xfacebookpinterestemailtelegramHello everyone! Welcome to Day Three of Word Crafter’s Book Blog Tours for Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch With Nature. Poetry Treasures 4 is an anthology featuring the works of twelve poets. Today’s stop includes an interview with Emily Gmitter and a reading by Selma Martin. Giveaway Leave a comment for a chance to win one of three free copies of Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature. Leave a comment at each stop for additional chances. Winners chosen by random drawing. You can keep up with the tour through the links in the schedule below, but they won’t work until each stop goes live. Mon. April 8 – Writing to be Read – Reading by D.L. Finn Tues. April 9 – Yesterday and Today: Merril’s Historical Musings – Reading by Andrew McDowell Wed. April 10 – Book Places – Interview w/ Emily Gmitter & Reading by Selma Martin Thurs. April 11 – d.l. finn author – Guest post by Patricia Furstenberg Fri. April 12 – Colleen Chesebro, Author & Poet – Guest post by Merril D. Smith Sat. April 13 – Carla Reads – Review/ Reading by Robbie Cheadle Emily Gmitter Emily lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts. She loves to spend alone-time at the beach, fun-time singing at local karaoke clubs, and the rest of her time engaged in activities with family and friends … when she’s not reading, writing, or painting. Emily’s poem is When The Mountain Calls Interview with Emily Gitmer Welcome Emily! I’m so glad you’re here with news about your new book Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch With Nature. I have some questions for you so readers can get to know you. Thanks for agreeing to visit Bookplaces blog. Tell us about yourself. Where do you live? Where did you grow up and attend school? I’ve been an East Coaster all my life. After living a time in Methuen, Massachusetts, we bought our first home in Salem, New Hampshire. I was six months pregnant with our first child at the time, but commuting into Boston every day for work became a bit much, so we returned to Massachusetts when our daughter was four years old. That was 44 years ago. Are you married or single? Any children or pets?  Married, with one beautiful daughter who is my pride and joy. We’ve always had pets, both canines and felines, but over the years, we became more “cat people”; they are just easier to care for. And we’ve been fortunate that all our felines were affectionate, very social and playful. When our daughter made her first move away from home, she rescued a glorious black cat she named Gabriel. He truly was an angel! Affectionate, smart, and completely attached to my daughter Michele. Currently, my husband and I share our home with a single, black and white tuxedo cat named Zoe. Are you employed now? Retired? If so, what was your previous occupation? I retired about seven years ago, after a long-standing career in clinical research, overseeing the conduct of clinical trials. Often, the work was as sad as it was gratifying. Are you a coffee or tea drinker or other? Do you listen to music or need silence? Only coffee and tea, both with extra cream, please. I need a fair amount of quiet time every day. I do love music and listen to my favorite artists pretty regularly, primarily while I’m driving. When I’m at home, my mind is usually too preoccupied with other things usually word-related (i.e., reading, writing, editing) to enjoy the music. And when I am listening to music, I’m also singing. What do you like to do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies? Vacations? I traveled more when I was younger than I do now. I once attended a conference in The Netherlands, and that was a beautiful experience! We have vacationed in Bermuda, Canada, and The Bahamas, but we stay closer to home now, limiting our travel to within the US and those destinations we can more easily drive to. I’m a homebody at heart. As for hobbies, I enjoy writing, editing, painting, and singing karaoke—and I do the latter as often as possible, going to karaoke shows up to three or four times a week. Would you consider yourself a reader? What types of books do you like to read? I was an avid reader growing up. Until I reached full retirement age, I worked full-time outside the home; between that and raising a little one, I had less time for reading. But I made sure to read to my little girl from the time she was a baby until she could read for herself. She became and still is an avid reader. These days, I’m once again enjoying more time to read. I prefer print books, still loving the feel of a book in my hands, so there are always large piles of books everywhere (and many e-books on my Kindle as well); however, that doesn’t stop me from buying more! I know I’ll get to them eventually. And I do, having now moved many from the “to be read” piles to the “finally read” shelves. On occasion, I sort through these and share with family and friends and give some away to “free libraries”—those little houses on stands you see along the streets in some towns. I enjoy a variety of genres from romance to celebrity autobiographies. Some of my favorite authors include Robert Ludlum, James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and John Steinbeck. Oh, and Michael and Kathleen Gear, a husband and wife writing team, who are archeologists and bestselling authors. The Gears write fast-paced, fact-based fictional novels about pre-historic America and the indigenous peoples of that time. Their background in archeology lends an incredible authenticity to their “People of the …” series (i.e., People of the Moon, the Lake, the Wolf, for example). I find their novels fascinating. I still have not read every one they’ve written but I’m working on it! Have you ever taken any writing courses or studied writing in school? Not really. At least no formal “creative writing” courses. I have taken courses in English Literature and Composition in my day. Tell us about your books, especially your newest one. What was your inspiration? I am so excited about my current book! It’s entitled Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature, and I appreciate the opportunity to tell you about it. (I say “my book” but I am one of twelve poets who co-authored it, and each of us can and will proudly claim it as our own book.) It is truly a beauty, from both a physical as well as a philosophical perspective. Poetry fans will, of course, love it, but I believe this anthology will convert those who believe they do not like poetry. This is a book that is easy to love and, again, I am so excited and proud to be a part of it! Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature is an anthology of poetry inspired by Mother Nature. Each poem is related to nature in some way or another, and each one is printed on a striking color photograph chosen for its relevance to the author’s poem. The book was created by immensely talented poets who will speak to your heart and soul with their imagery and creativity. Some poems will make you smile, some will pull at your heartstrings, others may give you a jab to the gut. Still others might compel you, perhaps, to look at the beauty around you with new eyes or raise your awareness and maybe provide a different perspective on the value of the wonderful wildlife that surrounds us. Poetry Treasures 4 is a “many splendored thing,” consisting as it does of myriad types of poetry, from rhyming and free verse to haikus and other specialized styles of poetry. This is a beautiful book that promises the buyer an exceptionally enjoyable read! My last book, Happiness is a Warm Cat, published in late April 2023, is a collection of my short stories, poetry, and artwork. All the fictional stories are told from the perspective of my cat, Zoe, who has an interesting take on life and loves to poke fun at me. Most of “the Zoe stories” are humorous, some might make your eyes tear up a little. While her tales are fictional, every story is based on something that actually happened in our lives. The stories told by the human in this household–that would be me—include fictional romance stories. Then there are the true stories of my visits to Nashville, how I met Kris Kristofferson, organizing a benefit concert to help raise funds for Boston’s Garden of Peace (can you guess which artist I approached?), and family life. Is there anything you’d like to talk about related to your writing life? I am currently co-authoring a book about some local, everyday people with interesting histories—people who are not widely known as heroes but who are heroes in their own way. Anticipated publication date is September 2024. And I have been asked by a victim of domestic abuse to write her story, and that is currently a work in progress. What type of characters do you enjoy writing about? I don’t write a particular type of character; it all depends on the storyline. But I do find myself drawn to writing about people who are dealing with conflict; hopefully the end of the story resolves the conflict, but real life doesn’t always work that way, does it. And so my characters don’t always find the resolution they seek. Do you self-publish or are you with a traditional publishing company? I am with a small publisher and that has worked out well for me. How do you market your books? I am not a big social media fan but do have a Facebook account and promote my books that way. I also have seen some success with advertising via Amazon and other organizations such as E-Reader News, Fussy Librarian, and Book Gorilla, as well as with writing Guest Posts for, and doing interviews with, bloggers. Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? Three tips only: Read. A lot. And read a variety of genres. Do your homework. It’s not only non-fiction that is enhanced by authenticity. The best fictional novels also have a ring of truth to them; that’s how you put your reader right into your story. A writer can do that only by doing the relevant background research. For example, if you’re writing about a character moving to a particular locale, research that place or region so you can describe it in very credible ways and make your readers understand why the character has chosen that locale. Fiction that is based in fact will make the story more interesting for your readers, and will avoid the risk of receiving negative reviews pointing out your lack of knowledge and/or your poor researching skills. Write once, edit many times. And that’s BEFORE you hand off your manuscript to an editor. You really can’t edit your own work. You need an objective set of eyes. If you give your manuscript multiple rounds of your own editing (at least ten rounds) before you hand it off, you’ll be amazed at what you find with each reading. When it’s as perfect as you think you can make it, then hand it off to an objective set of eyes; you may be surprised at what the editor sees. And the fewer corrections an editor has to make to your manuscript, the fewer dollars you’ll have to spend for their services. What is one surprising thing you would like your readers to know about you? I once slept in Kris Kristofferson’s bed. (However, Kris was not in it—dang it! Guess I better explain.) If my concert buddies and I had traveled any distance to see Kris, we’d often stay overnight at a local hotel. Sometimes, we’d discover that Kris and his group were also staying at the same hotel. Once, in the … Continue reading Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch With Nature-Word Crafter’s Book Blog Tour