I’ve dived head first into a completely new world, connecting with people on the same path as me; to become, or already are, an author. One thing I’ve noticed is how ‘Authors Supporting Authors’ is such a theme throughout this industry, people there to help and support each other, it’s wonderful!
So to keep with this theme, I will be doing a few blog posts in the coming months to showcase some incredible authors, by asking them some pretty interesting questions and linking to their work.
Please take some time to check out their stories, like their pages, follow them or send a message to congratulate them on such an incredible feat: becoming an author and getting published! It’s definitely a journey.
Stay tuned next week for the Ocean Reeve Publishing group and their answers, including mine.
Rachel Inbar, Author of Magic Sparkles – www.magicsparklespublishing.com
Jenny Henwood, Author of the Rainbow Riding School Series – A link to Jenny’s books here (link):
Julie Hamilton Hindle, Author of Reading with Rayna – http://www.readingwithrayna.co.uk
Marjorie Maddox, View Marjorie’s works here: – website: http://www.marjoriemaddox.com
Mike Donaghy – Pete the Punky Penguin Forms a Band (Musical Adventures Series) – www.mikedonashymusic.co.uk
Penelope Lagos, link to her work here: http://amzn.to/2xCilK4, – www.penelopelagos.com
Bruce Medcalf, Author of the Dream Avenger Series – www.thedreamavenger.com
Ajanta Chakraborty, Author of Maya & Neel’s India Adventure Series – www.CultureGroove.com & www.BollyGroove.com
If you could be any cartoon character who would you be and why?
– Jane Jetson. I love hi-tech and gadgets and she seems clever, capable, and confident (Rachel)
– Dora The Explorer as she has some fantastic adventures in far away countries and I love to travel (Jenny)
– Tigger – he just gets away with being nonsensical and annoying eyore (Julie)
– Scooby Doo, because who wouldn’t like to say, “Ruh Roh” but still end up helping to solve the mystery? (Marjorie)
– Bart Simpson. Springfield seems like such a fun place live and I would get to witness the stupidity of Homer Simpson first hand! (Mike)
– Hello Kitty. She is a cool kitty who lives in a cool city and her motto is “you can never have too many friends” which I think is VERY cool! (Penelope)
– My character The Dream Avenger I would love to help kids battle their fears in their dreams (Bruce)
– WALL-E. Love his kindness and zest for life (Ajanta)
How many unfinished or half finished stories do you have?
– Between 5 and 10. Some will eventually be finished; others abandoned (Rachel)
– None – but I have ideas for over 20 (Jenny)
– 5 (Julie)
– I have an unfinished novel-in-verse and plenty of abandoned poems, though I typically finish what I begin (Marjorie)
– 4 unfinished books, just waiting for illustrations (Mike)
– None, I don’t like unfinished business in work or life (Penelope)
– One unfinished book (Bruce)
– One. It’s a story about bullying and diversity (Ajanta)
What was your favourite book as a child?
– I loved books by Ruth Chew (Rachel)
– To Kill a Mockingbird (Jenny)
– The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, and the Narnia series by C. S. Lewis (Marjorie)
– Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (Mike)
– The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (Penelope)
– Lord of the Flies (Bruce)
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
– A mom (Rachel)
– An actor or own my own riding school (Jenny)
– What I am today. An applied Canine Behaviourist and Dog Trainer (Julie)
– A writer (Marjorie)
– A musician and a performer. I am pleased to say that this is what I have done since leaving school
(Mike)
– A meteorologist, I was fascinated by weather and climate issues (Penelope)
– A solider. I become a soldier at 22 and invested 28 years of my life in the military (Bruce)
– The CEO of Microsoft (Ajanta)
What is the best part of your day?
– Any time that it’s quiet and no one needs anything from me (Rachel)
– The evening when we get together with the family and chat about our day, eat dinner and watch a film (Jenny)
– Waking up to my dogs (Julie)
– Coffee in hand, beginning to type (Marjorie)
– when work is finished and I get to relax with my wife and my daughter (Mike)
– Coming home at night to my animals, they provide me with unconditional love (Penelope)
– Being the first one up in the morning. Starting the day off in a positive mood brings good karma and fortune (Bruce)
– Hanging out with my son (Ajanta)
If you could invite one author to dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?
– Can I use social distancing as an excuse not to answer this question? Also, I wouldn’t cook, my husband would, and whatever he’d make would be vegan and delicious. (Rachel)
– Judith Kerr (author of The Tiger Who Came to Tea). I wouldn’t cook, we would have afternoon tea! (Jenny)
– Jk Rowling. A roast dinner (Julie)
– C. S. Lewis. Turkish Delight for dessert (Marjorie)
– Edgar Allen Poe. His writing is so dark and mysterious it would give me a chance to understand his mind. I would cook fillet steak, who doesn’t love fillet steak? (Mike)
– Maya Angelou if she were still with us. My cooking skills are less than stellar so I’d call my dad who would whip up a delicious 5 course Greek meal! (Penelope)
– J.K. Rowling. I know she is a sushi lover, so I would start off with several offerings of smoked fish, then finish of with some Canadian lobsters (Bruce)
– Kathryn Lynn Davis. I would make some rich and delicious Navratan Korma for her (Ajanta)
Share something your readers wouldn’t know about you.
– I love language, I love using words in creative ways. My children all speak English and Hebrew fluently. (Rachel)
– I was a child actress and was in Tales of The Unexpected with Derek Jacobi! (Jenny)
– I have been a Dog Trainer and Applied Canine Behaviourist for 35 years (Julie)
– I am the great grandniece of Branch Rickey, the General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who helped break the colour barrier by signing Jackie Robinson to Major League Baseball, USA (Marjorie)
– I started writing books was because I couldn’t find the kind of book I wanted for my daughter, so I started writing them myself with my wife doing the illustrations. We now have a series called ‘Musical Adventures’ (Mike)
– I took golf lessons when I was a child and told the instructor the swing he was teaching me was wrong. The lessons were short lived and now I stick to mini golf (Penelope)
– I cooked Lobster Thermador for the President of France, Francois Mitterrand in 1994 (Bruce)
– My husband and I got married in the intermission of a Shakespear play, dressed in Renaissance outfits (Ajanta)
If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
– Creative, clever, funny (Rachel)
– Hard working, outgoing, perfectionist (Jenny)
– Thoughtful, Gregarious and Helpful (Julie)
– Creative, Kind, Workaholic (Marjorie)
– Creative, driven & outgoing (Mike)
– Honest, strong, creative (Penelope)
– Altruistic, moral, patriotic (Bruce)
– Entrepreneurial, Passionate, Fun! (Ajanta)
What’s your favourite possession?
– I’m not really into possessions, but if there were a fire and I could save one thing, it would be my photo albums (Rachel)
– My dogs (Julie)
– My laptop (Marjorie)
– My guitar, I’ve played for 25 years and is a huge part of my career (Mike)
– My Grandmother’s jewellery (Penelope)
– The Dream Avenger trademark. I have worked hard and spent many years developing the Brand (Bruce)
– My wedding sari made of silk from Benaras in India that I bought with my now-deceased Mom (Ajanta)
Tea or coffee?
Coffee – Espresso, so sugar or milk (Rachel)
Coffee (Jenny)
Neither – hot water! (Julie)
Morning – coffee; afternoon – tea (Marjorie)
Coffee (Mike)
Herbal Tea (Penelope)
Never had coffee in my lift, Apple cinnamon tea (Bruce)
Tea (Ajanta)
Movie or book?
Book (Rachel)
Movie (Jenny)
Movie (Julie)
Book (Marjorie)
Movie (Mike)
Book (Penelope)
Book then a movie (Bruce)
Book (Ajanta)
Morning person or night owl?
Night Owl (Rachel)
Night Owl (Jenny)
Night Owl (Julie)
I work best in the morning (Marjorie)
Night Owl (Mike)
Night Owl (Penelope)
Morning (Bruce)
Morning (Ajanta)
City or country?
Country (Rachel)
Country (Jenny)
Country (Julie)
Country (Marjorie)
Country (Mike)
City (Penelope)
Country (Bruce)
City (Ajanta)
Paperback or ebook?
Prefer Paperback but read ebooks due to downsizing (Rachel)
Paperback (Jenny)
Paperback (Julie)
Paperback (Marjorie)
Paperback (Mike)
Paperback (Penelope)
Paperback (Bruce)
E-Book (Ajanta)
Phone call or text?
Text, except for my mum and sister (Rachel)
Phone call (Jenny)
Text (Julie)
Text or Email (Marjorie)
Phone call (Mike)
Phone call (Penelope)
Text – simple things, Phone call for more complex conversations (Bruce)
Text (Ajanta)
Pen and paper or computer to write your stories?
Computer (Rachel)
Computer (Jenny)
Both (Julie)
Computer (Marjorie)
Computer (Mike)
Pen and Paper (Penelope)
Scratch pad first then computer (Bruce)
Computer (Ajanta)
Thanks so much to everyone for participating. If you would like to be a part of the next round of interviews, please email me at kelly@kellymareeauthor.com and I’ll send you a new list of questions.
Happy writing!
Kelly Maree
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