Tags
5 Star Books, Action Adventure Books, Award Winning Books, Best Sci-Fi Books, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Book Review Blogs, Bookstagram, Kindle Unlimited, Reading, Reading community, ~Morgan~



13 Saturday Feb 2021
Tags
5 Star Books, Action Adventure Books, Award Winning Books, Best Sci-Fi Books, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Book Review Blogs, Bookstagram, Kindle Unlimited, Reading, Reading community, ~Morgan~
06 Friday Nov 2020
Tags
Author Interviews, BnV, Book Club, Book Recommendations, BooknVolume, Bookstagram, Memoirs, Readers, Reading, Reading community, Short Stories, ~Morgan~
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Nobody Eats Parsley. Sit down, grab a beer and let me tell you some stories about my family. They’re so ridiculous you may think they’re fiction. Like the time I went to a drive-in X-rated movie without realizing my parents were in the next car. Or how I let my kid throw a rock through the living room window. There’s the time I bought a camouflage thong in a bait shop, and the time I ruined a kid’s birthday party. And the other time I ruined a kid’s birthday party. There’s no way I could have just made these stories up. I can’t guarantee that they will make you laugh, but I can guarantee that I didn’t make them up.
DAVID OAKLEY has been telling brand stories at BooneOakley for years. He has won many prestigious honors, including the Kaopectate Award in the eighth grade for having diarrhea of the mouth. His first book, Why Is Your Name Upside Down?, is full of stories from his life in advertising. Despite this, he was recently inducted into the North Carolina Advertising Hall of Fame. He lives with his wife Claire and their dog Walter in Charlotte, where they raised Sydney and Lucas. He loves his family very much and hopes they still love him after reading Nobody Eats Parsley.
Hi David! Let’s dive right in, huh? What do you love most about Writing?
I’ve got an ego, and sure, I enjoy the attention that authors get. (Like being asked to be on Morgan’s blog! I’m very excited about this, by the way.) But when it comes down to it, I write because of the way it makes me feel. And because of the way it makes you feel when you read it. I like surprising people and making them chuckle. It thrills me, it excites me, it invigorates me. Writing, and making people laugh, gives me meaning and purpose in life.
How did you get your start writing?
Storytelling is such a big deal in the South. I grew up listening to my grandma tell stories of growing up as a tobacco sharecropper during the Great Depression. I was fascinated at how much humor there was during such hard times. She always made me laugh and I really like laughing. So, I decided that that was what I wanted to do. The only difference is that I write my stories down. And her stories were better. LOL
Is there an Author you consider your inspiration?
I read my first David Sedaris book in 2007, and he instantly became my favorite author. His story “Big Boy” about an unfortunate incident in a bathroom at a dinner party made me howl with laughter. Not only because it was so absurdly ridiculous, but because it was so relatable to me. I thought to myself, stuff like that happens to me a lot.
What Inspired you to write your book?
Laughter inspires me. When something happens in everyday life that makes me really laugh or someone around me laugh, I write about what made them laugh. At lot of funny things, (at least they’re funny to me) have happened in my life. I found myself telling these stories and laughing about them with my friends over dinner or beers, and one day I decided that I’d better write them down before I forgot them.
That’s probably every authors nightmare – having a great idea and then forgetting to write it down! Do you have a preferred POV that you write from and why?
My stories are about stuff that happens to me and my family, so I write from my POV. I see things through the eyes of a father, a husband and a son, who probably has smoked one too many joints in his life.
Do your characters dictate what or how your write in any way?
I’ve written two books now, and the characters in them are real life people that I hang out with every day. The first book is about my life in advertising, my work family. And my new book is about life with my real family. So, they do dictate how I write. Because they say funny things. Like my daughter Sydney, who told a friend that my new book, “might not be the best book my dad has ever written, but it’s definitely in the Top 2.”
Although it’s often hard to select just one, do you have a favourite or least favourite character?
My Aunt Hallie, without a doubt, is my favorite character in Nobody Eats Parsley. She’s an 83-year-old church going, sweet tea drinking Southerner who can strike up a conversation with a signpost. She’s sweet, humble, kind and the best natural born trash-talker in the history of North Carolina. Imagine if Aunt Bea from The Andy Griffith Show and Eddie Haskell from Leave it to Beaver had a love child. That would be my Aunt Hallie.
What’s your number one tip for an aspiring Author?
The first thing for an aspiring writer is to keep writing. Just keep writing. Then after you have written for about 10 years, suddenly you’re not an aspiring writer anymore. You’re a writer.
Is there a book you consider a must-read- why?
No, I don’t consider Nobody Eats Parsley a must-read. That’s because I just recorded an audiobook. So, I consider it a must-listen. LOL (Even though I can’t stand the sound of my own voice.)
Do you have a Mantra- a Quote you try to live by?
“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” This is a quote from Steve Prefontaine, a runner from the 1970’s.
I want to thank David for taking time out of his busy schedule to stop by and talk about his book. Please look for David on his social media network:
Twitter: @oakleydavid
Instagram @oakleydavid16
David is giving away 5 Signed Copies of Nobody Eats Parsley!
Contact him using the form below and he’ll send you one
While Supplies Last!
07 Friday Feb 2020
Posted Dark Fey
inTags
AmReading, Award Winning Books, Award Winning Fantasy, Best Fantasy Books, Book Recommendations, Light vs Dark, YA Books
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The Reviled are the enemy. They embody brutality in every form. The Fey of the Light know only too well how savage the Dark Fey can be and daring to think otherwise invites tragedy.
Gairynzvl was once one of the Reviled and lived the riotous life of all Dark Ones, but his acceptance by The Fey of the Light has changed all that. Now, he is opposing The Reviled by returning into their dark realm and rescuing childfey. The actions taken by him and his band of Liberators are not only changing lives, they are fulfilling ancient prophecies and proving long-accepted beliefs inaccurate.
Those who have lived in the Light all their lives are suddenly faced with unavoidable questions. How is peace achieved? Can Light unite with Darkness? Can all the atrocities the Dark Ones have inflicted really be forgiven?
The Fey of the Light have a deadly choice to make: ignore the emerging truth or risk the tranquility of their realm and go to war to offer the Reviled a chance to change.Dark Fey Breaking Into The Light asks the questions, can we truly understand another’s misery without knowing the extent to which they suffer? Would we willingly risk our lives for someone without experiencing some measure of their pain, despair, or anger?
Reviewed by Book Review Directory – 4 Stars A tale of battle, redemption, and an empathetic look at one’s stance against “evil,” this book will appeal to fantasy fans who like a story that makes them think. Full of fanciful creatures, strange languages, and exotic names, the story is a philosophical twist on the perennial tale of dark versus light.
29 Wednesday Jan 2020
Posted Dark Fey
inTags
AmReading, Award Winning Books, Best Fantasy Books, Book Recommendations, Books to Read, Create Change, Fantasy, Fantasy Trilogy, Forgiveness, Hope
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This story shares the Power of Hope, Acceptance and Forgiveness through the ideal that you can change the world, if you take Positive Action to Create Change through doing what is Right.
“This author’s writing style is exciting and offers beautiful examples of how to make writing techniques stand out and wrap themselves around your mind….While reading I was entranced in a Fey world that completely swept me away from everyday thoughts. That is the mark of a superior creative mind. I highly recommend this book!”….⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviewer READER EDITOR
Join me as we embark into this realm of Light and Dark. Allow your imagination take over as you experience the Jyndari forest and The Fey of the Light’s struggle with The Reviled. Let the Light reach outward from these pages and draws you into on a journey that promises to change your way of thinking.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B074CFD9CG
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~Morgan ~
02 Wednesday Nov 2016
Posted Dark Fey
inTags
BnV, Book Recommendations, Book Review Blogs, Book reviews, BooknVolume, Dark Fey Trilogy, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fantasy review, Kindle Books, ~Morgan~
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I simply had to share the Marvelous review I received today by Brienne Dubh of Escapology Reviews for Standing In Shadows 🙂
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~Morgan~
23 Friday Sep 2016
Posted Dark Fey, Friday FeyDay / Fantasy
inTags
BnV, Book Recommendations, Book reviews, BooknVolume, Fantasy, Fantasy Books, Hope, Inspiration, Readers, Supporting Indie Authors, YA Books, ~Morgan~
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Diana of Myths of the Mirror recently wrote a marvelous review of Dark Fey The Reviled and today she shared this review, among several others, on her blog.
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The strongest part of this book is the beautiful lyrical language, detailed imagery, and descriptions of a fantasy world with a rich history and fleshed out cultural tradition. It’s not a quick read and it takes a bit to get going, but for readers who love to immerse themselves in a story and characters, it will fit the bill. Continue reading
18 Sunday Sep 2016
Posted Dark Fey
inTags
Behind The Scenes, BnV, Book Recommendations, BooknVolume, Dark Fey, Fantasy, Fantasy Books, Hope, Inspiration, Must Read Books, Unicef, ~Morgan~
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Many have asked me to explain to them what Dark Fey is about and how it was inspired. The original inspiration for the story came to me through a vivid dream, which I could not stop thinking about days afterward. As I thought about it, the characters stepped out of the shadows of the dream and demanded my full attention, so I finally sat down and wrote out the entire scene as I saw it in my mind, which is now Chapter Six of The Reviled.(which you can preview in its entirety here)
The story of Dark Fey is set in a Fantasy Realm of my own creation, but the message is relative to our own reality. That The Power of Hope, Acceptance and Forgiveness can change the world, if you take Positive Action to Create Change through doing what is Right. Or you might say: The only way to achieve Peace is to become Peace. This message came partially as a result of learning about the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) in Uganda, where militant rebels have been abducting children for over 20 years, integrating them into their army through abuse and cruelty, and forcing them to endure lives of violence. I was moved to my very spirit by such a horrifying truth and chose this medium to share a similar story. However, unlike our own reality where this atrocity continues even today, the Fey of Jyndari choose to change their world by taking Positive Action through Sacrifice, Acceptance and Forgiveness.
The “Brutally Beautiful” story is nail-biting and suspenseful; lush and lyrical; spiritual, yet powerfully relevant. Beneath the drama; behind the romance; and perhaps in spite of the darkness it contains, Dark Fey shares a message of Hope for the seemingly hopeless.
It is my Hope to be able to donate a portion of the proceeds from the sales of Dark Fey to UNICEF’s work in Uganda where they actively rehabilitate the children affected by the LRA.
.I hope this may convey some insight to the story for any who many be curious.
~Morgan~
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Brutally Beautiful Review by Author Adri Sinclair
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