Carolyn Griffiths was born in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1960. The daughter of Warren and Sheila McDaniel. She lived her entire childhood in the small town of Atchison, Kansas most noted for the famed female pilot Amelia Earhart and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad.
Writing since childhood she often found herself immersed in the world of fiction. Her stories would become favorites among peers and instructors who prompted her to continue with her writing, in which she later found herself writing articles for numerous school papers.
In 2008 she seized the opportunity to co-write with paranormal author, Janice Oberding on a book entitled “Goldfield- It’s History and Hauntings” a historical accounting of perpetual Ghostly encounters, documented at the infamous Goldfield Hotel located in Goldfield, Nevada. Her role as Event Manager for Paracon 2008 in Las Vegas, however, interfered with creative efforts and resulted in the declination of her contribution. “Goldfield” along with other paranormal books by the author Janice Oberding are available at Amazon.com.
“The Feathered Serpents” her newest endeavor, is an online publication that immerses the reader into ancient catacombs of the Mayan civilization and their secret knowledge of “Cycles of Time”, anchoring the notorious Long Count calendar and its relevance to modern day society, most known for predicting an uncertain future for the world in the year 2012. Carolyn also hosts a blogsite : “2012 Eclectic mix” on Today.com. To visit the website go to: http://2012eclecticmix.today.com .
Other books in progress , include a motivational series entitled “Seasons of Harvest- The Seven Pearls of Wisdom”, and an Electronic book (e-book) on the subject of Hydro, Aero, and Aqua ponics, systems utilized for home grown and wholesome foods. “ Hooked on Ponics” which will be available later this year online.
BookBuzzr interviewed Carolyn Griffiths who is the author of the book ‘FEATHERED SERPENTS‘ which was among the Top 10 Books of 2009 on BookBuzzr.
1. Carolyn will you please share a little about yourself?
Gee for me, this is always the hardest part. I’m great at the imagination stuff but when you ask me about myself, I mentally freeze up. (laughing)
My name is Carolyn Griffiths. I’m a self employed, married to a wonderful and loving husband, writer, who enjoys the art of expressing myself through writing. I’m currently owned by a nine pound, chocolate brown chihuahua named “Buddy”. I have three grown children, five grandchildren and currently live in a historically haunted, and small town. I love music, nature, and animals. I also feel very privileged to have the time to research the most fascinating subjects in the world while living the life I do, surrounded by family and friends that love me.
I write a blog at www.2012eclecticmix.today.com in which I discuss topics like that of 2012 and other controversial subjects of today, in addition to writing my books.
2. At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your story.
I discovered writing in grade school, actually it was reading that I discovered first. I believe I was ten years old at the time. It was then that I started writing poetry and short stories for my own amusement. I found great satisfaction with writing as it enabled me to share my inner most thoughts and feelings in a very creative and constructive way.
Later in High School around 1979, I wrote only on assignment but discovered that one of my teachers would literally confiscate my work. On one particular assignment, I wrote a journal that included several different samples of my work, like that of poetry, short stories etc. When the time came for receiving a grade on the project, I got my “A” , but my English teacher kept the journal. She enjoyed it so much that she actually asked my permission to keep it. At sixteen, and of course elated that someone liked my writing so much, I said “sure”. I hadn’t realized that later in life, I would come to regret that decision, having no copies of the original work.
My first piece would not be published publicly until 1998, nearly twenty years later, in which I wrote for a technical school newspaper. I had been taking classes there and would write articles about any new developments in the computer market that affected our computer class. This also proved to be quite the challenge for me, as I had to learn to report and write based on “real” life and some times “boring” events. Attempting to make them sound more exciting than they actually were. Years later, in college, I would attend Television broadcasting classes in which I also learned to write screen plays, and television/radio spots.
3. Are there any other writers (published or not) in your family?
The only other writers I know of in my family are my children. My oldest son is an exceptional writer and has his own websites that he creates himself and hosts. He would be considered the only published writer, other than myself. My youngest son was a great writer also early on, but decided not to pursue that avenue of life. He is more interested these days in music. My children seem to be a lot like their mother. We love the arts and if it’s creative…count us in.
4. Can you please tell us about ‘Feathered Serpents’ and why you wrote it?
Feathered Serpents happened after I answered an ad for someone who was looking for a writer. There was a man who hosted several Mayan websites and was looking to employ a writer to bring a story about the Mayan people and thus more interest to his websites. He wanted a story that discussed the long count calendar , and how it tied into modern day society. Since I had already done research on the subject and it is a personal interest of mine, I decided to apply for the writing position. There was another writer also at the time vying for the job, who I was told was a screen writer out of L.A. So I was very excited and thought it a huge compliment when I got the job. I believe it was my personal interest in the subject matter that eventually won me out. I had a lot of unique views and facts concerning the Mayans and 2012 that he had not heard before. Plus I had a belief of the importance of sharing this information in a non intrusive way. Which is why “Feathered Serpents” is based partially on fact and the other part fiction. The work is both. I have to list the book as “Fiction” since there is obviously some fiction in the story. However many parts are actually based upon “real life” people as well as some of their experiences, so all anyone would have to do is a little research on the subject to learn which is truth and which is not. The work is very original in that aspect and I have plans to rewrite it into a screenplay in the near future.
Feathered Serpents is an online book that immerses the reader into ancient catacombs of the Mayan civilization and their secret knowledge of “Cycles of Time”, anchoring the notorious Long Count calendar and its relevance to modern day society, most known for predicting an uncertain future for the world in the year 2012. Chapters of the book can be viewed directly on the website @ www.mayacalendar.org.
5. What about the Mayans fascinated you enough to write a book on the topic?
The Mayan people have been an interest of mine since my early thirties. It may have even started earlier than that, as I’ve always had an interest in all things unexplained, mysterious and or paranormal. The Mayan civilization always seemed to me to be shrouded in mystery. Not many people can truly understand why they did the things they did. Like for instance, the ball game “Pitz” which was sometimes played with a real human head. Then there are the pyramids which have always held my interest as well. I’m always researching and attempting to find connections between pyramids, like those of the ancient Mayans, Egyptians and many others found around the world. There was a time here on Earth when it seemed that pyramids were the “Temple “ or building of choice. Why? I’ve always wanted to know that. I don’t believe that they were just temples, but perhaps had a more profound significance. There have been parallels between vibrational frequency and that of sound in relation especially to the Giza Pyramid in Egypt. With the Mayan peoples in particular we have the Temple of the Sun in Teotihuacan. Scientists are still attempting to explain that in its entirety. It’s all very fascinating to me and I hope that someday I can be instrumental in finding perhaps some of the answers to some of the unexplained questions surrounding these places.
6. Whats the most challenging aspect of writing to you? And the Easiest?
I find the most challenging aspect to be the editing. The part where I sit down and take a critical look at spelling,punctuation,flow,content and style, that to me is the most time consuming. I tend to rewrite things several times before finding an acceptable copy that I’m happy with, so it seems I edit a lot. I usually take one chapter at a time. Since I’m the one doing my own editing, I also have to “computer code” for paragraphing since the story is being submitted for a website first.
The easiest aspect to me is the ideas for a storyline. I have such an incredible imagination that finding material is fairly easy. I have also spent a great deal of time studying people, so characters tend to make sense when I write about them. I typically write about things that we all experience and put them into my characters.
7. How do you prefer to write, on paper or on the computer?
I prefer to write directly on the computer. Since everything is done on computer these days, its much easier. I am a much better typist than I am a long hand writer. I do tend to jot notes down long hand, but then there are those occasions also where I’m going “ What the heck does that say?” in those times where I can’t read my own writing. So for me, its the computer.
8. What is the most important lesson you have learnt when marketing your book?
Marketing, the one thing I’ve always liked doing, and yet don’t seem to do it very well. I’d say the most important lesson I’ve learned in this field of marketing is that if you don’t do it, (marketing) not much happens. When I had the widget on our website we got a lot of views, things were moving and happening. Now that the widget has been removed… not so much. Marketing is the single most important thing other than the work itself. If you don’t market, you don’t have readers. I am encouraged now to continue with marketing a lot more.
9. You are one of the Top Authors on BookBuzzr, did you do anything special to achieve this?
I believe that the subject matter is important right now and many people are curious about it. With the movie “2012” coming out, interest has skyrocketed. I had started the book before the movie aired, but it really helps to see that so many people are talking about it. I believe it has to do with all of us especially because there is truth to it. It may not be as dramatic as the movie but there are going to be some earth changes happening. We are already experiencing many of them now. This effects the entire world and I feel compelled to share these truths with the world.
10. What were some of your favorite books when you were growing up?
It is hard for me to pinpoint only a few books as there are so many that I enjoyed during my childhood. Some of the first books that come to mind immediately are; A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak , and The Nancy Drew Mystery series by Carolyn Keene.
11. What’s your next exciting project?
A rewrite of Feathered Serpents into screenplay format and completing the motivational series entitled “ Seasons of Harvest- The Seven Pearls of Wisdom”.
I began this series several years ago and look to having it completed very soon. It’s a subject I strongly believe in. Being the best we can be. I’m a natural “cheerleader”. I’m always rooting for the person who seems they don’t know how or can’t do it. I’d like to help regular, everyday people, like myself, become exceptional at whatever it is they choose to do. I really love it, when people achieve their dreams in life. I believe that there is a seed of greatness in all of us that is just waiting to be uncovered and nurtured. I also believe that we can all overcome negative thoughts and impulses that may be holding us back from realizing our full potentials and living the life of our dreams.
BookBuzzr thanks Carolyn Griffiths for such an excellent interview. Connect with Carolyn Griffiths on fReado.
