The Realms of a Fantastical Mind

It is that time of week again. All the woes of the week can now melt away. Let's have some Blog Ring of Power time, then some chocolate! Welcome to MICHELLE HAUCK, this week’s Blog Ring of Power guest. She's an AQC buddy of mine! Michelle lives in the bustling metropolis of Northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. Two papillons help balance out the teenage drama. Besides working with special needs children by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy, giving her imagination free range. A book worm, she passes up the darker vices in favor of chocolate and looks for any excuse to reward herself. Bio finished? Time for a sweet snack. Her epic fantasy,  Kindar’s Cure , is released from Divertir Publishing. A short story,  Frost and Fog , will be released in a summer anthology from The Elephant’s Bookshelf Press. Part 1 @  Terri  - Wednesday, August 28 Part 2 @ T.W. - Thursday, August 29 Part 3 @ Hi - Friday, August 30 Part 4 @  S...

Welcome to this week’s Blo g Ring  of Power guest,  LAUREN JANKOWSKI . Lauren has been an avid reader for most of her life. She holds a B.A. in Women an d Genders  Studies from Beloit C ollege. Aside fr om fiction, she has also dabbled in non-fiction, writing for sites like “The Next Family” and “Planet Fury.” She keeps a blog at Blogspot entitled “The Life and Times of a Writer.” She has been writing fiction since high school, when she noticed a lack of strong women in the popular genre books. When she’s not writing or researching, she enjoys reading ( particularly anything relating to ancient myths) or playing with her dogs. She also participates in activism for asexual visibility and feminist causes. Her debut novel was  Sere from the Green , the first volume in The Shape Shifter Chronicles.  Don’t miss the rest of Lauren’s interview: Part 1 @  Sandra  – Monday, August 19 Part 2 @  Vicki  – Tuesday, August 20 Part 3 @  Terr...

It's Friday!!! I've got my coffee, my critiques and edits to work on for today.  Now I just need my hug-me jacket.  I've got someone here today that can provide! Everyone jump for joy and pass them around. Don't worry, they come in all colors! Welcome T.J. Loveless to the Blog Ring of Power. T.J. can often be found surrounded by the wonderful chaos of life, writing, editing and laughing at the antics of family. Section #1: About You BRoP:  When and why did you begin writing? T.J.  In the fourth grade, we had an assignment to write a one page story. I don’t remember what I wrote, or even the accompanying illustration I turned in. What I do remember is my teacher, Mrs. Hunter, refused to return the story and said I had all the makings of a writer. I dabbled for years. In 2010, my beloved grandmother’s last words were to never give it up, to keep pushing, to be myself and not the person everyone else kept saying I should be. It was then that I realized Na...

Everybody dance! Friday is upon us and so is another week with Blog Ring of Power.  Today we are going to have a wicked time with fellow New Englander Jennifer Provost. *waves* Now let's get this party started. Don't forget to check out the rest of her interview with my buddies and yours: Part 1 @ Terri - Wednesday, July 31st Part 2 @ Teresa - Thursday, August 1st Part 3 @ You are here!  -  Friday, August 2nd Part 4 @ Sandra -  Monday, August 5th Part 5 @ Vicki -  Tuesday, August 6th Jennifer Allis Provost is a native New Englander who lives in a sprawling colonial along with her beautiful and precocious twins, a dog, a parrot (maroon bellied conure, to be exact), two cats, and a wonderful husband who never forgets to buy ice cream. As a child, she read anything and everything she could get her hands on, including a set of encyclopedias, but fantasy was always her favorite. She spends her days drinking vast amounts of coffee, arg...

Welcome to another Friday! Blog Ring of Power dance. Today I would like to welcome Tracy Lane to the ring.  Tracy was fascinated with the paranormal when she was very young. She always felt like someone was around her even when she was alone. Those experiences inspired her to write a paranormal book where a teenager can see and hear ghosts and actually makes friends with one. Tracy loved to write short stories in school and had always wanted to be a writer. But raising children and working jobs got in the way of indulging her passion of writing. Then she realized her children had grown up into teenagers and they didn't need her as much. She started toying with the idea of writing once again. So setting aside 5 to 10 minutes per day to write at least one page she thought she could end up with a book a year. Now Paranormal Properties is published and she still has a list of at least 8 more books to write. She doesn't think she'll be slowing down anytime so...

One thing I've noticed while I've been striving for my goal, once you reach out to other writers, you're never alone.  AQC  is one of the best places I've found for writers. It helped me to realize that in this profession, it's not about competition but about helping each other reach our dreams.  We are there for each other, cheering on success, consoling during times of hardship.  We work together.  Learn together and from each other.   I always loved to write. It's always been my dream to get something of mine out there for others to read. Now I'm even more grateful to have such a goal, because I've made so many friends in the process.  Do you have a writing group? How has it helped you personally?  I'd love to hear about other experiences and groups out there!

Hey, it's another Friday and I have another great author just for you.  Let's welcome Anne Johnson!  Don't forget to check out the rest of the interview with my fellow BRoP hosts Part 1 @ Sandra - Monday, July 15th Part 2 @ Vicki - Tuesday, July 16th Part 3 @ Terri - Wednesday, July 17th Part 4 @ T.W. - Thursday, July 18th Part 5 @ party at my house... um blog, I mean blog - Friday, July 19th She's having a blog tour, check it out:  http://anneejohnson.com/ Drawing on her eclectic background, which includes degrees in classical languages and musicology, ANNE E. JOHNSON has published in a wide variety of topics and genres. She's written non-fiction books for children with the Rosen Group and feature articles for adults in serials such as The New York Times and Stagebill Magazine. As the author of nearly thirty published short stories, she has won writing prizes for both children's and adults' short fiction. Anne lives in Brooklyn wi...