InterestTeen interviews YA author Brinda Berry

INTERVIEW

InterestTeen: Writers are often asked if they have total control over their character’s behaviors. Is this the case with Austin and Regulus? Do you aim to have them ‘play nicely’ but then their personalities take over and they just wanna fight? Can you explain how your characters take on a life of their own.

 Brinda Berry: I always have an outline of what happens in each chapter of a story, but some characters really do take over. Austin has such a vibrant personality. He won't stay meekly in the background when I've planned to put the spotlight on someone else. Regulus, on the other hand, is unintentionally magnetic. He's quiet and self-assured. It's no wonder that they clash. I have little control once they begin talking to one another.

InterestTeen:  As a writer of teen fiction, have you started getting into other areas of multi-media. I know you’re an expert on the book trailer, and I could see The Whispering Woods series as an interactive game. There’s a portal into another world that I’m dying to get an in depth look at. If money was no object, do you dream of doing something like that? Or do you have other multi-media ideas?

 Brinda Berry: I'd love to see a game developer turn this world into a fantastic RPG.  I also think it would be terrific in graphic novel format. Thanks for the compliment on the book trailer. I really have fun with them.

InterestTeen:  What is the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten.

Brinda Berry:  I am always willing to try new foods. The weirdest for me would be dried squid as an appetizer. 

InterestTeen:  I take it your fans have been eagerly awaiting the print release. How has having the books in print changed you, if at all.

 Brinda Berry: I think there will always be a few readers who prefer print books.  Releasing my books in print  also adds accessibility to students who don't own electronic readers. I have two school visits planned next month with book clubs who are reading The Waiting Booth.

InterestTeen:   I know you have Cairn Terriers, and I believe you take part in rehousing Cairn Terriers, is that right? How did that begin and what is the motivation behind it?

Brinda Berry: In the past,  I volunteered with a national rescue organization for Cairn Terriers. I'm not currently a foster home for rescues, but I would love to do that in the future.  We purchased our two Cairn Terriers from breeders before I became aware of rescue opportunities.  Both dogs have given our family so much love. The breed is feisty, fun, and loving. 

InterestTeen:  You’re currently working on Book Three of The Whispering Woods series. How is that coming along? Will this one be the last? And will Regulus remember Mia (nail biting edge of the seat plot development).

 Brinda Berry: The third book in the series is The Wish Keeper.  I'm still working on it.  I find myself measuring against a higher standard every time I write a book. I do plan for this to be the last.  Sorry, I can't disclose any plot secrets.

InterestTeen:  Is there anything else you want to tell the readers? Tips on writing, being good to your parents, dog rescue, absolutely anything you want to contribute is welcomed.

 Brinda Berry: Enjoy every single day of your life.  It could mean giving back to others, writing the novel you've dreamed of, or simply reading a great book. It also means that you shouldn't sweat the small stuff (like bad hair days). 

 

REVIEWS


The Waiting Booth by Brinda Berry

I started reading "The Waiting Booth" and found I couldn’t put it down. Brinda has a nice, steady pace to her writing that keeps the pages turning and the excitement mounting. The suspense was well done. Throughout the book I knew there was someone I couldn’t trust, but I didn’t know who till the very end, which left me nicely surprised.

Book One introduces Mia, an independent girl who already has enough drama in her life, yet she attracts more when she accidentally discovers an interdimensional portal. Her brother is missing and travellers from this portal lure her into helping them find the bad guys by promising to help her find her missing brother. Along the way Mia is thrust head first into more than one dangerous situation. I found myself rooting for her to come out of these experiences unscathed because she is an easy to like character and I became slightly protective of her. There is more to come on “The Waiting Booth” story and I look forward to reading about Mia’s attempt to track down her brother when Brinda’s second book in the series is released.

4 TEEN STARS

Whisper Of Memory by Brinda Berry
"Whisper Of Memory" picks up right where "The Waiting Booth" finishes and we enter a world of paranormal activity and special ops training. The characters go off to a ghost sighting because they believe it is the location of a portal and this section was really interesting. There was a paranormal investigator in the group and I thought, wow what a great job to be a parnormal invetisgator.

In Book Two we learn more about why Mia's mum abandoned her and her missing brother. We learn more of the conspiracies behind the two worlds. This book ends with Mia getting a taste of the cruel aspects to the spy business - but I can't reveal the spoiler. I look forward to the final instalment. Will Regulus and Mia survive as a couple? Will Mia  find her brother? Will she forgive her mother? Will Tiny and Em get together? But I can't helping feeling sorry for poor Austin and Arizona - two guys who love girls who love someone else. What's in store for them?

4 TEEN STARS

BIO: Brinda lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She’s terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality.

WEB       BLOG      FACEBOOK    TWITTER   GOODREADS    YOUTUBE

 

Dress up your bedroom - Hollywood style

Getting the Hollywood look in your bedroom is rather easy. It's all about contrast - darks brows and blacks and varying shades of whites and creams. Why? Hollywood began in the black and white era and its this era that many decorators still claim is the Hollywood look.



Hollywood started out as an idea in 1853 and by 1900 the region had a post office, newspaper, hotel, and a population of over 100,000. The famous Hollywood Hotel was built in 1902. By 1912 most major film companies had set up production facilities in Souther California or in Los Angeles,  becuuse of the location's proximity to Mexico and its year round good weather.

To capture the Hollywood look, think glamor, confidence, fame and fortune.



Confidence - by mixing modern and antique and displaying the things you love, you'll exude the confidence of movie stars. 

Glamor - decorate your room with feathers, faux furs, crystals, glitter, shiny objects, fringes, glass, and mirror.

Fame - achieve this by framing features already in the room with bold lines, stripes, and putting dark browns and blacks against white backdops. If the black and white look is too stark, add a few pieces in bold color. If you want to create a quiet haven, contrast white on black instead of black on white.

(Photo) this room is decorated in black and silver with deep purple soft furnishing to create elegance.


Here are some ideas you can use to get the Hollywood look in your bedroom:




Animal print cushions and throw rugs - stores such as Kmart and Target have these at a reasonable price.

Faux crystal lamp shades - you can buy crystals at a local haberdashery stores and glue them to an existing or cheap lampstade, just be sure not to cover the light globe.





If you can paint your furniture, do so in an off white color. You can rub wax over the surface and the paint won't adhere to it which will give it an aged look. Or you can sand the paint afterward. The thing that makes this cheap is that you don't have to have matching furniture, by using the same color you'll tie the pieces in.

Paint mirrors, photo frames, bedside tables, dressers. You can then decorate with black and silver objects, use white sheets for the bed and windows, and create the contrast look with black pillowcases.

Buy or print pictures of movie stars from a bygone era and frame them. What makes this cheap is that the pictures don't even need to be printed in color. In fact, there probably aren't a great deal of color pictures of many of the old movie stars.


Screens - many old movies features scenes where the character slipped behind a screen to get changed. Youmight be able to find an old frame at a rummage sale and you can use fabric or striped paper to transform it into a screen.


Guys can get the Hollywood look by toning everything down and sticking with the basics - black and white.

And sometimes it only takes one item such as this leopard print seat to transform any room into the scene of a Hollywood movie.

 

Other things TO DO to create the Hollywood look:

Animal print is big, big, big!

 

Ferns and palms are another item popular in old Hollywood movies.

 

Peacock feathers can be cheap to buy and a few  of these in a vase is all it takes to create glamor.

 

Musical instruments hanging on walls tells people you have it becaase you want it, not because you can play it. 

 

Things to AVOID when creating your Hollywood bedroom:

the natural timber look

 

sunflowers or any other 'country' look

 

Hollywood was big on African and Egyptian artifacts, limit these pieces to just a few

 

 

Chocolate Heaven Cake

Bella Santos of Bidwill NSW Australia has provided this really easy recipe for Chocolate Heaven Cake.

 

Yummo. I can't wait to make this cake.

 

 

 Bella says, "...it's pree simple just a normal baked cake , icing , Kit Kats and M&Ms..."

 

 You can use any store bought chocolate cake packet mix and it's as simple as decorating the outside using icing sugar to stick the Kit Kat pieces to the outside of the cake. Just follow the directions on the packets to make the cake and icing.

If you don't fancy baking, why not buy a plain, un-iced sponge cake and dress it up.

If you want to do something really, really different, try decorating a store-bought ice cream cake but be quick before it melts!

 

For providing InterestTeen with this so simple its'not funny recipe Bella wins this prize pack. Congrats Bella!

 

 

Authors and their dogs

It seems that the moment you become a writer you must have a pet. In fact, it’s mandatory. Preferable a dog, too, because dogs need walking and this gets the creative juices flowing. Dogs listen to author's harebrained plots and they never say, "that’ll never work." Cats...well authors would need to be careful what they tell a cat because a cat is likely to take an author's plot, perfect it, then shred it just so no human can ever see the bluepints to pure evil genius.

If you’re a writer, you'd better rush out and adopt or borrow a dog. Here's a look at a few authors and their dogs.

 

DEAN KOONTZ

has a pen name that was inspired by his dog, Trixie Koontz, a golden retriever. Trixie originally was a service dog with Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a charitable organization that provides service dogs for people with disabilities. Trixie was a gift from CCI in gratitude of the Koontz's substantial donations, totalling $2,500,000 between 1991 and 2004. Koontz was taken with the charity while he was researching his novel Midnight, a book which included a CCI-trained dog, a black Labrador retriever, named Moose. In 2004 Koontz wrote and edited Life Is Good: Lessons in Joyful Living in her name, and in 2005 Koontz wrote a second book credited to Trixie, Christmas Is Good. Both books are written from a supposed canine perspective on the joys of life. The royalties of the books were donated to CCI. In 2007 Trixie contracted terminal cancer that created a tumor in her heart. The Koontzes had her put to sleep outside of their family home on June 30.  After Trixie's death Koontz has continued writing on his website under Trixie's names in "TOTOS", standing for Trixie on the Other Side. It is widely thought that Trixie was his inspiration for his November 2007 book, The Darkest Evening of the Year, about a woman who runs a golden retriever rescue home, and who rescues a 'special' dog, named Nickie, who eventually saves her life. In August 2009 Koontz published "A Big Little Life," a memoir of his life with Trixie. In October 2008 Koontz revealed “...we have adopted a new dog, Anna.” It eventually was learned that Anna was the grandniece of Trixie.”

 

STEPHEN KING

has had many pets over the years, cats, dogs, horses, a turtle. Ms Moderator of the Stephen King website has this to say about The Kings. “Although not the same ones as some have passed on, the Kings have always had a dog and at least one or two cats while I've been working for them. Maturin the turtle is still with them and they now also have 4 horses.”
 

 

MAGGIE STEIFVATER

is the author of The Wolves of Mercy Falls series and the Raven Boys novel and she has four neurotic dogs who fart recreationally.

 

BRINDA BERRY

 

is a young adult fiction author of the Whispering Woods series. She has 2 cairns terriers and doesn't mind being called "crazy dog lady".

 

 

J K ROWLING

has two dogs. She has a Jack Russell named Butch and in October 2007 she adopted a greyhound named Sapphire from the greyhound rescue centre after Sapphire made friends with Butch and the family. Celia Fernie of Greyhound Rescue Fife said "I had no idea at first that the woman who arrived with her family to view the abandoned greyhounds was the Harry Potter creator."

The nasty side of people...
For those that may not be aware, the dog racing industry is horribly cruel. Thousands of dogs are killed every year simply because they're not fast enough, and the ones who stay alive are warehoused in kennels barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. Many people are adopting greyhounds.

Celia and Jimmy Fernie set up Greyhound Rescue Fife in 2005 in response to the sheer number of unwanted greyhounds reaching the end of their racing careers in the area. Their sanctuary is capable of kennelling nearly 50 dogs. Their dogs are usually vaccinated, wormed, treated for fleas and often neutered.

 

InterestTeen is pro animals. We love people who adopt and rehouse pets and are kind to animals. If you have any photos of your adopted pet, please email them to interestteen@gmail.com along with your story. We love good news stories. And we love J K for helping save a dog's life. Well done JK!


CAROLINE OVERINGTON

is Australia's answer to Jodi Picoult and she has a beautiful black dog, looks a bit like a staffy.

 

No Pets allowed - Separate vacations for pets

No pets allowed, doesn’t mean no holiday fun at all. As much as we'd like to bring our pet along for the ride, sometimes we just can’t take our pet on holidays with us. Which means we have to have someone else care for them. There are a few options when it comes to pet care.
  

KENNELS AND CATTERIES

One of the most common complaints of pet parents is that their dogs are disruptive or destructive when left alone. Their dogs might urinate, defecate, bark, howl, chew, dig or try to escape. These animals are usually found to be suffering from separation anxiety. Escape attempts by dogs with separation anxiety are often extreme and can result in self-injury and household destruction, especially around exit points like windows and doors. Dog kennels and catteries offer peace of mind for the travelling owner. Dogs are fed, let out to play, and while the dog might think his kennel is a jail, he or she is actually in a safe environment. Cats are kept in at night and some kennels have TVs for the guests. Stays can be for as little as one day and for as long as the pet can handle it.

Some kennels are more like Club–Med for pets. Ritzy owners want ritzy places for their pampered pet to stay. Pet Paradise Resorts in Charlotte USA offers wrought-iron beds, frames animal photos in the room, charis upholstered in doggy print, grooming, day spas.

The Club-Med-for-mutts near Charlotte Douglas International Airport is part of a growing trend toward luxury pet boarding - where businesses calling themselves "hotels" and "spas" pamper pooches with everything from golf-cart rides and "Yappy Hour" ice cream to bedtime stories and orthopedic mattresses.

Tuscarora's Country Club for Dogs comes complete with golf carts, as any proper country club should.

PET SITTING

Pet sitting comes in two forms – professional and volunteer. It can also involve dropping the pet off at a friend’s house. For those who are going to be relying on a friend to pet sitting there are many things to consider.

Fish, birds, mice, snakes, lizards, rabbits, and guinea pigs aren’t exactly on the front covers of dog kennel brochures.

For owners dropping the pet to a friend’s house:

DO:

Choose someone who loves animals as much as you do.

Write a list of instructions, including ailments, dietary requirements, amounts of food to feed, how long to walk etc.

Bring walking leads, food, blanket, toys from home, things to help the pet feel at home.

Provide contact numbers.

Do offer to pay or buy a gift. It is less likely the dog sitter will neglect duties if they don’t feel they are being taken advantage of.

DON'T:

Convince someone who isn't all that into animals to take care of yours. You can't risk that they won't.

 

For sitters taking a pet into their house:

DO:

Respect the owner’s wishes. If something is on the list of things not to do, it is there for a reason.

Take holiday snaps and burn them to disc or print them out for the owner to see how much of a good time the animal had.

 

 

DON'T:

Neglect your own pets. Pets are very protective of their owners, especially when it comes to their affection. While you’re ensuring someone else’s pet is free from separation anxiety, your own might become pick up the habit.

 

For those opting for stay at home pet sitting:

Some pets are lucky that they have neighbors who can walk and feed them. Similar to pet sitting but in most cases the neighbour does this service for free.

DO:

Make sure you can 100 per cent trust that person to look after your pet.  

Bring back a souvenir for their efforts. Everyone likes a thank you gift or two.

 

DON'T:

Leave the place in a mess. It's not up to your friend to clean up after you. They're here to look after your pets, not you. 

The nasty side of pet owners

'Handbag dogs' are being dumped by their owners in record numbers, reports the Blue Cross. The poor chihuahua - it's the latest in a long line of indignities for the world's smallest dog. In 2006, 53 handbag dogs were taken in by Blue Cross animal centres in Britain; in the past 12 months, this has more than tripled to 191.

 

Dining Etiquette Tips A Great Fashion Accessory for any first date

Note from the editor: Just a short e-zine this week as I'm traveling around promoting my novels. The Bird With The Broken Wing (my first novel) is at last released in print format, and I'm doing a radio interview in Sydney for my second novel Feedback.

Enjoy your week!
D L Richardson
Editor and author




Making a good first impression on a first date matters, everyone knows that. What you may not realize is that there are other examples of where first impressions count. Some job interviews are held over lunch though that’s unlikely for a junior or part time role, but by mimicking the behavior you’d use at a fancy restaurant at a job interview, you’ll probably feel more relaxed and look as if you can do the job. Friends also like to introduce other friends or new boy/girl friends over dinner. And then there’s meeting the parents for the first time. Whether or not these catch ups are done at home or at a restaurant, the same good first impression matters.

Knowing how to twirl spaghetti on a fork is handy for any teenager looking for dining etiquette tips for their first date, and with plenty of thought gone into the outfit, just as much thought should be spent on how to act at the dinner table. How can you do this? Learning good manners is vital for anyone’s development and social interaction. Everyone has heard of the saying "monkey see, monkey do". Teens can learn behavior from the way adults act in public, so a restaurant is a great place for learn good eating techniques.

For any number of reasons, correct conduct at the table is critical. Dining etiquette usually involves a list of things to do and things not to do. On the To Do list is making sure the conversation includes everyone at the table, giving thanks to the host or the hostess, and also thanking the wait staff and the chef if you can get him/her out of the kitchen. Other tips include discreetly leaving the table to use the restroom.

It would hardly be called dining etiquette without one very important ingredient – the table. Table manners involve eating at the table. Poor eating habits are made easier if the sofa is where meals are shared. At a table, the back is straightened, the hands are positioned, and the attention is on the guests and not the television. It is not hard to learn proper eating habits. Many old movies are the epitome of excellent table manners. By mimicking the way ladies and gentlemen of yesteryear behaved, or by watching the way today people eat at fancy restaurants, the road to learning proper dining habits can be an easier one to travel.

Of course, the list of things not to do is longer and equally as important, if not more so. Poor manners can lead to no follow up call the next day. Poor manners include slurping food, using bread to mop up sauces, reaching over the table, talking with a mouth full of food, talking too loudly, criticizing the meal, and drinking so much soda that you rush to the restroom every five minutes. Etiquette tips so carefully memorized can be forgotten if you’ve resorted to cave-man like behavior. And unless it is a matter of national emergency, the cell phone should be switched off.

By watching the way animals eat is one very easy way of remembering that dining etiquette is what separates us from them. Cutlery is more than just an invention of man. It is a reminder that we are not animals. This is a tip to remember for those about to embark on a date for the first time. Applying correct table conduct may feel uncomfortable but the key is to keep it subdued. Observe the behavior of the host or hostess. Watch what others do. Stay calm. Try not to overdo it as this can lead to awkwardness and clumsiness.

Dining etiquette tips can be applied to any situation, whether meeting new friends, or trying to impress a date. Good manners are one fashion accessory that will never go out of style.