~Legends in the Making (#1) - Tymothy Longoria~

Hi everyone! I'm very excited today because I have a very special treat for you guys. My first interview! And not just my first interview, but the first of many because I've decided that I'm going to start a series called ~Legends in the Making~ in which I'll feature all the new and aspiring authors who are looking to make a name for themselves in literature. I want my blog to be a forum that gives a platform to the voice of these authors, showcases their talents, and promotes their work(s). 

My first guest that I will be interviewing is author Tymothy Longoria. What makes me really happy is that I am starting this series with not just an amazing author, but someone who is a dear friend, and a wonderful person. He's been an amazingly supportive friend, and an inspiration to me, and I can assure you that he will make a name for himself, and that his work will become the stuff of legends!

He's the author of The Stories: Book One- Genesis. You can click on the link, which will lead you to Tymothy's blog, and you can read all about his manuscript, and other amazing posts showcasing his writing talent. So, without further ado, I am going to delve into the interview my interview with this "legend in the making" that will reveal to you just who Tymothy Longoria is.

Question #1) Can you describe the first time, the first moment, or the first instance in which you realized that you wanted to be a writer?

I can. Describe the first moment when I realized that I could have something here. My Wife, Jennifer and I were talking one night. The conversation was about how I liked robots when I was a little boy and I used to draw them all the time. Robots with boxy heads and bodies-you know-old school ‘bots. I whipped out a notebook and drew the same little robot I used to. Little Tymmy would be proud. Jen mentioned she liked to draw swings and flowers and trees. Her drawings were very “little girl” mine very “little boy.” The next day it was business as usual at work when I received a picture text from Jennifer. It was a little robot swinging in a park. I loved it of course. It was our child hood selves together, for the first time. Jennifer often says she wishes she knew the “little me”. It happened to be our 10th anniversary a few days later and I sat at my computer. I searched for images of robots and I saw one with a sad face. It dawned on me. I decided to write her a story for our anniversary. It’s called The Sad Little Robot and is the story of a robot in search of friendship, wandering to and fro. As I was writing I kept thinking cool, this is cool. She loved it and we both said hey, why not? So that’s when it started. The night I wrote my first short story as an anniversary gift.

Question #2) What are some of the trials that you have experienced being a writer?

I hate to sound brash or pompous but because of my faith-that is just doing everything I can to make my dream happen-I have yet to encounter any real “trial”. My family supports me. My teenage son tells me often, “Can you hurry and finish your book?” So…I am very blessed.

Question #3) When one speaks about trials, one must also speak about triumphs. So could you tell us about the triumphs you’ve experienced thus far in your writing career?

Great question and one I am very happy to answer. Triumph is defined as a great victory. Achievement. I can say sincerely that writing The Stories has been my number one writing achievement. Putting my very spirit, my voice onto “paper” has been a tremendous blessing and a boost in my confidence in myself and in my faith. I could never say enough how much of an astonishing thing it is to know deep within that what you’re doing-was meant to be. It’s one of those things that will have people say “I didn’t know ya had it in ya!” Triumph is finding all of my Friends. All of them. Via Twitter, Facebook. Because of writing. That is a great achievement I do not take lightly.

Question #4) Can you name some authors that have inspired you as a writer?

I can name some well-knowns. I respect and admire them, of course. We all have our favorites. But I’ll let some lesser knowns in the “field” have their day. I am inspired by Indies. They have the drive. The want. The desire to be heard. They always seem to be so happy about their choice as well. Tiffany King, Author of Meant To Be. Megg Jensen, Anathema. Nicholas Denmon, For Nothing. Allie Burke, The Enchanters Series. There are so many more. I’ll move on with this: You never know when an Indie will be a new voice for the entire industry.


Question #5) Let’s talk about the most memorable moment of your life – what was it, please describe it to us.

Wow. In my short 31 years of living I have had so very many. I can say the day I got married.

When my son Jubal was born. Or 8 years later when my daughter Araceli arrived. Those days, those moments could never be topped. So I’ll say that, honestly, the night in Question 1. It is affected every decision, every dream. Every hope.  It affects my wife…and son…and daughter. Everything and everyone around me. The most memorable moment in my life was the night I realized I wanted to be a writer. It has changed me. Everything and everyone around me.


Question #6) Your novel/manuscript – Can you tell us about it in exactly five sentences?

Here’s the difficult question. I’m up for the task.

In a world where “fantasy” is passed down from generation to generation as history. Where myth is truth and stories are alive. These legendary characters have stood the test of time itself. They breathe with new life as new blood courses through their veins. They join together for the first time in an epic fantasy like no other.

(Exclusive copyrighted content for "The Stories" by Kimberly Atkins)

Question #7) When did the idea for this book come to you? What inspired it?

First let me say I have been so blessed to have so many say they can’t wait to read it. It really is
mind-boggling.

When exactly is hard to remember. But…maybe March of last year was the first time the idea came into my head. This is a very weird question. Let me explain. Just a few days ago, I tweeted, “The idea for The Stories. It came out of nowhere. New post on Aspire No More up soon!” So you see. The idea was inspired by, drum roll, please: nothing. I mean I really and honestly can’t say where it came from. I love art and music. I wish I could name something I saw or read but I can’t. I think it was a dream I had that subconsciously remembered. Because I don’t even remember having a dream about it. I was at work talking to my brother about some other ideas I had for non-fiction books. There was an image, a moving image playing in my head, over and over: A girl in a red hood flashing by. Then I could only see her feet, running very fast through a misty forest as the sounds of her breath filled the air. Suddenly she stops. Just stops. The creatures can’t be seen but they can be heard. She turns slowly to face the beasts and says quietly in a not-so-happy tone: “Do your worst.” It just happened to be that she was wearing red. My favorite color. I didn’t want to change that. It just happened to be that The Little Red Riding Hood was who she was. But over time, she became oh so much more. She immediately became L’orrah and the rest-God-willing-will be History. I know in my heart that she will prevail. Oh but that’s not all. SO much is going on. ;}

That was the beginning of The Stories.


Question #8) What advice would you give to other aspiring authors?

I’d say do it. I’d say do it. I’d say drop the aspiring. My blog is called Aspire No More. It can be simple semantics but I believe it’s so much more than that. We are who we think we are. The word aspiring for me means “almost there, but not quite.” For me, and many others agree,simply dropping this mentality is the first step to being a writer. Advice that I give to writers is ask yourself: What do I have to bring to the writing table? What do I have to offer? If the answer is anything but “All of me”, then take a little more time to decide what you want to do. Now I hope that doesn’t come off as crass but in reality that’s what it takes to truly make a mark worth calling remarkable and #epic ;}. You deserve everything writing has to offer. In turn writing deserves all of you.


Question #9) If you could describe yourself in one word, what would that word be?

Blessed.


Question #10) Last, but not the least, what can we expect from Tymothy Longoria in the upcoming year?

Constancy. In everything I do. I recently wrote a blog for the New Authors Fellowship entitled “No One Ever Said Hope Would Be So Beautiful.” In it I write that the word hope is greatly underappreciated. So with that in mind, I am full of hope that this year is the year for me. I’m no ignoramus about the industry and that it takes time to query and so on. But then again, I never thought I’d be interviewed…because I’m writing.

I will query. There is one agent that when I read what he is looking for…I teared up and prayed. I read it again and again. Because some of what he wants to rep is literally what I’ve written. Not my MS…but the idea. So this year…wow. Only God knows. But He has given me everything I need to do what I must.

You can also expect some video logs. A new trailer and a great synopsis for my Baby, The Stories:Book One-Genesis. I will soon begin The Stories:Book Two-The Bridge.

As you yourself can attest to I am a very hopeful man and this is only beginning for Tymothy Longoria. Of that I can assure you.

All heart, no pomp from me to you.

Be blessed.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, that concludes our first interview. I want to thank Tymothy, for taking time out from his busy schedule to answer these questions. I am sure you are completely invigorated by Tymothy's answers, I know I am! :) You can find and follow Tymothy Longoria via  Twitter, Facebook and his blog "Aspire No More".  Make sure to follow him, and ~The Chronicles of an Enamored Soul~ will continue to bring you updates, exclusive content and news on Tymothy's work in the future. I have no doubt in my mind that some day soon, Tymothy will be named as one of the authors who served as inspiration for another upcoming author, another "legend in the making."

"STARCROSSED" by Josephine Angelini - Gods, Bloodlust and an Epic Love

 

Details

Title: Starcrossed (Starcrossed, #1)
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 31st' 2011
Available to order here: Amazon / Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

Synopsis 

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

My Review

Helen Hamilton lives a life of relative peace and quiet on the serene island of Nantucket. Not much happens on this island where everyone knows everyone else, and Helen is happy for it to be that way. Uncomfortable with attention, and physically pained by it, she lives her life like a quiet nobody, living alone with her father, the owner of a general store, since her mother left them both when she was very young. Her best friend is Claire, who being Japanese on the island is automatically different and much more comfortable in the limelight, but who still thinks Helen is bound to stand out, even if it sends her into pangs of physical pain. 

Helen's quiet world is torn asunder with the arrival of the Delos family who have moved from Spain. The Delos teens are the talk of the town before Helen has even set eyes on them, and gossip is abound as to how physically attractive they all are. Also, she is shaken by these strange nightmares she has been having, where she finds herself in a barren and desolate land, and upon awakening finds herself covered in dust and incredibly thirsty. And the vision, this hallucination, of three old women who are always urging and crying blood. But when Helen first sets eyes on Lucas, one of the Delos boys, her reaction is one that no one would expect out of her, not even own self, especially not her self. She attacks him. Regardless of how sexually attracted she may be to Lucas, and how intensely drawn to him she may be, her blood also boils at the very sight of him.

Unable to keep herself away for him, and soon realizing that she never will be able to keep herself away from him, she begins to get to know Lucas and his family better and realizes that she learns more about herself through them than she ever would have imagined. Through the Delos clan, including Hector (the hefty, aggressive one who keeps needling her to unleash her aggression), Ariadne and Jason (Twins who are both beautiful, but extremely sweet and understanding) and Cassandra (the youngest, the smallest but with the wisdom and aura of a million sages) and their parents, she is able to come to terms with who she is, what her history is, and what she is truly capable of - that sometimes what you read in the books isn't just a myth, sometimes it is as real as it gets. In the meanwhile, there are dark forces on the hunt for Helen, and she must learn to protect herself from them. In the process of all this, Lucas and Helen are attracted to each other like a moth to the flame. But like the moth's obsession with the flame only results in his demise, Lucas and Helen are not free to follow their desires...there are prophecies that have to be fulfilled, traditions to abide by, Gods to be appeased, and the whole world hangs in the balance of their distance from each other. So will they be able to resist temptation? Will Helen be able to save herself from the dangers that lurk around her? Above all else...will the epic romance between Helen and Lucas be able to bloom, or will it be nipped in the bud? You will have to read the book to find out...

OMGods OMGods OMGods! This book is so absolutely fantastic, I didn't read it, I literally snorted it like crack! The pages kept turning, and I keep getting invested. I laughed out loud, I shed tears...it was an emotional roller coaster. But also, it was so action-packed and fast paced, I felt like I was reading a Marvel comic, rather than a Young Adult fiction novel. I am sure parallels can be, and will be, drawn between Twilight and Starcrossed...but I can safely say that I was far more impressed with the writing and the characterization in Starcrossed than I was by the first book in the Twilight series, and I enjoyed Starcrossed far more. So Stephanie Meyers, you better watch your back, because a new diva is about to take the Young Adult literary genre by storm!!! Also, this book includes a lot of info on Greek Mythology, but author Josephine Angelini has done the subject justice, and the myths and legends are seamlessly incorporated into the storyline. This book was like X-Men meets THOR meets Hercules meets Superman type of stuff, but with a generous helping of romance, friendship, family and plenty of Greek Mythology thrown in there - the PERFECT mix for an extremely riveting read, I must say. There was a seriously cool, award-winning movie going on in my head as I read this book (about that: watch out for a ~Movie Castings~ post on this book on Wednesday of this week). I loved EVERY DARN MINUTE of it. Love, love, loved it, and would recommend it to EVERYONE!

So don't wait another second, Starcrossed hits the bookstores tomorrow - go out and get yourself a copy. I personally promise you, you will not regret it!!!Greek Mythology, teenagers, blood-lust, action-packed sequences, and an epic romance...what's not to LOVE? :)

My Rating : 5/5 Stars

Disclaimer: Although I received an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of this book for review, I was not compensated monetarily, or in any other way, for my opinion. The opinions stated in this review are solely mine, and are not representative of views of the author, or publishing company, of this book.

Dear Author: A Reader's Letter

Dear Author,

I am in awe of you. Google gave me this definition when I searched for you, “writer: writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)” - but you and I both know it’s not just for pay, is it? You work at McDonald’s for pay; you don’t undergo the tedious process of writing a manuscript and then go through the painstakingly laborious act of editing it, and then having it published, just to get paid. You do it because it matters to you. You are a nightingale with a song in its breast that you sing to the world, in the form of your words. I understand that – as a matter of fact, I cherish it, I appreciate it, respect it and am amazed by it. But I think it is time that I introduced myself to you.

My name is X. I am nobody – just a face, behind a laptop screen, that you know nothing of. And yet, I am everybody. For my eyes are the ones reading your work, taking it all in, deriving pleasure from it and sometimes seeking comfort and/or escape in it. Sometimes I am astounded by the words you write, and at times, I am disgusted by them. Sometimes they make me laugh, and at other times, they make me cry. Sometimes I cringe, sometimes I sigh, and sometimes I stare blankly in complete incomprehension. But regardless of my reaction to your words – I am still nobody, and everybody, and I am still your reader. Unless, of course, you write only to please yourself, like me, but then I assume that you would not take the pain to publish your work.

I know that it is not easy, putting yourself out there for the world to judge. Not yourself or the beloved characters that you take years and years to develop. But in the event that I end up feeling not-so-strongly about your characters, it has taken many, many more years to develop your own character, so please don’t tarnish it in their defense. I also know that it is no small task, in this vastly connected yet psychologically detached world of the internet, to find you face-to-face with articulations of dissent. Senator William J. Fulbright said, “We must learn to welcome and not to fear the voices of dissent.” – for I hope you understand that they only serve to challenge you to improve, hurtle you towards advancement.

I want to make it clear to you; I do not pick up your book just so I can disagree with you. Just like I would not put salt in my coffee, rather than sugar, only so that I can spit it up and exclaim how awful it is – I take NO joy in acts of complete futility. I will not read your book if it does not seem to be something that appeals to me – I have no shame in saying this because I know there are going to be many others who will find it to their liking, and pick it up. In the case that I do pick up your book to read, I assure you that I expect it to please me, I expect it to be good, and in the event that it is – I will give it the praise it deserves, and the credit you are due. I will praise you for years to come, recommend you to everyone I see (on the bus, in the park, at funerals, in public bathrooms – you name it!), or to whichever poor,unfortunate soul who is within hearing-distance. I will tweet it until Twitter inevitably gives me the “give it a rest, sheesh” by showing me the #FailWhale. I might even name a few kids after you or your characters (I’m currently in negotiations with Mr. Reader-man to name our future daughter Sayuri and our future son Darcy – to which he says, we are not Japanese and that he refuses to name his daughter after a geisha [snob], and that Darcy is a last name, not a first name. Thank God, I didn’t tell him about my love for the heathen Heathcliff – that’s a discussion he’s not going to want to have!).

In the event that I find it NOT to be to my liking – as a reader who has invested time in it, time that I thought would be well-spent in your book, I feel like I have a right to state my opinion, and I hope you will respect that. Sometimes I do it in the form of a blog-post, sometimes as a review on a book-vendor’s site, sometimes in the shape of a tweet (and for the advanced nobodies like me, all of the above) – but regardless of where and how I state my opinion, I feel like I’ve earned my right to express my 2 cents worth because I have given my time to YOUR words, to YOUR characters, and to YOUR world. And before you issue a verbal (or written) anathema against me, try and understand that I am merely stating my opinion. To allow me to opine about your work, is the utmost form of respect that you could show me.

Let me also clarify, I know that on the journey to being published – you are constantly seeking approval. Approval from a literary agent, after he/she accepts your manuscript, then from an editor, publisher – there are a million people telling you a million different things, so that when your book is finally published, you are hoping that you have laid that need to rest. And then comes a negative review, and it is as if Pandora’s box has come unhinged, and all that negativity comes flying out, sending you reeling back to that past you, with the needling voice inside your head going, “Please don’t tell me you hated it.” I didn’t. Hate it, that is. I may not have liked it, but I could not possibly hate your book. Hate requires a personal vendetta – and I have nothing against you, or your book. And like you have faced dissent, so will I – there will be many others to counteract my dislike.

The advice to you, Author, is a quote from a poem by one of my favorite poets, Pablo Neruda. He says, "Let us forget with generosity those who cannot love us." If my words have cut you under your armor, then forget me, and forget what I have to say – just do not forget that you were once a reader too. As a matter of fact, I’d like to hope/think that you still are one. And that I may one day be where you are. Remain within the dictates of decorum in the face of adversity, and I promise you will never lose readers – you will only gain respect. I’m a reader, a book-lover, who has a compulsive need to read books the way that Octo-mom has a need to have children, like a crackhead is addicted to crack, and like Charlie Sheen is addicted to controversy – so I need you. But let’s face it, Author, you need me too – don’t forget that.

That being said, now that we have been introduced – I hope we will harbor a friendlier, more congenial relationship, and I hope you won’t be a stranger. Drop in for a slice of pie, any time – just make sure you’re bringing the pie with you! If you ever want to borrow a cup of sugar, come waltzing right in. Need help with that flat tire? You know who to call. Just don’t let it be at 2 o’clock in the morning, or else I’ll throw a book at your head – quite possibly your own! I know we’ll get along just fine, Author – for I am nobody and everybody, and I am your friend.

Sincerely,
Your Reader.