Bertha…has mercifully decided to…pick on…ummm…I mean…chat with 
someone else today…I’m not sure…but I think she’s getting tired of my same old whining…but…whatever the reason…please join me in welcoming…Vickie Johnstone…
First…a bit of history…Vickie lives in London…where she works as a freelance layout sub-editor on magazines…and as an editor on indie books. Unlike…Bertha…Vickie loves fluffy cats…and it is doubtful that she has ever chased one with a vacuum cleaner…she also loves…reading…writing…films…the sea…rock music…art…nature…traveling…and…sleeping…in fact…if sleeping were added to the Olympics…she’d be a contender…although…Bertha…would probably give her a good run for her money…
Vickie has self-published several titles…including…Kaleidoscope (poetry)…
Travelling Light (poetry)…Life’s Rhythms (haiku)…3 Heads and a Tail (romantic comedy)…Kiwi in Cat City (magical cat series for middle grade readers)…Kiwi and the Missing Magic…Kiwi and the Living Nightmare, Kiwi and the Serpent of the Isle…Kiwi in the Realm of Ra…Kiwi’s Christmas Tail…Day of the Living Pizza (comedy detective series for middle grade readers…and…Day of the Pesky Shadow…she is currently working on…The Sea Inside…a fantasy with a female central character…
Wow…Vickie is a busy girl…I hope she has time to answer a few questions…since…Bertha…is chomping at the bits to ask them…
You know…I’m all about living life to the fullest…and it sounds like you do…when was the last time you felt alive…I mean really alive…
Interesting! I get this from the simplest things. Life should not be about worrying. We all worry too much about everything. You just have to let go. On those lucky days you just connect with yourself and everything around you, and it’s a kind of mystical feeling. I had it yesterday just walking down a street and the wind was blowing, and it made me feel refreshed and energised. I also had it when I came home and I was writing some in my fantasy book. When I’m doing yoga in the morning I feel awakened. The other weekend I was out with friends celebrating a birthday and we were all dancing and laughing about silly stuff. I had the same feeling then. It’s a kind of feeling of weightlessness, as if everything is possible and you feel happy in yourself.
Hmmm…this may be a little personal…but…here goes…we all know that hindsight is 20-20…what is the one thing…good or bad…you wish you could have said to a former boyfriend…
Oooh, too much detail cometh! I’d probably stand up to the bad ones more, be nicer to the good ones, and perhaps make some better choices.
What is the…worst…advice…you have ever given someone…
Bet on number eight. Not really. Not sure on this one. I once played Cupid between a male friend I’d known for many years and a newish female friend. It worked, but the girl was insecure for some reason and didn’t want the guy to see me anymore, so I lost the friend. They eventually married. At least they were happy!
Are there any specific…authors…that you admire…
My favourite authors include John Keats, Jane Austen (P&P especially), Paulo Coehlo (The Alchemist), Angela Carter (The Magic Toyshop and Nights at the Circus), Margaret Atwood (The Handmaiden’s Tale), Douglas Copeland (Miss Wyoming), Stephen King (The Shining), Cormac McCarthy (The Road and No Country for Old Men) and Terry Pratchett. I’m currently reading The Book Thief, so I’ve now got to add Markus Zusak to that list. It’s a wonderful book. I also greatly admire holocaust survivor Halina Birenbaum. Her novel, Hope is the Last to Die, is shattering with the most moving ending. She writes about the power of hope and the human spirit, and how it can keep us going through the most barbaric and soul-destroying events.
Thanks so much for answering my questions…I would love to know even more about you…do you have any online sites where I can read more about your books…
Yes, I have a blog where I post ramblings, my writing, interviews with other indie authors, book reviews and features. Then I have a website for the Kiwi books too. I also have some author pages on Facebook. Of course you can also join me on Twitter.
Vickie…thanks for sharing with us today…and…by the way…we both loved…3 Heads and a Tail… it was really a fun read…Bertha…was particularly delighted that the…tail…belonged to a dog… Now…there’s just one last thing…she’s wondering…since you love cats…and she doesn’t…maybe…just maybe…she can put ours on a slow boat to…London…
Don’t worry…for once…I told her…NO…
Jane
Thanks so much for hosting me! I love the opening… a vacuum cleaner… lol!
Vickie
Purrs
Well…things have happened at my house…and that’s all I’m saying! It was my pleasure to host you!
Excellent interview ladies!
Thanks, Kim…it was fun to get to know Vickie better!