -published "Author's Cut" (revised and expanded) editions in ebook and trade paper of two other seminal books in this series: First of these is "Tempus with his right-side companion Niko" by Janet Morris.  Tempus with his right-side companion NIKO (Sacred Band of Stepsons: Sacred Band Tales) Relive the iconic adventures of Tempus, the Riddler, and his Sacred Band through the eyes of Nikodemos, his right-side companion, as Niko seeks his spirit's balance on Bandara's misty isles. Five pivotal Sacred Band stories from the earliest adventures of the Stepsons in a world of thieves. Ride with Tempus and his Band once again, for the first time. All the early adventures that made The Sacred Band of Stepsons cavalry a legend, collected in one volume. AND MORE: RISK. REDEMPTION. RESURRECTION. "AN END TO DREAMING" -- a rare tale of the dream lord and Cime, the sorcerer-slayer, before Tempus forms the Sacred Band; "A MAN AND HIS GOD" -- the much-anthologized life and death of Abarsis, the Stepsons' patron shade; "A BETTER CLASS OF ENEMY" -- on Bandara, Niko struggles for insights to justify all the blood shed and lives lost in the Riddler's service; "DREAM LORD" -- when the entelechy of dreams comes calling, worse always comes to worst. Ride with Tempus and his Band once again, for the first time. PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Parts of this work have been published in substantially similar form in several volumes of the Shared Universe Series, Thieves World®. Amazon Ebook Amazon Paperback Barnes and Noble Ebook Barnes and Noble Paperback  Beyond Sanctuary In Beyond Sanctuary, the immortal Tempus and his ancient cavalry squadron take the war between magic and the gods to the mages of Wizardwall. Tempus and his Sacred Band of Stepsons begin a series of new adventures that start in Sanctuary(R) but go far "beyond," pitting some of Thieves World's(R) most canonical characters against unforgettable villains and their own frailties while souls hang in the balance. Love and war mix in a heady mix of ancient history and mythic fiction, love and hate, philosophy and ethos. Sacred Band pairs are forged in the crucible of the wizard wars: lovers and warriors win and lose as the hurly-burly of battle tests all loyalties. Some of Thieves' World's most popular characters stretch out and new characters are introduced in this fast-paced tale that's lyrical and lucid: the immortal Tempus and his sister; the allergic mageling Randal; the Froth Daughter Jihan, join the Sacred Band of Stepsons, fighting for freedom of the human spirit. Beyond Sanctuary marks the emergence of the Sacred Band series of novels, as well as the first authorized and independent Thieves' World(r) novel. Two iconic Thieves' World stories lead naturally into this trek into farther realms of body and mind, so new readers are well grounded. Although Beyond Sanctuary stands alone, it begins a major epic and is the first of the author's three "Beyond" novels. Janet Morris stretches out and plows new ground, exploring unknown realms with Tempus and his hand-picked band of paired fighters. Demons and warlocks, witches and fiends, enemies human and inhuman clash at every turn while allegiances fracture and reform. Ancient warfare becomes reality and gods take the field with their favorites. Passion, philosophy, and high adventure make a heady, vivid mix as armies use magic and gods use the weather to harry opposing forces. When the Sacred Band and its formidable female allies finally join with the local high-peaks bandits and the storm god of the armies to assault Wizardwall itself, anything can happen -- and does. War and witchery abound in this mystical adventure of love and death Beyond Sanctuary. Amazon Ebook Amazon Paperback Barnes and Noble Ebook Barnes and Noble Paperback (Janet) In our "Heroes in Hell" series of shared universe volumes, we have two new titles. The first of these brand-new volumes is "Lawyers in Hell"; the second is "Rogues in Hell." "Lawyers" was published in 2011; "Rogues" is new this week and not yet available in trade paper on Barnes & Noble but will be available by the time you use this interview.  Rogues in Hell (Heroes in Hell) Janet Morris leads her writers back to Hell. Hot on the heels of Lawyers in Hell, the New Hell Sinday Times bestseller, comes ROGUES IN HELL... The war heats up, Satan antes up, and rogues go adventuring as Hell's landlord faces off with Heaven's auditors. Veteran Hellions sin again and new writers fall from grace: Shirley Meier, Bradley H. Sinor, Michael Z. Williamson, Deborah Koren, Julie Cochrane, Bruce Durham, Janet Morris, Chris Morris, Richard Groller, H. David Blalock, Nancy Asire, Michael H. Hanson, Sarah Hulcy, Michael A. Armstrong, Larry Atchley, Jr., Bill Snider, Edward McKeown, John Manning, Jack William Finley, David L. Burkhead and Allan Gilbreath Amazon Ebook Amazon Paperback Barnes and Noble Ebook Barnes and Noble Paperback  Lawyers in Hell Heaven lays down the law and Hell gets more Hellish in Lawyers in Hell, marking the return of Heroes in Hell™, the greatest shared universe of all times. The Commandments weren't merely suggestions - and there were over three hundred of them. And now, as the Higher Powers send auditors through the underworlds to dispense yet greater injustice, heroes and villains from all of history are about to be reminded that sin doesn't pay ... and in Hell, neither does virtue. All this and more peril in Perdition await in 22 tales that will make you fear for your immortal soul... Amazon Ebook Amazon Paperback Barnes and Noble Ebook Barnes and Noble Paperback  Bio: Click here for Janet's Wikipedia page. Writing Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and has since published more than 20 novels, many co-authored with her husbandChris Morris or others. Her first novel, written as Janet E. Morris, was High Couch of Silistra, the first in a quartet of novels with a very strong female protagonist. She has contributed short fiction to the shared universe fantasy series Thieves World, in which she created the Sacred Band of Stepsons,[2] a mythical unit of ancient fighters modeled on the Sacred Band of Thebes. She created, orchestrated, and edited the Bangsian fantasy series Heroes in Hell,[3] writing stories for the series as well as co-writing the related novel, The Little Helliad, with Chris Morris. Most of her fiction work has been in the fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical and other novels. Her 1983 book "I, the Sun", a detailed biographical novel about the Hittite King Suppiluliuma I was praised for its historical accuracy; O.M. Gurney, Hittite scholar and author of "The Hittites,"[4] commented that "the author is familiar with every aspect of Hittite culture."[5] Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national security topics.  Bio:
Click here for Chris' Wikipedia Page. Christopher Crosby Morris (born 1946) is an American author of fiction and non-fiction, as well as a lyricist, musical composer, and singer-songwriter. He is married to author Janet Morris.[1] He is a defense policy and strategy analyst and a principal in M2 Technologies, Inc. He writes primarily as Chris Morris, a shortened form of his name, but occasionally uses pseudonyms.
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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. My guest today is DA Roberts author of Ragnarok Rising. 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? DA: I would either be bitten early on trying to help other people or I'd end up leading a group of survivors. I work in Law Enforcement, so we'd be on the sharp end of the stick when the zombies came calling. I'd like to think that I'd react a lot like the main character in my book. Having said that, I'd probably try to lead as many survivors as I could to a place where we could set up a defensible and sustainable camp. 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? DA: Well, that one's easy. I'd go back and try to convince my mother to go to a different doctor. My mother died when I was young and for reasons I can't fully explain, I blamed myself for years afterwards. I think part of me always will. My mother encouraged my writing when no one else did and believed in me, even when I didn't. Yeah, I think I'd do that. I don't know if it would change things, or not, but I'd have to try. VH: After a difficult day what do you do to recuperate? Does it work? DA: I like to go out on my back deck with my wife. We just sit and watch the sun go down. Sometimes, I have a beer. We talk about my day, her day, the kids or whatever is on our minds. Sometimes we don't even talk at all. We just sit and hold hands. Yeah, it works for me. I know it sounds cheesy, but it really works. Never underestimate the power of silence. Sometimes, silence says more than words ever can. VH: It doesn't sound cheesy to me. The little things are the big things right? Thank you Doug   Author Bio:
I was born in rural Missouri and lived on a farm until I was in school. We moved to New Mexico and stayed there until after my mother passed away. She loved New Mexico and my father loved her, so we moved there. After mom was gone, dad didn't have the heart to stay. We returned to our Missouri home the following year. My mother was my muse, my inspiration and my biggest fan. Losing her was hard. I didn't write much for years, after she died. Later, in my teens, I rediscovered how much I loved it. I dabbled in poetry (badly) and short stories. I started several novels and either discarded them or abandoned them to the bottom of the drawer. It wasn't until after I met and married my wife that I really started finding my muse, again. She believed in me...even when I didn't. I wrote. I wrote off and on, for years. Often times badly, others bordering on good. It wasn't until after I became a Corrections Officer that the planets aligned, the stars were right and my writer's block finally fell away. Ragnarok Rising was born out of a series of "what if" conversations between myself and a few other officers about how we'd react when the zombies came. It made me look at my hometown in an entirely different way. That night, I started writing. The writing was easy, I saw it in my head like a movie being replayed for me alone. Editing was work. More work than I ever anticipated. Cutting scenes and sections from my book was like cutting out pieces of myself. It hurt to remove entire sections of writing that I dearly enjoyed, but didn't really contribute to the book or the flow of the story. In the end, it was worth it. I have my completed book with the publisher, now. It was a labor of love. I decided to go by DA Roberts instead of my full given name because my mother used to call me her little "DA". She'd only use my full name when I was in trouble. If I heard my first, middle and last name yelled out the back door, I knew I was in serious trouble. 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. Daniel Zazitski is my guess today. He is the author of Amderesta The 3rd/4th Republic. An eight book series! Ladies and gentlemen Daniel gets straight to the point with the shortest interview in Three Questions history! VH: If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be and why? DZ: The thing I would change about our world is the method of food distribution due to those in third world countries going without. VH: For what are you grateful for? DZ: I am grateful for the fact I can write books for other people to read and enjoy. 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? DZ: I would likely last a week to ten days before I started showing symptoms of the zombie virus. As for postponing the inevitable, I would avoid any contact with those infected. VH: Thank you Daniel.  Author Bio
Daniel Zazitski is a science fiction author living in Southeastern North Carolina who has written and self-published eight books in the Amderesta The 3rd/4th Republic Series available from Amazon and Createspace in paperback and Kindle formats. He is currently writing the ninth book in the series. 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 Brian Smith author of Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak. VH: Hi there Brian, at what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy? Brian Smith: Right now – I’m in a great space right now. Yes – Getting married (not the divorce); the birth of my son and the birth of my grandchild are all happy moments and great memories for me. But right now – I’m truly happy – I love what I do. I can’t see myself doing anything else. I love teaching – I love travelling around the country speaking at events and facilitating workshops. I love working with young people who want to own or manage a business some day. I love working with up and coming managers, team leaders and supervisors – teaching them what skills they’ll need to be successful managing in the 21st Century. I love coaching individuals – helping them formulate and implement their game plan to become more successful at what they want to do or prepare for that all important sales meeting or job interview. I love spending time with my grandchild and son. (My grandchild Chloe is now 2 years old – she’s growing up quickly and talking to be the band). Life is truly what you make it. It’s not easy – it’s never easy but it sure beats the heck out of the alternative. I love being me. VH: After a difficult day what do you do to recuperate? Does it work? Brian Smith: Me-time - Spending quiet time with myself. I love coming home to a quiet place, pouring a glass of red wine and thinking about the day. Asking myself - What went well? – What didn’t go so well? And what I’m going to do tomorrow to be better and do better? (Yes – I talk to myself all the time) I don’t mind being alone – matter of fact I prefer it most of the time. I’d have no problem living alone somewhere in the country – away from civilization. I can picture myself in the not-too-distant future having a small cottage in the rural country side where I can spend me-time and just listen to music and write. I like my own company. I talk for a living – teaching, coaching and facilitating workshops so by the time the end of the day comes – I need quiet time to re-charge my batteries so I can do it again the next day. I cherish my weekends. (I do a rare Saturday workshop now and again) I’ve now gotten into baking. It’s a great way to relax. Chloe and my son love my oatmeal with raisins and cranberry cookies. I bake decent banana bread as well. 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? Brian Smith: You are going to be a father one day – and when that time comes – don’t worry about your career, don’t worry about making money, that is all secondary. Just work at being the very best father you can be. Spend time with your child – build that bond – develop that relationship. I have a relationship with my son but we aren’t as close as I’d like to be. He rarely comes to me for advice and when we are together - talking with each other doesn’t come easy. (Cat’s in the Cradle – Harry Chapin) My son did not take the divorce well. He and my ex (his mother) have always been very close – their relationship is more like a friend to friend relationship not a parent to son relationship. I was not my son’s favorite person during and after the split. It’s getting better – we do talk and hang out some times – but it’s not as close as I would like – but it’s better than it was so I’ll keep working at it. The career will come and go – and so will the money. At the end of the day – it’s the relationship you’ve developed with your child that will give you the most joy. Your number one job as a parent is to teach your child what he/she needs to know – so they can be a better parent for their son or daughter one day. You can’t be teaching them those important life lessons if you are spending all your time building your career and working to make money. VH: Good point Brian. Really great to meet you.  Brian Smith – Speaker, Author and Educator is a behaviorist by training and a leading authority on soft-skills training and leadership development. Brian works with people who want to learn how to communicate and interact more effectively; and who want to discover how to get the best out of themselves and others. He is the author of “Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak – The Top Ten Sins Most Managers Make & How to Avoid Them” a personal / management development book. Brian understands the challenges managers face – having spent over 40 years as a General Manager for a major corporation and an award winning entrepreneur. He wrote this book in the hope that managers, team leaders and supervisors might gain some valuable insight into what it takes to be an effective and efficient 21st Century manager.
“The Top Ten Sins Most Managers Make & How to Avoid Them” are woven into the ten chapters of this book. Each chapter is dedicated to one of those sins. And yes – Brian’s committed each one of those sins at one time or another so he knows from his own experiences what doesn’t work and more importantly what does work when it comes to communicating and interacting with others. Today’s’ manager needs to do three things very well. They need to be able to communicate, educate and delegate effectively. Brian’s book will teach you how. Brian is a member of the faculty and professor at Algonquin College’s School of Business where he teaches entrepreneurship, skills for success and professional selling. When not in the classroom he travels throughout North America delivering speeches and facilitating workshops and seminars on the challenges facing managers today. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization or to purchase a copy of his book “Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak – The Top Ten Sins Most Managers Make & How to Avoid Them” visit his website – http://briansmithpld.com – Have a question or comment? You can contact Brian directly at [email protected] 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 Jane Carroll author of Bertha Size Your Life! 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? JC: Don’t pass notes during Grammar Class. Pay attention. Unlike Algebra, you’re going to need this stuff one day. Honestly, I find punctuation to be the most challenging part of writing. In fact, I’ve been in comma therapy for years now with a professional editor who says I am not making progress. VH: It sounds like we may have the same editor. What is the number one lie you tell yourself? How is that working out? JC: The biggest lie that I have told myself is that I’m not enough. On the one hand it worked just fine for years—after all I believed it. On the other hand—it held me back all those years as well. The truth is, I am enough just like everyone else is. There’s no such thing as not being enough. VH: Well said. After a difficult day what do you do to recuperate? Does it work? JC: I drink a glass of scotch and do yard work in the nude. No, not really. I don’t like scotch or yard work and I don’t think my neighbors would enjoy seeing me disrobed. It just sounded more interesting than the things that I actually do like going to the gym or for a bike ride, Reiki, taking a nap, talking to a friend, writing, and usually going to bed early. It must work…I’m still here. VH: Thank you Jane.   Jane Carroll, Author of Amazon Bestselling Bertha-Size Your Life, is a Life Coach, Registered Nurse, Reiki Master, Mother, Grandmother, and long-time student of life. She has seen the focus of her over 30 year nursing career change from illness to wellness to wholeness, a philosophy that permeates everything she does. While she enjoys all aspects of her life, writing is her passion and she is currently working on Bertha’s latest adventures.
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 Michael Meeske author of Poe's Mother and several other novels and stories. VH: If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be and why? MM: Easy to say, but I would change man’s inhumanity to man. Could I ask for the eradication of stereotypes? Throughout the centuries, millions have died for a cause, or some ideology that within a hundred years has itself withered away. However, I am not naïve. If man’s societal nature hasn’t changed in millennia, why expect it to change now? Despite Lennon’s “Imagine” and Star Trek’s Federation, violence, hatred, racism and homophobia seem destined to continue far into the future. I wonder how and why these processes occur? Is it genetic or environmental? Currently, I’m reading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer. It is a most fascinating and frightening book, despite whatever academic flaws it might contain – a cautionary history of how to hijack a country through nationalistic fervor and shrewd political tactics. The parallels to politics today are eerie. 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? MM: I would tell myself not to be afraid. For many years, I failed to recognize that I have certain talents I should applaud and cultivate. I was afraid to step outside my shell. As I grew older, I changed, but perhaps not as fast as I should have. It’s easy to remain comfortable, oblivious to the world around us and not take risks because of fear. And, by risks I mean those that are good for us and others – not destructive. Abusing drugs, alcohol and sex are risks, but not the type we should be taking. Why not start the novel you’ve wanted to write for all these years? When I tell people I write, most say, “I’ve always wanted to write a book.” My response is, “You’d better get started.” There’s so much to learn. Life is too short, and as age encroaches, we see just how limited our time is. Be happy, be healthy and use your life to your best advantage. VH: For what are you grateful? MM: I’m grateful for every day I have on this earth. I know that sounds clichéd, but it’s the truth. I am grateful for the beauty we have around us. It’s sad that so few fail to recognize or appreciate it. I live in South Florida, an area not known for its outstanding natural beauty. Yes, the Everglades is a magnificent natural wonder; the miles of beaches, despite overdevelopment, still have their attractions. The sprawling tri-county area from Miami to Palm Beach is filled with strip malls, parking lots, ugly buildings and urban blight, but if you look past that you can enjoy nature’s wonders. Beauty exists in my suburban environment. My backyard is filled with all kinds of flora and fauna: birds, lizards, snakes, butterflies, coconut palms, ferns, flowering plants year round. The microcosm is lush and spectacular. I love the zebra wing butterflies that flutter into my yard every day. In one of my books, I have a character who is dying. He tells the heroine, his love interest, that he’s not scared of death but of missing the beauty of the world – not being able to hold a baby, not being able to see another beautiful sunrise or sunset. That’s the way I feel. Heaven may be paved with streets of gold, but those streets can’t compare to the beauty of an isolated Cape Cod beach or a trail through the Rocky Mountains. I live every day I have to the fullest extent I can. VH: Well said. Thank you Michael.  Poe's Mother What teachings can be gleaned from the works of Edgar Allan Poe? Poe's Mother is a startling new novel of terrible family secrets, the lure of the occult and supernatural, the grip of a decaying haunted house, and the claustrophobic isolation of a dying town. It is a cautionary testament to the power of words and the addictive strength of opium. Learn from the family who holds Poe's Ligeia, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Black Cat and other dark stories in the highest regard. Discover the lives of Sissy and Riven Baxter and how they are drawn into their strange relationship with Edgar and Madeline Poe - two upstanding citizens of the small town of Nodoline. What Sissy and Riven discover will change their lives forever and love will never be the same. (This book is for mature readers.)   Bio
Michael Meeske writes across genres, including romance, mystery, suspense, horror and gothic fiction, a genre that blends horror and romance, and has its roots in some of the earliest novels ever written. Poe’s Mother is his latest release available exclusively on Amazon. com. From 2008 to 2010, he served as Vice President of Florida Romance Writers (FRW). He has been a member of FRW and the Romance Writers of America since 2002. He also was an active member of the Writers’ Room of Boston, a non-profit working space for novelists, poets and playwrights. Michael’s writing credits include Frankenstein’s Daemon, a sequel to Frankenstein, offered through Usher Books. He also is the co-author of His Weekend Proposal, a tender category romance published in August 2009 by The Wild Rose Press under the pen name of Alexa Grayson (soon to be published in Greece); Zombieville, a short story included in a 2011 anthology by FRW writers, available at Amazon.com, and Tears, a short-story published in the Fall 2000 issue of Space & Time, a magazine of fantasy and science fiction. Usher Books will publish additional works by Michael in 2012 and 2013. Some of his influences are Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, Oscar Wilde, Daphne du Maurier, Richard Matheson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and any work by the exquisite Brontë sisters. You can contact Michael at [email protected]. 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 have the pleasure of meeting Tim Vicary author of several stories, one of which is a 2012 B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree (A Fatal Verdict). 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? TV: I would say try out all the different things that are open to you at your age – different sport, games, hobbies, books, school subjects. Do your best in each one, but don’t worry too much about beating other people, that’s fun, but it’s not the most important thing. The important thing is to find something that you’re really good at, and that you really enjoy. If you find something like that, you'll be able to carry on getting better at it, and enjoying it, throughout your life–and that’s an important aspect of being happy. VH: For what are you grateful? TV: This is a great question, because it makes me realise how lucky I am. I’m healthy, for one thing–63 years old and still able to run and swim and ride horses and sleep at night; so many people have lives blighted by pain and illness. And then I have a wife who still loves me (why? I sometimes wonder) and daughters and grandchildren; of course I’m grateful for that. I’ve never been hungry or unemployed or had my home and health blown to shreds by a world war like my parents and grandparents had. And finally, I’m grateful that my parents weren’t killed in the war, and made a pretty good job of bringing me up, giving me a happy childhood, putting up with my terrible teenage selfishness , and generally doing the best they reasonably could. Hey, I’m a really lucky guy! VH: At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy? TV: I was happiest when I didn’t even realise it; probably in my early thirties. I still remember the intense, overwhelming joy and tenderness I felt when each of my daughters were born; I hadn’t expected to feel like that, it was overwhelming. And then my wife and I were young, and busy all the time with the children, much better looking than we are now (sadly) ; I was writing, on a primitive Atari computer in the middle of the living room. We had a small house, an old car, and no money, but that didn’t matter. We were busy all the time, every day, and no time at all to realise how happy we were. But now I look at the photos, and think...that was our time. VH: I find it quite interesting that you have chosen your early thirties as your happiest time. I am currently in my early thirties. So you're telling me this is as good as it gets. Oh boy. Thank you Tim.  Author Bio I’ve written a fair number of books and six of them are available on Kindle at the moment. Three of them are legal thrillers featuring a rather spiky barrister called Sarah Newby. I modelled her on a real barrister I read about in the Yorkshire Post one day; this lady had grown up very poor, on a working class housing estate in Leeds, and left school to have children without passing many exams; but had somehow fought her way up to the Inns of Court in London and become a successful criminal barrister. Sarah Newby’s a bit like that; she’s had to fight hard to get where she is, and of course, in my books, terrible things happen to make her life even harder. I enjoy tormenting her – it brings out the best - and worst - in her character! You can read more about Sarah Newby here: http://sarahstrials.wordpress.com/ I’ve also written three historical novels. Two of them – The Blood Upon the Rose and Cat and Mouse – are set in England and Ireland before and after the First World War, the time of Downton Abbey. I wrote these because I used to teach about this period and got fascinated by it, especially the troubles in Ireland which prefigured the Troubles in our own time. The third book – The Monmouth Summer – is about a rebellion in East Devon – a place where I spent much of my childhood – in 1685. You can read more about why I wrote these books here: http://historicalthrillers.wordpress.com/  A Game of Proof A mother's worst nightmare - can her son be guilty of murder? Sarah Newby, who left school at 15, and was living as a teenage single parent on an inner-city estate, has worked her way up to begin a career as a criminal barrister. Then in a terrible irony her own son, Simon, is arrested and charged with a series of brutal rapes and murders. The evidence against him appears so strong that his QC advises a guilty plea, but Simon swears he is innocent and begs his mother take on his defence. There is no law against a mother representing her son, so Sarah agrees. The only other obvious suspect for the murders, however, is a man who has already been acquitted once - with Sarah acting as his defence lawyer... Has Sarah, in her single-minded determination to create a career for herself, neglected her son so much that she no longer knows him? Since he has often lied to her in the past, how can she trust him when he says he is innocent this time? And what should she do when she herself uncovers evidence that seems to suggest his guilt? It seems that telling the whole truth must be weighed in the balance against keeping certain information well hidden... UK Readers  A Fatal Verdict What would you do if someone murdered your child, but the justice system let you down? Kathryn Walters is faced with this dreadful decision when her daughter, Shelley, is found dead in a bath in her boyfriend's flat. Despite the best efforts of the Crown Prosecution barrister, Sarah Newby, it seems likely that the boyfriend, David Kidd, will be acquitted. How can her family tolerate this? And how should the investigating detective, Terry Bateson, act when it seems that the murdered girl's mother is seeking revenge on the man he is certain killed Shelley in the first place? As the story unravels Sarah Newby is confronted with one of her toughest defence cases yet, with a client who is not only reluctant to give evidence on her own behalf, but also refuses to explain why she chose Sarah to defend her in the first place ... This book is a 2012 B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree UK Readers  Bold Counsel When Sarah Newby presents her first case in the Court of Criminal Appeal, it seems her career is looking up. But at the same time her marriage hits the rocks, and to the despair of her former admirer Detective Inspector Terry Bateson, Sarah embarks on an affair with a handsome property developer, Michael Parker. All goes well at first, but then a body is discovered in one of Michael’s cottages. As Terry Bateson investigates, his suspicions fall upon Michael. But is Terry just jealous, or is Sarah’s new lover really a murderer? UK Readers  The Blood Upon the Rose Ireland in 1919 is seething with violence, tension and divided loyalties - and so is the heart of the beautiful, wilful heiress Catherine O'Connell-Gort. For Catherine, by heritage, is a glittering symbol of British rule and oppression - yet by inclination she is a traitor to her class. A fervent supporter of Sinn Fein, she is also the secret lover of Sean Brennan, an IRA volunteer who is being hunted by the police for terrorism and murder. When the British government decides to meet terror with terror, Catherine finds herself in a position of even greater conflict. Her father, a colonel in British Military Intelligence, recruits Major Andrew Butler, battle-scarred war hero and Irish landlord, to assassinate IRA leader Michael Collins. He also decides that the dashing major would make the perfect husband for his headstrong daughter ... In a violent climax of passion, guilt and betrayal, while her country hurtles towards civil war, Catherine faces and a agonising choice as she makes her final, fateful decision. UK Readers  Cat and Mouse Set in London and Ulster in 1914, Cat and Mouse is the gripping story of two sisters fighting for their ideals in the turbulent months before the outbreak of war. When Sarah Becket, a militant suffragette determined to help free Mrs Pankhurst from prison, discovers that her own husband, a respected Liberal MP, is involved in a scandalous prostitution racket, she is devastated. Still weak from imprisonment herself, she takes a knife from her kitchen and goes out into London's West End, determined to protest for women's rights in the most dramatic way she can. Across the Irish sea, her younger sister, Deborah Cavendish, is lonely and unloved. When her husband returns home to join the Ulster Volunteers and fight the government, she faces an agonizing choice - to end her affair with James Rankin, the trade union leader whom she she thinks can give her all the love her husband has denied her, or face social ostracism and the loss of her beloved son. When she reads about her sister's act of defiance, she resolves to go to her aid. United by their cause, Sarah and Deborah combine to fight both male corruption and a German plot to foment civil war in Ireland. UK Readers  The Monmouth Summer
1685. King Charles II dies unexpectedly, and is succeeded by his brother James II, England's first Catholic monarch since Bloody Mary. English Protestants feel threatened, and King Charles’s illegitimate son, the handsome young duke of Monmouth, rises against his uncle in armed rebellion. The rebellion turns young Ann Carter’s world upside down. Eighteen years old, she is betrothed to Tom Goodchild, a Protestant shoemaker; but secretly loves Robert Pole, an officer in King James’s army, who offers to take her to London as his mistress. Ann knows it is her duty to marry Tom, but does not love him; so when he marches away with the rebels, she imagines him being killed – which would set her free. But she knows such thoughts are wicked; her father is a rebel soldier too, like all the men of her village. So who should she pray for, when musket balls start to fly? What matters most – love or loyalty? If God could see into my heart, she wonders, what would He tell me to do? Her father, Adam, is a brave man tormented by fear. He has two fears: first, that he may be a coward, and run from the enemy; and second, that he is not one of God’s Elect, and will go to Hell when he dies. But like all the men of Colyton, ‘England’s most rebellious town’, he marches to war, risking his life for what he believes. When England’s most notorious judge, Judge Jeffreys, is sent to punish the rebels, Ann and her father are faced with the hardest choices of all. UK Readers |
"For me, writing is a joyful torture or sorts." ~vh~ “In this life, seek your own answers, and quote yourself for a change.” ~vh~
The muse has tapped my shoulder and my ear is turned toward her lips. I am waiting for her whisper. ~vh~
"The funny thing about life: more often than not it’s laughing at you rather than you laughing at it." ~vh~
"At some point there is a moment when you should give up. I’m here to tell you that today is not that day." ~vh~
“If you are afraid of the truth, never ask a young child a question.” ~vh~
“The frailty of life is most evident at its last breath.” vh
“Prove not to the world but to yourself that you are above your current circumstance.” ~vh~
"Don't be wishful when it comes to your dreams. Take aggressive action in your pursuit of them. Start now with a single step, no matter how insignificant it may feel." ~vh~
"Nothing is more powerful than an unwavering, unapologetic decision to BE." ~vh~
"Strive to be the light in an ever-darkening world. SHINE!" ~vh~
"Think big and then think small. That’s where the details live." ~vh~
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