Pump Up Your Book Chats with Davis Aujourd’hui

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Davis Aujourd’hui is the author of the Sister Mary Olga Fortitude series of hilarious satires. The first book is entitled The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude. It was followed by Babes in Bucksnort.

Davis possesses a rich life experience that has enabled him to draw from it in order to create a colorful canvas upon which to paint very human lives. He is a retired social worker, having worked for Adult Protective Services in New York State for nearly twenty years. He developed the characters within his series of books in order to entertain a colleague by using the gift of humor.

As will be the case with Sister Mary Olga in his third book, he is a recovering alcoholic. He also happens to be gay as are several of the endearing and humorous characters within his novels. He can speak from his own experience. He has possessed all of the foibles of his cast of characters who are naughty, nasty, and nice.

Davis lives in Upstate New York where he is currently sharing his life with his partner of seven years. He is socially-minded and spirituality is the most important ingredient in order for him to maintain a happy and successful life.

Visit this blog for information on the series: http://bestsatireseriesofthedecade.blogspot.com

Visit this blog for information on the author: http://authordavisaujourdhui.blogspot.com

Connect with him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Davis-Aujourdhui/138584429540046.

About Babes in Bucksnort

Babes in Bucksnort is the first sequel to the highly praised The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude. Once again the unconventional bourbon-swilling, chain-smoking nun will spin outrageously funny new tales about the residents of Bucksnort, Wisconsin while she tests the will of a reformed prostitute who just happens to be her Reverend Mother.

Unfortunately there’s trouble brewing in the Snortlands. The nasty and notorious town busybody, Priscilla Bunhead, goes on a crusade to stamp out what she calls the gay menace. That’s when she convinces her millionaire friend, Mildred Mayflower, to give away her fortune in order to bring the Reverend Billy-Bob Blunthead and his Born Again or Burn Forever Disciples for Jesus to town to do the job. It will be an uphill climb for them when the closet doors of many gay people in the Snortlands burst open. Billy-Bob and his wife, Pinky Poo, will have another battle on their hands when Dimples Dufus, the heiress to the Mayflower fortune, arrives on the scene to reclaim her fortune.

You’ll also meet the hilariously bumbling, pothead psychiatrist, Doctor Wally Wacky-Wacko, who creates havoc for one of Sister Mary Olga’s favorite fellow nuns. Along with Mildred Mayflower, they become victims of his multi-colored pills that only turn them into zombies. The handsome and virile gay cowboy chef, Randy Cowboy, makes an important self-discovery about his never-ending sexual pursuits when he joins a twelve-step program called Sex Maniacs Notorious.

The irascible Martha Mayhem settles down into comfortable domesticity with her new life partner who happens to be her sister-in law. Martha still manages to stir up trouble on Dinkledorf Drive with her fellow enemies and neighbors, the prudish Priscilla Bunhead and the voluptuous Lula Mae Bunsaplenty. The question that remains is whether Lula Mae’s paramour, Jules Jesslike Pappas will put up with her continuing manipulative feminine wiles.

In between the laughs, Sister Mary Olga continues to dispense nuggets of spiritual wisdom during her classes in Beginner’s and Advanced Holiness. Just don’t take seats near the flatulent child named Fartley Dinkledorf or his lecherous one-hundred five year-old grandfather, Poopsy. The bottom line is that everyone is welcome in Sister Mary Olga’s classes. Join the diverse cast of zany characters for a joy ride that will tickle your funny bone until it aches.

Thank you for this interview, Davis! I’d like to start out by asking you where you got such a great sense of humor? Was it inherited? Life in general?

Davis: I think that the personal influences in my life contributed to it. Both of my grandfathers had wonderful senses of humor. I also think I developed my sense of humor in order to shield myself from pain as I grew older. As a child, I felt picked upon because of my differences from others. I later became addicted to unhealthy influences. Humor was a great defense mechanism to help me find my way back to my joy and it has worked for me.

Both your books, The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude and Babes in Bucksnort are getting rave reviews. Can you give us a brief character sketch of your main character, Sister Mary Olga Fortitude, who is stealing all the thunder?

Davis: Sister Mary Olga is a crusty, irreverent nun whose views differ from those of the pope. Her behaviors are also less-than nunly. She loves her bourbon and her Marlboros. She even has a large, hollow, flip-top crucifix which she uses as a flask for a quick, sneaky snort.

She relishes in spinning hilarious tales about the zany and diverse residents of Bucksnort, Wisconsin. She holds up some of these as examples of holy and less-than-holy behavior in her classes. She finds plenty of the former behavior among the adult babes in Bucksnort.

While she preaches against judgment, she is known to cast a few of her own. Characters like the prudish Priscilla Bunhead and the conservative Reverend Mother, who used to be a prostitute, are a few of these examples. Even so, she maintains an open mind and believes in embracing everyone as one of God’s children. She does so with great wit and wisdom.

Where did you grow up and were you encouraged to be a writer?

Davis: I grew up in Central New York where I am, once again, living. I was always encouraged by my teachers for my creative writing efforts. Unfortunately, I never took creative writing in college. I ended up having to learn to write my hilarious tales by the seat of my pants.

That proved to be okay. Humor has always come easily to me and it just oozed out of every pore as I began to write. My friends, family, and fans have all cheered me on. Their reactions to my books have spurred me on to write a total of eleven books in the series.

You are published under a pseudonym. Why did you choose to do that and how did you come up with such a different last name?

Davis: Many writers use pseudonyms. I chose to do so since I was originally going to publish a very intimate autobiography. I wanted to protect the dear people I have come to know in my life. I have, indeed, published a thumbnail of that which is entitled Putting the Pieces Together. The more complete memoirs remain to be published.

Since I wanted my audience to know who I was, I kept the same pseudonym for the Sister Mary Olga Fortitude series. As for the name, just as I have named my characters, I came up with it on a whim. By the way, aujourd’hui means today in French.

What are three things you want most out of life?

Davis: to continue the evolution of my spirituality, to contribute to the evolution of others’ spirituality, and to multiply theirs as well as my own joy.

What do you do for a living besides write books?

Davis: I had the grace of being able to retire at a young age. I had been a social worker for many years. I now write nearly full-time. It’s the best job I have ever had. I’ve never had more fun in my life!

How do you balance your writing schedule with your other day-to-day responsibilities?

Davis: That is relatively easy since I am retired. I get to set my own schedule around whatever other day-to-day responsibilities I have. I am very blessed to be able to write as a full-time career.

Do you begin your morning writing or do you write better at night?

Davis: I usually begin writing after I have done my morning meditation and have made phone calls to family and friends. Then I am off on a roll. I am currently writing more in the realm of articles since I am heavily engaged in the marketing of my books. Have no fear, I have started the twelfth book in the series. I haven’t run out of ideas yet.

Do you believe covers make or break a book?

Davis: I have heard it said that, if a cover isn’t compelling, no one will even pick up your book. I was blessed to have a marvelous illustrator who designed my covers according to my specifications. People have loved the covers and that has inspired them to take a look at my books. I also have a video trailer for Misadventures which is highly entertaining. You can view that if you click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut8FzCNILKI

Was there anything about publishing your book that terrified you?

Davis: I did initially feel terrified about publishing my memoirs. That feeling has since abated. There was nothing terrifying about publishing the Sister Mary Olga Fortitude series. I had confidence my books would be embraced by those who were seeking a joy ride.

Finally, what words of advice can you offer aspiring authors to help them understand the business?

Davis: I would caution new writers to understand that writing a book is the least challenge. Finding an agent or publisher, followed by the marketing of the book, are the larger ones. I would offer the advice that, if you believe in yourself, never give up. Dreams do come true.

Thank you so much for this interview, Davis. Do you have any final words?

Davis: You can learn more about my books and myself by reading my blogs: http://bestsatireseriesofthedecade.blogspot.com/

http://authordavisaujourdhui.blogspot.com/

The best place where you can purchase the books is on Amazon.com. If you buy both of them from Amazon, you will receive free shipping and handling. Both of the books are also available in Kindle format for the cost of $3.99 apiece. Such is also the case for Putting the Pieces Together, but that is available for a mere 99 cents.

I can guarantee that, if you have an open mind, you will laugh from beginning to end. You might also just learn something about yourself. Be prepared to laugh.

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A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

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