Ever seen the movie, The Priest?

Well, whether you said yes or no, it doesn't matter, haha. This book isn't based from the movie, unless I'm living in the Twilight Zone or something. But, that doesn't mean the book or the movie are bad. Well, I thought the movie could've been better, but that's me. 

Anyway, I'm trying to give the thunder to Monica La Porta...though I believe I'm failing miserably. So, before I damage things any further, here's a word from our wonderful guest:

Hi, my name is Monica La Porta and I’m honored to be L.A. Tripp’s blog guest today.

I was reading L.A.’s posts and one in particular got my attention. He wrote about problems in life, passions, and the fact that unless you’ve reached the abyss you’d never know what you hold dear. Three years ago, one morning, I woke up and decided I wanted to write a novel. I had been sleep walking for a while, then a friend’s illness and the despair following her loss reminded me we are here for a short period of time. I know, it sounds cliché, but it was my cold shower. I had wanted to write for the longest time, but never sat down and start tapping on the keyboard. That morning, something clicked inside my rusted brain and I thought, “It’s going to happen.” Three years later, almost eight finished novels, one published, I can’t go a day without writing. I knew I liked it—I kept a journal and felt happy any time I conquered a difficult passage—but I didn’t know it would be my passion.

When I started writing my first novel, I knew I wanted people to read it. The language challenge immediately presented itself. Which one to use? My native Italian or the more international English? I went for English. The idea is to reach a larger number of potential readers after all. In order to write in a language I learned to speak when I was already in my thirties—not one’s prime when it comes to learn languages in general—I rebooted my brain and the way I lay out my thoughts. I’m pleased to say that the first story I wrote is still unpublished, but lucky number six has been released into the Amazon wild a few months ago. Three years and slightly more than seven hundred thousand words later, I’m still here, tapping on this battered keyboard, happy to be able to do so and knowing it is a privilege.

Recently, I was asked why, among all the stories I’ve written in those three years, I chose to embark in the publishing voyage with The Priest. To answer that question I have to confess I am an unrepentant thinker. It’s not something I developed with age, I was born with it. Some would say it’s a curse, I say it’s liberating. I like to think about how things are, why I like them or why I don’t. I like to think that if you let knowledge possess you, you’ll eventually become a better person. A more tolerant person. I think.

Two years ago, news frequently focused on acts of bullying against kids seen as different because of their sexual orientation or simply because not conforming to the norm. At the same time, the idea that women could procreate without men’s contribution was being discussed as a possibility. I started imagining a place like our Earth, but where society had gone a different way. What would happen to this alternate Earth? The flash of inspiration hit me and I gave birth to an idea, as L.A. said in another post. The Priest is the first in a trilogy, The Ginecean Chronicles, and is set in a dystopian world, Ginecea, where women are in power and men are enslaved. Heterosexual love is deemed a perversion. Why start my career as a writer with a title condemning any form of racism and sexism? Because life is transient and if I could have only one shot at publishing my words. I want them to count. I want them to be my legacy. Verba volant, scripta manent.*

Thank you, L.A. Tripp for having me.

If you would like to know more about me, click here. This is where I talk about my hobbies and sometimes also about my writing.

If you want to take a look at The Priest and read an excerpt, click here. Don’t you think my cover artist did an exceptional job with the cover?

*Oral words fly, written words stay forever.

Monica, the honor has been mine.

As always, if you like what this author has to say in their guest spot, please patronize them by clicking on their book on the sidebar. I make absolutely nothing off your purchase through this site. I'm just glad to have them stop by and hope you get some pleasure from meeting another author.

 
We now have 28 different titles on this website and two of those come from two awesome authors' debut novels.

I believe they have both broke new ground with their stories...but then again, I'm bias, lol.

Claire Simons with Falling From Grace and Heather Whetstine with Twilight's Last Gleaming. In fact, I'll leave you with two reviews from Twilight's Last Gleaming:

Awesome, thought provoking, it could be tomorrow’s news. Twilight's Last Gleaming by Heather Whetstine, takes you on an emotional thrill-ride as Clare, an ordinary college teenager with a passion for truth in journalism is witness to the best America has to offer and the worst it had become. As I traveled alongside Clare, her compelling story caused me to think, and then I became angry, at what I knew to be the truth. Next I wanted to jump up, raise my right hand and scream, YES. 

This Book is a must-read for any person that loves their country. Although it takes place in America, it is a wakeup call for anyone who believes in freedom. I am reluctant to give five-star ratings because I am a realist, but I truly wish I had a sixth star at my disposal for Twilight’s Last Gleaming.

Enjoy this book, as I know you will.
Douglas Nelson (PopATop).
5 Stars *****


The corruption and remake of the structure of America is not a new idea, but the author, writing from the view of a naive youth is the catalyst needed to make one continue reading. Well written, quick pace, very good flow between past and present. It was also hard hitting, depressing and frightening with the knowledge all in the book is possible. Whether or not it could all happen in such a small amount of time is a matter worth thinking about. The only part I found a little hilarious is the belief Texas would be a 'safe' place in such a scenario. If you like diaspora this is definitely a book to read.

By Ey Wade

Disclaimer: I'm the publisher for both of the above books. So yes, I make a smidgen on each sale of these two books, however, I believe these books are awesome and should be picked up and read by everyone! So please patronize these authors and help them to build their writing career. They will be eternally grateful ;)
 

I asked this special author..."Where do you start?" Then she proceeds to pull her hair out. Just kidding. It's a question some authors are likely asked a lot. So I had to return the favor ;) Anyway, Ms Byrd gave us a fantastic response, so I wanted to share:

Katrina Renee Byrd

Where Do I Start?

I hear this question a lot. It is one question that packs a real punch. When people ask this one questions they are usually asking three things.

1. How do I get my ideas on paper?

2. Where do I find time to write?

3.. Where does the piece of work need to begin?

Where do I start? How do I get my ideas on paper?

I can think of some great ideas but when I try to write them, there’s nothing there.”

Honey, there’s something there,” I say as I fluff my boa. “You just have to know how to access it.”

One of the most common mistakes about getting ideas on paper is that we try to edit before we write. We hear the ideas in our head but we work diligently to erase them and we don’t even know it. Here let me show you. Take out a sheet of paper or open your word processor. Write the following:

sorry” she said but that wasn’t good enough for the teacher. She still said that she’d call her mother That scared Ellen. She walked slowly from her bus stop thinking… When she reached the front steps her mother stood on the porch. “Get into this house right now,” her mother said.

Look at what you’ve just written. Is it punctuated properly? Is it coherent? Is it something you want to share with your English teacher? Of course not but you have gotten the idea on paper. Take a minute to do some editing. Then take a look at my edits.

“Sorry,” Ella said. She stared at Mrs. Johnson, her second grade teacher behind thick glasses. Ella said it again, but sorry wasn’t good enough for Old Lady Johnson.

“I’m calling your mother this afternoon, young lady,” Mrs. Johnson said shaking a finger at Ella then turning her back to Ella and addressing the rest of the class.

Where do I start? Where do I find time to write?

I am too busy. I just don’t have time to write?

Busy doing what, honey?” I ask.

That’s the real question. We are all busy but what are we busy doing? If you want to be a writer you must write. I was shocked when I realized this concept. So walking around town advertising myself as a writer is not the same as being a writer? Sadly it is not. Neither is cleaning your house, nursing your boa flouncing career or being at every writers’ group meeting. So when I really embraced this concept I found some fun ways to write small pieces AND get feedback!! Dare I say it out loud? FACEBOOK, blogging, twitter… All of these entities give you the opportunity to come up with creative, short pieces in a short period of time. Another way to jump start your writing life is to carve out small periods of time for your writing. At this point it’s not the number of minutes or hours that you write but rather that you honor the time that you’ve set for yourself. If you say you are going to write from 3:00 pm – 3:02 pm then have your butt in chair, keyboard in hand and sit there for two, uninterrupted minutes of writing.

Where do I start? Where does the piece of work begin?

This question is a bit difficult to answer because so many of us write differently. Some use an outline, some fly by the seat of their pants and some do both. For me, I have come to realize that where I begin writing the story is not necessarily where the reader begins reading it. So when I sit down to begin writing a story I may begin writing “…and they lived happily ever after.” Where as once the story reaches the hands of the reader the first line he sees may be “Once upon a time.”

Some writers write linear and some don’t. Even with an outline I may choose to write chapter five first then go back and write chapter two. I really think the import thing is to know yourself and feel brave enough and free enough to begin writing wherever you’d like.

 So to answer the question where do I start? I say, “WRITE!”

As always, if you like what this author has to say in their guest spot, please patronize them by clicking on their book on the sidebar. I make absolutely nothing off your purchase through this site. I'm just glad to have them stop by and hope you get some pleasure from meeting another author.

 
We all have them.

What are yours?

What do you dream about? What gets your heart racing in the morning? What lights your fire through out the day?

What are your demons? What do you fight and struggle with, within yourself? Things that most people don't know about that you struggle with daily. What makes life challenging for you?

Good writers channel both their dreams and their demons into their writing. Writing is an art, and artists channel their inner selves into their work. Those things we struggle with, we put into words and flesh them out into fictional or non-fictional characters to bring them to life on the page...or screen. We attribute our own characteristics and characteristics of people we know and people we meet into these two-dimensional beings to make them seem three-dimensional. We have to live in the character's world for a while, then add heart and soul to each two-dimensional figure head.

We do this so that...

As a reader, you become completely engulfed in this world that we've presented to you. The goal is that we've reached into you mind, into your heart, into your soul, and touched, fondled, even squeezed and yanked your personal dreams and demons and ripped them out of you and placed them on the page or screen in front of you. We've put them right in front of your eyes and make you stand up and take notice of them. We've brought them to life for you to the extent that you can't deny their existence...if even for a few hours.

And we do this....to please you, the reader.

Yes, we bring your demons and dreams to the forefront of your mind and our demons and dreams to them...to entertain you. To please you. To make you happy.

To give you a break from your own life. And to pull you into our life.

Just briefly.

Then we'll let the chain drop that we've yanked you out with and let you fall back to your comfort zone, putting all of your dreams and demons back in their safe place.

But just until you read our next book ;)
 
Yes, we all hate to be hit by problems. And yes, for some problems, that's understandable. Yet, there are some problems which help us.

Do you know that you can never know what you're true, deepest, most intense passion is unless you've first experienced a deep valley in your life?

So yes, unfortunately some problems are needed. Just try not to artificially create more problems for yourself than you really need, lol.

It is funny, though, the link between passions and problems.

When I was growing up, I always wondered how someone knew what they could be passionate about. I mean, I would go out late at night and throw a basketball at a hoop, outside in the dark, getting bit by those pesky mosquitoes. Did it make me passionate about basketball? Ha! No. Did it make me good at basketball? Ha! That would also be a no.

I used to kick a soccer ball around in a parking lot at a little place my parents lived. I'd kick it against the wall of the automobile shop in front of us. One day I kicked it right through their window. Yep, my parents had to pay for that. Did that make me passionate about soccer? No. It just cost us money to replace a window.

When I started my adult life, I actually started with near perfect credit. My dad worked out a deal with a local banker and got me a small loan. I had good habits, so I had good credit. The banker himself told me that, and told me to stay on that track. Well, did that make me passionate about loans? Hahaha...no. 

However, two ex's, seven kids, and several years of financial difficulty later, I have indeed found some things I'm very passionate about.

So while you're going through your valleys of despair (yes, I said valleyS), find your next passion. At least get SOMETHING good out of the deal ;)
 
When we think of rebound, we normally think one of two things.

When you're playing basketball, rebound means you've grabbed the ball after it bounced away from the goal, and you threw it back in there successfully.

The other thing that comes to mind is when you just got out of a bad relationship and immediately throw yourself into another relationship before you're actually healed and ready to move on.

I want to create another connotation of rebound. A better one. Rebound as in rebirth.

I'm bringing my blog back to life. And, in the process, I'm inviting guest bloggers. You can blog about fiction, non-fiction, or just life in general. I just ask that your posts be mostly edited and legible, and that you have a passion about whatever you're posting.

Are you trying to brand your name? Great. Are you trying to brand your character? Great. I'll help you with that by offering you space on my humble page. Just bring your passion ;)