|
Wednesday, 02 April 2008 |
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.
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 April 2008 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Tuesday, 01 April 2008 |
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.
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 April 2008 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Monday, 31 March 2008 |
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.
|
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 31 March 2008 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Thursday, 27 March 2008 |
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.
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 March 2008 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Thursday, 27 March 2008 |
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!
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 March 2008 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Tuesday, 25 March 2008 |
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.
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 26 March 2008 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
