Update

 I hope that you all remembered your Women in Business yesterday. If not, go say something nice today.

The Veronica Lane website has been updated. Check it out. http://www.veronicalanemd.com/

Duck Dynasty

I am bound to write something about getting back to the land, especially farming, one of these days. It's something I love. I believe in backyard chickens for fresh eggs, and home gardening, even if it is just a few vegetables in your flowerbed. Do what you can.
But Duck Dynasty? What is that about? I'm not knocking it, it's one of my favorite shows. But I'm not known for going with the popular vote, and it is popular. Wildly popular. You can't drive down the road anymore without seeing signs outside of stores advertising their Duck Dynasty merchandise within.  For that matter, I don't know that I saw nearly so many Twilight/Team Edward merchandisers. Someone asked me the other day to just imagine how many Willie Robertsons there will be for Halloween this year. Wow.
So what is it about them? Where is the appeal? Why is my son running around with a 4 inch wide bandana on his head?
It's a reality show, but there are plenty of others. It's humorous, ditto. So what, then? Why are people watching a show that makes fun of smart phones and the internet age that we rely so heavily upon? It surely isn't so that we can watch whatever gross creature they've just found. 
I think it's about an extended family that sits down together around a home-cooked meal every night and prays over their food. For many of us that era is in the past, and in some ways we miss it.
With the Robertsons, everyone works hard and plays hard, but they are there for each other, and at the end of the day they find time to sit down together and chill (without their smartphones).
Happy, happy, happy!

Woman in Business

I never visualized myself as a businesswoman when I was growing up. I was going to be a doctor and a writer. You just do those things, right?
I learned too few truths about life in school. If kids knew more about the real world earlier, then adolescents might be able to see beyond themselves and make better choices. (No promises.)
Nonetheless, I am now a businesswoman. I own two businesses as well as indie publishing. Sometimes I miss being an employee. It was much more relaxing. Clock in, clock out, and let someone else be in charge.
The lure of ownership was strong. I could make decisions the way I felt they should be made. I could make way more money! Utopia on earth.
Unfortunately, that is not the way life works. I have to make decisions based on economics rather than what is best, and I will tell you for a fact that the income is not better. Ever feel like a salmon swimming upstream? Dodging grizzlies? And fishermen? Right.
However, there is still a feeling of independence, and of charting my own course, even if that course is not what I had originally anticipated. All in all, I think I'll keep at it. At least for now. Who knows where my course will take me next.
Bon Voyage!
Give your cheers and encouragement to all of the independent women you know in business on September 22. American Business Women's Day. Well, heck, do it every day. We will be most appreciative.
Gab

My kind of Villain

It has been said that an antagonist in a story should be 3 parts bad and 1 part good, and that a protagonist should be 3 parts good and 1 part bad. That's useful. Purely bad characters are frequently too uni-dimensional to relate to. That doesn't mean that there aren't people in the world who have no redeeming qualities, but their thin little lives are seldom interesting or compelling to the reader. Fictional worlds can live without them completely.

In my previous post I linked to another blog because their villains list was so in tune with my own. In particular, the most compelling villain to me is from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Jack Randall is a horrible sadistic monster, but he will make great sacrifices for family.

In my upcoming novel, A Swift Taste of Red, the villain is the scion of an evil family, and is loyal to his family, while at the same time having a complete disregard for any other member of the human race. He is charming, brilliant, gifted, and very, very bad. That's my kind of villain.

Gab

P.S. New facebook page link-  www.facebook.com/authorgabrielleback.

Author Interview with RT Bryant, author of Yesterday Mourning novella

Today I have the honor to present RT Bryant's book Yesterday Mourning. Here is my interview with her.

GB: Tell us a little bit about yourself:
RTB: I was born and raised in Fort Valley, GA which is where most of my family still resides. Friends would describe me as funny and outgoing although I would describe myself as somewhat shy. I’m definitely more of a homebody and I’ve always loved books.

GB: When is your birthday? 

RTB: October 8

GB: What kind of music do you like? 

RTB: I’m pretty open to most types of music but I prefer R&B, Pop, Jazz and Hip-Hop

GB: What does your name mean? 

RTB: Renita is Latin and means “Resistant,” “Reborn,” and “Dignified” but in some places it means “Little Queen”

GB: Are you an early riser? 

RTB: Unfortunately yes. I typically work out in the morning so I tend to get up pretty early.

GB: What subjects interest you the most? 

RTB: Politics, Business, and Psychology

GB: Which are three 3 physical features you often get complimented on? 

RTB: The whiteness of my teeth, my hair, and my cheeks

GB: Which is one rule you are proud of breaking? 

RTB: I’m not waiting to live. I watch people and it seems most are waiting for a certain time in their lives or a specific moment when everything will fall into place and they can actually start living. Maybe it’s a lack of patience on my part but I’m choosing to enjoy the minutes/days of my life right now. I make decisions based on my current truth/reality and I try not to apologize for it. The more I suffered through watching loved leave this earth the more I felt an urge and desire to explore and experience what life has to offer.

GB: What are your hobbies? 

RTB: I love writing and traveling. I published my first book, Yesterday Mourning, in May and I’ve already started releasing short stories via my blog (myndmatters.wordpress.com). Later this year, I kick off a three-month sabbatical from my job and I’ll use the time to travel (5 countries), write, and enjoy just ‘being.’

GB: What is the worst job you’ve ever done and why? 

RTB: Telemarketing. It was the summer after my junior year in high school and I wanted to make some extra money. It definitely helped me develop thick skin early on in life.

GB: Which was the scariest moment of your life? 

RTB: The second I realized my mother was dying and there was nothing I could do to stop it. That moment sparked a chain of events that inspired Yesterday Mourning.

GB: What advice would you give your 18 year old self? 

RTB: Everyone thinks you’re strong, smart, and capable because you are. There’s nothing wrong or arrogant with you believing it and saying it too.

Visit her and check out her book here. 

Facebook.com/YesterdayMourningBook

Twitter: @Atiner

Blog: myndmatters.wordpress.com 

http://www.amazon.com/Yesterday-Mourning-ebook/dp/B00CNTJIJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378212124&sr=8-1&keywords=yesterday+mourning

15% off Createspace discount code RYCP9MV3

Use this discount code to purchase the paperback at CreateSpace. 
https://www.createspace.com/4421876

RYCP9MV3

It is now available to order at all retailers!

Villains

I am embarking on my next book set in the Carribbean. And it needs a good villain. Help me out here. What do you think makes a good villain? Who are your favorite villains and why? I'll give my opinions next time.
 :-) Gab
 Here is a blog that lists several of my favorite villains. Her list is so in tune with mine, that I had to link to it here. http://www.thebestbooksever.com/2012/08/best-book-ever-villains.html