Random Acts of Publicity- Friday

       Today I've another writer friend to share with you. 
 Larry Kahn is a retired lawyer who worked for a large New York law firm and then an Atlanta Fortune 500 company. In real life, he's a non-assuming, reserved kind of guy, but it only takes a few minutes of conversation with him  to recognize his wit, his intelligence, and his concern for social justice in the world.

Larry and Ellie Kahn

        I couldn't help but ask Larry a few questions.  

Did you always have a dream to be a writer?

 Earlier than you might imagine. I won an award from the local library for the most book reviews written over the summer between 1st and 2nd grade! My interest developed further in college, where I always had a writing class on my schedule and wrote sports stories for the Albany Student Press. Talk about long-held dreams, in my freshman writing class I wrote a short story called "The 20-Year Jinx" which later evolved into my first novel, THE JINX. The core idea of a family harboring a 140-year grudge against the presidency festered in my mind for twenty years, until the brink of the 2000 presidential election, when I realized the story would die unless I did something dramatic. So, with the approval of my always supportive wife, Ellie, I took a sabbatical from my legal job and made the dream a reality.

What led you to be a part-time writer and then switch to full-time writing? 

Some of my college friends went into journalism, a couple were quite successful, but earning a living as a writer was a risky proposition. While one of the characters in KING OF PAINE lives by the mantra "no risk, no thrill," I'm more of a calculated risk-taker than a thrill-seeker. Still, I might have gone for it except that my other option was Yale Law School. My law degree ultimately provided some financial security for us, and my career as an international tax lawyer in the fast-paced world of mergers & acquisitions yielded a wealth of experiences that fuel my fiction. I started THE JINX a couple years before I took my sabbatical but needed the larger blocks of time to really wrap my mind around it.

While that sabbatical year was an extremely rewarding experience, I had promised my manager at work I would return. I never considered writing to be a full-time gig. While THE JINX was not a commercial success, it garnered  nice reviews from reputable sources, and the writing bug never quite stopped biting. In 2006, after helping to engineer the sale of the line of business that kept me gainfully employed, I negotiated a severance package that was sufficient to finance our sons' educations and maintain a modest writing lifestyle. We don't live extravagantly, but I'm doing what I love, and Ellie and I enjoy our time together more than when I was bringing home Type A baggage from the office.

 While you were “lawyering”, was the creative person inside screaming to get out? 

Absolutely. Legal writing is so dry. As a young lawyer I would try to add a little pizazz to my memos, but my mentors took particular delight in beating that habit out of me. I have a serious defiant streak in me, but it didn't take many all-night rewrites to figure out that these acts of authorial civil disobedience were self-defeating. The senior lawyers were more tolerant of my long hair, their one concession to my creative spirit.

How did you decide to write thrillers/whodunits rather than another genre, say historical fiction or nonfiction? 

I grew up loving mystery and suspense novels--first Agatha Christie and then Ira Levin, Irving Wallace, Frederick Forsyth, and Robert Ludlum. I was a young lawyer when John Grisham invented the legal thriller genre, and I loved how he incorporated themes of social justice into page-turning plots. He spawned a long line of lawyer/authors, of which I am proud to count myself as one. Ultimately, I guess I wrote what I loved to read. As far as nonfiction, I don't consider myself expert enough at any subject to write a book, but I do blog about social issues on my website.

A defiant streak in you....hmm...I resemble, relate to that comment!


         As Larry mentioned, his most recent book is THE KING OF PAINE.  See if this description grabs your attention:

A desperate and dying patient.
 

A rumored cure.

How far would you go to find the fountain of youth?

Frank Paine is not your prototypical FBI agent. He’s an ex-Hollywood stud with a kinky past; an irreverent wise ass who craves forgiveness from the woman he loves. When a ruthless stalker uses Frank’s indiscretions to ensnare him in an erotic cat-and-mouse death match, his investigation points toward a missing biochemist. His hunt for her secret haven takes one tragic turn after another, until he finds himself facing an impossible dilemma. Someone will die as a result of his decisions, and it may be his soulmate. Or him.

Gotcha, didn't it! Who wouldn't want to read a book like this?

KING OF PAINE is available in paperback at  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and North Atlanta Press. The eBook version is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Buy. This. Book. It's awesome! 
(Disclosure, since I have a lawyer present... I am a little biased toward this novel. I was one of the beta readers.) LOL

Wait! WIN this book!( Not me this time, it's all Larry's idea.) LOL


All you need to do is sign up to follow Larry's blog here.
or you can "like" his fan page here.  If 5 people sign up, he will give away an eBook of KING OF PAINE; if 10 people sign up, it will be 2 eBooks and so on. More people = more free eBooks! You need to sign up by Wednesday evening, Sept. 14th to be in the drawing.

All this talk about KING OF PAINE makes me want to go read it again. I think I will! 

 

            "Random Acts of Publicity" week - Wednesday

     Three years ago, author, teacher, speaker Darcy Pattison created a program for writers to help other writers with publicity. A writer can choose any other writer friend to promote during the week following Labor Day. I decided to choose a new friend of mine, Fiona Page.

       Fiona is one remarkable woman. She is a professional storyteller, a motivational speaker, a radio show host, as well as a writer of a children's book and an adult memoir. Busy woman, right? Did I mention that Fiona is blind?

     Some 20+ years ago, Fiona went to the hospital to have some routine surgery. She left the hospital  sightless. She had to relearn how to do practically everything as a blind individual. That means dressing, grooming, cooking, cleaning,meeting and talking to people, and figuring out how to get around, just to name a few. I can totally sympathize and empathize with her as I am going through the lose-your-sight-journey myself.

      Fiona seemed like the perfect recipient for "Random Acts of Publicity". Let me begin by introducing you to her children's book, BETTINA THE BOLD.

       Bettina is a butterfly who discovers, upon leaving her chrysalis, that she is blind. This creates problems for Bettina, especially in making friends until a blind bat shares strategies for overcome challenges.  BETTINA THE BOLD is available in paperback and as an audio book. A portion of the cost goes to Vision Rehabilitation Services in Marietta, Georgia, a wonderful organization that helps individuals like Fiona (and me) with mobility training and other skills needed for daily living. 

       I asked Fiona to answer some questions for me and I think I wore out her fingers! Part I of the interview is today and Part II will be on Thursday. Fiona has generously offered a copy of her book for a giveaway. All you need to do to win is leave a comment after the post (today, tomorrow, or Friday) with a contact email included. A random drawing will be held Friday evening and the winner announced Monday morning. (Sept 12th)

Welcome Fiona! Thank you so much for joining me.
Gail, I am delighted to be here. Thank you for thinking of me with a "Random Act of Publicity"!  

Okay, a few questions:  

Was the transition from being an oral storyteller to being a teller of written stories easy or difficult for you?

A storyteller uses so much facial expression and gestures that I found writing difficult at first. Showing in print is so different from showing in person, on a stage, with an audience.

 Did you want to be an author before you lost your sight or was it a way to adapt your skills?

I've always respected writers and love to read. I never dreamed that I could write. I found, at first, that organizing the paragraphs was frustrating for me. Writing started out  for my own "venting" and entertainment. When I lost my voice, it was a natural thing to turn to the computer to keep my mind occupied. It became cathartic as I wrote of my experiences. Soon I realized i wanted to leave a legacy for my family. From there it grew.

You lost your voice as well as your sight? What a terrible double whammy!
Yes, I had severe bronchitis and needed to "rest my voice" (translated that meant no talking) for two months! Can you imagine anything worse for a storyteller? Or someone who was trying to cope with sudden blindness?

Are you still doing storytelling? If not, do you have plans to go back to it?

In 2007, I cut back storytelling a lot, only going to the schools who had asked me back year after year prior to my blindness. The past four years I have been writing two books and telling stories more in a volunteer capacity. Now I will take Bettina the Bold on the road. My storytelling buddy who recorded the audio version with me will drive and I will demonstrate to the students the process for writing as an individual who cannot see . (Hint: I use a talking computer!) Then we will read the story aloud.

There are more question and answers from Fiona, but I think they will need to wait until tomorrow.

Remember to leave a comment here, and your email address, and you'll be entered in the drawing for a copy of BETTINA THE BOLD. 

                                                                                                                    



                              

Write From the Soul

Last 5 days of my giveaway! Ask a friend to become a follower  Have them mention you and it means more points and more chances to win! I'm so excited that I've passed the 50 followers mark! So I've added another book prize, Newbery Honor Book, Savvy by Ingrid Law, and a few "just chocolate" winners. The more followers I have, the more giveaways I do:-) Hitting 100 will be awesome!