Banner created with MyBannerMaker.com

Paranormal Romance Author

Hello and welcome. You'll find all sorts of happenings here. I have many interviews lined up this year with authors of various genres. I'll have contests, giveaways and much more. So keep popping back for some fantastic interviews, articles and new release information.

Click cover to order

Pick of the week

I am honoured that my new release Abigail Cottage has been named Pick of the week by thriller writer Lorrie Struiff

Check it out!!

Abigail Cottage

When Abigail falls in love with Justin she can’t begin to know the world of hurt she is heading into. Gorgeous, kind, rich – he’s the man we all dream to meet. BUT, all is not what it seems because Justin is a true demon from hell, disguised as a mortal being. He wants her and will do, kill or maim anyone who tries to stop him. Namely Shaun the real hero, who wants Abigail more! So what does a mortal man do against a demon? He enlists the help of a gypsy of course. But not any old gypsy. Rosa knows Justin very well and has the powers of the spirit world on her side to fight him. Using crystals as a powerful weapon, the light of the spirit world to lead them, they embark on a battle with the whole of the underworld. Many loved ones will lose their lives. This isn’t a book where everyone survives. In real life, bad things happen. In Abigail Cottage, terrible tragedies occur too. Believe... not every story can have a happy ending.

Got a kindle? Go here and download a FREE chapter of Abigail Cottage.



For Everyone

For new followers leave your email and you could win a gift from me. Also, I'll randomly choose the best comment of the week, EVERY week, and they will also win a unique gift from me. As well as author free gifts and prizes, you'll be in for a treat. Follow the blog and don't miss out.







The magazine to be in.

Tweet without leaving my page.

Monday 2 August 2010

Welcome Jacqui Murray



Good morning Jacqui. It's lovely to have you today. Please note today Virtual Book Tours is giving a $10 Amazon gift card to a lucky person who leaves a comment.




Please tell us a bit about yourself Jacqui.


Hi Margaret. Thank you for having me. I was born in Berkley California to Irish-German parents. After receiving a BA in Economics, another in Russian and an MBA, I spent twenty years in a variety of industries while raising two children and teaching evening classes at community colleges. Now, I live with my husband, adult son and two beautiful Labradors. I write how-books, five blogs on everything from the Naval Academy to tech to science, as well as a column for the Examiner on tech tips.

So tell me Jacqui,what made you write your books?





When my daughter wanted a book on how to get into the Naval Academy, all she could find were books that told her how hard it was, how selective they were, how very few could achieve it. My daughter brushed them off, but I wondered how many kids would be discouraged by that approach and decided to write a book explaining how to achieve the goal, not why kids couldn’t. In Building a Midshipman: How to Crack the USNA Applications, I stress how teens can solve the problems that stand in their way rather than why they can’t, how they can get where they want to go rather than why they can’t get there. That worked for my daughter and I have no doubt it will work for others. From what I hear from readers, it’s true.

My tech workbooks are the same. When I went back to teaching, I could find no workbooks for teaching technology to K-5. There were how-tos, but not geared for students of that age group. So I decided to write them. I geared the books for parents with nominal computer skills, homeschoolers and lab specialists. It outlines the method I use in my classes that gets kids from the most basics of computer skills in kindergarten to Photoshop by fifth grade. I’m not surprised that the method works, and is now being used in school districts all over the country


How facinating. All your books look like they are really needed. Well done on seeing the niche in the market. So what inspires you to write

Mostly, I’m inspired by the human ability to solve problems. People often think they can’t, they’re not smart enough, but they always are. In my books, I present no-nonsense, intuitive solutions to reputedly complicated problems. For example, the Naval Academy takes less than ten percent of applicants, yet, by following the advice I share, that goes up to a 50-50 chance. Another example, parents often tell me they are amazed how much their students can do after just a few years in my technology program. I’m not—not because I’m a great teacher, but because I present it in a manner that children are empowered to solve their problems, which allows them to learn more efficiently.


What’s next on your writing agenda?

I am working on a fiction series. I love science and want to pass that passion on to students, so my fiction endeavors have that goal in mind. My first fiction novel, To Hunt a Sub, is a techno-thriller about nefarious characters using brainy science to steal America's Trident submarines and how an equally-brainy female grad student stops them. It won the Southern California Writers Conference Outstanding Fiction Award last year and is in the final stages of rewrite. I have an excerpt available on Scribd.com.

Wow, how wonderful. Congratulations. Where can your followers find you?

Anyone interested in my books, here is where you can find them:
Amazon.com

and the publisher's website

Buy my Ebooks.

If you’re interested in To Hunt a Cruiser, leave a comment on my WordDreams blog and I’ll let you know when it’s out.
I also write a column for Examiner.com.

I invite everyone to read that, add comments, follow me!

Twitter I go by the name @askatechteacher


What do you do to overcome the loneliness of being a writer?

I’m not lonely. I enjoy being solitary. I have a wonderful husband, two dogs and two adult children, so I have as much distraction as I can handle. Other than that, I find researching my books exciting, editing the story is exhilarating.

What’s your advice to new writers

God love America, there are no boundaries for what you can accomplish. That’s what made both of my books--Building a Midshipman and 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom—possible. Here’s a tip you can live by, though: Start at the beginning and don’t stop until you get there. Good luck!


Thank you jacqui for sharing your news and books with us today. Good Luck with them all.

10 comments:

  1. Kudos to you, Jacqui, for recognizing that need and filling it! In this increasingly technological world, it's great that someone like you has the vision to help prepare our children to succeed in it. Congrats on all your projects (five blogs, wow!). You make me feel like a slacker, lol.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jacqui,
    The techo thriller fiction sounds in the vein of Clancy. I'm looking forward to that one. I know To Hunt a Cruiser will be on my TBB list.
    Great interview. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well done, Jacqui! Good for you for stating the positive instead of harping on the negative!

    Maggie

    ReplyDelete
  4. You're funny, Cate. I'll bet you're no slacker. I love writing so that's what I choose to do with my free time. Thanks for the compliment. It is fun to show those young minds all the fun stuff of technology. I used to be amazed at how much they could learn. Not anymore. They force me to work at staying a step ahead each year.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, Lorrie. I'm still in rough draft on To Hunt a Cruiser. Those warships are amazing! They keep generating new plot twists for me!

    Maggie, I'm glad you enjoyed the interview. I am pretty shy in the real world, so writing is a perfect job for me. I wish I'd discovered it years ago!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congrats, Jacqui! You are a very talented and intuitive lady. My husband has worked for the DOD for the last 32 years...the first 8 as an enlisted AE. He's the head tech at the Large Cavitation Channel here in Memphis, TN and has a top secret clearance, so any time you need info for your research on subs, he'd be thrilled to help. As long as he's not breaking security. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am looking for someone to help with my sub scenes. Would you ask him if I could send him a rundown of my plan (which I got from a Naval Commander, an ASW helo pilot). I'm working that part right now. I include science to excite the layman to the beauty of science, as well as a healthy respect for our military (they always win in my stories). My business email is askatechteacher@structuredlearning.net (that's my publisher).

    I'd love to give him an acknowledgment in the book (or call him Anonymous as some of my research sources have insisted)

    ReplyDelete
  8. You would have to call him Anonymous because that's the way he is. Oh, and he reminded me that he was an AT in the Navy, not AE. It's been so long that I'd forgotten. Oh, well, I got the A right. :)
    He's testing for the University of Michigan for the next few weeks, which means longer hours, but he'd be happy to help with your research any way he can. You can send him your plan at hpjulian@comcast.net.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks, Dee! What a great resource!

    ReplyDelete
  10. You're very welcome, Jacqui. No matter the genre, we writers have to stick together. :) And if hubby can't give you the info you need, he knows plenty of people who probably can...from guys who actually served on Subs to guys who designed and/or tested them.

    ReplyDelete

Followers

Authors, advertise your books, do a radio interview. Click on the banner for more info..

I'm a member of this writers group.

I am a member of

Create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!

I'm a member of

PROOF READING SERVICES

My Blog List

Blog Archive

myspace count