Interview with a Character: Kaguhi Maimun-Cheng

Rita:  This week we’re interviewing Kaguhi Mainmun-Cheng, Takel’s older sister, and Takuhi’s daughter.  Like her mother, Kaguhi is a Kulturologist. Do you have to be bred for this work, Kaguhi?

Kaguhi:  Our DNa is designed for it, yes.  But when the Order was first started, over 2 millennia ago, having the right qualities and traist was a matter of chance.  Many girls washed out of the Order before people were able to genetically design their babies, and then, it was largely a matter of who would be willing and able to raise these children until they would be able to join the Cloister at the age of 7.  

Rita:  You mean love and care for a child, knowing she wasn’t truly “yours.”

Kaguhi:   My grandmother did it, and so did my mother.  But Grandmere did it as a kind of second career.  She had raised two sets of three before my mother, my uncle, and aunt came along, and raised two more sets after them.  She liked her children in sets of three, for some reason.

Rita:  I think it’s interesting that you have chosen to carry on in your career as a Kulturologist, instead of living full time in the palace, leading the life of a Compirial Princess.

Kaguhi:  Of course I must.  Can you think of any life more deathly dull than that of a princess?  Oh, please, give me a break! And that silly wave we’re supposed to do when we’re out in public!  That’s strictly yawnsville.  

Rita:I can see where you would grow weary of that life, as active a young woman as you are.  But when you do have to spend time at the palace, in between missions, what do you like to do for fun?

Kaguhi:  I like to dance.  Do you have any idea how huge the rooms are in that place?  Why, the refectory at the Cloister would fit in my bed chamber, with room left over for my brother’s workout room.  So in my bedchamber, I have plenty of room to dance, really stretch out, you know? I think there used to be a lot more furniture in the room, but my mother had it moved out, because she knew how much I love to dance.

Rita:  Which styles do you do?

Kaguhi:  Oh, you name them, I’ll at least try it.  Nearly all the styles of old lost Erth, plus a few of the world out here.  I even learned one from the Cat people, you know, one of our allies in the war against the reptilians and the bugs.  By the way, Rita, do you know why Kujlturologist is always spelled with a capital K?

Rita:  I think I did know once upon a time.  Oh, do tell us. I’m sure our readers are dying to know.

Kaguhi:  It comes from the German word das Kultur.  German was one of Erth’s languages. It means the arts, the humanities.  I went to the German planet UberAlles after graduation to check whether their society had developed any unfortunate tendencies, like fascism, you know.  But it was a freewheeling happy society. I developed a taste for microbrew beer there. Great place, and great sausages.

Rita:  What is your favorite treat or food?

Kaguhi:  I am a confirmed chocoholic, and when it’s cold out, I like to snuggle up with a big mug of Mexihot chocolate with lots of foam on top, and just the merest touch of rum to deepen the chocolate flavor.  That’s one of the few luxuries I love about hanging around my mother’s palace. Her chef Henri makes the best hot chocolate I have ever had. And I thought the hot chocolate at the Cloister was good. It doesn’t even hold a candle to Henri’s.  I don’t know how he does it. He won’t let me in the kitchen to observe. If there’s snything we SIster love to do it’s observe how people do things/  

Rita:  Thank you, Kaguhi, or should I call you Your Highness?

Kaguhi:  You do, and get ready to be throttled.  

Rita:  That was most enlightening.  Until next week, Bright Stars!  

Maintaining your Mental Health

I am not a medical professional and do not make any diagnosis or recommendations for treatment. This post is a direct connection to my own experience and thoughts. 

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting, struggle, like the long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven by some demon one can neither resist or understand - George Orwell!

The above quote carries such a weight of truth. It is a struggle, a fight to get the proper words down in the face of a nameless demon we often times never understand. But just as writing is a struggle, maintaining our health can prove to be a challenge. 

I know of some authors who write with an added challenge, an added burden on themselves and it is far too easy to lose ourselves into the dark abyss of something we can neither see nor share. To be honest, pushing through when a writer suffers from anxiety or depression can be quite hard. 

With over 322 Million people worldwide suffering from Depression alone, it may be a safe assumption there are writers out there who are struggling with their mental health and meeting the challenges of their chosen career. It is even more important, knowing the statistics, we as creative beings take the time to maintain our mental health regardless of what we do. 

I have and still suffer from bouts of depression and anxiety. It has been an incredible battle to keep motivated and energized to write, to engage in the creative process to write. More so when one understands, when in the depths of our mental health issues, it can feel as though the world is sitting upon our shoulders and there is no motivation, no interest in the things we would normally take comfort in. 

When it feels like work to simply get up out of bed, the last thing one wants to do is sit down at the computer. However, if one is serious about their writing career, then pushing through the negative energy is necessary. Speaking only for myself, I can say it is incredibly powerful and destruction when dealing with anxiety and depression. One almost feels alone and isolated even in the embrace of those we are closest to. So, how do I deal with these issues and maintain some semblance of my mental health?

Having checks and balances in place are the first step in overcoming my anxiety and depression. Recognizing the signs of a downward spiral before it becomes too late has allowed me to reach out for support. Now, I do not mean having someone hovering over me, checking in to see if I feel okay, or ensure I'm not doing something harmful. No, I oftentimes will implement a system of rewards, breaks, and adjusting goals can and have all helped. Allowing myself to accept me is a major part of it. It allows me to meet my goals, and accept when I cannot. There is a certain positivity to it, a certain self-awareness and confidence I have found. 

I have sought professional help, and giving myself permission to do so has been a huge step to helping to overcome the shadows and demons. My writing has in its own way, become a major part of maintaining my mental and physical health. It has given me outlets for emotion, and a chance to disconnect from the stark realities which drive the darker thoughts.

We as a society need to understand and respect there are issues we cannot always see with a person. Respecting in ourselves and in each other allow society as a whole to heal and better recognize we are all human, flaws, scars, and all. 

Newletters - Are they still relevant

I'm certain we're all familiar with popping onto a website and getting a 'Hey sign up' form in our face. Its become the first line of drawing in new readers and visitors to our websites. A way for those with a product or service to connect with prospective leads.

Those subscription boxes which we all have a love/hate relationship with are the first line in an author's battle to attract new followers, readers, reviewers, and fans. Without an active list of followers, it becomes even harder to sell our work. Our books get lost in the ever-deepening sea of other releases and can be forgotten. So how can we as an author generate the leads, and grow our following?

Newsletters are one of the easiest and most cost-effective methods. You can start one for nothing, build your list and expand with relative ease. Growing your list is like anything else one begins...it takes dedication, determination, and time. Once you decide to start one, there are a few things one needs to know to begin.

Firstly, consistency is the best advice I can offer. Regardless if you have one subscriber or a thousand, posting the newsletter on a clear schedule, creates a sense of expectancy from your followers. Perhaps, you're thinking, I haven't got that much to say for a newsletter. Even if you don't have anything pertaining to your work, there are other ways in which to fill the newsletter. You can spotlight other authors, cover artists, a publisher, even a character. You could engage the reader with other tidbits such a recipe, seasonal information, or something about your likes or hobbies. Doing this engages the reader on a deeper level than "Buy my Book". Its a way for your reader to connect with you on a personal level, and makes them feel more important.

Secondly, when you're looking at doing up a newsletter, don't be easily discouraged. You won't have thousands of followers immediately, but you can build your list using newsletter swaps, cross-promotion, and offering 'sneak peaks' on social media. It's about engagement and visibility, I believe; and focusing on informing your followers and attracting new ones. Be prepared to put out a number of newsletters with little response, or no opens or clicks. This is, in all honesty, normal and once you are more established you will learn what your readers want to read in your newsletter. Personally,  I put out my newsletters with the mindset I've got tons of readers,  even if I don't. Keeping a positive attitude helps.

Thirdly is finding the right program for you. There are a lot of newsletter programs out which range from free to expensive. In this post, I'll touch on the ones I've used in the past and continue to do so. Let's start with the easiest and cheapest.

Email: If you have a sign-up sheet or something similar you've amassed, you can do a basic email newsletter with ease. It is in my experience a basic, clean look with only the limitations of your provider to act as a guide.

Newsletter Programs: Depending on what you use for a website there are built-ins features that can create a beautiful email campaign. Free, quick, easy. and readily accessible. There is no coding required,

Myself, I use Mailchimp. It offers me the development I want/need and has various levels of service ranging from free to full service depending on the number of subscribers you have. The free one has some limits and you can have up to 2000 subscribers, but if you're just starting it is an excellent program to use.

Regardless of how you do a newsletter, the value is putting one out. The return on investment for your time and energy is ultimately going to be invaluable when you have readers who wait for the next book to come out to snap it up...and thus tell others who can potentially become followers and fans.

My Newsletter

Elise Whyles Newsletter

Interview with a Character:Lt. Herm`es Gorsuch

Rita:  Hello, this is Rita Trevalyan with another character Lt. Herm`es Gorsuch.  He started out as a Master Sergeant, but received a battlefield commission between the 2nd and 3rd book of my accidental trilogy. Hello, Lieutenant.

Gorsuch:  Hello, Ma’am.  

Rita:Which planet are you from, originally?

Gorsuch:  Zyeho IV. It’s a lovely world.  You really should visit it sometime.

Rita:  I shall, when I get the chance.  I don’t often get out of this Solar System, you  know. But back to you: Are you married?

Gorsuch:  Yes, Seven years now and have 3 kids, 2 boys and a girl.  Really sweet, well behaved kids. Smart, too.

Rita:  Who is your wife?  What does she do?

Gorsuch:  Strangely enough, she has the same first name as you, Rita.  She works from home. She’s a digital librarian for our town library.  She has a very capable chemdroid watching the kids. My eldest is in school.  We expect he’ll either go to the Stellarman Academy or the Feldmar Institute next year.

Rita:  Where do you see yourself in five Galactic Standard years, Lieutenant?

Gorsuch:  Well, if I survive the next war, and we’re fixin’ to have one, Ms. Trevalyan, don’t kid yourself, with their allies the Oraspighi at their sides, having taught then how to do away with the need for females completely, the Koinonians are going to attack the Inner Worlds, and when that happens, all Hral will break loose.  You watch.

Rita:  Whooee!  Another war!  I’ll bet the Empress won’t be real happy about that..She hates war.    You say they have no females? How did they do that?

Gorsuch:  Well, as my daddy used to say, “Beats me, Lieutenant, I’m not the regular crew chief.”  I come from a military family, you know. But Daddy never liked base housing. He reasoned, that with transmats everywhere, a soldier can be on duty in a matter of nanoseconds, no matter where he is in the Compire.  And I can train for the battlefield better if I live close to a wilderness, so that’s where I’m bringing up my children. I’ve been on leave there for the past couple of lunations.  

Rita: do you have any pastimes or hobbies no related to fighting?

Gorsuch:  In my copious spare time, haha, I put together models of battle starships.  Other than that, I’m training, always training. Gotta stay battle ready, you know.  It wouldn’t do at all to let myself become soft.

Rita:  Do you have any pets?

Gorsuch:  I don’t know if you’d really call them pets, per se, dogs.  But I raise fighting dogs. They can sniff out explosives and warn us human soldiers.  They also warn against other kinds of booby traps. They’re not ordinary regular dogs. They’re mutants, genetically designed like we are.  And my wife, she has a cat that can talk. The chemdroids clean the cat box, but mostly the cat uses the toilet like we do.

Rita:  Are your parents alive?

Gorsuch:  No. My dad got killed in the war against the Koinonians and the aliens, those bugs, they’re so disgusting, you know?  Mom’s still alive, though. She takes a rejuve bath every 5 years, you know, to stay young. She has a not a boyfriend, that’s so jejeune, Significant Oth, I think you’d call him.  Nice guy, and he really thinks a lot of Mom, treats her right, you know, like a lady should be.

Rita: And we’ll close with what is your earliest memory?

Gorsuch:  I think I was about three Galactic Standard Years old.  My dad took me out in the woods to experience nature. He was going hunting, but I just sat on a fallen log and observed all the creatures.  They were all curious about me. They knew to avoid my dad, because he had a gun, no, not a gun, this is your weapon, this is you gun, your weapon is for killing, your gun is for fun.  They came up and sniffed me.

Rita:  Thank you, Lieutenant.  That was very enlightening.

Want to meet my Irish Heroine?

Writing Master's Mistress really allowed me a chance to fall in love with Ireland and its rich history. Its a land of lush beauty, fierce people, and the perfect setting for romance. I've taken up the pen again and am working on a new Irish Celts romance set in 7th century Ireland.

I thought what better way for you, my readers, to get a glimpse of this novel than to share some tidbits about the characters. So without further delay, lets meet our heroine: Oonagh (pronounced ) Una!

The youngest of thirteen, she is the eldest twin, her brother born a short time after her is the only son. Fiercely independent, intelligent, Oonagh is a born leader. She puts her peoples needs above her own, and though a woman, she is skilled in defence. Untried on the battlefield, Oonagh makes no secret of her thoughts on the prohibiting of women in war. After all, a woman can perish upon a blade as easily as a man.

When war comes to call, Oonagh must figure out a way to save her clan, and her crown in the face of an unseen enemy. I recently asked her what she thought of the current situation she finds herself in.

"It tis a bloody shame, no woman should be refused the chance to protect her people. And that fool Jarlath, he be no better than any of these other fools. I'll do whatever is needed to see my clan safe...even if it means accepting his proposal. Course when I find that twit of a brother - he'll be thankful I don't take a sword to his behind."

For more sign up for my newsletter on my website (www.patriciabates.com) for updates in my monthly post!

Author Spotlight!

Welcome to everyone who is joining me today. Today I'm going to be spotlighting an author. 
Author Raven Moon is an indie author, with five books available now. I had the pleasure of reviewing her book Black Mountain recently on Distinct Authors Podcast Channel as well as Youtube. You can catch the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify now. 

Check out her books on Amazon today! 


Abandoned as a young child, Jade Sierra lived on the streets in the small town of Golden Pond, Ky. But after a Vampire attack, she was left for dead until a thousand-year-old Vampire named Jewel found her.

Jade has spent her life living with Immortals and Shapeshifters. She has hidden her true identity from the human race. But when suspicions rise in the small town, Jewel moves her Immortal family to Black Mountain, NC.Just when Jade thought being uprooted was the worst that could happen, she learns she is dead wrong. When she stumbles upon a dead body, she is in for a rude awaking. Now with Black Mountain starting to grow suspicious of the newcomers, Jade must learn everything about the murderer before they strike again.Jade must help the first murder victim get justice so she can be rid of him. But is she strong enough to go against something she knows nothing about?

Interview with a character:Takel Maimun-Cheng

Rita:  This is Rita Trevalyan, and today I’m interviewing Takuhi’s and Kaga’s son Takel Maimun-Cheng.  How are you today, Takel? You are the son of the new Empress, right?

Takel:  Right. And let me tell you, being the son of royalty is a real challenge.  It’s like you’re in a fish bowl. Everyone can see what you’re doing, and everyone can comment on how you’re doing it.  It’s the toughest gig I’veever had.

Rita:  But you never tried to talk your mother out of assuming that role, did you?

Takel:  Oh, Hral no!  I’d know she was going to do the Empress gig one day since shortly after I was decanted.  And you don’t even try to dissuade Takuhi Maimun out of something once she’s made up her mind.  She’ll just dig her heels in even harder. Besides, she said it would be educational for us kids.  

Rita:  And has it been?

Takel:  I’ll say!  And how! Has it been!  I’ve had so much to learn.  When we got the word that the old Empress was dead, Kaguhi and I looked up all the Empresses there have been for the past 2200 Galactic Standard Years.  There really haven’t been that many, because of life extension, you know. I think she was over 300 years old when she died. A rare old bird. I never met her,but I’ve seen holovids of her.  But she kept the Compire on an even keel all of her reign, and Mom has been working very hard at continuing Annabelle’s legacy.  

Rita:  Excellent!  And what do you do for a living?  I know that neither you nor your sister are content:to laze around the palace all the time, drinking out of lotus petals.

Takel:  Indeed we are not.  I was a Stellarman, like my uncle, but after getting wounded and PTSD in the war, I switched career paths.  After mediating and ending a feud between my aunt and my Significant Other, I went to school to become a mediator.  And I think I’ve become quite good at it. I’ve ironed out some feuds that could have gone on for generations if they hadn’t called on the services of a mediator.  I’m also a notary public, so I can witness the signing of papers officially ending the feud.  

Rita:Excellent!  My oh my, you have been a busy boy, haven’t you.  You mentioned a Significant Other. Who is she?

Rita”  She is a very beautiful young lady who I met on my parents’ land.  They have a nature preserve, you know, on Sogdien III. They wanted to sock a little land away so that no matter how modern and industrialized the planet got to be, there would always be a piece of it kept wild.  But they needn’t have worried. The settlers Sogdien has attracted are interested in keeping as much in its original wild state as possible. Some industrialists have tried to exploit it for minerals and fuels, but we’ve all worked to keep them out of the place.  Why, just the other year some tried to go big game hunting, but no one would supply them with a guide, and the forest killed every last one of them. Since then, there’s been no more talk about bringing mining and industry to the place, since the men who were killed were the loudest voices in favor of exploiting the place.  If you know what you’re doing, and take proper precautions, it can be your own little slice of Paradise, but if you don’t, it’ll kill you quicker than [snaps fingers].

Rita:  What are your future plans?

Takel:  To persuade the lovely Rabia to settle down with me, at least for awhile, until she feels the need to go gallivanting off on one of her missions.  She’s a Kulturologist, same as my sister, same as my mother was.

Rita:Thank you for talking with us today, and good luck in all your endeavors.