Interview with Author & Deployed Soldier R. Kyle Hannah

3 Links:
www.facebook.com/rkylehannahwriter

www.rkylehannah.blogspot.com

Twitter   @rkhannah

Give us a quick introduction on yourself and your book.

Well, I'm a 27 year veteran of the Army, currently on my third deployment; taking the opportunity to write when I can!  I am married, with two children and I enjoy everything from golf, to swimming to computer games.

TIME ASSASSINS is my second book and it's an alternate history story with a twist; you know how it ends, but you don't know how it begins.  A futuristic assassins guild has time travel technology and they send Assassins back to 'tweak' historical events to make the Earth better.  Of course, sometimes it's the lessor of two evils that they have to choose from, and there are rogue elements bent on changing history just because they can.

What inspired you to write your first book?

Boredom, LOL.   I started writing in Jr. High...I didn't want to act out and get into trouble, so I wrote instead.  That carried me through High School when I switched to more of a musical/lyric style.  I started writing again on my first deployment to alleviate-you guessed it-boredom.

Do you have a specific writing style? 

Not to my knowledge.  I do try to outline the story, but once I start writing I usually think of more twists, better angles, etc and the book takes a life of its own.  I usually start and end where I wanted, but how you get from A to B has never been as I originally intended.

How did you come up with the title?

I had the title for TIME ASSASSINS before I had a story...I just thought that sounded like a great title.  I grabbed my iPhone and left myself a voice memo.  Then I came up with the story and it worked out well!!

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

History.  I am amazed at how many people don't have a real knowledge of history; so part of why I wrote TIME ASSASSINS was to impart a little historical knowledge on the reader.  Of course, its cleverly disguised as an action/sci-fi story so the reader won't be put off by a history text.

How much of the book is realistic?

A lot of TIME ASSASSINS is based on actual historical events and HOURS of research went into it.  I studied everything from the Magna Carta, to Hitler, to JFK, to Reagan and Lincoln...and the end result of each event is just like the history books.  I just took a few liberties with the timelines leading up to each event.

What books have most influenced your life most?

I've read Heinlein, Clarke, Dietz and Scalzi...Starship Troopers is probably one of the best books in my collection.  I can relate to the training and the feelings that Heinlein put into the story.

What book are you reading now?

I'm reading SECRETS by Dawn Kirby.  She is an up and coming author and a talented storyteller.  She has woven an intricate web of intrigue into her book about vampires and werewolves...its a great read so far!

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Tyner Gillies debut THE WATCH was fantastic!   I've also got Christine Hughes TORN and Katie Jennings WHEN EMPIRES FALL on my list...in between my own writing, of course.

What are your current projects?

I have almost a dozen different storylines in various states of disarray, but I'm currently working on a sequel to TIME ASSASSINS.  It's a little less history and more of a sci fi tale.  I am also working on two screenplays for TV; one an adaptation of TIME ASSASSINS and the other a book idea that turned into a great idea for a TV series.  Plus a few others...I have plenty to keep me busy!

Do you see writing as a career?

I would love to be able to make money doing this; I have a vivid imagination and think I tell a pretty good story.  But, I know that very few people can actually make a good living doing this, so I'm just happy that people are reading and enjoying my stories.  That's truly the best part.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Nope.  Not a thing.  It's a great time travel story...read it and you'll see why I wouldn't change a thing!

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Staying on track.  My imagination is on all the time, partly thanks to ADD, and I will come up with a new idea and go with that one for a while...before coming back to my current project.  I've been pretty good over the last few months and have been able to concentrate on TIME ASSASSINS II and its coming along nicely!

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I like William C. Dietz because he write military sci-fi that glues you to the page.  He has a real talent for characters and putting you in the thick of the action.  I also like John Scalzi because he is one sarcastic and twisted SOB.  He is a brilliant writer and has a great imagination.

Who designed the covers?

One of my best friends is a very talented graphic designer, writer and voice guy.  He has designed both of my covers and they are fantastic.  He is already asking to make a cover for TIME ASSASSINS II, but I haven't told him anything about it yet...keeping him in suspense!

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

TIME ASSASSINS has a lot of history in it, so I studied each of the events in great detail; I learned more than I ever thought I would about JFK, the War of 1812, and a whole host of Presidents.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write, write, write.  Write a story, hire an editor and follow his/her advice.   Take that advice and write, write, write...the more you write, the better you will become.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you for giving an Alabama boy a chance and please, always leave a review for any Indie Author.  Your feedback means a great deal and will make a good writer even better!

What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

There was a ton of research in TIME ASSASSINS.  Pages of articles printed out, rewrites when something didn't fit into the narrative and great rejoicing when it did!   Time was also a factor, it's very hard to get a lot of writing done with a job and family...TIME ASSASSINS took almost 18 months to write.  But, I think it was worth it. 

Interview with Author Gary Beck

 

 

3 Links:

http://garycbeck.com

http://amazon.com/author/garycbeck

http://www.goodreads.com/GaryBeck

 

Give us a quick introduction on yourself and your book.

 

I was a theater director most of my life and worked as an art dealer when I couldn't make a living in theater. I ran an arts and social services program for homeless families with children, as well as arts programs for other disadvantaged youth. I started writing poetry in my teens, then was totally absorbed in theater playwriting and translations of the classics, Moliere, Aristophanes, Sophocles. My book, “Extreme Change” is about a young family that flees crime and poverty in Detroit, for a fresh start in New York City. After a landlord dispute, an arson fire forces them into the nightmare of the homeless system. A determined woman keeps her family together, makes interracial friends who unite to survive the system. They end up in a midtown Manhattan welfare hotel ruled by a violent gang. They are menaced, then two of the women are abducted by the gang, then daringly escape being raped and murdered. With nerve and willpower they force the former landlord to give them apartments in the East Village, where they excitedly start a new life.

 

 

What inspired you to write your first book?

 

The first novel I wrote is the actually the fifth book to be published. “Acts of Defiance”, to be published by Artema Press, came out of my personal experiences growing up in the 40’s and 50’s, then living through the turmoil of the 60’s. The book poured out in a passionate rush recollecting what I went through.

 

 

Do you have a specific writing style?

 

The basis is story and character driven realism, with a step by step process of enrichment and revision.

 

 

How did you come up with the title?

 

It seemed to characterize the extremes that the characters experienced from early romance through personal disaster and homelessness.

 

 

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

 

“Extreme Change” is first and foremost a story to involve the reader with people whose hopes are suddenly shattered, who then have to fight for survival. I hope readers experience the emotional life of the characters, who reflect the need never to give in to oppression.

 

 

How much of the book is realistic?

 

Much of it. Some elements may be conjectural, but the events either could happen, or have occurred, with fictional reconstruction. The homeless sequence may be dramatic, but the reality is much grimmer, not very uplifting.

 

 

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

 

I've lived and worked in diverse worlds, including theater, the art world, homeless families, many more, so I have a store of material that I draw on. Some of the homeless mothers I worked with showed incredible courage in a system that crushed the spirits of the vulnerable.

 

 

What books have most influenced your life most?

 

“Look Homeward Angel”, a fictional concerto that I read when I was a young teen desperately hungering a better world and was swept away by the rapturous prose. “In Dubious Battle”. an heroic, losing struggle against wealthy oppressors reinforcing the knowledge that resistance must always be doomed, but the fight to the end is man's noblest quality.

 

 

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

 

John Steinbeck - He looked into the heart of American life, with profound emotional depth, created on a canvas that portrayed a fight for survival by humble people, who would not quit.

 

 

What book are you reading now?

 

Don Quixote

 

 

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

 

Jonathan Franzen, if he is still considered a new writer, a brilliant wordsmith, who extends the nature of American fiction to dazzling verbal pyrotechnics.

 

 

What are your current projects?

 

I’m editing my novel, “Acts of Defiance”, a story about two boys who meet when they are 7, one wealthy, the other from the other side of the tracks. They become best friends, tennis players, and have many adventures together and have many adventures together as they develop social consciousness and work to change their society, that will be published by Artema Press. I’m finishing a poetry book, “Redemption Value”, that explores different elements of society and the vast gaps between the haves and have nots. I’m working on a new novel, “Enhanced Life”, about Vampires working on behalf of humanity to preserve the blood supply.

 

Do you see writing as a career?

 

It's certainly a constant preoccupation. It will be a career if I become well known.

 

 

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

 

I would certainly correct any typos, other offenses, try not to refight the battle of the commas.

 

 

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

 

I read at an early age to escape from some negative elements in my life, Dickens, O Henry, De Maupassant, Shakespeare, devouring these wonderful books.  I started writing poetry in my early teens, imitating the British romantics, Byron, Keats, Shelley - it grew from that.

 

 

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

 

Here are two small excerpts from “Extreme Change”, recently published by Cogwheel Press:

 

***

Jaime Perez crept up the fire escape as quietly as he could and stopped at the third floor. He leaned over the guard rail to the kitchen window that he had been told didn’t have a gate. He waited patiently to be sure that no one on the street had noticed him, while vapor from the cold steamed out of his mouth. He pressed his short, skinny, drug-ravaged body against the wall until he felt ready, then he took a metal tool from his pocket and stealthily pried the window open. He couldn’t hear any sounds from the dark apartment, so he carefully slipped over the rail and climbed inside. The landlord had assured him that they didn’t own a dog, so although still alert, he began to relax. The landlord had also carefully instructed him how to place paper next to the pilot light of the stove, run a paper strip to the nearest inflammable material and ignite it so it would appear to be an accident. There was a cardboard cake box on a table next to the stove and he ran the strip of paper to the box. He paused and listened intently, his body a menacing hulk in the darkness, then greedily opened the box. It was some kind of pound cake, not his favorite, like chocolate or pineapple, but better than nothing. He broke off a chunk with a gloved hand and stuffed it in his mouth, crumbs dribbling on the floor.

 

The landlord had insisted that he not take anything, but a piece of cake didn’t count. Besides, the greedy pig would never know. Jaime needed a hit on the crack pipe and the sugar from the cake would settle his jangling nerves. He silently cursed the landlord for a moment. He knew why the landlord wanted this family out. Then he could renovate the apartment cheaply and triple the rent. When the tenants rejected what must have been a low offer and other pressures failed, the landlord sent for him. Jaime was known as ‘the torch’ to a few pitiless landlords on the lower east side, whose lust for profit at the expense of decency was aroused by gentrification. He could smell the paper by the pilot light smoldering, so he lit a match, put it to the middle of the paper strip and made sure it was burning both ways. Then he slid out the window to the fire escape and closed it behind him.

 

***

 

Peter and Beth saw the cop get out of the patrol car and beckon to them. They were already getting used to bad news and they could tell from his expression that more was coming.

They herded the children in front of them and as they approached, Peter asked the cop

 

apprehensively, "Did you find out how to help us?"

 

Coro was a little embarrassed, "Officer Warren and I’ll take you to an Emergency Assistance Unit."

 

Peter was confused. "What’s that?"

 

"It’s a temporary shelter and they’ll take care of you until you make other arrangements."

 

"Where is it?" Beth asked.

 

"The Bronx."

 

"The Bronx? I don’t want to go there," Peter blurted. "I’ve heard that it’s full of drug dealers and gangs. That’s why we left Detroit, to get away from that element."

 

"There are a lot of nice places in the Bronx. You’ll be all right," Coro said.

***

 

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

 

The need for more art in the work process. I tend to be involved with several projects at once. I have to make sure I am giving each project my best and thorough attention. In “Extreme Change” I explore that juncture where humanity meets the inhumane, which we know happens to other people, but could happen to any of us. The challenge is writing on the hard edge of realism, without sinking into overwhelming graphic depiction that distracts from the character life.

 

 

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

 

John Steinbeck has a great sense of the evil men do to others, and the struggle that good people go through to maintain the decency in life. He writes with a powerful awareness of the nature of  American life, especially the oppression the wealthy inflict on the needy, the vulnerable. He also has a wonderful grasp of the comic, a nice supplement to his life and death like novels.

 

 

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

 

No.

 

 

Do you have any advice for other writers?

 

If you must be a writer, decide what kind, and go for it. Different genres require different skills. Learn what you do best and start with that. Then make sure to grow in your craft.

 

 

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

 

I write my novels, poetry, plays and essays for my readers, not for fame or fortune. My fulfillment will come when I have a wide readership who enjoy my work.

Plants that will clean the Air in your House

Did you know there are plants that will clean the air of toxins!?

I never knew this until today.  Here are the plants that will do this:

Plant, Top remover of:	benzene (NASA)[1]	formaldehyde (NASA)[1] (Wolverton)[4]	trichloroethylene (NASA)[1]	xylene and toluene[4][5]	ammonia[5]	Poisonous or Edible?[6]

Dwarf date palm (Phoenix roebelenii)	No	Wolverton	No	Yes	No	Non-toxic to cats
Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)	No	No	No	Yes	No	Non-toxic to cats
Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata "Bostoniensis")	No	Wolverton	No	Yes	No	Non-toxic to cats
Kimberly queen fern (Nephrolepis obliterata)	No	Wolverton	No	Yes	No	Non-toxic to cats
English Ivy (Hedera helix)	Yes	Wolverton	No	Yes	No	Toxic to cats
Lilyturf (Liriope spicata)	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Non-toxic to cats
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)	No	NASA	No	Yes	No	Non-toxic to cats
Golden pothos or Devil's ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)	Yes	NASA	Yes	Yes	No	Poisonous if eaten or chewed by pets or children[7]
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')	Yes	Wolverton	Yes	Yes	Yes	Toxic to cats
Flamingo lily (Anthurium andraeanum)	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Poisonous[8]
Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)	Wolverton[9]	Wolverton[9]	No	No	No	Toxic to cats
Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)	No	NASA, Wolverton	No	Yes	No	Non-toxic to cats
Broadleaf Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa)	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Non-toxic to cats
Snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii')	Wolverton	NASA	Wolverton	Yes	No	Toxic to cats and dogs [10]
Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium, syn. Philodendron cordatum)	No	NASA	No	No	No	Toxic to cats
Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn. Philodendron selloum)	No	NASA	No	No	No	Toxic to cats
Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)	No	NASA	No	No	No	Toxic to cats
Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)	Yes	NASA	Yes	Yes	No	Toxic to Dogs and Cats [11]
Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans 'Massangeana')	No	NASA	No	No	No	Toxic to cats
Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig')	Yes	Wolverton	No	Yes	No	Poisonous if eaten or chewed on by dogs[12]
Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii')	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Toxic to cats
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)[13]	No	Wolverton	No	Yes	No	Poisonous if eaten or chewed by dogs, cats and horses[14]
Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)	Yes	Wolverton	Yes	No	No	Non-toxic to cats
Pot Mum or Florist's Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)	Yes	NASA, Wolverton	Yes	Yes	Yes	Poisonous if eaten or chewed by dogs, cats and horses[15]
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)	No	Wolverton	No	No	No	Toxic to Cats
Dendrobium orchid (Dendrobium sp.)	No	No	No	Yes	No	Non-toxic to cats
Dumb cane (Camilla) (Dieffenbachia)	No	No	No	Yes	No	Mildly toxic to children and pets if eaten or chewed[16]
Dumb cane (Exotica) (Dieffenbachia)	No	No	No	Yes	No	Mildly toxic to children and pets if eaten or chewed[16]
King of hearts (Homalomena wallisii)	No	No	No	Yes	No	?
Moth orchid (Phalenopsis sp.)	No	No	No	Yes	No	Non-toxic to cats

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_air-filtering_plants

Getting Closer to Heaven

Sometimes I wonder if I'm headed in the right direction. Then light shines through the trees and I know where I'm going might just lead me somewhere I'm meant to go. That doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be good or bad. I'm certain it will be interesting. Quite interesting. I'll learn something.

Because isn't God teaching us? Cultivating us? One lesson after another, until we learn it. We are often stubborn and don't want to learn the lesson, but it keeps confronting us until one day we finally give in, and learn that hard lesson. I think this goes to an under discussed topic: God wants us to learn. Doesn't he? Isn't it obvious from all these lessons? Are we not being prepared for heaven? We're being shaped into righteous individuals, I believe.

The trail goes left, the trail goes right past golden fields of wheat and dark murky bogs all the while the moon and the stars shine down like beacons and reminders of the beauty that surrounds us. We walk steadily through our daily lives, and we are confronted with situations that baffle us. I think we aught to thank God for our struggle.

The next time you find yourself with a problem, thank God for it. Because it will teach you something that will bring you closer to heaven.