Bedtime and Any Time - Toddler's Tales and Nursery Rhymes

Bedtime and Any Time - Toddler's Tales adn Nursery Rhymes

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Find my article on The Next Rex

 Come read my article...and while you're there check out all the other awesomeness that The Next Rex has to offer!

A Must Read (then watch): “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon

http://www.thenextrex.com/outlander-by-diana-gabaldon/


#DianaGabaldon #JamieFraser #Outlander #Series #Books #Television

Author Interview with Don Bordua! Come on...let's get to know him!

Links where you could find all of Don Bordua's 'stuff'

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DRobertBordua

Amazon Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/D-Robert-Bordua/e/B00PB078CW/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Createspace (paperback only):http://bit.ly/BH-Conversion

Blogs: Sample work: http://www.BorduasCorner.blogspot.com

Here's the interview:

ME: Tell us a little about yourself...where did you grow up...family life...where are you now...where do you see yourself (physically) in the future?

DON: I was born in Massachesetts but at the age of 3 my family moved to Michigan where I grew up. Originally, I had two brothers and two sisters, all older, but my oldest brother died as a Marine during peace time in Okinawa, the result of a drowning during a training drill. I attended a community college and finally decided to just work. I had several part time jobs, then as a store manager for a national book chain and finally retired after 30 years at General Motors in Texas. I'm in my second marriage and together my wife and I have five children and a growing list of grandchildren. We have three Bengal cats and two Bull Mastiffs as pets. We now reside in a small town in S. Carolina.

ME: Ohh, that must be great vacation country down there!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

This is a tough question. I've traveled through much of the US. I enjoyed an extensive vacation in Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, and two weeks in a condo in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Ochee, as it's commonly called is heaven. However, through research for my first novel, I learned much about Romania. The old world architecture appeals to me as well as their culture. Since I've been to Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean already I think I might like to live there at least for awhile.

ME: Anyplace warm and sunny would do me well, Don. I'm in Europe now, and I must say that the weather is not my friend.

Okay, so what do you like to do in your spare time, if you have any?

DON: I love to read. At one time I enjoyed photography but these days I enjoy landscaping, refinishing furniture, and playing golf. I miss fishing and hunting, both of which I enjoyed in Michigan. Golf is expensive these days, I don't have access to a fishing boat and hunting in S Carolina just isn't the same.

ME: When I was young, we vacationed in Michigan every summer. We had a cottage on Sand Lake and we fished every day, all day. I love those memories!

So, tell us what inspired you to become a writer?

DON: My father taught me the importance of reading. I've always enjoyed it. My reading choices evolved over the years from adventures, to fantasy, to mystery/crime novels. I'll also pick up a biography if I'm really interested in learning more about the subject person.

ME: Reading is one of my favorite things to read, as well.

What is your favorite genre to read?

DON: My favorites are mystery/crime and paranormal.

ME: I think it unusual that men read paranormal, but I might be wrong. I love it, really.

Who is your favorite author?

DON: My list is rather long, but here are a few. Edgar Allen Poe; Mary Higgins Clark; John Grisham; Elmore Leonard (I love his dialogue); Christine Feehan and Patricia Cornwell.

ME: I do recognize some of those names, of course, and I used to follow Mary Higgins Clark quite closely.

If you could have only one book, which book would it be?

DON: I actually have it. It's a special bound copy of The JRR Tolkien Trilogy 'Lord of the Rings.' I also have the same for 'The Hobbit' and the book that predates all called 'The Silmarillion.'

ME: Again, we have something in common...JRR Tolkien! I actually did a thesis paper on the whole Middle Earth thing, and did read The Silmarillion. Awesome!

Now, let's talk about your writing...What do you dislike the most about writing?

DON: Writers block! Plus re-editing, research, formatting issues and the ever present typos.

ME: What do you like most about writing?

DON: The creativity! I love seeing my characters come to life and watching them interact with each other. I like giving the reader the scenes before them, describing the towns or environment that they're in.

ME: Now, on a more personal note...Is there any aspect of humanity and the world today that really gets you angry?

DON: I hate that people, groups, governments and religious sects feel they can force their beliefs/customs/mores on others. Racism and reaction without fact finding.

ME: I couldn't agree more, Don. So then, what quality do you admire most in a person, and least in a person?

DON: Honesty and compassion.

ME: Okay, so those are the qualities that you admire most. I guess that you probably dislike liars and non-compassionate people. I couldn't agree more.

If you could write any type of book (at any length) that would be a best seller, and it only took you one day, what type of book would that be?

Obviously since I'm currently in the paranormal/suspense genre that's what it would be. Realistically, if I only have one day it would most likely be a 'How to' book.

Quick answers to quick questions:

Favorite food? Italian

Favorite movie? Once Upon a Time in America (It's much like the Godfather, but you watch the 'gangsters' grow up from minors through adulthood.)

Favorite fictional character?

Several. Just one? Bilbo Baggins

Most memorable moment in your life?

Watching my son being born.

Most regrettable moment of your life?

Breaking somone's heart.

Most embarrassing Moment of your life?

There are several, but one that stands out is when I was a child getting my haircut I answered a question that wasn't meant for me.

What person, either alive or dead, would you most like to meet?

Again, there are many. My deceased brother.

What would you wish to do with that person?

Since he died when I was only three, I'd just like to get to know him. The only things I know about him are from what I was told and through family pictures.

Do you believe in fate?

Abolutely, not only do I believe in it, I've seen it personally, from meeting people that have the same backgrounds to meeting my wife.

Well, that's it folks! I want to thank Don for answering our questions and allowing us to see the real Don Bordua. It has truly been a pleasure. Check out his links and pages!

Interview With Author Sarah Hitchcock--Love her!

Sarah Hitchcock was born in Norfolk, in a small town called Kings Lynn. She always was a keen reader, and one day decided to attempt to write her own, and never looked back. Today she has many novels in various stages of editing and re-writing and ideas for many new ones.

After finishing high school and then training to work with children, Sarah started her first job. She currently works as a pre-school teacher.

Sarah has four children, and three dogs, and a partner who has to put up with her rambling on about all her WIP’s.

She recalls spending hours thinking about her characters and their storylines. To this day, she often falls asleep thinking about where she can take new and old characters.

Here are all of her links:

Website: http://sjhitchcock.weebly.com

Blog: http://sjhitchcockblog.weebly.com


FB author page : https://www.facebook.com/daydreamer1977


Twitter: https://twitter.com/daydreamer1977

Dream World: Book 1 links http://getbook.at/Dreamworld1

Interview:

Me: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

Sarah: It would have to be America.



Me: I loved living in the USA. It is my country and someday I plan on going back there. What do you like to do in your spare time, if you have any?
Sarah: Indeed if I have any, well actually I like to craft. I enjoy stamping and colouring the images in with my alcohol pens. Which I use to create cards.

Me: I've never done that, but it sounds like fun. I wonder if your stamping inspires your writing. What inspired you to become a writer?

Sarah: It was after years of reading, and decided to have a go, and have never looked back since.

Me: Reading inspired me as well. So then, what is your favorite genre to read?

Sarah: It has to be Romance.

Me: I love reading romance...that's why I write it! Who is your favorite author?

Sarah: Even though my favourite genre is Romance, I love Martina Cole books.

Me: I have not read anything by Martina Cole. I don't think I've heard of her. If you could have only one book, which book would it be?

Sarah: It would be Ruth Appleby.



Me: I don't know that one, either. You've given me some work to do here, Sarah. I need to find out about these! What do you dislike the most about writing?
Sarah: Editing, fixing tense, grammar and spelling issues.

Me: I totally agree. What do you like most about writing?

Sarah: Being able to create lives for the characters and storylines. Even though most of the time, they tell me what their story.

Me: Is there any aspect of humanity and the world today that really gets you angry?

Sarah: Yes, there is one, and I hate that there is so much of it in the world. Any form of bullying, I despise, and with the added ways to torment people, no matter what age they are I think it is something we need to stamp out.



Me: Again, I totally agree. I think we need to work on that every single day. It's a tough thing to do.
What quality do you admire most in a person, and least in a person?
Sarah: Most I have to say is honesty, and least, well that one is far harder to answer, so I have to say I don’t know which one I would personally pick.



Me: Honesty is high on my list as well. And on the other end, would have to be dishonesty.
If you could write any type of book (at any length) that would be a best seller, and it only took you one day, what type of book would that be?
Sarah: That is a very good question, as much as I like romance, I would like to be a mixture of that and fantasy.

Me: That's easy, and I think you have a touch of that in your books already!

Quick answers to quick questions:
Favorite food?
Chinese.



Favorite movie?
27 dresses and P.S I Love you.

Favorite fictional character?

Okay, well this has to be without a shadow of a doubt, Harry Potter.



Most memorable moment in your life?
Can I go with 4, it just has to be giving birth.



Most regrettable moment of your life?
Not publishing sooner.



Most embarrassing moment of your life?
Deciding to have a fringe cut into my hair. It really did not suit me at all. I soon grew it out again
.
What person, either alive or dead, would you most like to meet?
I know this is meant to be maybe someone famous, but I think I would like to meet my new made friends from across the pond.

Me: That's an awesome answer, Sarah!

What would you wish to do with that person?
Meet up, and go for lunch and have a get to know each other face to face.

Me: Wouldn't that be wonderful!!!

Do you believe in fate?
Yes.

Blurb from book one:

I spot my mother’s car approaching me. I see her wave, and smile as our eyes lock. Then as if in slow motion, the most horrific scene plays out before my eyes. The van switches lanes once again, right into my mother’s path. The look on her face as she steps on the brakes shows SHE HAS REALISED it’s too late, the car ploughs into the van as such speed she had no time to react. I watch in horror as my mother flies forward. I close my eyes, and crumble to the floor, shielding my eyes, not wanting to see the scene continue to play out. Hearing metal on metal as screams fill the air, it’s only then I realise it is me who is screaming.

My name is Debbie Conway, I am thirteen years old and FROM the day I witnessed my mother’s death I could think of little else. To ease my pain, I spent more time in my dream world, in the arms of Joshua Lawson, the guy from the poster above my bed, and staring in my favourite TV show, Victor.

Meet my best friend, Wendy, former best friend and school bully, Karen, and a boy who will confuse my love for Joshua Lawson, Mark Hobson. A new student from America, WHOSE accent alone sends shivers up and down my spine.

Interview with author Phoenix Rainez-AWESOME!

Let's get to know a little about fellow author Phoenix Rainez.

Her debut novel, Second Chances is available as an ebook and in print on Amazon on these linkswww.amazon.com/dp/1501022539
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1501022539
www.amazon.de/dp/1501022539
www.amazon.es/dp/1501022539
www.amazon.fr/dp/1501022539
www.amazond.it/dp/1510122539
A few other links where you can find Phoenix:
facebook author page - http:///www.facebook.com/phoenixrainez
Twitter - @phoenixrainez
Tumblr - http://phoenixrainez.tumblr.com

Phoenix, tell us a little about yourself...where did you grow up...family life...where are you now...where do you see yourself (physically) in the future?

     I was born and raised and educated in Zimbabwe. Married at 22 and had both my daughters by the time I was 26. After 36 years of marriage I have two wonderful daughters and four adorable young grandchildren and yes spending time with them are the most memorable moments in my life. I am fortunate to have a very supportive husband who encourages me in all my endeavours, especially with my writing which is a very recent addition to our already busy life styles.

      Growing up, my father worked out on the mines and only came home a few days at the end of every month, so my poor mother had the difficult task of bringing up her three children on her own. But we made it through and sadly my parents passed far too soon and did not share in the joy of seeing their great grandchildren, or their grandchildren grow up.

      By day I work as a live-in-carer looking after elderly suffering with dementia. A dreadful disease which my mother suffered with for two years before she passed.
     By night I disappear into my imaginary world of my characters and write till long after midnight.

     Poetry has always been my first love and passion and I started writing poems at the age of ten and family and friends encouraged me to write my first novel after reading a draft I wrote many years ago. I finally plucked up the courage and Second Chances went from rough hand written notes to computer screen and entered into a writing contest for Harelquin/Wattpad (SYTYCW) in 2013 where I succeeded in securing a place in the top 25 semi-finalists and now published on Amazon.

      Where do I see myself (physically) in the future - hopefully not suffering the same fate as my mother, although she did bless me with her arthritic genes which now plague my joints.
In the future I hope to be able to live my dream and find myself sitting on a beach where the sun always shines and lose myself in writing all day long.

ME: That sounds wonderful. Maybe I could join you there, on the beach!

What do you like to do in your spare time, if you have any?

      Spare time??? What's that? I write every spare moment I have between being a wife, mother, Gran and care worker. But I do love to watch the sunset and long walks on the beach in those fleeting moments when I make time.

ME: I think it's good to be busy. Somehow, it keeps a person grounded.

What inspired you to become a writer?

      I have been writing poetry since I was ten and loved literature and writing essays when I was at school, so much that I helped my daughters write their essays for school too. (Hope none of their teachers are reading this) I started writing my first story in my early thirties and my mother was the only person to read the first few chapters. She said it was really good and I should finish it, but sadly she passed long before I ever did. It was shelved and replaced by life and family.

      I only took up writing again when my friends Terry and Paul told me about an online writers group Wattpad and it was only after hearing a radio interview from a young writer on Wattpad that I took the plunge and thanks to the Wattpad readers feedback I found the confidence to publish my first novel. The story my mother first read so long ago and now my debut novel on Amazon.

ME: It's wonderful that your mother had the chance to read your work, Phoenix. I wish that mine had the chance to read some of mine.

     Alright, moving on now. I have to say that the books that I have read are what gave me the inspiration to write. There are some amazing authors in this world. Some that are no longer with us, too.
What is your favorite genre to read?

Romance of course. I'm an incurable romantic and devour all romance novels, fantasy, fiction or paranormal. As long as there is love somewhere in the story I will read it.

ME: I'm the same way. Should always be some sort of love element, with a happy ending, typically.
Who is your favorite author?

      I don't have a favourite and will read any author who has written a book that appeals to my romantic side. The latest being Stephanie Draven, Ruthie Knox, Judy Feather Stone, Mandy Thomas and Angela Stevens. All romance but all so very different. None of their novels have the slightest similarity.

ME: If you could have only one book, which book would it be?

      Very tough question. I think it would have to be Lady Chatterley's Lover.

ME: Ooh, that is a good one. It's one that I often forget about since it's been so long since I've read it.
What do you dislike the most about writing?

      Editing !

ME: I actually like to edit...the first draft. It gives me a chance to see what I've written.
What do you like most about writing?

      Getting lost in a world I have created.

ME: Is there any aspect of humanity and the world today that really gets you angry?

      The abuse of children .... Lately I have read poems and can tell by their words, even though they don't come right out and say it, or perhaps deny it, but you can tell they have suffered this fate during their childhood. I have read this in some novels too and you just know in your heart that the writer has been through similar experiences.

ME: That's the great thing with poetry. You get a real sense of what the writer has experienced.
What quality do you admire most in a person, and least in a person?

      I admire a person who is sensitive and aware of others needs, who thinks of others before themselves.
I don't care for people who are selfish and make themselves the priority in all areas.

ME: If you could write any type of book (at any length) that would be a best seller, and it only took one day, what type of book would that be?

      Easiest question of all - A Romance Novel, of course.

Favorite food?

      Spare ribs with chips and salad.

Favorite movie?

      Romeo and Juliet and Titanic.

Favorite fictional character?

      Cinderella.

Most memorable moment in your life?

       Giving birth to my first child.

Most regrettable moment of your life?

      Not being there when my mother passed.

Most embarrassing moment of your life?

      One of those awful times when you haven't waxed in a while and the doctor decides you need to strip for examination.

What person, either alive or dead, would you most like to meet?

      Princess Diana.

What would you wish to do with that person?

      Spend a day talking to her and going with her to her charity functions. She was my Cindrella and I watched each bitter sweet moment of her life and mourned her death.

Do you believe in fate?

      Yes I do.

I want to thank Phoenix for taking the time and putting in the effort to be a part of our spotlight. She sounds like an amazing person, and I am glad that she has joined our group! Good luck in all you do, Phoenix!

Book trailer video clip can be seen on youtube on this linkhttp://youtu.be/ygMGBxlf7OE