INTERVIEW: Author Todd Foley on his new book Charades

If you’re looking for a great summer read, you’ll want to check out Charades by Todd Foley (you can grab your copy here).

I sat down at my computer to chat with Todd about his new book and recorded the interview below.

Enjoy!

To connect with Todd, stop by his website to see what new projects he’s working on.

As a side note, Mr. Foley is an amazing editor and anyone needing his services would be pleased with his keen (and gentle!) eye and suggestions for better writing.

 

Go On A Journey with Eastbound Sailing: 14 Things I Loved

We all love a journey.

We don’t all love a ‘process.’

The ‘are we there yet’ syndrome sometimes overtakes me from the backseat of my life, robbing me of present joys, wonders and explorations.

Luckily, there’s help…

In his first novel, author and editor (and a great friend of mine) Todd Foley invites you to process the journey with the main character, Aiden Lawrence.

Eastbound Sailing synopsis:

Aiden Lawrence has itchy skin that he can’t scratch–he won’t allow others to scratch it either. Forced to start confronting some of his insecurities, what will Lawrence choose? Community or isolation? Acceptance or rejection? A critical spirit or a compassionate spirit?

14 Things I Loved in Eastbound Sailing

  1. I empathized with Aiden.
  2. The descriptions Foley made about food. Boeuf bourguignon anyone?
  3. The honest irreverence.
  4. The honest reverence.
  5. The honesty.
  6. The feeling of the island–a blend of the Pacific Northwest and heaven.
  7. The readability.
  8. Warmth amongst a sometimes cold world.
  9. Compassion.
  10. Hope.
  11. Freedom.
  12. The beginning.
  13. The middle.
  14. The ending that left me pensively hopeful and satisfied, like I’d just eaten a Thanksgiving feast!

[box options]The learn more about Eastbound Sailing check it out on Kindle or the paper version. While you’re at it, head on over to Todd Foley’s blog. You’ll be glad you did![/box]

 

Brownie for Life

[box options]This is a guest post by an amazing writer, actress… and wife! The fantastic Sarah Zahn is an avid learner and Mindy Kaling fan.  She likes coffee, fun writing games, and bags of Doritos.  She’s also the founder of Sugared Beauty, LLC, a line of skincare made with organic ingredients.  Follow her adventures here: @SugaredBeauty.[/box]

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t enjoy learning.  Like being from a small town in the Midwest, learning stuff and getting good grades just seemed like my lot in life.  This didn’t exactly grant me a lot of friends in school. In 7th grade I remember a kid in my class introducing me to the cute new boy as a brownie.  I’m ashamed to admit I thought it was a compliment.

As a result of this and other name-calling incidents, some of the first interpersonal relationship lessons I heard from my mom was that I should “get a sense of humor” and “bury the hatchet.”

I am still figuring out how to do this.

It’s not that I was any smarter than anyone else, I just got a kick out of learning things.  Throughout grade school I would toe the line between first and almost-first in class…until I hit puberty. Continue reading “Brownie for Life”

How to Write Worthless Content

Writing worthless content is all the rage. Here’s some tips!

1. Your opening sentence must elicit boredom.

You might try a sentence like this:

“This blog post is about the time I found a rock in my shoe.”

Or… Continue reading “How to Write Worthless Content”

Let the Good Times Roll

[box options]Today’s post is a guest post by Jim Woods. He is a writer, blogger and guitar junkie in Nashville, TN. He is also a chocolate chip cookie addict, but who isn’t right? You can read his blog here and find him on Twitter @unknownjim. [/box]

 

Tree. Arrow. Bee. Fish. Light Bulb. Turtle. Sad. Building. Footprint. What do all of these things have in common? Not much at all. But those are my results on my first roll with my Rory’s Story Cubes.

 

How do these work? Continue reading “Let the Good Times Roll”

Work in Progress: Weirdest Blog Post Ever

This morning, I started two blog posts.

And didn’t finish them.

It feels a bit like my work today is a failure.

A flop.

I even considered not posting at all today…

But it’s time to make some lemonade.

Ladies and Gentlemen: the weirdest blog post ever…

Continue reading “Work in Progress: Weirdest Blog Post Ever”

The Shortest Short Stories: Tiny Stories

Whilst traveling, my wife and I ran into a friend who had this book:

Tiny Stories

It’s a fascinating (tiny) book of idea generators, saucy illustrations and super teeny-tiny stories. Coupled with this post of writing prompts I read yesterday, I thought I’d try my hand at a few tiny stories as well.

Please leave your own tiny story in the comments so we can all enjoy your creativity.

Tiny Story #1

She didn’t like it when Janice talked that way.

But then again, Janice didn’t like the way she listened either.

Tiny Story #2

When in doubt, stop doubting.

Tiny Story #3

He liked watching people draw, but his favorite was brush on canvas. That sent him reeling.

Continue reading “The Shortest Short Stories: Tiny Stories”