If you’ve been on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, or read any blogs lately, then you’ve probably heard of our guest on Magical Monday, Mitzi Szereto. I was intrigued at someone who has such diverse interests, is busy as a bee, but still manages to get a profile on every [...]]]>

If you’ve been on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, or read any blogs lately, then you’ve probably heard of our guest on Magical Monday, Mitzi Szereto. I was intrigued at someone who has such diverse interests, is busy as a bee, but still manages to get a profile on every social network in existence, so I contacted her and she graciously let me into a little corner of her world.  Which is a bit quirky, and definitely fun.

Mitzi Szereto

Mitzi is an expat living in London.  Along about last April, she took a notion to do web TV, so she made it happen and has filmed several productions to date.  These are a real hoot, and it’s worth an hour of your time to listen to her programs.    Oh, a bio–you want a bio?  Okay, here it is, straight from Facebook:

Author, blogger, and Web TV entrepreneur Mitzi Szereto writes across the genres and creates and presents Mitzi TV. Her published titles include IN SLEEPING BEAUTY’S BED: EROTIC FAIRY TALES; GETTING EVEN: REVENGE STORIES; DYING FOR IT: TALES OF SEX & DEATH; WICKED: SEXY TALES OF LEGENDARY LOVERS; THE NEW BLACK LACE BOOK OF WOMEN’S SEXUAL FANTASIES; EROTIC FAIRY TALES: A ROMP THROUGH THE CLASSICS; the EROTIC TRAVEL TALES anthology series; THE WORLD’S BEST SEX WRITING 2005; and the M. S. VALENTINE erotic novels. She also has a number of titles published exclusively with Amazon Kindle. Her work has been translated into several languages.

Mitzi is the pioneer of the erotic writing workshop in the UK and Europe, teaching them from the Cheltenham Festival of Literature to the Greek islands. She’s also lectured in creative writing at a number of British universities. She’s been featured in publications ranging from the Sunday Telegraph, Independent, Times, Observer, Toronto Star, The London Paper, Company Magazine, Dare Magazine, Family Circle, Writing Magazine, Scarlet Magazine, and Forum, to Bravo UK Television, Telecinco TV 5 (Madrid), Newstalk Ireland, FM4 ORF (Vienna), and BBC Radio. Her work as an anthology editor has earned her the American Society of Authors and Writers’ Meritorious Achievement Award. Her anthology Erotic Travel Tales 2 is the first anthology of erotica to feature a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

End of official bio.  I notice she didn’t mention her live-in, Teddy Tedaloo.  Hmmm, fodder for People Magazine?

So how did she get started with Mitzi TV?  She says it just happened–no planning for days and weeks.  Mitzi TV explores the quirks and eccentricities of Londoners, with panache.  She’s been in business for less than five months,  but she already has several programs out for your viewing pleasure.  Here are a few:

We don’t expect to see a Harley group in England, but . . .

Born to Be Wild: Mitzi TV heads to the pastoral English countryside for some peace and relaxation, only to get a lot more than they bargained for when a hoard of Harley riders descends on their quiet country hotel.

Go have a pint or three, and sing a merry tune . . .

Knees Up Mother Brown: Mitzi TV goes for a right old knees-up at a proper authentic English “local”, The Duke of Kendal pub in Central London, where all forms of madness ensue. From colourful characters to rude Cockney songs and operatic arias, this is English eccentricity at its very finest!

And this one has a surprise ending (for Mitzi!) . . .

Everybody Dance Now!: Mitzi TV ventures into Central London to meet up with the Westminster Morris Men, a team of Morris Dancers who do a lot more than shake their booty!

And lots more.

Mitzi in a racing car, and Mitzi with the Morris Men

Thank you Mitzi for being our guest on Texty Ladies today!

Lots of wonderful articles are published at 1st Turning Point every week, and this month, all commenters are entered into a weekly drawing–each featuring fantastic prizes!

Have a Magical Monday!

Jacquie
Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues (See the Book Video featuring Justin Saragueta)
Jacquie Rogers * 1st Turning Point * Myspace * Twitter * Facebook
Faery Special Romances * Book Video
Royalties go to Children’s Tumor Foundation, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research

It’s Magical Monday and time to sit down and have a latte (I’ll have a triple tall skinny, please) with author Lisa Alexander-Griffin.

Lisa resides in Northern Alabama with her husband, Jackie, and ten-year-old daughter, Morgan. Other family members include: three finicky felines: Sock, Nat and Alex; Shiloh, a [...]]]>

It’s Magical Monday and time to sit down and have a latte (I’ll have a triple tall skinny, please) with author Lisa Alexander-Griffin.

Lisa resides in Northern Alabama with her husband, Jackie, and ten-year-old daughter, Morgan. Other family members include: three finicky felines: Sock, Nat and Alex; Shiloh, a mixed-breed Jack Russell Terrier; and two parakeets, Buttercup and Curio, who keep Lisa company while she writes.

Mother of two adult children, Shannon and Dusty, have left the nest and now have families of their own. Lisa has three lovely grandchildren: Trevor, Savannah, and Kohl to brag about.

Always an avid reader of romance, Lisa’s passion for writing began almost nine years ago. What better way to occupy one’s time than to weave tales of heartbreak and betrayal, love lost and found, and happily-ever-afters.

Jacquie: What’s the first book you ever read that inspired you to become a writer yourself?

Lisa: I honestly don’t know if any one book inspired me to write. My grandmother was an avid reader of Harlequin Romances, so I cut my teeth on those. She’d read one and pass it on to me. I still have some of the old Harlequins gathering dust in a box somewhere. Haha!  My love for reading started as a young girl with Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries.

Jacquie: Are you able to switch from fiction to non-fiction writing easily? Or do you have a process?

Lisa: Everything I write is fiction. Of course, there are truths weaved into whatever I write. A news story could trigger my muse, or research that I come across can set-off an idea, comments I hear while out and about, things that happen in everyday life.

Jacquie: Do you have a writing schedule?  If so, are you able to stick to it?  If not, how do you avoid procrastination?

Lisa: I try to write off and on during the day, but my most productive times are at night when things are quiet and there’s no one to disrupt my thought process. I do procrastinate at times. I think we all do. And then, life gets in the way too. Unexpected things come up.

Jacquie: Are you involved in activities other than writing?  If so, please tell us about them.

Lisa:  I quilt and oil paint when I have the time, love home improvements. My latest endeavor was laying ceramic tile in my bathroom and kitchen. Lol. In summer, we plant a garden, so I’m always busy with canning and freezing, etc. The hubby, Morgan, and I also love bass fishing when time permits.

Jacquie: Why did you want to write books for sale?  I understand the compulsion to create stories, but I’m always curious as to why someone would have a goal to sell them.

Lisa: I guess I just sort of fell into it. As I grew as a writer, it seemed the next obvious step. When I started writing, it was during a dark period in my life. I thought maybe a journal, but wasn’t comfortable with the idea. I’d read many romance books throughout my life, and always wondered if I could write one, so I decided to try. Oh boy! Don’t let anyone ever tell you it’s easy. Writing is a continual learning process.

Jacquie: Tell us about your current release and any special circumstances that inspired you to write it.

Lisa: My editor requested that I try a romantic fantasy. “Fairies,” she said. I wasn’t sure I could, as it was out of my comfort zone. Surprising enough, I enjoyed the process. My imagination took hold and A Celtic Lover’s Magic came to life beneath my fingertips. I gave her the Sidhe.

Check out the trailer: http://tinyurl.com/n973y3

A Celtic Lover’s Magic Blurb:

Liam MacCauley inherits what he believes to be a mansion in Ireland, from an uncle he’s never known. The moment he sets foot on Irish soil nothing is as it seems.

Caileaan, descendent of the Sidhe, gods of ancient Eire, the Tuatha De Danann, longs to dig her toes into the freshly turned earth, toil side by side with a husband, birth his children, know what it is to be loved and live as one with humans.

In a battle of darkness and light, will the evil Fomhoire destroy the promise made to Caileaan, and thwart Liam’s chance to attain his heart’s desire?

Excerpt:

In her mind’s eye, Caileaan watched Liam enter the keep through the Gothic front door and sighed. She’d made her presence known the first day. Her wait was almost over, the prophecy nearly fulfilled.

Mortal, but not, Caileaan longed to dig her toes into freshly turned earth, toil side-by-side with a husband, birth his children, know what it was to be loved and alive as one with the humans. For thousands of years, the people of Eire had deemed her people gods.

She wrung her hands. Intellectually superior or no, skilled or no, what difference did it make? The Sidhe were not immortal as legend told. One well placed blade could send them into the afterworld.

No intricately designed sword or other weaponry had ever been enough. The protection of trustworthy mortals remained essential. Hence, the need for the Macaula family.

Her Sidhe clan had been distraught when, tired of the constant threat of the Fomhoire, Liam’s father moved his family to America.

Although separated by an ocean, her gift of foresight allowed her to watch

Liam grow from child to man, and she’d fallen in love with him. Not even the vast distance between continents had kept them apart.

Caileaan sighed as she stroked a midnight black raven’s feather against her cheek. A gray mist swirled, and her body shifted and morphed. Feathers sprouted from her flesh. She flapped her wings and blinked.

High above Macaula’s Keep, she soared. Gliding, she settled into an oak tree near Liam’s bedchamber window. Soon he would sleep, and she’d join him in his dreams.

Liam strode into the room, tugged his shirt over his head, and tossed it aside. Caileaan’s raven heart thumped quickly. Built like a warrior of old, Liam’s broad shoulders rippled. He stripped his jeans from long, muscular thighs. As if sensing her, he moved to the window.

A sensation of longing encompassed her. She dug her talon feet into the branch and concentrated on holding her form. The fullness of his pursed lips and searching amber gaze tugged at her heart. The mortal part of her desired to shift and claim his mouth, but she dared not. The time between dusk and twilight had not yet arrived.

Caileaan flew toward Newgrange, the quartz façade of the cairn a beacon in the moonlight.

She entered through a hidden entrance, opened an ancient, bronzed box, and grasped the charm she sought. With the adder-stone secured around her wrist, she shifted, journeyed back, and lit on the mullioned window ledge. Soundless, and in human form, she entered Liam’s bedchamber.

“A Celtic Lover’s Magic is an entrancing, hypnotic, and sexy read from new author, Lisa Alexander-Griffin. From the very first sentence I was hooked. Ms. Alexander-Griffin is a wonderful new voice in romance.”–Renee Knowles

Jacquie: What criteria did you use for choosing the publishers to whom you submitted stories?

Lisa: Freya’s Bower Publishing had an open call for One Touch, One Glance, A Sweet Romance Anthology. My story, The Unexpected Gift, was accepted along with seventeen other stories written by sixteen talented writers. Faith Bicknell-Brown is a phenomenal editor who is very patient and meticulous. Her zany Appalachian humor keeps me laughing, and that makes the edits less painful.  Her Avoid Writers Hell group has helped many struggling writers. And—I don’t know what we’d do without Tess MacKall, who sends lessons through when Faith is buried in her writer’s cave. A true southern belle, she’s a blast, and a very talented author and editor.  I love them both. You can find the group here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Avoid_Writers_Hell/

Jacquie: What’s next? Tell us your publishing schedule for the next year.

Lisa: I’m working on two stories at the moment. Danielle’s Touch is a full length contemporary, and in the self-editing stages. The storyline is based on domestic violence issues, a woman’s struggle to overcome and regain her life. To trust and love again, find inner strength she didn’t know she had. Harlequin is my target. Wish me luck. J

Perigee Moon is a Native American Romance and a WIP based in the Tennessee-Alabama area in 1775. This is my first try at Historical and requires lots of research. Hopefully, I’ll have it finished by the end of the year. Not sure yet who I’ll target for this one.

Jacquie: Where can our readers buy your books?

Lisa: My books can be found at Fictionwise, BookStrand, All Romance Ebooks and Freya’s Bower Publishing. A Celtic Lover’s Magic is presently the #2 Best Seller for Freya’s Bower at Fictionwise.

Purchase Links for my works:

One Touch, One Glance, A Sweet Romance Anthology

Freya’s Bower:http://tinyurl.com/6c332l

Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/product-onetouchoneglanceasweetromanceanthology-15324-218.html

All Romance Ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-onetouchoneglanceanthology-13262-166.html

Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b78743/?si=0

A Celtic Lover’s Magic

Freya’s Bower: http://tinyurl.com/l854v4

All Romance Ebooks: http://tinyurl.com/lp6s7z

Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/product-acelticloversmagic-15143-194.html

Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b93037/?si=0

Jacquie: Please let us know how to contact you, and give us the links to your social networks.

Website: http://www.lisaalexandergriffin.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/destinyschoice8

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Lisa-Alexander-Griffin/1402843806#/profile.php?id=1402843806&ref=profile

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LisaAGriffin

Ning sites: http://historicalfictionbooks.ning.com/profile/Lisa

Before I forget, I’ve joined five other authors to form the Six Dream Weavers Yahoo Group. We reserve each Sunday for Writers, where authors can share their current works in progress and garner feedback. We also have promo Wednesdays and author, Debbie Gould, sends prompts through weekly to help keep the muse going, or to kick it in gear.

Check it out: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SixDreamWeavers/

Jacquie: I certainly will!  Thank you, Lisa, for being our guest on Texty Ladies today.

Lisa: Thank you for having me! It’s been fun.

Check out my article, Conducting a Featured Author Day.  I list several ways to make your special day a raging success.

I’ll be giving two workshops at the Emerald City Writers’ Conference:

With Ann Charles: 20 Career Tips for the Emerging Writer
With Eilis Flynn: Here, There Be Dragons

And will be signing books at the Emerald City Bookfair.

Have a Magical Monday!

Jacquie
Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues (See the Book Video featuring Justin Saragueta)
Jacquie Rogers * Myspace * Twitter * Facebook * 1st Turning Point

Faery Special Romances * Book Video * Royalties go to Children’s Tumor Foundation, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research

Today, we have American Title V finalist, Marie-Claude Bourque with us.

She’s had quite a ride the last few months-not much sleep and her life has been hectic. I think I’ll not give her bio in the intro, as I usually do, because Marie-Claude’s is a little [...]]]>

Today, we have American Title V finalist, Marie-Claude Bourque with us.

She’s had quite a ride the last few months-not much sleep and her life has been hectic. I think I’ll not give her bio in the intro, as I usually do, because Marie-Claude’s is a little different. I met her because she’s a member of the Greater Seattle Chapter RWA as am I, and we’ve conversed on several occasions. She’s very bright, talented, and fun. So let’s begin.

JR: Tell us about what makes Marie-Claude so unique-that means tell us your life story in a couple hundred words or fewer, and don’t forget the French/English part.

MCB: Hi Jacquie, it’s so nice to be here at Texty Ladies today. Thanks for inviting me!

About me, well, I am a French Canadian, former physicist, oceanographer, translator and fitness professional, a mother of two and avid knitter who’s now living in the Pacific Northwest and I like to write paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Keli Gwyn did nice full interview at Romance Writers on the Journey blog.

JR: What is your history with writing contests? Why did you choose to enter the American Title V?

MCB: I entered ANCIENT WHISPERS in over 15 RWA contests in the last year. I got a wide range of scores from 40% to full scores. I never finaled in any but got quite a lot of interesting and useful feedback, yet it’s that same entry that got me into the American Title contest.

I chose to enter American Title on a whim because I had just prepped my first 3 chapters for a contest and when I saw the call for entry and saw that it was free, I just decided to give it a shot. It was a huge shock for me when Leah Hultenschmidt at Dorchester emailed me to ask for a full.

I think my writing is still pretty rough, this is my first manuscript. So it is not polished enough to pass the judging criterion of RWA contests, but perhaps an editor views these entries differently if they see something they can work with and fix. All in all, I think a lot of luck was involved, the right story, at the right time, to the right editor.

JR: Give us an overview of your social networking. What social networks did you participate in before you entered ATV, and which ones are you on now? Time frame?

MCB: I joined MySpace and Facebook at about the same time as when I entered American Title. I thought that since it was going to an editor, I should have a website just in case the Google me. Then my writing partner convinced me to also join MySpace. I joined Facebook when I found out that all my French friends from Quebec where on it. I am on Twitter as well, but I don’t really use it.

So I have been on social network for about 10 months.

JR: Do you think social networks have helped you? If so, which ones have helped the most?

MCB: Yes definitely they have helped me. I have received a lot of support and also found future readers from social networks. Both MySpace and Facebook have been really helpful and I think it’s because I consider my “social network friends” as my friends, plain and simple. I am not close to every single one of them of course since I have maybe 5000 of them now, but I share common interests with all of them and I have made some true and very special friendships since meeting people online.

I don’t look at social networks as a place to promote but as a place to find like-minded people. And I am very interested in what other people have to share and teach me.

JR: I’m aware that your immediate focus is on the contest, as it should be, but what’s next of Marie-Claude? Do you have a follow up for Ancient Whispers? If so, is it a sequel? Single title?

MCB: I have just completed another single title paranormal story, called Gothic Warrior, about a medieval knight fighting demons in the Catacombs of Paris. And I am planning an urban fantasy/steampunk story which should hopefully be an ongoing series where a mystic Witch faces a world adventurer on an “earth that could have been” ravaged by extreme climate. I hope to use more of my scientist background in that series and have fun with the whole magic vs. science debate.

And yes, Ancient Whispers is the start of a series which is based on the reunion of tragic lovers of old legends and poems. I have premises for at least 8 or more stories, if I shall ever be so lucky. But 4 characters of Ancient Whispers have their own stories all planned out. I have started the sequel, Ancient Confessions, already.

JR: What do your children think of their mom being in the ATV? Have you taught them all myspace and facebook yet?

My children think it is wonderful that I am writing and in such a big contest. With each round, they are always very philosophical, saying that even if I don’t make it, I should still continue writing. I know that if I don’t win, they will have the right worlds for me. Even at only 7 and 9, they are quite wise.

But no, they don’t know about social networks. I don’t even let them near a computer! I want them to have fun with stick and stones outside and develop their imagination first. When they are ready, they will pick up all the internet stuff really quickly, I am certain of it.

JR: Tell us about your blend of meteorology, magic, and mysticism.

MCB: That is such a difficult question to answer! I am a trained scientist and was raised by scientists. There was not mysticism in my household when I grew up. But I started to be interested in Zen Buddhism and the concept of mindfulness and how we are all interconnected with what is all around us.

That led me to Paganism and a strong connection to how the wheel of the year turns, to the concepts of male and female balanced energies in life and also to women’s mysteries in all our stages in life, such as maiden, mother, crone. That last concept is strongly featured in Ancient Whispers. My story is a love story, but also a young woman’s journey of self-discovery.

I do like to explore both concept of scientific rigor and magic or the unexplained. I think it is fascinating. That is why I want to write about it. I know it is a daring thing to do, but I am up to the challenge!

JR: Where can we find you on the web?

MCB: I love new friends, so please add me!

Marie-Claude’s Website
Marie-Claude on Facebook
Marie-Claude on Myspace
Marie-Claude on LiveJournal
Wordpress Group Blog (great resources for newbie writers)

JR: We appreciate you taking the time to be here with us today, Marie-Claude. What’s next? How can we read your work and vote for you?

MCB: Thank you so much for having me, Jacquie. It’s been a pleasure. You can read a sample of a love scene from Ancient Whispers and also vote for the book at the Romantic Times website:

http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle3.php

Thank you, Marie-Claude! Best of luck to you in the American Title V Contest!

If you want to win a bunch of cool goodies, there are two fabulous contests right now:

Night Owl Romance Web Hunt

and

Infinite Worlds of Fantasy Authors Spring Contest

Have a Magical Monday.

Jacquie
Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues (See the Book Video featuring Justin Saragueta)
Jacquie Rogers *** Myspace *** Twitter *** Facebook
Faery Special Romances *** Book Video
Royalties go to Children’s Tumor Foundation, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research

Today, we at Texty Ladies have the privilege to visit with a premier talent, John Klawitter, a writer, director, and producer. You name it, he’s done it, from writing the Nestle’s Chocolate jingle, to making movie trailers for Disney, to writing

Today, we at Texty Ladies have the privilege to visit with a premier talent, John Klawitter, a writer, director, and producer. You name it, he’s done it, from writing the Nestle’s Chocolate jingle, to making movie trailers for Disney, to writing Headslap with football great Deacon Jones.

More recently, two of his books won 2009 EPPIE Awards: one for Hollywood Havoc: The Trouble With Fat Boy, and a second for Tinsel Wilderness a collection of professional “lessons.”

Welcome to Magical Monday, John Klawitter, and congratulations!

JR: You are well known for your work at Warner and Disney, but before that, you were in advertising by day and novelist at night. How did you manage to balance the day job and family with writing on spec?

JK: Jacquie, I didn’t recognize it at the time, but the secret is a combination of three things: You have to be fanatical about your writing, you have to have patience, and it is critical to have a mate who doesn’t get jealous of the muse. When, in the early 1970’s I was in Detroit working by day as a producer/director on Ford for Grey Advertising, and by night on In the Interest of National Security (one of the first of my many unpublished early novels), I didn’t see anything unusual in what I was about And, most significantly, neither did my wife Lynn.

JR: Crazyhead is set in Vietnam, your old stomping grounds. Tell us about the process of writing this book, both the emotional journey, and how you ply your craft (plotter, fly into the mist, etc., how you approach revisions, and anything else you’d like to add).

JK: Crazyhead is an example of a novel that was published for what I consider all the wrong reasons. The years before Crazyhead was published (in 1990) were difficult times for me. I’d written and rewritten In the Interest of National Security a dozen times. It had grown to 1,200 single-spaced pages, but I wasn’t saying the things the agents and literary editors wanted to hear. I heard it all: Real writers don’t join the army. Nobody who went to Vietnam of their own volition has anything worth while to say about it. But, you see, Hemingway had his war, and Crane and Heller had theirs. I was determined to go to see it, to experience the full heat of the mad god Mars. And having done that, I couldn’t just blat out the anti-war crap the East Of The Hudson Literary Mob was looking for. I talk about how Crazyhead finally came to be in Tinsel Wilderness, a collection of essays on things remembered from my past.

I had a friend who gave me step-by-step instructions, and I followed them and bingo, I get a call from an editor at Ballantine, then a division of Random House. “Mister Klawitter,” the guy says, “We want to buy your book.”

My friend told me five or six things, and I don’t recall them all off the top of my head. The most important, I think, he advised I cut In the Interest of National Security down to four or five novels, and the first one I (re)write should be about the most shocking incident I knew from Vietnam. Well, I knew one particularly revolting mess, and I involved my protagonist, Mad Denny Haller, in that, and Random House/ Ballantine/ Ivy Books bought it.

JR: When you adapted Crazyhead to a screenplay, how hard was that? Do you think it’s easier to adapt your own work, or harder? Did you receive lots of advice that you did or didn’t take? Are you happy with how it turned out?

JK: I’ve done a lot of adapting, screenplay to novel, and novel to screenplay. Once you know both formats, it’s equally easy to go either way. I adapted KM Briggs Hobberdy Dick to screenplay for a Japanese film company, and that was fun. The head of the company met me at the Century Plaza with his concubine, a gorgeous woman, as interpreter. He pretended he didn’t speak a word of English, and after we’d come to an agreement, said “Thank you very much. Now let’s go to dinner.” I’ve heard others tell me of similar experiences, so maybe thats a common practice. In Hollywood, though it’s hard on the spirit, you can make a decent living adapting books that never make it to the silver screen.

About taking advice, if you’re talking about working with others to adapt a novel to screenplay, it is critical that you listen to everybody. If the guy paying the bills suggests something I don’t agree with, I disagree once, strongly but in a quiet voice and with my reasons. If he still insists, I do it his way. When I adapt my own novels to screenplays, I don’t listen to anybody unless they’ve paid money up front. It’s not much different than when you’re working with an opinionated agent or a strong-minded editor. If I’ve turned in my manuscript and they say change this or that and we’ll take another look, I politely decline. But I have to admit it depends on the situation. When I wrote Headslap, Prometheus Books supplied us with a very good senior editor, but he was proactive in that he started to get his shots in from the very first page. Well, the advance wasn’t much, maybe $1,500, and I’d (foolishly) put 5 years into Headslap. The editor learned he was going to have to fight me on every page over things that really didn’t matter that much, and he backed off.

But maybe I’m drifting a bit here. You asked whether I liked the final screenplay adaptation I wrote of Crazyhead. With screenplays, you never pass judgment, not even on your own work, until you see the final product up on the screen. Crazyhead has been optioned a number of times, but even though it’s considered something of a cult classic, it’s more about the human tragedy of war from both sides of the conflict, the clash of ideals and cultures, simple and complex misunderstandings, absurd miscalculations, idealistic crazyness, the ridiculous, foolish, wasteful and mad things war and different ways of thinking bring about. FFC and other filmmakers have been successful in selling their versions of the meaning of Vietnam. Some day there may be room for other, less simplistic versions, but so far I haven’t seen it.

JR: How did you apply your storytelling abilities to Deacon Jones’ biography? Or did you? Please explain the process of co-writing a biography.

JK: A few notions about writing with Deacon Jones. First, the process: I would meet with Deacon for hours at a time, several times a week. He would talk and I would write longhand on yellow notepads. That night or the next day I would transcribe the notes, making sense out of my scribbles. I didn’t use a tape recorder because I found that inhibited his delivery. Initially, I agreed to write an “As Told To” biography, you know, “BY DEACON JONES, as told to John Klawitter.” I actually wrote that, but the publisher’s reaction was very negative.

I found out that Deacon’s verbal and storytelling skills were enormous, but so much of it depended on overtones that readers were missing everything. Deacon would say “I’m gonna KILL that quarterback,” say it with fervor and humor and intensity, and it would just lie there flat on the page.

That’s when I got in real trouble. I vowed I would make it work, and to do that I had to make it a real biography, and that took hundreds of interviews, thousands of hours research, and an additional four and a half years. My reward? “Headslap, by John Klawitter and Deacon Jones.” After Headslap was published, I went back and culled many of Deacon’s sayings from my notes and edited them into The Book of Deacon (Seven Locks Press). Deacon comes from a heritage of black oral history that extends back to the old country, and his sayings reflect that…however, neither Headslap, nor The Book of Deacon actually does him justice as a storyteller. I’d like to go back and adapt both of them into audio books. But Deacon’s a busy guy, and I don’t know whether he could put up with the process…or even if he could. Like I said, my opinion has been that he freezes a bit on mike. You have to direct him, to take him to another place in his own personna, and that takes time.

JR: You have a series with Matt “ Hollywood ” Havoc. Tell us a little about your leading man and his trials and tribulations. What inspired you to write this series?

JK: Matt Havoc, the protagonist of the Hollywood Havoc series, is a guy very much like 99% of the professionals in Hollywood, the professional men and women you never see at the EMMY awards or the Oscars. If you’re lucky, their name blinks on the screen or crawls up bottom to top so fast you can’t read it. Being an average, ordinary producer in Hollywood is a lot of rejection, pain, attention to details, eating crap (from prima donnas and press), late nights, weeks away from home, hurried affairs, breakup, heartache, divorce, new affairs, and so on. Matt Havoc represents to me the indomitable spirit and humor of many of those who survive as Hollywood professionals.

The running story line is that Matt accidentally incurs the wrath of a terrorist intent on blowing up Los Angeles. Matt himself is a low-budget producer with aspirations of being a serious writer. His experiences are all hit-and-run, dodging the cops to steal a free location shot, haggling with cast and crew to get the best deals, and so on…so he is a slippery fellow, and so far has been able to survive the attempts his deadly enemy has made to kill him. Additionally, because he works for a very tricky boss, head of an indy film company that produces cheapo movies and manages to turn a profit, Matt knows a lot about hiding money and shifting it around.

JR: We’d like to know about your latest release. Do you have a book video? Excerpt?

JK: Double Dragon has published my last five or six books, and they put up excerpts of each one for easy viewing. I guess the best way to see any of this is by going to my website. If you click on any cover on the home page, it takes you to the Double Dragon site.

I also read my work “as told by the author,” and free excerpts of these audio books are available at audible.com. Just go there and type “John Klawitter” in the Search Box and it takes you to my books.

I’m currently doing a ‘book video’ as part of a pilot series I’m developing for Twisted Tails, the great series of short story anthologies J. Richard Jacobs is putting out for Double Dragon. (So far he’s done three, with #4 due out in March, and #5 this coming autumn.) The trailer is something special, unique visuals by Deron Douglas cut to song lyrics, music by Steve Zuckerman, a driving, appropriately wierd song for a television series I look on as the new Twilight Zone.

JR: What is your writing philosophy?

JK: I write from personal experiences, whether it’s about war, sports or Hollywood. If I write about an explosion, I’ve been near enough to feel the vibrations. Any closer, and I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale. When I write of personal relationships, that too. Beyond that, well, the story’s the thing.

Thank you John for taking the time for us today, and we’re looking forward to picking your brain for several workshops in the future. You’re always welcome at Texty Ladies.

Congratulations, once again, for two EPPIE wins!

Readers, you’re welcome to visit John’s website or facebook page. To learn more about John, take a look at an in-depth interview with him as he talks about his Disney and Warner Bros. days.

John and I wish you a Happy Magical Monday!

Upcoming events:

March 11: I’ll be posting an article about food on the cattle trail. Learn all about sourdough! That’s on Unusual Historicals.

March 16:I’m still working on getting the songwriter interview from Justin Saragueta (he’s busy these days, which is good!)

March 23: Interview with Marie-Claude Bourque, author of Ancient Whispers, an American Title V finalist.

Jacquie

Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues (See the Book Video featuring Justin Saragueta)

Jacquie Rogers *** Myspace *** Twitter *** Facebook

Faery Special Romances *** Book Video
Royalties go to Children’s Tumor Foundation,
ending Neurofibromatosis through Research