Smiling Out Loud by Robert Jacobs

My guest today is Robert Jacobs

Author of Smiling Out Loud

A book of poetry –

Take a poetic journey, from darkness to light. 

There is occasional terror, 

appeals to the heart, and laughs to delight.

You can read my review here.

1.   The hardest scene to write –

Big Hurt, Big Heart is a poem about a schizophrenic and his loneliness.  My brother, 11/2 years younger is schizophrenic.  I tried to capture some of his feelings, his inherent loneliness.  It started as something different.  I feel I can still edit it and rewrite it.  I did not quite get what I was looking for.  Just writing about it now makes me realize how much I missed.  I will probably try again.

2.   What makes you run screaming?

Poetry that only expresses feelings but doesn’t describe the person being written about. Tell me about the person you love (or hate).  We all have feelings.  We all don’t have Rene, or Eileen, or Dennis.

3.   Dropped in a remote spot, survival test, 3 tools.

Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York. 3 tools, my cell phone iPhone 11 Max Pro, a cigarette lighter, a Swiss Army knife.  The idea of a truly remote spot doesn’t appeal to me.

4.   Behind the scenes tidbit. 

In spite of being a good student, I quit going to high school when I was 15 years old. Later went back and finished and went on to college.  I’ve never written about that but I can see doing something in the future.

5.   Living anywhere and writing a book about it.

I’d like to spend the time between London and Paris.

6.   What would I tell my younger self?

Write every week.  Set goals. Get into the habit of writing. Read poetry. Be disciplined in developing a plan to develop writing skills.

7.   What does literary success look like to you?

Having people ask me when my next book will be out and what is it about.  Basically, having a following. It can be relatively small but it needs to be present. Also, having someone, a publisher, perhaps, assist with marketing.

8.   The book I’m working on.

I have enough unpublished poems for a second book. The problem is I want it to be better than the first book. I am a better writer today so I probably would need to rewrite many of them. I am also thinking of a book of short stories. I have started several, finished maybe two. My problem is I have the opposite of writer's block. I have no shortage of ideas. My life is my canvas.

What is "Smiling Out Loud" about?

It is not about depression or pining over a lost love.

It is not about grieving although it is about recovering from loss.
It is not an outpouring of emotional cliches.
It is a celebration of good lives, lives intertwined in love.
It is about finding humor in all aspects of life.
It is about growing up in Brooklyn.
It is about loving a time, a place, a family.
It is about loving the people in your lives.
It is about memories and a fertile imagination.
It is about Smiling Out Loud and laughing out loud.
It is universal because it describes what everyone yearns for.

Robert Jacobs was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. That wonderful experience shaped his personality, helped to form his views, and gave him his sense of humor (or lack thereof). He writes poetry, short stories, started a few novels, written essays and has the opposite of writers’ block. He is an optimist, in spite of some of the dark poetry, and he has been loved his entire life. Some people may think that is a disadvantage for a writer. He thinks it is a wonderful advantage.

         Talk to me so sweetly
         Though I am hard of hearing
         Shouting is okay
                                           That would be endearing

                                            I love to hear your voice
                                            You are my ace of spades
                                            Think how much fun we’ll have
                                            When I find my hearing aids

You can find Robert here:

                                          Facebook

Please note: Robert has been trying to answer your comments but isn't having any luck. He'll try reaching you via email.

Hoosier Dad by Elizabeth Seckman

My guest today is romance author Elizabeth Seckman.

My selection of questions is meant to give a little insight into Elizabeth’s personality as well as her writing. 

Did I achieve my goal?

Her latest book Hoosier Dad was a great read.

You can read my review here.

1              1.    What was your hardest scene to write?

            Sex scenes are always hard, no pun intended. It needs to be romantic with a bit of heat,      but it’s so easy to cross the line and make it vulgar or even worse, hilariously bad. 

            2. What makes you run screaming?

            Mean people. And snakes. And basements after dark. 

            3. You’re about to be dropped in a remote spot for a three-week survival test. Where would you go? What three tools would you take?

            Drop me at the beach with a keg of rum, matches, and a friend. It worked for Captain  Jack Sparrow. It will work for me.

            4. What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?

            My son said people are always shocked to learn that I’m NOT very well organized. But seriously, I don’t think that’s too big a secret. My readers probably realize that I miss most deadlines and have a tendency to push release dates later over and over. 

            5. If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose? 

            The Outer Banks of North Carolina. It’s my happy place. Several of my books take place there. My way of being there vicariously. 

            6. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

            

             Start sooner. At best, you’ll live to be 107, and you have a lot of work to do! 

            7. What does literary success look like to you?

           

               Money would be nice, but having lots of loyal readers would be better. Some of my readers have been with me since book one and feel more like friends than fans. 

           

             8. Tell us about the book you’re working on now. 

 

            I just finished “About Us.” It should be available by Valentine’s Day. The heroine, Hayden, is done with her abusive marriage. But trying to divorce an abusive guy with a       gun and a badge can be dangerous. She seeks the help of a friend, Cam, not knowing Cam has always loved her. Hayden isn’t out to further complicate her life with another relationship, but if it happens? Well, maybe it was meant to be.

More about Hoosier Dad

Sarah Andrews is one smart cookie. She’s a top-notch attorney, educated at Stanford, and freshly fired from one of the best legal firms in Indiana. As she approaches her thirtieth birthday, she decides she needs a quiet, safe place to regroup. She decides to go home to Dodd, Indiana. 

But Dodd, Indiana, is far from safe once she comes face-to-face with Richland Conrad Cooper. Rich was teen-girl kryptonite—athletic, charming…persuasive—and Sarah wasn’t immune. She fell hard, but it turned out to be nothing more than the first of her love tries and fails. 

She has learned—if a guy steals your heart, breaking his is quid pro quo.

Only when Rich is served with a custody challenge of his two daughters does Sarah call a truce. Working together, Rich can’t help but totally fall for her. She’s cold and rude, forcefully pointing out their differences and his flaws every chance she gets. But the heart wants what the heart wants, so Rich tries even harder to convince her she isn’t meant for any other guy, but him.

*******

Elizabeth spends her time daydreaming (she calls this writing) and excavating the day's necessary clothes from piles of dirty laundry. She lives in a small town on the Ohio River in West Virginia but often dreams of owning a beach house...or at least having a magically clean house. But with four boys, well five if you count their father, this may well just be fantasy.

Oh, and she goes to football games...lots and lots of football games.

So, living in a house of men...doing man things all the time...What girl wouldn't want to escape to a fantasy world of romance, true love, and clean houses?

 www.eseckman.blogspot.com

www.elizabethseckman.com

Amazon Author Page

 Keep writing Elizabeth - Your books are a real treat!

Thank you, for participating in my new venture.

*****

12 years ago I started out blogging by opening a Blog Talk Radio Program. I had a blast interviewing authors of all genres and met many wonderful folks that I still call friend. But BTRadio soon started charging for all their services. It became too expensive. So I took up regular blogging but ideas for a dedicated blog never materalized. So I'm going back to my old standby. I choose a book, read, review, and then post an interview blog with that author. It's really the most fun.

So look for another author next Monday, and every Monday after that, except when the WEP post is due. I will then post for them.

If you want to be part of my 'interview fun' let me know. I'd love to read your latest!

Welcome 2020

This is your opportunity!

Yolanda Renée © January 1, 2020

“Strength shows not only in the ability to persist, but the ability to start over."

F. Scott Fitzgerald

WEP - Footprints

The novel finally published.

I found a new WEP challenge.
But no matter what was tried.
my mind was fried.
So I went for a walk on the beach.
Hoping for inspiration and peace.
The sky was very blue.
The ocean too.
Clouds floated silently by.
Overhead the seagulls flew high.
My thoughts wandered
As I pondered and pondered.
With no success.
My ability to concentrate was a mess.
Frustrated and blank.
My hope to participate sank.
Inspiration via nature had failed.
All dreams and schemes had sailed
No matter the number of prints in the sand.
I’ve no story of love or murder at hand.
So, I hope you won’t care.
That I’ve only two silly little poems to share.
***

What if you only got one chance at love?
 Is it your choice or your heart's choice?

Imprint of Love

Chivalrous, my first impression of you.
It didn’t hurt that tall, dark, and handsome fit too.
Our connection felt real.
A true match the deal.
My heart was bound after that first date.
The truth I learned came too late.
We were more than compatible
But your lie was unsurmountable
While the relationship was ideal for you.
Love takes two.
My heart shattered, and my folly upended.
With a shrug, your goodbye was rendered.
Unrequited affection the worst anguish of all.
Because despite my correction.
My heart had permanently defected.
For one love, this life was granted.

Yolanda Renée © 2019

Happy Holidays!

Unsplash Free Images

Hi, everyone!

     I wanted to participate sooner, but things just never worked out. Why have I been away for so long? There are many reasons, but the best reason has to do with the complete remodel of our new condo. We got a great deal on an oceanfront view but had to take it down to the studs because everything in it was original to the mid-1980s. Doing so gave us a chance to make it our own, and what fun. Frustration, to the maximum, don’t get me wrong, but now, well, it’s perfect. We’re thrilled and finally enjoying our new home.

        I also finished Murder, Just Because. The 5^th book in the Detective Quaid saga. It’s a brutal book, but I hope one where evil is balanced out by the love story.  The monster in this book, despite my reluctance to write him, made his voice heard. If you abhor extreme violence this isn't the book for you, love story or not!

         Hopefully, I'll move on to lighter, more fun subjects. In fact, if it’s possible, I want to write a more humorous book for the next Quaid story. Surely there’s a way to make murder fun/ny? We’ll see.

         I’ve made no goals for 2020 yet. I’m still working them out. An open book for sure—the fun will be in seeing what fills the page.

Enjoy all the WEP entries HERE!

Published

Excerpt 

Stowy’s new home, an A-frame chalet reminiscent of houses on an alpine slope, was replete with lovely exposed beams, a distinctive wiggle board treatment, and fanciful railings on the deck. Its expansive picture windows provided breathtaking panoramic views of the picturesque valley, and its open floor plan could’ve easily sprung from the glossy pages of a modern design magazine. But that was all for show. Nothing more than selling points to make any Realtor swoon. Stowy didn’t care about any of those things, because his real living area was underground. In the basement. Away from prying eyes.

And now that he was situated in his new base of operations, Stowy wasn’t going to wait any longer. He’d been fighting his natural urges ever since the escape, but no more. He had to do it. Had to. He needed it. Like a junkie without a fix, his skin was crawling with need.

He had to kill.

He felt safe. Cocky, even. Thanks to those Snowman-like murders Zeke committed, any blood Stowy shed now would just be chalked up to the copycat, that is, if he were sloppy enough. Who else would the idiots blame? After all, the whole world believed the real Snowman died in the explosion.

“Time to feed the beast,” he crowed as he loaded his kill bag.

*****

buy here!

The paperback out now!

Murder - A Holiday Gift!

Murder, Just Because

It was a matter of beginner’s luck, but rookie detective Steven Quaid’s career and reputation as an elite investigator skyrocketed when he captured one of the most sadistic serial killers in Alaskan history: Stowy Jenkins, AKA the Snowman.


But that was ten years ago.


And now… Jenkins is back.


Escaped from prison and on the move, his bloodlust is stronger than ever, and his methods of torture are even more horrifying than before. As his bloody rampage continues and the number of mutilated bodies mounts, terrified Alaskans increasingly doubt Quaid’s ability to catch the killer again.


The detective’s reputation is on the line, and he’s going to need a lot more than luck, because this time, Jenkins is driven by more than the thrill of a random kill. This time, it’s more personal. He’s out for revenge…and his ultimate target is Quaid.


In a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, Jenkins starts picking off the people in Quaid’s life…slowly, gradually tightening his circle of corpses…and drawing ever closer to the most important person in Quaid’s life...his wife.


Can Quaid do the impossible again? Can he outmaneuver the killer, or has the detective's luck finally run out?

Now Ready for Pre-Order

AMAZON.COM

Please note: The Snowman's return is violent, brutal and not for the weak of heart. Read at your own risk.

Happy Holidays!

Time to move on to what's important!

May your holidays be bright!