Ngaire Elder, Nicola Palmer and a bendy wand!!: Around the Cauldron

Ngaire Elder: Working by candlelit may conjure up quaint images from the Dickens era, but it isn’t much fun. Especially, when you have deadlines to meet and The Ed is breathing down your neck and waggling his bent wand at you!!!

Anyhow, by the grace of someone-who-cares-about-me, Senor ‘Leckie’ reappeared and brought a delightful glow to my lamps, and planted a huge, contented grin on my face. 

Living the dream has its downsides, of which there are many. But on a plus, where I live the sun fills the Spanish skies normally 300+ days of the year. 

Enough of my ramblings, today’s guest at the Wizard’s Cauldron is author, Nicola Palmer.

Oxford penmanship from Nicola Palmer

Nicola, is a marvellous writer. Her articulate and fresh writing style mixed with snippets of humour has created a popular series amongst the young and old alike (I’m a fan). 

Settle down Wizardwatchers and read what Nicola has to say about rotten reviews and hedgetrimming!

_____________________________

Hiya Nicola

Hiya Ngaire, how are you.

Not so bad. So, tell us a bit about yourself, Nicola?

Which bit hahahaha?  I studied Modern Languages at Exeter College, Oxford, with the intention of becoming a teacher.  I changed my mind!  I tried law and found it mind-numbingly boring.  I took another degree in Garden & Landscape Design and did a brickwork course.  We built gardens, we won awards, but after a few years my back and hips decided they’d had enough.  So here I am writing fantasy stories instead of building fantasy gardens!  (Of course, if anyone has questions about plants, or aspects of Medieval German, feel free to ask ...)

Nice place to study - Exeter College, Oxford

What genre do you write in? And what work are you doing at the minute?

I’m pretty sure I can only write for children - my brain doesn’t appreciate functioning in an adult manner.  The Alice Parker series is for ages 9-13, while my Christmas book was aimed at 7+.  I’m currently working on a book written from a boy’s perspective, which should be a refreshing change from Alice.  Assuming I can wriggle out of her head, and into his. (Book 4 in the Alice Parker Series – Alice Parker and the Sound of the Silent)

Book 4 of the Alice Parker Saga

What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine?

I’m afraid I don’t have a routine, and the story for any particular book does not appear in a logical fashion in a notebook.  Over a period of time, I accumulate ideas and attempt to make sense of them.  Sometimes what I think will be one book becomes two – in unrelated series, thankfully!  I also seem to work better late at night and into the early hours.

You have a number of titles published, did you suffer writers block with any on them?  If so, what did you do about it?

Book 2 in the Alice Parker series was difficult.  It’s a good idea to get away from your desk and see something different when the ideas just aren’t flowing.  Usually the inspiration comes when I least expect it – and if I don’t write it down there and then, it’s gone!

(Some beautiful covers here, Nicola. My compliments to the designer - ED)

What keeps you motivated to write?

The thought of going back to my previous career!  Who wants to work outside during the winter?

The fate of Oxford Borough Council gardening workers
this annus horribilis - especially since the tea shed was
one of the first victims of the cuts.

What do you do to relax, to get away from work and writing?

Go for a walk with the dog, do some gardening and eat chocolate.  I’d like to say that my cake-making hobby helps me relax, but it doesn’t really.  I usually lose my temper with the complicated ones!

Nicola demonstrates skilful stirring in some of her early handiwork. Allegedly.

Any advice for new writers starting out?

Broaden your shoulders.  Obtain the most brutal criticism possible and act on it!  Don’t be offended when you can’t please everyone.  Luckily, having worked as a designer, I know that anything creative is subjective, so you need to be prepared for the odd bit of negativity.  It’s the opinion of the majority that matters.  Just read a few slating reviews of famous authors to reassure yourself!

Has your self-publishing experience been what you expected it to be? Would you change anything?

It has been pretty much as I imagined.  I didn’t expect instant wealth, and that certainly hasn’t been the case!  The feedback has been a surprise, though.  I’m amazed (and delighted) that so many readers have enjoyed something that began as a bit of fun in my spare time. 

Who is the first person you would allow to read one of your completed novels?

My editor.  No one else can read it before it has had a thorough overhaul.

How would you react to a bad review of your book?

Or how do I?!  I make a mental note of the criticism and try to avoid it in the next book.  More often than not, the reviewer has only read the first book in the series and their queries would be resolved if they continued.  Occasionally people don’t notice the recommended age in the blurb, or even ‘for children’ in the title – there’s not a lot I can do about that! 

A delightful place to relax off the effects of a trollish
comment or two - Nicola's terrarium style garden retreat

How do you market your work? What routes have you found to work best for your genre?

As the months have passed, I'm afraid I do less and less to market my books.  I've come to the conclusion that my time is better spent writing than marketing.  If readers enjoy Book 1, they move on to the others.  I'm also conscious that too much advertising can irritate followers and potential readers. I think as writers of children's books we have a difficult job to reach our readership.  

Forums and Facebook don't reach young children, so I just do the occasional free day and a daily tweet if I remember!

 Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

A little of it is based on real experiences, but I'm not going to tell you which bits!  Obviously, I don't have magical abilities and I've never met a unicorn.  Yet ...

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in anyway either growing up or as an adult?

As a child my favourite author was Enid Blyton - I still have shelves full of her books!  As an adult, I still enjoy children's books, but I also love the work of Sartre, Camus and Hugo.  I have to blame that on studying French.  I suspect those authors influence my writing in my slightly cynical view of the world and an obsession with anything grotesque or extraordinary!

Okay, Nicola, you were imprisoned in the Windmill Restaurant by the Mind Magician, and to ease your boredom and distract you from munching your way through the cake counter, Hugh the Mind Magician allows you to choose 3 books, 2 dvds and 1 cd from his collection …. What would you select?

‘The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis, 

L’Homme qui Rit’ by Victor Hugo 

Read Victor Hugo's classic HERE

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. 

Dvds would have to be:

The Shining

‘Dinner for One.

CD: U2 – ‘Achtung Baby’ – (showing my age now!)

If Hugh had all these in his collection, I’d be very impressed.  And a little disturbed – if we shared the same interests, would that make me a weirdo too?

Hahahahahahahah...it probably would, Nicola! And finally, where can fans of Nicola Palmer find out more.

Fans new and old can find out about me and my work here! I'll be happy to see them....

http://facebook.com/AliceParkersAdventures

http://facebook.com/NicolaPalmerWriter

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alice-Parkers-Metamorphosis-ebook/dp/B006NOC7PI

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Parker-Magician-adventure-children-ebook/dp/B007QGB9HY

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcanum-adventure-children-Adventures-ebook/dp/B008WF7R2O

Amazon Author Page -  http://www.amazon.com/Nicola-Palmer/e/B006NWW246/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1362909565&sr=8-2-ent

Nicola, thank you for that. It has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you and I wish you every success with your new books.

Thank you Ngaire. I've really enjoyed it!

Contact:

Full contact details can be found HERE:

http://greenwizard62.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/an-interview-with-ngaire-victoria-elder.html

Millais' - "Ophelia"

An Interview with Lelani Black

Lelani Black

From Hawaii to Colorado, "Lelani Black"  has made a tasty niche for herself as a romantic/eroticist. 

I've heard people say some of her stuff is definitely on the safer, romantic side, but I read "Doctor, Doctor" the other day and there is some pretty prime rib naughtiness in there.  I include a credited extract. 

Acolyte of Mary Whitehouse? Skip today's instalment.

Her sales are excellent and one cannot begrudge that - Lelani is one of the nicest women I have met on my journey into the heart of Indie. 

I don't mind when a nice person sells books: There are enough guileless illiterates making money out of the Indie game, so its good to see a balance. 

Polynesian Lelani is an absolute pleasure to talk to and can be found in all the usual places.  I got on  the Wizphone and woke her up as she pondered matters erotic in her garden writer's den in deepest Colorado.

Lelani's back garden "garret" - environment which influenced
"Doctor, Doctor"

Tell us about yourself. Who is Lelani Black?  
He he he he (soft, evil laugh). Lelani Black is a pen name for a multi-published author who writes erotic and sensual romance fiction, some of them set in beautiful Hawaii. 

Lelani's childhood playground

Whereabouts in the US do you live? 

I live in Colorado, but my true home is on an acre of property, on one of the Hawaiian islands. Does your environment influence your writing? Oh, most definitely! As with many writers, their books express bits and pieces of who they are and where they’ve been. 

"I’m not necessarily talking about the naughty bits in my stories, although I do get funny looks from friends and relatives all the time, thanks to the shenanigans of the characters in my books."(Lelani Black)

Latest
bestseller

What is your latest project? 

I just launched Book 2 of my sensual Island Moonlight Collection, Doctor, Doctor, and I have an erotic romance, All Hands Below, that’s in production at my publishing house as we speak. 

I’m just waiting on a release date for that bad boy. Whew! Deep breath. It’s been a wild ride. Trying to release 3 novel-length books in less than a year has been nerve-wracking, stressful and exciting.

Does your husband ever get jealous because of your steamy prose? 

Tee-hee, no. I actually feel bad for the man because I’ll pop into his man-cave when he’s in the middle of conquering evil wizards and trolls in the ‘shire, or whatever gaming environment he’s in, and say “Can you help me with some research, please?” and he’ll always oblige, or humor, me.

 “Go ahead, sweetness…” Dane flicked her nipple with his tongue and swiped it around the halo that framed the dusky nub. “You’re amazing. Beautiful. That’s good, honey. Let go,” he commanded, then cupped her mound in his palm at the apex of her first orgasm. He devoured her nipple and sucked on her breast until she came and came and came some more, helpless against the fiddle of his fingers. And somewhere in their delicate, yet relentless, strumming over her clitoris, he squeezed her knot between his thumb and forefinger and wiggled it. The tugging sensation of it drove her wild. Made her noisy. So noisy that his mouth fled her breast and he was forced to clamp her mouth shut in a harsh kiss to keep her quiet as she moaned, whimpered, and carried on like a woman who’d lost her marbles..." Black, Lelani (2012-12-28). Doctor, Doctor (Island Moonlight Collection, Book #2) (Kindle Locations 985-993). Littlemoon Press. Kindle Edition.

Reading the above, it occurs to me: Do you ever get embarrassed at church? 

No hahahahahahahha. I love being a writer and am proud of my craft. I’ve also yet to walk into a church and have the walls come crashing down on me. I think it’s more that I make it a point not to make others feel awkward by my chosen genre of fiction when I’m around friends, coworkers, family or what-not. 

Not everyone has the enthusiasm for the genre or the craft of writing that I do. There are still individuals who judge and trash even the sweetest books of the romance genre, so even at social functions I won’t talk about my books unless someone asks. 

Random Google Pastor Rob after
reading an extract from "Doctor, Doctor"

Do you miss Hawaii? 

I do, I do! But I go home once or twice a year, and that keeps the homesickness in check.  I’m also fortunate to live a couple of hours away from world-class ski resorts, minutes away from national parks where we hike, fish, camp and enjoy the Colorado lifestyle. 

Skiing in Colorado

There’s something magical about sitting in a hot-tub with your sweetheart, enjoying a glass of wine while snow-flakes are falling down all around you. Colorado was also once a hot-bed of dinosaur activity, so it’s been a treat for us to explore and visit areas like Lakewood/Morrison, Colorado, where dinosaurs once roamed. I also enjoy a beautiful view of Pike’s Peak from my deck.

The view from Lelani's rooftop eyrie in Hawaii, possibly

 Have you ever written, or considered writing, in other genres?

 I don’t rule that out. As it is, I’ve been able to write subtly different stories than the erotics with the introduction of my sensual books—my Island Moonlight Collection. I could have written those books as stand-alones, but I wanted to differentiate them from my straight-up erotic romances that I write for my publisher, The Wild Rose Press. 

The TWRP books have more explicit scenarios and language than what’s contained in the Moonlight Collection. Although there have been a few readers that consider the Moonlight books erotic as well.  

Is the erotic fiction hive now devoid of nectar? Or is there still honey dripping from the core? 

Wiz, it’s a thriving hive, robust as ever, as we can see from the success of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. There will always be up and coming readers whose tastes will expand, or delve, into the genre of erotic romance fiction.

Three men dressed as chickens kidnap you from your smallholding and drive you to the city limits. You are thrown in a disused chicken coop in the middle of nowhere. The men are from the Liberate Chickens Now! movement. As they leave they throw you a sack full of three books, two cd's and a dvd. (And a chicken costume as they intend to rob the bank at El Paso with you to raise much needed group funds). What would you like the sack contents to be?

Back garden chicken coop, chez Lelani

 hahahahhahahaha they’d probably kick me out of the coop in exasperation because I’d fret and carry on that there aren’t enough books in there to begin with. Okay, here’s my list.

The books:

1.            Carla, by a talented author named Mark Barry.

Carla by Mark Barry (that's my alter ego!)

2.            A coffee table book on Vincent van Gogh’s life, with pictures of his artwork.

Starry Night - magnificent Van Gogh painting

3.            The paperback of my first Indie offering, a story called Bargain Bride, Billionaire Groom. 

Aside from it having special meaning, it was a milestone in my life, to hold a paperback version of one of my books in my hands.

Maroon 5 (????)

The Best of U2

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

If Lelani could invite anyone she chose to dinner, who would it be and what would you eat? 

My dad. He died when I was very young, but what I’ve heard about him tells me that he would have been a great dad. I’d make a simple island feast. 

"Grilled teriyaki butterfish (exotic black cod) which has this delicate, buttery melt in your flavor and texture; cool, creamy macaroni salad, hot, sticky rice, island greens like lightly blanched watercress tossed with chopped fresh tomatoes and sea salt, another cooked vegetable dish made with eggplant, okra, green beans, tomatoes and onions with bits of pork or shrimp. " (Lelani Black)

Dessert would be some yummy filled pastry called cocoa-puffs, or some buttery glazed Chantilly cake from my favorite island bakery.

What does the future hold for fans of Lelani Black? 

More books! 

Short and sweet! Lelani, I wish you all the best for 2013 and thank you for coming in to see us here at the Cauldron.

Thanks for inviting me, Wiz! Love it...

Contact!

Buy Doctor, Doctor here!!

http://www.lelaniblack.com/

For more Hawaii interview fun, read "An Interview with (top indie reviewer) K-Trina Meador"

(Still the number one interview on The Wizard's Cauldron)

http://greenwizard62.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/interview-with-k-trina-meador-of-hawaii.html

An Interview with Bathsheba Dailey

Bathsheba Dailey

By great fortune, I was introduced at the last minute to Bathsheba Dailey, poet and advertising guru, and with no preparation, and despite never having heard of Wizards and Cauldrons and such, she agreed to have a chat with me over the Wizphone, somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Your Wizard is a huge fan of poetry and his mien brightened when he found out that the resident of West Virginia was indeed an Odesmith. 

And extremely pleasant too. I caught up with her on a lake where she was fishing and here's what she had to say!

Hi Bathsheba.

Hi Wiz. Nice to meet you.

The feeling is mutual. Tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you? Where do you live? Do you write full time? How do you come to be here?

I am a 35 year old single mother of three girls and I am pursuing my degree in business. I am the author of  the "Hearts and Souls poetry book" and the upcoming poetry book "The Unhidden reflections of the heart".

http://www.facebook.com/bathshebadailey

I am also pursuing a venture which advertises other authors and businesses.

http://www.facebook.com/NewBeginningsAdvertising

I have walked a long road of failures and I have decided that I will chase many dreams at once to ensure that one comes true. Life is only what we make it, so make it the best that you can. 

My favorite hobby other than doing things with my girls is writing and fishing. 

Fishing:West Virginia Style!

Sounds of the water calm me when everything seems to be going in the wrong direction. I live in a small town in West Virginia where everyone knows everyone - and they are pretty sure they know those people better than they do themselves! Hahaha.

John Denver - West Virginia's Finest

  I try to write as much as I can but with three girls, school and all the household things that need doing, it is sometimes hard to find time to just be me and write.

I've been singing the John Denver song all morning, Bathsheba hahaha.

It's very catchy isn't it, haha.

It is, yes. Grew up with that song. How long have you been writing poetry?  

I have written since I was a young child. I had a very hard and abusive life until the age of fourteen when I  was finally placed with the greatest parents a girl could have. My foster dad who was to me my real father passed away last week and this has been the hardest and most unbearable time of my life even after a tormented childhood. 

I have always said in my case "water is indeed thicker than blood". I follow any writer or style that heart and soul can be reflected in. 

 Give us an example...

The Empty Quill

The ink in my quill has

started to dry with the

words I no longer want

to share with a world so

full of hate and self

loathing egotism.

I try to see the world

with a clear mind and

an opened heart but the

tales of life's bittersweet

anger is forever stepping

in my way of a worlds

deepest emotion being

that one of hate.

exquisiteness surrounds

us everyday with just the

opening of our eyes and

the air that we so enjoy

to intake.The flowers are

abloom with a beauty we

so deny,too worried are we

of our own sinful thoughts

that we no longer care

about human life unless it

is in the words that commit

their distraught.

That's a lovely poem, Bathsheba. Thank you for sharing. So, tell us about your current projects?

I am currently getting together my alter ego's poetry book "at at no names yet" I have kept her a secret for a year and a half and only very close friends know who she is. 

Latest work

You have an alter ego?

It's a secret, Wiz! Not telling you yet! I am also writing two novels. One about my alter ego, which will tell her fictional biography of why she turned to a world of darkness and a romance novel that is in the setting of times past when raising cattle was how you ate. I am writing my true story biography of who I really am and how I ended up as a state ward. I have also nearly finished with my third poetry book.

 The Baltimore Ravens, under pressure from the City, decide to emulate the Colts in 1983 and do a moonlight flit. You are taken hostage for a month to help the Mayor to see sense. A henchman is sent out to supply you with three books to pass the time. What would they be?

Magnificent Cover for ancient Mitchell
Bodice and Butler classic

Three books hmmmm. That would have to be "Gone With The Wind". The second would be the sequel to "Gone With The Wind" which is called "Scarlet", after whom I named my third daughter, and the third would be "The Killing Fields".

How does an author of Independently Published Fiction get known out there? It seems like a thankless and impossible task. Have you any tips for our readers?

A great way to improve awareness is to join as many groups as you can, even though it can get tiring at times and make sure you have looked into as many online outlets as possible. 

Some of the best would be Goodreads, Blogs, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and tons more. I have to say this, though, it does not matter how many places you find to promote yourself; if you forget who you are you will fail. 

Thanks for that sound advice! What would be on the menu at a meal chez Bathsheba?

My favorite meal is of course a country meal; Fried chicken, homemade chicken gravy on mash potatoes, corn and fresh green beans and then for desert brownie cupcakes.

Country Meal - I'm off to the cafe!

I've been to West Virginia. Visited Charlestown Races!

One of the world's finest and cheapest
buffets at Charlestown Races.

Have you? It's beautiful, isn't it.

It certainly is! What do fans of Bathsheba Dailey have to look forward to in the coming year? 

The coming year I hope to have all my books done but we can never guarantee what life will throw our way so I just have to take one day at a time!  There are two quotes that I wrote and I try to live by them both;

"A new beginning is better than an old ending" and "Never forget who you are or where you have come from, while in the process of being found by others"  

If you forget who you are so will everyone else!

Bathsheba, it's been an absolute pleasure to talk to you and I wish you all the best in the future!

Thank you, Wiz! You too...

Contact:

http://beth-frommyheart.blogspot.com/

http://newbeginnings-bathsheba.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/Bathsheba15

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hearts-and-Souls-poetry-group-fan-page/264286140248737