TALON Flies Again!

It gives me great pleasure to introduce

Gigi Sedlmayer 

The author of the "Talon" series. 

The third in this series is:
TALON - Flight for Life

 

 BIO:

Gigi Sedlmayer was born in Germany,  married an Australian/German in 1967, and after a while they moved to New Zealand. Gigi started a handcraft business. As a specialty, she made colorful parrots which sold by the thousands. In 1988 they decided to adopt from Fiji, and the year after they became the adoptive parents of Indian twin girls. 

The family lived in New Zealand for 18 years, and then they decided to move to the Australian Gold Coast. Two years later Gigi was diagnosed with cancer. After operations and radiation, she withdrew, thinking she would soon be dead.  But her two little girls gave her the courage and strength to keep going. And finding herself still alive after two years, Gigi thought, 'Get a grip on yourself and do something good with your life'

Gigi had always loved writing short stories about animals. She wrote about what she wanted to do and what she wanted to be. Since she couldn’t go to work anymore, having damage from the radiation and lots of pain, her husband taught her how to use a computer. Writing many short stories, Gigi entered them in competitions and often got very good reports back. This gave her the confidence to go on writing. One day the idea for the TALON series came to her, and so in the next several years she brought the story and the characters to life.

*You have a fascinating history Gigi.  So interesting to read about.   
Now for the fun stuff - answers to the questions I asked.  

NOTE:  Be ready folks, for a heartfelt message of courage, and triumph over terrible odds.

*What prompted you to write for children?

I love animals, particular horses, birds and tigers, also all the Australian animals, Koala, Kangaroo, Parrots, and so all my short stories I have written and have send in for the competition were with animals and with children. And that gave me the impression the stories were for children. Never thought they would be actually for adults as well. But several reviewers have said in their review that the Talon series is actually for all ages, from 9 to 99 years of age.

*When did you first begin to write for children?

I started to write the animal stories after I realised that I was still under the living, surviving the deadly disease, because I wanted to do something good in my life.

*Why did you choose to write the Talon series?

One of the short stories I wrote for the competitions was about Matica and Talon. And then, after confering with my husband, and telling him that I probably could do a novel out of that story, maybe even a whole series, my husband agreed.  We went through it, and so the Talon series come to life.

I started to write the Talon series for children aged  9 years to teenagers. But, as reviewers tell me, my books are for all ages, from 9 to 99 years.

And that because:

Children suffer from all sorts of afflictions, and through my books they can learn how to cope with everything, as Matica did, the main character in my books. She had to learn it in her early life. Children can and should find a “Condor,” as Matica did. Not literally a condor, but every child or adult for that matter, that are battling with none curable afflictions, should find something that lets them forget what is happening to them. Finding a “Condor” would help them to overcome that.

Parents can read my books to younger children so they can see that they are not alone, but that they can overcome their affliction in a positive way, not in a negative way. I know there are lots of people and children out there who are not accepted by their peers. Children are getting bullied in school, driven to suicide. We know that first-hand as well. We have adopted Indian twin-girls from Fiji. Mostly they were accepted, particularly in our church. But when I went shopping with the girls, some people looked at us, with the look on their faces that said: How can she do something like that?

Since I went through the things Matica is going through, Matica is actually me. (I am not handicapped but faced lots of rejection in my life as well.) Matica and , we are one person, and we are looking for acceptance.

I say:  Children with special needs, or with a disability, or are handicapped, don't have an illness.  So there is no cure and it's not contagious. They want what we all want, to be accepted. But I think that my books are not only for children. As I said, adults face some illnesses as well, so my book is for adults as well as for children.

*Tell readers what your series is available in.

*The first book: TALON, COME FLY WITH ME

*The second book: TALON, ON THE WING

*The third book: TALON, FLIGHT FOR LIFE

All 3 books are available in all Internet outlets as paper books, for Kindle, and as eBooks.

 All 3 are listed here on Amazon + a more detailed BIO.

http://www.amazon.com/Gigi-Sedlmayer/e/B003U8G4WC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 

Website: http://www.writersportal.org/Gigi

BlogSpot:  http://maticatalon.blogspot.com.au/

YouTube animation clip of first book:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0ontac7S20

Second book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqayANo77x0&feature=youtu.be

Third book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXdNgy7Fw18&feature=autoshare

Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Talon/135624816470795

*Are you in a critique group, and if so, did their feedback prove helpful?

  

No, I am not in a critique group.

I have several reviews from different reviewers and they do critique my book. That is very helpful for me.  

What I want to tell the people out there, and your readers, are in quotes from my books:

“Love and acceptance for each other, without boundaries.”

“Self-pity is a useless emotion.”

 “Self-pity can ruin one’s life.”

“Be you, yourself, be happy. Don’t let life pass by you. Don’t look back, look into the bright future. The future is as bright as the promise of God.”

“Smile – it’s the most beautiful attire.”

“I can do it.’ These four words are the most power-filled words.”

Matica in the second book says:

“I see myself as a girl that likes to overcome all obstacles, all problems and all difficulties however bad they may be, because I found out in my young life that I can overcome them, if I set my mind to it. I succeeded and so can you. Don’t stick your head in the sand, face your difficulties, face your affliction. Look for a condor as I have done, I don’t mean a real condor like me, but something you can identify yourself with, relate to it, love to do, or like to be.”

*Are you planning to write more books in the Talon series, and if so, what do you think the plot and characters must have to GRAB a young people’s interest.

I am planning around 8 to 9 books, as my imagination is flowing. Right now, since the first, the second and the third are published, I am working on the fourth in the Talon series. It is called: TALON, HUNTING THE HUNTER.

*Tell my readers something about yourself that you have never shared before.  Funny or shocking, they lap it all up, mate.

The worst thing I had to face when writing the Talon series, was facing myself.  When I started to write the book, I never thought of the things that might come out of it.  I wanted to write an adventure story for children and see what came out of that. Because, like Matica, I was rejected in school, not because of the growth handicap she has. I had other things. I had to face what Matica is facing, rejection, and learned, even from writing the book, more and more to cope with myself, to overcome my own rejection, and to realise that I have survived a deadly disease.

In a sense it changed my life as well. I have more confidence now as I never had before. I never thought I could write a story like that. But now? I can, and I will write more stories about Matica, and Talon, and her adventures, her life.

Thank you Margot for letting me participate here, and for giving me the opportunity to express myself.  Have a wonderful day.  Gigi.

*Yours is an awesome personal story, mate.  It will bring tears and inspire many readers.  I so admire your guts, courage, and writing talent.  I am proud to host you here - and your "Talon" series as well.

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* Books for Kids - Manuscript Critiques
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* Virtual School Visits
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