Author Lea Schizas Makes a Stop at Rosemary Chaulk's Blog on her Book Tour

Lea Schizas is a mother of five and tenderly referred as 'Mother Hen' by many writers.

Many have asked me where I find the time to do all that I do. Easy, when you have a deep passion for your work, you will always find time to complete your projects.

Lea Schizas is the founder of The MuseItUp Club, an online critique community, the Muse Online Writers Conference, and co-founder of Apollo's Lyre. Each of these venues has consistently been in Writer's Digest 100 Top Writing Sites since 2005.

For more information on her blogs, upcoming books, zines/newsletters, go here: http://www.leaschizas.com

Bubba & Giganto: Odds Against Them

By Lea Schizas

Synopsis of Book

Bubba hates it when his dad gets a contract for a new project. That means uprooting the family from one city and moving to another. Attending a new school is a major pet peeve of his. His smart alecky nature attracts the bullies in every school he's attended.

On the first day of school, Bubba bumps into this rather large student. Fearing a confrontation, he wears his tough guy attitude and waits for the punches to begin. Remarkably, the new student apologizes, and Bubba and David (aka Giganto as Bubba eventually nicknames him) become best friends.

Bubba and Giganto try out for the high school soccer team, and that's when trouble begins. Bubba knew eventually he'd meet the bullies of the school, and he was right.

In the first initial weeks, Bubba learns about a death that occurred the previous year; faces the bullies on several occasions; helps Giganto practice soccer before tryouts; and challenges the bullies to a scrimmage.

Little does Bubba know Giganto holds a secret - one that will place Giganto in a deadly situation.

A Visit from Author, Patricia Crandall

I'm excited to have a visit from author, Patricia Crandall, who has recently published her novel, The Dog Men. Welcome, Pat!



Patricia, please tell us about yourself and your book!

I was born Patricia Crandall in Bennington, Vermont.Presently, I live with my husband, Art, at Babcock Lake in the Grafton Mountains near Petersburgh, New York. My daughter and her family live nearby. Also living near us is our son. I have two granddaughters and one grandson. I devote time to my family, writing and community work. I enjoy reading, skiing, golfing, knitting, walking/hiking, swimming, exercising and traveling.
I have a vast number of poetry/haiku, numerous articles and short stories published in many small press magazines and a variety of newspapers. I have won many poetry awards and have two books in print, Melrose, Then and Now, a historical volume and I Passed This Way, containing poetry.

I am currently working on several mystery-crime stories, a series of contemporary and family short fiction and novels. I put aside whatever free time I have for writing.

My feelings as a poet have affected my role as a mother by allowing me to capture in poetry the formative years of my children. These poems are snapshots in words. Whenever I read them, I see my children as they were during that moment in time.

I like to write mysteries because I like to read mystery stories. It all began with the Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene when I was a pre-teen in the 1950s. Each holiday, I would request the latest Nancy Drew title and upon receiving it, I would curl-up in an oversized chair and begin reading the fast-paced adventure. Prior to that time, I was hooked on the Bobbsey Twins.
My first effort at writing a mystery story detailed a long, frightening chase by a sinister man. A dark tunnel appeared, leading to (of course) a haunted mansion. The not-so-brilliant ending had me saved by the man of my life at the time - my father.



The Dog Men
Ten-year-old Wyatt and eleven-year-old Hannah uncover the dark world of illegal dogfights when they trespass at a Vermont farm and peep through a barn window. And when crotchety old Lester Cranshaw's dog, Paddy, turns up missing, there is no holding him back from investigating the situation and the kids join in. In the dead of night after the trio are captured and held hostage at the Inglis farm, Wyatt will need all of his wits and courage to escape In order to save the lives of his Friends. THE DOG MEN draws the reader into a tempest of animal abuse, lawlessness, and kidnapping within the confines of small-town happenings. A Chilling plot and a peerless relationship between kids, adults and pets.

NANCY FAMOLARI

Hi Nancy,

You've written Summer's Story and we're excited to host this leg of your book tour. Please tell our readers little bit about who Nancy really is and a little about your book:

Can you tell us a little about yourself? I live in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania with my husband, five horses, two dogs and five white cats. My favorite hobby is trail riding. My horse, Ambrosa de la Pluma is a registered Paso Fino. The breed came to the new world from Spain. Paso Finos have a unique four beat gait that is very smooth. They can go for hours on the trail. They are smart and friendly and make wonderful companions. My husband and I try to ride at least four times a week. We feel so luck to live in an area with lots of space for riding.

What inspired you to write this story? Summer's Story takes place in the fast paced world of harness racing. For fourteen years, my husband and I had a small Standardbred breeding farm in New Jersey. We raised and raced these marvelous horses. Harness racing is very exciting. There are many heart warming stories about an owner or trainer believing in their horse and against the odds getting the horse to win a big race. This is what happens in Summer's Story. There are also people who take advantage of both horses and people for personal gain, not caring the least about how the horse is affected. I believed these elements would make a good novel. I hope people agree.

Author, Nancy Famolari, lives with her husband, five horses, two dogs and five white cats on a farm in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. Her stories and poems have appeared in Long Story Short, Flash Shot, Fiction Flyer, Lyrica, Alienskin Magazine Clockwise Cat, and Matters of the Heart from the Museitup Press. She received an award from Fiction Flyer for one of her flash fiction stories. Her novel, Summer's Story, will be available from Red Rose Press in the fall 2008. Her mystery, Murder in Montbleu, will be available from Red Rose Publishing in 2009.

Website: http://sites.google.com/site/nancyfamolari/

My Space: http://www.myspace.com/nancyfamolari/

Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/friends/

Blogs: http://nancygfamolari.blogspot.com/

http://nancyfamolari.wordpress.com/