Guest Post: GRANNY BRICKS A BANDIT by Julie Seedorf

GRANNY BRICKS A BANDIT 184

Today, as part of a blog tour organized by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, I am happy to host Julie Seedorf as she celebrates the recent release of Granny Bricks a Bandit and share her thoughts on the power of words.

Words are Powerful by Julie Seedorf

I am happy to be a guest on this blog. Thank you for having me.

Words are powerful. How we use them is powerful. We also need to be mindful that what we write might influence another’s life whether it be on a blog or in a book.

Do you remember the hurtful things said to you in your life? Or do you remember the positive affirmations more?

Would you read a book dedicated to making a reader feel worse about themselves, or would you read a book that makes you feel better about yourself?

I would guess you remember the hurtful things more than the positive. I would guess you read a book that makes you feel better not worse. Those are a little at the opposite ends of reason. We read books that make us feel good but we read over in our mind the words from others which make us feel bad.

As a writer, I have to gauge what I want my readers to take away from what I write. Do I want them to walk away feeling as if they have escaped reality for a short time, or do I want to bring them deep into reality?

I choose silliness, making people laugh and writing about fictional communities and characters that are so far off our radar, we can’t imagine we could ever live in the community or be that character. Yet, there are some of my characters I would love to step inside of their bodies and be them for a day, a week or forever.

When my Fuchsia Series first started my readers saw a forgetful, over-the-top Granny whose friends were off-the-wall. That was what I wanted to portray so over the series I could add characteristics we could all identify with. What made Granny the way she is? What makes her hurt? What make her mad? What and who shaped her life?

There is a theme besides the mystery and the silliness I want my readers to get, and that is the theme of friendship. No matter what, no matter why someone acts out, Granny’s group of friends is there for each other. They might not always understand each other or why they do what they do, but their friendship lasts through the trials. It is a given in these books that the trials might be wacky, but there is fun in friendship unconditionally.

If you choose to read this series or my Brilliant, MN Series, take time to find the underlying tone. It is there. I may choose to make light of memory loss but it is out of experience with people in my family that have had Alzheimer’s, and humor was the only way to cope. I address that in Granny Pins A Pilferer. In Granny Bricks A Bandit, there is a bond of family and friendship.

Words matter and my characters words and banter may not always seem kind, but there is a love speak we don’t always understand. I used to know a couple who were in their 70s and they were constantly harping at one another, but I loved to visit them because you could see the love in those exchanges. To an outsider they might have seemed rough, but the words were never hurtful and that is the way Silas and Granny are. Old woman and old man to them are not derogatory but words of love.

Words matter and beneath the words are emotion which might not match the words. Look for it and it might change your perspective when you interact with another person. Things might not always be fine when you ask. Look underneath the words to find the true emotion and it might change your life.

About the Book

Granny and her cohorts are at it again! When Granny and her neighbor Mavis, go water-skiing and discover a dead body, Granny’s sleuthing instincts take over! She is determined to identify the corpse and find the killer. But wait! No sooner are Granny and her cohorts on the murderer’s trail, then Mavis’ husband George suddenly disappears! Could he be the killer’s next victim? Or could he be the killer? When the gals take a side trip to the Mall of America, they find a man fell to his death on a climbing wall––and Mavis is certain she spots George nearby! What does it all mean? Will Granny get to the bottom of it, with the help of her entourage of buddies and pets?

About the Author

As human beings, we are always a work in progress. From birth to death we live, hurt, laugh, cry, feel, and with all of those emotions we grow as people, as family members, and as friends. I am a dreamer and feel blessed to have the opportunity in my writing to pass those dreams on to others. I believe you are never too old to dream and to turn those dreams into a creative endeavor. I live in rural Minnesota and I am a wife, mother, and grandmother.

I have worn many hats throughout my life such as working as a waitress, nursing home activities person, office manager and finally a computer repair person eventually owning my own computer sales and repair business. I never forgot my love of writing and quit my computer business in 2012 after signing a contract with Cozy Cat Press for Granny Hooks A Crook, the first book in my Fuchsia, Minnesota Series. Adding four more books to the Fuchsia Series, adding a new Brilliant, Minnesota Series and writing a column for local newspapers feeds my writing creativity.

I also dabble a bit in watercolor painting and hope to eventually add pictures to my children’s book series, Granny’s In Trouble. Oh, and did I tell you I like to be a little bit silly.

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