Susan R. Greenway Interview - Elephant Touch

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Susan R. Greenway, author of Elephant Touch, is a former elementary school teacher and reading specialist. She is a longtime member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators) and a graduate of the University of Washington Writing for Children Program. Elephant Touch is her debut novel, inspired by an extraordinary experience she had with an elephant in Thailand.

Susan is an outdoor and dog enthusiast and lives with her husband and their sweet dog, Willow, in Washington.

      

   

When/how did you realize you had a creative dream or calling to fulfill?
When I was a classroom teacher and reading specialist, I had the opportunity to read many wonderful children’s books. I then heard of a national organization, SCBWI (Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators,) which has local chapters. I joined the nearest one and also began taking classes on writing for children. The more I learned, the more I wanted to write books for children.
A little later while I was in Thailand visiting friends, I had an amazing encounter with an elephant. That experience inspired my story, Elephant Touch. It was a story that I felt compelled to write.

Beyond your own work what is your all-time favorite book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of your genre?
I don’t know that I have just one favorite, but I love The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I delighted in the talking animals, the way the children were portrayed with their strengths and weakness, and the majestic, powerful, and good Aslan. To this day I’m amazed at this creative fantasy that Lewis wrote portraying the Christian message so beautifully.

Outside of my genre, I don’t have one favorite. Most recently I have been very impressed by Kristen Hannah’s The Women. It’s a powerful story that resonates with my memories of the social climate during the Vietnam War, and acknowledges the tremendous contribution of women nurses on site in Vietnam. Hannah does such a good job of showing the disillusionment of returning soldiers from that war.

On another level, I thoroughly enjoy Louise Penny’s mystery series with Chief Inspector Gamache, his team, family, and friends. She plumbs the depths of the human psyche in the context of solving murder mysteries. Mostly the same characters appear in all of the eighteen-book series (so far), growing in depth with each book. That’s an amazing feat to pull off, yet essential to keep the reader hooked.
What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
I’d say it was my fear of the blank page which fueled my procrastination, which then led me to find other things to do – spend time with friends and family, walk, hike, take care of the dog… All of those are good things to do, but eventually I had to sit down and take the necessary time to write words on the page.

What chapter was the most memorable to write and why?
Chapter 25 was the most memorable for me to write, when Sumana and LeeLa (elephants) are introduced. The absolute relief and joy that Quinn experiences when she watches the adult elephant and orphaned baby elephant meet and then bond filled my own heart with joy. There’s something so akin to human emotions in the greater family of elephants. I loved creating that scene of peace and completeness for those two elephants, when love began to overcome the pain of their previous abuse.

Can you tell us when you started Elephant Touch, how that came about?
The event that inspired this story happened several years before I actually wrote Elephant Touch. I was visiting friends in Thailand and we’d gone to see an elephant show. Just before the show began, I received a phone call from my sister telling me that my mother had just passed. As I started to cry, three elephants walked up to the edge of the fenced corral right behind me. One of the elephants put its trunk on my shoulder. It was such a remarkable act of compassion and was deeply touching.

That experience led me to find out more about elephants, their social structure, and behavior. When I learned of the abuse that so many elephants have endured, and of their endangered status, I began to write the story.

Your Favorite Quotes/Scenes from ELEPHANT TOUCH
“…it’s in her eyes, the way she gazes into mine, like she already knows me. I flinch. I don’t want anybody to see inside me. Of course, that’s impossible. The elephant can’t read my soul.”

“In that moment, something inside me shifts. My heart begins to thaw. A seedling of hope pokes through the hard icy tundra protecting my heart and reaches for the warmth of the sun.”

“Sumana continues to sweep her trunk over most of LeeLa’s smaller body. LeeLa stays put and doesn’t flinch. She gazes into Sumana’s eyes. After a bit, their two trunks entwine, and they make chirping and squealing noises.”

What is your happiest childhood memory?
I grew up just half an hour away from the California coast. My mother would take my sisters and I to the beach for part of a day. We loved playing my mother’s game of ‘follow my footprints’. Mom would run along the surf’s edge until just before the incoming water would touch her feet. Then she’d cut back towards the dry sand. My sisters and I of course ran through that water to stay in her footprints, shrieking and laughing all the while. I loved my mother’s playfulness in those moments.

First Love?
I met Brad at a Young Life camp when I was fifteen and he was sixteen. I fell hard for him, and he for me. Six months later, his family moved out of state. Six years later, we married. He is still the love of my life.

What event in your life would make a good movie?
My trip to Thailand when the elephant touched my shoulder.

What is your most memorable travel experience?
I spent four months traveling in Indonesia on a college trip abroad. I learned so much by living in a developing country, seeing the beauty of SE Asia, hearing music with new-to-me instruments and tonal scales, eating food completely different from western cuisine, seeing poverty and riches side-by-side, and being a minority. I could go on and on.

For fans of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax and Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish, Elephant Touch is a contemporary middle grade novel about overcoming grief that will touch the hearts of its readers.

Since the sudden loss of her mother, Quinn has been inconsolable. Her aunt brings her to volunteer at a Thai elephant sanctuary, hoping it will be a healing experience—but when Quinn learns about the previous abuse of the elephants she’s there to help, she’s overcome with even more grief.

While crying alone by the river one day, Quinn has a magical encounter with an adult elephant. She marvels at the elephant’s show of compassion, and they develop a strong connection. But when an orphaned baby elephant, also grieving her mother’s death, arrives at the sanctuary in fragile health, Quinn is afraid to get involved. To help save the baby elephant’s life, she must be courageous and use her newfound ability to connect with the elephants—not to mention accept the support of her new human friends. If she can channel her grief into action, she just might find the community and support she’s been missing. But can she find the courage to do it?

You can purchase Elephant Touch at the following Retailers:

        

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you SUSAN R. GREENWAY for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive a Copy of Elephant Touch by Susan R. Greenway.

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September 2024 Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Event

BOOK NERD

September 2024 Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Event
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Wish You Weren't Here by Erin Baldwin - Storytellers BOX (June 2024)

Juliette doesn’t hate Priya Pendley.

At least, not in the way teen movies say she should hate the hot popular girl. They don’t do cat fights, love triangles, or betrayal. To survive their intertwined small town lives, they agree to a truce: complete group projects without fighting, don’t gossip to mutual friends, and stand on opposite sides of photos so it’s easy to crop each other out.

Priya seems to have everything during the school year—social media stardom, the handsome track captain boyfriend, and millions of adoring fans. And Juliette is at peace with that, because she has Fogridge Sleepaway Camp, the one place she never feels like “too much.”

But Juliette’s dreams of five Priya-free weeks in paradise are shattered when her rival shows up on move-in day... as her cabinmate, no less. Juliette is determined to enjoy her final summer at camp, even if it means (gag) tolerating Priya Pendley, but fate seems has other plans. If Juliette can’t find something to like about her situation—and about Priya—she risks hating the only home she’s ever had, right before she says goodbye to it forever.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Stories make our everyday life that much more interesting. The JeanBookNerd Storytellers BOX has been fostered to bring forth the magic of Storytelling.

Whether it be a book, film, television show, or any form of storytelling art, our Storytellers BOX will guide you to your next story adventure.

The JeanBookNerd Storytellers BOX is issued each month. We offer monthly subscriptions/non subscription to ensure your adventure is nonstop. Can t get enough? Take advantage of our 3 and 6 month plans. We are now offering book only monthly subscription.

Each month will feature a new adventure that will be delivered to your door.

GIVEAWAY - $20 Amazon Gift Card and $20 Storytellers BOX Gift Card

The JeanBookNerd Storytellers BOX is your ticket to a great adventure each and every month. We are working with incredible storytellers to curating a box that will compliment your next story adventure.

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Olesya Salnikova Gilmore Interview - The Haunting of Moscow House

Photo Credit: Nicola Levine

Olesya Salnikova Gilmore is the author of The Witch and the Tsar. Originally from Moscow, she was raised in the US and graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in English/political science, and from Northwestern School of Law with a JD. She practiced litigation at a large law firm for several years before pursuing her dream of becoming an author. Now she is happiest writing speculative historical fiction inspired by Eastern European history and folklore. Her work has appeared in LitHub, Tor.com, Historical Novels Review, Bookish, Washington Independent Review of Books, among others. She lives in a wooded, lakeside suburb of Chicago with her husband and daughter.

        

Greatest thing you learned at school. 

How to work hard.

When/how did you realize you had a creative dream or calling to fulfill? 

When I was working sun up to sun down reviewing documents as a young attorney at a large law firm, I realized I was writing scraps of a story on any break I could find because I needed more creativity in my life.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published. 

Readers telling me they loved my story, that it spoke to them in some way and left them thinking and dreaming.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to have a life in writing? 

Hard work, perseverance, and passion, probably in that order!

What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book? 

Lack of time, and then imposter syndrome and doubt in the wake of my debut’s release.

What chapter was the most memorable to write and why? 

*The* graveyard scene; for those who’ve read the book, you know why. Teaser: I didn’t think I could write a racy sexy scene, so I wrote a disturbing *and* racy scene and had a blast writing it.

Has reading a book ever changed your life? Which one and why, if yes? 

Every book that I read changes my life in some way, but the one that comes to mind is Madeline Miller’s Circe. It’s the book that convinced me I could re-imagine the story of the maligned Slavic witch of legend, Baba Yaga. This book got me my agent, my publisher, my debut experience, and now book 2! It has (thus far) allowed me to write for a living, which I am very thankful for.

Can you tell us when you started THE HAUNTING OF MOSCOW HOUSE, how that came about? 

The idea for the novel started as a pitch to my editor, when she asked me what I would be working on for Book 2, which was part of my contract for my debut novel. Before I received an offer, I was exploring various story ideas, from fantasy and horror to straight historical fiction, when I came upon two old Russian aristocratic families—the Sheremetevs and the Golitsyns. Specifically, two sisters of the Sheremetev family, who were forced to live in the attic of their Moscow ancestral home in the post-Revolutionary years while a group of Soviet students moved in. This story lent itself to gothic fiction, and I was immediately entranced by the fascinating tension between the fallen yet not so dead past and the stark present of a new regime trying to erase what came before.

What were your feelings when your first novel was accepted/when you first saw the cover of the finished product? 

It’s a surreal experience! I remember just lying on the floor, looking up at the ceiling, thinking I did it. Then, I wonder what happens when your dream comes true. It turns out, you live the dream by continuing your work! And when I saw the cover, I was overwhelmed by how my idea now has a face, a name, an entire story. An identity. It truly is magic.
What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your characters? I can never get over the magical fact that once you know your characters as an author, eerily, hauntingly, they begin to have their own minds and make their own decisions. They begin to write the story themselves.

TEN RANDOM FACTS ABOUT THE HAUNTING OF MOSCOW HOUSE

• The novel started out in first person past tense. I changed it to third person present tense in Draft 2, and it was easily the most painful revision I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Pro tip: decide on a POV/tense before you start to write and really think about it, so you avoid the hell that I went through.
• The sisters’ aunt had her own point of view along with the sisters at the beginning. It had been a mix of the present and the past. Though she was A BLAST to write, I quickly realized for a book that was already complex, this would definitely be overkill.
• Some of the characters of my fictional family have the same names as my real-life family (Alexander, Irina, Sergei, Katerina, and Natasha). Since this is a novel about family, I thought it would be a sweet nod to them.
• I almost didn’t include the American Relief Administration into the story. I didn’t know how to blend it with the haunted house piece of the storyline, until I received my editor’s developmental edits, then spoke to her, then thought about it, and finally figured out a way that I could maybe do it. Spoiler alert: I did do it; it is up to you if it works!
• I rewrote this book at least twice, the second revision an almost near total rewrite.
• Before I saw the cover, the color of Moscow House was yellow; after I saw it, I loved how there were hints of the Hermitage Palace in the coloring and style of my haunted house, and I changed it in the book to teal for that reason.
• I loved working on the chapter titles; I’ve never done them before and thought they were a lot of fun to write.
• Except for the sisters, my favorite characters in the novel are Uncle Pasha and Nicky.
• My biggest challenge with the creation of the sisters was initially making them sound, feel, and behave differently from each other, especially based on their significant age gap and differing personalities. This was also the first time I tried a double POV. It was only through many, many edits that I began to have a handle on how to accomplish this.
• The original gothic story I was going to write before I got the idea for Moscow House was supposed to be set in Russia just after the Napoleonic Wars. It was about a girl whose father died, thereby forcing her to get married to a man/former officer in the army with a ruined, half-burned down house in the countryside, a dead brother and sister-in-law, and secrets about his role in their deaths, as well as in the war. I might still do it!

What is the first job you have had? 

First nonofficial job: I helped my parents with their Russian art and gift business. First official job: Abercrombie & Fitch (I’m a millennial, what do you expect? ;))

What is your happiest childhood memory? 

There are so many! But cooking with my grandmother, reading with my dad’s dad, exploring Moscow with my mom’s dad, then exploring the US with my parents, and thinking up elaborate backstories of our Barbies with my sister are all at the top of the list.

What was your favorite subject when you were in school and why? 

English; it’s the only subject that wasn’t work for me. I’d just read and read and read, then write and write and write, and be completely content.

What decade during the last century would you have chosen to be a kid? 

Probably the 1920s, but instead of Russia, in the US, or maybe in Paris.

Name one thing you miss about being a kid. 

I miss the family that has passed on—my grandparents most of all. That is partially why I wrote Moscow House!

Best date you've ever had? 

Every date on my honeymoon with my husband. We spent two glorious weeks traveling around Greece, from Santorini to Mykonos to Athens. Romance, ancient history, Mediterranean food, and the sea. What more could a girl ask for?

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? 

Has my daughter woken up yet, or do I have five more minutes?

What is your most memorable travel experience? 

I love to travel, so every place I’ve been to is memorable in some way. But probably Greece because it doesn’t get better than the honeymoon!

Which would you choose, true love with a guarantee of a heart break or have never loved before?

Heartbreak. Been there, done that, lived through it, and most importantly, was able to learn what I didn’t want to find love later with the person I did want.

When you looked in the mirror first thing this morning, what was the first thing you thought? 

I think it was something along the lines of, hm, I don’t look half bad. Ha!

What do you usually think about right before falling asleep? 

The latest audiobook I fall asleep listening to.

If you had to go back in time and change one thing, if you HAD to, even if you had “no regrets” what would it be? 

I would change a lot of things! But I think one thing that particularly comes to mind is that I would have left a bad relationship much sooner.

If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go? 

Sometimes, I miss my childhood, miss the people in it and how carefree it was, how everything was in front of you, but when it comes down to it, I don’t think I’d go back. I really love my life now—my family, my work, letting loose and doing more fun things than I had before when I worked 24/7.

What event in your life would make a good movie? 

Good is a relative term, but probably my failed first relationship. It was . . . very soapy and dramatic.

What is one unique thing are you afraid of? 

Vomiting and centipedes.

When was the last time you told someone you loved them? 

I told my husband I loved him last night, or maybe this morning. We make sure to use the L word with each other and our daughter as often as possible.

What were you doing the last time you really had a good laugh? 

I think I was on the couch with my husband, and we were likely watching tv, when he said something incredibly ridiculous and at the same time, irresistible, as he is wont to do, and then gasping laughter ensued.

Which incident in your life that totally changed the way you think today? 

Actually, a trip to France with my husband, and unfortunately not a great one. It happened about half a year before I left the law. Imagine the South of France, a romantic getaway, and I cannot sleep or eat. I feel sick to my stomach. It turned out I was having a severe anxiety attack, prompted by overwork and the stress of my life as a lawyer. It changed what I wanted out of life, how I wanted to live my life, and what I wanted to do with it.

In this elegant gothic horror tale set in post-revolutionary Russia, two formerly aristocratic sisters race to uncover their family’s long-buried secrets in a house haunted by a past dangerous—and deadly—to remember.

It is the summer of 1921, and a group of Bolsheviks have taken over Irina and Lili Goliteva’s ancestral home in Moscow, a stately mansion falling into disrepair and decay. The remaining members of their family are ordered to move into the cramped attic, while the officials take over an entire wing of grand rooms downstairs. The sisters understand it is the way of things and know they must forget their noble upbringing to make their way in this new Soviet Russia. But the house begins to whisper of a traumatic past not as dead as they thought.

Eager to escape it and their unwelcome new landlords, Irina and Lili find jobs with the recently arrived American Relief Administration, meant to ease the post-revolutionary famine in Russia. For the sisters, the ARA provides much-needed food and employment, as well as a chance for sensible Irina to help those less fortunate and artistic Lili to express herself for a good cause. It might just lead them to love, too.

But at home, the spirits of their deceased family awaken, desperate to impart what really happened to them during the Revolution. Soon one of the officials living in the house is found dead. Was his death caused by something supernatural, or by someone all too human? And are Irina and Lili and their family next? Only unearthing the frightening secrets of Moscow House will reveal all. But this means the sisters must dig deep into a past no one in Russia except the dead are allowed to remember.

You can purchase The Haunting of Moscow House at the following Retailers:

        

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you OLESYA SALNIKOVA GILMORE for making this giveaway possible.

Winner will receive a Copy of The Haunting of Moscow House by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore.

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Fiona Barton Interview - Talking to Strangers

Photo Content from Fiona Barton

Fiona Barton, the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow and The Child, trains and works with journalists all over the world. Previously, she was a senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at the Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards.

      

Greatest thing you learned at school.
How to read. My wonderful teachers opened a portal to a million different worlds and characters that still charm and absorb me today. I had the great good fortune to have my form room in the school library, where Sister Ursula IBVM pressed new books into our eager hands. I am now doing the same with my five grandchildren.

Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of your genre?
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier awakened a hunger for psychological thrillers in me when I was a teenager. I’d been a slave to Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie for years, hunting the red herrings and guessing the murderers. But Rebecca did something else. I was in the head of the second Mrs de Winter from those iconic first lines; chilled and intrigued by the menacing undertow of the terrible secret that lurks in every room of Manderley, the family mansion. At times Rebecca is a psychological thriller, a tragic love story, at others, a Gothic horror, but it is as tense, unsettling and compelling today as it was when Daphne du Maurier wrote it in 1938. It is a masterpiece with an unsolved murder at its heart and the scariest housekeeper ever created. What’s not to like?

My favourite out my genre? So, so hard to choose – it’s like picking a favourite child… but I am going to go with Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel for the brilliance and vividness of her story-telling. She broke so many rules – and was criticized by some – but I was in her world from page one. It is a compelling portrait of the doomed marriage of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Their partnership is one of the best known and examined in history but Mantel makes their relationship and the adulterous and political secrets that destroy it as accessible and immediate as an episode of Succession. Of course, no one actually loses their head in Succession.

Has reading a book ever changed your life? Which one and why, if yes?
I read Kate Atkinson’s When Will There Be Good News? in 2008 and it blew me away. It showed me the power and possibilities of a story told by many and gave me the confidence to try for myself. The opening is stunning – a jewel of a short story in its own right – and I turn to it when writer’s doubt weighs me down. It re-ignites something in me as a reader and an author and I owe Kate Atkinson a huge debt of gratitude.

Can you tell us when you started TALKING TO STRANGERS, how that came about?
The idea for Talking to Strangers started with a chance conversation over a dinner table a few years ago. A friend of a friend – a woman in her fifties – told me she was loving dating online and had a date the next day with a stranger on Salisbury Plain – a vast, remote area near Stonehenge. ‘He’s sent me the map co-ordinates,’ she said, all lit up with the excitement of it
I told her her date was clearly an axe murderer with a shovel in the boot of his car. But she went anyway (survived but no second date). Meeting ‘The One’ was clearly worth the risk - and it is the norm now for many of my friends. Some have fallen in love and had fairytale weddings. But not all. As a writer, I loved the uncertainty, the room for deception, the danger people may put themselves in to find their happy ending.

What were your feelings when your first novel was accepted/when you first saw the cover of the finished product?
It was completely surreal. I was working abroad – training journalists in Myanmar in a completely different time zone – when my agent sent out my manuscript to publishers. It all happened so quickly that I felt as if I was watching it happen to someone else in front of me. I fell in love with the cover of The Widow immediately. Those dying lilies entwined in the title were perfect.

Meet the Characters
DI ELISE KING is a successful and ambitious Major Crime Team detective, her job is at the centre of everything. At 44, she has it all under control: her career path and a partner she believes wants the same things. But, the sudden break-up of their relationship, a move to a small seaside town and a diagnosis of breast cancer turn her life and sense of self upside down. Now she is struggling with the brain fog left over from her chemotherapy and fearful she is no longer up to her job.

KIKI NUNN was once a top reporter in mainstream media but gave it up to bring up her daughter, alone. She now writes dross for a news website to pay the mortgage and dreams of finding a way back to her once shining career. Kiki is impulsive and determined – a tricky combo when she finds herself hunting down a killer.

ANNIE CURTIS’s son was murdered when he was eight and she wasn’t paying attention. She has lived a double life ever since – smiley Annie, wife and mum of two, popular doctor’s receptionist on automatic pilot but ‘in her head, she was a mad woman. Shrieking like a banshee – like she had that day – as images and memories uncoiled and vomited their poison.’

KAREN SIMMONS is dead. Killed on Valentine’s night as she searched for love. She’s a bubbly hairdresser who runs a singles group in her home town and takes her hunt for The One totally seriously, dreaming of marriage and researching fertility for women in their forties.

What is the first job you have had?
Washing people’s hair at a local hairdresser on a Saturday when I was 14.

What was your favorite subject when you were in school and why?
English Literature because I has two inspirational teachers (chapeau Sisters Ursula and Domenica) and reading was all I wanted to do in school or out.

Name one thing you miss about being a kid.
French skipping with an elastic rope. Hours of mindless fun.

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?
My next chapter. I write first thing in the morning before the day can get away from me.

Which would you choose, true love with a guarantee of a heart break or have never loved before?
True love and heartbreak. Too tragic never to have loved. You haven’t lived if you haven’t loved.

When you looked in the mirror first thing this morning, what was the first thing you thought?
Unrepeatable…

What do you usually think about right before falling asleep?
Is the front door locked?

First Love?
George Harrison. My best friend Carol and I were married to members of the Beatles when we were kids. She chose John Lennon. I cried when George married someone else…

First Heartbreak
George Harrison (see above!)

What is your most memorable travel experience?
The Grand Canyon. We took the kids on a USA road trip and I can still remember driving through the park gates and catching a glimpse of the canyon through the trees. We stopped the car and ran through the woods to stand on the edge. It was the most dramatic landscape I had ever seen. And it still gives me goosebumps.

Detective Elise King’s investigation into a woman’s murder is getting derailed by a reporter who insists on doing her own investigation in this nail-biting mystery from the author of Local Gone Missing.

When Karen Simmons is murdered on Valentine’s Day, Detective Elise King wonders if she was killed by a man she met online. Karen was all over the dating apps, leading some townspeople to blame her for her own death, while others band together to protest society’s violence against women. Into the divide comes Kiki Nunn, whose aggressive newsgathering once again antagonizes Elise.

A single mother of a young daughter, Kiki is struggling to make a living in the diminished news landscape. Getting a scoop in the Simmons murder would do a lot for her career, and she’s willing to go up against not just Elise but the killer himself to do it.

You can purchase Talking to Strangers at the following Retailers:

        

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you FIONA BARTON for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive a Copy of Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

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KCON USA - Review

Photo Credit: KCON

ABOUT KCON

KCON is the world's No.1 K-culture festival celebrating Korean culture and music. Since launching in 2012, it has been leading the expansion of K-culture across the globe for 12 years and broadened its reach, going from 10,000 attendees in its first year to garnering 140,000 fans at KCON LA 2023. KCON has established its footing as a tentpole event series, taking place across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America and has been providing the largest forum for fans to directly connect with each other, artists and professionals from the Korean entertainment industry.

ROWOON

Photo Credit: KCON

People from all around the world travel to Southern California to immerse themselves in KCON—the world largest three-day festival. This convention that took place at Crypto Arena, Convention Center, and Gilbert Lindsay Plaza was not to be missed!

The attendees stepped into a captivating journey through the vibrant tapestry of Korean culture, showcasing the very best of K-beauty, K-food, and K-pop. From the moment you walked in, the immersive experience celebrated Korea's rich heritage and modern flair in equal measure.

Kim Soo Hyun

Photo Credit: KCON

The K-beauty exhibits were a standout feature, offering an unparalleled glimpse into the world of innovative skincare and cosmetics. The array of products ranged from luxurious sheet masks to cutting-edge serums, all embodying the meticulous attention to detail that defines Korean beauty.

Besides getting free skincare samples of new and upcoming popular brands, the attendees received samples of the spread of Korean snacks and foods, making it a memorable highlight for food enthusiasts.

BOY NEXT DOOR

Photo Credit: KCON

The K-pop segment was nothing short of electrifying. Fans were treated to exhilarating performances by some of the genre's most dynamic artists, with each act bringing their unique style and charisma to the stage. The energy and passion of the performances perfectly captured the global phenomenon that is K-pop. Beyond the performances, the event offered exclusive meet-and-greets and engaging discussions with artists, further deepening the connection between fans and their idols.

KEP1ER

Photo Credit: KCON

The global sensation of KCON owes its success to the unwavering passion and dedication of its fans. Their fervent support and enthusiasm create an electric atmosphere and continuously elevates the event to new heights.

Overall, KCON was an extraordinary. It masterfully blended the best of K-beauty, K-food, and K-pop into a seamless, unforgettable experience, leaving attendees not only entertained, but also deeply appreciative of Korea's rich culture.

Until next year …

Photo Credit: KCON

ABOUT CJ ENM

CJ ENM is a leading entertainment company founded in Korea in 1995. CJ ENM's Entertainment division is engaged in a wide range of industry business areas, including media content, music, film and performing arts, providing its leading original content to various media platforms around the world. CJ ENM has created, produced and distributed globally-acclaimed content, including Oscar-winning film Parasite, Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots, record-breaking Korean films including Roaring Currents and TV series such as Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, I Can See Your Voice and more. United under the slogan We live to discover Untold Originals, CJ ENM has three major production and distribution studios: drama production powerhouse Studio Dragon, U.S.-based studio Fifth Season and K-OTT content production studio CJ ENM STUDIOS. CJ ENM also presents KCON, world's No.1 K-Culture festival, and MAMA AWARDS, the world's No.1 K-pop awards, in order to bring K-culture experiences to people all over the world.

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Patricia Leavy Interview - The Location Shoot

Photo Content from Patricia Leavy

Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College. She has published more than forty books; her work has been translated into many languages, and she has received more than forty book honors. She has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” Leavy currently resides in Kennebunk, Maine.

        

  

When/how did you realize you had a creative dream or calling to fulfill?
I’ve known this since I was a little girl. My mother recently found some of my earliest “books.” Not only did I write and illustrate my stories, I also bound them with old wallpaper to make them look like proper books. The oldest one my mother found is from when I was six years old. Creativity, and writing specifically, have always been my passion and I believe my calling. But I wasn’t brave when I was young. Being a creative requires exposing yourself to endless rejection and critique. Moreso, the criticism is over the thing you love most, that you’ve poured your soul into. I didn’t think I could handle it, so despite it being my passion, I chose a different career path. Over time, I found myself knocking at the back door of the fiction publishing world. Eventually I realized that life is short, and I needed to follow my dream.

Why is storytelling so important for all of us?
Stories connect us. We feel less alone. We see ourselves reflected in the pages. We also see the possibilities of who we might become. Storytelling is a way of documenting the real world and our experiences of it. Storytelling is also a way of reimaging how things might be.

Can you tell us when you started THE LOCATION SHOOT, how that came about?
I wrote it during the lockdown. Like many of us, I was feeling isolated, lonely, anxious, depressed. Life felt scary. We couldn’t even hug a loved one without existential fear. I wanted to escape to someplace joyful, romantic, and creative. I was watching a movie and Elton John’s song “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” came on and all of a sudden, I was watching a scene play out in my mind—a group of actors and a filmmaker in an inn, having a drink, and a beautiful woman walks in, and dances with the filmmaker to that song. I could see it clear as day. I didn’t see anything in the movie on the screen after that, only the story playing out in my mind. The next morning, I began writing the novel. I started with that scene. I realized that the novel was about a group of actors making a film over a summer and living together in seclusion. Romance is my favorite genre to write, so I knew it would be a love story between one of the actors and the filmmaker’s friend, who he invited to join them for the shoot. Due to the pandemic, I was thinking about the big questions of life, and so my heroine, Ella Sinclair, became a philosopher and the film became about the meaning of life.

What chapter was the most memorable to write and why?
There are two. There’s a scene where Ella and Finn have a romantic night in her room at the inn. He has a special meal sent to her room and they end up taking a candlelit bubble bath and talking about their dreams for the future. I love this scene so much—the sweetness of it—and it turned out, unbeknownst to me at the time, it paved the way for more books about these characters. Another favorite was when the actors, filmmaker, and Ella all talk about her book manuscript, a provocative philosophical treatise on sex. The conversation between Ella and Jean, the filmmaker, is hysterical. It was so much fun to write.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to have a life in writing?
Develop a relationship with your writing that isn’t dependent on anything external, positive or negative. And allow readers to develop their own relationship with your work, which really isn’t any of your business.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
Getting to write every single day. There have been countless other amazing experiences, from profoundly moving emails, letters, and in-person messages from readers that have touched me deeply, to the opportunity to travel the world speaking about my books, writing, and the arts. I’m grateful for all of it, but at the end of the day being published transforms you from a writer to an author. As an author, I have the privilege of doing the thing I love the most in this world every day: writing.

Your Favorite Quotes/Scenes from THE LOCATION SHOOT
The following is an excerpt from a scene when Finn and Ella are taking a stroll around the inn, after dinner. They are smitten with each other but have yet to act on their feelings. They’re discussing the filmmaker, Jean Mercier, known for his avant-garde, cinematic films, and his many affairs. I like this scene because it reveals a lot about who Ella is—she’s smart and marches to her own beat. I also love discussions about art and how it relates to life.

They walked quietly for a few minutes, their hands so close they were millimeters from touching. Finn finally broke the silence and said, “That was funny how you called Jean out for sleeping with his cleaning woman.”

“I doubt it’s much of a secret. Everyone knows what he’s like.”

“He has a bit of a reputation for how he treats women. You’re such a strong person and you two are friends. I was wondering what you thought as a woman.”

“People want simple answers, but life is complex. He’s created some of the greatest, most interesting, sensitive, and provocative roles for women in the history of cinema. There’s a reason so many actresses are dying to work with him. And yet, he can be quite a piece of shit to women in his own life. Tell me, which is better: the male director who never casts women or does so only in clichéd, trivial ways but may be a hell of a good guy in private, or the man who creates professional opportunities for women that wouldn’t otherwise exist and gives the collective imaginary new, powerful representations of women, but uses up women in his personal life as if they were pieces of gum he was chewing until the flavor runs out?”

“Wow,” Finn muttered. “I don’t know how to respond.”

“That’s my point. When these are the choices, what’s the answer? How do we define morality? Who’s a good guy? Who’s a bad guy? What matters, life or art? How are they related? What’s public and what’s private? Despite what many claim, it’s rarely as simple as we might wish. Life is textured.” She paused and said, “As for me, I adore Jean as a friend and as an artist, but you’d never catch me in bed with him.”

Here's another excerpt. The group has dinner at the inn each night. I loved writing the conversations thar ensued. You get a glimpse into each character, and you see how their friendships develop. They also talk about ideas—big topics—and it was through these scenes that many “big” ideas were woven into the novel. The following short excerpt is from right after Albie, British veteran of stage and screen in his 70s, tells the group about meeting his wife of forty years, the love of his life. These are his words about love. I’ve chosen this excerpt because the novel is very much about love, and I think this captures it.

“True love is the greatest gift in the world; one mustn’t squander it or be foolish enough to think it will simply wait until it obliges our schedules.”

“So, it really was love at first sight,” Charlotte said wistfully.

“Indeed. Anyone who tells you that love at first sight isn’t real, well, those unlucky bastards have just never experienced it. Take it from an old fucker like me: when you get hit by lightning, you surrender to it. All the details, the little things you don’t know about each other, you’ll learn those over time, and if you really love each other, most of it won’t matter. There’s no replacing that inexplicable, inconvenient, all-encompassing feeling of love. Standing there in that moment, holding that slice of pie, I knew I couldn’t live without her. These days, people court each other like they’re applying for a job or running through a checklist. But this is where the artists—the poets, the novelists, the filmmakers—have always known better: true love has no reason.”

What is the first job you have had?
Babysitting.

What was your favorite subject when you were in school and why?
English because I loved creative writing. When I was in the 5th grade, my teacher exempt me from some assignments to allow me to write fiction. I tried to write a novel, but since I was only 10 years old, it didn’t pan out.

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?
I am an artist. It’s a part of my daily gratitude practice.

Which would you choose, true love with a guarantee of a heart break or have never loved before?
True love. Always choose love. Disappointment is better than regret.

If you had to go back in time and change one thing, if you HAD to, even if you had “no regrets” what would it be?
I would have been braver when I was younger and pursued being a novelist earlier in my career.

What is one unique thing are you afraid of?
Boredom. Luckily, I’m a novelist. When the real world isn’t doing it for me, I create my own story worlds to crawl into.

What is the weirdest thing you have seen in someone else’s home?
Framed poster size photographs of themselves. In leu of art, this woman lined her living room with massive photos of herself. For real.

When was the last time you told someone you loved them?
Today.

What were you doing the last time you really had a good laugh?
Writing a scene in one of my novels. Honestly, most days you can find me at my computer either laughing hysterically or bawling my eyes out, muttering to myself, “That’s so good.”

Controversial filmmaker Jean Mercier is shooting a film on location in Sweden. While spending the summer creating his latest work of cinematic art, he lives in a nearby inn with his lead Albie Hughes, British veteran of stage and screen; Charlotte Reed, British indie film queen; Michael Hennesey, American TV heartthrob; Willow Barnes, fallen former teen star looking to make a comeback; and Finn Forrester, legendary Hollywood movie star. Mercier invites his friend Ella Sinclair—a beautiful, bohemian-spirited American philosopher known for her provocative writing—to stay with them for the summer. When Ella arrives, Finn is instantly enchanted by her, and soon they fall madly in love. Finn wants to plan a life together, but Ella harbors fears and convinces him to wait until the film wraps to decide their future. In a case of life imitating art, the film they are creating explores “the big questions” and prompts the stars to reflect on the crossroads they face in their own lives. How will their experiences on location affect them when they return home? The answers won’t come until months later, when the cast and crew reconvene on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival—but their revelation will make for one unforgettable night.

You can purchase The Location Shoot at the following Retailers:

        

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you PATRICIA LEAVY for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive a Copy of The Location Shoot by Patricia Leavy.

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