WOW! Blog Tour of All is Assuredly Well

Hi Cassandra and fellow book lovers!

Cassandra, thanks so much for interviewing me as part of the blog tour for our new children’s book, All is Assuredly Well. 

With the tendency for authors to have many favorite books, what’s a favorite book of yours?

Oh my.  That’s like asking what my favorite dessert is.  Today it’s custard pie (and I have one in the oven right now!) eaten with a spoon.  Tomorrow, it might be thinly-sliced banana with heavy cream and cinnamon served in a crystal stemmed dessert glass.  The next day, maybe it’s pecan pie cooked until the pecans are caramelized, the pecans eaten first with my fingers.

If I have to pick only one book, today I’ll say John Irwin’s A Prayer for Owen Meany.  But I have to tell you that I got spanked twice in eighth grade for hiding a copy of Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield behind my science textbook during class.  So in some respects, that will always be my favorite book because I had to pay a high price for reading it.

Besides reading/writing, what do you like to do for fun?

From reading your marvelous book, A Beautiful Girl, I assume that you’re a musician.   I’m a musician, too, who has played clarinet off and on for 55 years.  For the last five years since I retired, I have played in two bands every week, the celebrated Hot Springs Concert Band (an audition-only organization) and Hot Springs New Horizons Band (a no-audition band for less skilled musicians).  And like paying a price for reading David Copperfield, I had to pay a price to play clarinet.

My dad put my brother in band when my brother was in fifth grade and I in second.  I said wanted to be in band when I got to fifth grade, too, but my dad said no, that band was for boys.  My dad said that piano was a more appropriate musical aspiration for a girl than band was.

I continued to beg to be allowed to be in band, so Daddy said that if I completed two years of piano, he would consider letting me study either clarinet or flute privately (those being the only two instruments appropriate for a girl to play if she were to play in band).  Then, if after six months of instruction, my private teacher recommended it, my dad would consider letting me join band.

So from January of fourth grade through December of sixth grade, I took piano from the most uninspiring teacher imaginable, but the one who was my lawyer-daddy’s client, so the only one he would consider.  I’d completed my end of the contract; therefore, for Christmas, my parents gave me a used clarinet, and on January 4, 1964 at 11:30 in the morning, Daddy took me to the junior high band hall and enrolled me in private lessons with Maestro Wilson, who became like a second father to me, and is my co-author on this book.

He strongly recommended to my father that I be allowed to start band in seventh grade, so I did, two years behind my band peers.  I hated being the only kid in seventh grade band who had never been in band, didn’t know how it worked, what to do.  Heck, I didn’t even know that you had assigned seating based on tryouts!  I didn’t know how to follow a conductor because I had only studied privately.  I was a whiz at reading music because I’d had two years of piano, and six months of private clarinet lessons, but I was a stranger in a strange land as far as band went, and yet I knew I’d found my tribe.

What/Who inspired you to write?

Nobody inspired me to write.  I’m a writer.  Writing is what I do.  It’s who I am.  But Maestro Wilson was first to recognize my talent as a wordsmith and encourage it.  Because I came from a family of literati/public speakers/writers, nobody thought my verbal talents exceptional.  But Maestro Wilson saw that compared to my peers, my verbal skills were exceptional, so he encouraged them by playing word games with me when I was hanging around the band hall with the other kids after school.

How many projects have you completed/published?

I was a college professor for 20 years, and a public school teacher for 16.  As a professor, I wrote or was the first author of five books for teachers and parents, one of which was translated into French.  I was a major or minor contributor to other books on education.

When I retired, my five books in English were shelved in more than 1,200 libraries around the world on every continent except Antarctica. 

Years ago I was published in Western Horseman, Farm Woman News, etc.  

I frequently write short stories, and when I was submitting them to contests, did well. The first national contest I placed in was decades ago in The American Kennel Club Gazette. I won second place in a national competition on WOW Women-on-Writing a couple of years ago.  http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/67-FE1-Summer15Contest.html

I was sick and crazy on prescription cold medication when WOW asked me to send a photo immediately, so I had my friend take my picture without thinking about how I looked.  My eyes looked wild from the medication, and my hair was so crazy that someone put my picture up on Pintrest under BAD HAIR.  I’m still laughing.

What are their genres?

The previous books are all non-fiction for parents and teachers.  Our new book, All is Assuredly Well, is a picture book, a fairytale bedtime story for the children of same-sex parents, although we hope that many parents will want to share it with their children to show that families come in many forms. 

What’s your most/least favorite thing about being a writer?

I love writing fiction because it allows me to live a thousand lives and transcend time and space. Be a human, or an alien, or an octopus if I want.  In fact, I have been an octopus in a book for adults that I haven’t found an agent for yet.

Most hated?  The lousy, rotten, sucky internet service where I live. 

What do you consider as the biggest lesson learned from being a published writer? 

Some people will love what you write.  Some people will hate it.  Write anyway.

Any final words?

For writers?  The unoriginal “Put your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard.”

For parents of young children?  Buy our book and read it to your child at bedtime.  Teach them that families come in every form imaginable.  Love, not shared DNA, makes a family.

Where can readers find your writings? (online and brick/mortar bookstores)

Right now, All is Assuredly Well is available in paper and as an e-book on Amazon. (For a limited time, it’s on Amazon Unlimited.)  Because we won a Kirkus star, I’m told that we’ll end up in brick/mortar stores and libraries in time.  We’ll see.

Where can fans find you online? (Give links to social media, web site, etc.)

I have a wonderful marketing director who runs our website, www.allisassuredlywell.com or www.childrenslgbtbooks.com  Both are the same site. 

We’re also on Facebook, so search for us there.  Dannet’s also set us up with a Twitter and Youtube accounts, but we haven’t done anything with them yet.

Thank you so much, Cassandra, for hosting us on our blog tour! 

Professor Gore (AKA Millie)

Professor M. C. Gore holds the doctorate in education from the University of Arkansas.  She taught first grade through graduate school for 36 years in New Mexico, Missouri, and Texas.    She was a professional horse wrangler and wilderness guide and continues to play clarinet in two community bands.  She is Professor Emeritus from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas where she held two distinguished professorships. Her books for teachers and parents are shelved in over a thousand libraries throughout the world.  She is retired and lives in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.

 

Maestro Phillip Wilson was a public-school band director, music teacher, composer, and arranger for 28 years.  His primary instrument is the trumpet, and he is also a campañero (bell ringer). Although he is over 80, he continues to serve as Music Director and Cantor at his church.   He is a life-long resident of New Mexico and was born in Santa Fe. Although his genotype is Dutch and Scotch-Irish, his soul is Hispanic.  He was Professor Gore’s music teacher and band director, and although the loving biological father of seven musical children, he is a soul-father of the hundreds of students he has taught.

 

Artist Angie F. M. Trotter holds a BA in Religion and Fine Art. Her pen and ink illustrations are a fusion of icons, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass window design, and her spiritual life. She is also a chronic migraine suffer and her art helps calm her symptoms. Her mother was a folk artist; her father was an architect and fine artist, so she has been surrounded by art her whole life. Her work has been compared to the masters of the Golden Age of British book illustration.  She lives in Arkansas.

 

Book Summary

King Phillip the Good and his husband, The Most Excellent Don Carlos Emiliano Felipe de Compañero y Campañero, live sedate, uneventful lives until King Phillip dreams of having a baby girl. Structured around The Hero's Journey, King Phillip must follow his mentor, the Blue Star, and encounter allies (a newt and a bluejay) and overcome gatekeepers (a biting fish and a bear) as he completes a series of tasks to prove himself worthy of becoming a father. Once proven, the Blue Star presents him with a baby girl in the middle of a fairy circle of a thousand different flowers in a thousand brilliant hues.  He returns home to present Baby Milliflora to his husband, and the loving husbands joyfully become loving fathers.

Genre: Children’s Books

Publisher: Camille Lancaster Literary Children’s Books

ISBN: 978-0-9998880-0-1

All is Assuredly Well is available as an ebook and print at Amazon.com.

About the author, Professor Gore

Professor Gore's proudest hours were spent in Federal Court testifying as an expert witness and plaintiff against the city she loved. The city commission had passed an amendment that banned Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate from the children's section of the public library. A storyteller, Professor Gore is delighted to contribute to the canon she once defended.

About the Author, Maestro Wilson

Co-author Maestro Phillip Wilson is a retired band director, music teacher, composer, and arranger. A poet at heart, his love for word play and ear for rhythm and meter lend themselves well to the lyrical art of storytelling.

About the Illustrator, Angie F. M. Trotter

Artist Angie F. M. Trotter holds a BA in Religion and Fine Art. Her pen and ink illustrations are an amalgamation of icons, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass window design, and her spiritual life. Her work has been compared to the masters of the Golden Age of British book illustration. 

  

You can find more about All is Assuredly Well and the authors and the illustrator online:

www.AllisAssuredlyWell.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/All-is-Assuredly-Well-355497344947289/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AssuredlyWell

- Blog Tour Dates (in Chronological Order)

July 2nd @ The Muffin 

Grab a morning treat over at Women on Writing's blog The Muffin and read our interview author Professor M.C. Gore and enter to win a copy of the book All is Assuredly Well. 

http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

July 3rd @ Mari's #JournalingPower Blog

Author Professor M.C. Gore will be a guest writer over at Mari's #JournalingPower blog where she talks about writing the hero's journey.

https://www.createwritenow.com/journal-writing-blog

July 5th @ Mommy Daze: Say What??

Come by Ashley's blog Mommy Daze: Say What?? where she shares her thoughts on Professor Gore and Maestro Wilson's book All is Assuredly Well.

http://adayinthelifeofmom.com/

July 6th @ Coffee With Lacey

Get your coffee over at Lacey's blog Coffee With Lacey where she shares her thoughts on the book All is Assuredly Well. 

http://www.coffeewithlacey.wordpress.com/

July 7th @ Cassandra's Journey
Stop by Cassandra's blog where she interviews author Professor Gore about her book All is Assuredly Well. 
http://cassandraulrich.blogspot.com/

July 8th @ Madeline Sharples Blog

Author Professor Gore is a guest writer over at Madeline Sharples blog where she shares her thoughts on alchemical literature and how it affects her thinking as a writer.

http://madelinesharples.com/

July 9th @ Bri's Book Nook

Stop by Briennai's blog Bri's Book Nook where reviews Professor Gore and Maestro Wilson's book All is Assuredly Well. 

https://brisbooknook.wordpress.com/

July 10th @ Break Even Books

Come by Erik McManus' blog Break Even Books to find out what he had to say about the book All is Assuredly Well.
https://breakevenbooks.com/

July 10th @ Georgia Ball's Author Blog
Come by Georgia's blog where she features a blog post written by Professor Gore about how the author found her illustrator and who she is.
http://georgiaballauthor.com/category/book-review/

July 12th @ Mommy Daze: Say What??

Professor M.C. Gore will be a guest writer over at Ashley's blog Mommy Daze: Say What?? where the author describes her experience on the witness stand as an expert witness when the city of Wichita Falls, Texas banned Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate.

http://adayinthelifeofmom.com/

July 12th @ George Ball's Author Blog
Come by George Ball's blog where she shares her thoughts about Professor Gore & Maestro Wilson's book All is Assuredly Well.
http://georgiaballauthor.com/category/book-review/

July 14th @ A Storybook World

Professor Gore is a guest writer over at Dierdra's blog A Storybook World and she'll be writing about how her local writers’ club convinced her to self-publish, and why/how she started her own micro-publishing company (including how a MAJOR publishing company editor she pitched to told her that she would buy the manuscript, but not the illustrations because she had a “completely different vision” for the book).

http://www.astorybookworld.com/

July 15th @ The Late Bloomers Blog

Come by Gigi's blog The Late Bloomers blog where she shares her thoughts on Professsor Gore and Maestro Wilson's book All is Assuredly Well.

http://thelatebloomersbookblog.blogspot.com/

July 16th @ Auden Johnson's Blog
Stop by Auden Johnson blog to read Professor Gore's guest post on her supernatural experience involving her Advanced Graduate Statistics professor and how that relates to this book.
https://www.audenjohnson.com/

July 17th @ Coffee With Lacey
Come by Lacey's blog and read her interview with Professor Gore, one of the authors for All is Assuredly Well as well as with the illustrator of the series, Angie F. M. Trotter.
http://www.coffeewithlacey.wordpress.com/

July 19th @ The Writing Dreamer
Come by Jessica's blog where Professor Gore will be a guest writer and will be talking about how a workshop on screenwriting made her a better story writer.
http://wolfdreamer25-myjourney.blogspot.com

July 22nd @ Just a Place to  Drop My Thoughts
Stephanie will be reviewing Professor Gore & Maestro Wilson's book All is Assuredly Well. Come by and see what she thought about this impactful book!
https://stephaniemathis.blogspot.com/

July 23rd @ Cassandra's Writing World
Check out Cassandra's blog to find out her thoughts on Professor Gore & Maestro Wilson's book All is Assuredly Well. Professor Gore will also be discussing her thoughts on why attending conferences and workshops are worth the money (and how to make the best use of your time at one).
http://cassandra-mywritingworld.blogspot.com/?m=0

July 24th @ Author Anthony Avina Blog
Come by Anthony Avina's blog where he shares his thoughts on Professor Gore & Maestro Wilson's book All is Assuredly Well.
https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/

July 26th @ Author Anthony Avina Blog
Check out Anthony Avina's blog where he will be sharing Professor Gore's guest post on why she
selected Maestro Wilson as her co-author and how they worked together.
https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/

July 27th @ The Faerie Review
Come by Lily Shadowlyn's blog The Faerie Review where she reviews the book All is Assuredly Well.
www.thefaeriereview.com

July 28th @ The Faerie Review

Make sure to catch Lily's interview with author Professor Gore, one of the co-authors of All is Assuredly Well.

www.thefaeriereview.com

July 30th @ Books and Motivation
Come by Prakash Vir Sharma blog and read his interview with author Professor Gore.
www.booksandmotivation.wordpress.com

July 30th @ The Faerie Review
Come by Lily's blog where author Professor Gore writes about fighting academic freedom after a student complained about Professor Gore's class material about LGBQT class material.
www.thefaeriereview.com