What is your writing schedule like? -Schwartz: Any time of the day or evening works for me to write, but I would agree with many that evenings are the best time as they are generally quiet and one can focus on his/her work. How do you think you’ve improved since you began your writing career? -Schwartz: It’s amazing how quickly a writer can acknowledge his own mistakes, poor character development, and inefficient language usage. I compare my earlier version of Book 1 to the rest of the series and the improvement there in style, content, and layout is very obvious. Like any kind of designer, upon completion a writer asks himself the enduring question: how would you do it differently next time? I’ve not only become wiser with story creation, description, and layout, but also more show and public relations savvy as I am self-published and attend many book shows and conventions to advertise and sell my books. As with any other discipline, the learning here never ends. When did you want to become an author and why? -Schwartz: This story makes and examination of religious fanaticism and gang violence, all woven into a superhero dynamic duo action-adventure. The terror attacks on Sept 11, 2001 inspired me to write about the controversial issue of killing in the name of God, all in an attempt to find an answer. As an elementary school student I loved writing stories, however ridiculous, so I felt the time had come to retread that passion. What is your favorite part of the writing process? -Schwartz: My favorite part is writing the climatic conclusion of a particular episode or story. The awesome ending will always race in your mind like a wild animal beating on the cage bars to escape. Writing is a slow hobby, so when the end is finally being written and taking shape it’s an exciting and rewarding experience. What advice would you give aspiring authors? -Schwartz: I tell all aspiring authors to always have a writing utensil and a small notebook handy. You won’t think of everything sitting at your desk. Your best ideas oftentimes come when engaged in menial labor, running an errand, exercising, or snoozing in bed. Rest is also excellent advice. Writing is a slow hobby; don’t expect anything to happen quickly. When you force the words onto paper it becomes obvious and the narrative sounds tired and repetitive. Taking a week off between segments is a good idea. Let your mind recover and conceive fresh ideas. Who is your favorite character throughout your books and why? -Schwartz: There are three main characters in the Ratarra series, so it’s hard to choose one favorite. All three of them are different and unique in their own way, but more importantly they each offer a particular viewpoint in the story, one we can all relate to. Damian is very ideological, passionate, and emotionally involved with his divine mission. Cam just likes to have fun and cause havoc on the bad guys. Riman, their mentor, is an atheist, a master of guises, a spy, and mechanical engineer. Each have their own perspective on the issue involved with the story, and I can understand each one. As this story involves religious issues, I felt it important to include both theist and atheist attitudes. If you could live in any fictional universe what would it be? - Schwartz: The Star Wars universe looks the most appealing to me. I’d love to fly a spaceship from system to system, carrying a blaster, peddling some rare merchandise with some alien vigilantes, and perhaps being drawn in to the larger galactic struggle with the Empire to become some unlikely hero or ace pilot. Learning the Force would be an incredible spiritual adventure, but for that mental and physical crucible I can wait until I’m ready. The time for Yoda will come as the Force wills, you see. About the AuthorTell us a little about yourself:
I’m an average guy, mild-mannered and soft-spoken, father of three grown children and husband of twenty-five years. I work at a grocery chain by day to make ends meet. I enjoy gardening, writing, tabletop wargaming, and non-fiction reading (mostly history).
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In an attempt to make their lives normal for once, the Undertow gang realizes it is not possible, that their lives will forever be filled with the excitement that comes with having supernatural abilities. One of their problems is the FBI agent that won't stop bothering them about the incident at the Breakers. He knows more than he should such as the truth about Ana's mom. Why would he of all people know Ana's mom? Then there is another problem they are left with in the first book. They need Elizabeth's necklace and the diary that Nikki Shea, the evil high school cheerleader, has. Will there be a feud or an illegal heist? On top of that a new character shows up. Sketchy and mysterious the Undertow gang is unsure whether he is to be trusted. But he knows Elizabeth. How? Those are just some of the problems to list. Stormfront is a wonderful sequel full of wild twists and turns. The ending will leave you shocked. Christian is hiding something, something the reader will never suspect. If you are a fan of the first book then you definitely need to read Stormfront. It is a wonderful sequel full of twists and turns. (No spoilers).
1. What is your writing schedule like? - Coffill: I love writing at night with my headphones and listening to all kinds heavy metal, soft and hard rock. I also like the oldies like Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley. 2. Are you a part of any writing groups or organizations? - Coffill: I am a proud member of the New England Horror Writers and me also, a proud member of Horror Writers Of Maine and Horror Authors Alliance (I founded both groups) and with Horror Writers Of Maine, we try to do a lot of comic cons and expos. 3. Have you won any writing awards? - Coffill: No awards out of school, just a couple while I was in high school. 4. What was your first published work? - Coffill: The Rain. I later bought my rights back and re-wrote it and called it, Cursed Darkness. 5. How do you think you've approved since you began your writing career? - Coffill: Research. Have mentors who have more experience than you. Always keep in open mind. If a mentor tells you to keep working on your writing, you do it! This has happened to me many times, and I welcome it! You always want to be better than you were five years ago. 6. How long have you've been a published author? - Coffill: Since 2003 7. Which one of your works are you most proud of? - Coffill: I love The Eyes Within and Nightbeast. 8. When did you want to become an author and why? - Coffill: Age twelve. I love telling stories and writing a novel was a challenge, but a fun one! 9. What is your favorite part of the writing process? - Coffill: When I get an idea for a story, I write it down and then I try to bring it alive. 10. If you could have lunch with any author in history who would it be and why? - Coffill: Stephen King. He opened the door for horror writers. His type of writing attracted me, and I took an immediate interest in his stories. Also, all of the donations he has done for his local community of Bangor and what he has done for children has been amazing. 11. What made you want to write in this genre? - Coffill: As a child, I was allowed to watch horror movies. My parents were cool enough for me to do so. I, also love the fear factor. 12. If you couldn't be an author what would your ideal career be? - Coffill: Sales. I love selling stuff like Computers, books or anything that interacts with a customer. 13. What advice would you give to aspiring authors? - Coffill: Never stop writing or give up! Do your research and never listen to anyone telling you can't do it! If it's your dream...just do it! 14. Who is your favorite character throughout all of your books and why? - Coffill: One book comes to mind. My vampire character, Nolan Kraoe from my book, Nightbeast. Teenagers are strangely attracted to him. I get letters in the mail on how they want to marry him or have him go to the prom with them. It's strange, but I am flattered by all of the attention he gets. 15. If you could live any fictional universe what would it be? - Coffill: Star Wars, Star Trek. I love those universes. About the AuthorTell us a little about yourself: I grew up in Freeport, Maine. Graduated from Freeport High School in 1992. Went to Andover College for computers. In March of 1993, I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. I was only nineteen when they found the disease. I have been married once, but that ended in divorce. I got married again to my beautiful wife, Shelley on May 23, 2015. I have two beautiful daughters, Madelyn, and Savannah. Maddie is five and Sissa are four. I took online classes with US Career Institute and Full Sail University, but my health kept interfering with my courses. I was also diagnosed with Coronary Artery Disease, which I suffered two mild heart attacks, one in Dec 2011 and my second in June 2013. I started writing when I was twelve, and I have fifteen unpublished books and four unpublished short stories. I write poetry. I published my poem in 1997 in the anthology, “By The Light Of The Moon.” My poem was called, “Heart Like A Rose.” I only write poetry for my wife now. I currently live in Windham, Maine. My day jobs are: Premium Retail Services, I do sales and merchandising for them. I also an inspector/mystery shopper for Trendsource. I also work for Goodwill as a custodian. I am on disability for Crohn's Disease due to the surgeries, including the one flare up that happened on Easter, 2002, where the Crohn's perforated my large bowel, and I died from it. I had an ileostomy bag for six months, and I was able to recover. I found my Faith in Jesus Christ in 1996, and it's gotten stronger ever since.
Celaena Sardothien became the world's most notorious assassin before the age of seventeen. For a whole year she has spent her time locked in the Endovier Salt Mines, also known as a death camp for criminals. She was the first to almost escape. Now she was getting her opportunity. If she won a competition to be the King's Champion, she would work for him for four years then gain her freedom. Celaena is cocky and sarcastic. Maas makes a notorious killer lovable. Though she's an assassin she's like any other human. She loves to read, loves candy, and puppies. Perhaps Calaena was right. Maybe she was fighting a good cause and the government was just corrupt, but Maas leaves this a mystery for the next book in her trilogy. The story may not end with a cliff hanger but the reader is left starving to know Calaena's past. Why did she kill those people? Who is this past lover and what happened to her parents? Dorian is the Crown Prince and a womanizer at that. He has slept with every woman in Adarlan, the kingdom he resides in. You think this would make him distasteful, but his conversations with Celaena are often humorous and awkward. Chaol, the Captain of the Guard, seems uptight at first, but we know he's like that because of his profession. It's his job to guard Celana so she doesn't kill anyone but also to protect her. Let's just say he starts to care for her later. Then there is Nehemia, a princess from Eyllwe who befriends Celaena. What she doesn't know is who Celeana is. We also don't know for some time what Nehemia's real intention of being there is. Aside from having likable characters, the plot is intricate and exciting. Celaena's first problem is to win the competition. She's then faced with another when her competitor's start getting killed off. The killings make it seem like it's done by something not so human. Celaena has something to fear: losing the competition. She either gets mysteriously killed like her competitors or if she loses she goes back to the death camp. Either way she is surrounded by death. If you haven't read Sarah J. Maas's bestselling series then you need to get in the loop. It took Maas a decade to get Throne of Glass from inception to publication. She started out writing Throne of Glass on fictionpress.com, a site for fan fiction and other writing works to be shared on the internet. There she developed thousands of fans who anticipated the release of Throne of Glass. If you would like to check out the book click on the box above. You can also follow Sarah J. Maas on twitter @SJMaas.
At first glance when I saw this book, I thought (a) this book was going to be extremely pretentious and (b) it was going to be boring. On this instance, I was far from the truth. I found “How to Read Literature like a Professor” insightful, expanding my thinking process. It makes the reader dig deeper into a literary work to discover any hiding meanings the writer wants us to find. Often times in English class I would feel lost when the teacher would explain a composition (story, poem, etc). I wondered whether we were reading the same work. They are able to find hidden meanings, meanings that to any teenager may not seem clean cut (especially in works of Old English). I could imagine that many of my classmates also struggled with this. Being an author, I did have an advantage to finding the meaning of these symbols and figurative language, but many times I looked at my teacher with a perplexed look. Sometimes I even thought it was a bunch of bologna, not everything is a symbol. (Foster later states in “How to..” that they’re not always symbols, but there are many of them). Many times, she [my teacher] would even accuse us of not doing our homework because we would not volunteer our insights. It was not a failure on our part. We just did not know how to read a story the same way she did. This book will teach you all the useful tips needed to read a text in depth. For all the avid readers: “How to…” will definitely transform the way you read. Besides it being insightful, I did not find it a least bit dull. I’m not usually a fan of nonfiction books because many have the habit of not being concise enough or stimulating. “How to…” gets to the point yet after the three hundred pages I thought there was still more to be discussed. That is how a book should leave you fiction or not, to wish that there was more. Although it may not seem stimulating in the sense stories with action make one feel, it is stimulating in the intellectual sense. I know many people may not have enjoyed “How to Read Literature like a Professor” as their summer reading. But hey, it wasn’t written for students anyway. It was written for readers and any reader should find this book useful. |
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February 2017
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