Firsts Fridays: Author, Elizabeth Sharp

I’m excited and sad for today's Firsts Friday. I’m happy because I am getting to interview Elizabeth Sharp, author of Natural Selection. Let me tell you, I read this book in one day…page turner for sure, and it’s her first published book! Yay for Elizabeth!

I’m sad because I have decided to close the door for the time being on Firsts Fridays. I have gotten to know so many wonderful people through it and learned even more. But all good things must come to an end and with the holidays around the corner I feel its time. This isn’t to say it's gone forever, but it is gone for now.

 Enough of that, lets get to know Elizabeth Sharp and see what 'First' writing magic she can teach us.

DB: Hi Elizabeth, thanks so much for stopping by Firsts Fridays while you’re doing your blog tour!

ES: Thank you for having me. I’ve been overwhelmed with the positive experience this tour has been. J

DB: For starters could you tell us about you and how you became a writer?

ES: I was always a storyteller, so when I learned to read and write, it was a natural progression to start writing. I suffered with self-esteem issues in high school (and really, who doesn’t?) and through my writing I was able to express things I never could have without it. It took a long time to get serious about writing though, and I don’t know precisely what changed. Maybe it was a combination of having a really good idea at the same time I was invited to join an amazing writer’s group on Facebook. From then on everything just fell into place and my dream of publishing became a reality.

 DB: Ugh, high school can be so hard, but it sounds like your struggles ended up being a real blessing for you.

Natural Selection is your first book you’ve had published. Can you tell us a little about it?

 ES: It is my first published book. It follows the story of Amelia, a girl who isn’t the normal human she’d always thought. As she starts to discover who and what she is, things start changing very quickly for her. While she comes of age, she is thrust into the center of a terrifying mystery that could cost her and her whole family their lives.

DB: I had so much fun reading this book! I can’t wait until you release Second Nature, the second book in the series.

You published it through 4 Corners Press, a small publisher. Why did you decide to go that route and do you see yourself sticking to this method?

ES: Honestly, I am one of the founding members of 4 Corners. I had intended to self-publish, but after some casual joking one day about how some of us with different talents should band together to create our own publishing company, things started to fall together and that’s exactly what we did. I am the cover artist. As a part owner of the company, I have a feeling I’ll be publishing through them for a while. ;)

DB: Well isn’t that cool! And what a big endeavor!

As you mentioned above, you are also an artist having done your cover and others. For those interested are you available to do more and if so how can someone reach you about this?

ES: I honestly couldn’t tell you whether I love creating covers or writing more. I have a website for my cover designs, including some premade covers and some samples of others I’ve done. Anyone who’s interested can contact me through the contact form on the site, http://sharpcovers.blogspot.com

DB: Where do you see yourself taking your writing in the future? Let’s say the next five years.

ES: Honestly, I just hope the world loves what I create as much as I like creating it. I would like to expand myself, write a little darker, maybe master suspense. But I’d be content in five years to just still be putting out quality work and have a reliable fan base who love to read it.

DB: Sounds like some great plans!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by! You rockJ

ES: So do you. J

If you’d like to learn more about Elizabeth Sharp, her publishing company and/or her cover art, go HERE.

And that’s it folks. Firsts Fridays outJ

Firsts Fridays: Multi-talented, Lisa Cottrell-Bentley

Today’s Firsts Fridays guest is the definition of go-getter…and man do I love go-getters. Read on to find out more about the multi-talented Lisa Cottrell-Bentley.

Lisa M. Cottrell-Bentley has been writing since she was a child, winning her first writing contest at age 9. She’s been writing professionally since 2002. Lisa is an active member of RWA and SCBWI.

Lisa and her daughters spent many hours searching for children’s books about homeschoolers, but found very few. So, they decided to create their own. As they discussed their dream storylines, the Wright on Time series took shape. While they haven’t found any mysterious devices yet, they have done lots of field research trying out many of the activities described in these books.

Lisa lives and learns while writing in southern Arizona with her husband Greg, two happy always homeschooled daughters Zoë and Teagan, and three cats. Her desire is for all people to live their own personal dreams, now and for always.

DB: You started writing when you were a child. Have you always known this was the route you wanted to take?

LB: Deep down, I always dreamed of being a published author, but the practicalities of “adult life” led me to follow my more scientific interests through college and my early years as an adult. I received a degree in Mathematics and became a computer engineer for several years. Once I had my first child, my passion for writing was unleashed again—I haven’t stopped since.

DB: I’m glad you found it your passion again!

With all the writing you do, does it come easy for you? For example do you go about writing all your books in the same amount of time, the same way, etc?

LB: This is an interesting question. I don’t have a process for writing. Sometimes I’m so inspired that a story comes out faster than I can type. Sometimes I have to struggle a bit—usually because of a deadline. Those can either freak me out, or give me a “forced” inspirational all-nighter. J

I prefer to keep several writing projects going at once, so that there is always something I can work on.

DB: I would think the dead lines would either force inspiration or insanityJ

You have created the Wright on Time Series which are books where a homeschooled family takes many adventurous trips throughout the US. What else can you tell us about these books?

LB: The Wright family, originally from Arizona, decided as a family to live on the road for a few years in order to facilitate a really fun homeschooling adventure for the children. The kids, Nadia and Aidan, start out as 11 and 7 year olds in Wright on Time: Arizona. The family plans to stay one month in each of the 50 U.S. states and explore as much as possible (corresponding to all of the Wright on Time books). Each book shows one day in a particular state, taking the family on an adventure as well as a unique educational theme.

The parents, Harrison and Stephanie, are very active in the books. Harrison works as a freelance writer and Stephanie telecommutes as a software engineer. Their pet turtle, Prince Pumpkin III, is along for the ride.

As well as being fun individual books, there is an overall science fiction story arc to the Wright on Time books involving a mysterious device that the family finds on their first adventure in Arizona.

I’ve received a lot of fan mail from both homeschooled kids (who like reading about other kids like them) and school kids (who also enjoy them and find them packed with facts to use in book reports).

DB: You had me hooked at sci-fi. What a cool way to experience the world for kids!

Are these the first books you have had published and could you tell us about that journey?

LB: The Wright on Time series are my first published books. The first was Wright on Time: Arizona, Book 1 and was published in August 2009.

I started trying to get published about eight years before I became published. I joined writers’ groups and critique groups and went to conferences. I specifically started writing children’s books since my older daughter (then around seven or so) begged me to after she had gotten fed up with everything she’d been reading.

I followed all the traditional advice: boned up on query letters, learned how to pitch, and was told the same advice over and over… “Get rid of the parents, send the kids to school, make the siblings not like each other, and then we’ll talk because your writing style is very good.”

Since the sole reason I started writing children’s books about homeschoolers was to appeal to the millions of homeschoolers (and their families) who have no role models in fiction, getting rid of those details wasn’t going to happen in my books. (See the next question for the rest of the story.)

DB: Tell us about your publishing company Do Life Right, Inc. and why you decided to start your own?

LB: After spending over eight years trying the “traditional” route to publication, I decided to turn my consulting company into a publishing company. I wrote up a business plan and a marketing plan, figured out expenses, and found an angel investor who loved my vision as much as I do.

DB: So you kept the family values in your books and the brother and sister like each other? That is cutting edge! Good for you to stay true to your vision!

I read on the Do Life Right Inc., site that you recently published a book a child had written. I have to say that is the neatest thing I have heard. Can you tell me how and why that happened?

LB: At Do Life Right, Inc., we are open to publishing books by people of any age. We’re about to publish two collaborative books, actually: one by a group of teens, and one by a Girl Scout troop.

Our choosing what to publish next process is fairly straightforward:

(1)   Write a book that has a realistic homeschooler of today as the main character. Have your critique group help you make it the best book possible.

(2)   Submit a query letter to query@doliferightinc.com

(3)   I currently personally read every submission. If I love it, I ask for a partial or full manuscript (depending on the length and my personal interest level).

(4)   I read those. If I love them and/or think kids or teens will love them, I pass it along to my group of readers. These readers are pre-teens and teens who love fiction. If they love it and DLR has the funding available, we start talking publishing details.

I don’t give potential DLR author names out to my readers, just the story. This helps them choose what they like based solely on what they read. Once a manuscript has met all of this, and the author (and possibly the parents of the author) have signed a contract, then we go through the professional publishing process with them. While small, Do Life Right, Inc. is steadily growing and we publish in a very similar way as traditional publishers (just faster and with only print on demand and electronic formats).

DB: Very cool!

Where do you see things going from here with your writing and publishing company?

LB: Growing! It’s my plan to have Do Life Right, Inc. publish at least four more books this year, and at least a couple dozen next year. We’re on a steadily growing path, putting all our proceeds directly into new books, and marketing endeavors.

I personally have several more books in the Wright on Time series written, waiting for illustrations, and I plan to have them published as soon as possible (after DLR has at least 12 books in our catalog). I also have many new ideas that I’ve been working on in draft form, especially picking up new ideas from my travels and conferences that I’ve attended. J

DB: It sounds like you are on a road straight up.

Thanks so much for the wonderful interview Lisa. Do you have any parting words for us?

LB: Follow your dreams! They might seem big and impossible, but they aren’t. Every day we can do something to help us get where we want to be. Those tiny steps really work!

If you would like to learn more about Lisa’s publishing company, Do Life Right, Inc. go HERE and if you would like to learn more about Lisa and her books go HERE.

Until next time…

Keep writing. Keep learning.

Firsts Fridays: Author Liz Schulte + a Giveaway!

Guess what people? We have a winner for Liz's book Dark Corners!!!!
Congrats Mary Belle! I am going to go out on a limb and say you will love this book:)

I was sent a book a few weeks back to review. DARK CORNERS, written by Liz Schulte. Here is what it’s about:

Ella Reynolds knew from the first moment she walked into the old house someone or something was watching her. Waiting. Her husband's violent murder sent her spiraling into a world of grief and isolation, but Ella isn't alone. Who or what is responsible for her husband's death is still with her. Darkness has engulfed the past year of Ella's life. Everyday reality slips a little more between her fingers as she struggles to break free from her memories.

She must look deeper into her past as well as the present to discover truth of her husband's homicide. A string of uncanny events takes place and practical explanations run thin as Ella follows the terrifying road to closure. As the past and present come to a head, Ella must decipher who or what the murderer is before it takes her as well.

Here is what I loved about the book:  

-Once I started reading I couldn’t put the book down. Ella is raw and hurt and sensitive but there is a part of her that causes the reader to wonder about her. I love a flawed MC. She pulled flawed off to a tee.

-The creep factor. Let’s just say I moved into an old house recently and there were a couple nights that I lay awake biting my nails. Can we say night light anyone?

-Real life mixed in with craziness. For me I need a book to feel real, but if it’s too real I’m not pulled out of my own life enough. I was very nicely wrapped in this world until the end.

-The guessing. It is a fun guessing game until the very end. Who doesn’t love games?

Would I recommend this book? A big resounding YES! And you will have a chance to win a copy here by commenting about Liz or her killer (no pun intended) book. I will announce the winner next Friday. Good luck!

WAIT…do you want more chances to win? Go here to get details. Winner will receive a Signed copy of Dark Corners, a Signed Copy of Secrets - Guardian Trilogy Book one (Coming out in Nov), a $20 Amazon Gift card, AND a $20 Barnes and Noble Gift card.

With that being said, Liz wrote a pretty fabulous book and it’s her first to be published. So guess who our Firsts Fridays victim is today? Yep. Liz.

While putting this interview together I found that she is just as mysterious as her book. This is what I can give you from her blog, BAT COUNTRY, about her: The True Story of an Average Everyday Sane Psycho.

Now let us here from the sane psycho herselfJ

DB: Hi Liz! Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your book tour! I also have to tell you, you’ve visited my blog on a special day called Firsts Fridays. So while we learn a bit about your book, hopefully we can also learn about you as a writer, your experience as a first time published author and basically, what makes Liz Schulte tick.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you became a writer?

LS: I am just a girl with a wild imagination really. I have always enjoyed making things up and telling stories, but writing wasn’t something I ever seriously considered doing. I was pretty focused on being a lawyer through junior high, high school, and college. I used to read constantly. My mom would take me to the library and I would check out the maximum allowed and devour the books in two weeks—I think I read every YA book our library had. In junior high I wrote short stories very much influenced by RL Stine’s series, Fear Street, but those were mainly just for fun. It wasn’t until I graduated college that law no longer seemed as appealing. My mom encouraged me to write so I thought I would take a shot and Dark Corners was born.  

DB: I am noticing a common thread to writers and lawyers. You aren’t the first. Very interestingJ

What would you like those who haven’t read Dark Corners to know about it?

LS: Dark Corners is the sort of story that I have to be very careful when answering questions that I do not give too much away. Writing the blurb was harder than writing the entire book. It is a mystery about a woman who is being pushed towards the edge of sanity after her husband’s murder where everyone is a suspect and reader has to determine what is real and who to believe. I also like to warn people that Ella, the main character, is a tad grumpy and self-involved at the beginning.

DB: You aren’t kidding…on all points.

What is something you have learned through the publishing process that may help new writers and up and coming authors?

LS: I think the major lesson I learned with Dark Corners is that you don’t have to do this alone. I did Dark Corners completely alone and always saw writing as a solitary endeavor. I didn’t realize that there was such a tremendous and helpful writing community out there. Had I found them sooner, I would have published two years ago.

DB: That is so true. When I found the community it was like looking through glasses. I saw so much more!

 I love hearing about the journey. Can you tell us about yours from the start of writing Dark Corners to the moment you held the actual book in your hands?

LS: Dark Corners began with the first line of chapter one. I had decided I would try to write a book and then it was about finding story. I mulled over several options and made a list of possible story lines. I decided I would stick to my comfort zone which is mystery horror (my favorite type of movies). Then one day the first line popped into my head. I went to write it down and the next thing I knew I had a first scene then a chapter then a book. It really happened that fast. Once I opened the gates the story poured out. Of course the story that poured out isn’t exactly the story you read. Dark Corners had scenes added and cut and moved around for the end result, but that is pretty much how it got there.

Once I had this completed MS I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it. I entered into a contest and didn’t win. I queried about ten agents because I read somewhere I was supposed to query. I flat out disliked the querying process. It seemed ridiculous that people would judge my work without ever having read a word of it. So I shelved the story and began writing another book. That was when I started exploring other publishing options. I became very interested in self-publishing and I found a self-published author I liked and Facebook messaged her. She gave me the rundown of the process and a few weeks later she started a writers group. It was joining the writers group and getting involved in the community that gave me the confidence to seriously pursue publication. I hired an editor and started a publishing company with five other writer friends and we are currently publishing our own work and someday we want to be able to fairly help authors in the same position we were in.

 DB: So you are one of the founders of 4 Corners Press. Very neat!

Can you tell us a little about what 4 Corners Press is all about for others interested in this route?

LS: We are a small company that is interested in helping to encourage and nurture new authors with unique stories to tell. The Guardian Trilogy will also be published through 4 Corners Press.

DB: Dark Corners is a spooky, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of book. How do you come up with these creepy ideas?

LS: They are in part imagination and real life experiences. I find with any writing I do, part of me and my experiences always seem to make it into the story. No one character I write is completely me, but they are all a little bit me. And sometimes reality can be much scarier than imagination. I would say Dark Corners is a healthy mix of both. I will leave it up to you to determine what is based in reality or imagination.

DB: Where do you go from here? With your writing, your books, etc.

LS: That is an excellent question. My plan is to write in two genres. I will publish the Guardian Trilogy, which are urban fantasy novels, in pretty quick succession (November, February, and May) and then by late summer early fall I should publish another mystery horror novel. Those will be my main two focal points though there is a fictional drama period piece that has a start and will be completed someday. 

DB: Sound like you are one buys lady!

Last question...

Can you give us any parting words, be it advice, teasers about Dark Corners, fun facts about you? The ball is in your court for this one.

LS: Hmmm I will give you a teaser for Dark Corners because they are so much fun. Thank you for having me on the blog. I loved your questions and I hope my answers did them justice.

***

I sat up, drenched in sweat and tangled in the sheets, tears filling my eyes. Why did that dream still hurt so damn much? The pain hadn't eased over the last year; it was still a knife, twisting away at my soul. My entire body ached for Danny, for just a moment of once more feeling the safety and security I had with him—

My fresh mourning was cut short. A shadow blocked out the light beneath my bedroom door as something moved passed. My insides went cold and my eyes dried. Mustering up all my courage, I climbed out of bed.

There was no noise from the hallway when I pressed my ear to the door. I opened it just a crack so I could see if anything was immediately on the other side. There appeared to be nothing. I opened the door far enough to stick my head out to look down both sides of the hallway.  Again, I saw nothing. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door all the way and tiptoed in the direction the shadow moved. There was only one room that direction, the master bedroom.  I had not been able to go into our bedroom since the morning I found Danny. The door was shut, just as it always was.  I put my shaking hand on the doorknob. There was definitely something on the other side. I listened more intently, but couldn’t tell what it was: perhaps some sort of scratching or sliding.

Fear locked my legs and choked out any sound I would make. I couldn’t move.  I could only listen to whatever was in the room. My heart thudded so loudly in my ears that I worried whatever was there would hear it. Whatever was on the other side moved closer; a whimper escaped me. Everything went very quiet. I could hear what sounded like someone breathing on the opposite side of the door. I knew I should open it and see it once and for all. The handle rattled beneath my hand unfreezing my body and mind.

DB: Oooo, pick it up and read it folks!

Liz, thanks so much and good luck with every thing!

Author S.B. Niccum's Veiled Tour

UPDATE: We have a winner for the copy of Veiled. Thanks to all those who commented but...
ANGIE COTHRAN...you take the prize!

Today is an exciting day for me! I get to be the first stop in SB Niccum's book tour. She is the author of Veiled and if you haven't read this book yet, you should!

If you haven't, you are going to have an opportunity to win your very own copy today. After the interview, if you comment below you will be entered to win Veiled!

So let's get started shall we!

Silvina, thanks so much for letting me pick your brain today!

DB: Tell us a little about yourself and your book Veiled.              

SBN: Thanks for having me! Well, the first thing that comes to mind when I start talking about myself is the fact that I’m South American. I was born and raised in Argentina, my parents and grandparents as well.  So in spite of the fact that I don’t look it, I am Hispanic.  My family moved to the U.S. when I was fourteen years old and I spoke no English at that time.  It took me two years to learn it, so as you can imagine, high school was different for me.  I had to look up every word in the dictionary in order to do my homework. 

I ended up going to the University of Utah and studying Spanish Lit. mostly because I felt like a traitor to “La Raza” if I studied English Lit. 

Writing has been part of me since I was a little girl, and not having many friends in High School gave ample time to read a lot. 

I’ve always written things in English and Spanish.  But two years ago the idea for Veiled exploded in my head.  It was the first idea that came complete.  In the end I ended up using some of my earlier characters and ideas into Veiled. 

Veiled is the story of a soul (Tess) who is an un-embodied spirit who waits and trains for her mortality.  She has many apprehensions about mortality; she has watched other mortals and knows that life comes with many uncertainties—the main one being the Veil.  Once she crosses the veil into mortality she will lose all her memories of her pre-mortal life and naturally she wonders who she will be and how she will find her soul mate, Alex.  She is also very gifted; she has the gift of discernment that allows her to read auras and interpret thoughts or intentions.  She is chosen for an important mission in life, one that she must train carefully for.  A Seraph named Dayspring is assigned as her personal trainer and the action begins!

DB: I can’t imagine adding anything more challenging to high school (like a language barrier) than it already was. That must have been difficult, but the knowledge you’ve gained from it, I’m sure it was worth itJ

I know you have a second book in the works. Is there anything you can tell us about it and will there be more after it?

SBN: Living Soul is the sequel to Veiled and I’m currently finishing it up.  While Veiled is more of a fantasy, Living Soul is more of a Supernatural/ Paranormal story. 

Tess is now alive and trying to make sense of all the paranormal phenomena that surrounds her. She is also growing up in foster care and has no memory of her early childhood.  At school she meets a boy that she can swear she’s met before, but he also happens to be the most popular guy in school and half the student body likes him too!

While the theme for Veiled centered on preparation for having a good life; Living Soul focuses on the quest that mortals have for finding themselves (that person that we used to be, the person we wanted to be and we know we were).  I love the quote, “Life is not about finding yourself.  It’s about creating yourself.”  This is the message of Living Soul, intertwined with a lot of fun Supernatural and Paranormal YA stuff!

Endless will complete this series and it covers life after death.  Redemption, and dealing with the aftermath or our choices while alive. 

As a whole, with this series I hope to bring awareness to the blessing of life and the importance of how we spend it.

DB: This book sounds fantastic! I can’t wait!

Since the majority of my readers are writers themselves, I’d love to pick your brain about your writing as well as your mode of getting your book published.

Are you a plotter or a pantster when it comes to writing your stories?

SBN: I have to say that with Veiled, the story just bloomed in my head one day.  I had to fill in the gaps a lot, and I did that mostly by writing and re-writing.  I did find a way of working though, that I like.  I wake up early and write while the house is dark and quiet.  Then I plot the next scene while I clean the house or fold laundry.  But I am an outline freak, so I make a tentative chapter by chapter outline.  However if the story deviates, I’m okay with it.  I just correct my outline.  Having one makes me feel less paniky.

DB: I am an early morning writer too. I love getting up and having it done right at the start of the day.

About how long did it take you to write Veiled?

SBN: It took me a year from start to finish, then another six months to edit and another six months until it was published.

DB: Do you have a critique group or betas and what is your take on them?

SBN: I do now!  Back when I was still writing Veiled, I felt like I had to pull teeth to get people to read it!  No one (but my mother) wanted to take time off their busy schedule to read a manuscript of 138,000 words! Yikes!  I had to cut it down quite a bit.  Then I became friends with another writer mom, and we exchanged WIP’s.  It was great to have her opinion.  After that I posted a part of my book that I took out on my blog and a homeschooling mom (like me) from one of my yahoo groups asked to beta read the book.  I gladly let her do it and she was also very helpful. 

Once I got a publisher, two more people agreed to beta read and since the book has been out I have people (anxious people) wanting to beta read!  I feel very humbled every time someone says they liked my book. 

DB: It really is a great bookJ

Can you tell us why you chose to go the route of the small publisher and in the future will you stick with that or go another direction?

SBN: I started out by querying agents, and one of them told me that Speculative Christian Fiction was not “traditionally” published for the most part.  He steered me in the direction of a small press and told me to learn more about those. 

The press that he told me to query was bogged down with queries (big surprise!) and they were not taking any more.  During that time, my brother (who self published a non-fiction specific for his industry) told me to read a book that explained all the different types of publishing options available. 

I read up on the trends of the book industry and what Amazon’s e-publishing and Smashwords were doing to it.  I also read about traditional publishers and the realities of working with them, and of course the small press publishing houses that were popping up everywhere. 

I already knew that my chances for a traditional publisher were slim because of my genre, but I also knew that the traditional publisher’s demands on my time were not realistic for me.  I have kids that I homeschool and thankfully I don’t need a job.  I wanted to write and publish, but I didn’t want to leave my family to do so.  I wanted my life as it was + a published book. 

That pretty much left the small publishers and self-publishing available.  The idea of self-publishing was daunting, so I started looking into small publishers.  Luckily a friend of a friend patched me through to Linda Boulanger from TreasureLine Books & Publishing and one month later I was signing a contract. 

DB: Sounds like you did your homework. Linda is AWESOME by the way, for those looking for small publishersJ

Can you tell us a bit about the workings of getting your book published from start to finish with a small publisher?

SBN: Working with a small publisher has been very painless and easy.  The contract is simple; you split the royalties as you negotiate it.  They edit, typeset, form a cover, give you an ISBN and list your book through online booksellers such as Amazon, B&N.com and Smashwords.com and promote you on their web site and blogs. 

You get to work closely with the cover designer and do your own marketing.  If you want to be in an actual B & N bookstore, they will fill out all the paperwork for you.  Some of my fellow authors from TreasureLine have done so.  But to be honest, I don’t care for that.  I only have so much time in a day and I try not to get sucked into this world too much, or it’s no longer fun!  

DB: How much did you have to do with things like your cover art (which is beautiful!), editing, advertisement, etc?

SBN: Cover:  I actually blogged about this so you can go see how it was done!  http://spiritualsupernaturalparanormal.blogspot.com/2011/01/creating-book-cover.html

Editing:  After the last edit, I had two very meticulous friends comb through it one last time.  When I felt that  it was ready we got a proof ordered.

Advertising:  That’s pretty much my territory.  It’s been challenging and fun and sometimes frustrating.  But it is what it is!

DB: Last question and this one is just for fun…

Will you tell us something that we absolutely have to know about you?

I’m a foodie freak.  I went to culinary school and I’m obsessed with how things are processed.  For example:  who first tasted an olive and thought, “mm… I think I will soak this in a brine of lye and see what happens.”   Or, “I bet that if I squeeze this sour foul tasting thing between two rocks, awesome cooking oil will come out!”

So what you must know about me is: I will write about food in the future, and it will not be a cook book!  …not in the traditional way.

DB: Hmmm, now that is interesting. A book about food that is not a cook book. Can’t wait!

Silvina, thanks again for letting me be your first stop along this wild book journey of yours!

Readers, this book is such a fun, feel good read. You’ve got to pick one up you get a chance.

Also, if you have any questions for Silvina, ask away, she will be around today to answer any questions you may haveJ

And if you are interested in buying this book you can get it for $3.99 for your Kindle HERE and the actual book is $14.95 on Amazon HERE J