Blog Tour/Guest Post: Walk With Me by Debra Schoenberger

Something slightly different today: I’m featuring a book that’s as much about images as it is words.  It’s a book of street photography – Walk With Me by Debra Schoenberger.  Debra describes it as her ‘book of weird’.  Weird or not, I’m thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour and to bring you a guest post from Debra with some creative ideas for creating a travel journal.

WinVisit the tour page for links to all the other bloggers taking part in the tour AND to enter the giveaway (scroll down to the bottom of the page).  There’s a chance to win a $15 Amazon gift card or an ecopy of Debra’s book.

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Walk With MeAbout the Book

Debra says: Whenever I’m asked “which is the best camera?” I pretty much respond: “the one you have on you.” In fact, most of the images in this book were taken with my cell phone simply because I always have it with me. ​This is not only a book about street photography but a visual diary, or collection of quirky, unusual and sometimes just plain weird photos I’ve taken over the course of the last decade. ​

​As a street photographer, I need to be an assiduous walker. My sneakers often take me to little known, hidden corners, seaweed strewn (and sometimes stinky) beaches and really cool back alleys of my rather small island city of Victoria, BC.​  I’ve also included images of curiosities I’ve seen throughout my travels.

​​Everyone sees the world differently and this is my collection of the quirkyness that I call life.

Format: ebook, paperback, hardcover (104 pp.) Publisher: Blurb
Published: 26th December 2017                              Genre: Non-Fiction, Art, Photography

Purchase Links*
Amazon.com  ǀ iTunes ǀ Publisher website
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Walk with Me on Goodreads


Guest Post: ‘Travel Journals’ by Debra Schoenberger

Have you ever had the chance to admire the beautiful travel journals on Pinterest?  As I admire the different beautifully designed journals, I can’t help but be envious of those artists who are able to sketch gorgeous scenes of their travel experiences.

 

Bleh.  I can barely draw a stickman.  So what’s the alternative?

Stickers.  Yep.  For those artistically challenged like me, stickers can be a fun and easy way to create a travel journal.  I like https://www.redbubble.com/ because they have loads of stickers.

As I travel, I tend to pick up cool and interesting paper souvenirs such as coffee coasters, business cards, and other ephemera.  I also add small photos I’ve printed out with my mini printer (it works with wifi directly to my cell phone).

Washi tape is a decorative lightly sticky tape that comes in tons of different sizes and designs.  You can buy them on https://www.etsy.com/ca/.

I pick up vintage National Geographic maps at the used book store and cut out the different countries that I will be visiting.

WalkWithMe4

Although my journal is quite heavy, I bring it with me and work on it almost every day.  I write down any interesting observations or situations that tickle my funny bone because I know that I will forget about them when I come home. © Debra Schoenberger


Debra SchoenbergerAbout the Author

Debra Schoenberger aka #girlwithcamera: “My dad always carried a camera under the seat of his car and was constantly taking pictures. I think that his example, together with poring over National Geographic magazines as a child fuelled my curiosity for the world around me.  I am a documentary photographer and street photography is my passion. Some of my images have been chosen by National Geographic as editor’s favourites and are on display in the National Geographic museum in Washington, DC.  I also have an off-kilter sense of humour so I’m always looking for the unusual.”

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Book Blitz: The Study of Silence by Malia Zaidi

The Study of Silence Tour Banner

I’m delighted to be joining the book blitz for The Study of Silence by Malia Zaidi, the third outing in The Lady Evelyn Mystery series.  Doesn’t it have a cute cover?   I have a fabulous guest post for you in which Malia reflects on what she refers to as, ‘The Struggle of Endless Possibilities’.

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The Study of SilenceAbout the Book

Lady Evelyn Carlisle has returned home to England, where she is completing her degree at St. Hugh’s, a women’s college in Oxford. Her days are spent poring over ancient texts and rushing to tutorials. All is well until a fateful morning, when her peaceful student life is turned on its head. Stumbling upon the gruesome killing of someone she thought she knew, Evelyn is plunged into a murder investigation once more, much to the chagrin of her friends and family, as well as the intriguing Detective Lucas Stanton.

The dreaming spires of Oxford begin to appear decidedly less romantic as she gathers clues, and learns far more than she ever wished to know about the darkness lurking beyond the polished veneer. Can she solve the crime before the killer strikes once more, this time to Evelyn’s own detriment?

Format: ebook, paperback (448 pp.)          Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 27th February 2018                   Genre: Mystery

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com  ǀ Barnes and Noble
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Study of Silence on Goodreads


Guest Post: ‘The Struggle of Endless Possibilities’ by Malia Zaidi

‘A part of what I love about reading and writing is that it can take you anywhere. New worlds can be created, characters can be granted inhuman powers, adventure, true love. There are no limits when it comes to fiction, but for a writer just this endless opportunity can sometimes prove a bit of a burden.

My books, The Lady Evelyn Mysteries, are part historical fiction, part mystery, and so they are grounded in facts in terms of setting and period details. However, when it comes to what the characters do and where the story goes options are far more unlimited. How to choose a path? For some writers, I know it helps to map out and plan every chapter, to know precisely where the story will go, for others, outlines feel constricting, and are ever changing to the point of being entirely useless.

My own process falls somewhere in between. I start with a rough outline, but all the details are left for me to fill as I write. Sometimes it can be difficult to decide on a path to take and tempting to veer away from it at times when a different possibility enters the equation. The endless options can make writing daunting at times, but I find, once I get started, I get a better feeling of what is right for the story and what isn’t.

For my genre, there is just enough certainty, just enough grounding in a world that already exists or existed, that I cannot hurl myself too far from the right track. For other genres like fantasy or science fiction, I imagine choosing a direction is far more challenging. A world that you create from nothing can be anything, and therefore the story runs the risk of being overfull. My advice is simply to go with your gut and keep writing. It can be a daunting task sometimes, especially when your imagination is given completely free reign, but I believe if a story is going to be told, the author will have a sense for what is right for it.’                                                                       ©Malia Zaidi


Version 2About the Author

Malia Zaidi is a writer and painter, who grew up in Germany and lives in the US. An avid reader and traveller, she decided to combine these passions, and turn her long-time ambition of writing into a reality. The Study of Silence is the third book in The Lady Evelyn Mysteries.

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