Spotlighted Author Aaron Kuykendall Shares in Interview

I'm so pleased to spend time with Aaron today and to share a little about his writing here on Book Reader's Heaven! Aaron will also be at Facebook's Reviewers Roundup Discussion Board this week, talking about "Fatherhood Is Still A Factor!" Watch for Final Details Soon!

Aaron, where are you and your beautiful family from?

I’m from Albany Georgia.

When did you start writing?

I’ve been writing since 1999.

When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

I didn’t know per se! I simply started writing one day; attempting to mimic the writing styles of my favorite authors. It was more of an "if they can do it—it can’t be that hard" type of experiment which blossomed into a would-be career.

Your first book was planned as a series? What happens next?

My readers are taken back to the ‘ORIGIN’ of existence and to a destiny protagonist Kalista Flaker must embrace to save us all.

Where do your ideas and subjects come from?

Many areas of interests! The most prevalent being my background as a military brat, a horror enthusiast, conspiracy theorist, etc.

Did writing come natural to you or is it something that you had/have to work on?

I feel that I’m a natural when it comes to being a storyteller, but the technical side of writing is a continuing challenge I must admit.

Did you go to school for writing?

Well during my sophomore year in college I took a creative writing course simply for credits. Scores weren’t exactly the best, but I enjoyed the course. And contrary to what my professor may say if tracked down, I did learn something.

That's funny! I think I would track him down now and send him a copy of your book with a bold signature! Did you ever think that your first book would take off like it did?

No I didn’t!

Who were the people or person that inspired you to write?

Stephen King, Rick Hautala, Michael Marshall, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelly, Robert Louis Stevenson, James Patterson, Jack Higgins, S.E. Chase, Nicholas Sparks, my all-time favourite Dean Koontz, etc.

Dean is one of my favorite authors too...sometime we'll have to talk about the evolution of his stories! How many different drafts of a manuscript do you go through before you publish?

Don’t have a number for you, but I have to admit many. And this is due to the tremendous amount of research material I must make my way through in order to give my writing an equal amount of truth and fiction.

What has been your favorite story/subject that you have written about and why?

My favorite I would have to say Conspirator’s Odyssey The Evolution of the Patron Saint due to the subject line and the scary truth backing the most outrageously probable and plausible story I’ve fathomed.

I knew you'd say that because you know I like Writer's Block better! LOL Tell me, what kind of environment do you prefer when you’re writing?

A private study with a mini fridge full of plenty of junk food and superman paraphernalia!

That's funny coming from a professional chef! Junk Food! You always were my kind of man! Superman? You Bet...would love to see you in your "costume"! LOL and Just Kidding! What tips do you have for aspiring writers?

Think of yourself as a storyteller and remind yourself of this every time you can.

Have you always had the desire to write?

Yes!

What is your favorite part and least favorite part about being a writer?

Favorite being expression and least favorite being the rejection.

Where do you see yourself and your writing in 10 years?

I see my writing being technically improved given the lessons of my editors and I see myself as a bestseller!

Great self-confident answer! I wonder if you'll still be writing about conspiracy then! What do you do when you get stuck in writing?

I use the eleven bullet points from the Writer’s First-Aid Card gotten from www.timetowrite.com

How do you become knowledgeable about the topic you want to write about?

I research at one of my favorite places; the public library.

Have you ever wanted to quit? What did you do when that thought struck you?

Yes I’ve wanted to quit at times. When that thought struck me I simply took my own advice and reminded myself that I’m a storyteller.

What are you working on now?

Currently I’m working on the re-write to the first novel in my Writer’s Block horror trilogy to be released under a nom de plum. And of course I’m on the sixth version of the second book in the Conspirator’s Odyssey series ‘ORIGIN’.

What projects do you have for the future?

Conspirator’s Odyssey: Origin & Writer’s Block: The Possession

Does your story/subject change direction after you have begun writing it?

Oh yes! Any true storyteller will admit to that fact.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment to date?

Publication and a (though short lived) rather amazing publishing success.

Can we find you anywhere online? Where?

This list is shown as a different blog entry!

How do you feel about social site marketing, is it beneficial to your present marketing?

As you can see from the last question asked, I find social marketing one outstanding avenue for any author.

Have questions? Aaron will appear on Facebook Tuesday or Wednesday...we're finalizing times now! And check out my review of his first book!

Review: Redefining Beautiful by Guest Blogger Janet Morris Grimes

Redefining Beautiful
Janet Morris Grimes
(Click Article Title to Visit Janet's Site)

Designed as an easy read for teen-aged girls, Redefining Beautiful takes an uplifting view of the issues most important at that age: boys, beauty, fashion, popularity, and the struggle for self-esteem that attempts to undermine any success with any of the above.

Interspersed with snippets of Bible stories as well as inspirational insights from Max Lucado, this book brings a three-pronged approach to life as a Christian teen girl searching for acceptance in a world that tells her she will never belong.

Recognizing that the self image of any girl is largely based on her relationship (or lack thereof) with her own father, the book points the reader toward the acceptance and unconditional love of a heavenly father. With this as a background, the author stresses the changes a true relationship with God makes in both the inward and outward appearance.

My favorite tips include the creative use of Vaseline as a beauty accessory and allowing Facebook to identify the depth of the reader’s own bond with God.

The closing chapter invites the reader to dig deep into their own past to put in writing what she may want for her future, promising that the end of the story is always best written by God himself.

Girls of any age need this reminder from time to time. Therefore, this book comes highly recommended.

Review: Ruby's Slippers Great Takeoff of Wizard of Oz!

Ruby’s Slippers
By Leanna Ellis
B&H Publishing Group
ISBN: 9780805446982
337 Pages


One of my all-time loved musicals is The Wizard of Oz. When I realized that Ruby’s Slippers was a takeoff from this story, I was thrilled. While The Wizard of Oz is great fun, however, Ruby’s Slippers by Leanna Ellis is a delightful, heartwarming story—in many ways, more wonderful and fulfilling than the original story!

Dorothy and Abby lived in Kansas with their mother; their father had left them when Dorothy was four, but their mother would never talk about what happened. Both Abby and Dorothy grew up wondering, what they might have done, to cause their father to leave them.

Even after their mother died, Dorothy stayed there at the farm. She was a teacher but also kept the farm going with lots of hard work.

Abby had left long ago to fulfill her dream of becoming an actress, but as she grew older and parts became harder to find, she begged Dorothy to sell the farm so that she could have her share of their inheritance. Dorothy always opposed this, of course, wanting to keep the farm as her home. It had caused problems between the two sisters, for Dorothy didn’t have the money to buy out her sister’s share.

Until the tornado came...

In an instant, all the farm, buildings and animals were gone! Dorothy had also been caught in the tornado and was left in a coma.

When she awakened, she’s in a rest home for the elderly in California. Abby had her moved there so she could continue to work. Dorothy also learns that Abby had been given legal responsibility and the farmland had been placed up for sale at an auction in the near future!

She is also told that her father had visited her and had left a box for her. The box contained a pair of ruby slippers. Dorothy knew her grandmother had worked on the set of the original show starring Judy Garland, but she had never heard about the shoes. Were they from the original show? And why did her father have the shoes, only to leave them here for her? She could only assume that they had been her grandmother's, and so when she spoke of them she talked about Ruby’s Slippers...

Oh yes, Dorothy is led to follow a yellow-brick road—she must somehow find her father, find out about the slippers, and hopefully figure out how to get money to prevent the farm from being sold! And, indeed, she finds friends along the way, who decide to join her as she travels!

Dorothy did indeed ultimately find that there is “no place like home”—but this story takes a detour like you’d not have imagined—and theft and danger is around every turn in the road!

Ellis has done a fantastic job in having an underlying parallel to the original story, while taking her story into an entirely different genre. Kudos to her for excellent writing and providing an adventure that brings this great storyline up-to-date in a manner that will speak to all ages! Only in Ruby’s Slippers by Leanna Ellis, it might surprise you to discover that the one who provides the magical love and guidance previously bestowed by Glinda, the Good Witch...Could be the Almighty God!

Christian fiction at its finest!

G. A. Bixler

Review: Inspiring Stories of Miracles in Daily Life!

Miracles
A 52-Week Devotional
By Karen Kingsbury
Hachette Book Group
ISBN: 9780446557955
223 Pages


I tried, I really tried to read Miracles by Karen Kingsbury straight through! But I couldn't, the most I was able to read at one sitting was two or three. Surely, Kingsbury was led by God in deciding that this small, beautiful book, was to be used year-round!

Say, on a Monday morning, when you are just starting your workweek and need to know that you are sheltered in His love...

Or, perhaps, on a Saturday night, when you want to stop and rejoice in knowing that throughout the week, there have been many, many personal, life-saving, or life-inspiring miracles that have happened all over the world!

Each of the weekly stories are anywhere from 3 to 5 pages; many of them center on family life, especially highlighting children. One I especially liked involved a family going on a camping weekend. The parents didn't feel a need to pray for great weather, thinking that they shouldn't bother God with small, personal issues. But when rain prevented them from building a campfire and there would be no dinner, the two children took matters into their own hands--they left the campfire site and prayed for the rain to stop. It did. That is, at their campsite. The next morning the Ranger confirmed that it had rained all afternoon and evening everywhere else! God listens to our smallest prayers!

Not every story shares a miracle that we have prayed for. One man's prayer was simply that his wife would be able to understand and accept his own death, while his wife, of course, prayed for him to be healed. Though he died, his wife had seen the angel that had visited her husband and was able to know that it was God's plan for her husband to go at that time.

Many of the stories tell of an individual magically appearing or being there when most needed--an angel, dressed like anybody else, but somehow shining and with bright eyes. Oftentimes it is only afterward that those who saw the angels) became convinced that it had to have been a heavenly visitor--a miracle.

So many stories, like...

The one about the car that started without a battery...
The one about the teenager who had lost her kitten, her friend, and rediscovered that she had a Heavenly Father who wanted to be her very best friend...
Or the couple that was looking for the perfect baby to adopt, and discovered, instead, that God had his own choice for what child would become theirs...
Or about the young man who had run away to become a prizefighter, but met an angel on a train...

When the power of God is brought into daily life, it is an exciting and heartwarming time for those involved. Reading about what happens to those who put their faith and trust in God is both inspiring and a challenge to each of us! Karen Kingsbury, in her 52-week devotional, Miracles, ensures you understand the "possibilities" that are available. One of these stories may be the one that will help change your life! You decide - Is this a must-read for You?

Also would make a beautiful Christmas gift/stocking stuffer!

G. A. Bixler

Review: Novel Takes Readers Into Dramatic Life of Psychiatric Hospital Patients!

Don’t Look Down
By David Laing Dawson
Bridgeross Communications
ISBN: 9780981003757
174 Pages


Don’t Look Down by David Laing Dawson is different...I don’t think it is a true story, but it is certainly fiction based upon the reality faced by the author as a clinical psychiatrist. At a minimum, I found it to be an indictment of the prison system and, perhaps, even the hospitals, as individuals who commit violent crimes are shuffled back and forth between the two institutions. Whether or not this was intended, it came through for me!

Consider Frank who has just served a ten-year sentence in prison for manslaughter. When his prison term is up, instead of being free, he is sent to a psychiatric hospital and placed in a room where there are three other men. As one of the men questions, why should these men feel safe living in such small quarters with someone who has murdered someone.

Henry was my favorite character. Most of the time he was clear in his head and probably would have been more often if he was not housed in the facility where his lawyer and doctors were trying to determine if he was able to stand trial. He had murdered his long-time companion. At her request. Oh, she didn’t specifically say that he should buy a gun and shoot her in the temple, but she had begged him to not have her lie and suffer until her death, like his first wife had done. Henry did the best he could to honor his wife’s dying request.

Joseph was delusional about his wife—claiming that she was always having affairs and becoming severely depressed because of those delusions. David was schizophrenic and had been accused of killing Sally, a street woman with whom he had started to live, but David’s response was only that he had killed the thing that Sally had become...

“...it occurred to Henry that perhaps he was already dead. This could be it, he thought, a Spartan waiting room in Limbo, his keepers trading messages about him, deciding to pass him on or not.” (p. 109)

Daily life, the hours spent sitting in silence, waiting for medication or a meal, watching others, watching you continued. Until Frank attacked Joseph one night...

Don’t Look Down is not an easy book to read. Perhaps it will seem too real to you, but, then, perhaps you need to read it for one reason or another. Certainly professionals and students of psychiatry would find it a must-read. Certainly anybody who has friends or family in psychiatric hospitals should...

What any reader will find in the book, though, is that these men are just people, just like us, if our circumstances had been different, or were changed in the future... Excellent writing style for describing the personalities of these characters; you will come to care for each of them, even Frank. David Laing Dawson lays the truth on the line; will you be one that picks it up?

G. A. Bixler

Review: Burn Victim with No Fingers Becomes Professional Drummer!

How Can YOU Play Drums?
By John Caro
iUniverse
ISBN: 9781440153426
104 Pages


This is a true story about a little boy. It is written by his father, John Caro. But you might think before you finish reading How Can YOU Play Drums? that this miraculous story was also inspired by God. For surely God has been with Dan Caro, since he was nearly killed by a fire that occurred when Dan was just two years old.

One key point I found important was that John Caro admitted that he prayed for God to take his little son once he saw the damage and realized how much pain Danny was in. It isn’t easy to admit to yourself, let alone in a book that you would rather have your son die than live as he is. To me, this was the basis of believing in John’s honesty and truthfulness in sharing the story.

Because you will find it hard to believe!

I wonder why we are always surprised to see God’s miracles?

On the back of the cover of this book, Bennie Bough, past president of Toastmasters International recommends Dan Caro as a speaker for conferences or conventions! This is said about a man who once had no lips, nose, or eyelids because they were burned away. Today, Dan may be speaking somewhere near you, as you read this, since he travels across the country, both to play his drums and speak to thousands of people...

Danny Caro also had no fingers. But at the age of twelve, he decided he’d like to play the drums. Dan became a professional drummer.

How Can YOU Play Drums? shares the Caro family story from the time of the accident. You will read about the trauma he experienced as medical staff worked with Danny to save his life. You will see him as he was, soon after he was burned and then as skin grafts were made. You will also see how he handled it when he faced discrimination when a jazz instructor coldly asked him how he could possible play the drums.

But more important you will see each triumph of both Danny and the other members of his family. Those are the bases upon which you will also rejoice and be inspired through Danny’s decisions as he faced the world as a burn victim. You will cry, smile and laugh!

God saw the tragedy that happened to little Danny. First He cried for his little child...and then He shouted, “Have I got a plan for this boy!”

The subtitle of the book is “Finding Positives From Adversity.” This indeed is what you will find. But when you read How Can YOU Play Drums? by John Caro, believe me—readers will find so much more...

G. A. Bixler