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New Book: TJ Fisher and "Orleans Embrace" |
AuthorViews would like to introduce TJ Fisher, co-author of Orléans Embrace with The Secret Gardens of the Vieux Carré.
We have been trying to meet up with Fisher for a few months now, but we just can't seem to synchronize a convenient date for an interview. So unfortunately, we don't have a new video to release today.
Well, video or not, Orléans Embrace with The Secret Gardens of the Vieux Carré is an extremely worthwhile book that deserves mention.
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Orléans Embrace is the perfect coffee table centerpiece, with nearly 400 beautiful photographs of the majestic gardens of the French Quarter (taken by ward-winning photographer Louis Sahuc) complimenting a passionate and galvanizing narrative about the Crescent City's struggles and triumphs since the storm.
Although Fisher was born in Florida, she is considered by those who know her as a native New Orleanian. Not only does Fisher love New Orleans -- its people, its culture and its charm -- but she has been actively involved in the post-Katrina movement to restore and rebuild this great city. In Orléans Embrace, Fisher and co-author Roy Guste do a remarkable job conveying to readers the significance of the historic French Quarter and why it must be preserved.
Also, I would like to thank Morgana Press, the New Orleans-based publisher that released Orléans Embrace, because all their proceeds from the book go directly to the preservation of the French Quarter.
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New Video: Edward J. Branley and "New Orleans: The Canal Streetcar Line" |
AuthorViews is pleased to present two minutes with author Edward J. Branley, cut from his interview at the 2007 New Orleans Book Fair.
Computer consultant and avid blogger, Branley is all over the New Orleans online community -- and has been for over a decade. Whether it's food, news, politics, music or computers in the Crescent City, you'll have no trouble finding Branley's thoughts on the subject. He runs numerous NOLA websites and blogs, including the extremely popular YatPundit, a general interest blog about New Orleans. From YatPundit, you can find links to Branley's other work.
In addition, Branley has been researching the New Orleans streetcar for years. He is the President of the New Orleans Street Railway Association (NOSRA) and runs the website and blog CanalStreetcar.com as well.
In this video, Branley talks about his book, New Orleans: The Canal Streetcar Line, and explains why this line of public transportation in particular is so important to New Orleans.
photo courtesy of Paul Mannix, used under this Creative Commons license
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New Video: Dr. Milo Pinkerton III and "The Consortium of Genius" |
AuthorViews would like to introduce mad scientist Dr. Milo Pinkerton III, a.k.a Lewis D'Aubin, founder and lead vocalist of The Consortium of Genius (COG).
The COG is half rock band, half sketch comedy routine with an array of funny and sinister characters. They perform all over New Orleans and have even made several TV appearances. You can check out some of the COG's sketches, music videos and the television series, COG TV, on their YouTube Channel.
We met up with Dr. Pinkerton at the 2008 Alternative Media Expo in New Orleans -- not so much to talk about the band, its accomplishments or its upcoming shows; but rather to discuss Dr. Pinkerton's ambitious goal of TAKING OVER THE WORLD.
This is without a doubt the least educational video AuthorViews has ever released. It has no value whatsoever and will not enlighten you in the least about the COG or Dr. Pinkerton's musical talents. But that's okay because it's fun to watch and you can find out anything you want to know about the band, including upcoming "lectures," bios, lyrics, pictures, videos and reviews, at the COG's EVIL website, www.consortiumofgenius.com.
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New Video: Michael C. Bevis and "And God Looked Away" |
AuthorViews is proud to present two minutes with writer, musician, artists and Katrina survivor Michael C. Bevis, cut from his poignant interview at the 2008 Alternative Media Expo in New Orleans.
Bevis' debut book, And God Looked Away: A Katrina Journal, is a graphic and vivid personal account of the traumatic experiences that Bevis and his girlfriend endured and witnessed while riding out the most destructive natural disaster in American history.
But as Bevis discusses in the video, it wasn't the storm itself that did most of the damage. Levee failure, subsequent flooding and the pitifully slow governmental response were what really did New Orleans in.
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New Video: Louise Shaffer and "The Ladies of Garrison Gardens" |
AuthorViews is pleased to introduce Emmy-winning actress and author Louise Shaffer.
AuthorViews interviewed Shaffer at the 2007 Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans about her most recent novel, The Ladies of Garrison Gardens, the sequel to her debut novel, The Three Miss Margarets.
The Ladies of Garrison Gardens is a page-turning mystery about friendships, secrets and fortune in a small southern town.
In this video, Shaffer talks about how her training as an actress influenced her ability to create realistic characters that readers can't help but believe.
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New Video: Paula Chase-Hyman and "So Not the Drama" |
AuthorViews is pleased to present two minutes with young adult fiction author Paula Chase-Hyman, cut from her interview at the 2007 Virginia Festival of the Book.
Chase-Hyman met up with AuthorViews to discuss So Not the Drama, the first novel in her Del Rio Bay Clique series. So Not the Drama is a funny and meaningful story about friendships, name-calling and the pursuit of popularity in high school. What makes this novel different than your typical high school story, however, is its incorporation of ethnic and cultural diversity. Finally, a teen book in which not all the characters are white!
There are now two more Del Rio Bay Clique novels available, as well: Don't Get It twisted and That's What's Up.
In this video, Chase-Hyman talks about So Not the Drama, and her inspiration to write stories for teens that embrace -- rather than ignore -- diversity.
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New Video: Shelley Jackson and "The Chainbreaker Bike Book" |
AuthorViews would like to introduce the lovely Shelley Lynn Jackson, New Orleans bike mechanic and co-author of The Chainbreaker Bike Book: A Rough Guide to Bicycle Maintenance.
We interviewed Jackson at the 2007 New Orleans Book Fair, right after we interviewed her co-author Ethan Clark. The Chainbreaker Bike Book is part repair guide and part zine -- an interesting read for bike enthusiasts and would-be mechanics.
In this video, Jackson talks about The Chainbreaker Bike Book and her experiences as a female bike mechanic.
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New Video: Tedd M. Walley and "MATHILDA" |
AuthorViews is pleased to present two minutes with writer, graphic artist and publisher, Tedd M. Walley, cut from his interview at the 2008 Alternative Media Expo in New Orleans. Walley is the creator of Voodoo Maverick Publishing and its explicit, violent and unique comic book series, MATHILDA: The Forces of Evil VS. The 3rd Grade.
At first glance, I didn't know what to expect. Walley approached the AuthorViews booth dressed completely in black -- black boots, black leather pants, black shirt and black hat -- with tattoos, piercings, aviator sunglasses, and even a few skulls here and there. You don't have to be a detective to figure out why Walley is often referred to as the "man-in-black" of the comic book world.
Once the interview began, it was obvious that beneath the dark exterior was an extremely talented, creative and well-spoken individual. Walley is an entrepreneur, comprising his own one-man company called Voodoo Maverick Publishing. Walley founded the company so that he could launch, develop and market MATHILDA effectively.
It's amazing how much effort Walley puts into Voodoo Maverick and MATHILDA. He does everything -- writing, penciling, inking, lettering, advertising, marketing, promotions and web design. All this on the side of his full-time job as the Professor of Visual Communication at Delgado Community College in New Orleans.
In this video, Walley discusses MATHILDA and why he thinks readers enjoy it so much.
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New Book: Savo Heleta and "NOT MY TURN TO DIE" |
AuthorViews is privileged to introduce Savo Heleta, author of NOT MY TURN TO DIE: Memoirs of a Broken Childhood in Bosnia, a personal account of his family's tragic experiences in the war-torn city of Gorazde, Bosnia, during the civil war in the 1990s.
When I was a little kid, I remember hearing about Bosnia on the news and in school almost every day. I heard what was said, but that's really all it was to me -- words -- part of a story I couldn't even begin to understand.
While I was enjoying my childhood naivety, 5,000 miles across the world, Heleta and his little sister, Sanja, only a few years older than I was, were living in complete fear every day -- threatened, shot at, terrorized, detained, and starved -- simply because they were Serbs living in a Muslim city.
Now the Bosnian conflict from the '90s is back in the news again, as Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton recently made MIS-statements about dodging sniper fire when she visited Bosnia during the war. Here's what Heleta has to say about the recent Hillary-Bosnia controversy.
Over the past few weeks, Heleta has been gaining recognition throughout the media not just as the author of an anticipated bestselling book, but as a survivor of a horrific event who has adopted a philosophy of forgiveness, reconciliation and teaching rather than hatred and revenge. Now working towards his Masters Degree in Conflict Transformation and Management at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), Heleta devotes a great deal of his time trying to convey that what happened to him and his family could happen to anyone in the presence of power-hungry, corrupt leadership.
Heleta has provided us with an excerpt from NOT MY TURN TO DIE called, "Muslims or Serbs: Who Is To Blame?" It's a poignant overview of some of the horrifying experiences Heleta and his family endured in their home city of Gorazde.
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FREE Internet PR Chat Series Released on AuthorViews |
AuthorViews President Steve O'Keefe runs a FREE Internet PR Chat series every week for his sister company Patron Saint Productions, a publishing consultancy specializing in online marketing strategy, campaigns, and training.
Steve's lessons are informative, interesting and interactive, so we thought it would be a good idea to introduce the AuthorViews audience to the series. It's a completely FREE program, and we invite anyone interested to participate.
The chat series takes place every Friday from 12noon ET to 1PM ET, using Skype and FreeConferenceCall.com. Each week Steve teaches a different topic in online PR, such as social networking, online video syndication, blog PR, discussion group PR, and more.
To join the action, there is a FreeConferenceCall.com dial-in number and access code. When the lesson is about to start, simply dial 712-451-6100 and when asked for the code, input 596632#, and you'll be connected to the lesson instantly. It's really easy and toll charges or minutes are based on your own phone plan.
During each lesson, messages, files and links are passed through a chat program called Skype. Although you don't need to have Skype to participate on the call, it makes the lessons easier to follow, so we encourage you to download it if you don't already have it. Skype is a new technology with an already massive user base, so it's a great program to familiarize yourself with anyway. You can download Skype here.
If you have any questions about the FREE Internet PR Class, please feel free to contact us.
In addition, we will be posting transcripts and podcasts of each lesson after it takes place, so you can get all the info even if you're unavailable while the class is going on live. You can start looking for the transcripts and podcasts on AuthorViews every Friday afternoon after the class.
Hope to catch some of you tomorrow!
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New Video: Antonio Crawford and "Henrietta the Hyena" |
AuthorViews is pleased to present two minutes with writer, publisher, and now children's book author, Antonio Crawford, cut from his interview at the 2007 Virginia Festival of the Book.
Crawford has been in the publishing business for years, but this is the first kids' book he has been involved with. What a debut! Henrietta the Hyena, written and published by Crawford, is a fun, captivating and educational children's story, filled with bright, colorful illustrations and a writing style that evokes learning.
In this video, Crawford talks about Henrietta the Hyena and the joy he gets from working with and teaching children.
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New Video: Louie Crowder and "Calme Au Blanc" |
Louie Crowder's Calme Au Blanc is a play about living and loving in downtown New Orleans, around the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
AuthorViews met up with Louie Crowder at the 2008 Alternative Media Expo in New Orleans to talk about Calme Au Blanc. In this two-minute video cut from his interview, Crowder discusses how living in a city as culturally rich as New Orleans can have a profound impact on what people do and how they do it. For Crowder, New Orleans culture permeates what he writes about and even his writing style.
We are releasing this video just in time for Calme Au Blanc's final week of performances. After a successful run at the Big Top Gallery in New Orleans, this is your last chance to catch the play.
The final three performances are Thursday through Saturday, March 27 - 29, at 8:00PM at the Big Top Gallery.
Also, to give you a preview of Calme Au Blanc, Crowder was nice enough to provide an excerpt from the play, which you can read below the video.
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New Video: Ethan Clark and "Leaning with Intent to Fall" |
AuthorViews is proud to present two entertaining minutes with New Orleans biker, punk, and author Ethan Clark, cut from his interview at the 2007 New Orleans Book Fair.
Leaning with Intent to Fall is a series of Clark's personal stories about public drunkenness, getting chased by stray dogs, hitchhiking across the country, and other wacky and amusing adventures that celebrate the biker-punk subculture. Clark's stories take place in pre-Katrina and post-Katrina New Orleans, as well as in Asheville, NC, where Clark relocated after the hurricane.
In this video, Clark talks about some of the wild things that happened to him in his first month-and-a-half back to New Orleans after Katrina, while he was trying to finish up his book.
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