Pull up a chair and enjoy our chats with featured authors as well as those who stop by to share their thoughts.
Read broadly to determine the sorts of books you love best.
When you find a book you love, read it twice in a row – the first time for pure enjoyment of the story and the second time to study craft and to analyze all the reasons that book worked for you.
Sometimes you don’t figure out your voice until you’ve written several books. Once you do, protect and nurture those things that make your writing uniquely you.
Read your favorite authors. Now dissect the book. What did you like about it? Can you write something like that and yet make it your own? Make it real (include bits and pieces of everyday life in the book so that the reader can relate). Always strive to entertain your audience. Then light candles (not around a bubble bath, but in a church).
Everyone loves to fall in love. We read romance novels so that we can experience that high of falling in love over and over again. It’s addictive. When we sat down and decided we had a love story that we wanted to share, there were discussions about what we enjoy reading ourselves, but mostly about what we enjoy in our real lives.
There’s nothing else quite like that tension in the pit of your stomach when you see someone you are so instantly attracted to that you literally can’t look away. There’s also nothing that compares to reliving every second of that attraction with your best friend. We need true friendship as much as we need true love. We also need laughter… lots of it and often. If you can’t find the humor in things, you are missing out on a lot of the joy life has to offer.
Crash is the story of our fun and quirky Charli. She has an ex-boyfriend that hurt her and makes her too quick to assume the worst and she’s scared to give over her heart again. Logan is struggling with some of his life choices, but is determined to make Charli see they have a real future together. Sounds like a romance novel, right???
What we love about our book is that it is also a story of friendship. Charli and Liv are not based on ourselves (although we admit they share a few similar traits, here and there)… but their friendship is an honest portrayal of our friendship. We give each other shit about everything. We call each other awful names (with a loving smile) and laugh at each other’s small mistakes and foibles in life. But we both know, that when shit gets real… we can count on one other for ANYTHING. We wanted our readers to feel that between Charli and Liv.
The best compliment we have received about our story is that it’s funny. We love hearing that someone read it and laughed. We hope that this little “why don’t we write a little book for fun” project makes you sigh over the journey to love, have total “friend-envy” over our main girls… and laugh your ass off.
Cupcakes & Kisses from Karen
Love & Laughter from Stacey
Once upon a time, these two hookers became best friends…
Stacey Brandon and Karen Bell both live in the same small Texas town on the Gulf Coast, are happily married and the proud Moms of awesome kids. Stacey owns and runs a photography studio and Karen designs and sews her own children’s clothing line. They met over fifteen years ago when they decided to turn one large professional space into a single home for both businesses.
Well, that’s all the boring facts expected to be included in an “about the author” page, right? The reality is so much more fun. Stacey and Karen and their families spend holidays together, travel together… and generally turn every situation into something crazy and chaotic. They are both fluent in English, Sarcasm and Profanity and have decided the irrefutable proof of their best friend status is how often people assume they are “together” when in public. The poor husbands are good sports about it… and might even encourage this misconception at times for sheer entertainment value.
When Karen battled cancer… and kicked its ass… in 2014, they learned to value every day and quit worrying about what others think. Do what you love! Karen is happy to take advantage of the situation though. She loves to remind everyone she “had the CANCER, dammit!” and now she can always and forever claim the last brownie ;)
In a recent review it was suggested that this book promotes bullying. I find this insinuation insulting. I don’t deny that there is violence in it, there is. It revolves in nature. Have you ever watched a nature program that didn’t have some violence in it? I haven’t.
Written in the 60s, The Alligator & the Ducklings deals with bullying in a way that is the antithesis of how books today handle the subject. Children’s books of today all tend to lean towards the bully and the victims or victims becoming lifelong friends by the end. In reality, this doesn’t happen. The Alligator & the Ducklings handles the situation in such a way where there can be a happy ending for all creatures and people involved without inflicting harm. This is a message all children need to learn.
It’s also a message that should make them feel safe. In this book, the creatures and the townspeople came to the defense of the baby ducks. Those creatures and townspeople represent adults, you know, the ones who should protect the younger generation. What would you do if you saw a child being attack by another adult? Obviously, you would call the police, but before they arrived would you spring into action?
Another message that came through for me the first time I read this manuscript was actually aimed at bullies or would be bullies. I don’t want to spoil the ending for anyone, but I will say that it stated loud and clear what happens to bullies who are caught. And despite what you might think or what some would have you believe, the ending doesn’t come with the bully being killed. In fact, no animals were treated cruelly in this book. But don’t just take my word for it. The majority of reviews seems to feel the same way.
This book is intended for ages 8 and up.
Most people would agree that ducklings are cute. If you’re an alligator, you also think they look delicious. Will the mean alligator feast on the baby ducks or will the animals and townspeople stop him? Read this timeless tale of bullying and nature to find out.
Throughout the holiday season, Back To Basics Publishing is offering this title (and all other Children’s titles) at half price. To buy this book and take advantage of the savings, please visit the Back To Basics Publishing’s Specials page for details.
This title is also available on Amazon, where you’ll get more bang for your buck. Order the paperback and get the e-book for free 50% of all royalties earned this holiday season will be donated to St. Jude’s Research Hospital.
Buskers provide an ever-changing outdoor musical showcase with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it performances, and it comes with the friendliest of admission prices ($0!). On your next trip to San Francisco, why not get off the beaten path and go discover some great street music for yourself. Go with a date, or make a detour and check out these six locales, which are sure to be serving up some tasty musical delights. Remember, if you dig what you hear, then dig a little deeper and drop a buck in their jug for the memory, the photo, the YouTube video, because this is an experience you can’t buy at Walmart.
1) The Castro:
In one of San Francisco’s most vibrant and colorful communities, The Castro District, you will find everything from great bars, with robust and scantily clad bartenders, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a queer order of drag nuns, every sort of sex toy imaginable (and some that aren’t), and great buskers.
On weekend evenings, you can take in the sounds of The Cello String Quartet, who gather in front of Cliff’s Variety to tickle the ears of passersby. This ensemble, of classically trained professional cellists, varies in size, depending on who shows up, but the core is a group of four. They describe themselves as “Bridging the Classical and Pop music for a community that never knew how much it liked chamber music.”
During the day, you will find a rotating array of street musicians performing in front of the Wells Fargo Bank on Castro. From Roots to Rap, Country to Acapella, this is a great corner to cop a squat and grab some sweet street vibes.
2) The Mission:
There is so much going on in The Mission; from the best Burrito in the country—(scientifically proven!), to tequila bars, great thrift stores and of course, the famous murals. The music scene has always been rich in The Mission. During the seventies, The Mission was home to a lively punk music scene. Bands like The Dead Kennedy’s, The Offs and The Avengers, brought their own brand of angst to The Mission. Carlos Santana graduated from Mission HS, Jerry Garcia wrote a song about the neighborhood and reggae/hip-hop/rap and dub have all found roots here. It should come as no surprise that some of the best street music is being played here today. Wander along any mural painted alley, such as Clarion or Dore, and you will find buskers, creating magic. Along with the fantastic Mariachi Bands that perform on the color drenched streets, a recent discovery was Banda Sin Nombre, a five-piece street band from San Francisco's Mission District dedicated to performing folk music from around the world and Rin Tin Tiger, a psychedelic/punk band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bUmWzHEuEM
3) Haight/Ashbury:
Haight Street, or ‘Shakedown Street’, as the Dead called it, is well known for its musical history and culture. Janis, Jimi, The Dead, Starship, Flipper and Graham Nash are but a few who have called this funky, hippie nabe, home. It is a unique neighborhood that defines the culture of our city. People are drawn to The Haight, because they hope to catch a glimpse of some remnant of the past Summer of Love; that psychedelic era of yesterday. Indeed times have changed on The Haight, but, there are still funky vibes to be found here. The Haight is unpredictable, at best, temperamental at worst, and a little rough around the edges; which is the perfect backdrop for some of the best street sounds our city offers. As there are no defined spots that buskers perform here, you have to be willing to walk the street, peer down an alley, gawk around a corner, and stop at a stoop. You never know who you will find.
Straight from the Hardly, Strictly Bluegrass Festival, this blues musician, went straight up incognito on Haight Street:
Another great musical discovery on Haight, are The Jugtown Pirates, a psychedelic rock/bluegrass band, who define their sound as "DIRTY GRASS".
4) Hayes Valley at the Foot of the Burning Man Sculpture:
What happens to a no name, unknown neighborhood in San Francisco, after an earthquake? Well, sometimes, it gets a name and becomes one of the most desirable places to live. Such is the case of Hayes Valley. Overlooked twenty years ago, but when the Central Freeway was damaged in the 1989 earthquake and moved to ground level, Hayes Valley came into its own. There’s so much cool stuff going on here, it’s impossible to mention it all; but, a few highlights include shipping containers being converted into a rotating food, art, retail installations, Two Sisters Bar & Books, which has a monthly Books and Booze Club, where great literature meets signature cocktails, Smuggler’s Cove, a speakeasy crossed with a tiki bar, which celebrates all things rum and a most recent addition of a 37 foot tall Burning Man Sculpture erected at The Temple at Patricia’s Green. At the base of this creation, buskers gather to celebrate all things music.
5) The Ferry Building:
The Ferry Building is a must stop and see in San Francisco. Herb Caen, our beloved SF Chronicle columnist, said it simply enough; “A famous city’s most famous landmark.” One very good thing that came out of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 was the rejuvenation of the waterfront. There used to be an elevated highway running over the Embarcadero, which cut this area off from the rest of the city. The highway was damaged in the earthquake and had to be torn down, giving birth to breathtaking views and a renaissance of some of the things that make San Francisco an amazing city, case in point, The Ferry Building. This beautiful structure plays host to an amazing community of artisan food, local farmers and independently owned and operated businesses. Local wine, cheese, oils, spices, ice cream, chocolates and……buskers! There may not be a more spectacular backdrop in which to enjoy street music than here, against the salt air and sea. No matter the time of day or year, your ears will surely get tickled here.
6) Powell Street Cable Car Turnaround:
When you come to San Francisco, you definitely want to ride a cable car; you definitely do not want to ride it from the Powell Street Turnaround. Insider tip: walk a few stops up, and catch it anywhere else. However, this is the most fun place to watch cable-car operator’s leap off, grab the chassis and SLOOOOOOOWLY turn the car around on the revolving wooden platform. Cable cars can’t go in reverse, so they need to be rotated manually. There are always street musicians performing here at the turnaround. They have implemented their own honor system, rotating every two hours, so that anyone who wants a turn in this lucrative spot can. This spot definitely has the feel of a tourist hub, but above ground there are always a wide variety of street performers here; break dancers, living statues, jugglers, magicians, mimes, musicians and others. Below ground, where the BART entrance is, you will find amazing talent; ie: Melody Yan, who performs a traditional Chinese Harp. And with easy access to public transit, BART, light rail and buses, it’s an easy escape into other areas.
San Francisco is a city replete with personality, character and characters. When you visit her shores, be sure to venture out, and discover something new. You never know what might surprise you around the next corner.
Heather Jacks was raised on Indian reservation in southeastern Oregon, until age fifteen, at which time; she was chosen to be an ‘experimental exchange student’ to Australia. She went down under, with an organization called YFU, Youth for Understanding, and spent 10.5 months turning16 in the Outback. When she returned, she attended college, and received an FCC license, followed by completing a B.A. from USF and two years of study at UC Davis.
During her twenties, she traveled extensively, worked in the music industry in various capacities; radio, production, A&R, booking and eventually, landed at a new and young company, called Starbucks, where she worked on a Star Team and opened new stores in remote markets.
Music has always been her passion and during her tenure at Starbucks, she helped launch Hear Music, which today is Starbucks Music Label. Eventually, she returned to the business side of music at a major indie label, where she had a number of roles, from concert production to glorified babysitter.
An avid TV Junkie, die-hard SF Giants fiend and unapologetic Twitter practitioner, she recently won a Book of the Year Award for her multi-media project, The Noise Beneath the Apple®; A Celebration of Busking in New York City, which was inspired by her love for street music, busking and the people who make it.
She currently hangs her hat in San Francisco and am is working on the Bay Area version of the TNBTA® busker project.
The Noise Beneath the Apple® is a hardcover, Limited Edition Art-Style/Coffee Table book, presented in an elegant slipcase. It measures 12″ x 12″ and celebrates buskers and street music in New York City. It includes a history, evolution and culture of busking, photos, interviews and commentary with 35 of NYC’s prominent street musicians. A cherry red vinyl record, of 11 tracks of original music, mastered by Grammy and Academy Award winning Reuben Cohen, (Slumdog Millionaire, Frozen), is page 200. At the culmination of the project, 30 participants went to Grand Street Recording in Brooklyn, where they covered Billy Joel's hit song, New York State of Mind. A 12 minute short film and music video were created from that day and are included with the book, making this project, truly multi-media. The project won a Book of the Year Award in the category of Performing Arts & Music.
How’s it feel to be back in Beartooth, Montana for the latest story in your Montana Hamiltons series, Lucky Shot?
I love my fictional Beartooth, Montana and some of my continuing characters like Nettie and the sheriff. It’s nice to have some older characters in love. ☺
Which hot actor/actress would you fancast as Max Malone and Kat Hamilton?
I think Paul Walker for Max and Emily Blunt for Kat.
Will new discoveries about Sarah Hamilton bring the family closer together or drive them apart?
LOL, we don’t know do we? ☺ That’s what makes writing this series so much fun. The more I learn about Sarah, the more I’m just not sure about that woman. She’s been such a fun character and will continue to be I believe right to the end of the series. ☺ That’s all I can tell you. Other than, more is revealed about Sarah with each book right to The End.
Buckmaster Hamilton goes through a lot in this story. How has his character developed over the course of the series?
Buck is a good man. He has been through a lot, but I believe that he wants the best for his family – and the country. I don’t think he always goes about fixing things the right way. Like all of us, he has regrets. Also he thinks he could have done a better job raising his daughters than he did. But we all feel that way at times. His one weakness is his love for Sarah.
Which of the Hamilton sisters is most likely to get you in trouble?
All six of them have been a handful, let me tell you. ☺ They are all so different. I can see myself in all of them. I love Kat because she says what she thinks. That’s why most of the family would rather not ask her opinion on anything. ☺ She’s...prickly – less so after Max comes into her life. We’ve all known someone like her who has secrets that make her pull away from other people.
Which sister is most like you?
LOL, that is a good question. I think I’m in all of them. Maybe especially Bo in Lone Rider. I’d like to think I could be tough when I needed to be.
But right now I’m writing the last book of the series, HONOR BOUND, and I can see myself in Ainsley. She is the oldest, the one everyone has leaned on for years. Something happens that makes her realize she’s never really cut loose and lived. I love that in her. I think we all would like to throw caution to the wind sometimes and just do what feels good – no matter the consequences. So, yeah, I’m like Ainsley at times. ☺
Which sister frustrates you the most?
Olivia from WILD HORSES. I wanted her to stop crying and toughen up. ☺ And she did. I can’t imagine what she went through at the beginning of the book, how traumatic that was for her or how terrifying. There is nothing worse than the possibility of losing the man you love. She needed to grow up and she did.
Which sister is most likely to surprise us all?
Ainsley in HONOR BOUND. I think once we decide to stop being the Old Us, anything can happen. ☺
What can we expect for the next Montana Hamiltons story?
I had fun writing HARD RAIN (out in March) because I got to know the first twin, Harper. I also got to “dig up” more about the Hamilton family and expose more of Sarah. I love the idea of old secrets coming back to haunt us. And there is nothing like a body turning up to do that. ☺
Then we meet Cassidy, the other identical twin, in INTO DUST (July), who has spent her life distancing herself from the family because she wants to be her own person. All that will be behind her when her mother’s past and The Prophecy change her life forever. This was a fun one.
What are you working on next?
I’m finishing up the series with HONOR BOUND, Ainsley’s story and the cowboy/agent who rides into her life. We finally find out everything about Sarah and have to say goodbye to the Hamiltons. Boo hoo. It won’t be easy. I’ve come to love them all.
But I will be starting a new six-book series called, GILT EDGE. I’m taking several characters from Beartooth with me, Nettie and Sheriff Curry. I think readers will love the new family and their secrets and the danger that is right out their backdoor.
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