First off, I went with self-publishing on book 2. I know that I said that I was going to go the traditional way, but the Lord had other ideas for me. I self-published, Epidemic in the Dark Lands, with the help of my friend, Ellen C. Maze. It has been on Amazon since April of 2012. My son graduated from high school in May of 2012. This was huge for us, I guess because I’m a homeschool mom. We belong to a homeschool group called, TEACH, and have been since he was four years old. He graduated with four other students and it was probably the best graduation I have ever been to. There was live music for them to march into to, three montages: one of the group of graduates, their life montage and then one dedicated to the parents. The speaker was Judge Sterling Lacy, a very prominent figure in our area and my son gave the speech for the graduates. He spoke in front of over 200 people, which is a pretty big deal, especially for a kid. I couldn’t have been prouder. Two weeks after graduation was over, he left to go on his mission trip and was gone all summer long.

Summer of 2012 was a time of relaxation. I wanted to write on my books, but found that I just didn’t have any energy. Caleb’s senior year took it out of me. But when school started again, I began working diligently and now I almost have a completed manuscript for book three of my Prince Andy and the Misfits series, called Loombria. I only have about 10,000 more words to write. Simultaneously, I have been writing a Adult Young  novel called, Phoenix, and I have it half done. I am very excited about this novel and am planning on finding an agent. My writing has come a long way, since I wrote Shadow Man and I’m pretty confident that Phoenix will do well.

Fall came and went, so did the winter of 2012. Christmas was very quiet and so was the New Year. January of this year though, I lost my dad to a horrible disease. It was a bittersweet time. I hated to see him go, but at the same time, knew that it was for the best. He was in so much pain. I got to spend his last day alone with him. I read to him from the Bible and from one of my books. I talked to him and prayed for him. My husband, Troy, came and stayed with him for a time as well and also had prayer with my dad. We had no sooner got home, that mom called and said that he had passed away. I miss talking to my dad. He was one of the smartest men I knew. He graduated high school when he was only fifteen years old. Went to college on a full scholarship. But, he found out that he could make more money being a bulldozer operator, than being an English teacher and left school after his first year. He made a very good living for his family and taught me a lot about fixing things. One of the most important things he taught me was, never rely on others, always be self-sufficient.  He was an incredible individual and I haven’t met a person that knew my dad, that didn’t admire him. I can only hope that when my time comes, folks will think as highly of me as they did of my dad.

That brings us to the start of this summer. Caleb has finished his first year of college. He was on the Dean’s list both semesters. I am very proud of him. He worked a job, while he went to school and managed to get very good grades. He leaves in a two weeks to go on another mission trip for the summer and won’t be back until August. Randi and Haylee are finishing up their school year. I can’t believe that Randi will be a senior next year. We have already begun planning graduation, her pictures, senior trip, and what she will wear for graduation. That will just leave me with Haylee. I still have a lot of time with my youngest, (since she is only thirteen) and I’m going to make the best of our time. Life seems to be going so fast in the Gammons household. I will blink, and it will be time for Haylee to graduate and go off to college.

Well, it’s time to wrap this up and start writing on books. I hope this post finds all of my readers well and having a great day. Cheers!

Before I begin my interview, I would like to talk a little about Patty Wiseman. I have had the privilege of meeting some wonderful people who are authors over the past year and a half and one of those people is Patty Wiseman. I met Patty on Goodreads and we chatted. Later, I had a book signing in Longview, Texas and much to my surprise Patty came to my signing. We hit it off right away. She is a pleasure to be around and likes to talk as much as I do. She interviewed me on her blog about my book and I told myself that when Patty became an author, I would interview her. It’s a little late coming, because Patty became a published author in August, and I do have to apologize to her. lol.

Welcome,  Patty. So glad I finally get to interview you. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Let me say a great big “Thank you” Karen for having me here today! I am very fortunate to call you ‘friend’, literally! I remember the time I met you and your wonderful family at that little coffee shop where you were having a book signing. We have become good friends!

A little about me? I grew up in Washington State, attended college in Bartlesville, Okla. My husband, Ron, and I have been married for almost nineteen years. Together, we have two grown sons, a step-daughter and a passel of wonderful grandchildren. I have worked as an administrative assistant to a financial adviser for the past twenty-four years and will retire in January 2012, finally! I am looking forward to devoting my time to what I love…writing.

I have many interests and hobbies, including gardening, reading, genealogy, bowling, and traveling. Writing is number one with me, though.

How did you get started writing and what inspires you to write?

Reading was a big passion of mine as a child. The thicker and more involved the book, the more I liked it. So writing was a natural next step for me. I enjoyed doing the essays in school, and I remember one project I had to do in literature class for poetry. The teacher gave us a list of poetry styles and we had to write an original poem for each style. I still have that notebook of poetry. Maybe I should take a second look at that! LOL!

My inspiration has been the stories I grew up hearing about my grandfather. He was killed when my dad was only ten months old, so dad never knew him. He searched for him while he was alive but never found out anything because my grandmother erased all evidence of him. A few years ago, I began the search myself and found a wealth of information on this forgotten man. My favorite books were historical romance when I was growing up, so the interest in my own family history wasn’t much of a leap.

Who is your favorite character and tell us why?

 My book, An Unlikely Arrangement is based on my grandparents arranged marriage in the 1920’s. My favorite character is based on him, Peter Kirby. I prefer to think of my grandfather as a good man. He died much too young and was forgotten, quickly. I fashioned this story as a tribute to him.

Did you have any authors that inspired you and what kind of books do you like to read for pleasure?

I really have to say my favorite author is Diana Gabaldon. I love her Outlander Series. She weaves so many things into her books. History, genealogy, time travel, romance, all of it. I love reading things like Gone With The Wind, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, you know, the classics. I love a good mystery, too. Cozy armchair mysteries and who dunnits, but give me a good historical romance any day.

What is your favorite time of day to write? Do you need quiet or music when you write?

 Early morning is the best time for me. My husband leaves for work at 5:30 a.m. I love to get up in the quiet part of the morning and let my imagination run, fresh and free. I think it depends on what I am writing as to whether I need music or quiet. If I am writing a lively scene, music helps, but if the piece is a bit more serious, I prefer the quiet.

Are you writing anymore books?

I’m tickled you asked that question. I am actually hosting a contest to help me choose a title for the sequel of An Unlikely Arrangement. I had so many people ask me when the sequel was coming out that I had to write it! I am loving this story even more than the first. I hope everyone will go to my website www.pattywiseman and check out the details of the contest. It is running until January 15^th.

 I am also working on a different sort of novel, a contemporary romance based on another real life experience. It’s called ‘If It’s Thursday Night, My Name Must Be Lola’. This will be a comical look at a single woman’s survival skills.

I know the New Year  is around the corner, do you have any book signings coming up?

 I have been so busy with book signings and festivals that the Christmas break is a nice time to catch up on writing my two books. Come January, I will hit the ground running. I have a book signing scheduled in Marshall, Texas on Jan. 20^th, and a grand opening TBD. I am scheduled for various festivals throughout the year and will post those on my website as they come up. I have spent a lot of time doing research on some new ideas. Hopefully, January will be the start of an exciting year! Stay tuned to my website for further details!  

Where can our readers find your wonderful book?

 You can buy my book directly on my website www.pattywiseman.com

It is also on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Unlikely-Arrangement-Patty-Wiseman/dp/1463620845/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323918611&sr=8-2

 Kindle

http://www.amazon.com/An-Unlikely-Arrangement-ebook/dp/B005K0O29K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323918611&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-unlikely-arrangement-patty-wiseman/1032923157?ean=9781463620844&itm=1&usri=an+unlikely+arrangement

Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-unlikely-arrangement-patty-wiseman/1105119703?ean=2940013471672&itm=2&usri=an+unlikely+arrangement

Patty it was such a pleasure to have you on my blog. You are a very talented lady and I highly recommend to all of my readers to go out and buy a copy of An Unlikely Arrangement. You will not be sorry.

I decided to start writing short stories and I thought I would share. I hope you enjoy my first one. I wrote it for a weekly challenge over at Clever Fiction. Romance is not my thing, but I gave it my best shot. We had to include the words rain, shame and sailboats in the story and it couldn’t be over 1,000 words. If you could give me your opinion that would be great.

Forgive Me
By Karen Gammons (Rain-Sailboat-Shame)
9/24/2011

Rain. It was trying to wash away the shame he felt as he stared at her cold accusing eyes. The love that had transpired between the two of them had only been brief, but fantastic. Now, he would let that love go, never to think of it again.
He continued to gently cup her face between his shaking hands. It would be hard to walk away, but he knew there was no other way. As he released her face, her dull, murky eyes continued to stare up at him through the cold, clear lake water. He leaned over the sailboats side to watch her descent.
“Forgive me,” he whispered to the water.

————————

Stepping from the city bus, Mary dashed into the café. It had been raining for days. Mary didn’t think it would ever stop. She would be meeting him for the last time. This was their café. She went to the back. Their booth sat as a sad reminder of good times.
This is the last time, she thought. The last.
Mary watched him walk in. Frank was ruggedly handsome. She thought at one time he would be her world, but after what she had learned about him, it would never be.
As he passed, the scent of his cologne filled her with longing. She would have to be strong. But how does one walk away?
“Wow! You look beautiful!” Frank said, appraising her.
“Thank you,” she practically whispered.
“What are we ordering today? I thought we could eat something light and then we could go back to your place,” he said jokingly.
“Frank, I can’t do this anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Us…I can’t do us anymore. I know who you are now,” she hesitated. “I was there.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw what you did the other night. I went to the bakery after you dropped me off. I needed some bread…” A sob escaped Mary’s lips. “You were there… You killed that man…I saw you put a gun to his head and pull the trigger. You and the man you were with just laughed. How could you do such a thing? To take an innocent life like it was nothing.”
“Mary, I was going to tell you what I did for a living, but I just couldn’t. You’re different from other women that I have been with. I couldn’t risk losing you.”
“If you thought I would ever be with a monster, then you didn’t know me at all. I could never live a life with a man, knowing he killed for a living. Never.”
Mary rose.
He grabbed her hand. “Mary, I’m sorry. I should have told you. I never meant to hurt you. I love you.”
With her back to him, unbidden tears rolled down her cheeks. “I love you too, Frank. I thought we would be together forever.”
She left the café and began walking in the rain. Her tears mixed with the water that fell from the sky. As she neared an alley, a hand caught hers and pulled her in. She fell into Frank’s arms. Passion burned in his eyes. His lips caressed hers as he began kissing her. For one instant she wanted to give in, to feel the love that they had known from the start. But she knew that she couldn’t. As she began to pull away, his hands went to her throat. She couldn’t breathe and the pain in her lungs from lack of air, surged through her body. Realizing this was how Frank chose to deal with her leaving him, she fought back. But it was no use. Death was coming. She looked one last time into Frank’s eyes. They were filled with sorrow. Then, she was gone. Like a wisp of smoke caught on the wind.

I have put on weight. It’s a fact. I’m not the same girl I was at twenty. That girl is gone and I am now 45 years old. I have noticed that when I walk into a room, that people stare at me. The first thing I think of when this happens is they are thinking of how much weight I have gained. There are reasons why I have gained weight and I will list them.

1. I have had five children–With each child I have gained weight. With some of my children I gained a lot of weight and I didn’t get back to the weight I was before, and then I would find myself pregnant again. God didn’t allow me to keep two of my children as most of you know. I lost my first child, Austin, to a brain aneurysm and I lost the last child when I was six months along. When I lost the last child, I did a lot of emotional eating to make myself feel better.

2. I had to have a hysterectomy at age 38–You would think that having a hysterectomy wouldn’t make you gain weight, but it does. I found that just a few short months after my surgery that I had gained a significant amount of weight. My hormones were all over the place and I was doing a lot of emotional eating.

3. I admit it, I’m a yo-yo dieter– Up to this last year, I was constantly trying to find some way of getting rid of this weight, which in turn was making me fatter. I have since learned that dieting is not the solution.

4. I am going through the change–It was inevitable that I would go through the change early, with the loss of my innards. lol. I am on an emotional roller coaster that I don’t think will end. I totally understand what my mother is going through. Believe me when I say that, I have been doing A LOT of emotional eating.

5. It’s in the genes–my birth mother’s side of the family is large. I had an aunt that was as wide as she was tall. Those are her words, not mine.  My grandmother was very plump and so on and so on… You can’t fight genes. Thank God I at least have my dad’s height and not my birth mother’s. She was very short. Five foot, I believe.

6. Age–at birth we start our journey of dying. Some of us live long lives and some of us, not so long. As we get older everything slows down. My metabolism has slowed significantly. I home school my three kids, so I’m sitting down for that time. I am writing on another book, and I’m sitting down for that time. The rest of the day is tied up in household chores and running errands. I don’t exercise like I used to and to tell the truth, I don’t want to.

So there it is. I have problems. I am an emotional eater, with a little laziness going on, going through the change. Others out there have the same or different problems that they can’t help. We will NEVER be those skinny little people that others think we should be. Please do me the favor after you read this and look at overweight people through their eyes. There is something going on that they have NO control over that is making them overweight. We as a society view people on Hollywood’s standards and that must stop!

I have come to a conclusion over the past few months, that I wish I would have thought of this years ago. This is who I am now and I’m proud of me. I am a wife, mother and an author. God has blessed me so abundantly and I have wasted so much of my life trying to be who I am not. So I go forward now as a new person. ME! So glad I finally figured it out. I am much happier.

To all my readers, see people as you would want to be seen. Don’t judge your fellow man unkindly, that might be you one day. :0)

Sept. 12, 2011

Wow! Where do I start? I have been extremely busy since I last posted. I finally finished my second novel, Epidemic in the Dark Lands, I turned another year older, my husband and I celebrated our 18 year anniversary, I made myself a new website, you can find it at KarenGammons.com. I had quite a few book signings, I signed up for NaNoWriMo, I started on book 3, (which I’m calling Loombria) and we have started another school year. Whew! That is a lot of stuff in just a few months.

First, I will talk about book 2, Epidemic in the Dark Lands. My proofreader, Mrs. Lenda, read and corrected the manuscript and handed it back to me with her blessings and saying, it was an awesome read. I have been rolling it around in my head as what to do with book 2. I could use Tate, but they want too much money. I talked with several of my writer friends (Patty Wiseman, Lynn Hobbs, Jeannie Faulkner Barber and Amanda Stephens) and they gave me a lot of options to think about. Self publishing or I could go with a traditional publisher. I decided to take a leap of faith and go with a traditional publisher. My manuscript now rests in the hands of someone at TreasureLine Publishing. I am very nervous, hopeful and prayerful that she will like my book.

Book 3, Loombria is coming along nicely. I have had so many ideas for this book, that it keeps me up nights writing in my notebook. I can’t say a lot about it, or I will give away too many details. Just know this, the Misfits go on the adventure of a life time and meet some pretty dark creatures that will test their courage and their friendships.

Next, I signed up for NaNoWriMo month. For those that don’t know, this is an event that takes a lot of time, courage and heart to do. In the month of November, writers from all over the world, will write 50,000 words in one month. Basically you’re writing a novel. I have decided to participate. I just hope my family can do without me for a month, since I will be at the computer a lot. I will have to write 1,667 words a day in order to complete the 50,000 words. I have been practicing on book 3 and I have been FAILING with a capital F. I have only been writing 1,000 words a day. I have decided to try my hand at a murder mystery. To get in the mood, I have been watching shows like Murder, She Wrote, Miss Marple, Sherlock Holmes… and so on. I have been having weird dreams about this though. Maybe, I’m getting too much murder and mayhem. lol. If you could send me any prayers or luck, I would appreciate it.

And lastly, we started school. This is Caleb’s last year. It feels like yesterday I started homeschooling him. He was 4 1/2 years old. I don’t know what I will do without him next year when he goes off to college. I will certainly miss him. I still have my beautiful girls, Randi and Haylee. They brighten my day and that will help a lot next year. Randi is in the 10th grade this year and Haylee is in the 6th.

Well, to all of you that read my blog, I hope you are having good week so far and no murder and mayhem.

May 10, 2011

I recently got the book Hounded by Kevin Hearne, mysteriously in the mail. There was no note or any paper work that came with the book. I stood there scratching my head wondering why Random House would send me a book that hadn’t even come out yet. I asked Kevin Hearne about it on Facebook, and he couldn’t tell me why. I called Random House and they didn’t even have me in their computers. A day later though, some girl saw that I posted on Kevin Hearne’s Facebook and told me that I must have entered to win for the advanced copy’s on Goodreads. I smacked my head. Oh yeah! I had forgot that I had done that. Crazy. I know! Anyway, I read the book and it was great. Except for the cussing. I am NOT a fan of cussing. I don’t understand an author’s need of putting cussing into a book. That aside, here is my 4 1/2 star review for Hounded.

“I thought this book was awesome! I gave this book 4 1/2 stars, because of the cussing. Like I stated earlier, I’m NOT a big fan of cussing. That was the only thing I found that I didn’t like about Hounded.
Atticus O’Sullivan is like the rock star of the Druid community. Goddesses love him, and gods want to be like him. He’s 21 centuries old in the body of a 21 yr. old. Atticus can draw power from the earth in order to kill someone or restore his body. The Celtic god Aenghus Og, wants the sword that Atticus carries.  A magical sword of immense power. Aenghus sends different gods and witches Atticus’s way, to take out Atticus and get the sword. But, Atticus is having none of it. With the help of a pack of werewolves, a crazy vampire and some beautiful goddesses, Atticus kicks a lot of tail in this fun story. There is lots of humor, especially from Atticus’s dog, Oberon, a huge Irish wolfhound. I recommend this story highly, it was a great read.

Read Hounded, you won’t be disappointed.

To all my readers, I hope you are having a wonderful week. Blessings.

May 5, 2011

Hey to everyone! Been very busy, so I haven’t been able to post for a while. I have been doing a lot of reading lately. Below is a review that I did for Steve Groll’s book, Beyond the Dead Forest.  Enjoy.

This was a VERY fun read, and a Great book.This book was not your usual fantasy. Steve used it as a tool to share that good over evil will win every time, which I think is wonderful. Also, there are many life lessons to learn. Too many books are written that show that evil is fun and good. The two main characters, Kat and Carter were very well developed. They find a forest that is not like any forest they had ever been in. They had tried taking pictures of it so they could show everyone, and the pictures didn’t turn out. They tried taking a parent into the forest, but couldn’t find it. It seems like the forest was made just for them. When they go back to the forest they encounter a crazy man who pursues them throughout their journey. They meet a guardian, who likes to be called, “Guard”. Guard helps the children make choices throughout the story that help them escape places like the, People Rule Inn. This is a great story for kids. I can see many parallels to different stories from the bible. I would recommend it for all ages. Read Beyond the Dead Forest. You won’t regret it!

To all my readers, have a great day!

Hey to everyone, hope you are having a great day. I am in the best mood today and acting extremely silly. I have been going around saying different words like: dire and noodle and bomb. lol. Say those words with me, “Dire, noodle and bomb.” Don’t you just love it when a word rolls off your tongue. Of course the people around you look at you as if you have lost your mind. Anyway…

While I was at my book signing in Longview, Texas, on the 16th of this month, I met an awesome lady. Her name is Patty Wiseman. I had previously talked with her, through messages on Goodreads. It was great to finally meet her in person. We talked for quite a while at the book signing and she asked me if she could interview me. That was so cool! I had been asked before, and even answered questions for another interview. But, being new at this, I didn’t like my answers. So I told the gentleman that I would try again later. I have been thinking more on my answers lately, and I think I did better the second time around. Below is the link to the interview. Hope you enjoy it.

To all my readers, I hope all of you are having a silly day, saying silly words. It will put you in the best of moods.

Since I don’t know how to embed, (I think that is what you call it) you will have to copy and paste the url. Sorry. http://pattywiseman.blogspot.com/

Hey to everyone and Happy Passover. I recently received a book that I won on Facebook by Kevin Maze. It’s called Wisp. It might as well be called AWESOME, because it was.  I started reading it and couldn’t put it down. Read it in a day and a half. The book starts out with a perplexing murder, and three more take place throughout the book.  Sheriff Murphy and his nephew, a paranormal reporter by the name of Alex, have to find out who is killing people in the town of Ellerton, Alabama. There are hardly any clues to go on. Even when they find DNA, the person has a solid alibi. It had me guessing almost right up to the end who the killer was. I love stories that don’t reveal who the killer is until the end. The characters were well developed and the story was wonderful. I highly recommend this to everyone over the age of 14.

Last night, after finishing this book, I had to take Randi to my mom’s house, so that she could spend the night. When I was walking back out to my car, I saw a shadow and got really scared. I ran to my car, like an idiot and jumped in. lol. The book can be creepy, that is why I recommended it for 14 and up.

I love a good scare every now and then. Thank you Kevin for this. You should check out his wife’s books as well. I have blogged about Ellen C. Maze before. She writes the Rabbit Trilogy books.

Read Wisp. You’ll enjoy it!

To all my readers, may your Passover be wonderful. Also, read Wisp and get creeped out!