Gina's Interview Series: Famous People From Around the World

Tawny O'Hara

04/14/2012 11:51:00

Welcome Tawny!

From New Mexico, USA, Tawny is the author of the wonderful book 'Angels Come with Fur'. A story about Gandalf the wonder Great Dane. A must read for every animal lover; recommended reading! A fascinating author, Tawny is a musician, equestrian, animal advocate, mother and fabulous writer who will tickle your funny bone and steal your heart......

Where are you in the world?

Well my mind and my heart usually ramble around the country sides of Ireland, but in reality I live on the backside of New, Mexico. I’m about 25 miles SE of the closest town, Deming, NM, but closer to a wide spot in the road called Akela Flats. I have a section of vacant land in front of me, maybe more, can’t see anything on to the Florida (pronounced Floor-ree-da) mountains which are almost 10 miles away at the closest point. The land is full of sage, mesquite and every kind of mulley grass you can think of. There are spatterings of tall yucca trees and a few cacti within my view. We have lovely bushes of crown of thorns that can go right through a steel belted tire. The ground is covered in different varieties of Jasper and white melted rocks that were the result of a small volcano around here long ago. Love those little bubbly rocks and pick them up every time I find them. They say you can find Amethysts here too but haven’t been able to. I’m one of those people who could stand up to my knees in arrow heads and never find a one. When I’m out walking and talking with Domino, my big Apache Rez wild horse, we imagine those days when Geronimo and his ancestors lived here without the white man to bother them; hunting and living free. I feel bad they took that wonderful heritage away from all of us. My people didn’t take from the Indians so I don’t take blame. Mine were being moved from their homeland at the time, also. Guess that’s my bond with the Native Americans, doubt they would feel the same, but in my dreams we are all friends.

You were in a rock band. Tell me about the band and your music...

I grew up playing Classical piano and then Hullabaloo came on TV and my Mother decided I should be a rock n roll star. She sold my piano to my cousin and I came home one day to face no piano, which I lived on, and a guitar setting there instead. It was a Gibson Classical and I hated it. I wouldn’t touch it for days and when Mom finally convinced me to try it I had no idea what to do with it. I bought a book of “The Beatles” songs and they had pictures of chords and thus my career was started. I wowed my close friends with my renditions of songs and three chords. One day my friend took me out to her back yard and sitting across the yard she yelled at me to sing louder as she couldn’t hear me. When I got loud enough for her to hear she went inside the house and yelled “Louder I can’t hear you”. I was screaming out the song by that time. I learned a lot from that and then I learned how to project. This helped a lot with raising my two kids because there was no way they could say they couldn’t hear me at any time.

My Mother was working as a waitress in a fancy restaurant in Riodoso Downs, NM, and I was her bus girl. I was 17 at the time and very shy. By that time I had begun singing folk songs and was madly in love with Bob Dylan. Those songs fit me as I grew up with old songs my Grandfather use to sing to me, from Ireland and some he had picked up in his move across the States. At one time I knew all 90+ verses to “House of the Rising Sun”. When the Animals, an Irish folk rock band, came out with about 5 verses of that song it became a hit. A hit that I knew and most lounge bands knew also. My Mom talked the guys in the band into letting me sing with them one night. My legs were about to shake off my body and I started so quiet people were yelling at me to be louder. When I closed my eyes and let loose they went wild for me so I was a regular sit in with the band on that one song. I never lost the stage fright. But if I stared at the lights or closed my eyes I could block out the crowd.

Later, much later and a marriage and baby later, I moved to Denver and there is where it all seemed to start. I was 19, my husband was in Germany during the Viet Nam war, and I had to raise my baby alone. I got a job at a corner bar singing. I was probably awful but I had some influential fans. One was a local singer in Denver and she took me under her wing and taught me how to be an entertainer on stage. She even helped with the stage fright by showing me I was above the crowd not in the crowd. I wasn’t there. She even helped me make some demo tapes to give to agents around Denver. One agent was a really good guy who told me that with my big voice I should have a bigger sound. He told me to get a band. That was several years down the road and several guitars later. When Ovation first came out with their guitars they were practically giving them away to entertainers to use on stage. That was my first 12 string and I’ve never played anything else but a 12 since. I made a small name for myself in lounges around Denver and one entertainment reporter really liked me and kept my crowds coming in and following me around Colorado.

When my husband came back I moved back to Albuquerque and worked at getting jobs around there. I finally decided to build a band and we called ourselves, “Make Believe.” The band grew to about 5 members at one time and back to 3 and up and down. No one but me was expendable and drugs or being stoned on stage was a way to get kicked out of the band. I didn’t give but one warning. We were asked to open for several big bands back in the 70s and we did a pretty good job of it. I found I could sing in front of thousands of people with no problem, but make me give a speech in front of 30 and there went my shaky legs again. Then I met a couple of brothers who were very famous in New Mexico by the name of the Wickham brothers or Hank and Louie Wickham. Louie was my mentor and would book me somewhere and forget to tell me. I guess I would have second sense but always managed to call him before I was late for a booking or I would read it in the paper. He got me in contact with quite a few people who were great in the money making department and he never allowed me to ask too little.

I had a bad motorcycle accident that ripped my face off and that ended my time with the Wickham brothers but not my career. I hooked up with a partner named Ron Bosserman and we were two peas in a pod. We came from the same part of the country and our styles were almost identical. He was looking for a partner and I was looking for a job after I healed and we practiced three hours before we first went on stage together and were together three years. We had a blast and packed the small lounge and bar areas so tight that there were nights we had to sing 15 mins on with 45 min breaks to get a turn around so those outside could come in. My 15 mins of fame. LOL Ron was Waylon Jennings' ex-bass man and it wasn’t unusual for Waylon or some of his band to stop by off and on. The night I met Doug Kershaw was the highlight of my entire career. I was singing along and looked up and there he was in the back of the club in a velvet suit. I couldn’t get a sound to come out. Thank God for my partner who took over and deserved the credit for getting Mr Kershaw there.

In between Hank and Louie and the accident I had gotten a divorce and then a year later I remarried and stopped singing, sold the bands I was managing and tried to settle down. Three years after that I was divorced again having remarried the same guy and realizing, Nope I was right the first time. He took all my money, house and cars and I took the kids. I got the good end of the deal, did miss the money some though. I went back to the lounge scene singing. I could make a lot of sound come out of that 12 string so I did all right by myself then something awful happened. Disco. I had to go on the road and after a year of home a few days and then back again, I quit and went to college. The entrance back into the world of humans and out of the world of entertainment has always held its share of what ifs and should haves and could haves. I have never made the same amount of money I did in the 70s nor have I ever had as much fun at a job as in those days of pretend. Not that it was easy. I would work until two in the morning, take about 2 hours to wind down sleep until 8am get up and take care of my one then 2 babies and practice, until school was out for my son or all day on my three days off. I had a woman who was a great fan of mine and was in the audience every night where ever I was working. One day, one of my days off, she had found out where I lived and came to my door. I opened it in rollers, wearing an old t-shirt, cut off jeans and had pea baby food all down the front of my shirt from where my baby Kasey had just spit them. This woman’s eyes got wide and she asked me if I knew Tawny Herrera. I told her that was me. She screamed and ran away. I never saw her again in the audience after that encounter. That side of what she mistakenly thought to be a glamorous life was too much for her. I still think of that and laugh and wonder about those who wanted my autograph those years ago. Wonder if they still have those worthless pieces of paper. Those music years were some that opened doors to meet people I would never have been able to meet as a human. I sat and talked to famous people, shared glasses of wine and opinions with them. Sat and ate a steak dinner with Dan Blocker in Cody, Wyoming. (Well, I had a steak dinner he had two.) I got to meet them on a one to one way, not as a fan but a comrade. I never asked for autographs. And there are many I wish I had asked for. Doug Kershaw’s for one. Damn.

Dogs. How many? What breed? Why great danes?

I’ve always had a dog. Dogs have always been my confidants my best friends and someone to love me when I felt alone. All kids should have an animal to love and confide in. I’ve seen my dogs of my childhood brutally killed in front of me by adults who didn’t feel animals had any value but to do their bidding. I have never felt an animal my property or owned by me. We live together; we love and respect each other. I join their pack as the Alpha and they accept that. (Actually they have to because I also have a duty to feed and shelter them and get clean sheets on the bed for them. I think they appreciate how I perform my duties.) I have always wanted a Great Dane. I longed for a Great Dane and one day I got one. A puppy we named Gandalf from the Hobbit books. (That was back when you actually read great books and I read those books to the kids.) He lived up to his name and was my baby boy until he died 11 years later. He wasn’t a “dawg” he was a member of the family. He and Kasey would argue and come running to tell on each other. When he grew up he would argue with his big brother James. They had a fight once where James thought it funny to tell him he wasn’t really my son. Gandalf whined all night and would only go to sleep if I rocked the water bed. I would slowly drift off to sleep only to be awakened by a crying dog again and have to start rocking the bed again. That was a long night. Needless to say their relationship was never the same. James moved out and when he came to visit Gandalf made him sit on the floor claiming the sofa or chair he might sit in. When he died my heart was broken and I didn’t think I’d ever be the same. It was almost like losing a child.

I got a call from the pound from a girl who had known Gandalf. She told me there was a female Dane there that might die if someone didn’t come who could help her. I went in and saw a skeleton with black skin. I took her not knowing if my other dog would accept her as my other bitch was living up to her name of Taoiseach. (Tee shuck) which is Prime Minister in the Irish language. There was no problem. I named her Dubh (Dove) which means black in Irish but she was always a love and lived up to both the meaning and the pronunciation of her name. I had her for 8 years and she finally just laid down and went to sleep. She died as elegantly as she lived. She was and angelic queen. In 2002 I was perusing the petfinders web site and saw Gandalf staring back at me. When I checked his birthday was the same as Gandalf’s also. I drove from Cottonwood, AZ to Phoenix to meet him. When I walked in we fell in love. I felt a total healing of my heart. I couldn’t take him then but when I went back to get him he wouldn’t move from the door. He was bound and determined to leave with me that time, and he did. After that I adopted Grainne Na Mhail, (Grawn-Ya EE Wy-ya) or Grace O’Malley. She was named after a famous Female Irish Pirate who was another heroin of mine from childhood. Grainne was a hoot, my tattle tail and always “Jojo did it.” Jojo was a purchase my sister made and when she tried to take him back the man admitted that his prize Queensland bitch had gotten with a coyote and he didn’t want him. So I took him coyote and all. We call them coy-dogs out here. Then Grainne’s heart burst when she was three years old and so did mine on that awful rainy April night. I got another call about a little girl named Panda Bear, because of her markings, who was in need of a home or had to be euthanized. We made payment arrangements and I drove from where I now am back to Phoenix and picked her up. We spent a lot of time at the vets because of injuries and had to remove a toe that had been broken and gotten infected. But she is now my big baby girl. Oscar and Panda are the only Danes I have now and have passed the gauntlet of adopting Great Danes to my daughter who has two beautiful boys now and I suspect will continue where I leave off. She is so much better at it than I am. I just let them be dogs, but Kasey teachings them manners and teaches other people through her beautiful boys. Kasey stands 5’2” and handles two 100+ pounds of dogs with no problem. I’m proud my kids learned to love and respect animals as much as I do. ( Her dogs are whooshy city kids though where mine are country kids.)

Last but not least is Bodiccia (Celtic Queen). I just call her Bodie and she listens when she’s ready to. I was driving into town and saw a car stop and throw something out of the car. When I got closer I saw a little black pup sitting staring at the leaving car, from the middle of the road. I stopped and picked her up. I tried to catch the guy but he drove faster than I could do without a ticket. I found they had tightened her collar so tight it was choking her and after brushing her for several days about an hour per day and two trash bags of hair later, she was skinny. Now she is a happy shiny black lab who loves her Panda, adores big ol Oscar and puts Jojo in his place even when he doesn’t need to be. I think it took month or so of driving into town before she quit going to the floorboard of the truck every time we passed the place she was thrown out. I don’t know if she was hiding in case the person wanted her back or it horrified her thinking I was going to do the same. Nope. Every animal I take into my home stays in my home. I don’t throw lives away.

Goats. How many? What breed? Are they ornery?

I have one goat, Fion McCool. He’s a mix of goats but his daddy was a Boar Goat. Onery? That all depends on whom you ask. I think he’s my boy and perfect. That is not the consensus of the rest of the humans around here. But I don’t care and when he’s out and playing you must be prepared to explain in goat what your purpose here is and no way you are getting next to MOM.

I was at a friend of mine who raises goats for meat and milk. Fion’s mother had three kids and she rejected him. There is no known human reason why, only she knew, as he looked just like the other two, but he was smaller. He came running up to me crying. I’d say bleating but it was one long WAAAAAAA. I first thought it was a tiny poodle and knelt down to pet it and he jumped into my arms still crying and kissing me. I had to take him. That was a good decision as he was to be killed the next day. My friend didn’t want to kill him and was happy to give him to me. I took him home and raised him in the house with potty trips after the bottle, outside with the dogs. Panda adored him as she does all babies and he would curl up with her on the sofa either beside her or on top of her. He knew his bottle times and how many. It was cute to hear the little tap tap of hoofs along with the paw thumps. Fion got a bottle and the rest got nummy nums. He was born in January and way too cold to put outside alone so he slept in bed with me until he got bigger then went to a crate at night and outside with Jojo or some dog during the day. He could still come in sometimes during the day until he went on hay and off the bottle. Then he started making messes in the house and his first full night outside behind a locked gate on the deck and in his crate was traumatic for me and him. I was up all night checking my baby to make sure he was alright.

I have pictures of him as a baby where all you can see are his back legs and little butt with the rest of him under the tarp where the hay was kept up on planks out of his reach, we thought. There is no door on any shed he cannot open if there be hay or sweet feed on the other side. There is nothing he won’t have to inspect and drawer he won’t pull out. No bucket or bin is left unturned in his ever unrelenting search for FOOD. Fion now stands about 36 inches at the shoulder lives in a log cabin near his pals corral. I love to see him and Domino, my horse, walking side by side out to the pasture, like they are discussing something important. He is a picky boy and things people say goats eat, he won’t. He does love paper though and has been known to eat a bill or two. That I forgive and have no problem telling them it wasn’t paid because my goat ate the bill. When he was a baby he did tricks and still loves to stand on a step stand for applause and accolades of praise for his wonderful feats of daring. He will jump off with a twist and turn and come over to me to be loved on. On walks with the dogs he chases rabbits for a ways with them until he sees something good to munch. I forgive him for everything because there has been nothing more important than he is. Even to the tap marks on the pickup hood. They buff out and if they don’t well that’s what a pickup is for, not for pretty but for work. I put plenty of scratches on it running through the mesquite so his little tap marks are nothing. However not everyone feels that way. There is a religious group that quit coming around when Fion jumped up on their new pickup and did a few jigs for them.

Horses. How many? What breed? Do you give them carrots and apples?

Welph, I have two. Not that I ever even meant to have one but God had different ideas for me and I now have two. One, Liffey an AQHA registered quarter horse may have a forever home soon and Domino my mutt horse will once again be an only child again. (Do I hear a WHOO HOO from the corral?).

My first is Domino. He will not leave me until either I die or he dies or we both go together. He is my baby. Domino is a mix breed and I think he has draft in him as he is tall and stocky legged with feathers and gentle as a lamb… to me. Anyone else must die or be told they might. He was an Apache Reservation wild horse sold at auction to local cowboys with brutal ideas about breaking a horse. They took the word breaking to mean just that. He was beaten, whippend, tied with a log chain for days to a tractor tire to keep his head down, hobbled then saddled and spured to buck and when he fell they would beat him with 2x4 pieces of wood. He didn’t break. A woman who knew less about horses than I do, rescued him but carted him from stable to boarding stable until the bill came due and she would get a Sherriff deputy to go with her and she would claim abuse. It wasn’t hard to do as no one dared get near him. His mane was matted to the point of appearing he was hiding baseballs in there. His tail wasn’t any different. When I met him he was at my friends who were boarding him for the woman. She pulled the same thing but being out of boarding facilities, she took him down the road to another friend who has a donkey rescue. My friends got together and the woman thinking she would come back and get Domino was surprised when she came back and he was gone. They decided that Domino and I were perfect for each other and a series of events happened and he is mine, all mine, and I am his all his and I’m the only one he allows to get near him. I get over under and everywhere on him, but yet to ride him. It’s been three years and when I first faced him in the corral I thought, “What the hell am I doing with a wild angry horse?” Now I know that it’s because I needed this new love in my life. He heals me when I go out to hug him the stress and pain just fades for a little while. When he puts his chin down on my back I know he is hugging back. His power is soothing to me.

Liffey was first a phone call early in the morning. Someone had called my rescue friend wanting her to take their horse. She said she didn’t have room for it but would go look at her. She said, “Tawny you have to take her; you said you wanted a friend for Domi.” I turned her down twice but the third time I called her and said OK. When we got to their place I saw a beautiful young horse, standing amid piles of scrap metal. She too was matted and the water trough was not only dry but had dry tumble weeds in it. They gladly told us that since they didn’t have any money to feed her they didn’t water her either. I wanted to punch the woman but I wanted Liffey out of there. Her registered name, I found out when they were giving me a bill of sale, is Go Jet Cash Deck. They called her Nifty. What a terrible name for an unwanted neglected horse. She had been standing in that mess for 9 years. When we opened the door of the trailer she stood in amazement then ran, fell, got up and ran. All day she did this with Domino at her side. The next day she walked all over the 40 acres with Domino still at her side. She had no muscles and for the first week falling was common.

The evenings were spent with Domino laying down in exhaustion over in his special area and she would lie down under the shelter while I rubbed her legs down with liniment and giving her butte for the pain. I started taking Domino for walks and let her run alongside us. Her awe of the vast world was evident in a video I took of her. She is now healthy, hooves trimmed and rubbing legs too dangerous. She is WOMAN now and don’t take no crap from no one no mo. My little girl has grown up so fast. Now she has to go to trainer. Because not only am I not a trainer, I don’t want to be a trainer. I don’t want to ruin this empty slate with any blunders.

As a published author, you are a great writer. What is your book about?

Hmmm. That would be Mark Twain as an author. I like, no I loved Mark Twain most when he wrote about what he was doing or himself in general. However I was entranced for a whole weekend with his voyage in time in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. I can’t say how many times I have read that story. My favorite was how he opened his biography with the line, “…I was born at a very young age…” He saw the humor in his tragic times and in times others thought to be tragic. He didn’t go with the accepted flow of literature but went with what he knew. He spoke as he knew best to speak and thus making his stories easier for me to live in with him. His country, down home style of writing is how I write as I don’t always use the best grammar when I write nor when I speak. I’ve had some criticism about how I write but I find it’s more from my American critics than my friends in Europe and Ireland. The comments I get from my Irish and English friends are far from negative on how I express myself but asking me to write in that style more often. Of course I will because that is the only style I write in. I’m not a posh person, as many will attest seeing me tool around town in boots covered in manure and mud with some hay on them and my old straw hat and sometimes, more often than not, holey jeans (It ain’t because they were blessed either). My truck has enough mud on it so you know about where I live, and I dress in layers and not necessarily coordinating layers. There is no way I can tell you a story through these old eyes and pretend to be a wealthy land owner with a string of well papered horses and correctly bred animals. To do so would come out pretentious and more than likely wrong and unbelievable. I have to let you see what I see through the only eyes that can understand me. This is what Samuel Clemens did. He wrote about the river that he loved and those that lived on it. I believe in his time, Mark Twain was more admired by Europeans than in Americans, so maybe I can be in good company.

Do you have suggestions for new writers?

Well I believed I rambled on in the last question and gave that answer. I can only really tell you what I like to read. There are a lot of books people rave about that I have trouble getting to the second chapter without yelling. Steven King has that ability to scare you to death just by reading and seeing what he is seeing. I had a boss once that told me to take notes on a project like I’m a camera. He told me to see it all and make it easy to understand and informative enough so that if I died tomorrow someone could take over the project and know what was going on. Gruesome I guess but that’s the way a book should read. It should make you develop a movie in your head that flows on with every period and well placed comma without a commercial.

Follow Tawny...

http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Come-Fur-Tawny-OHara/dp/1606725378/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324353939&sr=1-1&fb_source=message

Morten Jorgensen

04/07/2012 08:37:00

Morten Jorgensen is an acclaimed Norwegian author who currently is writing his first novel in English.

A master of words, Morten is the author of "Sennepslegionen" ("The Mustard Legion"), "Kongen av København"("King of Copenhagen"), "Kalle Solflue og insekttyvene" ("Charlie Hoverfly and the Insect Thieves", children's book), "Bank" (thriller, German edition: "Rache auf Raten"), etc.

Novelist, poet, musician, photographer, punk rock veteran, etc., Morten made his debut as an author in 1984 with Shadow letter Bungalow 33 . He has published 5 books, written lyrics and reinterpreted texts for radio and stage, translated plays for, among other things, the National Theatre, written numerous book reviews and articles.

I had the great opportunity to catch up with Morten on his return from his recent research trip to London and Beijing, China, for his forth-coming, two-volume, novel "Brent".......

Where are you from?

I was born in Trondheim, Norway’s 3rd largest city, population 176,000 (2012). When I was 13, my family moved to Oslo, the capital of Norway.

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I started reading at 5, and it became a teenage dream. The conscious decision to become an author I took after my first book was published in 1984.

What do you currently have in the works?

“Brent”, a rather massive two-volume novel from the immediate future, scheduled for publication in 2014. A crossbreed between a space opera and a road movie, with Goethe’s “Faust” as backdrop. It is not science fiction in the traditional sense. No aliens, no laser swords. I chose the future because it gives me an indefinite and open canvas, and a large one at that.

Where do you like to write?

At home. I travel for research, but I write at home. All my books have been written at home. Mostly at night.

What is your inspiration for your novels and poetry?

The word “inspiration” has always felt somewhat irrelevant to me. I am very systematic in my authorship. I planned my authorship in 1984 and adjusted its course, in 1988 and 1995. “Brent” is the final book on my temporary agenda. When “Brent” is out, I will decide what to write next. Maybe all the way to Tombstone. Unless you count “women” as inspiration, that is. Authors are not all that different from rock musicians. Most of us start out with a romantic teenage perspective on writing, hoping for some kind of glory. I have been fortunate enough to grow out of it. But it is a statistical fact that I still work exceptionally well under the influence of women. I’m a sucker for female compliment. However, I never let it influence my work, only my drive. I think authors should be more honest about themselves. Not go all “Syria” and boast a lot of pompous drivel all the time when they talk about “inspiration”.

Besides, if you have problems being “inspired” to write, you are probably not very skilled as a writer. A pen and a napkin is all an author needs. A finger. Sand.

My only inspirations are language as such, the beauty of it, and my own technical ambition: The strive towards the smooth and the unique. In that sense, mostly dead, but also some living great authors, are inspiring. But I prefer the word “influence”, as I have no control over which authors who make an impression on me. Reading books by skilled colleagues is a learning process to me.

Do you use real life events; your own personal experiences?

I use everything. I’m a total magpie. I can use personal experience, real life events, whatever. But I find it most satisfying to write about The Other, Strangers, people I don’t know. The Dark. The Unknown. If I use personal experience, it is out of convenience. It saves time. And I have no “message” or theme. I find myself as a person completely uninteresting for my own authorship. Through “Brent” , which I consider the final exam of my apprenticeship as a novelist, my authorship is working its way towards what I consider riddles, mysteries, things that I don’t understand. I explore, I do not lecture, and my books have no opinions. Pingo ergo sum.

What suggestions do you have for beginning writers and poets?

That depends on what kind of writer you want to be, whether you want to explore mankind or (just) entertain it. If you want to write thrillers or romance, just go ahead and try. Think commercial, like everybody else. Suck up to your audience. It’s a good life. However, if you want to explore mankind, in whatever sense, ask yourself if this is what you really want to do. There are too many rehashed novels written in the Western World. Do you have something, if not unique, at least something special to bring to the public square, or are you striving for it, with a minimum of realism? The world does not need another depiction of your lost love. Write a diary instead.

It is a very serious craft. Authors are statistically prone to divorce, alcoholism, drugs, suicide, conflict, ridicule, estrangement. In conflict regions, it’s even worse. This goes also if you are a happy camper and irony is your tool for exploring man and his doings. Ask yourself if you really want to. Maybe you’d be better off as a journalist or an academic.

Who is your favorite author? Why?

Technically, I would have to say Shakespeare. It’s sort of embarrassing, in a way, even ridiculous. How can a poet born five hundred years ago, still be the master? It’s the DaVinci and Michelangelo syndrome. It may be seen as an indication of the validity of the theory of devolution.

My favorite writer, though, is Nobel Laureate Samuel Beckett. I enjoy his brutality, his depth, his merciless depiction of man and his axing of language. I read him constantly, again and again. Norwegian Nobel laureate Knut Hamsun is another favorite.

My favorite novel, though, is the epic “The Master and the Margarita” by Michael Bulgakov. A book that contains everything.

Poetry: Besides Shakespeare, I have no particular favorites when it comes to poetry.

In your opinion, what is lacking in today's literary market?

Too much entertainment, too few watersheds and milestones.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully writing full-time with a generous budget to travel the world and explore mankind.

Follow Morten

http://intermashonal.blogspot.com/
http://mortenjorgensensnovelbrent.blogspot.com/

http://intermashonal.blogspot.com/
http://mortenjorgensensblogg.blogspot.com/ (in Norwegian)
http://www.cappelendamm.no/main/Katalog.aspx?f=7044&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morten_J%C3%B8rgensen_(forfatter)

Norwegian publisher: CappelenDamm, Oslo.

Editor: Harriet Karoliussen
International Rights Manager: Kristin Weholt

Ann Marie Aguilar

04/06/2012 09:34:00

Welcome Ann!

From Quezon City, Philippines, Ann is a fiction writer and a digital artist with a strong imagination. Her first stories involves an epic fantasy and a dark fantasy. She started writing in February 2010. Ann also enjoys writing her blog, poems, commentaries and visions. She illustrates her own book covers, like her third story "L.A. Supernatural Detectives". Every time she writes a new story, she embraces a new genre. Ann likes playing with new ideas.

Tell me about your writing…

I started writing a novella when I was waiting for the corrections of my Thesis. My first novella was titled "Kisho Cross" with two volumes and the third novella was titled "LA Supernatural Detectives”. At first I focused more on fiction, but now I am focus on writing on my blog, writing concise poems, topics that may help others get through rough times. Back in College I wrote short screenplays and short stories but I don't know what happened with them. My first novella is script format.

How do you store creative thoughts?

At first I like daydreaming, play pretend or sometimes I just lie on my bed starring at the ceiling and then it is either I write it by hand or sit in front of the computer and type it.

Where do you like to write? In my room where it is silent but sometimes even if the television is on or the music is being played I can write as long as I can hear my self think. As long as the sounds are not disturbing, my thoughts or the visions in my head.

What are you currently writing?

I am writing "The Object Finder” a psychological thriller.

Book description "The Object Finder"...

She seems ordinary. There's nothing special about her but she can find objects, the truth and the secrets people hides. She can't make you win the lottery but she can warn you about your near future though she not a fortune teller. You can either love her or hate her. She can be an angel or a bearer of bad news.

What are your goals as a writer?

To improve in writing my story, I hope to write good stories that are relevant, insightful and inspiring, though they are written as fiction.

Excerpts from "The Object Finder"

Chapter 1 Excerpt

At dinner, they eat at a near by restaurant.

"How did you find me?" Fey looks at his exotically handsome face. He is half Japanese and half British-American.

"You know me, the things people hide, I always find them." Kanu shakes his head a bit as he blushes. She grins. "Oh, wait. Oh yeah, you don't know. Megan knows but you don't." She smirks as he laughs. "Of course, I know. Megan and I are one in the same. You know that, I am only pretending so that I won't flooded by e-mails sent by fans."

Chapter 5 Excerpt

At eight-twenty, she finished getting dressed and walks towards the door. Her phone rings. She clicks the answer call button. "Hello? Who's this?" She hears a man's voice. "As if you don't know." Fey grins. "Kanu! Hi! I'm almost out of the door."

She opens the door. Her pretty almond brown eyes gets bigger as she sees Kanu. He smiles. "Hi baby!" He embraces her and gives her a kiss on her cheek. They both end the call. Fey embraces Kanu tight. "Did you miss me?" She looks into his Hazel almond eyes. He grins. "I sure did."

All of a sudden, she gives him a puzzling look on her face. "How did you get up here without Ben seeing you?" He grins. "He saw me and just nodded. I think, he knew." She sighs. "I guess Aunt Jessy told him about us." Kanu laughs. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

Fey clicks the lock button and closes her door. Kanu puts his arm around her shoulder and she puts her arm around his waist. They walk towards the stars. He kisses her lips before they even reach the stairs. The walk down the stairs. They let go of each other as soon as they reach the ground floor.

Follow Ann...

http://anniesdigitalartworks.weebly.com/author-page.html
http://www.anniesdigitalartworks.com/
http://annblyt.blogspot.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4822710.Ann_Marie_Aguilar

L. David Ryals

04/04/2012 17:07:00

L.David Ryals .......

........is a freelance writer and sometime English teacher living in New York City. He is a graduate of Long Island University's Master of Fine Arts program in English and Writing. His poem "Gentle Fire" was published in the September 2005 issue of Essence Magazine. Mr. Ryals is passionate about Cancer awareness; Adult Basic Education and Literacy. He leverages his considerable talents in the advance of several causes close to his heart. Subsequent to his first surgery, Mr. Ryals underwent a second thyroid surgery. Mr. Ryals is a thyroid cancer survivor.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in The Bronx, New York. I am a product of New York City's public school system. I've emerged pretty much unscathed.

What is your genre/writing style?

I write poems, essays and short-stories. I notice, though, that I tend to write more essays. Essays allow me to reveal more of myself than the poems or short-stories.

When did you know you wanted to become a writer?

I had the idea about it when I was about ten years old. My mother is a writer, too. I would watch her do her writing and so, the ground work of it was laid early. Mostly anything literary came easily to me. But, the idea of it being an actual in the world sort of thing happened when I went to college. In all of my reading about the famous writers I liked, I noticed that they found a place to go and practice their craft. College was that place for me.

I went to Southampton College of Long Island University. It's on the East end of Long Island. The place famously known as "The Hamptons". I went there because it was far enough away from the city and the college had a Summer's Writer's conference where you got to study under and meet famous authors. I had managed to find the place where writing and the nuts and bolts of it would be made real. Today, Southampton College is no more. It is now known as Stony Brook Southampton. The writing program has been retained and expanded. Obviously, I am a very "be true to your school type of guy."

What is your inspiration for writing?

For my writing, I try to use everything. That is, I watch the news, read the papers and just try to pay attention to what's going on around me. I people watch and listen in on conversations. I can be shameless. Not intrusive, mind you. But, still, shameless. Not being able to write is less about a lack of material and more about not knowing how to approach the subject. Should this be a poem? Should it be a short-story or an essay? Should it even be written by me?

Very recently, I found a way to "use everything" in my own life. After undergoing a second thyroid surgery, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It's a diagnosis that's an earth shaker, to be sure. I decided to use my training as a writer to help me through it. Writing help me feel as if I had a measure of control over my situation. And, it allowed me to help people along the way.

Sometimes, writer's fall into the "Everybody But Me" syndrome. That is, everybody, but me has a more interesting life or are doing more interesting things. Do your best to resist that mindset. Being able to look at your life and find what makes it interesting, what makes you interesting, forces you to sift the particulars and find the universal in your situation.

Are you first generation American? There's a story there. Are you the eldest child and feeling the burden of family expectations? Again, there's a story there. A lot of times, the story that's worth telling isn't the story that you think you know. It's what lies in the spaces of the story that you think you know all too well.

Why is grandma always so mean? Did you know that in the "old country" she was a town elder; came from old money and used her influence, judiciously? When she came to America, she had to start over and work two jobs; learn the language and endure the taunts of people who assumed she was stupid because she didn't speak "American". My point is, when you go looking, you will trip over stories that are worth telling. Sometimes, the best stories to tell are the ones closest to home.

Any suggestions for a new writer?

I would advise a new writer to read as widely as possible. Do your best to gain an international perspective. Figure out why you like something and the areas in which it works or doesn't work as a piece of writing. I mean this for any prose that you come across. Adverts on the subway? Yep. Airport novels? Absolutely. In-flight magazines? They are gold mines of the power of persuasion. Critique and learn from everything you read and hear. Why was that magazine article unpersuasive? Why didn't that car commercial have you out the door and to the dealership? If you're aware of what moves and motivates you, you can move and motivate someone else or millions of someones.

Who is your favorite author? Why?

I am a fan of Raymond Carver. in his writing, he made the mundane and everyday accessible. Sometimes, as writers we have the idea that the day-to-day things are to be avoided. Carver showed that you can take hum drum and show a microcosm of humanity. I like Flannery O'Connor for that quality, too. A fairly decent writer can paint a scene and make you believe it. The exceptional writers, like Carver and O'Connor, will hand you back your life revealing areas of pathos, humor and horror. You come away from their stories and wonder how much of the world aren't I seeing?

Do you have a favorite quotation?

I like this retread of a Benjamin Franklin quote: "Who is so wise as to learn from the mistakes of others?" This goes back to my suggestion to read everything that you can and to read internationally. I used to tell my students that if they read widely enough, they could avoid all sorts of heartbreak and calamity. I would ask them, "Can you learn from the mistakes of your parents and friends and everyone you know? Everyone's life has a lesson to teach."

Where do you see yourself in five years as a writer?

I have the desire for the writing trifecta: The Pulitzers in Essay writing, Poetry and Short-story writing. Aim high, I say! I expect that I will have completed a doctorate in English and Writing. I enjoy teaching and am looking forward to getting back to it. Also, for those of you considering a graduate writing program: Remember, that a program like that offers you the gift of time. It'll be two or three years when you'll be able to focus and improve your writing and develop friendships and rivalries with people who share your passion to write. Choose a place that makes you happy; a place where you can see yourself waking up and spending hours of your life with the same people and with professors you respect and who respect you.

Read L. David's articles and more ...

http://www.divinecaroline.com/user/profile/116542-l-david-ryals

Ann Stockstill

04/03/2012 11:00:00

Welcome, Ann!

Rancher and horse breeder, Ann is internationally known for her Homozygous Paint Horses....

Where is Coyote Creek Ranch?

Coyote Creek Ranch is located in Winona, Texas, USA, which is a small country town in East Texas centrally located between Tyler, Longview, Gladewater and Kilgore. I am approximately 100 miles from Dallas and Shreveport, Louisiana. I have 165 acres of rolling land with 110 acres of pasture, 5 ponds and a spring fed lake that is 7 acres and stocked with catfish and perch. The remainder is in timber (a mix of Pine trees and hardwood).

Tell me about your life as a rancher and your horses…

I lived in the city all my life and taught middle school and junior high English and Science along with other subject areas for Pine Tree ISD in Longview for 29 years and later for Winona ISD for 7 years. I had no aspirations to be a rancher but it rather fell in my lap when I married my second husband in 1993. He owned cattle and liked living in the country so we sold my house in town and moved to the present location. I bought my first horse, a Palomino gelding, about that time. I had always wanted horses but never had a place to put them or the opportunity to own one. My first horse, Skipper, was a sweet natured horse that had been ridden by kids and then put out to pasture. He was about 13 years old and gentle enough to ride bareback.

About 6 or 8 months later, we went to Idabel, Oklahoma and bought Peps Last Lady (AQHA own daughter of Mr San Peppy) to keep Skipper company and allow both of us to ride around the ranch and check cattle. About the time I bought Lady, I started noticing black/white paint horses and thought they were absolutely beautiful. There were not many available so I started looking for one to buy and found a man in the Gladewater area that had a black and white stallion for breeding services. I had never heard of a homozygous horse but found out that it meant they only threw paint offspring regardless of what they were bred to. I decided to bred Lady to Sparky and the resulting foal was a black and white filly which I named Stormy. Not very original but she was born in February on a freezing night in the rain. Lady was quite confused to have a black/white baby since all of her previous foals had been sorrel quarter horses. It was really odd to see a sorrel quarter horse with a beautiful black/white filly. I still have them both. Lady is about 20 years old and Stormy is close to 14 years old.

In the next few years I began to look for other black and white paints and go to auctions in Shawnee, Oklahoma and Lufkin. I bought several black/white paints including Color By Chick which had been bred to a double homozygous stallion, Summers Half Moon, owned by Dana James in Gladewater. The resulting foal was my multiple APHA/PtHA World and Reserve World stallion, Summers Chico Bandito. Chico was the horse of my dreams. Not only was he black/white but also homozygous for tobiano and the black gene. He was splashy colored with one blue eye and one brown. Chico has such a sweet nature and athletic ability that I decided to send him to a trainer when he was two.

Summers Chico Bandito has won World in steer stopping, heading and heeling and top honors and superiors along with thousands of points in heading, heeling, steer stopping, tie down roping and a few pts shy of superior in working cow horse. He has produced numerous offspring that have also won APHA World and PtHA World Championships in cattle events. His foals have been sold internationally to Brazil, Columbia, Venezuela, Ireland, Sweden, Belguim, Canada and Mexico. I ship cooled and frozen semen and hope to start exporting frozen semen to Australia in the
near future.

Out of the offspring winning World championships, I have Chicos Bandelero being shown in cattle events and standing at stud in Sanger, Texas. I have also owned World and Reserve World champions Chicos True To Texas, Chicos Delta Flyer Gold Bar, and Chicos Blonde at the Bar. Chico's offspring are also being shown in reining, working cow horse, barrels, trail and other events.

I chose broodmares to bred to Chico that had World Class pedigrees and many have points and winnings of their own. I look for own daughters of World Champions to get the best chance of getting athletic, good looking horses. Chico's offspring have been blessed with his good nature and willingness to learn and perform. Everyone is surprised to find that even with 100 horses at my ranch that they come to you wanting to be petted and groomed and we have no problem catching any of them. They have been easy to train and even have been able to put as many as 10 stallions together with no problems.

I have also started breeding Chico to quarter horses with great pedigrees, such as, Shining Spark, Grays Starlight, Peppy San Badger, Hollywood Dun It, and Nu Chex to Cash to name a few. I have a 8 month old filly out of a Chico filly that has World Champions top an bottom including Shining Spark and Nu Chex To Cash and she is already athletic and is has been a joy to start training. She is bay and white with
one blue eye and one brown like her grandsire.

Chico has also been bred to Holsteiners to produce splashy colored dressage horses and hunter jumpers. They are show stoppers in a ring with solid brown or gray horses.

In your opinion, do paints have a different disposition than other quarter horses?

In my opinion, paints have a better disposition than most of my quarter horses. Their foals will come to you wanting attention where the quarter horse foals tend to be a more reserved and they take more time to come around wanting to be handled. I think it is ridiculous for many cowboys and ropers to state that paints aren't as athletic or fast as quarter horses. You can’t find a single paint horse that doesn’t have
quarter horses and or TB on their pedigree. The major difference is color. I love to look at a pasture full of loud colored black/white or bay/white horses. Their color adds so much to a parade or rodeo events than looking at sorrel or bay solid horses. I think more should be used for mounted police work to help stand out in a crowd and they are great in movies; Hidalgo being one of the great paints in movies.

Where is your favorite place to ride?

My favorite place to ride is along a beach or a wooded trail. Love to hear the sound of waves splashing against the shore or the quiet of a forest with only the sound of occasional birds chirping and the sounds that your horse makes as you move along the trail.

Where do you show?

My horses are usually shown in shows in Texas (Ft Worth, Lufkin, Waco, Athens, Stephenville, Royse City, Katy, Houston) but we have shown in Monroe, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi, which also have some good paint shows. Now that APHA requires paints to qualify for World there may be a bigger interest in showing than since our economy took turn for the worse. We show at the World Show in Ft. Worth along with the Stockshows in Houston and Ft. Worth.

What are your goals as an equestrian?

It has been my goal to produce the best black and white horses that I can. I breed not only for color but performance and disposition. I specialize in black/white double homozygous horses. Many people do not understand what a homozygous horse is but they are horses that have been tested genetically and shown to only throw the paint gene so their offspring are paints. Horses that are not homozygous
have about a 50% chance of throwing color and 50% chance of throwing a solid colored foal. Horses that are homozygous for the black gene can throw black, bay, grulla, and buckskin but do not have the sorrel or chestnut gene.

My international clients are mainly interested in black/white homozygous and preferably double homozygous horses. They look at performance ability and the ability to throw color.

I really wish that our government was interested in helping ranchers with our drought situation. Many horses are being starved, abandoned and sold for slaughter due to the expense of feeding and caring for them. Horses have been a part of our heritage and culture for hundreds of years. They are powerful, majestic creatures and need to be protected and given the dignity they deserve. Lady ranchers could also use some help and respect these days to make ranching a profitable business to be in.

Follow Ann

http://www.coyotecreekranch.net/

www.legacyequineauction.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC942HsJdPk&feature=youtu.be

Marie Michlová

02/29/2012 09:50:00

Welcome Marie!

Currently working on her new novel "Muses´Death", an historical novel to be released in June 2012, published by Torst.

An equestrian at five years, she remembers her youth surrounded by horses, but now writes more than rides. A graduate of Charles University, Prague, Marie is from German, Russian and Czech descent. For her new historical novel, she has been in contact with Sir Walter Scott’s and John Gibson Lockhart’s relatives...

Where in the world are you?

I live in the Czech Republic, in Středokluky – a small village near Prague.

A history major, writing history...tell me about your new novel..

Well, I have started writing it eight years ago and I have been improving it ever since. I decided to use some real historic characters and some made-up heroes; all my real characters in the novel say what they once had said, do what they once had done, it was very difficult for me to learn absolutely everything about their lives, finally I had to do my own research which was the hardest task – I am an historian so I took it very seriously.

Nowadays I can share the whole story not only as a writer (my novel will be published in June 2012) but also as a historian (I will have a lecture on Scott´s life at Sorbonne University in Paris in July 2012). Briefly my novel is about mental changes in the late Enlightenment, Romanticism and early Victorian period, the characters are mainly writers - the real ones are Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, John Gibson Lockhart, James Hogg, their families etc.

How do you maintain thoughts and ideas?

I have no problem with that, I am constantly thinking about my novel, it is like my second life, I cannot forget about it as well I cannot forget to breathe. The best ideas I had when I have been very busy doing something else. I also like to walk alone and thinking about my novel. I usually project my novel as if it was a movie in my imagination and think “What will happen next?” “Should I describe the place more?”

Do you write everyday?

Basically yes, but obviously there were many days when I did not want (or I couldn’t) write during past eight years – for example when I had my final exams at my high school or university.

Where do you like to write?

I prefer my computer at home.

Do you have a favorite author?

If I have to say only one name I would say Erich Maria Remarque, I have read all his novels and his only play and I enjoyed them very much. When I was a child I really loved Astrid Lindgren – for example her novel The Brothers Lionheart.

Look for Marie's new book release, "Muses´Death", to be announced from Torst Publishing, June 2012.

Jack SpyWriter King

02/19/2012 18:49:00

Welcome Jack SpyWriter to my blog of famous people!

Tell me about your beginnings....

I was a rebellious kid, and left my parents' home early, to travel, working along the way, and enrolling in a university (mostly for the free dormitory lodging that it offered). One of the jobs I picked up was a government gig that turned into nearly everything a young man ever wants to be. It allowed me to witness the behind-the-scenes of political maneuvering, to see the human beings behind the public personas of some of the highest officials. That experience inspired my writing.

Where are you in the world?

I spend most of my time in the pristine Kawarthas [Ontario, Canada], a remote region where writing meets no distractions.

A former top-secret government courier (wow!); is it the inspiration for your novels?

Is it not true for most creators that we draw from personal experiences? From what we know? From what we are? If I were the world's greatest lover (not that I lack in that respect), I'd write tales of seduction.

Writing fiction is a way to camouflage ourselves. Some people choose writing to express all those feelings or experiences, which, for whatever reasons, they are forced to conceal, whereas others pour out for the sheer exhibitionist's thrill.

Whatever the case may be we write what moves us, whether these be unfulfilled dreams, or overwhelming experiences that must be unloaded to keep us sane.

Your novels are spy-thrillers. Tell me about your writing...

Writing thrillers is not an easy task. As any genre, it has its devoted readers who have certain expectations. Meeting those expectations, while maintaining some level of originality, which distinguishes one writer from another, is perhaps the biggest challenge.

Writing spy fiction provides additional challenges, in that much of what true espionage is about is... not very exciting. It's more of an analytical work than James Bond would have it. For this reason most espionage novels are pure fiction, with little connection to the real world of spies. Spying generally involves the retrieval of information that is hidden, or otherwise not available. The shootings, stabbing in the back, or poisoning, etc, while it certainly happens to spies, is mostly the work of a whole other department, and has little to do with actual espionage.

So, there you go, for the benefit of the reader, and to find a publisher, a writer of espionage fiction must maintain the illusion and perpetuate fiction. That brings me to the crucial question: Why do I write at all? And the answer is: The run-of-the-mill espionage novels are not satisfying to me as a reader. I write what I seek as a reader, but cannot find. The reality of the world of espionage is what I miss in spy novels, and thus I strive to fill that void.

How do you maintain thoughts and ideas?

I write nothing down. I do not make notes. You will find nothing in my house that would indicate where my ideas come from. Drawing from personal experiences I am a firm believer in the old maxim, well expressed by Maxim Gorky, that that which we cannot remember is simply not worth remembering, little else writing down.

Where do the ideas come from? Again, this goes back to our experiences, to that which moves us, and which we need to come to terms with, to why do writers write at all? Beyond the simple need to satisfy our ego, many of us write not because we know the answer to what moves us, but because we seek the answer to the unanswerable, or where the answer is suppressed. Espionage is all about the illusion. Everything we think we know about it is either wrong, or planted by the services involved in it. I write with the aim to straighten that, which is purposely obscured. It is my guiding thought.

Where do you like to write?

Being surrounded by tranquil wilderness and the simplicity of living in a wooden hut is the best way to put aside all that which presses on us in everyday life, from work, to regular household chores, to the unavoidable hustle and bustle of a neighborhood, whether a large urban area, or a hamlet, where a simple grocery shopping distracts and affects the creative process in, well, a negative way.

Do you write everyday?

Writing is not a matter of choice; it's not something you switch on, and off. I feel guilty when I don't write. Days seem wasted when, for whatever reason, I am unable to sit down at the keyboard. If I were writing a diary I'd have to put down "Nothing" under a day when I wrote nothing. It would be a day wasted. However, it is important to note that not all writing involves putting together letters, and words, and sentences. As I mentioned - I write no notes, but I do plot, and plan in my head. So, even when I'm seemingly doing nothing, as it may appear to an outsider who sees me on a park bench, I may in fact be deeply involved in the process of creation.

What are you currently working on?

I'm in the final stages of two novels. Both require the last re-writes. They are a part of a trilogy of change, books challenging the established world and social order. As in all my books, these too are inspired by actual events. One draws on a true story of a plot orchestrated by wealthy industrialists to oust a US president who chose to stand by his citizens during economically devastating times, and the other one deals with a certain religious Order that goes beyond a prayer, as an ineffective way to rid the world of evil, and picks up arms instead.

Who is your favorite author? Why?

I would sooner mention numerous favorite authors, than a single one. The list of authors would be quite long, but their writing boils down to something that is seldom practiced these days (and is not necessarily the writers' fault) - a message.
I like to read to learn about how others see us - about world affairs, about the human condition - all seen from varied perspectives. For this reason I prefer to turn to writers from outside of the English language sphere. In fact some of these writers were responsible for my desire to learn foreign languages, to read what was (and often still is) not available in the English language. Writers with a social conscience are particularly dear to me.

Do you have suggestions for novice writers?

In these times when anyone can publish a book, and in essence become an author, it is ever more important to stay clear from conformity with "established" trends. These produce a plethora of forgettable books. The current fluidity in the publishing industry allows one, at last, to write and to publish what one wants, what one feels passionate about, without relying on what the publishers want. It's important to remember that it isn't the publishers who set the trends - they only cash in on them. You, the writer, are in the driver's seat.

Follow Jack

http://www.spywriter.com/

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&keywords=B001KI809E&tag=spywriter00-20&index=aps&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325

Shane Simpson

02/12/2012 14:42:00

Residing in England, Shane began his equestrian career as a jockey. Employed by Oak Ridge Quarter Horses, England, Shane is also a movie stunt rider, jouster, horse trainer, and much more. I caught up with Shane between events…

What is Stampede Stunt Company and what do you do there?

Stampede Stunt Company is owned by some very close friends of mine. They do live shows at country fairs, castles and at big events like Your Horse Live. They provide one of the best jousting shows in the country with some trick riding for more entertainment; they also teach horseback archery, jousting and sword fighting amongst other things at their base in Wales.

When I started my career with horses, I was a horse racing jockey! After I left racing to expand my knowledge, I learnt how to trick ride, joust, fall, sword fight, double for actors in films, fix problem horses, help with rider confidence and train western horses.

Anything to do with horses i'll try my hand at!

So, you are a 'jouster'...what is like to joust?

Jousting is an incredible adrenaline rush especially full plate jousts with full contact!

Did you participate in 'official' training? Where?

The only official training I have had was a 9 week course at the British Racing School, other than that, everything I know comes from what I have learnt from all the different areas of horsemanship that I have been able to experience through watching, doing or studying.

Do you have a rigorous training schedule?

I try to go to the gym as often as I can but have been slacking recently due to moving to a new area, but I’ll be back into the routine of going five days a week soon enough.

Do you travel a lot? Whereto?

I have traveled a lot, just not recently due to having my daughter, Maicie. I have been to Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Dubai and Japan!

Did you grow up with horses?

No, actually I am the only person in my family interested in horses and I started riding when I was 13 years of age.

What breed of horse(s) do you keep/ride?

I work with Lipizzaner, Andalusian, Friesian, Thoroughbred, Dutch Warmblood, Welsh cobs, Painted horse, Quarter horse, Arab, Polish Arab, Hanoverian and my favorite Lusitano! Lusitano is by far my favorite breed, the stallions look amazing and in general they are really eager to please!

In what films have you stunt-doubled?

I have ridden as an extra in Clash of the Titans 2 (the second in the series, which will be out later this year and I rode in a sea battle), Snow White and War Horse. I doubled for an actor called Colin Morgan who is on a TV show over here called Merlin which is aired weekly on BBC1.

How do you fix problem horses? Are you a horse trainer as well?

Well that all depends on the problem, the horse and more often than not, the rider/owner. I suppose in a way I am a trainer, I have never really thought about it like that I just enjoy every aspect of horses!

Who is your favorite equestrian/trainer?

My favorite equestrian trainers would have to be Monty Roberts and Jean François Pignon. I have had the pleasure of working with Monty Roberts on a few occasions and learnt so, so much!

What can I do to be a better equestrian?

Everyone can improve even the best learn something new everyday about their horses but if i had to say anything, be patient and don't try and rush things - horses learn things at their own pace just like humans.

What is your dream job?

If I had the money, my dream is to open a equestrian facility with my future wife, who is also an amazing horsewoman, to take in troubled children, teens and young adults to help them through their problems by teaching them natural horsemanship and helping them to rebuild their trust through horses.

Follow Shane

www.atkinsonactionhorses.webs.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMYdr2sIRwE&feature=related
www.stampedestuntcompany.co.uk/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ-RPKQa2PE
www.horsebackcombat.co.uk/
www.blazingsaddlesstuntteam.co.uk/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBzjEoR5zVU
www.oakridgequarterhorses.co.uk/

Gerard Keenan

02/05/2012 09:01:00

Welcome Gerard!

From Ireland, currently residing in London, Gerard Keenan is a world-renowned equine photographer. His stunning photographs capture the spirit and beauty of horses. His photographs are envied and collected worldwide, including celebrity buyers; his photograph, Horses #5, is displayed in the newly opened Ralph Lauren store in Singapore.

A winner of international photography awards, including: World Photographic Arts Spider Black & White Award, B&W Magazine USA, and IPA (International Photography Awards) honorary mention, to name a few. Gerard's work is published worldwide in various photography and art magazines.

When did you realize you wanted to pursue photography as a career?

I was 21, having always had an interest in Art.

Your equine photography is stellar.

Why horses?

I grew up on a farm in Ireland and was always attached to animals, but I found Horses to have an otherworldly quality which is difficult to explain. They have a calming presence and I understand why they are used as therapy with people suffering from mental or physical ailments.

Do you have a favorite breed that you like to photograph?

I don't really have any particular favorite breed to photograph as I suppose I treat them all equally.

Any stories of difficult or challenging photo-shoots?

Most of my shoots go well and the horses are always well behaved!!

Your favorite horse to photograph?

I guess I prefer greys and whites as they stand out better with the clouds as a backdrop.

Do you have any tips for novice photographers?

Basically you have to have your own signature and it's not wise to copy other photographers work. Follow where your heart goes.

Do you have a favorite photographer?

I have too many to mention; Lewis Baltz, Jean Loup sieff, Eugene Smith, Alexander Rodchenko, to mention but a few.

Where have you exhibited; any current exhibits in the world?

I have had no major exhibition as yet, but am hoping to show in London in 2012.

Follow Gerard and view his beautiful photography

www.gerardkeenan.com

http://equineflair.us/gerard-keenan-an-award-winning-photographer-from-galway-ireland/

Unauthorized Reproduction Prohibited

Nancy Kaiser

01/31/2012 08:48:00

Nancy Kaiser is an Animal Communicator, author and freelance writer. In her first book, she draws on extensive experience to share her personal journey and anecdotes about the animals she has encountered along the way. The result is a spiritually uplifting book that inspires all who truly care about animals or are drawn to the world of interspecies communication.

Where are you located?

I was born and raised in New Jersey, USA. My husband and I had an equine hospital and breeding farm in central New Jersey for 27 years. He retired in 2004, and we moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in the High Country. I live in Todd, which is just north of Boone with my two Labradors and a Swedish Warmblood horse.

Tell me about your writing and your book releases....

My husband walked out six weeks into construction of our retirement home. We separated and divorced in January 2005. I began writing a personal journal about a year later to understand how and why I was alone and 600 miles from everyone I knew without a home or a job. At the urging of friends who felt my writing could help others faced with traumatic life challenges, I turned my journal into my first book, Letting Go: An Ordinary Woman’s Extraordinary Journey of Healing & Transformation, which was published in June 2008. I released the book I’d always intended to write, Tales of an Animal Communicator ~ Master Teachers, in October 2011. This is the first of a series and shares the stories of the filly foal who taught me I was meant to be an animal communicator and healer and my personal animals.

Where do you like to write?

I write in my office looking out at the woods that surround my home.

Do you write every day?

If I’m working on a book then I write daily if my communication and healing work allows me to. When I’m not working on a book then no, I don’t write daily. I write according to deadlines for articles I’m submitting, and my monthly column for Stable Woman Gazette - Horse Tales & Teachers.

How do you maintain ideas and thoughts?

I write what I live, so I access my memories. For me, writing is akin to channeling. My soul guides what needs to be expressed and shared. Of course, once it’s on the computer screen then my left brain does any editing and organizing that’s necessary.

Who is your niche market?

For Letting Go, my market is anyone that is struggling to learn and grown from significant life challenges; unexpected losses due to divorce or death. It will help those who want to learn from and release the pain of their trauma as easily and quickly as possible. The market for Tales is anyone who loves animals. I’m confident that Tales will broaden people’s perspective on the significance of their animals in their life while helping them develop more meaningful relationships with not only their animals, but all animals.

Do you have a favorite author(s)? Why?

I really don’t have one favorite author. I chose books based on topic rather than author. I read mostly non-fiction, but anxiously awaited each new installment of Harry Potter. I have an extremely eclectic book collection.

What are your writing goals for future endeavors?

My next book, Tales of an Animal Communicator ~ Being A Clear Voice, will share the lessons taught by my clients’ animals. I know it will be created in perfect timing, perhaps 2013. For now, I’m focused on promoting the first in this series, so that the amazing lives and lessons of the animals that have made me the woman I am will be enjoyed by as many animal-lovers as possible. These remarkable souls have waited a long time for me to share their stories and I feel a responsibility to them. I want to be sure Tales finds all those interested in enriching their relationships with animals.

Do you have suggestions for newbie writers?

Write for the “right” reasons for you. Write from your heart. Publish to contribute something of value to others not just to earn money. Surround yourself with professionals that respect your opinion regardless of your inexperience. Be open to constructive criticism and be willing to explore new possibilities and options. Remain true to your purpose and know that your heart knows best. Even if you never publish, the act of writing alone may be all you need. Writing healed me; publishing didn’t. But, know that the first time you hold your own book is magical and enormously satisfying. Each time you hear how your words have helped another, your heart warms and you smile. Those are the moments you’ll remember long after any money you’ve earned is spent.

Excerpt from

Tales of an Animal Communicator: Master Teachers

I asked Bob what happened. What did they do to Love? Bob confessed they’d kind of forced and manhandled her, i.e., disrespected her. They’d tried to carry her. “Well, no wonder! Love needs to do it herself,” I declared. The breadth of her emotions continually amazed me. Love wanted so desperately to be independent. It broke my heart to know she never would be, but I couldn’t let her sense that from me. I’d learned early on how much she picked up from those around her. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

I continued to encourage Love to be patient while I applied healing energy and waited for the stronger cart to arrive. Again, I don’t think I can stay much longer. Is your mission done? No, not really. Didn’t you come to teach me? Yes. Have I learned all I should? No. Did you come to teach others? Yes. Boots, Bob, Kathy, the other communicator, and my chiropractor. Have they learned everything? No. Could you please be patient with people and stay to help us? I’m trying, but I’m so sad and tired. I don’t know if I can make it. If I can’t get outside, I don’t want to live within four walls, no matter what. I spent longer than usual, flooding Love with healing energy, trying to heal her emotional state as well as her imperfect body.

Boots called to say the filly seemed really alert, happy, and energized – very different from the last week or so. She said Love was lying down just like a normal foal would, with all four legs tucked underneath her. This was a momentous first. I asked Love what had changed. Excitedly, she confessed, I can feel things in both my hind legs that I’ve never felt before. My bad leg doesn’t bother me, because I know where it is now. Is it painful? No, it’s just sensations.

The new cart still wasn’t ready, so we went over with Bob’s cart. I sensed Love’s excitement. Bob wanted me to handle her head, because he knew I’d let Love do whatever she wanted to. This was her deal. We’re just there to support her. My promise had been kept as I helped her outside. She was amazing – flying as fast as she could to the grass to graze. I was ecstatic to finally see her out of her stall.

We headed back in when Bob felt she’d done enough. Love cantered back in, breaking another wheel and bending the cart. She did it on her own. She had an amazingly strong will and endless determination. I was so proud of her, and of us. Bob said she was the most alert he’d seen her, with a very normal head and neck carriage; all were encouraging observations. She stayed up for quite a while – meaning she wasn’t too tired. I, on the other hand, was exhausted from her Herculean effort.

Her short time out had her sweating and breathing like she’d run five miles. I told her I was appalled at how hard she had to work. I don’t mind. It’s my turn to work. You’ve been doing all the work ’til now. As I talked with her, I felt a buzz down both of my legs that I interpreted as the new sensations Love was feeling. I thought I’d be happier seeing her outside, but knowing how many people she had to rely on was disheartening. She’d never be truly independent, which I knew was so crucial to her. We were so much alike, this remarkable filly and I.

The next day, Love was exhilarated when I asked how her muscles felt after all her exertion. They’re a little stiff, but that’s okay. Being outside makes my lungs expand, which feels good. I told her the new cart was finally ready. I know it’s outside my stall. I told her we’d be out the next afternoon. I’m sure it will take some adjustments. Please be patient. Hurry.

The stronger cart was donated by the generous builder. Love attracted the most wonderful people to her and brought out the best in everyone. The cart supported her weight and had wheels that swiveled. She galloped out, calling to the other horses. She seemed so proud of herself.

Later, I asked what she was screaming at the other horses. When I told them you were going to fix me so I could go out, they told me people wouldn’t if it was too hard. I wanted to show them they were wrong about people. The older horses’ low opinion of people broke my heart, but I certainly understood it. I asked how she felt. Did anything hurt? I don’t really know how I feel. I’m enjoying it so much. I don’t focus on anything negative. Smart gal. Do you feel your hind legs? Not much, just a little. I use my hips to move them when I’m going fast enough. That’s why I go fast.

We got Love out again the following day. She was elated, moving fast and attempting to buck and play just like any four-month-old foal. She almost got away from me. I was leaving for a weekend workshop at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, the next morning. She’d be without my help the next few days. I’m not sure who was happier about her adventures outside, Love or me. No doubt Love, because I knew this was the best we could give her, while she had no expectation for her future. Animals know nothing of future. For Love, now was all she knew – an important lesson we humans could learn from our animal brothers and sisters.

Follow Nancy

http://www.nancykaiseranimalcommunicator.com

http://stablewomangazette.com/