"You Asked for It" by Cheryl Malandrinos

I'm a big fan of the Muse Online Writers Conference, which takes place every October. Lea Schizas, my friend (and even if she doesn't know it, mentor) is the brains behind the Muse Conference. Lea, along with the other coordinators of this totally online, completely free writers conference, do a spectacular job each year of helping their fellow writers hone their craft over 7 days of workshops and online chats.

I presented a workshop at the 2008 Muse Conference, but I really wanted to focus on me last year, so I took a variety of workshops geared toward the areas that needed improvement.

One of those workshops was titled "Finding Your Writing Voice Through Personal Essays" given by the very talented Ann Hite, who has published more than sixty stories.

This is one of the personal essays I wrote for that workshop. I don't remember all the particulars about the assignment, but I am supposed to be at a family reunion. A relative I haven't seen for years asks me how things are going. This is my response:

"You Asked for It" by Cheryl Malandrinos

“Obviously no one told you how dangerous it is to ask me about my favorite subject—me.” I smirk, waiting for the feigned laughter to die down.

I feel the tickle in the back of my throat as knowing eyes look upward and disappear behind their lids. Someone could have saved us from this torture if this knucklehead hadn’t asked Miss Conceited to get up and tell us what the hell she’s been doing for the past twenty years.

Yeah, I know that’s how they feel, which is why it makes it all the better that poor Uncle Ray really stuck his foot in it by asking. Clearing my throat, I glance upon the crowd, fifty people I have nothing in common with except for blood, and if I could change that I would. Maybe I really was adopted. One can hope.

“Well, you’ve already met my kids—John, Katherine, and our baby, Sarah.” Oh, she hates it when I call her that. ‘I’m six years old, Mom,’ her defiant pout reminds me.

“After Sarah was born I became a stay-at-home mom and decided to fulfill my dream of becoming a published author.”

Aunt Alice leans over to Uncle George and whispers something into his ear. I know it’s nothing nice. Maybe something along the lines of, ‘Who ever told her she could write?’ By now I’m shifting my weight back and forth, something I’ve done ever since I had kids. “I write for a monthly newsletter and my first children’s book will be out next year.” This gets some nods, but they’re not about to call their friends to tell them about their famous relative.

I start pacing so that the rocking doesn’t make me look like I’m holding in an ocean of pee. Sweat trickles down my back. When did it get so darn hot out here? “I review books at my blog and work in book promotion.”

Cousin Tom has his index finger jammed into his back teeth and he’s digging away. For crying out loud, get a tooth pick!

“Other than playing wife and mommy, that’s about it.” I shrug and plaster a smile across my face.

Hands offer half-hearted claps from the few people still paying attention. As I slink back toward the table where my husband and the girls are nibbling on the last few potato chips, Linda, a cousin on my father’s side, saunters up to me. The tip of her turned up nose embellished by the way her green eyes glare downward.

“You should call your father. He doesn’t know what you’ve been up to lately either.” Her lips purse into a thin line, awaiting my response.

“Maybe I will.” I march off and plop into the empty chair next to Sarah. Who am I kidding? There will be peace in the Middle East before I ever call dear old dad.

Doorman's Creek by Lea Schizas--Book Review

Suspense, action, and betrayal in the most evil of forms, Lea Schizas has packed all this and more into her paranormal thriller, Doorman's Creek.

Kyle Anderson and his friends, Shawn and Bradley, set out to explore a cave they stumbled upon by Doorman's Creek. They certainly didn't expect what they found--a human skeleton and Kyle's eerie feeling that they are not alone.

Against his parents' wishes Kyle, Bradley, and Shawn return to the cave to uncover what they think are the remains of one or two girls who disappeared ten years ago. When Kyle is struck with some kind of seizure, Shawn and Bradley pick him up and run for their lives. At the hospital Kyle tells his father, Richard, what happened at the cave and provides information about the visions he saw during his episode of incapacitation. Richard, a detective for the local police force, begins to investigate the unsolved case of the missing girls--which he had worked on ten years ago--and how it might tie into the recent disappearance of another young woman.

After Richard is found lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor, Susan seeks to find a reason for his senseless murder and how much her disturbing dreams have to do with what happened; while Kyle, Shawn, and Bradley, try to figure out what Kyle's visions are telling them about the disapperance of these young women...and if their investigation might have put them in the path of a serial killer.

Doorman's Creek by Lea Schizas captured me from beginning to end. I literally could not walk away from this story, reading it in one sitting. Lea Schizas did a superb job of keeping the action moving along at a quick pace, making the transitions between chapters smooth and seamless. Schizas drew real characters who I connected with and cared about and whose emotions were so real that I felt my heartbeat racing when they were scared. The backstory was just enough and never dulled the present day action. Schizas created the perfect paranormal thriller.

Suspense-filled, action packed, and full of surprises, Doorman's Creek by Lea Schizas will draw you in deeply and not let you go.


Doorman's Creek
Published by: eTreasures Publishing
ISBN: 0-9740537-4-0
U.S. Price: eBook $4.00
U.S. Price: Print $7.99

Meet Author and Editor Lea Schizas

Today I have the distinct pleasure of introducing a talented author, editor, and friend. Lea Schizas wears so many hats that they must take up every inch of her husband’s closet space and then some. I met Lea through the Muse Online Writers Conference--a free, 100% online writers conference she co-founded with award-winning author Carolyn Howard-Johnson. A multi-published author and award-winning editor, Lea is involved in numerous projects--many of which serve to promote the work and hone the craft of her fellow writers. Our focus today will be on her paranormal thriller Doorman’s Creek (eTreasures Publishing), which is available in eBook and print formats.

I still don’t feel like I’ve done you justice, but welcome to The Book Connection, Lea. It’s wonderful to have you here!

There’s no justice to be made. Being here is an honor. Thank you for the opportunity to have some ‘Lea time’.

Let’s get started by finding out more about you. How long have you been writing? What genres are you most interested in? And how do you pronounce your last name? I would hate to think I’ve been saying it in my head wrong all this time.

Okay, let’s take your questions in order: How long have I been writing? The right question to have asked me is ‘How long have you NOT been writing.’ To be totally honest, way back in elementary school I always aced writing competitions, compositions, and anything else connected to reading and writing. So, I won’t tell you how long that has been because then you’ll figure out I’m going to be fifty soon…oops!

I love writing mysteries, dark fiction, and books for children. All three of these genres may or may not include some sort of paranormal hints in the storylines but they would be aimed for the young adult or older crowd.

How is my last name pronounced? SKEES-US the accent placed on SKEES

You’re a wife and mother to five children. How important is the support of your family to your writing career?

Now, you may find my answer a bit harsh but bear with me. I place no importance whether or not my family support my writing career because this is MY passion running through my blood and they may not realize what it means to me. However, it is important to me for them to realize the importance of me wanting to further my writing career. I place more emphasis on having them understand this passion than having them support me because if they understand then the space I need to write in peace is given, whether they’re happy to be quiet for a spell or not. Hope that made sense.

What is your writing process like? Do you write every day? Is there a time of day when you’re more productive than others?

I write EVERY DAY, regardless if it’s only one word, I try to get something down on paper so I feel as though I accomplished something. As for the time of day…any time I get some peace and quiet, which is rare in this household of five kids, friends, phone calls, and a dog needing to go out.

I use a rotational disc method meaning everything I’ve written or writing I place on a separate disc. I take disc one, work on that until my brain is exhausted then I place it at the back of the pile and move on to disc two. This way, I give time for me to rejuvenate my thoughts on any one writing piece by the time I get to it again.

Now we’ll move on to Doorman’s Creek. Can you share with our readers what this novel is about? What was your source of inspiration?

This book is about intuitions and dreams…what happens when two characters begin to experience these two elements and how they join forces to figure them out before a killer strikes again.

My inspiration? An old movie with Faye Dunaway, The Eyes of Laura Mars, where she sees murders happening through the killer’s eyes. In Doorman’s Creek, Kyle Anderson, my teen hero, suddenly acquires this new talent after he discovers a hidden cave…and an unknown entity that pits him smack in a serial killer’s path.

In Chapter One, we meet Kyle Anderson and his parents, Susan and Richard. What can you tell us about them?

Susan and Richard love each other and dote on their only son, but not to the point of spoiling him. They have rules and as a normal teen, Kyle pushes them to the limit.

Susan is a strong-willed and adamant female, always trying to resolve a problem. Richard’s a detective but doesn’t bring his work home.

I have to tell you that you’re making me look real good. I thought no one was a more sarcastic parent than me, but Susan and Richard make me look like June Cleaver. Why did you decide to portray Susan and Richard this way?

No particular reason. I guess that’s the relationship I have with my children, always teasing but strict when it comes to following the house rules. This probably unintentionally went into their background.

Also, I needed to establish a grounding on how much ground Kyle would be able to cover on his own. By having him sneak out in the middle of the night with his friends to visit this cave that has fascinated him, I set the stage of the consequences to come. Without the parents’ rules into play, then Kyle’s sneaking out and venturing on his own wouldn’t have made such an impact.

In this chapter we also meet Kyle’s best friends, Shawn and Bradley. How tight are these guys? Are they going to stick together when the going gets tough?

Ah, well, I can’t really tell you if they’ll stick together or else that will spoil the read. But I can tell you these three guys are really tight.

Shawn is your typical handsome and athletic kid who is all talk, a nice kid who is misunderstood because of his mannerisms. Bradley is a bookworm, the total opposite of Shawn. Then Kyle comes smack in the middle, having characteristics of both of these guys which is why all three get along so great.

This sounds like a fascinating book, Lea. So tell us, where can we get our hands on a copy of Doorman’s Creek?

Doorman’s Creek is published by eTreasures and is available in both ebook and print. The ebook is only 4.00 and the print book is 7.99, very affordable.

To purchase and to read an excerpt, you can link here:

http://www.etreasurespublishing.com/Lea_Schizas/doormans-creek.htm

What’s up next for you? I’m sure you have something else up your sleeve.

You’re right on that one, Cheryl. I have several books in the works right now, all with a bit of the paranormal and mystery attached to them. I also have a few children’s fiction and nonfiction books I am almost finished with.

Also, we launched a new project called Musing Our Children, where several writers have banded together to visit schools and make children aware of the benefits of reading and writing. We’ll be hosting a Reading and Writing Appreciation Week on October 15-19,2007 and invite storytellers, writers, and illustrators to join us. For more info, you can link here:
http://musingourchildren.tripod.com/

Is there anything you would like to add?

Yes, I’d like to take this opportunity and tell the writers who may read this not to give up, no matter what the remarks from family and friends may be, no matter what anyone else who is full of negativity might tell them.

My first year when I started writing I had one writer turn around and tell me, “You sure you want to be a writer? Stick to hairdressing.” His remark only fuelled me to prove him wrong. Unfortunately, there are many writers out there who lack this inner feeling that they have what it takes to be a writer. All I want to tell them is to remember the passion and reason they write. That will fuel them for a long time to come.

Thanks for joining us today, Lea. It’s always great to hear about what you’ve been working on. I wish you much continued success.

Thank you, Cheryl, for the opportunity to talk about my newest release, Doorman’s Creek. Had a great time and can’t wait to be back in the near future.