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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Follow Fest - Powered by the wonderful Melissa Maygrove :)

Aloha,

I’m so late to the party – but then I heard that Melissa Maygrove and her Follow Fest runs through Friday, so you, too, like me, still have time to sign up >> here!

 


Melissa’s goal is to use this cute, little Fest that could as a platform-building opportunity for writers who want to meet and possibly follow like-minded writers – or strange, genre-seeking folk like meJ

She also asked all who signed up for the daily Linky Lists to answer a few simple questions. (I’ve had fun reading all the different responses – we *are* such a varied lot!)

And so, as they say in the Eurovision Song Contest, here then are the results from the Irish judge:

Name: Mark J. Koopmans (I looked into picking “Alex J. Cavanaugh,” but some dude already has that name… can you imagine!)

Fiction or nonfiction: Non-fiction for Book #1 Revival:The Donald Braswell Story.
WIP#2 is currently a WWII historical romance, but who knows what it will be by the end of the final chapter!

What genres do you write? OK, so getting the chance to co-write a memoir and share Donald’s story was an amazing opportunity, but I am also having a lot of fun with my fiction WIP#2… just ‘cos I can warp the scene to fit my imagination.
I think I would love to write a drama next.
Or a thriller?
Maybe a combo?… (A lonely D.I.Y-type dude loses something important and only has six hours to find it… I would make up a new genre and call it a “driller.”)

Are you published? Memoir/novel(s) no, not yet. But I have one magazine credit (1993) and several years as a beat reporter for first a Florida weekly, and then a Texas daily newspaper.

Do you do anything in addition to writing? What? No, don’t be silly! I am a stay-at-home dad to three boys under the age of seven, which is really easy (oh, dear why are my pants on fire?), especially now that our 20-month-old baby just this past weekend broke his leg. The poor, poor little fellow will be in a cast for four-to-six weeks, so I may be (nah, ya) a little busier than normal…. I feel sooo bad for our little guy… especially as he was already so used to running around like a mini-Mark.

Where can people connect with you?
Apart from the local mailbox, my blog is where I normally post.
My Twitter account is @markjkoopmans
My Google+ is Mark Koopmans (but I don't use it very often.)
My LinkedIn account is linkedin.com/markkoopmans (again, not used too much - yet :)

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
I wish that I realized I wanted to be a writer twenty years ago – but at least I realized my dream job before it was too late J
(PS: If you’re so inclined, please add our son to your prayer list – all prayers gratefully received J

 Thanks for coming up with and organizing such a cool Fest, Melissa.
Remember, Follow Fest runs through Friday and you can find details and sign up here. :)
 
 

34 comments:

M.J. Fifield said...

Oh, your poor son! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

And I would love to read a driller. As well as a WWII historical romance—or whatever genre it ends up being.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

So sorry about your son! You're going to be full time child wrangler for a few weeks.
Hey, you stole my middle initial!

Suzi said...

Oh, your poor little guy. I hope his leg heals quickly.

Can't wait to read your driller. Is the guy a dad whose baby is sleeping soundly for the next six hours, but when the baby wakes up, he'll need to change a diaper?

But... all the diapers went missing? And so the dad has to either find the diaper or use his MacGyver skills to create something to replace the diaper otherwise it'll be a catastrophe?

Man, I'm already on the edge of my seat.

Suzi said...

Opps, sorry. I forgot to add my smiley face to the end of that post.

:)

Johanna Garth said...

Mark, that's so sad!! Hopefully it wasn't that bad of a break and the cast will come off fairly soon.

Melissa said...

I still can't believe you managed to post with all you've got going on. Thank you for participating, Mark, and thanks for your kind words.

~Sia McKye~ said...

Oh my goodness! Poor little tyke! I feel for you. I'd say you'll be a tad more busy trying to keep him entertained and off that leg--that's the hardest thing.

Driller? lmao!

Nice to get to know a bit more about you. :-)

Sia McKye Over Coffee

Anonymous said...

The WWII era is one of my favorites for historical fiction. Have your read Bodie Thoene's Zion Covenant? Following you now on Twitter.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Welcome to the fest Mark. Sorry about the baby's leg. You sure write broadly Mark and anyone would want to know you even if your name's not Alex.

Charlie N. Holmberg said...

Oh no! How did the little guy break his leg?? And it's admirable to stay at home with three kids so young!

Always fun to have your hands in different genres. Good luck with all the projects. Glad you did Follow Fest!

Anne said...

Happy to meet you, Mark! I'm also doing Melissa's Follow Fest and this is such a wonderful opportunity to meet people who are just as excited about writing as I am. Hope your son is better.

Susan Oloier said...

Mark, I am so sorry about your son. Poor kiddo. I will keep good thoughts for him. I think I already follow you everywhere I can :-)

Christine M. Irvin said...

Hi Mark, oh that poor little boy. It must be awful for him. My niece broke her leg when she was 18-months-old...:(. Good to meet you through Follow Fest!

Joss said...

awww your poor little boy, I hope he is back up and running soon. I will definitely keep him in my prayers :)

Elise Fallson said...

Poor little guy! A broken leg is the pits. My daughter broke her wrist when she was 3 and was in a full arm cast for a few weeks, but at least she was still able to walk around. Sending positive vibes for a speedy recover to your wee one. Hope he gets better soon. And I'm diggin your mustard wallpaper. (:

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Prayers Mark! Every single one of my kids have been broken...#1 elbow; #2 hand; #3 leg; #4 arm. And I've lost count on the number of stitches. (and they say playing video games is bad!)

Sara Fowler said...

The memoir you mentioned sounds so inspiring! Praying your son's leg heals soon.

Elephant's Child said...

Oh your poor boy. I hope his recovery is swift, complete and pain free (for all of you).

Sherry Ellis said...

Poor little guy! Hope he recovers quickly! I'm off to check out your links.

Liz Blocker said...

This post is FULL of great stuff - it's great to meet you! YES you should write a driller. Absolutely. And your poor little son! I hope he gets out of his cast soon.

dolorah said...

I know how hard it was for me to sit when I broke my ankle; can't imaging one that young being forced into inactivity.

.........dhole

Carrie Butler said...

Definitely praying for your son, Mark!

Tonja Drecker said...

Hope your son is feeling better soon! Poor guy :(

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Mark .. oh poor little soul - 20 months is a tad early to go falling about- hope he fully recovers and is back on his pins a.s.a.p.

Welcome back from sunny Holland .. and happy writing - cheers Hilary

Donna L Martin said...

Hi Mark!

I have been to your corner of the world only once in my life (had to give a deposition in a multi-million dollar law suit) but still managed to play with parrots on the beach, go to a luau, and stand in the middle of a volcano so I certainly have my memories...;~)

Good luck with the Follow Fest and prayers are already sent for your son's speedy and healthy recovery.

Take care,

Donna L Martin
www.donnalmartin.com

Chemist Ken said...

I also wish I had decided to be a writer twenty years ago. I might not have had the time, but at least I would know more about writing than I do now.

Glad to meet you!

PK HREZO said...

Aw sorry to hear about your little guy's leg. :( Adding him to my prayer list for sure.
I'm getting ready to help write someone's memoir. I'm going to email you and see if you have any advice to share. I've never done one before.
Oh, and thanks for joining my blogfest!! :)

Cathrina Constantine said...

Hello, Mark, so nice to meet you. Sorry to hear about your little boy. Children are resilient,he'll be running circles around you in no time. I'll keep him in my prayers.

Samantha May said...

Maybe you could be Alexander J. Cavanaugh? It's sounds very distinguished!

Sooooo sorry about your son. Poor little guy :( Will definitely be praying for him.

Oh yeah. Nice to meet you and stuff :)

Misha Gerrick said...

Praying for your son!

Unknown said...

Hi Mark! Praying for your son!

Unknown said...

Nice to meet you! I hope your son makes a quick recovery.

Unknown said...

Hey, Mark. Sorry to hear about the little guy. Almost 2 is a very active, look-what-I-can-do age. I doubt it will slow him down much. Don't worry if he reverts to crawling. It's good for brain development. A broken leg might make him an Einstein, who knows. When you get to FB and GR look me up.

Trisha said...

Finally read your FF post, only to learn your son broke his leg! Poor little guy! I broke my leg - my femur actually - when I was over a year old but less than 2. Apparently my femur is now stronger than most people's, because of that. ;) Sadly I didn't break both, then I would have 2 strong femurs! haha

Seriously, I hope your boy is doing okay!

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