Hanging out with Waylon Jennings, Poetically Speaking ..from "Accents" on Amazon KDP

https://soundcloud.com/arthur-turfa-1/in-the-best-of-all-possible 

  I never saw him, but so wish I had! From "Accents", on Amazon KDP. There is a section on Music there.

https://www.amazon.com/Accents-Arthur-Turfa/dp/1546473351/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

   

Updated Interview with Poet/Songwriter/Musician Aurore Sibley...upcoming Poetry Book on Finishing Line Press

 Update:  You can pre-order her coming poetry book All These Little Resonstrances from Finishing Line Press until September 24. I recommend that you do, and also that you tell someone who loves good poetry.

https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/all-these-little-remonstrations-by-aurore-sibley/

1 You are the newest a long line of people I know who excel in several artistic expressions. In your case, singer/songwriter, poet/writer. Which came first, music or writing?

    This is a great question. Music definitely came first, as my mother used to sing to me regularly and my dad was a music enthusiast, so I was exposed to and listened to a lot of music from a young age, and I began playing the piano at age seven. My parents read to me every night as well and I had an interest in writing from a fairly young age. I remember working on my first “novel” when I was in fifth grade.

 

2. I read your blog post about your father. Tell a little bit about his influence on you here, please.

     My father was a journalist and spent much of his career focusing on the arts and entertainment, reviewing concerts, and interviewing musicians. He had a great and eclectic taste in music and I grew up listening to a wide variety of jazz, folk and rock because of him.

 

3. Your music is very interesting and quite enjoyable. I like the way you transition from one musical genre to another and maintain the quality. How did you accomplish that?

     Thank you! I play a number of instruments and because I listen to and appreciate so many types of music, I’ve gone through stages where I focused on a particular genre as a musician. Growing up I played western classical music, in my early twenties I mostly played jazz and blues, then got deeply into bluegrass and Americana and also sang with a Balkan choir in my thirties, so my interests have been all over the place. That has allowed me to jump around from instrument to instrument and genre to genre, sometimes blending them a bit into whatever sound I’m going for.

 

4. In songwriting, which comes first: text or music?

     Sometimes I just hear a melody and go from there, but usually, the way I know that a song is a song and not a poem is when a line comes to me with a melody. I write poetry as well but when I hear a line with a melody, then I know it’s meant to be a song. So, they come at the same time if I’m songwriting, actually.

 

    5. Who are some of your musical and literary influences?

 

     That’s a big question because it’s quite varied. Some of my biggest literary influences include Dr. Oliver Sacks and Robert K. Massie. I love biographies and read more non-fiction than fiction these days. But I would also say writers like Amy Tan and Barbara Kingsolver have influenced me as I love a good family saga or character study.

     When it comes to music, it could be a really long list, so I’ll just say: Beethoven, Bill Evans, Mose Allison, Nina Simone, Gillian Welch, Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Patti Smith, and Dinah Washington as a start.

     6 You have a poetry book coming out with Finishing Line Press. There must be a lot you want to say about it.

      I find it really interesting that my poetry has been accepted for publication more than anything else because I think of myself as a writer and songwriter, but not a poet. The poems are most often deeply personal and so it feels strange to put them out into the world, as opposed to fiction, for example. This coming chapbook features a lot of poems about my dad and my daughter, as well as my experience over the past six years of being a single mother.

 

     7. Your “novel in the wings”: what can you share with us about it?

     Ah, my ‘novel in the wings’ is a mystery novel. I had been working on a manuscript for years that I was stuck with, and I thought, I should write something fun and light and something that would move along and that I knew I could finish and do well, so I switched gears and spent a few years focused on that, and actually finished it, which feels great! Now I just need a publisher. Meanwhile, I’ve gone back to the novel on the back burner and still don’t quite know where to go with it, but it’s starting to take shape.

 

    8 . For me the concept of “place” is very important in my writing, especially in poetry.  California is one of those places for me; you have lived there much longer than I have. How does “place” enter your creative work?

     Place plays a really important role in my writing as well. My mystery novel is set in Santa Cruz, where I live, and many of my poems are ocean-centered. But all of my other fiction takes place in the Midwest where I spent my childhood. I love writing about old farmhouses in Wisconsin, for example.

 

9. We are both educators. What do you teach, where did you study, and how does it complement your music and writing?

 

     I was trained as a Waldorf grades teacher, (in New Zealand initially, where I lived for a couple of years), and focused on remedial education for children struggling with reading, writing, and math. I also spent many years teaching piano prior to that, and these days I’m teaching from home and doing all three of those things online. It’s not ideal, but it’s been interesting and doable from home while we’re all sheltered in place.

   

10. Is there anything else that you want to add? How can people contact /follow you? Thanks!

    Thank you so much! The chapbook through Finishing Line Press  will be out sometime in 2021. I have a website where links to my writing and music can be found, which is http://www.auroresibley.com, and I can be followed on Twitter   @auroresibley7

What To Do With Your Copy of "The Botleys of Beaumont County"

 

     One person admits he is not a literary type, but thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially its humor. He was in education and related to the parts at Southwood High. He will pass the book on to his wife.

     Someone else selected it to be the Book of the Month that she and her husband select. They take turns reading it, speaking as the characters would in terms of accents!

     Others are adding to their TBR (To Be Read) lists/bookshelves.

     And you? Let me know. The book is available at The Book Tavern in downtown Augusta, GA!

https://www.facebook.com/thebooktavern

   Or order from Blurb:   https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

 $11.93 for the book! I don't know why they're showing Euros! Must be a glitch on Blurb!

Johnnie Walker Red- The Botley Male Beverage of Choice

 

     It's what Slerd and Dexter drink the most, either when together or apart. There are more exclusive brands and the whole single malt thing, but this is what Botley males drink.

     Until I was in my mid-20s, I thought Scotch was only for the country club, wealthy Republican type of people. At Penn State, I was introduced to beer, and then developed a taste for Vodka, nurturing my Easter European side. Not exactly, since Hungarians do not produce Vodka, but it was close enough I figured.

     During my first year in seminary, I got to know Harriet, a Catholic divorcee who enrolled at the Lutheran seminary in the Master of Divinity (pre-ordination) program. She was not interested in converting; in fact, she was a radical Catholic old enough to be our mother! Her house was open to us, and she had a good liquor cabinet, with of course Scotch. Some of my classmates were into the more expensive brands. I could afford Clan Mac Gregor and left it at that.

     When it came time to write the novel, the Botleys, being wealthy Republican country club types, would only drink Johnnie Walker. Open up whatever you want to and enjoy the novel!

    https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

Joe Ed Crudup from "The Botleys of Beaumount County" on Blurb

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county 

     Joe Ed is one of the secondary characters, and perhaps the most colorful. His family has lived in Beaumont County for generations. They worked the land, but most likely someone else's, except for what they grew for themselves on their land. 

     Normally these folks are the backbone of the community. However, after a few generations, they get tired of being at the bottom of the social order, at least as far as whites are concerned. The more ambitious join the military or move away. 

     Eventually, this branch of the Crudup family disintegrates. Joe Ed barely passes high school and shows little interest in the paths available to him. His resentment against people like the Botleys grows each day and smolders like a fire within him. 

     Discovering FOX News and a host of right-wing radio commentators, Joe Ed finds a message. When he combines it with his fundamentalistic Christianity, which barely covers his nationalism, things start to happen. Joe Ed becomes a local radio personality and leaves the country church for a storefront church in Marion.

     Barack Obama's election sets Joe Ed on fire. His venomous broadcasts get him taken off the air. Fr. Stallworth starts his new church near his storefront mission. And Joe Ed cannot handle it.

     There are millions of Joe Eds in America today. Not all of them are as vocal, but he represents a large group of people who feel left out in 21st Century America. The country they remember or heard about from their elders

is changing, and not a single one of them likes it. Donald Trump did not create a movement. He merely manipulated it.

I Haven't Blogged Much About My Poetry Books, So.....

Here are some links to them:

https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Turfa/e/B00YJ9LNOA%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share 

https://www.blurb.com/b/10335105-all-in-the-family-2nd-edition

After all, I am a poet/writer!

And there are a few poems in the Botleys!

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

Q & A About How To Get My Novel "The Botleys of Beaumont County"

 Q:   Why did you choose Blurb?

  A:  Tring to find a conventional publisher is hard, and during a pandemic, impossible. I wanted to get this out for the public and then move on to other things.

   Q: Can I order it on Amazon, like most of your other books?

    A: Sadly, no. If I sell on Blurb, I cannot sell on Amazon. Putting it on Blurb was easier than putting it on Amazon.   If you go to The Book Tavern 936 Broad St. in Augusta, GA, yes! It is difficult getting into independent bookstores. Some want local authors, and they define local very strictly. A major chain might be interested locally, but the higher-ups are not interested at all. I found that out with my first poetry book.

      Q: I want a signed copy. How can that happen?

       A;  In one of two ways. I can send you a copy, but that depends on me having me on hand (which I usually do) and my getting it to the place where I ship from. That will run close to $20. If you tell me you bought it (a picture of you with the book is nice), I can send you a signed card to p[ut in the book.

       Q: I get all that, but I like free shipping on Amazon. Can you do that?

        A: If I were as big as Amazon, yes! LOL. If you can afford $11.99 for the book, a few dollars more for shipping will not be a burden. All in all it's cheaper than buying lunch with an adult beverage to two thrown in.

        Q: OK, but what do I do if I want to leave a review. t's hard since you can't be on Amazon.

         A: That's right! But you can send it to me, and I can out in here, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. And you can do the same thing.