Songster and Wordsmith

It's been a fine start to 2018. I've read 2 books "I am Legend" by Richard Matheson on my Kindle and "The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks in paperback. Proof that you can enjoy reading on both platforms. and across genres. I've finally gone to the cinema to see "The Last Jedi" and I LOVED it. It's more grown up than all the rest of them combined, and I think that's what's resonating with me. And I'm excited about lining up more guests for my coffee chats. This week's guest is an author who was born and grew up in Canada but now resides in Japan teaching English. Please welcome J. S. Frankel to my virtual café. D L: Firstly, since it's a coffee chat, how do you like your coffee (or not as has been the case) and what is your favourite time of the day to partake ? J S Frankel : Coffee? I have to have it first thing in the morning. If I don't, my world stops revolving. Sugar and milk--both, please! And toast...can&#

I’m almost done with the edits of the Welcome to the Apocalypse trilogy. And the theme is quite evident when you read all 3 books. The theme is: consequences .   Book 1 starts out as an entertaining story about 3 characters who join in on the launch of a new virtual reality game, and they have to survive 24 hours of an apocalypse. But something happens on the outside and they become stuck in the game. They have to keep playing, advancing through the games, until they’re rescued or their simulation pods fail.   Imagine you’re stuck in a world where anything goes. Do you apply the ‘anything goes’ moniker, or do you uphold the same values you uphold in the real world? This is the core theme behind this series. I have to admit, I copped flak from some readers who wanted Book 1 to be a giant 'kill fest'. However, this was full immersion into a virtual world where players were faced with monster or environments that wanted them dead, and they had to fight to stay ali

Greetings everyone. Grab your cup of joe, coffee, java, tea if you must, and settle in for a fantastic coffee what with  Californian author, Elizabeth Ivanovich. The author of "Going Coastal: Santa Cruz and Beyond", which book sellers classify as a travel book yet it's mainly concerned with artists, musicians, and quirky aspects of the place Elizabeth calls home.   One of the things I truly enjoyed about this coffee chat was Elizabeth's "voice". It really came through in her answers and I was easily swept up in our chat. And I'm typing this blog as I look out into a clear blue sky and it makes me want to get to know more about this part of California.   photo courtesy schamantra, Pixaby Images Now, before I even got around to asking Elizabeth questions, she discovered I was an Aussie and asked me a question. Elizabeth : Is it true that AC/DC's band name is phonetically pronounced "Acca Dacca" there? For some reason, I can't g

Welcome to 2018. I hope this year is going to be wonderful to everyone. I  took a quick break from the coffee chats over the holiday period. Hoping to continue these for 2018.   First up for 2018 is Australian author Dawn Meredith. Dawn's first two books were published in 2000. Since then she has been published in almost every genre. She loves the quirky, the dark, the humorous, but also enjoys biographies and true life stories. fantasy and crime novels. Her ninth book was released in 2017. He work includes fiction and non-fiction books, short stories, short non-fiction pieces, and poetry. She has conducted many writing workshops for children and adults in many states of Australia and she's been a panellist and workshop presenter at Conflux and the Sydney speculative Fiction Convention. DL: Firstly, since this is a coffee chat, how do you have your coffee? And what is your favourite time of the day to partake?   Dawn: Milky with 2 sugars. I don't tolerate cof