TOO MANY VISITORS FOR ONE LITTLE HOUSE by Susan Chodakiewitz

Author: Susan Chodakiewitz
Title: Too Many Visitors for One Little House
Publisher: Booksicals
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Language: English
ISBN: 1419654705

PURCHASE HERE

The crabby neighbors of El Camino can’t bear all the music, fun and laughter at the house of the new family on the block as aunts, uncles, cousins and grannies arrive for a big noisy reunion. Too Many Visitors for One Little House is a joyful story about the importance of being included.

Review:

This book took me back to my old children’s picture book days and how I miss writing them!  As a children’s book author (many moons ago), I can relate to Susan in many ways.  She has a message and uses the whimsicalness of a children’s book to do it.  So enjoyable!

Ever had snotty neighbors?  Or better yet, have you been that snotty neighbor where everything the other neighbors are doing that changes the way you have been living up to that point is driving you up the wall?  Susan Chodakiewitz’s Too Many Visitors for One Little House could have been written about me!  Susan’s message rings loud and clear: if you can’t beat’em, join’em!

The illustrations by Veronica Walsh were beautifully displayed with whimsey and charm which makes reading to your toddler even more enjoyable.

You’ll fully enjoy this cute little picture book.  Highly recommended!

Dog Days of Summer Book Giveaway

July heat got you beat? Sit in the shade with one of the many books we are giving away in our Dog Days of Summer Book Giveaway Extravaganza!

Pump Up Your Book Promotion is hosting our second humungous book giveaway. Nine great authors with 22 chances to win!

All you have to do is head on out to one of the blogs listed below and follow directions to win. It’s that easy!

The Book Faery Reviews is giving away a copy of Nancy Thayer’s women’s fiction novel, Summer House! Click here to enter.

The Unadorned Book Review is giving away a copy of David Liss’ historical thriller, The Devil’s Company! Click here to enter.

Diary of an Eccentric is giving away a copy of Alan Furst’s spy thriller, The Spies of Warsaw! Click here to enter.

Luxury Reading is giving away a copy of David Liss’ historical thriller, The Devil’s Company! Click here to enter.

Cafe of Dreams is giving away a copy of Jon Meacham’s biography, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House! Click here to enter.

The Eclectic Book Hoarder is giving away a copy of David Liss’ historical thriller, The Devil’s Company! Click here to enter.

This Book for Free is giving away a copy of Angus Munro’s memoir, A Full House – But Empty! Click here to enter.

Bookin’ with Bingo is giving away a copy of Nancy Thayer’s women’s fiction novel, Summer House! Click here to enter.

Pages Turned is giving away a copy of Jon Meacham’s biography, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House! Click here to enter.

A Journey of Books is giving away a copy of David Liss’ historical thriller, The Devil’s Company! Click here to enter.

Chic Book Chick is giving away a copy of Nancy Thayer’s women’s fiction, Summer House! Click here to enter.

Cafe of Dreams is giving away a copy of Angus Munro’s memoir, A Full House – But Empty! Click here to enter.

Cafe of Dreams is giving away a copy of J.R. Hauptman’s The Target! Click here to enter!

Bermudaonion is giving away a copy of Jon Meacham’s biography, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House! Click here to enter.

The Unadorned Book Review is giving away a copy of T. Katz’s Miss L’eau! Click here to enter.

Bookin’ with Bingo is giving away a copy of Jon Meacham’s biography, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House! Click here to enter.

Luxury Reading is giving away a copy of David Liss’ historical thriller, The Devil’s Company! Click here to enter!

Medieval Bookworm is giving away a copy of Jon Meacham’s biography, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House! Click here to enter.

Books and Needlepoint is giving away a copy of Susan Chodakiewitz’s children’s picture book, Too Many People For One Little House! Click here to enter.

Medieval Bookworm is giving away a copy of Alan Furst’s spy thriller, The Spies of Warsaw! Click here to enter.

A Journey of Books is giving away a copy of David Liss’ historical thriller, The Devil’s Company! Click here to enter.

Fictionary is giving away a copy of Alan Furst’s spy thriller, The Spies of Warsaw! Click here to enter.

9 great authors, 22 chances to win! Hurry before contests end!

Guest Blogger Susan Chodakiewitz Shows How to Help Kids Develop a Love for Reading

How Can We Use the Power of Imagination to Help Kids Develop a Love for Reading?
by Susan Chodakiewitz

Kids explore their world and deepen their curiosity by exercising their imagination. I have often experienced how imagination plays a major role in the way kids process, learn and acquire curiosity. When children experience something new they often internalize that experience by drawing, playing make-believe, creating games, or making up stories.

My middle son is a perfect example of this. After his first trip to the aquarium at about age 7 he ran into the house and began drawing. For weeks after he drew pictures of sharks, whales and fish. I realized that drawing helped him to connect to what he had seen and learned. Drawing deepened his experience and his understanding. Through the drawing he explored the fish’s movements, their shape, their power, the world of the sea. The more he drew the more motivated he got to learn about sea creatures and read books about them.

Another time, after a family trip to England he began to sketch, paint, draw castles, cathedrals and medieval armor. I have note books and note books full of drawings he made during this period. The more he drew, the more he needed to know, so he read, and researched and drew some more. His imagination got so piqued by the subject that he even started begging to have fencing lessons. (Today he is a star fencer on UC San Diego fencing team.)

I believe kids learn best when they connect to the material through their imagination. The question is how can we use the power of their imagination to develop a love for reading?
I believe we can deepen a child’s reading experience by make reading an extension of play. Help kids experience the book beyond the pages. Use books as jumping boards for make believe. Inspire them to act out books, role play characters. Let books become your source of ideas for craft projects, baking, arts, drama… the possibilities are endless.
When a child’s creative play and imaginative life becomes linked to books, you’ll have a hard time getting them to WATCH TV!

I welcome your comments and ideas on how to inspire kids with a love for reading.
Happy reading!

Susan Chodakiewitz is a writer, composer and producer. She is the founder of Booksicals Children’s Books- Encouraging the love of reading through the arts. Through her company Booksicals she has created the Booksicals on Stage literacy program which is currently presenting musical performances of the picture book Too Many Visitors for One Little House at schools, libraries, and special events.  You can visit her website at www.booksicals.com.

Interview with Children’s Picture Book Author Susan Chodakiewitz

Author and Booksicals founder Susan Chodakiewitz believes that children learn best when you engage their imagination: “I believe you can develop a child’s love for reading by expanding the world of a book beyond its pages. Bring the characters to life and bring reading to life. ” And this is precisely what inspired her to create Booksicals.  Susan Chodakiewitz is a writer, composer and producer. She lives in Los Angeles in a lively household filled with music, three sons, a husband, a Dalmatian and lots of visitors. Too Many Visitors for One Little House is her debut children’s book.

Read Susan’s  blog at www.booksicals.com,.  Follow her on Twitter at susanchodak,.  Find her on facebook at Susan Tresser Chodakiewitz.

Q: Thank you for this interview, Susan. Can you tell us what your latest book, Too Many Visitors for One Little House is all about?

A: Too Many Visitors is a story about wanting to be included.

The crabby neighbors of El Camino Street can’t stand all the fun, music and laughter coming from the house of the new family on the block as grannies, aunts, cousins and nannies arrive for a big family reunion.

The story is based on the summer we moved into our new house and all these visitors came to stay!

Q: Is this your first picture book?  If not, how has writing this book different from writing your first?

A: This is my first published picture book. Actually the second one I wrote.  The first one called Mr. Blueberry and the Fish from Down the Street is a picture book in rhyme.  Since I am a song writer and I write musical theater, it felt natural for me to approach picture books with rhyme.  All the publishers I sent the book to advised me to keep away from rhyme.  Personally I love rhymed books and love to read them to kids.  Lucky for me this story did not appear in my head in rhyme—otherwise I probably would have written it that way as well.  However I did have a rhythm in mind while writing it.  I am very aware of rhythm while writing and work hard to achieve a rhythmic flow of the words.

Q: How difficult was it writing your book?  Did you ever experience writer’s block and, if so, what did you do?

A: Writing is always hard.  If it were easy, EVERYONE would do it well.  I blurted out the story in one sitting.  While the format for the story remained the same, the tone changed, the point of view changed and the focus of the story changed.

I get writer’s block when I know there is a problem but I don’t know exactly what the problem is. I usually get very frustrated and feel like dropping the project.  I’ve learned to recognize this phase and I’ve stopped getting upset when I feel that.

Once I identify the problem in the writing the writer’s block disappears and I can usually (hopefully) find a solution. I may try various ideas but at least I have a new direction. Then the writing becomes exciting again.

Q: How have your fans embraced your picture book?  Do you have any funny or unusual experiences to share?

A: I’ve been so pleased with the kids and parents reactions at each author reading or a musical performance of Too Many Visitors for One Little House.  The kids seem to really love the family and especially the dog.  I’m also surprised to see that the kids as young as 2 years old totally relate and enjoy the book.  I thought it would be for an older group.

At one reading in Arizona, I brought in the actual grandparents from the story.  The kids were thrilled to meet the real people behind the fictional characters and showered them with hugs and questions.  (It was great for the kids and great for the grandparents)

At the Booksicals musical performance of Too Many Visitors at the Robertson Library the kids were thrilled to meet and greet the actors and were so excited to have one of the characters actually sign their book!

In fact it was the kids themselves that helped me decide to write a sequel to Too Many Visitors and feature the dog as the main character. It took me by surprise when they kids asked me if I would write another book about the family.  I asked them to tell me which character they would want me to write the next book about.  Unanimously they all shouted – the dog!  That’s how the Dog Naming Contest was born and how I decided to write a sequel.

Q: What is your daily writing routine?

A:  If I am in the middle of a story I try to write early in the morning unless life gets in the way and I’m forced to sneak to the computer at night (during family time).

I write everyday, whether it’s working on a story, writing a blog, or writing marketing materials.  If I don’t get to any of this I am not so nice to be around.   Everyone in the family usually knows if I’ve accomplished what I needed to write that day.

Q: When you put the pen or mouse down, what do you do to relax?

A: Love having big family dinners. My kids and husband are all musical so we like to sit and jam at the piano, have drum circles, sing.  I really enjoy going to the beach with hubby or the kids and riding a bike.

Q: What book changed your life?

A: Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky, Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Night by Elie Wiesel,  The Chosen by Chaim Potok.  To name a few.

Q: If someone were to write a book on your life, what would the title be?

A: The title would be: The world is for those who dare.  That’s always been my motto and it drives me to follow my dreams.

Q: Finish this sentence: “The one thing that I wish people would understand about me is…”

A: that I never give up and don’t take no for an answer.

Thank you for this interview Susan.  I wish you much success on your latest release, Too Many Visitors for One Little House!

An Interview with Angus Munro, Author of A Full House – But Empty

Angus Munro has roots that run deep. His farming ancestors came from Scotland in 1830 and his relatives still reside on the same farmlands in Southern Ontario, Canada. His grandfather left Ontario and took his family to Saskatchewan in 1905 and became a prosperous wheat farmer. When Angus’ father married, the grandfather leased other farmlands to get his son established. Angus’ father lost the total proceeds of his first wheat crop in a wild poker game at the local grain elevator. The grandfather was none too happy and decided to relocate to Vancouver, B.C.

The Depression deepened and sadly Angus’ grandfather passed away – leaving his entire estate to his second son. Angus’ father traveled to see his brother to seek financial assistance and received nothing. He returned to Vancouver unexpectedly one evening and found his wife in bed with someone else. Thus, his father became a single parent to three children – Laura 6, Angus 3, and Marjorie and infant. The following day, Angus became very ill with appendicitis and spent seven weeks in the Vancouver General Hospital. The author vividly covers his early childhood years and living with another family – similar circumstances, a father with five children, coping with the Depression and, thereafter, addressing their dual basic family needs.

Angus’ new memoir, A Full House – But Empty, is the gripping story of young Angus’ life growing up in the Depression years based on the positive lessons he had learned from his father during their somewhat traumatic and hectic years together.

You can visit his website at www.angusrmunro.com.

Q: Thank you for this interview, Angus. Can you tell us what your latest book, A Full House – But Empty is about?

Angus: Based on my background as stated above, apart from growing up during the Great Depression, my story is picking up the pieces as a grade school dropout and moving upward. And in the process, lessons learned.

Q: How difficult was it writing your book? Did you ever experience writer’s block and, if so, what did you do?

Angus: I have never experienced writer’s block. I believe I have been blessed with a good memory along with an organized mind in terms of detail.

Q: How have your fans embraced your latest novel? Do you have any funny or unusual experiences to share?

Angus: I have received several five-star reviews and I believe I have injected both some funny and unusual experiences.

Q: What is your daily writing routine?

Angus: When writing my book, I often found the evening hours most productive. I seemed to revisit those surroundings and past situations so clearly, profoundly and ebulliently my thoughts just poured out. My typing fingers were struggling just to keep up!

Q: When you put the pen or mouse down, what do you do to relax?

Angus: Hum, a cup of hot tea! Black or green!

Q: What book changed your life?

Angus: In terms of enjoyment rather than profoundness, I am an old movie buff! And I particularly like Bob Thomas and his biographies on Thalberg, Crawford and others. Historically and seriously, I love the works of Sir Winston Churchill – particularly, The Gathering Storm followed by WWII.

Q: If someone were to write a book on your life, what would the title be?

Angus: Facetiously, Part two-A Full House – But Empty.

Q: Finish this sentence: “The one thing that I wish people would understand about me is…”

Angus: Hopefully, a good person!

Thank you for this interview, Angus. I wish you much success on your latest release, A Full House – But Empty!

Interview with Mystery Romance Author Kim Smith

Kim Smith is the author of the popular Shannon Wallace Mystery Series, and A Will to Love is her first published romance story. You can find her at http://www.mkimsmith.com at her blog http://writingspace.blogspot.com and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/mkimsmith and Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/mkimsmith

Q: Thank you for this interview, Kim. Can you tell us what your latest book, A Will to Love, is all about?

A: Sure! A Will to Love came to me when I learned a local bed and breakfast was going out of business. The ownership of that little place has a sort of sad history as the first owner’s wife passed away from being a victim of the Chicago Amtrak crash in 1999. She was buried in a little cemetery on the property. For some reason, hearing of it going out of business made me sad and I remembered the woman who died and who probably loved that place a lot. She was the catalyst for the story. Benton and Kitty were creations out of my own mind.

Q: Is this your first novel?  If not, how has writing this novel different from writing your first?

A: No it is not my first novel. It is my first published romance story though. Writing romance is different for me because I never thought I would be any good at it. I have had a great marriage for nigh on 17 years and have someone who spoils me rotten. Writing romance should have conflicts and trials that make the relationship stronger and well, what can I say? My marriage is a very happy, hardly ever conflictual arrangement. Go figure I would wanna write romance!

Q: How difficult was it writing your book?  Did you ever experience writer’s block and, if so, what did you do?

A: It wasn’t difficult at all. I do not know why but sometimes great characters just COME to me. They pop out and begin talking to me and all I can do is just hang on for the ride. Benton Jessup was one of those. He came as a very broken man, with determination to succeed. And Kitty Beebe is already very successful and just hoping to continue. They just worked out well together and writing them was fun.

Q: How have your fans embraced your latest novel?  Do you have any funny or unusual experiences to share?

A: So far the reception has been super. The reviews are coming in and all of them are very positive. I think that my fans think maybe writing mystery is not all I can do. I hope that is true because I intend on surprising my fans again very soon with a totally different twist.

Q: What is your daily writing routine?

A: Right now, I am being a lot more devoted. I am turning out four or five pages a day in the hopes of keeping up with one of my good writing buddies. She and I are going to write together (not the same book) and edit together and then submit together for an agent. Who knows where that will lead? It’s fun and challenging though to know I have to get my page count out every day.

Q: When you put the pen or mouse down, what do you do to relax?

A: I have just gotten an Iphone and it has games. Oh my goodness and everything else! I am having trouble keeping it charged because I use it so much. I also am a photographer and love taking pics.

Q: What book changed your life?

A: Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Those books are so much what I hope to aspire to one day. She entertains, and educates all at the same time. Who could ask for a better way to learn how to write?

Q: If someone were to write a book on your life, what would the title be?

A: A Bridge Over Troubled Waters – because I try so hard to help others get the word out about their work. My family sometimes thinks I neglect my own stuff in deference to others. It’s really fun though, and I am just a writer groupie as everyone knows!

Q: Finish this sentence: “The one thing that I wish people would understand about me is…”

A: I am not the characters in my books. I do not get implicated in murder, break into houses, own restaurants or b and b places. I am just a normal old southern gal, with a desire to entertain.

Thank you for this interview, Kim.  I wish you much success on your latest release, A Will to Love!

Book Review: GRACIOUS LIVING ON SOCIAL SECURITY by Valerie Kent

Author: Valerie Kent
Title: Gracious Living on Social Security
Paperback: 130 pgs
Publisher: Tree Farm Books
Genre: Retirement Memoir
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-615-21156-5

PURCHASE HERE

Gracious Living is an easy-to-read decade-long journey that offers tips and suggestions on how senior citizens can stretch their dollar and get the most for their money. Eleven chapters cover every important aspect of living together, from the wedding preparations to where to live. Key considerations follow each chapter for quick reference: considerations like where and when to buy clothing, choosing a place to live and juggling your finances. Artist Jeff Nitzberg adds his unique touch with original drawings introducing each chapter.

REVIEW:

Valerie Kent is my idol.  As I’m approaching that ripe old age in a few years, it does worry me that I’ll get there and won’t be prepared financially.  What Valerie has done was not turn her book, Gracious Living on Social Security, into a how to book with language a rocket scientist would only understand, she wrote it from her own perspective, using her own experiences to help those of us who are afraid that we’re going to get old and no way to support ourselves.  Not only that, she teaches us how to live not only well, but graciously, and after reading it, it did make a lot of sense and something we can all do no matter which end of the social ladder we are on.

Her story starts out by having her tell us about her marriage to Rick and how they had the wedding of their dreams for under $3,000.  The trick here was, as she explained, doing with what you have and getting friends to help.  Not only makes great sense, it gave me great ideas on what to do when or if my daughter ever takes the plunge.

Throughout the book, she tells of her life and how she lives graciously and you can’t help but to admire the woman.  Not only do I feel better about getting older, I now have a handbook that I will carry with me through the Golden Years.

Wonderful book and I would highly recommend it to everyone who has that fear factor of getting older and not being able to take care of themselves financially.  Valerie’s story exemplifies the determination a woman has to survive, no matter what the age.

I give this book 4.5 stars because of its usefulness, appearance and a wonderful and entertaining read.

Interview with J.R. Hauptman, author of The Target

J.R. Hauptman, author of The Target; Love, Death and Airline Deregulation, has been a professional pilot for nearly a half century. Barely twenty years old, he began as a military pilot and for almost two years he flew combat support missions in the Viet Nam War. Upon leaving military service he was hired by a major airline and was initially based on the West Coast. His flying career was interrupted by the turmoil that racked the airline industry during the early days of deregulation. In the interim, he worked as a travel agent, a stockbroker and even trained dogs and horses. In the late nineteen-eighties, he returned to aviation, flying jet charters and air freight. He concluded his career flying corporate jets and now spends his summers in Colorado and winters in Florida. He is completing his second work, a non-fictional social commentary. Autographed copies of The Target are available at his marketing website, www.caddispublishing.com.  It is also available through Xlibris, Amazon and other internet marketers.

Thank you for this interview, J.R.  Can you tell us what your latest book, The Target; Love, Death and Airline Deregulation, is all about?

J.R.: My book, The Target, is set in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West, and tells the tale of the tumultuous first years of airline deregulation and the effects it had on that industry and the people who worked there. There are many of us today who believe it was, in large part, the rush to overall deregulation back then that led directly to the economic chaos that threatens to overwhelm our entire economy today.

In the nineteen-eighties, Carlo Clemenza was known as “the most hated man” in the airline business, as described by some pundits. A dedicated corporate raider and union buster, Clemenza uses ruthless tactics to crush competing airlines and to bring airline workers to heel. His methods earned him many death threats, yet he struts with arrogance, surrounded by his cadre of security toughs.

Thousands of pilots and other airline professionals find themselves forced to start their careers over or find them at a sudden and complete end. The airline grapevine echoes with the cry, “Why doesn’t someone kill that SOB?”

Only one pilot, angered by the deaths of his friends in a bloody crash, takes up the chase and he makes Carlo Clemenza The Target! His quest will take him to the far corners of the country as he also finds himself the object of pursuit and murder. The characters merge in spectacular action and settings and the climax of the story ultimately ends in redemption.

Is this your first novel? If not, how has writing this novel different from writing your first?

J.R.:  Yes, this is my first novel and I suppose I should explain why it took over twenty years to complete the book and bring it to market. I developed the concept and wrote the first three or four chapters in a “fury,” in the few weeks before my return to professional aviation. Writing in a “fury” was advised by one of the contemporary guides to authors. At the time, I had no idea how the story would turn out, but as it was to be, my experiences over the next years in the underworld of aviation, would provide much of the material I used to develop and complete the book.

How difficult was it writing your book? Did you ever experience writer’s block and, if so, what did you do?

J.R.: Once I returned to flying, the hardest part was finding time, more so, finding the energy to write creatively. I had no more than landed a charter job and finished initial training and the airline folded. I found another charter job in Las Vegas and I had once again just finished retraining and a better offer from an airfreight operator came through. I hated to leave on such short notice but at these levels of aviation, you soon learn to play by the “laws of the jungle.” Flying night airfreight turned out to be a “jungle” of its own, but the money was good and I was grateful for the opportunity. I was also fortunate to make steadfast friends there, many of whom were like me, refugees from deregulation with all its bankruptcies and hostile takeovers. We used to joke that flying night freight and camping out in our “crash pads” was not unlike our combat experiences in Viet Nam. By the time I hit mandatory retirement age, which at that time was sixty, I had managed to develop my story line and had a realistic climax in mind.

I suppose it was a convenient form of writer’s block that kept me from completing my first draft at that time but I had the excuse that I had to go through training on the corporate jets I now flew for my new employer. It wasn’t until a medical condition came up a few years later that I had to face the fact that the end of my flying days was probably in sight. Finishing this book was still one of my main lifetime goals and the truth was that even if I would never see a financial return from writing, I had to do it while I could afford to do so, and before I became entangled in another career. I managed to attain that state of writing “fury” that characterized my first efforts. The rest, as they say folks, is or will become, “history.”

How have your fans embraced your latest novel? Do you have any funny or unusual experiences to share?

I directed my first marketing efforts at my fellow professional pilots and although the first response was good, I was surprised to find a much more positive response from retired non-flying airline personnel, the ticket agents and mechanics who wanted to relive some of their experiences from the old days. It is always fun to share some of those stories when we meet personally. Look for my “Best flying story ever” when I get my blog set up and running.

What is your daily writing routine?

J.R.: I try to always carry a scratch pad when I am out and around to jot down ideas and stories from the past or present that relate to one of my projects. These I place in a pile on my desk and insert them into outlines as soon as possible. I like to develop an outline early into a project. An independent operator like me has to be involved in promotion. At the present most of my time has to be devoted to blogs, interviews and reviews. Outlining helps me to keep it all in balance and for that matter, to balance the writing itself. It provides a good feeling for how much text should be devoted to a particular sub plot or event and it certainly helps me to return to writing when my mental process is interrupted. It allows me to write into the wee hours when I am most tired and spacey but probably at my most creative.

When you put the pen or mouse down, what do you do to relax?

J.R.: In Florida I go surfing every day I can. I made a stand-up paddle board to use on the flat or small surf days, so I can be in shape for the days when the waves get good. In Colorado I play drop-in hockey with guys and gals of all ages and especially with the “Olde Tymers.” I have many friends in both sports and the funny thing is their personalities are interchangeable between the two groups; the surfers would fit right in with the hockey players and vice versa. I love them all. They are the kind of people who will never give on living life to the fullest. We joke that if any of the old hockey guys die on the ice, we’ll just tie him up in the goal to stop shots and we can keep him cool till the session is over. If I die in the surf break, I just hope it doesn’t hurt too much and that they just leave me out there for a while to keep the sharks away from the other surfers. I tell my friends that revenge will come to me when they recognize themselves in my next book, and this will come true!

What book changed your life?

J.R.: As an author, the first chapter of A Farewell to Arms, consisting of two pages of the most beautifully crafted writing ever set down in print, is that to which I will ever aspire. In 1964, I read Dalton Trumbo’s Johnnie Got His Gun just a few months before I left for my first tour in Viet Nam and I hated it. In time it became the central focus of my personal farewell to arms. I am no pacifist and I will defend my family, friends and country with my last drop of blood and with my last drop of ink I will fight to prevent my grandchildren from becoming fodder for any chicken hawk politician’s expeditionary martial fantasy.

I recently discovered the writings of Reinhold Niebuhr, early Twentieth Century conservative writer, whose philosophy was totally alien to the current crop of neo-conservative warmongers and the thieving buccaneers of Wall Street.

If someone were to write a book on your life, what would the title be?

J.R.: “The World’s Most Amazing Recoveries!”

Finish this sentence: “The one thing that I wish people would understand about me is…”

J.R.:  “that I constantly endeavor to think outside the box and to convert those thoughts to prose that will convince others.”

Thank you for this interview J.R. I wish you much success on your latest release, The Target; Love, Death and Airline Deregulation.

You can pick up a copy of J.R. Hauptman’s latest novel, The Target, at these fine online stores:

Amazon

Target

You can also pick up a copy at the publisher’s website here.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: COMING FOR MONEY by Literary Fiction Novelist F.W. vom Scheidt

F. W. vom Scheidt is a director of an international investment firm. He works and travels in the world’s capital markets, and makes his home in Toronto, Canada. He is also the author of a new book, Coming for Money (Blue Butterfly Book Publishing), a remarkable and provocative novel about the world of international finance and the human quests for success, understanding and love. You can find out more about his book at http://www.bluebutterflybooks.ca/titles/money.html.

How much money is too much? And how fast is too fast in life?

International investment firm director and author F. W. vom Scheidt, writes from his first hand-hand experience of the world of global money spinning with candor and authenticity in his remarkable literary novel Coming for Money.

As investment star Paris Smith steps onto the top rungs of the corporate ladder, he is caught between his need for fulfillment and his need for understanding; trapped between his drive for power and his inability to cope with his growing emptiness where there was once love. When his wife disappears from the core of his life, his loneliness and sense of disconnection threaten to overwhelm him. When he tries to compensate by losing himself in his work, he stumbles off the treadmill of his own success, and is entangled in the web of a fraudulent bond deal that threatens to derail his career and his life.

Forced to put his personal life on hold while he travels nonstop between Toronto, Singapore and Bangkok to salvage his career, he is deprived of the time and space necessary to regain his equilibrium.

In the heat and turmoil and fast money of Southeast Asia, half a world from home, and half a life from his last remembered smile, he finds duplicity, friendship and power — and a special woman who might heal his heart.

A talented author, vom Scheidt has confidently crafted a fast-paced, highly readable and intelligent novel. His details are fascinating. His characters are real, and not easily forgotten. A deeply felt story about the isolation of today’s society, the prices great and small paid for success and the damages resulting from the ruthless exercise of financial power, Coming For Money is a taut literary page-turner about a man who refuses to capitulate to the darkness in his journey into the light.

The executive offices of the Bank of South Asia filled the penthouse of a chrome and glass tower rising from the foot of Battery Road on the edge of Singapore’s harbour.

It was always as if the money possessed some kind of negative density or inverted gravity—the more you concentrated it, the higher it lifted its players to the upper reaches of office towers and condominium towers and hotel towers. As the quantity of money swelled, it lost its weight of coinage and bills. A room full of it could be evaporated into a string of zeros on a single bank draft, more flimsy than an airline ticket; a truck-load could be zapped around the world at the snap of a computer key.

Stepping out from the dizzying upward rush and spine-compressing halt of the high-speed elevator, I hesitated in the bank’s airy foyer.

Broad two-storey-high windows sectioned up a panoramic view of the rows of cargo vessels baking on the brilliant water far below as they waited to enter the churned brown channels of the busy harbour. The darker ocean spread out, glassy, beyond them, and, in the steamy distance, the verdant islands of the Indonesian archipelago floated dreamlike along the lip of the South China Sea.

The bronze tinting of the glass turned patches of sunlight into a mottled pink carpet at my feet; the instability of the shimmering light on the marble floor taxing my limited reserves of balance.

I was reminded that, in non-stop travel, I had made poor trades of day for night without any rest, tropical heat for Canadian cold without sufficient fluids; I was now paying the price in exhaustion and dehydration.

My vision was jagged at its edges from fatigue.

I was jittery from harsh Asian coffee on an unsettled stomach.

I had arrived at midnight; plunged through a few hours sleep; risen, restless and un-rested, out of ripples of jet lag at dawn; spent the early morning polishing off a pot of room service coffee, surfing CNN, repeatedly rehearsing this negotiation in my mind from a handful of different perspectives and likely outcomes; and had come directly to the bank’s offices for their nine o’clock opening.

Still, now that I was here, I was more confident; my optimism returning from memory, fed by the headlong momentum of my travel and arrival, if by nothing else. In dashing halfway across the world without pausing for breath, I had given substance to my initiative and commitment; I had proved my willingness to go the distance. I was sustained also by my unflagging conviction that I was the only one who truly understood all of the complexities of the deal; like breath blown onto an ember to bring forth a glow, my seizing control of the bond issue would bring it back to vibrant success.

A final exhale to focus. I waded boldly across the swirling marble under the balls of my feet, pushed through the glass doors to the reception desk.

The receptionist grinned happily, recognizing me immediately, chirped a request into her telephone that, within several minutes, which we passed in courteous intermittent chatting, produced Albert Quan.

Balding, trim, tailored, Albert Quan was hurried in his handshake. “How very good to see you Mr. Smith.” Then, without change in tempo, he added, “Were we expecting you? Our corporate finance group perhaps?”

“No,” I stated evenly, “I came to see you. I flew twenty-six hours. Almost directly from our telephone discussion earlier this week.”

“Then I had better not delay you any further.” Albert Quan amply rounded up the tone of his response in feigned urgency to mitigate the inevitable confrontation lurking in our exchange.

Swimming upstream against my instincts and experience, towing my haggard sunrise rehearsal, I held my impatience in check as I followed Albert Quan down the hall to his office, declining refreshment as we seated ourselves in facing armchairs.

Crossing his ankles, leaning back slightly, Albert Quan opened with, “I very much hope that you are not expecting anything further on the Bangkok Commercial Bank bond deal.”

“I am. And of course you know that.”

“I thought I had made it very clear. That we both understood. That we closed that matter in our telephone conversation.”

“We would like it re-opened.”

Albert Quan was broadly avuncular, conciliatory, “Then I’m afraid you have come a very long way for nothing. There’s nothing I can do. It’s out of my hands. It fully belongs to Amsterdam Bank. We don’t have the slightest role. We don’t even have the slightest carried interest. I can do nothing.”

Books! Books! Books!

Well it’s that time of year again – summer is in full swing!  It’s buzzing here on the island – boats, jet skis, people riding bikes, you name it, are all whizzing by my front door.  It’s crazy, I’m telling you, and in a couple of weeks, I’ll be vacationing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina…just can’t get away from the ocean, lol.

But I love it.  We had a disastrous trip to the Smokies last month what with the rental breaking down and the cabin being haunted – creepy stuff, so hopefully this one will be filled with nothing to do but relaxing stuff.

I do want to mention I’ve gotten in lots of wonderful books lately, so because I’ve had my nose in tours for weeks on end, I thought I’d take the time now to let you know what goodies arrived at my doorstep.

Oh where do I begin…not necessarily in the order of preference they are:

Too Many Visitors for One Little House by Susan Chodakiewitz.  I will be giving it a review on the 31st, but it is sooooo cute.  Beautiful cover and inside, the illustrations are masterfully done.  It’s a beautiful little picture book.  Susan is in fact one of our clients on virtual book tour this month and what a joy she has been to work with.

Gracious Living on Social Security by Valerie Kent.  Cheryl Malandrinos is in charge of her tour but I asked if I could have a review copy so I could review it here.  Cute cover with an old lady and old man dancing and in the prime of their life so that gives me the impression this book is going to help me when I’m at that ripe old age which isn’t that far off!  I haven’t even attempted to read this yet and I think I better check to see when I have to review it for the tour, but it shouldn’t take too long.  It’s roughly 130 pages so I should be able to do that in a couple of sittings but I do have to mention the illustrations inside are really, really cute.

Coming for Money by F.W. Vom Scheidt.  Another one of Pump Up’s clients and another book I’m really looking forward to reading.  The book is labeled a literary fiction and I can now see why…this guy knows how to write!  I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to review it before his tour ends in August, but the review will be forthcoming!

Summer House by Nancy Thayer.  Yep, another client.  Look, this woman I have admired for years ever since I bought her book The Hot Flash Club.  And omg, I have started reading this….no wonder she’s a NY Times Bestselling author!  I’m taking this book with me to South Carolina and hopefully while I’m sitting on the beach, I can finish it.

Writing as a Sacred Path by Jill Jepson.  Another client…Jill will be touring in August and let me tell you this is a wonderful lady.  Her book is EXCELLENT.  I’ve only read a few pages just out of curiosity but I’m hoping to have her a nice review before the end of her tour.  Another book I’m taking with me to Myrtle Beach.

Angel Lane by Sheila Roberts.  Sheila is an old bud of mine and I was so excited she was coming back to Pump Up in October.  Love this woman!  But look, this book is so up my alley it’s not even funny.  The main character moves to a scenic lakeside community and they all decide to do one good deed a day, or at least that’s what I’m getting from it.  It is from this  good deed doing, she falls in love.  I haven’t even started into this book, but I think it’ll be another one I’ll take to the Carolinas.

Affordable Paradise by H. Skip Thomsen.  Even though he spells his name quite different from the way I do, he can’t be half bad with the same last name as me!  Skip emailed me a few months ago about a tour which we’re getting ready to set up, but he wanted to send me his book so I could see just what it was all about.  Okay, who wants to move to Hawaii?  Me!  Me!  I wish I had the guts to move all the way across country but it sure is tempting.  The thing is, we all think it’s expensive to live in Hawaii, right?  Well Skip says he has found ways to live in Hawaii and not have to spend your life savings doing it.  Really looking forward to reading this book!

Distant Thunder by Jimmy Root, Jr.  Jimmy (doesn’t it feel weird calling a pastor by their first name?), but Jimmy is so down to earth and not only that, this book is excellent. I’ve only skimmed it so I’ll let you know more later when I review it but whew this guy can write.  Jimmy is touring with us in August and September so you’ll be hearing a lot about him over the course of his tour.

Night of Flames by Douglas W. Jacobson.  Who doesn’t love books about WWII?  I was frothing at the mouth to get this one.  Douglas will be touring in September and October I believe, but omg, this looks like a great read.

American  Lion by Jon Meacham.  Talk. About. A. Huge. Book.  This book is almost 500 pages but I LOVE biographies and supposedly you’ll be hearing about all kinds of things Andrew Jackson did in the White House that you never knew about.  Jon, btw, is editor of Newsweek and get this…American Lion was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize.  So you know I have to read this one.  He’s also been touring with us this week, so check out some of this reviews, guest posts and reviews…excellent writer and what a fantastic historian.

The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst.  Another Pump Up client touring this month.  And another book that was based on history – WWII.  It’s gotten excellent reviews.  The L.A. Times says, “…one does not so much read them as fall under their spell,” when talking about Furst’s books.  I cannot wait to read this one either!

Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper.  Another one of Cheryl Malandrinos clients at Pump Up and I just had to email her to see if I could review Gwen’s book.  What’s not to like about a cat story, you know?  But it’s no ordinary cat.  Homer is blind and supposedly he teaches a woman how to love, so there’s going to be a love story in there, too…sounds terrific!

Well that wraps it up.  Too many books, so little time, but my suitcase is going to be really heavy come the first of August!