Talkin' Tuesday with Arlene Webb!

I'm happy to announce that 70% of my home is now painted! It's only a matter of two week before we're back in. Ohhhhh, thank goodness. I can't wait to have my office, a decent size kitchen and the kids back in their own rooms. It is a amazing how us writers do keep on writing no matter what the conditions on. The impulse is just too powerful to resist. :)

Today on Talkin' Tuesday I have the spunky Arlene Webb. She came to visit and had my side hurting from laughter, as she will have yours, too! 

-What's your favorite read & series?

AW-I plead the fifth. I have many authors I love and admire and I just downloaded a new one. A novel about a woman guilted into returning home, mean siblings, absent dad, and a yummy neighbor has me intrigued. The good news, I think there’s only a couple ahead of Divine Turmoil on my kindle.

OMG You're soooo sweet! Let me know how you enjoy it. There's a really good cabana scene. *winks*

-There was quite a few of you growing up. Did all of you read?

AW-Nah. My siblings are illiterate. I was the loner who carried Mark Twain into the apple tree, precariously balanced on the laziest pony who wouldn’t move while my sister’s horse went places, and of course used the flashlight under the covers. My mom’s a reader. She always had books around, from Tolkien, Homer, to romance novels she tried hiding.

LOL Did you sneak a peak at the romance novels? Was Fabio on the cover? *fans myself*

-Too organized Plotter or Maniac Panster?

AW-I can’t organize myself into a grocery store, let along a book. Always character driven, without a clue until I write myself into a dark hole and have to brood my way out.

-It seems you were a little wild when younger. (I really like you!) Let's see...skipping employee meetings, employee gambling at the dog tracks and refusing to use live rabbits as bait (Good for you!)...What's the Funniest/Craziest thing you've ever done?

AW-Ahh, thank you. And I knew you’d be an interesting person the moment I read your sparkling signature, Rebecca. Off the top of my head? I once said the hell with escaping work for a reasonable amount of time, got up at 4 am, threw two ten-year-olds into the car, and drove from upstate NY to the Florida keys on a mission. Keylime pie. We ate pie early the next afternoon, shrugged and agreed it tasted no different than NY made, and went snorkeling. Then rolled out at 4 am and trucked back. My nephew chewed though packs of gum throughout South Carolina, spitting out the window after the flavor had gone, and then a massive spit when we crossed into North Carolina and I threatened to kill him.

"Road trip!" I yell to my kids. 

"Where we going Mom?"

"Have no clue but you need to be AIS in ten!" (AIS= ass..in..seat)

"Yeah!!!!!" 

-Is there any thing we all would be shocked to know about you?

AW-No. I imagine I’m pretty typical. I don’t do well in large gatherings unless they’re writer groups, would rather eat broiled liver than be in the spotlight.

I like liver. Especially cooked with bacon. YUMMMMY
 

For Fun

Paperback or ebooks? 

Both.

Independent kitty cat or adoring lovable dog?

Dog.

Great cook or master at ordering take out? 

Queen of the microwave.

Sexy in flannel nightwear or hopin' to get lucky silk? 

T-shirt and panties.

What's your biggest pet-peeve, in the world, that makes you want to beat something/someone?

Not beat someone/something, but pull the trigger for a fast kill. Hate abuse of animal, people, insects, and I’ve exterminated zillions of bugs as a plant grower, but chemical or smashed, no ripped wings. I did wonder about houseflies I suck into the cute little shop vac my dad got me, but if a slow starvation assuming they make it through the fan thingee marks me for damnation, oh well. I can write through chaos, but buzzing even in the next room finds me murderous.

You're a nut! LOL

 

Back to Work

-Are you insanely organized or are notes written on everything?

AW-I’m pathetically disorganized. I have notes written in word docs and tossed into folders so that I can never remember where.

                                                                                                                      

-What's the biggest misconception people have about you & your writing?

AW-That I know what I’m doing.

I can only think of one other profession where 'faking it' is not only acceptable,  but becoming a professional liar, along with it, is a must. *giggles* I love my job!

 

-Do you ever get so overwhelmed you want to quit?

AW-God, yes.

-You have quite a few books coming out this year including the fourth and final book in your The Colors series. How ya feeling?  

AW-Gut twisting panic. I haven’t written the first draft of book four yet. 

-Are you like totally jumping up and down, or what?  

AW-More like curling into a ball and sobbing. 

-Give us a little background on "the colorful premise that launched my path into the world of writing..."

AW-After a tornado took out the greenhouse where I grew ornamental crops for wholesale, I worked retail and almost died of boredom. As a florist, I’m surrounded by color and I wondered what it’d be like to view the world through a specific wavelength.

The premise of The Color series is simple, but quite complicated thanks to a large character cast. With seven characters of color (five introduced in book one), they all have vibrant personalities. OCD, superman syndrome, sociopath, generalized anxiety, etc. The colors bond to the first person that’s kind to them, and the story is told from alien and human point of view. Science nerds interested in twisted physics, adults who enjoy a read with flawed characters that must learn to cooperate or all will be lost, and those who like layers of romance making vulnerable aliens even more human, should enjoy the series.

I've never heard of anything like this. It's really neat!

 

-What's the writing no-no that makes you want to scream?

AW-I can unhappily tolerate the most unpolished of reads, but I hate it when the clichés pile up and I find myself skimming thanks to repetitive detail.

-Any advice for aspiring writers?

AW-Don’t start, and if you do, never give up.

LMAO RIGHT!! You'll have all these voice in your head that won't stop talking! And then, you start talking back!

-Oh...one more question! Have you been able to get to the store and buy dish soap yet? LOL Loved that story and I think the readers would, too. :) 

AW-Ha ha. No store, I swiped lime scented green stuff from my parent’s house. I lived in Arizona for years, where creepy crawlers come out at night. (On a side note, did you know that cockroaches have wings in New Orleans?) Many moons later, I still find it difficult to leave dishes until the next day. (Rebecca refers to a recent blog post about dreams coming true and my first print novel (Ashes, MuseitUp publishing) in hand.

Cockroaches have wings? Eeewwww. 

 

Thank you, Rebecca, for the opportunity to visit with you. Chatting Tuesday is such fun!

I loved having you Arlene! Please come back and visit me again, any time. 

Ms. Webb has shared some of her Sci-fi novel, Splintered Energy. ENJOY

Blurb:

California. A widower’s twelve-year-old son is rather young to bring home a woman, especially a collapsed green beauty too frightened to open her eyes.
Arizona. A divorcee blinks hard, but the gorgeous red guy stepping in front of her car is still red—hello, ditch. When she comes around, she wonders which layer of hell she’s fallen into.
Ohio. A teen also fears he’s dealing with the demonic, but no matter how dangerous things become, he’s determined to stand by a man with inhumanly blue eyes.

No question, their lives will never be the same again.

Dawn breaks—literally. Energy sparks across the horizon, power grids go down, and the journey to understanding what, where, and why begins.

Energy splinters and a few hapless humans fall dead. A moment later, hearts regain their beat and the confused aliens witness their first sunrise through the eyes of the deceased. Sentient beings can’t recall a past, other than a blissful haven. Nor do they have memories from the host whose body they unwittingly hijacked.

Only one learns to hide his unique skin color, and he assumes the identity of the victim, Malcolm James.

Malcolm learns of escalating violence through news clips. The cohorts he’s able to locate—vibrant personalities with enhanced predatory skills—are breaking every law there is. He has a goal: return to wherever it is he belongs. But he can’t do that alone, and is forced to shoulder the burden of reunification, despite his fear those who cross paths with color, himself included, may become permanently scarred or worse, killed.
This reluctant leader has no doubt—living light does not belong on Earth.

 

You can find Arlene Webb at:

http://www.arlenewebb.com/index.php

http://www.arlenewebb.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/#!/Arlene_Webb_

http://www.facebook.com/arleneannwebb

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3448136.Arlene_Webb

Next week I'll have the wonderfully talented Meredith Spencer Ellsworth.
Have a Sparkling Day!

Rebecca Rose