Interview with Rick Gualtieri, author of the comical horror series The Tome of Bill....

	Today, I am teeming with anticipation at having Rick Gualtieri with me in the forum. For those of you who haven’t heard, he is the hilarious, bestselling author of The Tome of Bill series. One of my sisters had already read the first three books before begging me to invite him for an interview.
Tim Greaton: Rick, I feel we may as well roll out the dirty laundry first. I’ve heard rumors that you have drawn a pretty stern line with certain people. Is that true? Rick Gualtieri: It absolutely is. I am a rabid Transformers fan. I have the comics, the toys, the movies, heck I even have a Decepticon symbol tattooed on my right shoulder (and no, I’m not sending pics :-). I’m a bad person to take to Toys R Us because I ALWAYS disappear down that aisle. I’m that strange man who’s there picking up the boxes and pretending to read the price tag, while secretly looking at the character bios. I’m constantly on my guard, protecting my collection from their worst possible enemy...my kids. As I’ve told them many times, “Boys, see these? These are daddy’s prized possessions. One day, though, daddy will be gone and when that happens...well don’t get any bright ideas. Daddy’s being buried with them all!”   Tim Greaton: What kinds of books do you gravitate towards? Rick Gualtieri: I mostly read horror and techno thrillers, with some fantasy and sci-fi thrown in. If it has a monster in it, chances are I’ve read it or have it on my to-read list. A few of my favorite authors include: Stephen King, Jim Butcher, Douglas Preston, and Lincoln Child. Tim Greaton: Are they in the same genres in which you write? Rick Gualtieri: There is some overlap. Currently I write in both the horror and comedy genres (with maybe an additional genre out there under a pen name), with a future book planned that probably falls into paranormal action / adventure. I write stories that I would want to read, but I don’t necessarily always read in those genres - if that even makes sense. Tim Greaton: You came to a turning point in your past. Could you tell us about that? Rick Gualtieri: College for me felt like my first taste of actual living. My life before then was okay, not exactly a horror story in of itself, but, generally speaking, through a combination of my home life, being an introvert, and a few other factors, I wasn’t particularly happy. It took me a while, but eventually I was able to climb out of my shell, join some campus organizations, and meet some great friends. My last two years of school really shaped the person that I am today, and I think that’s reflected in my writing (especially the snarky parts). It’s also where I started having some pretty awesome adventures...at least a few of which have made it to the pages of my books. Which ones? That’d be telling. Tim Greaton: When readers provide feedback about your books, what do you most like to hear? Rick Gualtieri: I think the best compliments are those that say I’ve given someone exactly what they’re hoping for from a book, i.e. either a scare or a laugh. That last one is especially awesome. Comedy is hard to write. Just because one writes a joke and thinks it’s the funniest thing ever, it doesn’t mean a reader will even crack a smirk at it. That’s my biggest fear with my horror/comedy series: putting out an unfunny book. I’m grateful that I’ve gotten many comments along the lines of “laugh out-loud funny”. Getting something like that is both an incredible compliment as well as a huge relief. That I was able to bring a smile to someone’s face is just icing on the cake. Tim Greaton: I heard a rumor that you’ve got some great outdoors stories. Could you share one of those? Rick Gualtieri: Several years ago, I went canoeing with a group of friends. We were supposed to go hiking, but one of them had a sprained knee. I’ve never been too big on being out in the water, so I was mostly griping about it the entire way. One of my friends said to me, “Oh come on! You have to admit this is better than being on a train back to Hoboken” (Where I went to school). I answered, “I’ll get back to you on that.” A short while later the ‘fun’ started. I was paddling at the bow of our canoe one moment, the next thing I knew I was underwater. The person sitting behind me had leaned over to look at a fish and capsized us. I surfaced underneath the now upside down canoe, to cries of my friends yelling for me. They thought I had drowned...but fate wasn’t quite done tenderizing me yet. Instead, I got the canoe off of me just as we entered some rapids. Ten minutes later, having been bounced off of multiple rocks like a human pinball, I caught sight of my friend from earlier. He had been in the same boat and was likewise in the water doing a good impression of a bug being smashed against a windshield “Just for the record,” I yelled, still being dragged by the current, “I’d rather be on that train back to Hoboken!” His response, “Me too!” See the rest of Rick's brilliant interview at http://timgreatonforum.blogspot.com/2013/03/interview-with-rick-gualtieri-hilarious.html

L.M. Boelz, author of Syeribus Creatures of the Night, joins us for an interview....

	Today, in the Forum, Lin Boelz is here to talk about her novels and stories. I have a feeling we’re in for an interesting interview. Lin. Lin, would you like to have a seat now?
Tim Greaton: Seriously, it’s great to have you here, Lin. I have often compared the process of creating a story to preparing a stew. This analogy works particularly well for someone with your interests, doesn’t it? Lin Boelz: I do love cooking. In my spice cabinet alone I have over 140 different spices. Recently I have gotten into making my own canned goods and cheese. Rather than your stew comparison, I would probably say cake. I love baking. I have gone so far as to order ingredients from Africa, England and India to bake a recipe that caught my eye. Tim Greaton: Your mother had a difficult childhood that turned into a fascinating method of raising children. Could you tell us about that? Lin Boelz: My mom lost her mother when she was five and was adopted by an aunt who had no children of her own. Her aunt turned out to be like Cinderella’s evil stepmother. Consequently, my mother’s childhood was filled with all work and no play. As a result, when she had kids of her own, she made up for lost time. When Dad would leave for work, the four of us, including Mom, would play hide and seek and tag in the house. Yes in the house, running and jumping on furniture. Tim Greaton: So when you weren’t all running and playing together, did your family have any difficult times? Lin Boelz: I remember one Christmas when my dad had lost his job. We barely had enough money for rent and a few groceries. That year, we all drew pictures and wrapped them in homemade paper. Though hard at the time, it is the Christmas that we now remember fondly and talk about the most. We learned that it is not what you own on the outside but what you own on the inside that matters: the gift of family love stays with a person for a lifetime. Tim Greaton: We’ve already talked about your international recipe fetish. Do you have any other pastimes that you’d like to share? Lin Boelz: Gardening is another of my hobbies; it ties in well with my cooking. I have started an herb garden and use the herbs to make medicine instead of taking manmade drugs. I also have a soapwort plant; I make soap out of the roots. I like to be close with nature. Tim Greaton: People often say your writing makes it easy to visualize themselves in your scenes, which is a tremendous compliment. But there’s another comment you often hear. What is that? Lin Boelz (grins mischievously): Some readers say I have a dark side. Tim Greaton: I know you have a some works currently with retailers. What are those? Lin Boelz: In all, I have nine short stories, a variety puzzle book, and two novels currently available. Syeribus Creatures of the Night is a two-book series. Vampire Dolls is a standalone novel. Tim Greaton: So what else can readers expect in the near future? Lin Boelz: I have two novels and short stories coming out by the end of April. I’m having an especially great time producing one project I pulled out of moth balls recently. It’s called my Prepper & Survival E-zine, where I share what I have learned about preparing for short- and long-term disasters. Tim Greaton: Writers are always fun to hang out with because they seem to have the best stories about their pasts. Something happened to you when you were seventeen. Do you remember what I’m talking about?   See the rest of Lin Boelz fascinating interview right now at   www.TimGreatonForum.blogspot.com