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.

Author Interview: John Ames, Author of Adventures in Nowhere

Joining us today is John Ames, author of the coming of age novel, Adventures in Nowhere. John has a master’s degree in English from the University of Florida, where he was a Ford Fellow. He has produced and acted in numerous short films and videos, including the cable TV series the “Tub Interviews,” wherein all the interviewees were required to be in a bathtub. For ten years he reviewed movies for PBS radio station WUFT.  He has appeared as a standup comedian and has designed and marketed Florida-themed lamps.  Adventures in Nowhere is his latest release.

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



I was raised in Tampa under difficult circumstances and felt greatly relieved when I went away to college, entering the University of Florida to train as an actor. A season of summer stock convinced me that a lot of theater people are crazy, so I changed my major to English, eventually graduating with a master’s degree. Shortly thereafter, I built a rustic house and lived for several years on the edge of a spiritual community located near Gainesville, Florida. My search for enlightenment ended when I decided that I was too far from a movie theater. I moved back to civilization and taught English and film for thirty years at Santa Fe College in Gainesville. Along the way, I produced and acted in numerous short films and videos, including the cable TV series the “Tub Interviews,” wherein all the interviewees were required to be in a bathtub. I appeared as a standup comedian in several venues. I also designed a line of Florida-themed lamps which were sold in galleries in Gainesville and St. Augustine, Florida. For ten years I reviewed movies for PBS radio station WUFT. I also coauthored Second Serve: The Renée Richards Story (Stein and Day, 1983) and its sequel No Way Renée: The Second Half of My Notorious Life (Simon & Schuster, 2007), and Speaking of Florida (University Presses of Florida, 1993).


When did you begin writing?


As soon as the sisters at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Tampa suggested that I was good at it. In the second grade, the teacher asked each of the students to write something about where he or she lived, all of which would be included in a little mimeographed one-issue paper. I dreaded this because I was ashamed of the house I lived in and of the family pressures I was under. But I took a breath and wrote about living in a house with a forest beyond the backyard and about the creek running through the forest leading to the Hillsborough River. I added a few details about my dog, and to my amazement, the teacher liked it well enough to choose my story as one of the few to be illustrated, in my case, some stick trees. After the paper was passed out, some of my fellow students expressed envy at my situation. I couldn’t imagine anyone envying me, but I realized that writing about a situation could place things in a new light. I am still doing it.


Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?


For me, anything important has to be written in the morning. That’s when I have my greatest energy. I usually start about 9 AM and go on for up to four hours before I need to rest. I think the morning thing is fairly common among writers. In the afternoon, a lot of them drink, but I do home improvement projects.

What is this book about?


Adventures in Nowhere is about a thoughtful ten-year-old boy who is who is facing tough problems. Danny Ryan’s father is dangerous and overpowering, probably bipolar, one sister is seriously ill, the other is on the verge of an emotional meltdown, and his mother is too overwhelmed to be of help. The Ryan family is stuffed into three-room house where they can’t get away from one another. Ironically, the house is located in a beautiful spot that would be an ideal playground if his home life was not so pressure-filled. During the course of the novel, Danny meets a series of eccentric characters who draw him into an adventure that leads Danny to an odd triumph. Though he sometimes doubts his sanity along the way, Danny eventually comes to realize that the ugliness in life is balanced by great beauty.


What inspired you to write it?


My upbringing formed the basis for Adventures in Nowhere. I experienced a troubled home life, just like Danny, and like him I lived in a beautiful area of woods and creeks. Only a few blocks from my house was the Hillsborough


Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?


Amazon, for one. It is always a kick for me to visit the Amazon Adventures in Nowhere page, which contains some nice reviews from people who have bought the book. It is also available at Books-a-Million, Borders, Indiebound, and Powell’s. It can also be gotten through local independent bookstores.


Do you have a website and/or blog where readers can find out more?


My website is johnamesauthor.com , which I put together using an unusual approach. In addition to the conventional items like my biography and an excerpt from the book, the site gives a lot of information about the setting of the novel, the Hillsborough River and the community of Sulphur Springs, both of which are crucial to the plot and interesting in their own right. When I knew the river and the springs in the 1950s, the river was undeveloped past a certain point and Sulphur Springs was still interesting though definitely on a downward spiral. Most of the town was bulldozed in the early 1980s to make room for a dog track parking lot. The big spring that fed the swimming area is now polluted from storm water runoff and is unfit for bathing. I wanted to chronicle the place as I knew it before it is lost to living memory. My site helps readers understand what the novel is about by exploring the real Nowhere. Visitors to johnamesauthor.com will find pictures of the river and of Sulphur Springs, starting in the early 1900s and going right through to the present, though the emphasis is on images from Danny’s era. There’s even a video of a SCUBA dive into the big spring in Sulphur Springs.


What is up next for you?


Taking a deep breath. I suppose I will start another novel once the flurry of activity surrounding the publication of Adventures in Nowhere is over.

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

Book Spotlight: Dark Patches by Azuka Thomson

Meet Ndidi, the high school teacher and adoring wife. Blissfully married for seven years, a single question brings her world crashing down.

Grant, Ndidi’s loving husband, is his mother’s only child. Unable to stand up to his relatives, he devises a plan to keep his family together.
Omorose, Grant’s mother, is determined to leave no stones unturned in her quest for more grandchildren, even if it means spiritual intervention.

Josephine is no ordinary second wife. Selfish, manipulative and troublesome, she does not intend to share Grant with Ndidi, so she starts an evil campaign with horrifying consequences.

As each of them make sacrifices for the sake of a common goal, ruthless bids for power unleash sinister forces of catastrophic proportions….


Read an excerpt!

“Ndidi, please come and sit down with us,” said Uncle Agadagba. “We have a message for you from the village.”


Surprised, Ndidi walked back to the sitting room and took one of the vacant seats available. As she did so, she realised that the visitors were occupying the couch while her husband was sitting on the single chair next to Uncle Agadagba.

Consequently, she was forced to sit across from them. For a moment it nearly seemed as if they were purposely aligning themselves against her. But Grant would never join anyone against her, she reasoned. So Ndidi tried to smile at them but they were all watching her solemnly, except Grant who was contemplating the carpet. Her smile dimmed as she sensed trouble. They did not keep her waiting.

As the oldest in the group, Pa Ewuru cleared his throat and began.

“Ndidi, we all know that your husband loves you very much and when he married you, we accepted you into the family with open arms. We also know that you are a loving and loyal wife to your husband and that is why we understand his attempt to ignore our traditions and culture.

“Our forefathers told us that any man who gets all his children from the same woman is regarded as the father of only one child. In the days when everyone respected tradition, every Bini man married many wives so he could have many children. These days, some educated people see nothing wrong in a man getting all his children from the same woman. Most of them blame this attitude on lack of money and usually, our elders try not to interfere in the matter.

“Your case, Ndidi, is however an exception. As you know, Osahon is the only surviving son of his father and you have been married to him for more than seven years. In all that time, you have given birth to only one daughter who is nearly five years old. We do not blame you for this situation but the elders cannot sit idly by and watch Osahon waste his energies. He is almost forty years old and time is not on his side. He needs to father more sons and daughters.
“The elders have therefore sent us to seek your cooperation in getting a second wife for Osahon. The decision on how to proceed in this matter is in your hands and we want to hear from you.”

Every word spoken by Pa Ewuru stuck like a sharp knife in Ndidi’s heart. By the end of the speech she was in so much physical pain that she glanced at her chest expecting to see blood. Surprised at the absence of blood, she looked up at her attackers. The three men were staring at the floor. Only her mother-in-law continued to watch her. Ndidi did not say anything because she could not say what she really felt. She felt insulted and wronged and would have liked to ask them to leave her house. But this was Nigeria and she was dealing with her “Bini” in-laws. Only her husband could defend her.
So why is he staring at the carpet and saying nothing? She wondered as she continued to look at him.

Grant’s mother was very pleased with the way her plan was working out. She glanced at her son and noted with satisfaction that he was obeying the elders’ instructions not to interfere. It was time for the little “Erue ahusa ”(bed bug) to know that she did not own Grant. Ndidi had to know her place and a second wife was just the thing. Moreover, Omorose really did need more grandchildren. Grant was her only child and she had so looked forward to having many grandchildren. She was not about to allow Grant’s love for this foolish girl to destroy her dream. No sir, she would see to that.

She looked back at Ndidi and saw her still staring stupidly at Grant.

“Ndidi,” she chided, “we are not asking Grant to throw you out. We are only asking him to take a second wife who will bear him more children. So stop staring at him and give us an answer.”

When Grant still did not come to her defence, Ndidi knew that the battle was already lost. She tried anyway.

“Uncle, I thank you and the elders for your concern over our welfare.” She began in a low and quavering voice. “Grant and I have only this one child because we planned it so. We are spacing our children to enable us to give them our full attention. We shall have more children when the time is right. Moreover, at twenty-seven, I am still very young and there is nothing wrong with me. I fully expect to bear more children for my husband and therefore see no reason for this . . .”

“Ndidi,” cut in her mother-in-law, “you can expect all you like but your expectations are not in discussion here. The issue is that your husband needs another wife to bear him children. Even if you are able to have more children in future, it will only increase the number. We are sure that my son can take good care of you all.”

At this point, Ndidi appealed directly to Grant. “Husband,” she asked softly, “what do you say?”

Read the reviews!

"Dark Patches is highly emotional and informative. It tells the story of a Nigerian couple, Ndidi and Grant, who have only one daughter. Grant’s family forces a second wife into their matrimonial home on the grounds that tradition supports polygamy in order for a man to have many children.



As to be expected in this obnoxious set-up, jealousy, greed, and lust for power lead to all sorts of witchcraft with calamitous results.


This vivid and highly emotional story may be fiction, but it is highly believable. It also teaches us, especially the 'Grants', a lesson in self-determination.


I could not put it down until I finished it. Two thumbs up!!"

--Otiti Jasmine Ovue whorie – reader

"Hmm!!! A book, 244 pages, that screams 'don’t put me down when you want to sleep.' Beautiful."

Gregory I. Om’Iniabohs – reader

"This book is a great read. Showing both a modern and dark side of Africa, Azuka wonderfully tells a tale of a husband and wife caught in a horrible dilemma and how their different backgrounds and traditions try to pull them apart. This book also shows the strange link that black magic and Christianity still have in parts of the Nigerian culture. Great storytelling. Can’t wait for her second novel!"

English Teacher

Purchase from these Amazon sites:

http://www.amazon.de/Dark-Patches-Azuka-Thomson/dp/3837207633/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books-intl-de&qid=1297197255&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Patches-Azuka-Thomson/dp/3837207633/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297197345&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Patches-Azuka-Thomson/dp/3837207633/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297197458&sr=8-1

Azuka Thomson graduated from the University of Benin in Nigeria with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and later obtained a master’s degree from the University of Lagos. She worked as a consulting engineer for many years in Nigeria before relocating to Germany.



She has three daughters and lives with her husband in Leverkusen


Dark Patches is her first novel.
You can visit Azuka Thomson at:


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Azuka-Thomson-Dark-Patches/116641701734714

Pump Up Your Book! Announces April ‘11 Authors on Virtual Book Tours

Join a talented and diverse group of 27 authors who are touring with Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Tours during the month of April 2011.

Follow these authors as they travel the blogosphere from April 4th through April 29th to discuss their books. You’ll find everything from historical novels to thrillers, from children’s books to YA novels, and from travel journals to motivational books, and more!

Several authors are continuing their March tours into April. John Ames, Barbara Barnett, Laurel Dewey, Megan van Eyck, Emily Sue Harvey, Sheila Hendrix, Tom McLaughlin, Elle Newark, Emma K. Piers, Hayley Rose, Kath Russell, and Laina Turner-Molaski return with their books in a variety of genres.

Christopher Hoare returns to Pump Up with his new release, the high fantasy novel, “Rast”. Josi Kirkpatrick and Judi Moreo are returning for their fifth tours to respectively promote “Blackberry Crumble” and “Life Choices” Pursuing Your Passion.” Suspense thriller author, James LePore is promoting two books this month: “A World I Never Made” and “Blood of My Brother.”

Also on tour in April are Ethan Cross, Ron Fritsch, Susan Kronick, and Hans Lindor. Sean McCartney promotes his MG/YA novel, “The Treasure Hunters Club: Secrets of the Magical Medallions,” while Bill Myers talks about his supernatural/suspense/Christian novel, “The Face of God.”

Nancy Stewart will be discussing “One Pelican at a Time,” a current Amazon Hot New Release in the children’s books category. This is the first US children's book to address the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of April 20, 2010. Also on tour are Azuka Thomson, Nell Walton, Terri Wolffe, and Tim Vandehay & Annie Greer.

Visit Pump Up Your Book! on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_nak_9bPAQ to view a video trailer introducing our authors on tour in April.

Pump Up Your Book is a virtual book tour agency for authors who want quality service at an affordable price. More information can be found on their website at http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/.


Contact Information:

Dorothy Thompson
Founder of Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Tours
P.O. Box 643
Chincoteague, Virginia 23336
Email: thewriterslife@yahoo.com