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Author Interview: Lila Lee Silvern

11/16/2015

Meet Lila Lee Silvern, Author of Confessions of a Geriatric Prom Queen

About Confessions of a Geriatric Prom Queen

This book explores what seems to be the last taboo in movies and TV. sensuality after sixty, The author describes her "coming of old age" adventures in a hilarious book of stories about dates on a clothing optional beach with a retired Royal Grenadier to a movie shoot with an amateur director, to a real romance with a late-in-life true love. She hopes to inspire the older crowd to drop some of their inhibitions and get more enjoyment out of life after sixty and also give younger readers something to look forward to in the future.

Purchase Confessions of a Geriatric Prom Queen at Amazon

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

LLS: My second career is that of an author. I am a retired school teacher, a graduate of the UCLA Theatre Arts Department. I wanted to create a new image of herself and started entertaining at a weekly story salon held at a local coffee house.

BBB: What inspired your book, Confessions of Geriatric Prom Queen?

LLS: I was surprised to learn that my young audiences were delighted with her seven minute, ribald stories about seniors still enjoying sex, romance and a good laugh about themselves.
I hope to inspire the older crowd to drop some of their inhibitions, get more enjoyment out of life after sixty, and give the younger people a more hopeful look at the future. Sensuality after sixty seems to be the last taboo that TV and the movies seem reluctant to explore. This book may embarrass some, but hopefully it will titillate others to drop a few hang ups and grab what’s left of their lives with gusto and giggles.

BBB: Tell us about your main character.

LLS: I am the main character in all the stories. It is autobiographical account of life after age 60 and about senior romance.

BBB: What are you currently working on?

LLS: I am writing short stories, one about my recent trip to Panama with a group of senior citizens

BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

LLS: You can find me at my website, Confessions of a Geriatric Prom Queen

My facebook page is here

And of course, I welcome anyone who is reading the book to take a picture of themselves reading it and post it to my facebook page.

About Lila Lee Silvern
Lila Lee Silvern is a retired educator who directed a program for immigrant students, created many educational materials, and also appeared in a TV series, "The World Comes to Los Angeles".
After retiring from a long career as a writer of educational materials for children, Lila Lee Silvern created a new image of herself entertaining at a weekly story salon held at a local coffee house.
She was surprised to learn that her young audiences were delighted with her seven minute, ribald stories about seniors still enjoying sex, romance and a good laugh about themselves.
She hoped to inspire the older crowd to drop some of their inhibitions, get more enjoyment out of life after sixty, and give the younger people a more hopeful look at the future. Sensuality after sixty seems to be the last taboo that TV and the movies seem reluctant to explore. This book may embarrass some, but hopefully it will titillate others to drop a few hang ups and grab what’s left of their lives with gusto and giggles.
Lila Lee Silvern is a graduate of the UCLA Theatre Arts Department and received a Masters Degree in Bilingual Education from California State University. Northridge. She has had educational materials published and appeared in a KLCS series called, “The World Comes to Los Angeles.” She is the mother of two sons.

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Author Interview: Kate Vale

11/10/2015

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Meet Kate Vale, Author of Destiny's Second Chance

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

KV: I’ve been writing for many years, but my career kept me in the non-fiction, technical writing arena until recently, when I succumbed to my NEED to write fiction. Actually, to write down the dreams I kept having about certain characters. I foolishly assumed that writing down those dreams would mean they wouldn’t come back. Well, they didn’t, but they were simply replaced by OTHER stories of other characters! And they continue to populate my brain at night as well as during long walks during the daylight hours.

BBB: What inspired your book, Destiny's Second Chance?

KV: The previous book focused on foster care and it led (for two children and the woman who became such an important person in their lives) to adoption. It seemed only right that my next book should focus on adoption. The fact that my mother was an adoptee when such a status was rarely talked about also was the impetus for me to begin to look at the many ways in which adoption affects people—the adoptees, of course, and their new parents as well as the biological links that remain, whether known or unknown. When I began talking with people who had been touched by the adoptive process, it became clear how very complicating relationships can become. Thus, I couldn’t just focus on Destiny and her biological mother. I had, also, to try to understand how Vanessa must have felt when Destiny insists on meeting Bella.

BBB: Tell us about your main character.

KV: Bella begins life in this story as a teen whose own innocence gets her into trouble. But becoming pregnant so young, and then having to give up her baby, helps her to grow up fast. Her own decision to get away from her birth family contributes to her maturation, as does her stated goal to figure out a way to go to college. We meet her when she is a fully-formed woman, seemingly content with her single life as a librarian, happy to support her friends at the library and old Henry at her favorite bookstore, and to enjoy her interactions with the children who come to the library for story hour. But she has always harbored thoughts and dreams of that baby she gave up, the baby whose parents agreed to send a picture once a year and to allow Bella to send cards at Destiny’s birthday and at Christmastime. When they stop after Destiny’s fifth birthday, Bella wonders if the child died, but she has no way to communicate with the parents and thus, she is left to wonder. What a surprise when she hears from Destiny’s father after her daughter’s 21st birthday!
When a possible love interest is introduced, Bella isn’t quite sure how to act. Only Gavin’s skillful wooing wins her over, but not before a crisis involving Destiny as well as Henry.

BBB: What are you currently working on?

KV: I often work on two books at a time; my antidote to writer’s block. If I come upon a problem that seems unresolved in one story, I set it aside, knowing my brain will continue to work on the issue. Then I go on to the other story and continue with it until, voila! I figure out how to solve the problem that had reared up previously. I mention this because I’m in the midst of two such stories now.
The first story revolves around a troubled 7-year old boy and his widowed father and what happens when the father meets the new teacher for his son. I won’t tell you what troubles the boy, but I will say that it also becomes a catalyst for helping the father to understand his son better. Along with the teacher’s help, of course.
The second story enabled me to explore alcoholism in some of its many forms. In this case, in an elderly mother and her elder daughter, a too-serious and too-focused-on-business woman who never expects to find herself focusing on anything other than the business she has built and takes appropriate pride in. When Nicole realizes that her mother’s alcoholism threatens her health at the same time that she is confronted with the possible take-over of her company, it’s enough to make her tear out her hair. Even more so, when she learns she’s pregnant at age 41! How she deals with these three issues forms the backdrop for her continued growth as a woman.

BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

KV: My website (http://katevale.com) includes the first chapters of all of my stories, as well as questions that book groups might use to discuss the stories. Also on my website are reviews of my books that have appeared elsewhere. I can be reached on that website by clicking on the contact me link. And I love to hear from readers. In fact, questions about Trish who first appears in Family Bonds prompted me to write Crossing Paths, which follows Trish and her second chance at love with a man she thought had died many years earlier.

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Author Interview: Jesse Morgan

11/7/2015

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Meet Jesse Morgan, Author of Carb Cycling, Blender Recipes Cookbook, and Make Ahead Meals

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

JM: I am a working mom located in Virginia. I wrote my first book, “Carb Cycling: The Recipe and Diet Book” to share some of the ideas and concepts I thought were important for a successful diet. There are so many options out there but it all comes back to making healthy choices and aligning your caloric intake to match what you burn. I will be the first to admit this sounds so much easier than it is. I am one of those people that continually has to work to maintain my body weight. I have good and bad, days, months and years. When I am not working or taking care of my family you can usually find me gardening, I find that gardening helps reduce stress and allows me to clear my head, it also provides a direct reward as I can easily see the results of my efforts.

BBB: What books have you written? (Please give a brief synopsis of each book.)

JM: ** Carb Cycling: The Recipe & Diet Book
This book provides a general overview of the diet and its benefits. It then covers important nutritional information that would be helpful with any diet. It also covers foods you should try to stay away from to give yourself a fighting chance. Once the basics are covered I walk the reader through how to prepare for and begin using the Carb Cycling Diet. The printed book includes a 26 week diet journal, if the user downloads the Kindle version, they can download the journal for free at www.fitrecipe.net

** Make Ahead Meals – Quick and Healthy Dinner and Lunch Recipes
These are the recipes I use when I need to prepare a dinner or lunch in advance. Each recipe uses healthy ingredients and is simple to prepare and includes steps to refrigerate or freeze the meal. I use these recipes all the time for myself and my husband to prepare lunches that can be quickly heated up at work. I watch my co-workers microwaving a pre-made meal in a plastic package with plastic covering and I just cringe at all the chemicals they are ingesting both from the processed food and how they are cooking it.

** Blender Recipe Cookbook: Healthy Smoothie, Soup and Dessert Recipes
I purchased a Vitamix blender late last year and immediately fell in love with it. High speed blenders make it so easy to get your full servings of vegetables in every day. I love watching the blender make a soup recipe. You put in nothing but healthy ingredients, turn it on for 6 to 8 minutes and out pours piping hot soup. My favorite way to use it is to make a morning smoothie. I have some great recipes in the book, but sometimes I just wing it. Throw in some frozen banana, spinach, carrots, some organic protein power and a few berries and I have a meal in a cup to get me started on the right foot. I work with a nutritional specialist on the creation of all of my recipes. I usually come up with the idea and then she balances it out to insure calorie counts, sugars, etc. are all in line.

BBB: What are you currently working on?

JM: I am thinking about a recipe book for kids that are picky eaters, it is always a struggle to find something my younger son will eat. He lives on pasta and yogurts. I am also trying to spend more time posting useful information on my blog and facebook page to add value to my user community.

BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
JM: Stop by www.fitrecipe.net and sign up for my email updates. Make sure to check out the free content page, I always try to giveaway some useful content with each book.

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