Another Column at MyShelf.Com

Beneath the Covers,Past
A Romance Column
By Carol Ann Culbert Johnson


Introducing Rainbow and Books to Enjoy, A Ride To Romance...


Introducing Rainbow...

Carol: What can you tell us about yourself?

Rainbow: Hi! How ya Diddlin’ Peeps? By your leave, may I ask you a question? Do you really want to wade through my life’s resume attempting to impress you with what could laughingly be called my credentials for writing my books? Would they really mean anything to you? Personally from those I have read my reaction has mostly been, "Yeh! Nice, so what?" Now I don’t mean that in a spiteful way, but really ain’t resumes more suited to a job application rather than a poor enticement as to why you should read this, or that publication, also attempting to prove what a wonderful person I am? If you really, really, want to know, please write to me via my website and I will do my best to provide you with the information you seek at an extremely reasonable fee, it will be negotiable based on... oh come on I can’t give away all my trade secrets! :-)

Having said that the facts are at the time of cobbling together my first to me, I have reached some 7 and 50 years, or 20-37, as I fondly refer to my physical age. I can still boogie an 18 year old off the dance floor, but only for about 10 minutes, then I have to sit down and take a rest! What’s that song, I ain’t as good as I once was?... oh, you probably know it anyhoo, suffice to say a particular "Rock and Roll Dream" in America went down the tubes and I found myself back in England, totally alone for the first time in my life and living in a car!

I never did seem to fit in with my contemporaries, or with most around me, never understanding why my thoughts, feelings and actions seemed so different from those around me and from the 1960’s many have known me by the name Rainbow, possibly due to my love of colorful clothes. Some call me Rick and many others seem to call me something unmentionable, but you can call me Sir! At physical age 20-15, mind you when I reach puberty, this world will be in big trouble, I set off on a great adventure across the pond and unknowingly set foot on a journey that still continues today.

It was a journey of self discovery, although I didn’t realise it at the time allowing me to experience many different cultures and philosophies from Native American Shamanism, having lived with a Navajo Medicine Man for 3 months, to living with Romany Gypsies, to living the life of a traveler in a van back in England and through living in a witch’s covenstead for a year or so.

Currently I’m still traveling, however now I’m being paid to do so in realising (Brit Spelling!) a childhood dream of driving a Big Rig all over the 48 contiguous States. Actually unfortunately, like many things the reality never quite matches the fantasy! But it does get me out and about! I have always been able to write "Instant Verse" on any subject and while living in that car, I turned for comfort to my "scratching pad," my quill being driven across the page by "My Muse". I have never been able to explain it, nor would I wish to and I started to write what I was feeling, what I was seeing and also on the many machinations of what I fondly call: The "Upright Biped Species That Infect This Planet."

After an experience at a writers group, as detailed in one of my websites: "Welcome To My World of the First Part," I decided to call my verses "Expressions and Observations" When the book was accepted for publication, I had some other things in mind and as you will see it’s called, Rainbow’s Expressions and Observations, or, Only Visiting This Planet In Search of a Brain, or, I Know The Answer’s 42, but, What’s The Piggin’ Question.

My new book: Battle-Scarred Heart-A Brit’s Witty Look At Lost Love, details in story and verse, absolutely true tales of some of my spectacular failures in attempting to find my soulmate, the yin to my yang, my other half, or whatever word you might ascribe to that certain personage!

O.K. That’s the infomercial over with. Contained within the pages, are the experiences, expressions and observations, of an Alien! Now don't scoff, you see at least having been transplanted into the U.S.A. the wonderful Immigration Trolls have given me my Official Alien Number, thank you Uncle Sam!

Carol: What is the name of your current book?

Rainbow: Actually there are now 2 books as shown in my bio.

Carol: Who is your publisher?

Rainbow: Publish America published Rainbow’s Expressions and Observations.

Carol: How do you feel about your publisher?

Rainbow: After many years of rejection, I was overjoyed when PA accepted my book. It's 510 pages and they did a fantastic job on the cover, however in pricing the book at $34.95 it does rather make it make it more difficult to get on the Times Best Sellers List!

Carol: What is your publishing journey?

Rainbow: Err can I get back to you on that?

Carol: Do you have an agent?

Rainbow: No I don’t.

Carol: Did you self-publish? If so explain your experience.

Rainbow: If you mean self publish via Publish America, as I mentioned they did a great job on the book and cover and not a great job in pricing, if only they realised an old motto from a supermarket tycoon in England, Jack Cohen of Tesco, "Pile it high, sell it cheap" they’d probably sell more books in the 7 years they lock you into the contract and we’d get some decent royalties. My first 3 royalty checks didn’t reach double digits, but it doesn’t cost you a dime to publish with them!

Carol: Who is your self-publisher and why?

Rainbow: Publish America; they were the first to accept it after many years of rejections in England and in the States.

Carol: What are your views on the writers of today?

Rainbow: Not having met any it’s difficult to form an opinion.

Carol: Who is your favorite author?

Rainbow: Apart from me? In no particular order Helen Wisocki of Innocence Betrayed by Clergy and Zada Connaway of Mother’s Journals.

Carol: How do you feel about writing?

Rainbow: I write when My Muse strikes as I fondly call it, you can see some further examples of when she strikes at FlyTo/Rainbow689.

Carol: Is writing a hobby or a full-time goal?

Rainbow: I would like it to be a full-time goal and it’s not really a hobby per se.

Carol: What is your genre of writing? Explain.

Rainbow: Memoirs culled from the countless times My Muse has struck, usually when something has tickled my remaining brain cells, be it good, or bad.

Carol: What are your other published books?

Rainbow: Battle-Scarred Heart - A Brit's Witty Look At Lost Love, published by Outskirts Press.

Carol: Who aspire you to write?

Rainbow: The machinations of the upright bipedal species that infect this planet, my experiences with and of them and my observations with and of them.

Carol: What is the message in your book?

Rainbow: That’s for the reader to discern.

Carol: Would you self-publish?

Rainbow: I have, twice.

Carol: What are your views on traditional publishers?

Rainbow: Again, never having met any although from what I’ve read and seen, unless you are famous, or infamous they seem rather a closed shop to unknown writers.

Carol: Do you write short stories?

Rainbow: Occasionally, but only in the context of my experiences and observations, or sometimes, very rarely I have as it were dismissed My Muse and just wrote in, for want of a better word - prose, usually when I am totally out of my pram with something, or someone ready to rip the head and arms of my teddie bears!

Carol: Do you write poems?

Rainbow: Not according to the writers group I went to in Sheffield England. Details at Rainbow689.FortuneCity.com

Carol: Have your stories ever been published in an anthology?

Rainbow: No.

Carol: What success has the publication of your book done for you?

Rainbow: Quite frankly not a lot in a material sense, but I am proud to say I am a Published Author.

Carol: Have you done a book signing?

Rainbow: No.

Carol: Would you do a book signing?

Rainbow: Yes I would.

Carol: What are your tools for marketing?

Rainbow: Mostly the Internet with various sites and author sites in which I upload video promotions and music and other stuff.

Carol: What is your next book about?

Rainbow: I’m working on 2 at the moment. More culled memoirs from my arrival in the States in 2001 including the machinations of trying to find a job and my adventures with the Immigration Trolls who finally gave me my Official Alien Number.

The second "new" one is culled from my Adventures In Mother Trucking, from the Truck School I went to and the first year of Mother Trucker around the 48 States.

Carol: What voice do you write in?

Rainbow: Although Rainbow writes of his journey of broken relationships in Battle-Scarred Heart - A Brit's Witty Look At Lost Love, he does it with his unique sense of humor, leaving the reader smiling quite readily. His British accent is apparent while reading and it can almost be heard from the pages. He writes as if he's sitting with you telling his tales of woe. With frivolity and mirth, the transferred Brit inserts his witticisms throughout his verse and stories.

Battle-Scarred Heart is a fun jaunt through Rainbow’s world of coming to the States from England and crossing the countryside searching for love and enjoying the astonishing sights he encounters. There were many broken hearts along the way - unfortunately all belonging to the lovable author.

The section titled Heart/Soul Death Break is a heart-wrenching story of lost love. That he lost his "true" love to a less-than-upstanding ex-priest truly breaks one’s heart. But again, Rainbow keeps the read upbeat and interesting, encouraging the reader to continue through his anguish. Even in pain, the story has bits of silly humor, which seems to be a trademark.

In The Soul Mate or Was She story - another heartbreaker, but an honest and again very entertaining read of a tragic saga of Rainbow’s life. He has an ability to see through the pain and add his witty repartee to move his sojourns along to keep the reader from tears and smiling instead.

Carol: What advice would you give to other writers?

Rainbow: Keep writing!

Carol: Do you have a website? If so, please showcase it to our readers?

Rainbow: Well you asked for it!? : )

Carol: What is your email address?

Rainbow: tonkatoy68@sprintpcs.com

Carol: If you had three wishes, what would they be and why?

Rainbow: To be able to be a full time writer and to retire with my lady wherever she may presently wander on a yacht somewhere warm!


 

Books to Enjoy, A Ride To Romance...

Again, to me, and I say this repeatedly, that books are the therapy for my stresses of life, the passion in my soul, the fix for chocolate, the kingdom of heaven, the universe of my existence, the millions to poverty, the light in my eyes, the lover to my sexiest, the apple to my banana, and the romance to everlasting love. To showcase the power of books let’s check out some of them that are worthy to read, and entice you into spending a romantic evening on the beach, not with a man, but with a very good book. Let’s take a ride with these talented writers:

He’s Saved But Is He For Real
by Kimberley Brooks

- Finding a truly saved man.

Ivy's Twisted Vine
by Latrivia S. Nelson

- An interracial love story with plenty of pages to enjoy.

After Hours
by Rochelle Alers

- A book of deceit and lies.

Pleasure
by Eric Jerome Dickey

- A woman searching for pleasure, and the man that can give it to her.

Sin No More
by Kimberla Lawson Roby

- The antics of Curtis Black continue.

Only You
by Francis Ray

- The Grayson Family trilogy continues...

Redemption
by Jacquelin Thomas

- Unconditional love when things are not what they may seem.

Waking With Enemies
by Eric Jerome Dickey

Become A Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day
by Karen E. Quinones Miller

- A spiritual book about happiness in your life.

Jezebel
by Jacquelin Thomas

- Manipulation by a woman to get the man that she wants and the material things that come along with him

Passin
by Karen E. Quinones Miller

- A color issue based on survival.

On the Line
by Donna Hill

- talented author with stories to tell.



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