Friday, April 23, 2010

Melody Dempsey

This book has an intriguing premise-- a product designed to make something old new ACTUALLY opens a time portal that allows three trees to travel through time. As part of this blog book tour cycle, I would like to welcome my third guest for her blog book tour. Please join me in welcoming Melody Dempsey.

Benefits of English Class!

I remember as a child, I wanted to be an English Teacher. As I grew older, my interest turned towards the Health Care field.

English was always my favorite subject all through my school years, even college. I have to say, the benefits I reaped from my English classes, espcially from my college English classes, most certainly helped me in writing my college term papers and my book.

I also believe that my experience with writing the many term papers in college was a great benefit to me, especially with doing the research for my book. I used the research skills, ( I did a LOT of research during my college years), to delve into life in Florida in the 1900,s. My main focus was to have an accurate description of what the homes were like, what kind of furniture was used, what it was made of. I also researched what a typical small town in Florida may have looked like in 1908. I wanted to have an insight to that time period so that my readers could visualize the characters' surroundings.

Now some of the surroundings, such as the olfactory, (smells), and taste of food described in my book, came from some foods I experienced when I was first married. My husband's grandmother and great aunt were a couple of very old fashion ladies and made everything homemade. They would grow and can their own vegetables, they made cakes and cookies from scratch. Those two old ladies could cook! Their mother, (my husband's great grandmother), was a young mother back in the early 1900's. She taught the two sisters how to cook and according to my husband's grandmother, her nor her sister ever strayed away from what they were taught as children. It was truely a blessing that they didn't! I looked forward to going to my husband's grandmother's for dinner. Her and sister's cooking could not be matched! They are gone now and I not only miss their cooking, but I miss them. They were two wonderful people. Other environmental surroundings described came from my reading experiences and movies I viewed throughout various times in my life. I also used quite a bit of my imagination.

I came up with my characters from different people I met throughout my life. I thought about some of the physical and personality traits that interest me about some of these individuals and used them, although most of the make up of my characters were born out of pure imagination! I remember as a child, when I read a book, I would always place myself in the world of the characters I was reading about. As a child and even a teen, I never really thought about just how well written those books were. I just knew that I was enjoying them at the time I was reading them. As I grew older, I started to appreciate just how wonderful those Authors' were for their thoroughness and just how well written their work really was. You see, I never forgot those stories.


 http://www.publishamerica.net/product87237.html

http://www.amazon.com/Forest-Portal-Melody-Dempsey/dp/1448979005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271751620&sr=1-1

7 comments:

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

It sounds like you have one of the big hallmarks of a writer--everything relates to your writing! Isn't it funny how people we meet and places we go somehow end up in our books?

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sounds like you've found your calling now.
And I bet grandmother and great-aunt would be pleased to be represented in your book.

Hart Johnson said...

Great way of combining all the pieces--sounds like you are a 'cook' in your own right--pulling together the varying ingredients to make your own masterpiece!

Thanks for the blog, Melody!

Roland D. Yeomans said...

I always place myself in the books I truly am enjoying reading. But now, that you're a writer, do you, like me, find yourself placing one of the characters you are currently writing into the action, thinking what he/she would do?
My haunted French Quarter jazz club owner keeps insisting into intruding into my thoughts, saying,"No, they've going about it all wrong. This is the way to handle things."

Thanks for the obvious effort you put into your blog, Roland

Helen Ginger said...

My favorite books are ones with strong characters. Ones I can admire, root for, understand, fear, relate to, and/or cry for.

Helen
Straight From Hel

Hart Johnson said...

Roland, welcome! I don't think I've seen you here before--I appreciate you following! My characters sing the songs I hear and engage in the settings I pass, though if I am actively engaged, THEY tend not to be (and vice versa)--sounds like you've got a rogue character on your hands!

Helen-totally agree with you! I don't mind one who needs some time to FIND strength, but if no strength is ever exhibited, I am probably yawning. (I really like to be in their heads, too, so I can tell what is going on under the surface)

Ella said...

This sounds amazing; I like strong women in books and those true to their heart. I think writing about food, gives the reader, their own memories, which is a wonderful way to hook them in with their own emotions! Great idea~

I think the best books, are the facets from our
lives; There is an authenticity that comes through, the reader knows, it is real.