Author Interviews, Lillian Cauldwell
Before we get to my latest interview I just have to pass on the good news. Last year I wrote a Christmas story titled "Hop Village". It's about a young boy in a toy store and about how easy it is for children to find doorways into far off lands, magic and adventure. It was too late to send it out for Christmas 2007 so I held it until September and sent it out. It won first place in the Fantasy Gazeteer Short Story Contest for December and will be published online. Be sure to look for it at http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/ in December. Now, on to the interview.
No rants, no raves, this month Insead I've got another bio about an author.
This week, I had a chance to visit with an author whose recent book, The Anna Mae Mysteries: The Golden Treasure, is a charming teenage tale of 3 sneaker-toed tweens who find themselves searching for Jefferson Davis' lost treasure with the help of a ghostly black fist and divining rods. Here's more about Lillian Cauldwell and her book:
About Lillian Cauldwell:
http://www.lilliancauldwell.com/
Lillian Cauldwell is an author of many articles, short stories and poems. She has a published novel, Sacred Honor, a science fiction/historical novel, and will soon release The Anna Mae Mysteries, the first in a series of books for young people. She also has POETRY: Urban Voices under consideration with a publisher. Lillian was formerly an instructor at Long Story Short School of Writing teaching several courses: Interviewing, Pre-Marketing Plan for Books, Internet Talk Radio, and Podcasting as well as a consultant for authors who require help marketing and promoting their book(s) and selves. She mentors teenagers interested in writing their first novels. After working for two years as an Internet talk radio host at two different radio stations, Lillian started her own station, Passionate Internet Voices Talk Radio, Inc. The Company is two and a half years old and is ranked as a mid-list Internet talk radio station. Lillian is a board member for ICWP and a member of CBWI, The Writer's Union, and Women in Media.
She enjoys her status of grandmother to identical twin granddaughters, her son, a graphic artist nominated for The Eisner Award two years ago for his original comic book, The Dare Detectives. LillianI lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she loves to bake, lift weights, walk, and do worldwide community work. She is an avid advocate of the US Military and her support has been acknowledged by President George W. Bush.
Review
Rowena Cherry:
"Parents and teachers will love.... The Anna Mae Mysteries by Lillian Cauldwell
Lillian writes with a voice that speaks to the rich imagination of a child. A ten year old child's mind plays tricks. She fears dark
places in buildings where the grown-ups are not, because she believes in ghosts and apparitions, and squeaking, creaking things that could be a monster spider's joints. Yet, she yearns to find buried treasure, or to make headlines in a good way, or to
improvise and solve a mystery. One example of masterly "childlike" problem solving is the use of coat hangers as divining rods.... Dowsing is such a cool thing for children! Vivid images strike a chord in my memory, and linger in my mind of the
phantom fist, the schoolyard bully, the horror in the air ducts, the dusty, thirsty hard work of digging in the fruit cellar... for buried gold. It's "real", it's delightfully scary in the way of all good and gripping page-turners, but it's not frightening. Perhaps Lillian's writing is so believable, and so immediate because Lillian pays attention to details - such as the ring on fourth finger of ghostly black fist. Parents and teachers will love Lillian's writing, too, not only because the children will be immediately engaged by the mystery, but because of the tie-in with history, including Jefferson Davis and Georgia's exciting past. Lillian Cauldwell is a splendid storyteller, and my child and I are eagerly looking forward to the next gripping tale in the series!"
~Rowena Cherry http://www.rowenacherry.com/
Description
Anna Mae Mysteries - The Golden Treasure
Three 'tween sneaker sleuths face the unsolved mystery of Jefferson Davis'lost gold treasure with a little bit of help from a ghostly black fist and divining rods. Twelve-year-old Anna Mae Botts, her eight-year-old brother Malcolm, and Anna Mae's best friend Raul Garcia, face a ghostly black fist on their first day of school. It blocks their entrance into school, while dropping paper
clues about Jefferson Davis' lost Civil War gold. Things get more complicated when a school fire occurs. Mysterious events soon overtake Raul, Malcolm, and Anna Mae at school as well as at home. Rats, alphabet noodle clues, floating chalk, and phantom
false-bottom wagons lead the tweens to travel the same route by car that was taken by Jefferson Davis and his gold-laden wagon train. With divining rods given to her by her grandma, computer printouts, and Spirit Journey memories that take her back to a Civil War past, Anna Mae, Raul, and Malcolm find Jefferson Davis' lost gold treasure, part of it buried on Chennault Plantation and more of it in a vacant lot on the outskirts of Warthen, Georgia
"Dream Quest Contest"
And now for something entirely different, a hot tip on a great contest. The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves to arrange words into the beautiful art of poetry or to write a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to dream... Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for details or to enter!
Guidelines:
Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.
Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted.
Deadline: December 31, 2008
All winners will be announced on January 31, 2009
Prizes:
Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.
Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.
Entry fees:
Writing Contest entry fee: $10 per short story.
Poetry Contest entry fee: $5 per poem.
To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”
Mail to:
Dream Quest One
Poetry & Writing Contest
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654
Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for further details or to enter!
"I didn't know that!"
Kurt Vonnegut once managed a SAAB dealership.
The Bronte sisters lived in a house surrounded on three sides by graveyards.
Thanks to blogs.usatoday
Well, that's it for this time, see ya later gater…..Aelf
Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/
Fantasy Gazetteer: http://www.fantasygazetteer.com/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@yahoo
Pindersoft's Writers Project Organizer: http://www.pindersoft.com/wpo.htm
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Nick Daw's Writer's Circle.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
J.D.Vine Publishing: http://www.jdvine/com/index.html
Tennessee Writers Alliance: http://www.tn-writers.org/
USA Patriotism, Poetry: http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
Poynter 30 Writer's Tips: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=103943
Idea Cruncher: http://www.ideacruncher.com/
Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Auto Crit: Automatic manuscript checker: http://www.autocrit.com/
Word Web download: http://www.wordweb.info/
Copyright © 10/31/08
Labels: Christmas, Contests, Interview with author, Short Story
posted by Aelf at 4:30 AM
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