books, art, music

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BA: For readers who don’t know your background, could you talk a little about the events in your life that inspired The Second Law of Dying.

GL - I’m going to describe the inspiration for writing a long story by telling a short one… As your typical youth growing up in the sixties, I was less into worrying about future prospects than admiring the details of my own reflection in the mirror. The most critical detail in life was that my hair be combed like Elvis’ and the girls love my football-hero image.

Hidden behind this fulsome vanity was an addiction to reading. I consumed books like a wino threw back his plonk––secretly and with some shame. I feared that the idea of my being a bookworm might set up a fatal clash in the brain of your average cheerleader, specifically the half-dozen or so I dated on a revolving basis. Even with this genuine risk to my social life, I was powerless to break the habit. Every time I was alone, I put my face in a book. By the time I was old enough to drive, I’d read the classics and every current work of fiction I could afford. To what crippling psychopathy this behavior might lead never crossed my mind. Continue reading »

I would never have guessed Cryptid: The Lost Legacy of Lewis and Clark was a first novel, as it hooked me from page one and kept me there til the end. And, whether you’re a L&C Fan, or into Cryptofiction, this is a must read.  

The action in this rip-roaring adventure novel circles the globe from China to D.C., and up into the Olympic Rain Forest, as archaeologist Dr. Samantha Russell digs into a centuries-old mystery involving Gigantopithecus, a massive government cover-up, and the cryptozoological secret long-hidden in the lost journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition. If that’s not enough to get you to buy the book, I don’t know what it’ll take.

As a history buff, I was happily yanked into Cryptid’s wonderfully tantalizing opening scene between Thomas Jefferson and William Clark. In the first few paragraphs, we learn that Jefferson arranged for Meriwether Lewis’ death to appear as a suicide, instead of the murder it really was - - and that Clark had dispensed of the murderer within seconds of Lewis’ death. From there, we witness Jefferson locking away the journals he felt the public should never see–and then we’re promptly whisked to an archaeological dig in present-day China. Is there a connection? You betcha!

Conspiracy theorists grab you copy, and hang onto your seat as author Eric Penz takes you on the ride of your life!

Cryptid: The Lost Legacy of Lewis and Clark is available in softcover for $18.95 from Amazon or iUniverse. To learn more, visit the author’s Website

Ready for passion, people, and philosophy? Grab a copy of Geoff Laundy’s The Second Law of Dying. This 440-page read is one of those rare first novels that deserves to be called  “literary fiction.”  Loosely based on Laundy’s younger (and wilder) days, The Second Law of Dying leads readers on a journey of the mind, soul, and body.

Throughout, I was struck with the depth of the author’s insight into human behavior, as well as into humanity’s behavior–Laundy has a real talent for holding a magnifying glass to the world–as well as the ability to create characters you can simultaneously love and hate.

I also appreciate the talent Laundy used to show readers just how far we humans will go to survive–and even prevail through some of life’s most miserable conditions. Cleverly using the “voice” of long-dead Albert Schweitzer, the reader is challenged to examine how unfairly and inconsistently we view life, and each other.  

Thumbs up for this extraordinary first novel, The Second Law of Dying, available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Books a Million.  $23.95.  You can read more about Laundy’s fascinating life on his Website and Blog.

Secrets of the Gem Trade by Richard W. Wise, truly is a gem connoisseur’s guide to the exciting world of precious stones. Written by one of the world’s gemstone experts, this 275-page guide leads readers through the in’s and out’s of the gem trade in clear, easy-to-follow language.

  Learn how to judge and grade quality in gemstones, including diamonds. Learn too, how some gemstone dealers try to pass off inferior stones, and how you can avoid such catastrophies. In fact, after reading this book, you’ll almost feel like an expert on grading and judging gemstone quality yourself. 

Secrets of the Gem Tradeis highly recommended, not only to industry professionals, but also those who are interested in making precious stones a part of their investment portfolios, or even the groom-to-be who wants to get the best diamond possible for his bride.

Chapters include the history of precious stones, how to judge color, cut, crystal and clarity, strategic advice on buying gemstones, famous stones througbhout the ages, and new sources of gemstones.  The chapters I found particularly fascinating were those that dealt with each gemstone “family”.  For example, you’ll find an introduction and overview on  garnets, agates, pearls, rubies, sapphires, opals, diamonds and tourmaline. Included are discussions of fancy color diamonds and lapis lazuli. 

Secrets of the Gem Trade is packed with 120 full-color photographs, including some of the world’s rarest and most costly gems, like the Hope Diamond, the Dresden Green Diamond, and the Rockefeller Sapphire.

If you’re interested in gemstones, or want to learn more, this is a MUST have reference book in your library.  Order from Amazon, or directly from the author.

BA: Could you tell us a little about your background as a writer?

JM: Writing has long been a natural form of expression for me. I remember writing a poem in the second grade. It went:

The deer went down to the water
to get a drink,
I think.

You can see why I gave up on rhymes for the most part. I probably remember that one simply because I kept trying to draw a picture of the deer drinking and couldn’t get it to satisfy me. And that may have been the beginning of being a “writer” instead of an “artist” - drawing seemed so much harder.

Traveling was an important contributing factor. I did long stretches abroad before the age of e-mail, and sharing my journeys with family and friends gave me a lot of good practice in description and the telling of the small stories of everyday happenings. The thing is, writers write, and the practice shows. With that development of skill and technique, all you need is something to write about, something you find endlessly fascinating, something you’ll always want to learn more about. Writing not only shows us what we know (and what we don’t) but teaches us insights we hadn’t realized we were capable of. For me, that path was healing and nature - my own experience of healing and my own vision of nature, which includes Faery. Everything I write, even the silly little fables and the nonsense poems, comes back to healing and nature. Continue reading »

Nancy Hendrickson is the author of Finding Your Roots Online and San Diego Then and Now. She is a fulltime freelance writer, entrepreneur, and Internet marketing wizard. She lives in San Diego, California, where she grows red geraniums, and has part-time custody of two Ragdoll cats.

BA: Have you always been a writer? Do you have any particular background or creative writing courses that you draw from?

NH: Even before I went to kindergarten, I remember running around with little pieces of paper I’d scribbled on. So yes, I think I’ve always been a writer. When I was in high school and college, I loved researching and writing term papers, which is probably why I enjoy writing non-fiction. Although I didn’t take many creative writing courses in college, my degree is in English–which means I did a tremendous amount of reading. For me, being a writer means being a reader. Reading good writing–whether fiction or non-fiction–always inspires me to improve my own work.

BA: You write for several niche markets. Tell us exactly what a niche market is.

NH: A niche market is a specialized market. As a non-fiction writer, I’m interested in a wide variety of subjects, which makes me a generalist. However, I learned long ago that editors are more comfortable working with you if they feel you are highly skilled and informed in their particular niche. Continue reading »