What inspired you to write your memoir?
Having created and run an international dating agency for six years back in the 90s before computers ruled our lives, I thought people would like to know about the crazy things, and some of the heart-warming things that went on.

About your Book:
An axe murderer, a suave fraudster, a mad professor, the Miami Mafia, a secret Japanese sect, a blind date on a rain soaked Columbian mountain, a very forgetful gin-soaked matchmaker, and a spooky clairvoyant.

These are just a few of the crazy scenes you will read about as I really do create an international dating agency from scratch in the recession-hit 90s on a shoe-string budget.

But bring a box of tissues because amongst all this fun there are lots of genuine lonely singles finding true love right across the world – and it’s all true!

How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
The book is published as an e-book on Amazon at present, but I am hoping to turn it into a paperback in time. You can find it at:

How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
I had great fun writing it, although some of the memories were a little painful or embarrassing; I guess that doesn’t happen with other genres?

Author Bio:
I’ve just finished and published, “Love for Sale; Diaries of an International Dating Agency.” It’s my first book and it’s about the five long eventful (and crazy) years, back in the nineties, I spent creating and running just such an agency on a shoe-string budget before the dotcom boom changed everything.

While writing this I see it has reached No.8,129,179 on the Amazon best-seller list, so being a died-in-the-wool optimist with sharp elbows (as you’ll find out if you read the book!) I can see its all to play for!!

Nowadays, I’m retired and have a recent post graduate degree in law and a couple of academic papers published, in fact I find I just have to be writing something! I like to keep up with current legal issues, especially anything to do with experts and expert evidence, and I love to read true crime books – but as you’ll see from my book, life was very different back then. And believe it or not, I now no longer smoke.

I hope you enjoy the read; I set the price at about the same as a pint of beer so you’d treat the matter very seriously.

Regards,

Ken

Website(s)
Link To Book On Amazon

Your Social Media Links
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17725302-love-for-sale-diaries-of-an-international-dating-agency

What inspired you to write your memoir?
I was sitting home one day, not feeling well and was watching the Oprah Winfrey show. The guest and topic on that day was about adoption families. As a birth mother, I felt I was under-represented and miss-represented. So I began writing a letter to the Oprah Show. What started as a letter, turned into nine pages of emotions. I thought to myself, this is not a letter; this is a story, a book. That’s when I decided to write my story. I looked over my past and other choices that I made and wrote about those as well. Writing became my healer. It allowed me to release my emotions onto the page. It cleared my mind and allowed me to think more clearly. I knew that there were many other women like me who suffered in silence and shame. I wanted to be a voice in this new movement for the women of post abortion and birth mothers; to say that we no longer will be silenced, we no longer live in darkness, and we no longer needed to live in shame.

About your Book:
One Woman’s Choice is a true story of a young female and her journey into adulthood and eventually motherhood. It depicts a heartfelt and emotional story about a woman who faced difficult decisions: abortion, single parenting, and adoption. Karen Whitaker delves deep within her past and shares her own story to help other women overcome fear and helplessness. Facing the realities of abortion and adoption can empower women and establish a voice of strength that heals the heart. This is not a debate over Pro-choice or Pro-life, but an inspiring example of how one woman overcame the odds. One Woman’s Choice is a story of faith and the undying will to persevere and survive, no matter the obstacle.

How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
I took a course on publishing. The course instructor was a published romance novel author. She explained all the different kinds of publishings and the pro/cons of both sides. I decided to go with self-publishing. I wanted to learn as much as possible about the publishing business. With self-publishing, you are more involved in the process.

How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
Well, I have only written one book which is a memoir so I’m not sure if I am qualified to speak about the difference. For me, a memoir is recalling experiences and writing them down in an interesting way so the reader can relate on a personal level. In a memoir, the author hopes to bring some emotion out of their audience. We want our audience to feel the experience of each moment. Sometimes, it is about bringing awareness to a society. With other genres, the story, the place, the people, and the dialogue all need to be created. This in my opinion is a very difficult process. I admire these authors. I hope that one day that I may create a fictional story that entices my audience.

Author Bio:
Karen Whitaker grew up in a small town on the northeastern coast of the United States. She worked in banking for the past twenty-five years and was a member of the banks Community Involvement Team. Whitaker has always had the passion for philanthropy, and has volunteered at numerous local and national non-profits. She now focuses on inspiring women with the publication of One Woman’s Choice

Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon
Link to Book on Barnes and Noble

Your Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karen-Whitaker/259711727488160?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/OneWomansChoice

What inspired you to write your memoir?
With so many memories of childhood racing around my mind, I wanted to record them for my children. I was born at a time of rapid change after the second world war, but even so, it seemed like the dark ages compared to present day.
It was during research into my Family History that I realised there were so many questions I wished I’d asked my parents and their parents, but with most of the previous generation long gone, it was too late to find the answers.
I soon realised that the stories my own Mother had told me about her young life before and during the war were important. These stories would be lost forever if I didn’t record them, and my little childhood memoir began to cover a larger canvas.

About your Book:

‘To Set My Feet A-Dancing’ begins with a glimpse into childhood during the late 1950s/early 1960s.

Born into a rapidly changing Britain just after World War Two, the ‘Baby-Boomers’ are a privileged generation. The war has been won, food rationing is ending, conscription into the armed forces will be abolished before they are of age, the National Health Service is free to all and with a new young Queen on the throne, life is full of hope.
Times are simple. Children can safely play in the street or stay in the park until after dark. The car is not yet King.
This is the generation who will become teenagers in the Swinging Sixties and enjoy the coming of the age of “white-hot technology”. This is a charmed generation.

A glimpse into the lives of the author’s predecessors dating back to the 1800s, forms the second part of To Set My Feet A-Dancing.
These are small, ordinary lives. Lives that do not make the history books. Lives that are not privileged. They should not be forgotten.

How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
I decided that my memoir was not really suitable in print form, as I intend to add more stories as time goes by.
It is available through Amazon.co.uk

How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
Memoir writing is story-telling in much the same way as is novel-writing. It needs to be interesting.
In some ways it was easier to write, because I know how the story develops, but memory is not always accurate. I found myself agonising about certain things which occurred during my childhood. I wanted to make sure that everything was correct.
However, I soon realised that because memory is fickle, maybe it did not matter. The way I remembered something would possibly differ from, say, my sister’s memory of that same occurance. This did not invalidate my recollection, so I just went with the flow.

Author Bio:
Born in Croydon, Surrey
Attended Lady Edridge Grammar School for girls
Worked in various clerical jobs in London and Croydon
Married with two (now grown up) children
Moved to the Isle of Wight in 1976

As a mature student at The IOW College, gained 3 GCE ‘A’ levels with A grades in English Literature, Art & Design and History of Art.

Hobbies include ballet dancing, tap dancing and singing in an acapello choir.

2009: self-published a travel book in print and ebook format: Uneasy Rider – Confessions of a Reluctant Traveller
2011: published an ebook: To Set My Feet A-Dancing

Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon

Your Social Media Links
http://twitter.com/ballet_allie

What inspired you to write your memoir?
A desire to encourage YA to excel in school and to provide an interesting narrative prompted me to write a book in honor of my fifth grade teacher, Miss Williams.

About your Book:
A boy with a once bright future is plunged into near poverty by divorcing parents and a failure of the fifth grade. An elevator operator becomes the mentor that encourages him to succeed in life.

How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
Amazon paperback and Kindle are the sources for this work. Previous attempts to work with literary agents were unsuccessful due to a lack of “platform” and “celebrity.”

How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
Care to relate facts with accuracy is required.

Author Bio:
Graduate of U.S. Naval Academy

Website(s)
Link To Book On Amazon

What inspired you to write your memoir?
For 20 years, 1973 – 1993, I was a writer for the Muppets. I was a staff writer on both “Sesame Street” and “The Muppet Show.” I also wrote TV specials, record albums and material for live Muppet appearances. I’ve done other things in my life. But, people always want to hear my Muppet stories. And, over the last 20 years, many of the creative Muppet minds have passed away, starting with Jim Henson.

So, I decided to write my memoirs.

About your Book:
A collection of my stories about writing for, traveling with, and living among the Muppets.

Author Bio:
Born: April 1, 1943, Brooklyn, New York. Grew up in Boston (hated it). Sketchy education.

Started as a copywriter: March, 1962. Ended up ten years later on Madison Ave. I was a Mad Man.

Started writing television on a children’s show called, Jabberwocky, 1972.

During the years of 1973 to 1993, Mr. Bailey worked on a wide variety of Muppet projects. He was a staff writer on both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. Additionally, he co-wrote Sesame Street and Muppet specials that included Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, Big Bird in China and Rocky Mountain Holiday, as well as writing Muppet Business Meeting Films, collateral material, record albums, and scripts for special Big Bird appearances at Carnegie Hall and the White House.

Mr. Bailey’s writing awards include 5 Emmys, 3 Emmy nominations, a Writers Guild Award, a Writers Guild nomination, an Action for Children’s Television Award and a George Foster Peabody Award.

Living in Manhattan with his wife, Gail, Mr. Bailey indulges in occasional long-distance motorcycle trips and claims to speak French and play piano to the equal amusement of others.

How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
I had a proposal for the book with an agent for about a year. And during that year, two things happened:

1. I realized that non-fiction was basically a beauty contest. The contracts go to those in the latest 15 minutes of fame. (See Snooki/New York Times Best Seller list.) So, I didn’t have much of a chance.

2. Amazon and Kindle came into existence. Before my television career, I spent 10 years writing advertising copy. So, I am very familiar with print production. And, thanks to advertising and P.R., I know the basics of promotion. In fact, I’m practicing one right now. So, I decided to self-publish.

Another writer I know is a guy named, Gary Apple. Gary wrote a parody of “Heaven Is For Real” called, “Hell Is For Real.” (You might want to talk to Gary — He’s a great interview)

Gary self-published and created Walnut Press along the way. Gary’s great at opening e-businesses. I used Gary’s designer for my book.

Originally, I was going to publish under Rocco Press after my maternal grandfather who was illiterate and only spoke Italian. But Gary graciously offered me Walnut Press and I took it.

Website(s)
Link To Book On Amazon