There are a few perks that come with being an Author. The work itself is the most rewarding as those of us who’ve chosen this field are well aware there is nothing like bringing a story to life or as Inion & I like to call it the “Inbetween”. Those magical places that fill the pages set between the covers of a book. Or the rush that comes from writing/typing the last two words…The End.
Then there’s the readers who find their way to your books & connect with the characters, immerse themselves in the story. Is there anything that can match the feeling when you hear your characters being talked about, by your readers as they breathe life into them, making them all the more real? Seeing them not only in the light you intended but finding their own take on them as well.
Of course, we’d be lying if we didn’t include one of our favorite perks. That of having access to some incredible books written by the talented fellow authors that we probably would’ve never known about in the sea of millions had we not met them on this journey. Inion & I had never tried reading medical mysteries, suspense or thrillers, until we picked up a copy of Carrie Rubins, THE SENECA SCOURGE.
Carrie Rubin
If you haven’t read the book, run, don’t walk and treat yourself to an early Christmas Gift. It is the perfect read between wrapping presents & trimming the tree. Her story has made fans in us of the genre. Thank you Carrie Rubin for expanding our minds & for a phenomenal story!!
Or the Zombie book we found by way of recommendation from FB friend Johney Brown, who encouraged us to pick up a copy of, J. Cornell Michel’s, JORDON’S BRAINS. Which by the way, I’ve still yet to have my turn as Inion is on her read of the book savoring every page.
J. Cornell Michel
Or my next book scheduled to read & review by the wonderful Coleen Patrick. COME BACK TO ME (Can’t wait for this one!)
Coleen Patrick
So many wonderful artists whose stories will make for a long-lasting impression & forever kept in your heart.
Yet we still have another perk we would like to mention. And that is, finding the readers who are not just readers but who are aspiring writers. Dedicated teenagers who devour every book they can get their hands on while writing stories that show wisdom beyond their years and invoke passion into their characters & stories. Such is the case for Inion & I this Friday the 13th, when we arrived at Enca Middle School for a speaking engagement, after being invited by Ms. Beth Lane the Language Arts Teacher, to speak to all of her classes.
One hundred and fifteen, absolutely brilliant & passionate young writers who are committed to honing their crafts.
The last event Inion & I attended was so small & informal compared to this one, that it felt much like a slumber party at a friends house. (Which is nice.) But we we’re truly worried that the ole nerves would get the better of us. Instead, we’ve never felt more at home & more impressed by a teachers passion to teach & mold young writers & by the students committed to finding their voice in the literary world.
Of course, we must & will now thank, Rachel Harrell for making all of this possible. A beautiful & brilliant 14 year old Writer who loved our book & main character Renni Trenton from Nightwalkers: The Secret of Jessup & who made all of this possible, reaching out by way of her mother (Leslie Harrell, thank you Leslie) As she talked about the book in her class, her teacher overheard & bam! We have an invitation. So, thank you Rachel for being such an incredible supporter of our book. But more than that, for opening your heart to us and letting us speak with you about your writing & your dreams.
Ms. Lane of course was kind enough to send us a website link weeks before we arrived so we could read the children’s stories. This website displaying oodles of vastly original memoirs written by her students. All of them amazing & uniquely told in their own way. These are but a few: A Haunted Farm Visit, by: Cianna Rector. A camping trip that went coyote ugly, by: Wyatt Carter, Coyote Attack. The Night I Saw Her, is a touching tale of a little girls love for her dog & the guardian angel Shasha became watching over her loving master, by Christina Hampton. A young man’s recollection of an injury that read like the perfect horror story “Blood Bath” Nathan Brown. A young girls story as seen thru her eyes of a horrifying night when she endured a seizure. “Could be a Seizure” by: Sarah Lassiter. Or a trip to the hospital that was a long-lasting impression of a night never forgotten. The Seizure by: Samantha Griffin. A Hayride gone terribly wrong & leaving a young boy injured but a survivor none the less. The Time I Got Into An Accident By: Nathaniel Jon Zorawicki.
Lastly, a young girls story of becoming a big sister to a new baby-girl who was waiting to see her big sister & hear her lullaby sung just for her. By: Rachel Harrell. These are just a few.
We told Ms. Lane, from the get-go, that we didn’t want this to feel formal or stuffy. That we wanted to keep it a writers group where writers could just pick each others brains. And so she granted us our wish. As the kids sat on the floor in front of us, filling the library up, we sat at a table with our books displayed and a banter behind us made by the children to welcome us to their school. (We pause for an “awe to cute” moment). Soon, the teacher called out their adorable “get quiet call” Alligator she said. “Chomp, Chomp” they repeated as the room fell silent. For the first thirty minutes we discussed everything from what inpires us, our writing process, the Digital age of publishing. Traditional publishing, query letters. Platform. But then we tried to keep the focus on hooking readers early on, dialogue & editing, editing, editing as the teacher said she’d been trying to focus on these points since the beginning of school.
We shared who we we’re currently reading. The three names above coming up immediately. (Carrie Rubin, J. Cornell Michel & Coleen Patrick) as well as a museum we just visited with our poetry group that honors a local writer close to us in Georgia who was nominated for the Pulitzer, by the name of Byron Herbert Reece, telling them how important it is to know the local artists who contributed to the arts and area. And they told us who they we’re reading. The titles, perfect choices for young writers to pull from. We heard names such as, J.K. Rowling, Edgar Allan Poe, Kristen & PC Cast, Suzanne Collins & the Divergent trilogy, Veronica Roth.
We talked to them about their stories that we had read. Which ones hooked us early on. Which ones stood out in detail. And as we talked, we noticed more than a dozen taking notes. Such hungry artists eager for instruction & more than comfortable in their own skin to take constructive criticism. It was amazing. We gave them blog sites that we feel are a pool of knowledge for young writers & established writers alike: Jane Friedmans/ Writing, Reading & Publishing in the Digital Age, Kristen Lambs/ We Are Not Alone, Roz Morris/ Nail Your Novel, Patrick Ross/The Artists Road & Ollin Morales/Courage 2 Create.
We did a name drawing and gave away books to those who we’re fortunate enough to have their name pulled out of the basket and are only sorry we couldn’t afford to give each one a book.
We complimented the teacher on allowing the students to express themselves freely, using writing as a venting tool to get thru tough times in their lives or to express what it’s like to be 13 in today’s society and a writer.
To say that we left them with a good message, would only be a half truth. For we learned more than we taught. We took more than we gave & we left filled with a new hope for the future and the thousands of books waiting to be filled by a truly magnificent lot of artists.
We’re sorry to say that we did more talking than snapping away but will tell you that pictures wouldn’t have done the event justice. (least not ours! Boy we needed you Cindy Knoke!) But during Rachel’s interview we will be posting some of these pictures. And we would like all of you to take the time to swing by the website and meet this amazing teacher Beth Lane whose dedicated her life to molding writers. While there, please treat yourselves and read some of these incredible stories told by our future writers.
We would also like to inform you, that Rachel Harrell, the young lady who made all this possible, will be a guest of ours on Two Voices One Thought, after the New Year when we will be discussing her book she’s almost finished with. Yep!! You heard us. She’s almost done with her first book at the age of 14. Some of you have already heard us mention Rachel on Facebook and what an amazing young artist she truly is. We’ve already been bragging on all of you, our networking community and dear friends, and how we know you guys will welcome these young artists with open arms.
As for us, we’ve been given a new outlook on life. To see such passion in ones so young; such a love for the craft of writing….well, it leaves one optimistic for the future & what the future holds for us as readers!!
Thank you Ms. Lane for letting us speak to your students & thank you Rachel for believing in a dream of ours and for sharing yours!!
Thanks to: Enca Middle School
Librarian: Terri Crawford
Website: http://mrslaneslangartsclass.weebly.com/
Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
Inion N. Mathair 
It feels quite the exciting time for writers with so many more avenues open to getting published – something that would have been unfeasible 20 years ago. I signed up briefly to theindieview.com and though I delisted myself recently because I was inundated, I was pleased to have been introduced to some utterly astounding work.
Hi Matt, just left the site and will most definitely be checking out some books that look terrific. Thanks for the info. Your absolutely right. There are phenomenal opportunities for Authors that have been made possible through the world of Indie Digital Publishing. However, it feels as though this technology has brought with it a two-edged sword that can cut both ways. An Author must make sure to be professional & take responsibility when publishing. Because we don’t have the savvy guide walking us through the process & access to the ocean of knowledge that say a Traditionally published Author does, we must go above & beyond to produce a quality of work that is exemplary of a traditionally published Author. But when done right, what an experience for the Writer & another gift to the world of readers.
I agree – I read some utter rubbish too with some truly terrible editing – the tragic thing was that some of them were great ideas at their core. The bad editing and poor level of language is not doing self-published any favours.
Yes, exactly what I was talking about Matt. It almost makes you angry FOR the writers because you can see the potential. It’s hard to distance yourself from something as personal & passionate as your book. For us as well. But if we S.P. Authors could overcome our fears & learn to close that gap between the process of S.Pub. & T. Pub.~ The world of S.P. would open up in ways it never has before & more Indie books would mainstream & find success! “You can’t keep a good story down.” lol 😀
Thanks again for coming by & for the comment Matt!
You have some good books here—Coleen Patrick’s book already has me intrigued just by the title!
Would have to agree with you M.M! We’ve already read 2 of the 3 which we’re completely opposite but both extraordinary reads! We’ve only just started Coleens but already love what we’ve read so far. Thanks for stopping by & for the comment & a very Happy New Year to you & yours!! 🙂
I love that you included a zombie book here. Love that genre, and after reading World War Z I was hooked. That sounds like a terrific experience you went through. It seems that many kids nowadays spend more time on video games and the internet than reading books.
Great post and so many good writers out there.
So happy to find our fav. New York man here on our blog after Christmas!! Hope your holidays we’re great Phil! As for the Zombie book, Jordons Brains, you have to pick you up a copy. This was by far, the most interesting twist on Zombies we’ve ever seen!! Matter of fact, shortly after we read the book, we posted a tweet. “It took a woman to write the most innovative Zombie book ever!!” J’s look into the world of Zombies was an incredible ride for the reader. We too are fans of World War Z, The Crazies, Quarantine.” Yet this was so uniquely different. We promise you’ll love it!!! Thx for coming by & for commenting.
Wow, I hadn’t had a chance to digest this post earlier. What an amazing set of young writers! Fabulous that you were able to spend time, inspiring and also learning from them. Encouragement is so important at that age! Look forward to hearing from Rachel herself in the new year (and also to catching up on reading over the break!). All the best for the season xo
Hi Alarna, & thanks so much for the comment. Your absolutely right. They are the most phenomenal group of kids we’ve had the pleasure of meeting with a passion for writing that’s unmatched. We we’re truly blessed to speak to them & have a chance to share with them their dreams. We’re really excited about hosting Rachel as she is truly an amazing young girl & gifted young writer!! Thx again for coming by & Merry Christmas. 🙂
That sounds like an amazing experience! 🙂
We can’t even begin to describe it C.! It makes one grateful for the opportunity to influence ones with dreams as vast as the sea & futures as bright as the stars. As we sat there, watching more than one hundred students filing in & sitting on the floor in front of us, faces all eager & excited & zoned in at the table where we we’re sitting. Inion closed her eyes and prayed. Lord, please let me say the right thing that will act as an inspiration to these kids. It’s a responbility we as Authors have to the next generation of writers. To impart as much wisdom as we can. Support them as much as we can. And to listen. Thanks for stopping by & for commenting & Merry Christmas Sweety! 🙂
It makes my day to see others promoting Carrie’s book. It’s so good!!! Thank you for the other suggestions too. I’m a bit of a slow reader, but when I finish Carrie’s book, I’ll know what to look at next. . . 🙂
Couldn’t agree with you more Anita. We really enjoyed The Seneca Scourge, which was completely out of our go-to-genres. As our first medical mystery, we are now hooked on the style. Coarse it could be that Carrie is just such an incredible writer. Thanks so much for stopping by & Merry Christmas!!
I agree–nothing can match that feeling. Only a handful of close friends have read my most recent manuscript, and hearing just the talk to each other about it switches on a light deep inside me. Good luck with you books, and thank you for sharing this post!
Hi Michelle & welcome to, Two Voices One Thought. Perfect choice of words as to us it is just as you said. A source of energy that is like light in a writers world!! Hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas & we look forward to stopping by your blog & reading more!! 🙂
How sweet of you to mention me! I’m flattered. Happy holidays to you and yours! 🙂
We we’re true to our heart Ollin & your blog has helped us from the moment we started this journey. We know we’ve put those young writers in good hands!! Merry Christmas to you as well!! 🙂
Sounds like some great book reccomendations! I very much need to read some of Carrie Ruben’s works– I love her blog, so it only follows that I would love her books 🙂 Overall I need to be much more supportive of indie authors. Okay, challenge accepted, ladies!
A lady who has good taste!!! Carie Rubin rocks, we totally agree with you. Her book was a wonderful bridge for us as we had never read medical mysteries, suspense or thrillers and didn’t think we’d like them. But The Seneca Scourge has turned us into fans & made a crossover to a new genre of books. We have a fair mix between Indie & Traditional in both our Kindles & try to teeter-totter back and forth making sure to pull equally from both. We’ve found books in Indie that made us wish we’d of stuck with traditional & can say the same about the traditional. We’ve also found gems in both. So both are most definitely worth the time!! So far this year, our two favorite books we’ve read(and we’ve read ALOT!!) have been Indie. I’m not even a fan of Zombie books, but Jordon’s Brains, we both would consider the best read we’ve come across this year. The first psychological twist on Zombies we’ve seen, it is nothing short of brilliant!! I’m starting Coleen’s after Christmas & cannot wait! Thanks for coming by & we look forward to visiting your blog & catching up!! 🙂
Interesting recommendation on the zombie book– I like the idea of a twist!
So wonderful to take the time to do something so great! A fantastic way to give back and interact with your audience! Sometimes it’s hard to tell who comes away with more, them or you! lol Seriously, a win/win! Thanks for sharing such a good time, and I am so thrilled it went so well *I knew it would
There he is, our favorite FB buddy!! Hi Johney, & thank you so much for coming by & commenting. & yes, you absolutely told us before we went that it would be great & we would do fine. We need to start listening to you more often!!! LOL. By the way, we both finished Jordons Brains & absolutely love the book!!! Can’t thank you enough for turning us on to J. as she is a wonderful woman, brilliant writer & now thanks to you, a good friend. Hope your son is feeling better & will talk to you soon. 🙂
Great Post Mathair,
I love your inclusive post….very supportive.
I agree with you…my reading habits have changed since Blogging and interacting with other writers.
When I was younger I would read a wide range of books, the older I became the more I wanted my fiction to be on TV and Film and my non-fiction to be found in books.
Interacting with fellow Bloggers and writers have literally returned my reading habits to that of my youth.
I have around 6 books to read of my fellow Bloggers and I intend to do that before the year is out. 😉
I hope you both have a great week.
Hi Phil Happy Holidays, dear friend!! It truly is amazing how much one’s writing community can add to their lives. I was thinking about what you said, that is the. Fiction in movies, Non Fiction in books & I couldn’t help but to think of mine & Inion’s rituals. I love movies & our collection over the years has grown. Funny enough, whereas Inion will read a book then watch a movie.I’ll hold off on the book if I know I can see the movie first. I’ve had Veronica Roth’s / Divergent sitting in my kindle for months but I’m holding off for the movie first. I know if I read the book, the movie will disappoint me. Hope you & yours have a wonderful holiday, will be stopping by your site soon!! Merry Christmas!! 🙂
You all are just so inspiring. I’m sure those kids will be so encouraged and motivated after your presentation. That is just the coolest. Thanks so much for being so supportive. You guys just rock. Hope you and yours have a happy, happy holiday season. Wishing you all the best. xo
You as well Coleen!! Happy Holidays 🙂
That is terrific. I have the privilege of working at an elementary school and I know that students feel special when a professional comes to speak with them. But the speakers always tell me they feel like they got the best end of the deal — as you convey here.
Hi Darla, your absolutely right!! We left feeling as though we we’re walking on clouds. The students passion for books & writing along with the teachers dedication to her students…was incredible & we felt privileged to take part in it. Thanks for stopping by & commenting, we’ve missed seeing you & we hope you & your family have a very Merry Christmas!! 🙂
Everyone’s coming to my house for Christmas, so it will be very merry. I hope yours is, too.
What a wonderful gift to have your family with you through the holidays. I know it can be a lot of work, & there must be a million movies that poke fun of the insanity of a big family Christmas. But funny enough, my family always had twenty to thirty people around every year. Now that most are gone, it seems so strange to have small family Christmas’. We miss them terribly. But we get thru it knowing that we we’re fortunate enough to have years of them and some don’t even get one. unlike some. There’s nothing better than a large family Christmas!
Ours has gotten smaller, too, but it’s still family. We’re hooked on the game “Catch Phrase” and get loud and competitive for several hours after dinner. Too much fun. Merry Christmas to you!
That’s so exciting! I bet they will remember your visit forever.
Hi Kylie & thx for stopping by Two Voices One Thought & for the beautiful comment. We hope they will take as much from it as we did. It’s an amazing thing to share yourself with aspiring writers who look up to you. They we’re an incredible lot of young boys and girls & it made for the perfect early Christmas gift for Inion & myself. Happy Holidays Sweety!! 🙂
What a wonderful experience for you and the kids! I love kids. Their enthusiasm and free thinking is so inspiring. Good work encouraging them to further their writing quests.
Hi Marcia, your absolutely right, perfect choice of words. Enthusiasm & free thinking!! On our way home, which was a good two hour ride, My mother, Nana & I we’re talking and all we could do was smile & discuss their incredible ideas and as you said, enthusiasm for writing. Truly was a glorious treat for us.
Inion and Mathair, that is so awesome for what you did with and for the kids. I love to hear stories of kids doing constructive things to better themselves and their minds these days. Versus getting into trouble and/or sitting in front of a computer on social media or on their cell phones texting jibberish. The Night I Saw Her totally caught my attention obviously! You girls rock always! 🙂
Hi Mike, & Happy Holidays! Your absolutely right!! I think it always surprises any adult to see a teenager whose obsessed with something other than a cell, computer, texting & gaming. Funny enough, the only gaming that aome up was when we we’re asked what inspires us & then they gave their inspirations. One fourteen year old boy asked nervously. “I get ideas from games I play.” Inion told him, that my son Vincent, does the same & keeps a notepad near him when he games and that he wants to do that when he gets older. Create games, storyboards of Apocalyptic games. The boys eyes lit up excited that someone else thought it was neat too. And we couldn’t agree with you more. That particular story you mentioned, (The Night I Saw Her) was written by an incredible young girl who immediately came up after the event and asked us. “You really liked my story?” So humble yet so brilliant. Can’t wait to read more of her work! And thank you for taking the time to visit the website & read the stories. She’ll be thrilled you commented!!
Thanks so much for the book mention. I appreciate that! Glad you enjoyed it. (And thank you for the wonderful Amazon review!)
How nice that you went to speak to the middle school students. I’m sure it was a great experience for both you and the kids. : ) Thanks again and have a great weekend!
Thanks for stopping by Carrie, and your most welcome. Hope yours is just as great!! 🙂
I am so envious/proud/amazed you guys got to speak to young students! I truly feel that is one of the most noble things to be able to do….so so important to reach those writers young! I wish, I wish upon a star I had been one of those young writers eons ago! Oh how things could’ve been different. I just know you two were so warm, inspiring, and encouraging like NO others could be! Just like you are to your online family.
I’m also waiting to read Coleen’s book! It’s sitting on my Kindle app (along with your awesome new book) awaiting my eyes….OY….when these holidays pass and life slows down, amirite? Soon, lovely books…..soon….
MWA XOXOXO
Hi Bethie: And thank you so much for the sweet comment. We couldn’t agree with you more. That is absolutely the perfect time to reach a writer. When they’re young enough to listen & learn & old enough to have their own style & voice to apply the advice too. I’ve had many of those wishes you mentioned & couldn’t agree with you more. Inion’s Nana seen she was riddled with nerves the night before & to get her calm she told her. “Imagine you we’re one of the kids & had two published authors coming to speak to you when you we’re in the eighth grade. Of course, Inion immediately smiled and said. “I would’ve been dying to pick their brains & get all I could from them. And although the nerves we’ren’t completely gone it most definitely put things into a new perspective for her. As for the books & time, we know exactly what you mean. We promised ourselves to clear our kindles before the new year. Inion with thirty, me with twenty-one. We’ve read nine books all together in the past two & a half weeks & feel as though we’ve barely scratched the surface. But if you gotta get mind-crazies, blurred vision & feel exhausted, it’s one helluva way to go…reading!! We’ve been approached by so many other authors over the past few months & unfortunately had to tell them, no room at the Kindle Inn, (until after the New Year. LOL) However, there is one book that we’ve kept a reservation for & are dying to get our hands on. And that is Beth Teliho’s book! We can’t wait to add that to our collection. Thanks for stopping by Beth & for the ubelievable comment. Hope you & yours have a very, Merry Christmas!! MWA~XOXOXO
Hope you had a magical holiday season!!! Head over to my blog – got some sunshine for my favorite ladies! xoxoxo
I obviously win the prize for the first like. Super work with the school kids there, ladies. My compliments.
You do indeed Sir! Coarse we always know when our dear friend Michaels been by. When we first opened our blog, just like Christmas, there was a bright & shining star leading the way to the wiseman who’d come to visit. lol 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful Holiday Michael & thanks so much for stopping by!
Madams Sr. & Jr.,
My pleasure, of course. The best of the season to you and yours as well.
Cheers,
“Michael” };-)>