Welcome my guest, Micki Peluso, Author of "And the Whippoorwill Sang"

Micki and I became friends while at the same publisher. LSPDigital, LLC still has her book and publishes it for her. I have moved on to a different publisher now, but I could Micki as one of my greatest friends. And quite frankly, that's so easy to do once you have read her book "...And the Whippoorwill Sang". You will run a gamut of emotions through her book, making it one of the best reads out there. It is an Auto Biography of the author taking you through her life up to and including the death of a child. You will laugh your butt off, you will cry your eyes out and your heart will expand exponentially. It is a page turner that you won’t be able to stop reading until the last page is done. Micki is talented and it comes out in the words she writes. If you don’t buy another auto biography this year besides this one, you will not regret it. Visit Micki’s website, her blog and then head on over to her buy link to get your copy of the book. All links are included in the blog below.

I began writing as a catharsis for grief after losing my child to a DWI vehicular homicide. The first short story of the event was published by Victimology: an International Magazine, first time out, leading to a 25 year career in journalism, freelancing for three major newspapers. I write in all genres; short fiction and non-fiction and am widely published in print magazines and e-zines, as well as winning contests both off and on-line. . . .AND THE WHIPPOORWILL SANG is a funny, poignant family memoir of love, loss and survival. It was endorsed by MADD (Mothers against drunk driving) and reviewed in their magazine, MADDvocate. I have compiled a collection of slice of life stories, essays, and short fiction and non-fiction in a soon to be released book called, HEARTBEATS . . . SLICES OF LIFE. At present I am collaborating with a screenwriter to present . . . AND THE WHIPPOORWILL SANG as a film or TV movie proposal.

Website: http/www.freewebs.com/butch1025.index.htm

...This is the book you want to buy.

Now here is my interview with this wonderful friend and author...

1) What genre do you write and why? I write in all genres for short fiction and non-fiction. As a Journalist, I wrote for 25 years for several newspapers, doing news items, commentary and slice of life essays. My first book,. . .AND THE WHIPPOORWILL SANG, is a non-fiction funny, poignant and sad family story of love, loss and survival.

IS A TIS2) If romance, what subgenres do you write in? Why? I practice writing short fiction hoping to one day write a novel. I have tried every genre except screenwriting and particularly like writing paranormal, horror, romance, historical, contemporary and my all time favorite, humorous slice of life. My next book is a collection of those stories, called "HEARTBEATS. . .SLICES OF LIFE.

3) Are you aware of any themes that run through your stories? If so, what are they? In non-fiction the theme is family ties, but each of my short fiction, even horror, carries a moral of some kind or a lesson learned or taught.

4) What would you like readers to take away from your stories? I want my readers to take away a sense of somehow having changed by the reading of my works, especially of . . .AND THE WHIPPOORWILL SANG, as it is a story which is meant to change lives and leave its imprint upon the hearts of those who read it.

5) What inspires your stories? I am a writer who writes when I have something to say. I am not prolific in my writing as I mean for my writing to have an impact upon others, rather than a quickly forgotten entertainment, even in my humorous stories.

6) Will you be attending any book or writing conferences this year? If yes, which ones? Where and when? Probably not this year, but I would like to attend some New York City conferences since I live in one of its boroughs and many are held in the city each year.

7) Do you have any book signings or author appearances coming soon? If yes, where and when? Yes, I have a Red Hat meeting/luncheon signing on the 31st of August and a back log of assisted living and nursing homes, plus other community book signings to catch up on.

What is your writing schedule like? When not in the mood to write, I review books for two review sites, The New York Journal of Books and Readertoreader in an effort to keep my writing sharp and tight for when those great ideas pop up. My muse is presently on vacation but I expect him back shortly so I can begin writing my first novel.

9) Do you have any other passions besides writing? If yes, what are they? Why? I work as a law assistant for my attorney daughter, not leaving much time to have hobbies. I do love reading, crossword puzzles, including the illusive suduko, My family is my life and having lost a member, they are especially dear to me. I enjoy spending time with them, traveling to their homes and generally being in their presence as often as possible. Working with MADD to deter other losses of life and doing fund raisers for children with cancer is also one of my great pleasures.

10) What is your best memory? I remember eloping to Elkton, Maryland in a double marriage ceremony with none other than my own mother and her new husband. That led to a hilarious life, raising six children, each one an "only child" mixed in with childhood calamities, trips across county in a camper built for two, looking much like "The Beverly Hillbillies". Their father was much like the father in "The Sound of Music" and whistled when he wanted them, insisted on good manners, causing then to literally suck on noisy food until it could be swallowed without him hearing the noises. Luckily, he worked a lot. Have you ever tried to suck lettuce?

11) What is your favorite comfort food? Mashed potatoes and gravy and home made chicken soup when sick and anything Italian when I am having a craving.

12) What relaxes you? Snuggling with a little grandchild, reading a book, having a glass of red wine with good friends and counting my blessings.

13) What is your favorite guilty pleasure? Any kind of dark chocolate.

14) What decade has been your favorite? Why? While I've loved every decade I've lived, I am particularly fond of the late 50's-60's where life seemed so much simpler and more fun than this decade with the threats of terrorism surrounding us and the freedom our kids cannot enjoy the way we did.

15) What is your favorite way to promote your work? I love to comfort those who suffered similar losses as my family did and am so fulfilled when they tell me how my book helped them through their own sorrow, making them laugh as well as cry.

16) Where is your favorite place to write? Why? I write in bed late at night until 2 AM, much to the annoyance of both my husband and my cat. I love the quiet and the words seem to simply flow to my yellow legal pad from my erasure mate black pen. It's my favorite time of the day/night.

17) What is your favorite fairy tale? Why? I loved them all and recently rewrote a segment of "The Wizard of OZ" with Dorothy being the bad witch.

1 What was your favorite vacation? I loved spending summer in the south with my cousins, doing things I'd never let my own kids do and that says a lot!!

19) If you had another career, what was it? My career was staying home raising my children, until Noelle was killed and then I wrote as the only outlet for my grief which led to a career in Journalism which I still work as a freelancer.

20) If you didn’t write, what would you do instead? My whole life was meant to help other people. When very young I wanted to be a missionary, later a Peace Corp worker. Today I help people by sharing my books and giving speeches about DWI to PTA"S, local TV stations and fund raisers. That is more important to me than writing ever could be.

21) If you could have one wish, what would it be? Peace on earth.

22) If you could describe yourself in only one word, what would it be? Survivor

23) Are you a cat or dog person? Do you have any pets and if so, please tell us about them. I am an animal lover of all kinds. I've always had memorable dogs and cats and now I have one senile tomcat named Toby, who, like me, walks into a room and forgets why he's there. My pets have all played roles in my short stories, most of them hysterically funny-except for the eulogy I wrote for my newspaper about my golden lab, Remington and never said, until the end that he was a dog. He thought he was human and I wrote it that way in his honor.

25) When the zombies take over, what will you do? Hide under my bed, naturally

26) Vampire or werewolf? Why? I read about both, scaring myself to death with the vampires as I secretly believe they may exist. I love good werewolf stories often seen in urban fantasy, a genre I would like to try.

27) Please tell us about your most recent release and where we can purchase it. . . .AND THE WHIPPOORWILL SANG is being reissued for it's third printing this fall and is available at Amazon.com and all bookstores on and off-line. Signed copies are available upon request.

2 Please give us your urls and your publisher’s url. My website is http/www.freewebs.com/butch1025/index.htm

and my publisher’s website is http/lspdigital.com/

AuthorsDen: http/www.authorsden.com/members/

New York Journal of Books: http/www.nyjournalofbooks.com/reviewer/micki-peluso

Blog: http/mallie1025.blogspot.com/

29) Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers? Please do so here. I sincerely hope that those of you who love laughing, are compassionate and enjoy journeys through trials to the other side of sorrow, will check out . . .AND THE WHIPPOORWILL SANG. It is a story that people of all ages can identify with and will long remember. This story was written as a death bed promise to a dying young teenage girl, embarking upon her life. Her story was meant to ease those with similar losses, help teenagers from suffering the same fate and leaving people with hope. Thousands of children and young people are killed each year by DWI and DUI drivers. Each one has a story to tell. This story was written for each of them.

Logline:

How can a mother's love be described? Her beautiful girl, funny and bright, breathed life into every moment, and considered each day special, as if sensing there might not be another. She did cartwheels in piles of Autumn leaves, sang and danced down winding country lanes. And loved her family with all her soul. How can a mother let this child go?