Category Archives: Uncategorized

Miss Matisse Interview- With Published Author Digger Cartwright Question 9

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Miss Matisse: You have thirteen years under your belt already! That’s pretty cool if I do say so myself, because that’s more than most authors can say that they have! What should readers expect to find when they pick up a Digger Cartwright book?

Digger Cartwright: Murder, mystery, intrigue, an engaging story with twists and turns when it comes to most of my books. Conversations on the Bench is the lone example at this point, since it’s motivational and was inspired by actual events. Regardless of what book you read, it’s going to be an interesting and unique storyline. There are going to be a lot of memorable characters. There are going to be a lot of descriptions of the people and the settings. I try to paint a picture so that you as a reader feel like you’re in the story. I want you to be able to see the people and places in your heads. Some of the books you won’t be able to put down. You’re going to want to keep reading to find out what happens. Others, you’re going to want to step back and think about it for a while. In any case, you’re going to get an engaging story and a quality piece of work. None of my books are going to be like the run-of-the-mill books being put out by mainstream authors today.

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

http://www.diggercartwright.com/

Miss Matisse Interview- With Published Author Digger Cartwright Question 8

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Miss Matisse: I will have to check out (Conversations on the Bench) for myself when I can find some extra time to sit down and read! It sounds very interesting… J How long have you been writing?

Digger Cartwright: Many years off and on. I guess I’ve really taken it seriously and been dedicated to writing since 2000. That’s when I sat down and wrote Murder at the Ocean Forest, and I’ve been writing ever since. I tried the traditional means of getting Murder at the Ocean Forest published until I finally decided to self-publish in about 2005.

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

http://www.diggercartwright.com/

Miss Matisse Interview- With Published Author Digger Cartwright Question 7

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Miss Matisse: Yes, I love the worldwide web for the simple fact that now it’s not only Americans who can reap benefits, EVERYONE in the world now can! The “Indie” route whether writing, being a shop owner, music etc. I would say is definitely the way to go nowadays! What genres of stories have you written about?

Digger Cartwright: The Maynwarings: A Game of Chance is a western set in Carson City, Nevada after the Civil War. The House of Dark Shadows is a psychological thriller that is very character driven with what I like to think of as an Alfred Hitchcock-like twist at the end. The Versailles Conspiracy is a modern day political thriller with international intrigue, murders, conspiracies, and a lot of twists and turns that stretch from high society country clubs to strip clubs to political organizations throughout the world. Murder at the Ocean Forest is a period piece set in the 1940s at the famed Ocean Forest hotel in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It’s a traditional mystery along the lines of an Agatha Christie book where the “locked door” mystery keeps readers trying to solve the puzzle. But there’s also an international intrigue aspect to this once since it’s during World War II. Conversations on the Bench is an inspirational or motivational story that’s based on actual events. It’s a collection of life lessons shared between two friends, and as I’ve said time and time again there is something in that book for everyone who reads it.

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

http://www.diggercartwright.com/

Miss Matisse Interview- With Published Author Digger Cartwright Question 6

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Miss Matisse: This is ALL excellent information and advice you have given to our readers who may be interested in becoming an author, and I’m positive that they will take away a lot from it! Are you currently a published writer? If so, could you elaborate on this a bit…If not, have you ever thought about publishing your books?

Digger Cartwright: When I first started writing, I was one of these authors who had been brainwashed that you have to have an agent to get your book published and be successful. After several years of rejections, hundreds of letters that went unanswered, and getting nowhere, I decided to abandon that failed strategy and self-publish my books. It was probably one of the best decisions I could have made. Since then, I’ve had my team of marketing folks working on different strategies to get word out about each book, interact with the fans and readers, and gain more exposure for me and my work. It’s not easy, but it can work. The entire indie author space has really blossomed as a result of e-books and readers and the internet and social media. Now indie authors can reach just as many readers and potential fans as the traditional publishers. There are tons of marketing options and an abundance of resources for self-published authors. I look at it as another business venture, and I’m in the process of setting up the National Federation of Self-Published Author Entrepreneurs as a resource for indie authors who decide to go the self-published route.

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

http://www.diggercartwright.com/

I’m glad I already reserved my ticket!

Posted by diggercartwright on

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thinking Outside the Boxe Announces its Summer Champagne Summit

 

Myrtle Beach, SC, Orlando, FL, Washington, DC May 28, 2013— Thinking Outside the Boxe, an independent and nonpartisan think tank, is pleased to announce that it will hold its Summer Champagne Summit series in Orlando, Florida on July 3, 2013 and July 5-7, 2013.  Thinking Outside the Boxe’s Champagne Summit provides an opportunity for political strategists and commentators, business leaders, economists, and individuals interested in nonpartisan examination of current events to gather for an afternoon of debate and roundtable discussions on economic conditions and the outlook, geopolitical events, domestic politics, foreign policy, business conditions and outlook, societal issues, among other topics.

 

Individual tickets for this event are limited, and those interested in participating are encouraged to reserve a spot early.  Individual tickets are $1,000 each per day and provide for event attendance and lunch on selected day.  The Champagne Summit will begin promptly at noon with a welcome introduction and meet and greet session.  Lunch follows immediately and is followed by roundtable discussion and presentations by guest speakers.  The guest speaker list will be provided on the Thinking Outside the Boxe website at a later date.  For additional information, please contact Thinking Outside the Boxe. Additional information is available at www.Eventbrite.com.

Thinking Outside the Boxe’s Champagne Summit series began as a side event to the annual symposium held in December each year.  Increased interest in the Champagne Summits by participants and guests led Thinking Outside the Boxe to expand the Champagne Summits to one event per quarter in addition to the annual symposium.  Thinking Outside the Boxe also began offering a limited number of individual tickets to the previously invitation only events.

 

About Thinking Outside the Boxe—Thinking Outside the Boxe is a private, nonpartisan think tank that is dedicated to providing a wide variety of perspectives on issues that are of interest to the general public.  The views that are expressed in Thinking Outside the Boxe’s commentaries and research are often times uncommon, provocative, and controversial.  Thinking Outside the Boxe’s mission is to formulate and promote positions and to provide research, independently, that would otherwise be deprived of an outlet in the mainstream media.  Thinking Outside the Boxe’s commentators and researchers seek to broaden the parameters of public knowledge by addressing issues in such a fashion as to provoke thought and debate on some of the most pressing issues of our day.

 

 

Press Contact:

Telephone:  866.666.1783

Website: www.ThinkingOutsideTheBoxe.com

Twitter:  @ThinkOutOfBoxe

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThinkOutOfBoxe

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10th anniversary

Miss Matisse Interview- With Published Author Digger Cartwright Question 5

Posted by diggercartwright on

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Miss Matisse: I’ve realized in the years I’ve done online sales, and writing myself that a degree isn’t always required, and a handful of the authors that actually don’t have degrees are the BEST ones out here! I commend you for pursuing your passion, and those classes that you took have paid off! What would you say is your process when it comes to writing? i.e. How do you normally begin?

Digger Cartwright: It normally starts with an idea. I’ll jot down some notes on paper. Yes, I’m a bit old fashioned when it comes to that. I like to write ideas down on a legal pad or notepad. Sometimes the story comes into focus first and sometimes the characters come into focus for me before I have the entire story in my mind. Sometimes this happens almost overnight and sometimes it takes days, weeks or months. I’ll make a list of the characters and a little description of them including things like how they look, dress, act, and so on. I’ll make an outline of the plot and work out the sequence of events so I have something to follow when I sit down to actually write the manuscript.

I have to make a decision as to what style and tone I want the book to have. Is it going to be fast paced or slow moving and methodical? Is it going to be character driven or story driven? Is it going to be dark? What’s the best style for the genre that it’s in? I have to make all these decisions, then it’s really just a matter of doing the work and putting the words on paper. Sometimes I’ll skip around once I have the outline. I have been known to write the ending first once or twice, and sometimes I’ll just work chronologically from the first event all the way through to the end.

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

http://www.diggercartwright.com/

Miss Matisse Interview- With Published Author Digger Cartwright Question 4

Posted by diggercartwright on

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Miss Matisse: I’ve realized in the years I’ve done online sales, and writing myself that a degree isn’t always required, and a handful of the authors that actually don’t have degrees are the BEST ones out here! I commend you for pursuing your passion, and those classes that you took have paid off! What would you say is your process when it comes to writing? i.e. How do you normally begin?

Digger Cartwright: It normally starts with an idea. I’ll jot down some notes on paper. Yes, I’m a bit old fashioned when it comes to that. I like to write ideas down on a legal pad or notepad. Sometimes the story comes into focus first and sometimes the characters come into focus for me before I have the entire story in my mind. Sometimes this happens almost overnight and sometimes it takes days, weeks or months. I’ll make a list of the characters and a little description of them including things like how they look, dress, act, and so on. I’ll make an outline of the plot and work out the sequence of events so I have something to follow when I sit down to actually write the manuscript.

I have to make a decision as to what style and tone I want the book to have. Is it going to be fast paced or slow moving and methodical? Is it going to be character driven or story driven? Is it going to be dark? What’s the best style for the genre that it’s in? I have to make all these decisions, then it’s really just a matter of doing the work and putting the words on paper. Sometimes I’ll skip around once I have the outline. I have been known to write the ending first once or twice, and sometimes I’ll just work chronologically from the first event all the way through to the end.

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

http://www.diggercartwright.com/

Miss Matisse Interview- With Published Author Digger Cartwright Question 3

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Miss Matisse: Wow! I’m actually quite shocked at how you can remember everything from the titles of your books that you’ve written, all the way up to which stories have been the favorites amongst your fans, and why they’ve been favorites! Your quality of writing is phenomenal might I add…I’d say our readers are in for a definite treat! Do you have any degrees or formal training in writing?

Digger Cartwright: I do not. I had a lot of practice diagramming sentences in school when I was a kid, so it really helped with grammar and sentence structure. I always had a fondness for literature, so I took a good deal of literature classes in college and that required a good deal of writing. Aside from that, I’ve really just had to pick it up along the way. As I mentioned before, I was always a prolific reader, so I picked up a lot in terms of style and technique from other writers over the years.

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

http://www.diggercartwright.com/

Miss Matisse Interview- With Published Author Digger Cartwright Question 2

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Miss Matisse: That is so interesting! I like the fact that you’ve read stories and have thought about how you could make them better, plus the fact that you really delve deep and get creative which I highly respect! Creativity is something that comes naturally to certain people and this is what leads me to my next question… What would you say has inspired/motivated you to do what you do in everyday life both personally and professionally?

Digger Cartwright: I want to do the best job I can at whatever I do. I really enjoy what I do in terms of business and writing, so perhaps it’s self gratification that motivates me along with a desire to give back to worthwhile causes and bring some entertainment to others’ lives. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of a job well done. I work hard to make each book I write something interesting and unique that the readers can enjoy.

Of course, some people like some of my books better than others. A lot of readers really dislike Murder at the Ocean Forest; they find it long and drawn out and difficult to read. It was done that way deliberately. Some readers like the fast pace of The Versailles Conspiracy. A lot of people don’t like the ending of The House of Dark Shadows. Surprisingly, most people like The Maywarings: A Game of Chance, in part I think because there aren’t many westerns anymore.

Overwhelmingly, Conversations on the Bench has been most readers’ favorite. There’s something in that book that everyone can relate to.

At the end of the day, whether they love a particular book or hate it, they agree that it’s well written and reflective of my desire to produce quality books. I could turn out ten books a year that are all crap or marginal or I can produce one or two per year that are outstanding. To me quality is more important than quantity. It’s really satisfying that readers appreciate the hard work that goes into each of my books to paint a picture for the reader of the setting and the people. If I can bring a smile to someone’s face or help them escape from the reality of everyday life for a little while by getting lost in one of my books, I think I’ve done something special for them.

Perhaps more important than this is the ability to give back and help causes that are near and dear to my heart. When you’ve been fortunate in life to enjoy a degree of success, it’s always good to give back. I’m always trying to find ways to help charities and promote their work. If my business and writing enable me to make a contribution to a local no-kill shelter that saves a homeless animal and feeds it and cares for it until it finds a forever home, I’ve made a difference.

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

 

http://www.diggercartwright.com/