Interview: Carla Malden, Author of Afterimage

Our special guest today is Carla Malden, author of
Carla Malden grew up in Los Angeles, California. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from U.C.L.A. with a Bachelor of Arts in English and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society for her academic achievement. She worked extensively in the film business, both in production and development.

With her husband, filmmaker Laurence Starkman, she wrote twelve feature screenplays; they also served as rewrite guns-for-hire. The team of Malden & Starkman wrote and produced the short romantic comedy Whit & Charm, which screened at eight major film festivals, including The Hamptons, and won several awards. They also wrote and created a series of Cine Golden Eagle Award-winning Art History films produced in association with The Detroit Institute of Art and The National Gallery.

Along with her father, Academy Award-winning actor Karl Malden, Carla co-authored his critically acclaimed memoir, When Do I Start?, published by Simon and Schuster.

Welcome to The Book Connection, Carla. It's a honor to have you with us. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I live in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles. I have spent most of my professional life working as a screenwriting team with my husband, Laurence Starkman, but since his death four years ago, I have segued into writing prose, which I am finding enormously rewarding. I am crazy proud of my daughter who is currently attending grad school at The American Film Institute. I consider myself beyond lucky that we see each other several times a week and spend most of that time laughing.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Los Angeles, ten minutes down Sunset Boulevard from where I now live. My mother still lives in the house I grew up in.

When did you begin writing?

I can’t really remember not writing. I have a distinct memory of being home from school, sick in bed, and writing little stories to pass the time when I got bored with “I Love Lucy” reruns. I began writing professionally in my twenties. I majored in English in college, but never took a Creative Writing course, though I now teach a Creative Writing workshop at a rehab facility.

What is this book about?

AFTERIMAGE: A Brokenhearted Memoir of a Charmed Life is about my transition to widowhood. It’s about a last year and a first year: the last year of my husband’s life and my entire life up to that point, and the first year after his death and the rest of my life. It is not a primer; it’s a personal story, an account and an accounting. It’s about giving in and riding the wave of grief however it crests. And, at its heart, it’s a love letter.

What inspired you to write it?

It was one of those “I had to get it out” projects. I wanted to describe the journey that his brief illness set us on, but also to bear a sort of witness to my husband’s life – to who he was. It kept me connected to him, though, of course, it was also excruciatingly painful to relive. It took on a life of his own and began to shape itself.

Who is your biggest supporter?

I am so lucky to have so many magnificent supporters: my daughter, my sister, and several spectacular friends who genuinely want to see my succeed.

Who is your favorite author?

I don’t have a favorite author. Recently, I went on a Meg Wolitzer jag and read everything of hers. Tennessee Williams is my favorite playwright – I love him for the poetry of the dialogue and because every single line is heartbreaking.

Do you have an agent or are you looking for one?
I have a literary agent – though we have never met face-to-face. I have been with my screenwriting agent for eighteen years.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

Amazon has already begun shipping. They shipped early! The official release date was May 3, 2011. The book is available in book stores everywhere, as they say, as well as Amazon. It can also be ordered through my website: www.carlamalden.com.

I was dragged kicking and screaming into the website world, but I am very pleased with the finished product. www.carlamalden.com. I don’t blog, however.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

If you feel that there’s something else you can do that gives you as much pleasure, you should do that. If, on the other hand, you have no choice but to write.  If finding the “most juste” or nailing a character with that single detail thrills you like nothing else can, then keep writing.

What is up next for you?

I am just completing my first novel. I have also finished a children’s book that my daughter, Cami Starkman, illustrated. It’s about a little boy and the Beatles – how can you co wrong?

Thanks for spending time with us today, Carla. We wish you continued success.

Interview: Megan van Eyck, Author of Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress

Joining us today is Megan van Eyck, author of Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress: A Love Story. This book has fascinated me since I heard about it, and I am thrilled to have Megan here today to talk about it.

Welcome to The Book Connection, Megan. It's great to have you here. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?


I want to start by saying that I am a very different woman than I was four years ago. Now I am a happily married mother of two children. My family is my life and focus and I am thankful for every blessing each day brings.
But a few years ago I was involved in a five-year-long extramarital love affair with Carlos, a married man. While some affairs are only about sex, others are about love. Our affair started off being about sex, but ultimately love was what kept us together.

Our affair ended when he died of Amyloidosis, a rare blood condition.

And yes, my husband does know of my affair and my book. We both accept the ironic fact that our marriage wouldn’t have lasted, or healed, had it not been for my affair.


When did you begin writing?


I began writing a little more than three years ago. I never had any plans to be a writer. Friends had told me it was something I was good at, but I never felt I had a story to tell. Then Carlos died. I wanted to do something to raise awareness for Amyloidosis, which affects 3,000 people and their families annually.

For me, writing a book seemed the most natural and logical way to honor his memory and our love.

What is this book about?


Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress chronicles my five-year affair with a man I considered to be the love of my life. But more than that, it is my personal story, in which I share the details of a turbulent childhood and what I learned from it: my inability to love myself.

While Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress is the story of an affair, it is also a reflective story about coming to terms with myself and my ideas about love. Lastly, it is a story of reconciliation. It is a story about the love I shared with both my lover and my husband.

What inspired you to write it?



Love inspired me to write my book and my husband’s love is what encouraged me to publish. For me, everything in life is always about love.


Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?


If you visit my website at: http://www.widowedmistress.com/ where you will find two sample chapters and a link to purchase my book through Amazon.com.


What is up next for you?
Actually, my family is preparing for a big adventure: We are moving to The Netherlands. So now my life is busy with Dutch lessons, looking at rental properties, preliminary packing, and stockpiling American items I can’t live without.

Fortunately, technology offers the opportunity to be both a Dutch housewife and an American author.

Needless to say, this is a very exciting time!

Thanks for spending time with us, Megan. We wish you continued success.

Arnie Berger from Widow's Walk by Ken Weene (Giveaway)

We have a very special guest dropping by today, Arnie Berger from Ken Weene's novel, Widow's Walk.

I’m Arnie Berger. I live inside Ken Weene’s new book, Widow’s Walk. Ken asked me to write an essay about being happy. Much as I wanted to, I couldn’t turn him down. I’m not a happy guy. I was once. When Mary was alive, when we were dating, when I thought we’d get married: boy was I happy. It wasn’t just that I was looking down the road and seeing a good life. I was truly happy. It wasn’t just the physical side of our relationship – good as that was; it was the meshing of kindred spirits, of two souls asking the same questions.

I have this card. It was from Mary’s first adult ed class. The teacher had asked for the students to spell out their questions. Mary wrote, “How do you balance the commitments to God, to others, and to yourself?” As if that wasn’t grand enough, then she asked, “How important is love?”

How could I not love a woman who asked questions like that?

Once I had told her I’m better at questions than I am at answers. Well, she was quite the questioner. I’ll keep that card forever just like I’ll keep those memories. To be honest, it’s those memories more than anything else that keep me alive. To be in love, to truly feel that you and another are as one: that is the highest moment, what I call a peak experience.

There are other great moments. I still have a few. Sean and I have stayed close. He and Karen have been great parents. I see so much of Mary in them and in their kids. Robert is a special joy. He’s in college now. We get together and talk about life. He considers me a grandfather, and that’s pretty wonderful. It isn’t like life has lost all meaning. But, I don’t think I’ll ever have another love – not one like I had with Mary.

Then I was alive – alive in the anticipation of the moment and open – so open – to the possibilities. In some ways I was a boat at harbor, snug and safe against my mooring yet yearning to be at sea. Knowing the joy of the moment while eager for the future. Great metaphor! The only glitch is that I get seasick.

I guess there’s a point here. If you’re happy, truly happy, then live in that moment. Enjoy it to the fullest because you can never know how choppy the sea might get. At least then you’ll have the memory of that safe harbor and the joy of that wonderful moment to think back on and to cherish.

Life goes on. I tell my students that. As a college professor I feel I have an obligation to let them know. Life goes on. Be careful to load up on the memories that will be there for the long and often painful run.

I guess that’s why Ken wanted me to write this little note – to remind me to hold fast to those memories, to the moments of our love, to the joy that was Mary. Tonight I’ll cry over those memories, but I will smile through the tears.

For more of Mary and my story read Widow’s Walk, by Kenneth Weene and enjoy the love within.

Giveaway Details:

Author Kenneth's Weene's Widow’s Walk is a story of good people's struggle – sometimes successfully and often not – to deal with the challenges in their lives. The novel reflects how family, friendship, love, faith, and character affect that struggle.

Join author, Kenneth Weene, on his blog book tour September 1-30. Take the time to leave comments along the way and you'll be entered in a drawing with a chance to win two different prizes.

The first giveaway is Kenneth Weene's poetry book which will go to a few different commenters.

The second giveaway is a copy of his book Widow's Walk to one lucky commenter

A New Englander by upbringing and inclination, Ken Weene’s career – primarily in New York – included teaching, pastoral care, and psychology. Throughout his career Ken has also been devoted to writing. His poetry has appeared in a number of publications – both print and web. He authored a number of professional publications. His short stories and essays have also been published. One of his short plays was recently workshopped. An anthology of Ken’s work, Songs For My Father, was published 2002. His novel, Widow’s Walk, has been published in 2009. Ken and his wife, Roz, now live in greater Phoenix where he spends much of his time writing.

He started writing, primarily poetry, in the 1980s. Regarding Widow's Walk, Weene says, "Stepping away from full-time work was the best decision I ever made. Writing this story has given me tremendous personal satisfaction, and it has shown me an avenue for expression I will always treasure."

If you haven't already read Widow's Walk, be sure to pick your copy up at Kenneth Weene’s Author Website - http://widows-walk.webs.com/ or Amazon.com.

You can connect with him on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/kenneth.weene or Twitter - https://twitter.com/Ken_Weene.

For more information about Kenneth Weene and his virtual tour, check the schedule at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/08/widows-walk-blog-tour.html

Book Giveaway: Winner of Sea Changes by Gail Graham

Our congratulations go out to Allison, the winner of an ARC of Sea Changes by Gail Graham.

Synopsis: When Sarah’s husband dies suddenly, she is left with no anchor and no focus. Grief is an ever-present companion and counseling a weekly chore with minimal results, but when Sarah decides to end her life her suicide attempt takes her to an underwater world where she finds comfort and friendship. Afterwards, back on the beach she wonders – Was it a dream? Was I hallucinating? Or am I going mad?

Her efforts to make sense of the experience lead to Sarah’s becoming a suspect in the alleged kidnapping of a young heiress. Now her worlds are colliding – and the people she trusts are backing away, not believing a word she says. She must decide what is real and what is not. Her life depends on it.

Still want to get your hands on a copy of Sea Changes? You can find it at Amazon.com.

Thanks to all who participated in this giveaway. Check back again soon for more great giveaways!

Gail Graham and Sea Changes

Today's guest blogger is Gail Graham, author of the literary novel, Sea Changes.

When Sarah’s husband dies suddenly, she is left with no anchor and no focus.
Grief is an ever-present companion and counseling a weekly chore with minimal results, but when Sarah decides to end her life her suicide attempt takes her to an underwater world where she finds comfort and friendship. Afterwards, back on the beach she wonders – Was it a dream? Was I hallucinating? Or am I going mad?



Her efforts to make sense of the experience lead to Sarah’s becoming a suspect in the alleged kidnapping of a young heiress. Now her worlds are colliding – and the people she trusts are backing away, not believing a word she says. She must decide what is real and what is not. Her life depends on it.

Gail Graham’s previous novel, CROSSFIRE, won the Buxtehude Bulle, a prestigious German literary award. CROSSFIRE has been translated into German, French, Danish, Finnish and Swedish. Three of Gail’s other books were NY Times Book of the Year recommendations. Gail lived in Australia for 32 years, where she owned and operated a community newspaper and published several other books, including A COOL WIND BLOWING (a biography of Mao Zedong) STAYING ALIVE and A LONG SEASON IN HELL. She returned to the United States in 2002, and now lives in Tucson, Arizona.

You can visit Gail online at www.gailgraham.net.

Gail is going to share a bit about the characters you'll find in Sea Changes. Make sure you stick with us to the end because we'll be giving you a chance to win an ARC of Sea Changes.



Sarah Andrews’ life has always revolved around her husband, Charles. Now Charles is dead and Sarah is alone in Australia, a country she doesn’t understand. My life is gone. But I’m still alive. Counseling doesn’t help. Nothing helps. I want to die. I’ll go for a swim, and just keep swimming.

She’s not afraid of death. But this isn’t death. This is impossible. There’s no such thing as a world at the bottom of the sea. I’m sad, I’m grieving, but I’m not crazy. I must have dreamed it, Sarah decides afterwards. Or maybe I had some sort of hallucination.

Even so, something happened. You can’t deny that. Something definitely happened.
The important thing is to act normal. If you act normal you are normal and people leave you alone. Besides, I am normal. I know the difference between reality and illusion. I do. Then how to explain the girl asleep on her couch? The girl exists. But did she really come from a world beneath the sea? Or is she the missing Queensland heiress they’re all making such a fuss about?

Charles always said, Anything is possible.

Maybe Charles was right.

*

Kahn is a middle-aged Australian psychotherapist. He keeps his distance from clients, never answering personal questions. They teach you this, at university. They teach you about the grief process, too. Disbelief, anger, bargaining, acceptance. Psychotherapy is a job, like any other.

Kahn is baffled by Sarah Andrews. Her tears, her sadness, it’s all too much. Of course, she’s a Yank and, you’ve got to take that into account. You’d never see an Australian carrying on like that. Even so, Sarah annoys him, and that’s unprofessional. You can’t let clients get to you.

All her talk about how different Americans are from Australians! Americans are romantic. Americans are inspirational. Americans have a work ethic. Well, so what? What’s so wonderful about a work ethic? In Australia, work is what you do to earn a crust. A job is a job and one job is as good as the next.

He has to let her talk. Allowing clients to speak freely like is part of the technique. And that’s what psychotherapy is, really. A technique, something you learn at university. Something you do to earn a crust.

*

Felicity Andrews is a thirty-something, single Australian journalist. (All right, she’s not technically Australian. She was born in America. But she grew up in Australia and she feels Australian, and that’s what counts. Right?) Of course, Mum wouldn’t agree. But Felicity and her mother Sarah rarely agree about anything. It’s too bad Dad died, but that was two years ago. It’s time for Mum to get over it, that’s what Felicity thinks.

Why can’t Mum just be like other people? (Other Australians, Felicity means) Mum has always been different from all the other mums. It’s irritating. It’s even embarrassing. Felicity sometimes thinks she’d give anything to have a normal mum, like everybody else.

And then there’s the money thing. Instead of investing Dad’s superannuation and growing it so that there’d be something for Felicity to inherit, Mum opted for an annuity that will only last as long as she lives. That totally sucks. I mean, how selfish can you get? So Felicity has to work for a living, and if she hasn’t got much time for Sarah, well whose fault is that?

WIN AN ADVANCED READING COPY OF SEA CHANGES!!!!

Here are the rules for this contest:

1) Comment here with your working email address so that we can contact you if you win.

2) Get an additional entry for blogging about this contest. Leave a comment here telling us where you are blogged about it.

Contest runs from today until on June 14, 2009. The winner will be announced at this blog on June 15, 2009.

This contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada only.

Good luck!

SEA CHANGES VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR JUNE ‘09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Join author Gail Graham as she travels the blogosphere in June 2009 with Pump Up Your Book Promotion Public Relations on her first virtual book tour to discuss her latest literary novel, Sea Changes (Jade Phoenix Publishing).

When Sarah’s husband dies suddenly, she is left with no anchor and no focus.
Grief is an ever-present companion and counseling a weekly chore with minimal results, but when Sarah decides to end her life her suicide attempt takes her to an underwater world where she finds comfort and friendship. Afterwards, back on the beach she wonders – Was it a dream? Was I hallucinating? Or am I going mad?

Her efforts to make sense of the experience lead to Sarah’s becoming a suspect in the alleged kidnapping of a young heiress. Now her worlds are colliding – and the people she trusts are backing away, not believing a word she says. She must decide what is real and what is not. Her life depends on it.

PRAISE FOR SEA CHANGES:

“This lyrical novel conveys incredible emotional depth within a fascinating storyline.” — Today’s Adventure

“An intriguing plot and fantastically detailed descriptions make Sea Changes a great book to read while pondering the possibilities of life.” — Holly Scudero, Sacramento Book Review

“…an avenue of hope and inspiration…” — Good Books in Bad Times

Gail Graham’s previous novel, Crossfire, won the Buxtehude Bulle, a prestigious German literary award. Crossfire has been translated into German, French, Danish, Finnish and Swedish. Three of Gail’s other books were NY Times Book of the Year recommendations. Gail lived in Australia for 32 years, where she owned and operated a community newspaper and published several other books, including A Cool Wind Blowing (a biography of Mao Zedong) Staying Alive and A Long Season in Hell. She returned to the United States in 2002, and now lives in Tucson, Arizona.

You can find Gail online at www.gailgraham.net

If you would like to follow Gail Graham on her virtual book tour, visit the official Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tour site at http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/.

Gail Graham’s virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours, a virtual book tour agency for authors who want quality service for an affordable price. More information can be found on their website at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com.