Tag Archives: 3×5

July 2, 2013 · 4:48 pm

Coming in July – Sarah Bracey White

Three by Five welcomes Sarah Bracey White to its pages in July

Sarah Bracey White was born in Sumter, SC. She is a librarian, teacher and motivational speaker. As a long-time arts consultant to the Town of Greenburgh, she designed and manages a creative writing program for children, edits an annual edition of their short stories and sponsors an annual poetry contest. The author of a collection of poetry, Feelings Brought to Surface, her creative essays are included in the anthologies Children of the Dream; Dreaming in Color, Living in Black and White; Aunties: 35 Writers Celebrate Their Other Mother; Gardening On A Deeper Level and Heartscapes. Her essays have been published in many regional newspapers and on the internet. Her memoir, Primary Lessons, is scheduled for publication by CavanKerry Press in September, 2013. She lives with her husband in Westchester County, NY.

Primary Lessons: Sarah, a precocious five year old, is ripped from a middle-class life with surrogate parents in Philly and transplanted to a troubled, single-parent household in the Jim Crow south. Feeling alienated, she bristles at the poverty and unfairness, and refuses to accept the cultural system of segregation that tries to confine her — a system that her mother accepts as the southern way of life.

This coming-of-age memoir follows Sarah from Philadelphia to South Carolina – with its Colored water fountains – to the White Mountains of Vermont – where racism masquerades as classism – and finally to Baltimore, just as the 1963 March on Washington unfolds. Sarah’s refusal to accept the cultural system that tries to confine her parallels the unrest of a nation seeking to re-define equality. The author’s fiery spirit and unyielding sense-of-self sustain her through family, social and cultural upheavals. It also puts her at the forefront of the change that Martin Luther King dreamed about.

Join Three by Five on the 3rd, 13th, 23rd, and 30th to find out more about this author.

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May 30, 2013 · 12:00 am

Three by Five Presents Joleene Naylor, Part IV

Joleene Naylor

This month Three by Five highlighted author Joleene Naylor. A indie author with five novels out in the world and a sixth on the way. Curious about her Amaranthine seriese? Check out these mini prologues, free at Ebook retailers. These nine flash fiction stories complement and supplement the fifth novel, Heart of the Raven. I recently finished all five novels and have to say, while vampires are not my usual choice, I ran through those books like a caged vampire finally loose and finding prey. Want to read a sample of book number five, Heart of the Raven – go here. Finally, if you’re like me and want a whole series at your finger tips, I recommend the Amaranthine Special editions – Books one – four in two volumes that will get you ready for book number five.

Thanks Joleene, for spending some time with Three by Five!

Joleene Naylor grew up in southwest Iowa surrounded by soybeans, corn and very little entertainment – so she made her own. She has been writing and drawing since she was a small child, with a particular leaning towards fantasy, horror and paranormal. It is this love of all that goes bump in the night that led her to write the Amaranthine series.

In her spare time she is a freelance artist, book cover designer and photographer. Her current projects include the sixth novel in the Amaranthine series, and The Terrible Turtle Conspiracy, a web manga collaboration with writer Jonathan Harvey. Joleene maintains blogs full of odd ramblings and hopes to win the lottery. Until she does, she and her husband live near Bolivar Missouri with their miniature zoo. However, unless she starts buying tickets she may never win anything.

And now, the final question:

VAH – What are three random non writing related facts about you?

JN – I’m a music addict, and I own it in nearly every format including record, cassettes, cds, mp3s. No eight tracks, though. I’m not quite old enough for those.

I collect rocks. Not special, amazing rocks, but just everyday rocks that catch my eye. My house is full of them.

I tend to have more in common with people older than me rather than my old peer group. I blame it on the way I was raised.

Find Joleene on the web:

Three by Five Presents Joleene Naylor

Joleene Naylor

VAH – Joleene in addition to being a prolific novel author with five books in her Amaranthine series, is also a creative cover artist. I’ll just note that she was the cover artist for two of my ebooks and the print version of No Red Pen. Today we’re talking about Joleene the author though, so let’s start with why do you write?

JN – I write because I enjoy it.

VAH – And when did you start writing and what was your first story?

JN – That was about a girl who got a phone call and went roller skating. I was three or four and it had lovely illustrations with it.

VAH – Who would you say was your favorite literary character?

JN – Probably Jo from Little Women. This was also the first literary romance I was unhappy with. I always felt she should have gotten Laurie.

VAH – I think we’re in agreement there on both counts. What book or series of books would you want if stranded on a deserted island and why?

JN – Middle Earth. It is such a rich place; so many characters and histories, that you could play with it endlessly in your head and never run out of possibilities. Had Tolkien lived forever he could never have written all the stories that are hanging on the cusp, waiting.

VAH – What would you say was the biggest influence on your development as a writer?

JN – Hmmm. I don’t know. I love Tolkien’s ability to create such an expansive universe, and Anne Rice’s recreation of the vampire mythos (though she went a bit far when it got to Memnoch, but that’s another story), and V.C. Andrews ability to make the common place, or even the adorable and innocent, seem creepy. Like the construction paper garden in the attic, for example. Or the shelves of dolls in My Sweet Audrina. The contrast was wonderful.