The Fabliss Life of Bella Mellman **Blog Tour & Interview**

“The Fabliss Life of Bella Mellman”**Blog Tour & Interview**

Good day! Please help me welcome today's guest author. Today we have an interview with the lovely Shirley Sacks. You'll find a bit about the author, her book, and pieces of advice to fellow authors. Enjoy!

1.       When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I used to want to be a painter, and have a degree in Fine Arts and have shown my work at various galleries. But once I began to write seriously, in my early forties, I loved the process so much. I continued doing both and make art occassionally but I much prefer writing. I have illustrated my first book myself; so the two can work together. 

2.       Do you write full time?

I write almost every day. It’s not a chore. When I can’t write, I don’t like it.

3.       How does this book differ from your other series’?

This is my first book in a series; The Fabliss Life of Bella Mellman Book Two is well on its way.

4.       Describe your main character?

 Bella Mellman is almost seventy. She’s had a full, rich life. She is opinionated, passionate and energetic. She hates being told she looks good for her age. She lives on her own and cherishes that she doesn’t have to share her life with anyone irritating (like one of her ex husbands or boyfriends).

5.       Who would you choose to play that character in the movie version?

There are so many wonderful actresses who are older. I adore Angelic Huston, Helen Mirren (my publisher loves her best).  Jacqueline Bisset suddenly came to mind. She’d maybe too gorgeous (for any age). Rene Russo was Fabliss in Night Stalker. I like Diahann Carroll and Pam Grier, but Bella’s supposed to be white. Still Hollywood can fix that.  Dianne Keaton … maybe? Jean Smart? Joan Collins (I think too old now). Bette Midler … love her!

6.       Who is your favorite author?

 I do not have a favorite author. I like reading books in which I learn something. This makes for many authors, as so many write about things I don’t know. I am not the kind of person who re-reads books or goes to movies more than once. I know that every single person who manages to write a book does something that is difficult and brave. Especially brave.

7.       Do you have any advice for other authors?

I think the hardest thing is to find out what you want to write about, especially if you love the process of writing. But you can always begin writing about yourself, what you feel and think and your interests or passions, and that can segue into something different. That’s how Bella began, with a memoir that segued into a character that segued into a whole Fabliss Life. A novel, NOT a memoir. 

8.       Anything you’d like to say to your fans?

I love you all. Anyone who likes me and my books  … love you!!

9.   What’s next for you?

 I am writing The Fabliss Life of Bella Mellman Book Two and it’s well on its way.

10.   If you could live anywhere, where would that be?

As I have moved around the world a few times, I am always thinking of other places to live that might be nicer than Los Angeles.  Los Angeles is too hot, too dry and has too much traffic although the pending El Nino might change the dry part. When I went on vacation to The Big Island of Hawaii about ten years ago, I fell in love with the place. I even went to look at property to rent or buy, but my daughter, with whom I am very close, wasn’t as struck. I like living close to my family and they all live near me in LA. But if I win the lottery or have my book bought by a movie or TV studio and make a fortune, I’d like a holiday home in either Hawaii or The French Riviera. There is good reason so many rich people – through the ages – like the Riviera; it’s heavenly. But you have to speak French. And despite having French lessons for years at The Alliance Francais, I can’t understand hardly a word when French people talk. And with my accent they probably won’t be able to understand me that well either. And seeing as language is very important to me, I think I’d have to live in an English speaking country. Maybe back to live in England, not London, but somewhere in the gorgeously green country (it’s green because it rains a lot).

11.   If you could choose a super power, what would that be?

 I would like to live forever. I would like to see how my grand children and their children grow and so on and on.  Or maybe to fly like a bird? I love birds, and find them so fascinating. They are much smarter than we think. In fact they are probably smarter that we are, in their birdy ways.

Biography

Born in South Africa, married, two children, divorced.
Off to London, back to South Africa, mistakenly and briefly married.
The: 1987 to The United States, landing in Beverly Hills.
Writes, paints, knits, re-arranges decor, cooks, exercise a bit, reads a lot.
Loves animals and abhors animal cruelty!
Interested in just about everything except sport.
Has opinions about everything including sports.
Loves friends old and new, family near and afar.
Love ... the answer.
_____________________________

Education: Fine Arts Degree, University of The Witwatersrand.
Showed art at various galleries in Johannesburg, London and Los Angeles.
Advertising copywriter, Johannesburg.

The Fabliss Life Of Bella Mellman spins a bold tale of a savvy woman of the world who gives a rollicking social commentary on life in the flats of Beverly Hills, men, “mature” dating habits, and the odd complexities of love, sociopaths, marriage, divorce, and living a creative life. The book also looks at the role of the older woman, her place in the sexual panoply, which has been so horribly simplified. Bella Mellman, a transplanted South African artist and writer, lives a ‘fabliss’ life (as her 8-year-old grand-daughter tells it) in the flats of Beverly Hills. A long-time divorcee nearing the seventh decade of a very full life, Bella is constantly annoyed when friends, and even strangers, ask the impertinent question of “Why, don’t you have a partner?” Followed by the hated phrase: “You look quite good for a woman your age.” The only thing to do, Bella realizes, is to write a book that explains once and for all, her satisfaction with being older and single.

Available on Amazon

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An Interview with Heather Thurmeier **Blog Tour**

An Interview with Heather Thurmeier

Blog Tour

Please welcome this week's guest, Heather Thurmeier as she tours her newest release, The Hometown Hoax!

1.       Why do you write?

I write because if I don't, then the characters in my head get very noisy and bossy. LOL. Also because I love it! There's something very satisfying about looking at a blank page and giving it a life of its own. At this point, I can't imagine ever NOT writing.

2.       Name two mentors who influenced your writing. 

Even though I've never met or talked to either of these women, they've both influenced my writing: 

Jill Shalvis -- I read the first few of her Lucky Harbor series and I was awestruck with how well she wrote her heroes. I loved them! They're masculine, funny, stubborn, and even vulnerable at times. Everything you want in a real man. Every time I write a book, I strive to make my heroes as good as hers!

Dakota Cassidy -- Her books are quirky, unique, and hilarious. I strive to be as funny as she is! I love her Accidentally series. I was reading her long before I ever started writing. I had no idea my books would turn out to have any humor in them, but they do! I try to make sure the humor is witty not silly, charming not cheesy (though I do have my moments!), and most of all honest to the characters and their situation. I think Dakota does an amazing job of using humor in her writing flawlessly, and I hope I am able to do the same.

3.       Name 5 writers you recommend. 

I will preface this by saying I have VERY eclectic taste in books, so check out the genre if/when you look up these authors. 

-- Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. They often write together and sometimes apart. Regardless, I love their adventure books!

-- Karen Marie Moning. She created the most awesome fantasy world. Love her Fever series. LOVE IT.

-- Jill Shalvis. Her books are funny, sweet, heartwarming, and somewhat steamy. She knows how to tell a great story!

-- Ann Aquirre. Dystopian, action adventure, sometimes with a touch of romance. She knows how to create a world that will draw you in and make you root for the characters. I love both her Enclave series and her Perdition series.

-- Sophie Kinsella. Classic Chick Lit. If you like this genre, you can't go wrong with her books.

4.       What do you like to do when you’re not writing? 

When I'm not writing, I'm usually hanging out with my kids, dogs and my husband. We try to get outside as much as possible if the weather is nice. We take the dogs for walks, hike, geocache, and swim in the summer. I also watch a few TV shows, like to go to the movies, play video games and of course, read!

5.       Describe your writing process. (Outline? Mind map?) 

I'm definitely a plotter! I like to sit down with my writing journal and work through my ideas as they come to me. I try to figure out who the characters are, what motivates/scares them, and ask myself as many questions as I can think of. Then I make a loose guideline of scenes from how I want to open the book to how I see it ending. There is always stuff that changes along the way while writing it, but I need I need at least some idea of how I'm getting from Page 1 to The End.

6.       Which character is most like you? 

I think every character I write has a tiny bit of me in them in one way or another. But the character I relate to the most is Tessa from The Hometown Hoax. She leaves home to follow her dreams, which is exactly what I did. I can relate to her desire to do something that she's passionate about even if she has to struggle to make it happen.

7.       Are you working on a new book? What is it? 

Since the kids went back to school in September, I've mostly been getting ready for the release of The Hometown Hoax. There's always so many tasks to be done before release day! In the bits of spare time I've had, I've been writing the second book in the Falling Stars series called Releasing Starlight. Along with that, I'm always playing with and plotting new ideas for more books for Entangled. I have no news to share yet...but hopefully soon!

8.       What does your writing space look like? 

Well, I have an office with a nice desk, a comfortable chair, and windows looking out to the front yard—but I'm just as likely to be found sitting cross-legged on my couch with my laptop on my lap and my doggies by my side (currently snoring!). I try to rotate between those two places and my kitchen table. I'd love to write in my office full-time, but the dogs are no a fan of being away from me. It's just easier to be near them. One is still a puppy and not fully house trained yet. I'm hoping when she is, she can have full run of the house and I'll be a little more free with where I work.

9.       Give 2-3 pieces of advice for writers.

-- Ignore everyone else's path. That doesn't mean ignore other writers. That simply means their path belongs to them and yours will be similar or completely different. Celebrate the successes of others, rely on your writing friends to tell you the truth about your words, but never get caught up in what they are doing compared to what you are doing. Everyone's path is unique. Have a clear goal of where you want to be with your writing and work for it each day. Eventually, or quickly, you'll get there.

-- Keep learning and striving to better your craft. Even after you finish your book, get an agent, sell to a publisher, or decide to go it on your own and self-publish, never stop trying to be better than your last book. There's always something we can improve on. Read lots of genres, not just the one you write in, and learn from other authors. Read books on writing to help with your problem areas. Always listen to your editor, think about it for a bit, then decide if you've done something that needs the suggested changes. I learn something new from my editors every single book.

-- Just get the words on the page and don't stop until you reach The End. All those nice edits you want to do and shiny polishing you can't wait to accomplish can wait. When you're writing, just write. Get those words on the page. Later, once the book is complete, you can go back with a clear picture of the book as a whole and start working on those edits and polishing. Sometimes you can't accurately see what needs to be changed until you know how the story ends. So just keep writing!

Heather Thurmeier, bestselling Amazon author, was born and raised in the Canadian prairies, but now she lives in New York with her own personal romance Hero (aka her husband) and their two little princesses. When she's not busy taking care of the kids or fur-kids, Heather's hard at work on her next romance novel. She loves to hear from readers. Heart, humor, and a happily ever after.

Title: The Hometown Hoax

Author: Heather Thurmeier

Release date: 11/16/15

About the book: 

Leaving was hard, but staying away might be impossible.

Tessa Cutter escaped her tiny hometown and chased her artistic dreams straight to Manhattan. Now she’s home for a camping trip with her family. To keep them off her back, she makes up the perfect pretend boyfriend—successful, important, and most of all, permanently located in New York.

Logan Ridley lost everything when his Manhattan-based personal training studio shut down. Luckily, a friend got him a position as a gym teacher in the small town of Cutter’s Creek. He’s heard a lot about the infamous Tessa, but she’s even better than he imagined. Except, she seems to hate everything about the small town he’s growing to love.

The chemistry sparking between them is impossible to ignore, but falling for Logan will trap Tessa in the small town she worked so hard to escape. If they have any hope of a future together, he’ll have to convince her that everything she wants has been in Cutter’s Creek all along…

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hometown-Hoax-Heather-Thurmeier-ebook/dp/B015WAHKSC

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hometown-hoax-heather-thurmeier/1122713191?ean=9781633754782

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26259106-the-hometown-hoax

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Chapter One of The Scarlett Legacy by, K.N. Lee

Chapter One 

of The Scarlett Legacy 

by, K.N. Lee

WHAT DO YOU do when your husband asks you to kill someone? If you’re the wife of a Scarlett, you do as you’re told.

If your husband happens to also be a wizard… you don’t even ask questions.

Hugh Prince, one of Woodland Creek’s most notorious crime bosses, had a hit on his head, one that took a certain kind of skills.

One woman had those kills.

Stealth was Olivia Scarlett’s number one asset. No one noticed her when she entered the stone building on the outskirts of Woodland Creek. Not the prison guards, inmates, warden, or custodians ever suspected anything.

Not a single soul.

From the glass of the single window, she peered down at her target, contemplating how she would administer her lethal dose of poison.

The silence of the room was only broken by the inmate’s soft snore.

No longer human, Olivia could run along the walls and ceiling unseen.

She was a Spider; black with a purple stripe down her body, eight wiry legs, and a resolve to execute her mission without error.

Olivia was an assassin.

With impeccable grace, Olivia launched herself from the ceiling of the prison cell. A single strand of silver silk carried her down to the lone cot.

She landed on her target’s chest, the vibrations of his body almost overwhelming her senses. The rise and fall of his breaths, the rumble in his empty stomach, and his snores were more felt than heard.

Visions of her father-in-law’s dead body in the black coffin fueled her. She had to do this to protect the family she had married into.

Scurrying up to his neck she recited silent prayers her mother used to say whenever her father would come home drunk and ready for a fight.

The same prayers were said, but she would never be as weak as her mother. Perhaps she inherited more of her father’s character…along with his abilities.

Sharp fangs dug into the soft flesh beneath Hugh’s chin. The venom ate away at his flesh. She shot a silken thread to the ceiling, and escaped the slap of his hand.

A cry of pain erupted from Hugh’s lips as he swatted at her. Olivia disappeared into the darkness of the cell. The pain and itching was enough to drive anyone mad. This bite would do more.

It would kill.

THE GRAY SKY had yet to cast the glow of the early dawn’s sun, but soon it would, and Olivia would have to resume her masquerade as a normal young woman.

Olivia shifted back into her human form inside her car; she rubbed her pale white arms to keep the chill of the crisp October morning at bay. Her heart still raced as she tried to regulate her body temperature.

The color began to return to her smooth tattoo-covered flesh, making the black tint of her shifted form vanish.

Emptiness filled her when she was no longer a Spider. She missed the power and the thrill.

Sometimes she wished she could live as a Spider and stay away from the demands of the human world. She was safe in her shifted form, but staying in it too long seemed to weigh on her mind, leaving her disoriented for days at a time.

This particular time she’d only needed to remain a Spider for a few minutes. She was in and out.

Efficient.

Deadly.

It was well before dawn and she needed to get her clothes back on before she was seen. What would people think if they saw Olivia Scarlett, one of the top genetic researchers in Woodland Creek, sitting in her car without any clothes on?

They’d add this incident to her long list of infractions. She was a freak according to some. If tattoos and piercings made her a freak, she’d wear the title proudly. But this time she had to be discreet.

No one could know what she had done. Her cover was essential to her survival. All she wanted the world to believe was that Olivia was a scientist, artist, and loving wife.

She slid gray yoga pants back over her long slender legs, as well as a sports bra, and matching yoga shirt.

As she drove away from the parking lot across the street from the prison she glanced at herself in her rearview mirror.

When did I become an assassin again? She shook her head, looking away from her dark brown eyes. She’d thought she left her life as a killer back in Europe.

She should have expected this to be the result of marrying Wesley Scarlett. You don’t marry the son of a crime boss without losing a bit of your innocence.

Olivia wasn’t innocent to begin with. At least she knew her husband’s secrets up front. She pulled her long black hair into a ponytail, thinking there were still a few of her own secrets she’d never tell him.

Now the deed was done, and she hoped that life could return to normal. Maybe Wes would finally give her the children she so desperately wanted to bring into this world. He knew it was all she’d ever wanted; a loving home and lots of children.

The thought of getting what she wanted brought a small smile to her face. Driving back to Old Town was quiet and serene. Woodland Creek had some of the best scenery she’d ever seen.

Growing up in Paris had exposed her to so much beauty and culture, but this little town had grown on her. Something in the soil, trees, and air called to her. She’d never leave this magical place.

The day she had met Wes had been one of the greatest days of her life. She was all too eager to move to America with him and live in his beautiful mansion in the countryside. The reality was a bit different than what she’d imagined, but Wes was still the love of her life.

She looked down at her cell phone when a call came in.

Wes’ face appeared on her screen. Like Clark Kent he wore dark glasses, had dark hair and blue eyes. He was her perfect match. He happened to have the power to hurt her if she disobeyed him. Ironic that she married a man even more dangerous than her father had been.

But Wesley wasn’t any normal man, and a wizard’s love was a dangerous love.

“Hi,” she said, keeping her voice light and cheerful.

“Is it done?”

“It’s done.”

There was a moment of silence. Olivia’s shoulders tensed.

“Good,” he said. “What are you up to now?”

“I thought I’d go to the gym for some yoga.”

“Good,” Wes said. “I don’t want you to miss your class. We will celebrate our success tonight.”

“That would be lovely.”

“We will go to the Italian place in New Town that you like.”

“Thank you. I’ll wear the black dress you like.”

“I love you, Olivia.”

A tear stung her eyes. Only he could make her feel such strong emotions at hearing those words. Perhaps it was because Wes was the only person to ever say them to her.

“I love you too.”

“Olivia,” Wes said.

She wiped her eyes. “Yes?”

“You did a good thing today.”

“I know,” she said, both keeping their statements vague in case their phone calls were being screened and recorded. It wouldn’t be the first time the Scarlett family had been put under surveillance.

“Drive safely.”

“I will.”

They hung up and Olivia continued down the country road. The sun began to rise. It cast a stunning orange and red glow on the trees whose leaves had been transformed by autumn and stretched high toward the sky.

She bit her bottom lip as it began to tremble. She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. If she was going to cry she’d better do it now.

Wes didn’t respond well to tears. He never seemed to know what to do when people let their emotions show. She suspected he’d learned that from his father, Edward. It wasn’t Wes’ fault that his father had been into illegal activity. Cleaning up Edward’s mess seemed to rule both of their lives.

For him she’d poisoned the most powerful crime boss in Woodland Creek.

Now we wait, Olivia thought.

Would this end the war between the Prince family and the Scarlett’s?

Available on Amazon

What is K N Lee Reading

What is K N  Lee Reading?

Today I talk about what books have captured my attention lately, and my newest project The Scarlett Legacy. 

Available on Amazon

http://mybook.to/thescarlettlegacy

An Interview with Author, Scottie Jeanette Madden

An Interview with Author, 

Scottie Jeanette Madden

Where are you from?

I’m a native southern California girl. I was born in San Diego and raised in Crestline in the San Bernardino Mountains.

What did you do before you decided to write your book?

I have been in television. I left high school – studied film & TV at San Diego State, and had my first show two weeks after college. My plan to to take over the world and direct film was working! After that show ended, I went freelance as a camera operator and lighting director (I had to prove myself all over again). I was hired as the DP (director of photography) for “Surfer Magazine,” a series that ran for five years on ESPN. We were a small crew, so I was also the AD (assistant director) and became the editor & graphic designer. After Surfer, I had world travel production experience and my career went into international waters… But, I was pitching shows every chance I could in Hollywood, and finally one of them stuck – a children’s show. I directed and co-wrote for our two seasons – finally a writer-director credit! But once again, adventure television lured me back, and I was hired a producer for NBC’s “The Contender.” From there, I rose up with more responsibility and bigger credits and last year, I was the Executive Producer, “Showrunner” for three series on Discovery & Nat Geo networks. I never stopped writing, mostly screenplays, including my own feature film which I also directed called, ”the kiss.”

When did you start writing?

I started writing screenplays in high school. Instead of the assigned 5-page term paper, I would hand in a script instead – 120 pages! Actually, my teachers loved it! They loved the stories and didn’t mind the extra reading.

Since then,  I’ve averaged about 2 screenplays a year.  But this is my first book. I have been writing several in my head since I first read Lord of the Rings (I also shot those movies in my head up until Mr. Jackson’s triumph). I always thought my first book would be fiction. I love, love, love, telling stories.  But this one came out (pun intended) when I was telling my story to some dear friends at a party held in my honor, and my friend David said, “Are you writing ANY of this down?” I started the next day, last May, and was finished with the first draft in July. Thanks David!

What was your favorite part about writing Getting Back to Me?

I think… well, probably one of the most palpable ways to understand how truly loved and loving one can be, is to count your blessings.  As I relived the journey, I could see even the subtlest ways that I have such unbelievable people in my life. And, seeing a “written record” of how amazing people can be with the simplest gestures of kindness was life affirming.   

Your least favorite?

Yeah, I guess I should’ve seen that coming… least favorite… well, reliving the bad times. As high as the highs were, the lows were the times of my life that I thought I had successfully put in my rear-view mirror. But alas… in the reliving of my life, the old stuff resurfaced to hurt me all over again. The good news is that I’m much stronger this time around, and the bad times truly were behind me.

Who is your greatest supporter?

By far, my beloved wife, Marcy. She is capital “L” love, incarnate. After 28 years together, 26 of them married, I can say she is the greatest woman that has ever lived. In all senses and definitions of the word.

Who is your favorite author?

I always try to have a pithy answer for this one. Let’s try it this way this time: I learned that words, character and plot have a legacy, as well as a poetry form J.R.R. Tolkien. I learned that intimacy and immediacy of character is not an accident of the reader, but are the intention, art and skill of the writer, from J.K. Rowling. And I learned that even the simplest moments become epic turning points with the proper emotional resonance from the legendary Ray Bradbury. And I learned that literary “swaggah” is a powerful tool from Hunter Thompson.

 
Favorite book?

I have to be honest here. I read about 10 books a year, from biographies to fiction. There’s a ton of great material and most of it sticks with me long after I put the book down. And if that’s the criteria… then I will stand with my fellow geeks and declare, LOTR… “one ring to rule them all and in the darkness bind them.”

Is there a message that you want to deliver with your book?

We are all humans. What gives us “stewardship” of the earth is our ability to love even the things we don’t understand. When we love first and ask questions later, we all not only benefit; we are better.

What is next for Scottie Jeanette Madden?

The proper question is what things are next for Scottie Madden. In this town and line of work, you have to keep several things going at once or you will lose your mind.  I am developing two television drama series, one based on my book, the other based on my vampyre film. I am living part 2 of GBTM, and already have a third of the material as journal entries. This process of writing and promoting a book has also lit the fuse on a cook book that I’ve been toying with since I started writing my recipes down ten years ago. I currently have 75 unique dishes; my goal is 100. 

About the Author

Though this is Ms. Madden’s first book, she is no stranger to the craft, with credits for creating and writing children's television (Pug & Zero’s Field Trip), feature film (the kiss), gameshows (Do You Trust Me? Duel, On the Cover and Last to Survive), primetime (Blood of Queens, The Other Woman, Out of the Wild, Dude, You're Screwed), and award winning screenplays (The Babe on Sunset, the kiss). Ms. Madden balances her time between being writing and producer/showrunner in the adventure documentary world. Known for her engaging storytelling and bold visual style, Scottie has over 30 years in the trenches. Rising through the technical ranks as camera operator and editor, she brings front line experience to her work as writer, director and showrunner. Her feature writing and directing debut, the kiss, was decorated in film festivals and was featured at AFM. As showrunner, Her recent work, Discovery’s Land Rush and the legendary Dude, You’re Screwed (Suvive That! Internationally) and Nat Geo’s The Ark.  Her directing credits include Hot Tamales Live! and The Best of It’s Showtime at the Apollo comedy series.

To learn more about the author, visit zuzubean.com/authors

Move over Caitlyn, adventure filmmaker went from girl to boy to woman in just fifty years.

Available on Amazon

Zuzubean Press is excited to announce the Nov. 10, 2015 release of "Getting Back to Me” from girl to boy to woman in just fifty years. The real-time account of the coming out and M to F transition of an alpha-dog.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 05, 2015

In the wake of the Caitlyn Jenner’s privileged transition in the public eye comes the real world transition of a down-to-earth trans woman in real-time. Scottie Madden uses her journal entries to shed fresh light on the trans experience as she leaves behind fear and “white male privilege” to embrace truth, grace and womanhood. Her gut-wrenching journey of love, acceptance and honesty becomes the ultimate survival show.

Scottie didn’t make it easy on herself. Like many late-stage trans women, Scottie had made one helluva guy; succeeding as husband of 26 years, the only son, the big brother to three sisters and the legendary adventurer uncle to their children. Everything in her life screamed “alpha male,” but no one could guess that Scottie, a top survival showrunner for Discovery Channel and the History Channel, known for leading übermale productions into the world’s most dangerous and remote locations was losing a lifelong battle for her soul. It takes true love from her wife of 26 years for Scottie to shake off fifty years of expectations from her family, society and herself. But first she had to face the denial that she had embraced to shield herself from the heartache of a life that would go on unlived.

Scottie shines her laser sharp instincts for the truth (finally) on herself, and reveals the inner workings of the human soul as it strives to reconcile fear, love, happiness and the truth of who we all are. Her ability to articulate the deepest murmurs of the heart translates to anyone who has ever tried to deal with the insidious malady that goes by the name of denial.

Formidable, fearless, lively, and, above all, charmingly fun, Scottie brings you along with her to the outer edges of the showdown with dangerous private truths. “Getting Back to Me” shows that love does conquer all. Scottie’s unshakable faith in love and her family, friends and community, and her belief in them to be the best that they can be, pays off in inspiring ways.

~ Sally Park Rubin, author of” The Overfunctioning Woman's Handbook,” says, “Riveting! Tragic hero turns triumphant heroine. If you believe love conquers all, this book will inspire you to go for more of THAT. Formidable, fearless, lively, and, above all, charmingly fun, Scottie, a Hollywood survival show showrunner, brings you safely along with her to the outer edges of anyone's ability to confront dangerous private truths...takes you on a wild ride overlooking the breathtaking canyons of the soul of a woman."

Read an excerpt at http://www.zuzubean.com/excerpts.html 

Scottie Madden is a showrunner of adventure reality TV with recent shows on Discovery Channel (“Land Rush,” “Dude, You’re Screwed”) and The History Channel (“The Ark”). She has written for children’s television (“Pug and Zero’s Field Trip”), games shows (“Duel,” “Do you trust me?” “Last to Survive”), and feature film (“the kiss”). She lives in Woodland Hills with her wife, her dog Aria and her beloved oak trees in the shadow of “dirt Mulholland.”

Zuzubean Press http://www.zuzubean.com - is an independent publisher of material that engages, entertains, illumines and inspires, based in Los Angeles. 

Contact: Marcy Madden 818.489.4341 info@zuzubean.com

Quick Fire Q&A with Hugo Negron!

Quick Fire Q&A with Hugo Negron!

Coffee or tea? Tea!

Favorite author? H.P. Lovecraft - his obsessive attention to detail, his realistic story settings, and his chilling atmosphere

If you could live anywhere, where would that be? I remember this one from the longer interview - still the same answer - France - Gothic architecture, the art, the cathedrals, the food, the people…

What historical figure would you like to have lunch with? What would you ask? Theodore Roosevelt - I would ask how did he develop and maintain the inner motivation, drive, and character that took him from an asthmatic sickly child that was bullied to becoming a governor, President, soldier, author, explorer, and conservationist. I mean, talk about goal setting!

Best piece of advice for writers? Yep, I remember this one as well - I’ll paraphrase my original answer - Write from a passion to tell a tale that's important to you, to share something with a reader, whether it's an idea, a feeling, or a thought.  Don't just write to jump on a current theme or bandwagon, because if its not from the heart, your readers will know and then YOU will know.

Hugo Valentin Negron is an avid fan of myths, legends, and folktales. He grew up in Illinois where he still resides with his wife and son. His background includes an M.A. in clinical psychology from Roosevelt University as well as an M.A. in industrial/organizational psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. 

He enjoys reading, biking, and walking winding trails through darksome forests, searching out the mystical beings that reside therein.

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