Writing Insight

Blooming Author Rick Gualtieri!

2012-02-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

Rick Gualtieri’s latest book, Bigfoot Hunters, was published on February 2, 2012. Bigfoot Hunters is self-published, as are all of Rick’s books. Since I'm the Blogsquatcher's sister I knew this was one to check out.

Tell us about your book. What is it about and where will it be available?

Bigfoot Hunters is my first foray into full blown horror. If Jaws made you afraid to go into the water, then my goal for Bigfoot Hunters is to make people think twice about stepping into their own backyards.

Sasquatch is usually considered a shy, curious creature. However, something is wrong with this particular clan of them and it’s causing them to go nuts...murderously so. The only thing standing between them and killing everyone, in a remote little town in the backwoods of Colorado, are some college kids on a camping trip and a film crew from a MonsterQuest type TV show. However, this last group isn’t quite what they seem, hence the book’s title. The only question is...who are the hunters and who are the hunted? The book is available now as an Amazon Kindle exclusive. The Paperback version will be available the week of February 13...just in time for Valentine’s Day (awwww!)."

What were your inspirations for your book? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

I have to admit, the original inspiration for this book came from the SyFy channel. I love their Saturday night original movies. Unfortunately, most of them are bad with a capital B. Bigfoot Hunters was originally conceived as a manuscript in my attempt to make a better monster movie. However, after a while I realized it could be a movie script that nobody ever saw or I could make it into a novel that hopefully a lot of people could enjoy. Aside from that, I took inspiration from shows such as the aforementioned MonsterQuest and Destination Truth. The final bit was my overall love of a good monster rampage and desire to give back to a genre which has entertained me so much over the years.

As for the rest, I try to take inspiration from anything and everything around me. Little touches of life spark my imagination. When that happens, the “magic” flows forth.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing your book? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

My writing style is still evolving. My comedy/horror books: Bill The Vampire and Scary Dead Things; are mostly written like a college road trip. I know where I am and I know where I want to be, but I have no idea how I’ll get there until I start driving. It works for them because I find that humor is best when it’s spontaneous. Some of the best jokes in both of those books didn’t exist before the day I sat down to write a particular section and suddenly *BAM* they were there.

Conversely, Bigfoot Hunters was more or less fully formed when I finally sat down to write it. I jotted down notes before and during writing, but truthfully I only used outlines if I needed to work through a difficult section of the book.

Most of my writing time is during the evening at my dining room table, banging away on my iPad. It’s kind of a necessity. It puts me in the center of the action, so I can write but still keep an eye on my kids if needbe. It’s chaotic, but I’m used to it and the background noise really doesn’t distract me...although my word output does go up a bit after their bedtime. As for the iPad, I love it. I pair it with a Bluetooth keyboard and the battery life lets me write for hours (when I can) without needing to be anywhere near an outlet.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."

I used to write a LOT back in college: short stories, plays, manuscripts, everything but full blown novels. Afterwards, though, I sort of fell away from it. Life, career, and family took over. A few years back, I bought my wife a first-gen Kindle as a gift. Believe me, it got used...to death! Some time later, I began to notice a lot of ebooks showing up in the Kindle store that were written by authors I had never heard of and were at prices that were insanely low. Coming from the world of paperbacks, finding a $2.99 novel was a steal. Eventually I came to realize that a lot of these books were self-published. That got the gears turning. Suddenly, that sleeping writer in my head woke up from a decade long slumber. If they could do it, so could I. Once the floodgates were reopened, the story ideas just started flowing. I’ve been at it ever since: three novels, a novella of short stories, and counting.

The self-publishing route was an easy choice...timing. I could write dozens of query letters in the hope that someone liked my stories and then I could wait a year or two to see if they actually published me...or I could get my stories out there now and let the readers be my judge. Some authors worry about the legitimacy of being traditionally published. I’m more concerned with entertaining people.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

My publicity efforts are ever evolving as I add more books and gain more self-assurance in this field. To date, most of my efforts have been online. There’s no faster (or cost effective) way to get in front of so many people. I’m very active on Twitter. The main character from my comedy/horror series has his own Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BillTheVampire). I am also working on increasing my presence in various other online communities such as Kindle Boards and Goodreads. There are also author interviews on wonderful blogs such as this (suck up alert!).

This year my goal is be more aggressive (albeit not obnoxiously so), not only online but in the real world too. While I’m not sure I’m ready for full-blown book signings yet, I do plan on targeting libraries and book clubs as well as anywhere else I think I stand a shot. I guess we’ll see. Much like a lot of authors out there, I’m still looking for my silver bullet. I’ll let you know when I find it.

All the while, though, I plan to keep writing and churning out more fun stories. So stay tuned, there’s more to come...hopefully much more.

Don't miss Rick's other book, Poptart Manifesto. It's 99 cents on Amazon, or free for Amazon Prime members with Kindles. Bigfoot Hunters is also currently promoted as free to Amazon Prime members with Kindles. Apparently it's time for me to upgrade from a Kindle app to a full-blown Kindle! Who can turn down free books? You can get a Kindle for as little as $79! Or a full-color Kindle Fire for $199 (that's the one I want).

Blooming Author Myke Cole!

2012-02-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

Myke Cole's book Shadow Ops: Control Point was published by ACE yesterday, January 31, 2012! I'm so excited about this book coming out it has pulled Writing Insight out of a six month sabbatical.

Tell us about your book. What is it about and where will it be available?

CONTROL POINT is a novel that asks the question "what if the modern military had a magic-using arm?" What would that look like? How would it operate? What would its impact be on society? Those are some deep questions, and I do my best to tackle them honestly, but there's plenty of geek-out action where you get to watch modern military hardware (tanks, helicopter gunships, direct action teams) go up against the fantasy monsters you know and love from D&D. The book is officially available on 31 JAN 2012, but I am hearing that folks are getting copies shipped in the mail to them already.

What were your inspirations for your book? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

I told Black Gate magazine recently: "It’s ironic that mashups seem so popular lately, since I’m kind of a mashup myself. I’m a warrior-nerd blend of a military officer and committed fantasy/SF geek. I’m fortunate enough to make my living in both camps and those influences greatly inform my writing. My new novel Control Point is a fusion of influences: 3 tours in Iraq and a life spent perusing the fantasy mass-market wire racks and comic book shop display stands."

That warrior-nerd blending I described is the biggest inspiration in my writing, creating what I hope is a unique fusion of military and geek culture.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing your book? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

George R.R. Martin describes writers as "Gardeners" or "Architects." I've also heard that described as "Planners" or "Pantsers." I'm an UBER-Architect/planner. I typically do 100-150 pages of outline before writing a word of prose. I get feedback on that outline too, so I know that I'm not starting off in a bad direction before I begin to move.

I write in public (coffee shops or libraries) listening to movie soundtracks that put me in a cinematic mood but don't distract me with lyrics. This allows me to be around other people (I'm intensely social. I get lonely/maudlin writing at home alone) without having to interact with them.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."

I told this story to The Founding Fields. "When my 3rd tour came around, I had a manuscript called LATENT 75% written about a military unit that used magic. I thought it sucked. But hey, I could die in Iraq, so I sent it off to Joshua with strict instructions. “If you like it, I’m going to be all worked up and unable to concentrate. If you don’t like it, I’m going to be depressed and unable to concentrate. I’m off to war and I need my head in the fight. Do NOT tell me what you think until I get back, okay?”

Joshua agreed and I spent the intervening months dodging 107mm rockets and sleeping with camel spiders in a converted connex box. But I did keep my head in the fight and made it home with a Joint Service Commendation Medal and citation signed my Admiral McRaven himself (admired the hell out of that guy, so it meant a lot to me). My fiance had dumped me just before I left, and I got off the plane to see all these other servicemembers’ families greeting them, and I was depressed as hell. Nobody came to pick me up at the airport, and I actually had to take a cab home. You can imagine it was a low point.

I got home, grounded my gear and started calling folks to let them know I was home safe. Joshua was high on the list (we were good friends, and to be honest, I’d forgotten that I’d even given him a book). He answered the phone and I said “Hey, man! It’s Myke. Just wanted to let you that I’m ho . . .”

“Finish the book,” he cut me off.

“What?”

“LATENT, finish it. It’s fantastic. I didn’t want it to end.”

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

Folks can check out my SITREP page on my website at http://mykecole.com/category/news, which includes all my upcoming promotional events. I've already said that I'm intensely social, so please throw me a bone and come on out. Nothing is more depressing than sitting around by yourself in a bookshop next to a pile of your books waiting to be signed, or reading to an empty room :)

Perennial Author Matt Forbeck!

2011-06-06T07:00:00.028-04:00

Matt Forbeck has been nominated for 26 Origins Awards for his games and books and won 13. He has also won a number of ENnies for his gaming work. His tie-in novels have earned four nominations for Scribe Awards and won one, although he's still waiting to hear the results of the nominations for Guild Wars: Ghosts of Ascalon, which he co-wrote with Jeff Grubb.

What have you learned that seemed completely unrelated to writing at the time but has influenced your writing career?
The most valuable class I ever took in high school turned out to be typing. This was back in the days before computers were common, and half my class had to work on manual typewriters, while the others were blessed with electrics. You could tell people who worked manual typewriters back then because their fingers had to be strong and sure to make the words happen fast.

Learning to touch type made me a much faster writer than I would otherwise be, and that in turn now allows me to write fast enough to make a living at it. At the time, I hated it, and I got the worst grade in that class of my entire high school career, but it paid off in the end.

A toy manufacturer has decided to make you their new superhero action figure. What is your superpower and what are you wearing?
I'm an immortal traveler of both time and space, who peeks into the lives of other people in fantastic worlds and reports on their most exciting tales. Because of this, I'm dressed in a set of clothes filled with anachronisms that work together but don't quite match up: a bulletproof trenchcoat that projects full-body protection against biological, chemical, and radiological dangers; boots that provide bursts of speed; gloves that are invulnerable to anything; and a hat that links me mentally to a plant of hyperintelligent supercomputers that guide me on my way—when I let them.

Do you ever regret deciding to become a professional writer?
Only when my bills come due.

Honestly, no. I love being a professional writer, and I've been at it full-time now for over two decades, which means I've ruined myself for anything else. There's little like getting paid to make things up for a living, and I'm grateful to all the people who buy my books and games so I can keep doing it.

What is the best part of being a professional writer?
I enjoy the challenge of new and exciting projects, and the chance to entertain people for a living. I love going to conventions and meeting with gamers and readers and other people who do the same kinds of things I do. But on a personal level, the best part about this life is the flexibility it offers me.

As a father of five young kids (a 12-year-old and a set of 8-year-old quadruplets), my children place a lot of demands on my time, but because I work at home and set my own goals and hours, I can always be there for them when they need me. That's worth a lot more than money to me.

Give us a quick overview of what you write and where we can find it.
"I started out as a tabletop game designer, but these days, I mostly write novels and work on computer games. I've had two novels published this year through Angry Robot: Amortals and Vegas Knights. Both have been getting rave reviews.

I have two nonfiction books due out later this year: Star Wars vs. Star Trek and Book of Extreme Facts. Plus I have a novella in G.I. Joe: Tales from the Cobra Wars, a short story in Hot and Steamy: Tales of Steampunk Romance, and a short story in The New Hero 2. On top of that, I wrote the story for the Conduit 2 game for the Wii. I also cowrote and helped produce a film called InSpectres, based on Jared Sorsensen's roleplaying game of the same name.

For details about all this and the rest of the things I'm working on, stop by Forbeck.com or follow me on Twitter at @mforbeck.

Blooming Author Rose Gordon!

2011-05-04T07:00:00.036-04:00

Rose Gordon's debut book, Intentions of the Earl was published February, 2011; followed by Liberty for Paul, in March and To Win His Wayward Wife in April.

Tell us about your books. What are they about and where will they be available?
Intentions of the Earl kicks of the Scandalous Sisters series with an unusual plot:

When the impoverished Andrew Black, Earl of Townson, hits rock bottom, he makes an agreement that will end his eight year poverty streak once and for all. In order to gain his fortune he must do but one simple thing: ruin an innocent girl’s reputation enough to make her flee to America.

Brooke Banks isn’t interested in marriage, or so she thinks. She came to London to have a good time, and that’s exactly what she’s doing. Widely known for her tendency to flout the rules, she suspects nothing when a handsome stranger appears on her doorstep.

Thirteen days, a handful of kisses and one scandalous situation later, Andrew and Brooke will have to choose to stick to their original plans, or decide if a life together is worth the risk.

Liberty for Paul comes next and is written about two secondary characters from the first book who met at a house party and took an instant dislike to each other:

Liberty Banks loves revenge almost as much as she hates one Mister Paul Grimes, who, she considers to be the most improper creature she has ever clapped eyes on. But when her plans for revenge against Paul go bust, she suddenly finds herself walking down the aisle to him.

Once married, a battle of the wills breaks out as each tries to reform the other. Liberty wants nothing more than to have a proper husband. Much to Liberty’s dismay, Paul will stop at nothing to have is all too proper wife do something--anything--to break the rules of society, specifically do the most improper thing which is to fall in love with the most improper man: her own husband.

And finally, the third book, To Win His Wayward Wife, is about the last unwed sister, the one who is in for a surprise nobody saw coming:

Not to be outdone by her sisters' marriage-producing scandals, quiet and withdrawn Madison Banks quickly finds herself walking down the aisle to a man who has secretly loved her for years.

Her groom, however, has no idea how to show his new bride that he truly loves her and following a bungled wedding night, finds himself in a position to either win his wife once and for all or lose her forever.

Can he prove himself worthy of her? Will she accept his love? Or will jealousy and past insecurities tear the pair apart?

All three of these books are currently available in digital format at Amazon, Barnes and Noble as well as Smashwords and their distribution channels which include Apple and Sony.

What were your inspirations for your book? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
To be blunt, my first book was inspired by boredom. In the genre I read and write a common plot formula is an impoverished gentlemen, usually one of rank, is in desperate need of funds so he sets out to trap an heiress into marriage and without realizing it, he falls in love with her.

Bored of that scenario, I decided to go the other way and create a story where a man will gain his fortune by not marrying her. Instead he's being paid to ruin her reputation without offering marriage.

Going at it from this angle brought in a lot of conflicts the traditional plot doesn't contain. One of which is moral dilemma where the hero has to decide between doing what he knows is right where someone is concerned or keeping his word and following through with the agreement he made. Also, as love does come into play later in the book the feelings change from is he following his scheme through as a way to benefit himself or will he carry out the plot as a way to protect the girl from the villain who arranged the whole thing to start with.

In the end, he truly is made to choose between love and poverty.

The following books were inspired by the first. Before I finished the second chapter of the first book I already had ideas for plots for the following books--with one tiny exception. I was originally going to have Paul and Liberty have a spell of love at first sight but have to deny their relationship to the public because of Paul's close relationship with her father; but then, Liberty took charge of that situation and decided she hated the man, thus a new plot with the same characters was created.

As a writer I get inspired by dreaming up different stories or new twists on old, repetitive plots. I personally like to read about real characters with real problems. Not every hero should be a wealthy lord who can do whatever he wants; nor should every heroine be a damsel in distress. I like conflict--both physical and emotional--so knowing what I like and having a hard time finding it, I get inspired to write it.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing your book? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
I'm a pantser in the worst way. I have in my head how I want the book to start and end, but how it goes from A to B is determined by the characters. That said, if I do have something I think needs to happen I'll try to work it in. For example, in my second book, I thought the two of them needed a second ""first"" meeting where they could get past the unflattering first impressions they had of each other. So I did have to figure out how to work that in, but what happens leading up to them finding each other at the masquerade and immediately afterward was following what the characters were telling me to do.

I write one of two places: the dining room or outside. I have two young children who aren't quite yet school aged so I stay home with them all day and in between Hot wheel races and Lego towers, I slip off to the dining room to tap out a few paragraphs. If it's a nice day, I'll take them outside and let them play on the swing set while I type in the shade.

The optimal writing environment for me would include my children keep their voices at normal level without yelling, crying or screaming and it would be nice if I was only hit with five flying projectiles each day instead of dozens.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
I'm not traditionally published, but I almost was. Last year I wrote all three books and shopped the first one around by itself for a while then all three as a series. A lot of agents were interested in the writing and the plots of the second two books but said the plot for my first book was unmarketable. One even said, ""Nobody in their right mind would want to read such a book.""

Finally, I had a small publisher make an offer if I would change a detail in my first book. I didn't want to change that detail because, to me, it would have ruined the entire book. I said no and walked away.

A few weeks later I proofed them all once more and decided to see how they'd do as a self-published eBook. For me, and these books, it was the right choice.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
I do a lot of Author Interviews and Book Features. I have one lined up every two weeks or so between now and July. Some of the places include: Coffee Time Romance, Written in Blood, Lady Silk, My Eclectic Bookshelf and several others.

Check in with Rose on her website http://www.rosegordonromance.com/

Perennial Author Dayton Ward!

2011-04-25T07:00:00.017-04:00

Dayton Ward started writing professionally after entering a Star Trek writing contest for unpublished authors. He had stories selected for each of the first three annual contests, which along with the other winning entries were published in that year’s edition of the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthology. After he became the first contestant to disqualify him/herself from entering future contests, the editor called him up and asked him if he was interested in writing a Star Trek novel. The rest, as he likes to say, is a frappin’ mystery.

What have you learned that seemed completely unrelated to writing at the time but has influenced your writing career?
It’s going to sound simple and perhaps even a bit trite, but one skill which I already had developed thanks to my prior military and corporate careers and which has been of enormous help to me as a professional writer is time and task management. The ability to juggle multiple projects, each with its own deadline and master and set of issues or hurdles to overcome, is of prime importance if you’re looking to be a freelance writer. Often, you’ll be working on a handful of different assignments and a couple of them will have deadlines that are either relatively close together or even on top of one another. The ability to divide your time and energy so that each project gets the attention it deserves and you hit all your marks is what will distinguish the working professional from the rest of the pack. And in case you’re wondering, editors absolutely value this skill in the writers they hire.

A toy manufacturer has decided to make you their new superhero action figure. What is your superpower and what are you wearing?
Everybody always wants to fly, right? I’ll go with that. No more long lines at the airport! As for the outfit, if it has to be tights, I just want them to give me something that’ll showcase the six-pack abs I’m hoping they’ll mold onto my stomach.

Do you ever regret deciding to become a professional writer?
If I have any regrets about writing professionally, it’s that I haven’t yet found a way to earn a full-time living at it. My next major writing goal is to do exactly that, but I’m a realist. Most writers have some other source of income or support system, so I know it’s not an easy goal to reach. I could spend more time writing, but I prefer not to take that much more time away from my wife and kids, who already put up with me working the equivalent of two jobs, one of which—when you boil it down—is an ongoing passion project that happens to generate a bit of side income.

What is the best part of being a professional writer?
Are you kidding? I get to just make stuff up out of thin air, and people pay me for it! Wait. I suppose I could go into politics and get the same sort of rush, but that’s another subject. Anyway, I love telling stories, be it writing them or even just sitting around a table in a bar or a campfire, and getting reactions out of people. Writing just formalizes the process. In the case of my media tie-in writing, I get to play with characters I already love, and in some cases have loved since my childhood, and share the resulting stories with people who share that affection. And somebody gives me money to do that? Gravy; thick, brown, tasty gravy.

Give us a quick overview of what you write and where we can find it.
I write and co-write a lot of media tie-ins, mostly of the Star Trek variety. I also manage to get some original science fiction published here and there, along with being a regular contributor to Star Trek Magazine and Tor.com as a guest blogger.

Some of my more recent publications include:

Star Trek: Typhon Pact – Paths of Disharmony – January 2011
“Into the Abyss,” in Full-Throttle Space Tales #4: Space Horrors – October 2010
“One Small Step for Bubba,” in A Bubba In Time Saves None! – June 2010
Counterstrike: The Last World War – Book II – May 2010
The First Peer, in Star Trek: Seven Deadly Sins – March 2010 (with Kevin Dilmore)
Star Trek: Vanguard – Open Secrets – May 2009
“A Fresh Perspective,” in Full-Throttle Space Tales #3: Space Grunts – May 2009 (which I also edited)
The 4400: Wet Work – November 2008 (with Kevin Dilmore)

Blooming Author Sean Hayden!

2011-04-20T07:00:00.029-04:00

Sean Hayden's book Origins, Book 1 of the Demonkin Series, was published by Echelon Press, February 2011.

Tell us about your book. What is it about and where will it be available?
Ashlyn Thorn was born different. Born with all the characteristics of a vampire, she lives in a world where vampires, elves, and werewolves work, play, and die side by side with normal humans. But everyone knows vampires aren’t born, they’re made. The only thing she wants is to know her true origins.

Ashlyn’s quest to discover the truth of her differences is all that matters. But with every answer, she uncovers more uncertainties. To make things worse she has found herself an enemy of the most powerful vampires of the city who fear her powers are too dangerous to let go unchecked.

Salvation comes at the hands of the government, or does it, who trains her in the ways that best serve their purposes. Ashlyn is torn between two worlds. She can either be a monster, or she can help destroy the monsters.

That's the official description. Mine is, one seriously fun look at what life would be like if vampires, werewolves, demons, and just about everything else you could imagine worked, played, and died right beside everyday mortals.

Right now Origins is available as an eBook from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and Omnilit in just about every format you can imagine. I'm expecting a proof of the paperback version this week, so it might be on sale as early as next week! I'm a little excited.

What were your inspirations for your book? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
I've always been fascinated by vampires. Of all the creatures of fantasy they have always had a special place in my heart. It's amazing how interests get passed down through the generations. My daughter (she's 9 going on thirty) is the same way. No matter what it is, if it's about vampires we'll go see, watch, or read it. (Yes, I've read the twilight series ~wanders off and crawls into the box of shame~) Well one thing that always bothered my daughter was why vampires are so different in every book, show, and movie. Why do some sparkle, some have fangs, some walk in sunlight, and some have severe allergic reactions to wooden stakes through their heart? Those differences provided some of the inspirations for Origins. I wanted to explain why vampires were so different.

As for what inspires me as a writer...That's easy. Everything. I suffer from an extremely overactive imagination. I can turn anything into a story. I actually wrote a five thousand word essay once on the sex life of a ping pong ball (not by choice. Got in trouble in school, long story, go figure!). Inspiration doesn't just hit you. You have to play the what if game. Look down at your coffee mug. There it's sitting on your desk all innocent like. You're never going to get inspiration from that. It's an inanimate object. Here's where the what if game comes into play. Now look at your coffee mug and think, "What if?" What if it weren't made out of ceramic like everyone thinks. What if it was made from the ground bones of innocent victims of a local serial killer who used a pottery shop to dispose of the bodies? Hmmmm? Now you know how to play the "what if" game. We meet on Tuesdays.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing your book? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
I usually approach a story from behind. It can't see you that way and you have a better chance of catching it. "Outline" is a seven letter, four letter word. It's dirty. They frighten me. If somebody forced me to sit down and plot a book from soup to nuts before I wrote it, I would be forced to retaliate by doing bad things to their slippers. It's just not in me. I write as I go.

I have a laptop. What does that mean? It means I write wherever and whenever I can. I have a wife, two kids, 3 ducks, 2 bunnies, a dog, and fish. I also have a full time job as a fiberoptic engineer at a local cable company. I also am now Senior Editor for the publishing company that published my book. Writing is so dear to me, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night when things are quiet, just to get the stories out of my head.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
The planet I came from was being torn asunder by violent earthquakes. Our sun was going supernova. My parents put me in a crystal ship...WAIT! Wrong story.

Oh, yes. I remember. I had just finished Origins. I had no idea what to do with it, so I did what everybody else does when faced with a situation they have no idea how to overcome, I googled it. "I wrote a book, what now?" I typed into the search bar. Miraculously I was inundated by adds and spam. That almost never happens. I pulled out my virtual machete and started hacking through the forest of information and found a few things called "Blog Posts." I giggled at the name. "They said blog," I said. I started diving into the real information on my screen. Step one: Find an agent. "Hmmmm," I said. "I can do that." And so began my quest for the elusive literary agent. Know what they didn't tell you in their "blog posts"? If you're an unpublished author, the odds of any literary agency even READING your novel, ya, Not So Good. I queried over 100 agents. Want to know how many read Origins? Zero, Zip, Zilch, nada, nein. squat.

Disenchanted on the whole literary agent dream, I did what any enterprising youth would do. No, I didn't self publish. I refused to give up. I started looking into the possibility of finding a publisher on my own. I didn't know anything about slush piles or the differences between independent publishers and big publishers. I didn't have a clue that big publishers won't look at your work unless you have an agent. Anyway, I lucked out. I found Echelon Press. They invited me to send in my work and voila. I have a novel in publication. And a short story. And another short story series. And I'm part of an anthology. Happy ending.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
Well, I plan on dating one of the Kardashian sisters. I plan on getting into a bar fight with Justin Bieber. I thought I would hang out with Charlie Sheen for a few weeks, and then go jewelry shopping with Lindsay Lohan. If that doesn't work, I'm going to give the whole book signing, blog tour, post some ads thing a shot.

I also have a contest going to generate some buzz about Origins. So far it's working great. I'm giving people the opportunity to be one of the main characters in the third Demonkin book. They get to be a vampire, werewolf, or anything they want. They can be the good guy or the bad guy, and as special thanks, they will be in the dedication of the book as well. It's all on the Demonkin website. www.demonkin.com

Perennial Author Shannon K. Butcher!

2011-04-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

Shannon K. Butcher writes romantic suspense and paranormal romance. Her paranormal romance series is called the Sentinel Wars. Book 5 of the series, BLOOD HUNT, comes out in August 2011. The series is all about hot, tattooed, sword-wielding warriors and the magical women who make their lives interesting.

The first book of her new romantic suspense series, LIVING ON THE EDGE, came out in March 2011. It's not your typical serial killer story, but more on the action/adventure side of things. There's lots of mystery and intrigue to go along with a big, overarching storyline. It's similar in style to her first couple of suspenses (NO REGRETS, NO CONTROL) but with a larger cast of characters. The second book of the Edge series comes out in November 2011.

Shannon won the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for NO REGRETS and BURNING ALIVE. All of her books are currently in print, and can be found at your favorite book store.

What have you learned that seemed completely unrelated to writing at the time but has influenced your writing career?
My engineering career has been a huge help to my writing. All of the time and project management skills I learned, as well as organizing large amounts of information like what is created during world building, have really helped me stay on track.

A toy manufacturer has decided to make you their new superhero action figure. What is your superpower and what are you wearing?
I'd be the Magnificent Multitasking Lass. My cape is a calendar. In one hand I carry the spatula of infinite hamburger flipping to feed my hungry boys, and in the other I grip a magical jug of detergent that can clean clothes and surfaces at 100 yards. My tiara is imbedded with Bluetooth technology, allowing my mind to connect to my laptop, which is strapped to my chest, recording chapter after chapter of the next book. With a phone in one ear and a glitzy earring dangling from the other, I'm ready for whatever my nemesis, the Evil Schedule, throws at me.

Do you ever regret deciding to become a professional writer?
No. There are times when it's harder than others. There are times when it's harder than being an engineer, but it was a good decision. I get to make people happy with what I do, and that is a rare opportunity. The fact that I can do so in my jammies is just an added benefit.

What is the best part of being a professional writer?
The dress code is great--definitely makes up for the long hours. I love being at home with my husband and my dog. The flexible hours are nice, though sometimes I wish there weren't quite so many of them. :)

You can find Shannon on her website and on Twitter.

Blooming Author Sonya Clark!

2011-04-13T07:00:00.019-04:00

Sonya Clark's urban fantasy novel Mojo Queen will be published on May 2 by Lyrical Press.

Tell us about your book. What is it about and where will it be available?
Hoodoo and high magic are on a collision course.

Roxanne Mathis isn't like everyone else. Not only can she see auras and spectral entities, she can mix herbs and roots for spells to do good or ill. She can even light a candle without the benefit of a match. But when she’s hired to exorcise a demon from a young girl, she discovers the limits of her powers.

With her vampire cousin at her side and a sexy sorcerer chasing her on the rebound, Roxie sets out to send that evil entity back to where she came from.

Nothing is as it seems and Roxie’s in over her head. It’s not going to be enough for her to just be a paranormal investigator and old school root worker – to defeat this demon, she’s going to have to be the Mojo Queen.

Mojo Queen will be available from the publisher, Lyrical Press, as well as Amazon and other digital book retailers. It's a sexy urban fantasy with plenty of hoodoo and magic, a determined paranormal investigator, a slightly flaky vampire sidekick, and a dangerously tempting sorcerer.

What were your inspirations for your book? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
The very first version of this story came from the question: why would someone choose to be possessed by a demonic entity? Since that question gave me a villain, next I had to figure out who my protagonist would be and I knew I didn't want her to be the typical urban fantasy heroine. No leather pants or tramp stamp, no kicking a**, none of the usual stuff. I wanted to create a character with different strengths to work with. Roxie sees auras and spectral entities and I knew magic would also feature heavily. That only got me half a book though, and it seemed to be missing something. To try to break the writer's block I wrote a short story about Roxie and her cousin working a case. Since it was partly just for fun, I gave Roxie my love of Mississippi blues. That led to her using a little hoodoo. My editor Nerine Dorman read the short story and basically said, ""how about more like this?"" Letting Roxie have that piece of myself helped me to connect with the story in a new way. I rewrote what I had and finished it, and Roxie turned out to be not only a paranormal investigator but a hoodoo root worker.

I tend to draw inspiration from different things. I've learned that if I don't know what kind of music a character listens to then I don't really have a handle on them. When I start figuring that out the music can have an influence on the character, everything from what they wear to their speech patterns to deeper things like their emotional tone. For instance Roxie's vampire cousin Daniel - who is actually her ancestor - has a fondness for classic country. It's easy to snicker about him singing old Conway Twitty songs at the top of his lungs, but the truth is there's plenty of darkness in a lot of those old country songs, all those cheating songs and murder ballads. It really helped cement what I wanted to do with him as a character. Daniel is an atypical vampire - how often is the vampire the sidekick? - but he is still a vampire.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing your book? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
To be honest, my process is not always very organized. Usually I start with an idea and try to build an outline from it. Outlining doesn't work very well for me at first, I have to just dive in and get to know the characters and the story. Then I usually get stuck and wander around for awhile, trying to figure out how to get unstuck. This can last for days, weeks, months even. Then out of nowhere what I need to finish - whether it's plot points or whatever - will fall into my head and the writing will go much smoother. After I rewrite what I already had, that is. I've tried various methods of outlining but they do nothing for me until I know my characters. When I say ""know my characters"" I don't mean tally a bunch of stats about them - I have to write them. This is not a method I recommend, as it can make for slow writing. :)

My husband built me a desk and that's where I write. I'd have to say that's about as optimal as it gets. :) The clutter I've accumulated sometimes gets in the way, but occasionally the Magic 8 Ball is helpful.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
I had a book that I've worked on for some time that was never finished and I finally trunked it in frustration. Then I wrote something radically different (though still paranormal) and wound up with a hundred thousand word novel. It was a mess though and also wound up trunked. After that I wrote an urban fantasy novella. This time I felt like I had a good story but didn't know what to do with it. I started researching places that accept novella-length work and discovered digital publishers. I decided to submit to one (Lyrical Press), figuring the worst that could happen is they reject me. In fact I was fully prepared for rejection, pretty zen about it, even. I was astounded when they accepted that first book, Bring On The Night. And then again when they accepted Mojo Queen. It's pretty amazing.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
I've got a few guest blog opportunities and always looking for more. I try to use social networks too and of course I'll be talking about Mojo Queen on my blog www.sonyaclark.net. I might even work up the nerve to talk to someone at the local paper. Promotion is tough for introverted writers like me. I have to take inspiration from my character Roxie. She gets really scared dealing with scary demons and such, but she jumps right in and does it anyway. :)

Perennial Author Christian A. Dumais, a.k.a. DRUNK HULK!

2011-04-11T07:00:00.044-04:00

Christian A. Dumais, or Puff Chrissy as we know him on Twitter, is an incredible writer, humorist, and University lecturer. Writing Insight was lucky enough to track him down in Poland (via email) and interview him.

What have you learned that seemed completely unrelated to writing at the time but has influenced your writing career?
The best thing I can think of is how when I created Drunk Hulk, I was fully expecting it to be a small writing exercise I could use for distraction from my bigger projects. I had no idea how popular Drunk Hulk was going to become.

Most writers have that huge epic story in their head that will change everything. Or that great American novel that's going to make you so famous people will want to steal your eyeglasses. I've published stories I felt were mind-blowing and incredible, and I was convinced that I'd get a positive response from readers and agents alike. And while I've gotten some wonderful feedback, I've never gotten the response I imagined I would.

It's taken me a long time to realize that just because the idea clicks in your head doesn't mean it's going to click with everyone else. And the most important part of writing is the process of discovery of getting that idea out of your head and on the page. If you can focus on that part alone, and not predict, second-guess and worry about what happens later, then you'll find yourself a much happier writer at the end of the day.

And if that story does change everything and if you find out your glasses were stolen and are now being held for ransom, then you can consider all that a massive bonus.

The point is you can't predict what's going to connect with your audience. So try a little of everything and be ready adapt. So when readers respond to your ALL CAPS 140 character tweets over your 3,500 word short stories, consider hitting the CAPS LOCK key and seeing what happens next.

A toy manufacturer has decided to make you their new superhero action figure. What is your superpower and what are you wearing?
I'm assuming the toy manufacturer either close to bankruptcy and desperate for ideas or my parents have inexplicably been made in charge.

I suspect that my action figure would look suspiciously like Charlie Brown with a goatee. My superpower would be the ability to sunburn easily ("Hey, kids! Hold the Puff Chrissy Action Figure under the light and watch it turn red like a poor man's Zartan!"). Accessories include a laptop, a pair of Hulk hands, and a Starbucks Frappuccino.

Hey, not all superheroes can be winners!

Do you ever regret deciding to become a professional writer?
Well, I'm not a professional writer, to be honest. Hopefully one day I'll be able to find out if I'll regret becoming one. That said, as a university lecturer and teacher, I get to spend days talking about my favorite writers and stories with some amazing students. Even if I was making good money writing, I don't think I'd be able to stop teaching. It's just way too much fun.

What is the best part of being a professional writer?
I'm going to guess what it's like being a professional writer. ""Get into character,"" as they say in all the writer workshops. I imagine getting up early in the morning and clearing my workspace. This includes cleaning the cocaine off my desk and the bits of mushrooms stuck between the keys of my keyboard, asking the previous evening's ""goddesses"" to go home, and then meditating for an hour like Master Splinter did in the cartoons. Once that's out of the way, I go online to catch up on the news, answer my e-mails, and then call my attorney to discuss suing someone who spoke critically of my work. High on power and motivated by the cost of legal fees, I take off my pants, sit down at the desk and write while listening to the music of Super Mario Brothers 3. And that's when the magic happens...

At least that's how Joe Hill makes it sound like on Twitter.

Give us a quick overview of what you write and where we can find it.
Despite all my best efforts, most people only know my writing from Twitter's Drunk Hulk.

My first book, Empty Rooms Lonely Countries, collects a lot of my nonfiction short stories published between 1997 and 2005. If you know me only as the writer of Drunk Hulk, I think there's enough laughs and alcohol in this collection to keep you entertained.

Last year I contributed to and edited a collection of euphiction (fiction inspired by music) called Cover Stories. I'm extremely proud of this book. You'll not only find 10 short stories I did, but 90 other stories by 9 other fantastic writers. You get a lot of bang for your buck with this one. Also, Volume 2 will be out later this year.

Other than that, you can find my work in magazines like GUD, Shock Totem, Ha!Art and more.

Even though I'm working on a novel, I'm beginning to suspect I'm really a short story writer.

Fresh Voice Marc Nash!

2011-04-08T07:00:00.029-04:00

Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Voices. We are delighted to share with you the voice of Marc Nash!

What is your ultimate writing goal?
To leave a body of work that survives well beyond me to make a contribution to the pool of human art and knowledge.

Why do you write?
Because I believe I have something to say and a reasonably interesting way of saying it. It also helps me probe the wonders and the frustrations of the world.

Have you worked to achieve your voice or is it just a natural style for you?
I would like to think my voice doesn't matter nearly as much as that of the character in whatever book I'm writing. But I'm told I have a recognisable style, that marks a project as 'my' book, so I guess I do have a consistency of writing voice. It's both natural and comes out of my own continual pursuit of literary ideas and approaches.

Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?
Kafka was such a mesmerisingly deceptive stylist. He leads you into nightmarish scenarios with such a lightness of touch. Camus was chock full of ideas about humanity. Jonathan Lethem is a master of literary language. Don Delillo is just the perfect writer. Jeanette Winterson writes wonderful poetic works of love. Neil Bartlett deals in desire like no other writer I have come across.

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?
The ability to think about, explore and deal in language 24-7, without having to worry about numbers as I currently do in my day job. I like jousting with words, trying to nail those slippery characters down on the page.

If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?
Musician or abstract painter. Something that still gave life to the mind.

If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?
Challenging

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
Trust your own instincts.

After writing some dodgy lyrics for teenage bands that never got off the ground, Marc first started writing stage plays at College. With the arrival of his twin boys and parenting, he stopped hanging around theatres and turned his hand to novels. He self-published his debut novel "A,B&E" in October 2009 and contributed adult experimental pieces of fiction to Year Zero Writers, Eight Cuts Gallery, Exclusive Literary Magazine as well as producing regular flash fiction on his own blog. More information about his novel can be found on this website. He has contributed 2 short stories to the "Pop Fiction" Anthology - Stories Inspired by Songs. For all Marc's literary struggles, nothing causes him more sleepless nights than managing his twin boys' junior soccer team. Marc lives and works in London.

Blooming Author Lindsay Buroker!

2011-04-06T07:00:00.004-04:00

Lindsay Buroker's Goblin Brothers Adventures Vol. 1 was self-published, Dec 2010.

Tell us about your book. What is it about and where will it be available?
This collection of short stories features a pair of adventurous goblins, Malagach and Gortok, who want nothing more than to be heroes. Well, Gortok also wants new tools, a bag of honey-crunch spider legs, and a tour of a working steam engine. But being a hero would be good too!

For now, the stories are available as an ebook, which you can find online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords (Smashwords is a big indie ebook outlet, and they have formats for every ebook reader out there, so Ipad, Sony, Kobo, etc. folks can download the stories too). If there's interest, I'll look into making a print copy available, but you won't be able to beat the $0.99 price tag for the ebook!

What were your inspirations for your book? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
The Shrek movies were a big inspiration for these characters. I wanted to tell a fun story with atypical heroes that young readers would enjoy. At the same time, I wanted some humor for older readers (also known as grownups), so I poke a little fun at the Dungeons & Dragons/Tolkien-inspired fantasy I grew up reading (much the way Shrek pokes fun at fairy tales).

As for what inspires me as a writer in general, I just love the characters that populate my mind (more people than you'd think there'd be room for in there), and I want to share their words and adventures with others.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing your book? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
Outlines? Hm, I remember doing these in school....

I believe I'm called a seat-of-the-pants writer (AKA a pantser). I get an idea, mull it over a bit, figure out the ending, then get started.

If I know how the story ends, I'll find a road to get there. I've learned, thanks to a lot of half-finished projects, not to start things when I don't know how they'll end.

As for where I write, anywhere. Laptop at the coffee shop or with pen and paper in front of the TV. I'm not fussy.

I usually plot things in my head while I'm at the gym or walking the dogs, and that way I have a good idea of what happens next when I sit down to write.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
Well, since I decided to publish myself, there's not much of a story here. I've watched some writer buddies make it (insofar as getting an agent and a publisher), and I'm very excited for them, but I'm not sure I have the patience for the process.

For me, it was about a month from thinking, "Hey, it's time to try e-publishing!" to "Cool, my ebook is up on Amazon and Barnes & Noble." That included editing, cover design, and formatting (otherwise I could have had it up over night!).

I figure, if the Goblin Brothers stories do well (I'm planning a whole series of novels with these characters), I can approach an agent later.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
I'm busy turning more novels and stories into ebooks and finishing up the first Goblin Brothers novel, so I'm just planning to do a little bit here and there when it comes to marketing.

My main goal is to get links back to my two sites, so I'll try to find some guest blogging gigs and publish some articles around the web (not to mention hitting up those kindly folks who are willing to interview authors and let them promote their work *smile*).

You can follow my progress on my website. And you can read some of the Goblin Brothers stories for free on the Goblin Brothers website.

Perennial Author Elizabeth Rolls!

2011-04-04T07:00:00.006-04:00

Elizabeth Rolls is an historical romance author who has won the HOLT Medallion twice, and the Laurel Wreath as well as CataRomance's Best Harlequin Historical for 2007, been nominated twice for Romance Writers of Australia's Romantic Book of the Year Award, the Romantic Novelists' Association Romance Award, and an RT Reviewers' Choice Award. The major thrill last year was the RITA nomination for Lord Braybrook's Penniless Bride. If you are at all a reader of historical romance you should definitely check out Elizabeth's stories. She took a few moments from her busy schedule to tell us about her work.

What have you learned that seemed completely unrelated to writing at the time but has influenced your writing career?
I studied music at university, and while I was writing my first term paper on 16th century vocal music, I made the earth shattering discovery (sarcasm fully intentional) that what drove the music on was dissonance, or discords, which were then resolved. Simple really. Dissonance equals tension, or conflict. So create tension, then resolve it. Of course you have learn where to place the tension and what to use as tension, but the principal is very much the same for writing a story. You need those builds of tension and resolution threaded through the music or story, with the final resolution leading to the final cadence, or in the case of a romance the HEA. Oddly enough, much later when I was studying for my Masters in Musicology, I found a book comparing the works of Mozart to the novels of Jane Austen in much the same way!

A toy manufacturer has decided to make you their new superhero action figure. What is your superpower and what are you wearing?
Dead right I'm a superhero/ine. What working mum isn't? And let's face it, all mums are working mums, whether they work outside the home or not. My superpower would be to get my kids to endless soccer training sessions on time and still have a meal on the table when we all get home. I'm keeping very quiet the fact that for one of those sessions I have a standing arrangement with another soccer mum to sneak off for coffee, pizza and talk about what books we've been reading! No one seems to have noticed that I rarely eat dinner on Wednesday nights ...

As for what I'm wearing ... I think I have a Team Steward's vest on (fluorescent green) and I'm clutching a container of orange quarters for half time and an umbrella.

Do you ever regret deciding to become a professional writer?
I never regret it, but there are times when I'm stuck that even the housework looks tempting. Times like that I go and work somewhere else. Working at home can be difficult because there are so many things to distract you. The phone, email, housework, making a pot of tea. So when I need to refocus I go out and work in the local library, or even a cafe. There's a great cafe across the road from the local laundromat and if it's too rainy to get the clothes dry I go there and work while the clothes look after themselves. I try not to do it too often because we have dogs as well as a baby magpie who still needs feeding, but every so often it helps to put me back on track.

What is the best part of being a professional writer?
Getting that box of author copies in the post and thinking, "Wow. This is real. I made it." Getting a revision letter from my editor that focuses my thinking and helps me bring the best I can out of a story. I actually love revision letters because they make me think and inspire me. And hearing my kids say casually, "Yeah, Mum works. She's an author."

Give us a quick overview of what you write and where we can find it.
I write Regency Historicals for Harlequin. The best place to find my back list is either at eHarlequin, or Amazon.

My most recent release was the Historical Undone, A Scandalous Liaison, released as an ebook last year and now available in the anthology Delectably Undone. Also I have another short ebook coming out next month called A Princely Dilemma. This is a Royal Wedding special in honour of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Several of us have written stories celebrating royal marriages through the ages.

Feature: Immortal by Gene Doucette

2011-04-03T07:00:00.160-04:00

Third stop on the 2011 Immortal Blog Tour.

If you've been a reader of Writing Insight for awhile then Gene Doucette is a familiar face. He was featured as a Blooming Author back in July 2010 before Immortal was published. We're excited to report that a lot has happened since then. This article is an attempt to give you a "best of" on the press for Immortal prior to this April blog tour so that you are set up to really enjoy getting to know Gene and his book - and be as excited as we are to hear that Immortal will have a sequel coming out soon!

Something that many find hard is trying to pigeonhole Immortal into a particular genre. In Spencer Seidel's review he says, "Technically, I suppose the “correct” genre is speculative fiction, but I’m still not sure how I feel about that genre. Like the thriller genre, it’s probably too vague to be meaningful. So forget the genre. Here’s a description I like: Immortal is like Men in Black meets The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets Odd Thomas. Yes, really." Gene also likes to quote Jonathan Vos Post, "A sui generis Urban Fantasy/Historical/Crime crossover novel, in which pixies, demons, dragons, and vampires are real though few humans know that... Narrated by a wisecracking immortal that's worldly, noir, skeptical without bleak cynicism, and open to surprises; he's half Gilgamesh and half Raymond Chandler. I couldn't put it down!" Lori Hettler at The Next Best Book Club tried to sum it up with "Part science fiction fantasy, part action adventure and thriller, Gene Doucette creates the perfect balance of humor and edge-of-your-seat anticipation in this genre-defying story of an immortal man named Adam..." Now that we've talked about how to describe it (or how we can't describe it), how have readers been responding?

The first blogger review of Immortal was in August 2010 when The Next Best Book Club gave the book 5 out of 5 stars. "Witty sarcasm, quick quips, and an uncanny knack to self-preserve at all costs, our leading man quickly endears himself to you... Along the way we meet tricky iffrits, whimsical pixies, sexy vampires, and armored dragons as Adam finds himself on the run on more than one occasion, forced to battle demons and bounty hunters, while trying to uncover who is coming after him... A rapid fire, unrelenting wild rumpus of a ride - Immortal earned it's spot as the Next Best Book."

Wow! Who could ask for a better book review? Does it make you curious what Adam looks like? Rachael at Enchanted by Books was curious about that in July 2010 when she interviewed Gene, asking, "Who would you have play Adam the Immortal in a movie?" Gene responded, "Hah! That’s a tough question. Adam looks thirty-two, so it would have to be an actor that could play that age. Both Robert Downey Junior and Johnny Depp project the kind of intelligence the role would need, but I don’t think either of them can pull off thirty-two any more. Jeffrey Donovan from Burn Notice could probably do it." That would be an excellent casting choice.

I gave Immortal 5 out of 5 stars in my September 2010 review on my personal blog. I fell in love with the storytelling, the writing, and most especially Adam's voice. One of my favorite quotes from the first chapter is, "I was suicidal for two solid centuries once. That was during the early part of what they now call the Dark Ages, in medieval Europe. Suicidal tendencies were de rigueur at the time, and I’m nothing if not trendy." I closed with, "If there is a God, which is something that main character Adam sincerely doubts, then Mr. Doucette will write a series and get a TV show." PennyAsh from Night Owl Paranormal (who gave the book 4.75 out of 5 stars) made a similar statement, "...this book would make a great TV series. I know I'd watch every week." So someone call Jeffrey Donovan, we have his next project.

Tracy Riva of The Pigeon Post gave us some insight into how Adam's immortality plays into the way the story is told. "Immortal, generally speaking moves clearly and easily between the present, the past and the distant past. Recollections are vivid and seem as though they could in fact be the recounting actual historical events. The character has lived through some interesting times and events and his retelling of these stories, via memories, is lively and interesting." Topher gives us a little more in his review on It Was Uphill Both Ways, "The jumps in periods of time worked for me, which is saying a lot because it rarely does. It's especially fitting for this novel, since bits of Adam's long history begin to pop up in his current situation, and a lot of the flashbacks really explain how he's gotten to be where he is, why he reacts the way he does. I don't want to give away anything, but the novel is fast-paced and is much like a thriller or suspense."

Meghan Morrow contemplated Immortal in her review on the Writers News Weekly, musing, "Apart from his immortality, Doucette has created a relatable character for anyone who can’t seem to find their right path. While Adam has taken every possible route a person can come up with, he is still no closer to finding what he desires." It is an interesting mental exercise to wonder if we would be any more satisfied even with thousands of years on hand. Gene and Adam make a good point - probably not.

Jennifer at The Literary Soundtrack talked to Gene about his musical preferences and what he listens to when he writes. Then she asked the character Adam HIS opinions on music. "My introduction to new musical sounds is always greeted with the following declaration: "Oh [current god]! What is that horrible noise!" It doesn't matter how lovely that music ends up being, to my ears, later: new rhythms, innovations, and instruments are always discordant and jarring the first time around. Understand, though, that the first thing I ever heard that I could call music was rhythmic drum beating, and that was perfectly good for a very long time, up until someone came up with a crude woodwind and complicated the hell out of everything."

Annikka Woods reviewed Immortal on Books in the Woods and also interviewed Adam on Writing in the Woods. Her review was 5 of 5 stars with the note "Holy crap, this is awesome and amazing!" In her interview of Adam she queries, "How have you coped with living for so long? Aside from drinking, I mean." Adam responds, "I don't know that it's something requiring an extra coping mechanism. Staying alive is sort of an instinctual thing, and in more ways than you might realize it's also a largely passive thing. Suicide-- and I've thought about it-- requires action, whereas continuing to exist generally doesn't. So in a lot of ways all I've done is decide not to get up off the couch."

Mary DeBerry interviewed Gene for Yahoo! Associated Content titling her article "New Novel Immortal Explores Vampires, Pixies, History, and a Man Who Lives Forever, Author Doucette Combines Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Comedy and Drama into One New Novel." She elicited some excellent writing advice from him, "the best advice I think I can give is to remember you're there to tell an entertaining story. That may sound simplistic, but I talk to a lot of writers, and believe me, this point can get lost." Mary's review of the book illustrates that Gene follows his own advice, "Although history is an important element in the story, Doucette does not fall victim to trying to cram every major event into one novel. Adam, the story's protagonist, sprinkles his wry observations of history here and there as appropriate."

And Lorna Suzuki's interview with Gene on All Kinds of Writing had some of the best news of all for fans. "The Immortal sequel is already written. It’s called Hellenic Immortal, and I’m sure you will see it in the next five years. The research I described [before] is so that I can start working on the third Immortal book." That's so exciting!

If you haven't read Immortal yet we recommend you order it now. If you have already read it we hope that you want to read it all over again (like I do). Not sold yet? Go check out the rest of the blog tour.

Fresh Voice Debora Silkotch!

2011-04-01T07:00:00.020-04:00

Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Voices. We are delighted to share with you the voice of Debora Silkotch!

What is your ultimate writing goal?
I'd love to write and illustrate a series of children's books for the 9 to 12 age group, but the novel I'm currently working on is adult sci-fi. The fun thing about writing is that you can never really predict where it's going to take you.

Why do you write?
I'm not sure writers necessarily have a choice about that. We write because we're writers; take away our computers and typewriters and we'll scribble out our stories in pencil on the back of the electric bill envelope. It's a compulsion, it's how the voices in our heads find an acceptable outlet.

Have you worked to achieve your voice or is it just a natural style for you?
My early writing style was as awkward and self-consciously overwrought as my teenage and young adult self. Lots of creative writing exercises helped me polish my skills in a supportive, low-pressure atmosphere. Play-by-email RPG's were my drug of choice for many years, and later blogging helped me practice the art of telling very short stories in an engaging "voice."

Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?
George R R Martin. He's a master storyteller, but I think his greatest gift is creating characters so real and painfully human that it's easy to forget they're fictional.

J R R Tolkein. Epic tales of glory aside, I love his pro-green-sustainability, anti-industrialist-greed philosophies.

I loved Stephen R Donaldson's earliest works, up to and including the Gap Cycle. Not a big fan of his later stuff, it feels like somewhere along the way he forgot how to tell a story.

Neil Gaiman. I only recently discovered his books and I need to read more of them...like, all I can get my hands on! Great stuff!

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?
Being paid to do what I would do anyway for the sheer pleasure of it? There's no downside here!

If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?
My other passion is homesteading. I grow most of my own food, and I'm constantly finding new ways to remove more of the negative aspects of modern civilization from my life. I'd love to be completely self-sufficient, or as close as possible. I don't feel deprived of anything; this simple lifestyle is incredibly liberating!

If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?
Introspective.

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
"If you're getting bored writing it, people will get bored reading it." Also, "Begin as close to the end as possible."

Debora lives on a small work-in-progress homestead in Southern California with her two children, two horses, two dogs and many cats. She writes a weekly column, Tuesday Talesfor the Ideology of Madness website, in which she serializes the adventures of her favorite World of Darkness RPG character. She also has a personal blog,"I'm Probably Overthinking This," and a mild Twitter addiction (@Dsilkotch). In her spare time she continues to make preparations for the Zombie Apocalypse.

Blooming Author Thomas Drinkard!

2011-03-30T07:00:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the latest edition of Blooming Authors. We are delighted to share with you the voice of Thomas Drinkard!

What is your ultimate writing goal?
To tell stories so fascinating that many readers will be anxious for sequels. If I achieve that goal, all else will follow.

Why do you write?
Because I have always loved telling stories. In my first-grade report card, Mrs. Patterson wrote, "Thomas entertains the other children with his stories."

Have you worked to achieve your voice or is it just a natural style for you?
I haven't consciously worked to achieve my voice. I have tried to make sure that I always seek improvement.

Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?
Too many to count. I learned many things from John D. McDonald, Robert B. Parker and James Lee Burke. I learned much about dialogue from the first two and how powerful scenes can be developed from prose that flows like poetry from Burke.

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?
I can walk down the hall from my bedroom to my office; boot up the word processor and enter a different world.

If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?
The choice: a writer.

If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?
Unpredictable.

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
"If you can write five *good* pages in a day, that's all you need." From my friend, the late Anne Carroll George.

Thomas Rowe Drinkard, also known as Tom, was born and reared in the Deep South—Alabama. He graduated from the University of North Alabama with a degree in English. At graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and went on active duty eight days later. Within two years, he volunteered and was accepted into the Special Forces (Green Berets) after Airborne and Special Forces school, he’d found a home. With a few other assignments in between, he spent ten years with the fabled unit. He was unhappy with the Army’s plans for his future, left active duty and moved into the reserves. He is now a Major, retired reserves. After the Army, he found his way into teaching and writing in the securities licensing preparation business. His textbooks, articles and CE courses are in use today. His poetry can be found in a number of literary magazines, including Negative Capability, Cotton Boll/Atlanta review and a several others. Piety and Murder published by LazyDay Publishing is his first piece of long fiction to be published. Thomas is currently working on a prequel.

Author site: http://www.thomasdrinkardwrites.com/
Blog: http://www.brinson1.wordpress.com

Twitter: @thomasDrinkard
Facebook: Thomas Drinkard

Perennial Author Bruce R. Cordell!

2011-03-28T07:00:00.053-04:00

If you are at all involved in role-playing games or fantasy fiction you have probably run across the name Bruce R. Cordell. As well as being a fabulous game designer and writer Bruce is a really great guy. He's also a very busy guy, but we managed to catch him for a few moments to help us kick off our new Perennial Authors series.

What have you learned that seemed completely unrelated to writing at the time but has influenced your writing career?
The thing I learned that most influenced my writing career was a lesson my dad taught me: if you practice something long enough, no matter HOW AWFUL you are at it, eventually, in time, you’ll not only improve, but master it. You see, I joined the wrestling team in grade school. Even though I wanted to quit every year on account of how bad I was, my dad convinced me to keep it up. After 8 years of this, in junior high, I was the best wrestler on the team, and the 2nd best wrestler in South Dakota (in my weight class /qualifier).

The great thing about that lesson is that it applies to everything in life. Reading. Juggling. Computer programming. Martial Arts .... and WRITING.

Whether physical or mental; he made me realize that Talent Is Practice. Sometimes long grueling practice, but so it goes.

A toy manufacturer has decided to make you their new superhero action figure. What is your superpower and what are you wearing?
I've indicated on my website that my superpower is: animals like me. However, I doubt that a toy manufacturer would make much money on the Animal Whisperer. So, since you're giving me a blank check, I'd love to have the power of teleportation--just think what a boost I could be to the space industry! With that last in mind, I'd probably wear one of those new-fangled bodyweave spacesuits, bright red of course.

Do you ever regret deciding to become a professional writer?
I don't. I regret I don't have enough time to do other things I'd like to spend a lot of time on, like programming, or volunteering at an animal shelter or with a wilderness society, or even reading as many books as I'd like. But no, writing is great. It can be hard and lonely, but its also rewarding and ultimately satisfying to me.

What is the best part of being a professional writer?
The act of creation. Pulling threads together slowly and surely, first with the outline, then with the first draft where things may go off-outline in a surprising way, then with the 2nd draft when you've got some good input from editors and readers. The completed work stands on its own. It might be better or worse than your last creation, but it is something, and you've made it from the labor of your own mind.

Give us a quick overview of what you write and where we can find it.
I write "swords & sorcery" Forgotten Realms books and short stories. During my day job, I design games. My novel and Short Story Credits include:

Sword of the Gods, Wizards of the Coast, 2011
Key of Stars, Wizards of the Coast, 2010
"Wandering Stones", Realms of War, Wizards of the Coast, 2010
City of Torment, Wizards of the Coast, 2009
"Black Arrow", Realms of War, Wizards of the Coast, 2008
Plague of Spells, Wizards of the Coast, 2008
Stardeep, Wizards of the Coast, 2007
Darkvision, Wizards of the Coast, 2006

A full list of my publications, including my game publications, can be found here.

Blooming Author Mik Wilkens!

2011-03-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

Mik Wilkens' book The Silver Cage was published by LazyDay Publishing, December 1, 2010.

Tell us about your book. What is it about and where will it be available?
The Silver Cage is about David Conner, a down-to-earth guy who has everything going for him: he’s got a great job, he has plenty of money, and he’s just met Jennasara, quite literally the woman of his dreams. But David’s world is turned upside-down when he finds himself on Lucasia, a world where magic is a force of nature and creatures of myth are real. To save Jennasara, David must learn the ways of this strange new world, master its magic forces, and decide who is his friend and who is his enemy.

It will be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, OmniLit, and other leading digital distributors. For active links on where to buy it, go to http://www.thesilvercage.com/buy.php

What were your inspirations for your book? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
My inspiration for The Silver Cage was twofold. One of my favorite fantasy authors is Katherine Kurtz. Her novels inspired me to try writing books of my own. They also taught me the importance of having a logical magic system in a fantasy story. Rather than just having some intangible force called “magic,” there needs to be a source of the power and some kind of rules that the characters have to follow to use that power. That idea was one of the driving forces behind The Silver Cage.

The other inspiration was my desire to write a modern fairy tale that could be enjoyed by adults whether they were fans of fantasy fiction or not. By ‘fairy tale’, I don’t mean the traditional, short folk tales written for children. Instead, I use the term as defined by Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien in his essay ‘On Fairy-Stories’. Tolkien said that fairy tales are not stories about fairies or other fantastic creatures; rather they are about the interaction between humans and such beings. David, a sensible, modern-day businessman, is the human that interacts with the fantastic creatures as he explores Lucasia, investigates how and why he ended up there, and uncovers the layers of intrigue that surround the lives of the world’s inhabitants.

In general, pretty much anything and everything inspires me. It could be something I see, something I read, just some passing thought. Sometimes my muse will just toss a scene out at me and I have to figure out what to do with it.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing your book? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
I’ve tried using outlines, but they don’t work for me because they’re too limiting; I never stick to them. A large part of the fun in writing is discovering the story as I write it. When I start a story, I have a beginning, a possible ending, and usually some ideas about scenes in the middle. Then I just start writing. Sometimes I write myself into a corner, and then I have to do a bit of planning, but I never plan very far ahead. I’ve found that the ending ideas I start out with generally tend to change quite a bit by the time I get there, so even the endings are a surprise to me.

I can write anywhere. When I’m in a writing mood, I carry around a pad of paper everywhere I go and write every chance I get. Fortunately, I have a very tolerant husband who doesn’t mind me writing when we go out to dinner or go for a drive. So I guess I don’t have anything that could be called an optimal writing environment; it’s really the mood that matters. When the writing mood strikes, I write. It doesn’t matter where I am.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
I started writing in the early 1970s, but it wasn’t until the late 1980s that I decided to try to get published. My first rejection letter was dated December 7, 1990. I was lucky in that it wasn’t a form rejection letter; it was actually typewritten on letterhead, addressed me by name, referenced my manuscript by the title, and was signed by a real person. For a rejection letter, that was pretty heartening, so I kept writing.

In June 2010, my science fiction novella The Price of Conquest was accepted for publication by WolfSinger Publications, then The Silver Cage was accepted by LazyDay Publishing a few months later. It feels like 2010 is the year I’ve been discovered. :-)

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
I have a website for the book, TheSilverCage.com, and I’ve created a book trailer. I’ve also set up a Facebook fan page, and I have a Twitter account that I’ve been using to get the word out. I’m working on getting more interviews, and I have my own blog that I’m using to talk about the book and my other writing. I wrote and distributed a press release about the book, too.

Fresh Voice Jimmy Blonde!

2011-03-18T07:00:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Voices. We are delighted to share with you the voice of Jimmy Blonde!

What is your ultimate writing goal?
My ultimate writing goal is to write the best book I can.

Why do you write?
I write in order to be true to myself because writing is what I was meant to do.

I've always written, poems, songs, short stories, scripts, internet forum posts, stream of consciousness and, occasionally, on bathroom walls. Initially I wrote as an outlet for my own emotional needs and came to realise that writing was becoming a increasingly important part of my life. I decided that I should pursue writing professionally in order to achieve the highest expression of the ability that I have been given.

Have you worked to achieve your voice or is it just a natural style for you?
It's an ongoing process.

I have cultivated my voice to the extent that I am comfortable with putting it on display which, yes, involved hard work.

Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?
I'll give you five off the top of my head...

Douglas Adams, for his irreverent style, visionary perspective and extraordinary insights.

J.R.R. Tolkien, for his vivid and incredibly polished realisation of the creative impulse.

George Carlin, for his faultless wisdom.

Janet Evanovich, for her incredible ability to entertain.

John LeCarre, for the undiluted humanity of his characters.

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?
Essentially, being the captain of my own ship.

My attraction to writing stems from the fact that artistic pursuits revolve largely around the ability of the artist to communicate their ideas in a way which elicits a response. This is something that I am able to do without having to conform to somebody elses' idea of how it should be done. I refuse to live life on any other terms than my own and accept the responsibility to develop myself so that those terms serve to improve the world around me.

If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?
A pilot, preferably flying aerobatics.

I love to fly and I see the pure, physical expression of aerobatics as being the ultimate type of flying.

If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?
Honest.

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
I woke up with this thought in my mind one morning,

If you're going to be a writer then WRITE! Stop fooling around and do it.

The actual wording was a little more colourful than that but you get the idea...

This from a friend- "When you're writing your first draft just let go and pour it all out onto the page." (Hi Paxton!)

Stephen King- ""The road to hell is paved with adverbs."

He came, he saw, he quickly realised that it was all a joke and tried to help people laugh at it.

Facebook: Search for 'Jimmy Blonde' and look for his picture as posted above. He killed all the other pirates called 'JimmyBlonde' so finding him should be simple.

Twitter: @JimmyBlonde79

Living Legend Alan Dean Foster!

2011-03-17T07:00:00.017-04:00

It's appropriate that Alan Dean Foster be my first Legend featured on Writing Insight because the Star Trek Logs were among the first books I read and I've read them countless times over the years. If you're a fan of science fiction then you've probably read (and loved) something of Foster's as well. He is famous for writing novel adaptations of movies, including the books for Star Wars, Alien, and Transformers to name a few. He's also had many successful individual novels and series, including his Humanx Commonwealth books and Spellsinger series. With over 100 books to his credit Foster has also written fantasy, horror, mystery, and westerns. It turns out that Foster is so great at telling us adventure stories because he's a bit of an adventurer himself. This year he is publishing Predators I Have Known, a non-fiction book about his travels. And face it, you're going to buy it for the chapter "Teenage Killer Ninja Otters" alone.

Mr. Foster, thanks for being interviewed here at Writing Insight! It seems that your adventurous nature informed all those great stories you've written over the years. I noticed that the trips for Predators I Have Known start about ten years after you began to be published. In the beginning of your writing career before you could go on big trips what adventures did you draw on?

Only the ones I could think up and read about. My father subscribed to National Geographic Magazine, which issues I devoured as soon as they arrived at our house. When I left, I picked up my own subscription: unbroken now for more than forty years. I also was heavily influenced by the travels and adventures depicted in the Uncle Scrooge comics written and drawn by the great Carl Barks. Just the names Barks alluded to in his stories were enough to spark my imagination. In one issue, Scrooge is required to make his annual world inspection tour of his vast property holdings, and he reels off a list of wonderful place names. One of them is Famagusta, which rolls off the tongue (and the brain) so mnemonically I could never forget it. Half a century after first reading that comic I finally made it to the real Famagusta (it's an ancient city in northern Cyprus). I also never forgot the book BRING 'EM BACK ALIVE by the famous animal collector Frank Buck. One of the stories in that volume led to the creation of the character Pip, the Alaspinian minidrag.

What was your very first "adventure" trip and did it make it into Predators I Have Known?
I'd always dreamed of sailing to Tahiti. Everyone knows the vision from the movies: lying in a hammock on a beach beneath overarching palm dreams, sipping some exotic drink with a little umbrella poking out of it, gazing at the turquoise water and some beautiful vahine. I went there in 1973. First thing I learned was, all the really pretty vahines were either married or ladies of the evening, and the French authorities gaze askance on visitors who opt to beachcomb. They want you in the fancy hotels, paying taxes. Yet because of a remarkable woman, Princess Maheta Miri Rei, I ended up having quite the summer adventure. Look for her briefly, at age 27, as the drum dancer in the second-highest grossing film of 1938, WAIKIKI WEDDING, starring Bing Crosby. Wonderful as that particular story is, there are no predators involved, and therefore nothing from that trip made it into PREDATORS I HAVE KNOWN. Although I suppose I could have included the bit about me snorkeling on Raiatea's reef and being followed by a small shark, of whose presence I was utterly unaware until I emerged from the water and was so informed of my follower by a frightened friend.

If you could do a safari on another world, one that either you've written or someone else has created, which world would you pick?
That's easy. I'd have to go to MIDWORLD. Suitably protected and guided, of course. It would be fun to visit future Earth, and the thranx homeworld of HIVEHOM, but there would be more to see and marvel at on Midworld than any dozen other planets.

If you were an animal which animal would you be and why?
Otter. What other animal has so much obvious fun, whether its playing hide-and-seek, sliding down snowbanks or waterfalls, is equally at home on land or in water, is quite capable of defending itself against much larger animals, and is downright cute to boot.

Blooming Author Lisa Greer!

2011-03-16T07:00:00.009-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Lisa Greer's book Magnolian was published by Siren Book-Strand in e-book form in March 2011 and will be available in print in June 2011.

Tell us about your book. What is it about and where will it be available?
My book is a paranormal/gothic romance. It is set near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and in a small town in Alabama. It harkens back to the gothic romances that were so popular in the 60s and 70s, but it is thoroughly contemporary. The heroine, Lillian Mullins, must choose between two men and solve a forty year old mystery at her mother's ancestral home in Alabama. Ghosts, murder, and mayhem meet her there when she goes to spend a few months at Magnolian after her father's death.

What were your inspirations for your book? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
My inspirations are those gothic novelists who have gone before. I read gothic romances voraciously as a teenager, and I still do. Barbara Michaels, Phyllis A. Whitney and others like Mary Shelley captured my imagination and took me to the worlds of their novels. I enjoy using the trappings of the gothic romance novel when I write: old diaries, secret rooms, ghosts, inheritances, family secrets, murder, and so on.

I love literature so much that I majored in English in college and went on to earn my M.A. degree in 18th Century British Literature at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Reading almost non-stop since I was five and then writing and blogging about what I have read has offered me a world of inspiration. Further ideas come from things people say; I'm always listening. The idea for my second novel, for example, came from a friend's off hand comment during an every day conversation. I ran with it.

Another invaluable life experience for me has been living in four states in the last ten years and spending two years in Vancouver, British Columbia. These diverse settings are integral to the themes and concerns of my novels; I think a sense of place is so important, and I'm grateful I've gotten to really savor the settings I write about. If I'm using a place as a setting, I have lived there (or in a little town much like the one I have fictionalized).

One of my pet peeves has always been novels that have a setting where the author has obviously never been but that is used just for the sake of being exotic. Such settings are flat and unbelievable. I believe part of taking readers out of their every day lives and transporting them to other places is having settings that are grounded in reality. Of course, now you can see why I would not make a good science fiction writer!

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing your book? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
I start with a beginning, middle, and end. A basic concept/idea comes to me, and I'm ready to write. I outline as I go along, but I never know for sure what path my characters will take to get to the end of a novel. They constantly surprise me, usually at 1 a.m, and they often misbehave. I only wish my muse were a morning person, but like me, she's not.

I work on my home computer in the den when I write. It's often quiet during the day, and I like that, but I can write when my family is home as well. I think the environment works beautifully for me because it is comfortable and convenient.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
In August of last year, my husband asked me, "When are you going to write your novel? You blog all the time about others' writing, and I know you could do it." I knew he was right, and writing a novel has been a life long plan of mine. I am the owner of the Gothicked Blog-- a blog that reviews gothic novels (many of them gothic romance novels of the 1960s and 70s) and has contests.

I took his question to heart and started writing. I wrote the novel quickly, using Stephen King's advice in 'On Writing' to write every day. I committed to myself to write for an hour a day, and I do. I think that has been a key to my success with completing that first novel and now being nearly done with my second. I feel lucky that discipline and schedules come naturally to me as an ISTJ personality type.

I had a beta reader read 'Magnolian' when I was done with it, and I continued to revise. I queried tons of agents and got several requests for full and partial manuscripts. I also got many rejections. After a month or so went by, my list of agents still looking had dwindled, and I decided to go the small romance press route. I queried my top five of such presses, and I got an offer from Siren Book-Strand within two weeks of querying them.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
I will continue to post on my Gothicked Blog and also have an author site: www.lisalgreer.com

I am doing a Blog Tour, and this blog is one along the stop. Also, I plan to make local appearances both in my hometown in Alabama when I go back home periodically and here in Brownsville, Texas. I am also an avid user of Facebook and Twitter, and I plan to use those media for promotion as well. I have met such great people through both sources, and I'd love to meet more!

Let's do some promotion right now. If we get 20 comments on this interview then one random commenter will get a FREE copy of my Magnolian ebook!

Blooming Author J. M. Kelley!

2011-03-09T07:00:00.008-05:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

J.M. Kelley's book Drew in Blue will be published by Lazy Day Publishing 12/1/10.

Tell us about your book. What is it about and where will it be available?
Drew in Blue is a contemporary romance about a thirty-six year old loner unexpectedly saddled with the task of raising a baby while trying to sort out his mess of a life. Problem is, he just keeps making things worse for himself. It’s a running theme in Drew Doyle’s life, considering he never does anything the easy way. The River’s View, Pennsylvania gossip mill is watching each misstep as Drew juggles a price-gouging babysitter, a major case of artist’s block, and a best friend with an opinion to share on every bungled choice he makes.

His love life isn’t faring much better. Despite a long history of relationships that never really get off the ground, Drew falls head over heels for someone new, hoping she might be the one to end his romantic bad luck streak. After a few abysmally bad false starts, things finally start looking up. That is, until he finds out (the hard way, naturally) that his new love interest isn’t the one for him after all. Turns out it’s actually lifelong pal and high school girlfriend, Kristina Moser.

Drew’s feelings for Kris intensify as he witnesses her growing bond with his son and he finally realizes where he belongs. Now all he has to do is convince Kris he’s right… and she’s just not buying it.

What were your inspirations for your book? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
I think I'm most inspired by every day life. I like to find the story in the people around me. I see a person on the street, and sometimes I wonder about what's going on in their life. Why do they look so sad or so angry? What happened? I love trying to piece together a tale about people we can identify with in some way.

Drew in Blue came from a desire to see a male character who is ultimately likable, but has his flaws. I'm fascinated with the male perspective, and wanted to show a man who isn't perfect, but underneath, he has a good heart. Drew does dumb things, he says the wrong thing at times, but his heart is in the right place.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing your book? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
The grand vision for a story hits me out of the blue, and I know when I get that excited feeling that I have a concept that I want to see through to the end.

With Drew in Blue, the concept that came to me was basically, ""What if a guy who is a bit of a social leper suddenly becomes a father? How would his life change?"" And the rest came to me as I wrote.

I don't outline, in general. Maybe if I'm trying to plot out a few chapters, I'll piece together a rough outline, but overall, no. I'm a believer in letting the story tell itself. Maybe I have one idea about where the plot should lead, but eventually, the characters take over and tell me what happens next.

I think that tells me its working, if the characters are so real to me that I feel like I'm taking instruction from them. Outlining, for me, feels like a barrier between me and the people I've created.

As far as writing, I write where I can. In bed, at the park, at the beach, in the car. I take a notepad with me always, and when story strikes, I'm prepared. Also, I'm a bit of a night owl. My best stuff comes to me somewhere around the 3 a.m. mark. I've learned to stop fighting it, and just indulge the muse.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
My original manuscript was about 80,000 words, and had an information dump starting chapter I was convinced was perfect. Eventually, I accepted that I needed a new beginning, and after attending the Pennwriters conference and sitting down with an agent who gave me some great advice, I retooled the beginning and added about 10,000 words.

Then I started to query with the worst query in the history of man and probably made a few agents laugh harder than they'd laughed before. But after reading through Query Shark and doing some research, I managed to create a functional pitch that started getting results.

I began to get good feedback from agents on the pitch and the sample pages, but the general rejection usually had to do with what the agents were taking on at that time. So I had to do some soul-searching. Did I need to go for print and wait for possibly years to be published, or was e-publishing an option?

I decided it was a good time to test the e-publishing waters, and after a few queries, I finally got that long-awaited 'yes' from Lazy Day Publishing. And I'm so glad I did. I'm surrounded with fantastic authors who are so supportive and eager to take this journey, and I have a wonderful publisher who is in-tune with their authors. I'm over the moon about the experience and my debut last December 1st.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
I will publicize wherever I can. I'm shopping around for interviews and book review blogs. I might be batting my eyelashes at the local newspaper soon. Social networking is key, so I've set up a Twitter and a Facebook. I blog on my website at www.jmkelleywrites.com, and hope to be able to find potential readers through that, and I'm always trying to dream up new ways to get the word out about Drew In Blue. I have my nose to the ground, looking for publicity opportunities!

Blooming Author George Pappas!

2010-12-01T07:00:00.035-05:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

George Pappas' novel Monogamy Sucks was published by Lazy Day Publishing today, December 1, 2010!

Tell us about Monogamy Sucks. What is it about and where will it be available?

Monogamy Sucks is an erotic fiction novel, which is being published as e-book by new digital publisher Lazy Day Publishing on December 1, 2010. My novel is an exploration of a Long Beach, California man’s mid-thirties lust crisis and his ensuing sexy, humorous, bizarre, but intriguing journey into the world of swinging and alternative sex. The story is told in the form of a fictional diary by the book’s protagonist Jake Dalmas, who is looking for answers to deal with his growing disillusionment with conventional relationships and monogamy. Along the way, he discovers some misconceptions about the swinger lifestyle and new aspects about himself. It is frank, funny and above all – painfully honest.

What were your inspirations for Monogamy Sucks? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

I wasn't intending to write a book. I went through my own mid-thirties lust crisis in the mid to late 1990s that led to my intriguing journey into the world of swingers, and I was fascinated with what I found. Several years later, after telling several close friends about my experiences and receiving positive responses, I decided that I had the makings of an interesting, funny book that could explore and challenge common myths about swingers, swinging, monogamy and fidelity.

I am inspired by truthful, passionate writing above anything. Some of my favorites authors that inspired my book are Henry Miller (Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn), Anais Nin (Henry and June, her diaries), Charles Bukowski (Women, Post Office, all of his poetry), Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho, Less Than Zero), Armistead Maupin (Tales of the City), among others. Each of them bravely explored controversial sexual and societal issues in a frank, unsentimental manner exposing truth and hypocrisy alike.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing Monogamy Sucks? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

Actually I don't usually outline. I typically have the arc of the story in my head and write down a long list of potential chapters or adventures I want my character to experience. I try to write each potential chapter in order on my list even though I sometimes change the order or throw out potential chapters or add new ones. For this book, I actually experimented with dictating chapters into a tape recorder and then typing it into my computer. It worked out OK. But later I discovered it was best that I hand wrote each chapter and later typed into the computer. I like to get my first draft down first before I do any rewriting. I feel the real work is done in the editing and the rewriting process.

I can write anywhere -- while sitting at the beach near my apartment -- or in a Starbucks or a book store. Some of my best writing has been done outside of my home office. Just like some of my best ideas come to me during walks. I don't have an optimal writing environment. I guess I got used to writing in noisy environments as a former newspaper reporter.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."

Actually, I was intending to self-publish Monogamy Sucks as I did my first book Letters from Cyberspace. I went through a long drawn process of trying to query agents and publishers for my first book and I didn’t want go through that again. I never could find an agent. Earlier this year I read an article on the Huffington Post about how a number of best selling books started out first as blogs. It convinced me to launch my novel, which was just sitting in my computer, on a blog one chapter a time in May 2010. I had no intention of bringing out my whole novel online at www.monogamysucks.wordpress.com (Warning: my blog is very erotically explicit and not for children or the faint of heart.) I just wanted to give people a taste of my book. Much to my surprise and delight, Lazy Day Publishing contacted me through my blog in July and asked if I would consider turning it into a novel. They thought my blog was hilarious, kind of a Tucker Max for people in their thirties and forties. I doubt if that would have happened if I hadn’t put my novel on my blog and Tweeted about it on Twitter. I even recently set up set up a Twitter account for my book’s protagonist Jake Dalmas -- @jakedalmas -- where he talks about his views on sex, relationships and monogamy in real time. I believe Twitter is an essential tool in promoting my book and novels in general. Lazy Day Publishing has been a dream to work with. They are very supportive of their authors and allow us a lot input into every process of our books from the cover to the editing.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

To continue to promote my e-book on Twitter, Facebook, Internet in general, and to get my books in the hands of as many reviewers, bloggers and members of the mainstream and literary media as I can. I will also be doing a lot blog tours with other Lazy Day Publishing authors and other friends and authors. The next literary star will be found on the Internet -- not only in writer's workshops or in the infamous "slush" pile.

Fresh Voice Heidi Marie!

2010-11-26T07:00:00.020-05:00

Blooming Author Ty Langston!

2010-11-24T07:00:00.054-05:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Ty Langston's novel By Sunset, A Dragon Races Tale, will be published by LazyDayPublishing on December 1, 2010.

Tell us about By Sunset. What is it about and where will it be available?

The book is about two warring Royal Families that have entered a Dragon Race to retrieve a pair of pink and black diamonds.

Of course, this race isn't as simple as it seems. Without spoiling the story. Let's just say the reasons why both families decide to race makes will things very complicated for all involved.

What were your inspirations for By Sunset? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

There's so many from different genres. One is George RR Martin. I just started reading A Song of Fire and Ice, I love Sherrilyn Kenyon, Stephen King, Anne McCaffery. I have some Lara Adrian on my TBR pile also. I've heard a lot of great things about her. I love Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter.

But because I studied Broadcast Journalism, I really do like a lot of tv and movie scribes, actually one of my favorite writers ever is Michael Hirst, creator of the Tudors and the upcoming Camelot and The Borgias series, he just mixes the right amount of history, sex and visual that is a feast for the eyes. I literally stop and I have to watch anything that he's involved in. Also the late John Hughes influenced me a lot. He had a way of telling a story that was very relateable on every level. When I write, I try to remember to do that. It's one of the things that I took from reading his scripts and watching his movies.
Michael taught me that history and or fantasy can be fresh and sexy. Anyone that can portray a young King Henry VIII and Charles Brandon like rock stars is ok in my book. :)

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing By Sunset? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

I do start with outlines. Since By Sunset is the first of a series, I did a broad outline of where I wanted to go with each book followed by smaller ones for each book. Do I follow it verbatim? No. I do change it as I go, but I do keep the main plot points so that the next book can pickup literally where the previous book ends.

I tend to work either in my family room (where I am now writing) or in my bedroom. Mostly I write in my bedroom. It's peaceful, serene, I have my stereo in there and just tune out everything. I'm one of these people that writes my stories out longhand before I type it into my laptop. I can write straight from my laptop, but because I write a lot in the evening. I always keep a notebook and pen on my nightstand along with something to drink and write until I go to bed.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."

I thank Twitter (@bedofroses2001) for that. I had seen an interview that Staci from Lazy Day (@LazyDayPub) had done and I told her that I liked it. We got to talking and she had been encouraging me to send something in.

I didn't really think that I had anything really ready for her at the time so I went back to this story that I had been sitting on and literally went through and changed 3/4 of it. I kept on writing, editing, polishing and then sent it to my Critique Partners, Jill and Carole. Who had already loved it.
But for some reason I just sat on it for over a month. I didn't submit it. I had everything done including a query letter, blurb, synopsis. I think i was too nervous. And all of sudden one day, I decided to do just one more read-through and sent it in. I had just gotten done from my day job when i got the 'call' and I had to do a double take at the e-mail. I really thought it was a rejection letter until I saw it said welcome to the Lazy Day Publishing Team. I was beyond thrilled.


Ty Langston

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

I plan to do a lot of blog interviews, and go on a blog tour. Currently setting that up now along with doing some readings shortly.

Fresh Voice Sarah Scharnweber!

2010-11-12T07:00:00.059-05:00

Blooming Author Daisy Harris!

2010-11-10T07:00:00.033-05:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Daisy Harris has an upcoming "Ocean Shifters" series of erotic books being released in late 2010 through early 2011: Mere Temptations, Mere Passion, and Shark Bait.

Tell us about your Ocean Shifters series. What is it about and where will it be available?

The Ocean Shifters world is concept I came up with when I first started writing fiction. Mere Temptation was my first ever stab at fiction writing, though it began as a very different story and got re-working a thousand times.

First and foremost, the Ocean Shifters world is post-colonial. The sea dragons are the oceans' superpower and used to have colonies in almost every mere (mer-people) colony on the planet. Dragons can live among humans, and mere must live close to water. Dragons, in general, are wealthy and priviledged whereas mere lived under semi-slavery and in many cases still do.

Shark-shifters cannot live on land at all and historically survived as scavengers or smugglers. They often terrorized mere colonies, stealing from impoverished and unprotected mere.

A central focus of all the Ocean Shifter books is power dynamics in a changing world and how that effects inter-species relationships.

Much as the dragons are in some ways my "bad guys" they play a big role in every book. They are the species changing the fastest, and able to learn and grow the most.

But enough about my world!

The first book, Mere Temptation, is available as an e-book through the Bookstrand storefront (http://www.bookstrand.com/) as of November 3rd, 2010. Mere Passion will be available in December 2010, and Shark Bait will be available in January 2011. Each book will available a few months after its Siren/Bookstrand release through a wide range of storefronts including Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If sales go well, they'll all be available in print-on-demand approximately six months after their e-release.

What were your inspirations for Ocean Shifters? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

My inspiration for the world came from several places, but mostly from my own background. Mere Temptation is a coming home story in which a mermaid named Isa, who's been living among humans, flees back to her home habitat. There she runs into to ex-boyfriend, a sea dragon, and temptation ensues.

Isa's journey was a homecoming of sorts for me because although I grew up in New York, and my family lives in Long Island (where the story begins), I was born in Florida, where the story ends. I've lived the majority of my life within a mile of the water, co-incidentally the maximum distance from the ocean a mere can survive. Sea-side towns are often rife with power dynamics between townies and tourists, colonists and colonized.

Although I write erotic romance, a lot of what inspires me is social and interpersonal dynamics. Sometimes I worry that my stories have a "come for the sex, stay for the social commentary" vibe. Mostly I aim to entertain, but I like my conflicts to reflect real-world conflicts and issues people face everyday.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing Ocean Shifters? Do you think is the optimal writing environment for you?

There's no question that the optimal writing environment is Ohmwriter for Mac! Baring that, there's a French restaurant a couple blocks from my house that's a great place to work so long as I get there at five, before the dinner crowd. I love writing first thing in the morning too, but I'm usually busy making my kids breakfast and packing lunches at that time of day.

How I approach a story depends largely on whether it's the first or a continuation of a series. If it's the start of a new world, I spend a lot of time figuring out the different groups, the stakes, and the power dynamics. There's always a kernal of boy-meets-girl, but in order to understand the hero and heroine, I need to know about the context and circumstances they're in.

Once I know the world, the characters bubble to life. I do a thin sketch of an outline, including end of first, second, and third acts, black moment, etc. Then I pants my way through. After I fast draft I have a very involved revision method in which I dissect and analyze the whole thing within an inch of its life before essentially pansting a one (or two) pass revision.

I'm a big fan of the plan-then-pants method.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."

It was pretty simple, really. I submitted Mere Temptation to a handful of publishing houses, and got a full request, but also several rejections. So, pessimist that I am, I figured it would be rejected completely and when I was done writing Mere Passion I sent it out to a few more publishing houses. I got full requests everywhere I sent Mere Passion, and Siren offerred to publish it before I heard back on Mere Temptation.

So I submitted Mere Temptation to Siren after I'd already agreed to give them Mere Passion.

Siren was really great about my newby mistake of submitting the second book in the series before the first. In all honesty, I think I just hadn't heard of Siren at the time I submitted Mere Temptation! When they accepted it, they gave me a release date ahead of Mere Passion, which was great.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

You're looking at it! (Just kidding.)

Honestly, I don't have a whole lot of plans. I have a few blogs that want to interview me. Siren sends every book to a variety of review sites. I'll probably send it to two or three more reviewers as well.

I've signed on with an agent, Saritza Hernandez of the L. Perkins Agency, and she'll probably have more ideas for me, but I'm going to spread out my publicity over time since the books will be released through third party distribution at a later date. I want to be sure that when I promo books readers can actually access them!

Another big part of my promotion plan is to continue writing in the Ocean Shifters and other worlds. I've started on a new world filled with Steins, zombie-robot hybrids. I hope that each new story I write draws in more readers and encourages folks who buy my newer books to try out the earlier ones.

After all, writing great stories is the best advertising I can think of!

Blooming Author Liz Borino!

2010-11-03T07:00:00.004-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Liz Borino's book EXPECTATIONS will be published by Lazy Day Publishing 12/1. Liz is the first Fresh Voice to be published and featured as a Blooming Author!

Tell us about Expectations. What is it about and where will it be available?

EXPECTATIONS, depicts the struggle between what we desire for ourselves and our familial obligations. This is personified by Chris and Matt Taylor, identical twins, who are trying to win their overbearing father’s approval and acquire their trust funds. Their best friend and roommate, Aiden O’Boyle, left his family behind in Ireland to pursue a career in dance.

Robert Taylor, Matt and Chris’s father has set certain conditions that must be met in order for them to receive their trust funds. Matt must work at a job he hates, while struggling with alcoholism. Chris has to deny his own desires and deep love for Aiden, to get married to Matt’s girlfriend. All the while, their father continues to use extreme measures to ensure his sons’ compliance. The story takes place against the backdrop of preparation for Aiden’s upcoming performance.

It will be available on my publishers website lazyday.com, amazon, Barnes &Noble. In addition it'll be on all e-reading devices.

What were your inspirations for Expectations? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

For this book I was actually inspired by The Secret. I wanted to write about people choosing their own life's path. I wanted to depict both the obstacles and joys that come with that process.
I'm inspired by relationships. My books are always character driven. I'd say life in general inspires me.
You know what else? Fish. :)

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing Expectations? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

I wish I could do an outline. I try every single time. I start an outline and my characters stop talking to me. I don't think they like to be boxed in.

I worked everywhere I possibly could, school, home, work. When I wasn't writing, I was thinking about writing. Inspiration struck at the most inconvenient times. If you can have inconvenient inspiration.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."

I started off with a manuscript that was WAY too long and had lots of plot holes, but as an author I thought "It's perfect! Everyone will love it." No, not the way it works. So, I got smarter. I let it sit and then looked at it objectively. Cut a character, sorry Nonna, and about 40,000 words. Then I started querying agents. After a few rejections (I don't count), I started looking at smaller presses. I found my match with Lazy Day. They're a new digital publisher and I'm with a wonderful group of authors debuting with our publisher. We've been honored with the title of Founding Authors!

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

I'm trying to do any interviews I can and I've got some great ones already. In addition I'm building a Twitter and Facebook following. I know Social Media is one of the best tools we have as authors.

Blooming Author Jesi Lea Ryan!

2010-10-27T07:00:00.010-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Jesi Lea Ryan's book, Four Thousand Miles, was published by DCL Publications on October 7, 2010.

Tell us about Four Thousand Miles. What is it about and where will it be available?

When Natalie Spencer loses both her career and marriage in the same morning, the emotional shock sends her on a spontaneous journey to England. There, she is nearly mugged in a Tube station, but an introverted songwriter named Gavin Ashby scares off her attackers. Recognizing Natalie’s fragile state, Gavin offers help and invites her to recuperate from her trauma at his country home.

As she adjusts to her new role and surroundings, Natalie finds healing by helping others. Gavin and his family begin to accept Natalie into their hearts, leading her to a choice…abandon her old life in the States and trust in a new chance at love, or flee once again?

Four Thousand Miles is available now in ebook format at DCL Publications.

What were your inspirations for Four Thousand Miles? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

The inspiration for this story originated while I was staying as a bed & breakfast outside of Pluckey, Kent in England. It was actually a 500 year old, medieval farm which had been converted into an upscale restaurant with guest rooms. Not only were the buildings beautiful, but the surrounding countryside was as well. I remember thinking that it would be the perfect place to fall in love. I just ran with it from there!

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing Four Thousand Miles? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

Honestly, I do everything that the books on writing tell you not to do! I don't outline. I'm not organized. I don't adhere to a writing schedule. I work at the dining room table where I can be in the middle of the action of my home rather than in my quiet office. My only excuse is that it works for me.

I do have a couple of rules for myself. I never sit in front of a blank screen. If I'm blocked, I get up and do something else. I give myself the space to think about my work and how to resolve the plot or character issues that I'm hung up on. Only after I am comfortable with my direction do I sit back down to write. Another major rule...plenty of black coffee!

Tell us about your "story of getting published."

I really had no clue about how to go about the process of selling my book once it was written. I used tips off of other writers' websites to learn how to write a query letter and approach agents. I sent out about forty queries to agents, but didn't get a nibble. In May 2010, I attended the Romantic Times Convention with the goal of finding an agent. I didn't, but I did find two editors who requested partial manuscripts from me. Within two weeks, Jean Watkins from DCL Publications offered me a contract. She'd only read the first three chapters. I thought that was a good sign!

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

Since it is an ebook, signings are pretty much out of the question. I've been making the rounds on the blog circuit, and that's been a lot of fun! Next week, I'm having a release party for a large group of friends and family. Since many of them are not ereaders, it will give me an opportunity to show them how they can download the book. My hope is that it will open the door for them to other ebooks.

Blooming Author J.W. Ocker!

2010-09-29T07:00:00.020-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

J.W. Ocker's book The New England Grimpendium was published by Countryman Press, a division of W.W. Norton and Company, NY, this month.

Tell us about The New England Grimpendium. What is it about and where will it be available?
It’s basically a personal travelogue of some 200 macabre sites, artifacts, and attractions all over New England. Stuff like Claude Rains’ grave, the Edward Gorey House, a book made of human skin, the Zaffis Paranormal Museum, the Black Dahlia Memorial, the town where they filmed Beetlejuice, unique grave stones and cemeteries, weird collections, mummies. Anything creepy and Valley of the Shadow of Death-ish that I could find in New England. The book is part guidebook on how to find these things and part a collection of essays based on my firsthand experience at each location.

It’s available in all the usual places, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble. I have a few copies in my study.

What were your inspirations for The New England Grimpendium? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
Two main ones, I think, for the book. First, New England itself. My wife and I moved to New England from the Mid-Atlantic region for no other reason than that we both love New England. We love how old it is. How great its Falls and Winters are. The fact that every three blocks, you can find a centuries-old graveyard.

Second, the entire horror genre was the foundational inspiration for the book…movies, literature, art. In fact, I sought out physical New England connections to the genre just as much as the historical gruesomeness. For instance, there’s a whole section on horror movie filming locations and another on legends and personalities of the macabre. Everybody from Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and Henry James to Aleister Crowley Rob Zombie, and the guy who wrote the Monster Mash have left traces in New England. Ah. That was a very masculine list. Shirley Jackson, Edith Wharton, and Bette Davis are also featured.

As to the actual writing, the inspiration came from actually seeing and experience these places. So not only do I get to tell readers about the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast, but also what it’s like to stay the night there at that murder scene turned tourist attraction.

In general, I don't know. I guess I’m not much of an inspired guy. Always looking for places to go, though.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing The New England Grimpendium? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
Writing experiential nonfiction is a pretty lazy process for me, especially this kind where it’s less a continuous book and more a collection of articles. Of course, going to the place is half the writing. From there I just need an idea for the context (basically the introduction), and off I can run. In fact, I probably spend more time coming up with the angle than actually writing the piece. Also, since most of the book is written in a casual tone, it’s just a matter of “talking” rather than “composing.” All in all, it’s a pretty undisciplined approach and I’m totally hurting myself as a writer because of it.

I wrote most of the Grimpendium in my study at my house. It’s my favorite place in the world, full of my books and all the things I’ve collected over the years. And there’s this big window that looks out on my neighborhood just behind my computer monitor, in case I want to get all voyeur-y on the world.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
For the past 3.5 years I’ve been writing for my site O.T.I.S.: Odd Things I’ve Seen, where I visit, photograph, and write about whatever oddities of art, culture, nature, and history stick out to me as interesting. Stuff like L. Frank Baum’s New York birthplace (they have yellow-bricked sidewalks there, you know), drive-through animal safaris, the Dr. Seuss National Memorial. Whatever sticks out to me as something that will make my life better if I see it firsthand.

Although the tone of the oddities varies wildly, a recurring them on O.T.I.S. is definitely the macabre. I originally put together a book proposal based on the overall O.T.I.S. concept, but after a couple of rejections decided to refine it. I then focused the concept a bit more, picked New England because that’s where I live, and created two proposals, one a literary tour of New England sites, the other the Grimpendium. The first publisher I tried picked up the Grimpendium. They also turned down the literary idea, by the way. Spooks beat books, I guess. The website was the important part, though. It gave me the appearance of an expertise on a topic and the illusion of a following, and it helped me develop and refine a style for this type of writing.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
I’ve already done some speaking and have a few book store appearances lined up, some guest blogging, a few newspaper interviews and photo ops. As we get into October, I’m expecting the interest to increase since ‘tis the season and all that. I’ll be posting updates on events and press attention on my author site jwocker.com as they happen. And, of course, I’m beating the book mercilessly on O.T.I.S. with photo essays based on the book. It’s like Shakespeare said, “Sell yourself.”

Odd Things I've Seen
J.W. Ocker
J.W. Ocker on Twitter

Blooming Author Lea Ryan!

2010-09-15T07:00:00.002-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Lea Ryan's book MacDowell Sisters & AnnaBeth was published by CreateSpace this week.

Tell us about MacDowell Sisters & AnnaBeth. What is it about and where will it be available?
The novel is about a nineteen year old girl named AnnaBeth who inherits her grandmother’s Victorian mansion. The house comes complete with a cat, a crow and a ghost.

She becomes involved with the most powerful family in town, the MacDowells. The two elderly matriarchs, Vestra and Madeline, act as ‘fates’ or witches who control the lives of almost everyone around them. They take AnnaBeth under their wing as a sort of fate in training.

She, of course, gets in over her head. They make her do things she doesn’t really want to do. They turn her into a person she doesn’t really want to be.

She falls in love with their son, Justin, too. The romance between Justin and AnnaBeth is a big part of the story. When she wants out of the whole witchcraft situation, she refuses to cut ties with the family out of fear for him.

It is currently available in print on Amazon (ISBN: 978-1453787397) and on ebook at www.smashwords.com.

What were your inspirations for MacDowell Sisters & AnnaBeth? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
MacDowell Sisters & AnnaBeth began as an idea I had for a short story. I wanted to write a story about witches who used parts of the dead to make potions that kept them young looking. I started making notes, and the story turned into something else entirely.

As far as my inspiration, it can really come from anywhere. I get inspiration from books and movies. My surroundings inspire me too. I get ideas for stories when I visit places I think are interesting.

Dreams have inspired me a few times as well. Sometimes I have these really crazy, vivid dreams. Then when I wake up, I have to grab a piece of paper and write the dream down before I forget it.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing MacDowell Sisters & AnnaBeth? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
I usually start with some vague idea for a conflict, and then I brainstorm until it turns into a story. I always use outlines. I need to know where I’m going before I start writing. The story can sometimes take on a life of its own though.

When writing MacDowell Sisters & AnnaBeth, I worked anywhere and everywhere I could find a free moment. I carried around an IPaq PDA and wrote on that or notebooks during lunch breaks at work and any time I had some quiet. As long as I'm in a place in which I can hear myself think, it's the optimal environment.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
I didn’t go the traditional route when it comes to publishing. The whole agent/query thing wasn’t for me. I think I knew that from the beginning. I sent a letters to a few agents with no luck and then decided not to waste any more time with that process.

I do have an editor/sometime publisher – Dee Armstrong Crabtree. Her website is www.simplywonderfulbooks.com.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
I’m having an online release party this week and next on my website. There will be a drawing for some free ebooks and one signed print copy of the book. I am also releasing a short story called Mischief in Reau Garden that features some of the adult characters from MacDowell Sisters & AnnaBeth as children. The link to the free download will be on my website.

I’m writing a guest post on the Miscellaneous Moments blog. I have an interview on my publisher/editor’s blog http://simplywonderfulbooks.blogspot.com/ . I believe that one is scheduled for next week.

My website is here: http://www.LeaRyan.com

Fresh Voice Amanda Alley!

2010-09-10T07:00:00.001-04:00

"we do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit." - E.E. Cummings

Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Voices. We are delighted to share with you the voice of Amanda Alley!

What is your ultimate writing goal?
You know, I just won’t be happy until I’ve published a novel, but I am realistic enough to know that I need to take it slow. Insert “baby steps” cliché here, right? For now, I’m content to tweet, blog (http://athenasden.com) and toss around a few short story ideas. Blogging has actually been much more difficult than I anticipated, partly because I spent so many years focusing on non-fiction and partly because that “publish” button just frightens me. With one click, I’m on display. It’s an frightening and amazing prospect for me.

Why do you write?
I’m one of those ridiculous people who has been writing since childhood, and no matter where else life has taken me, I’m always playing with words. I was the kid who loved essay tests and composed poems while walking the dog. And when I was a manager, I’m pretty sure even my month-end reports had a narrative arc! You get the idea.

I am also a naturally introspective and bookish gal, but it’s more than that. As the baby of the family, I’m awfully fond of attention. I don’t think I even admitted it to myself until I joined twitter and felt a sincere urge to entertain my followers. They didn’t click “Follow User” just for me to talk about what color – usually taupe – I painted my toenails today. What a shock to think that I spent thirty years in wallflower mode, aka denial!

Have you worked to achieve your voice or is it just a natural style for you?
Oh, I have definitely struggled with voice over the years. I’ve spent a great deal of time researching ancient cultures and studying the social sciences, but facts not voice are the focus of that type of writing. And that is part of what’s been so difficult about my blog. I would write out these very sober but technically sound essays and think Where’s the joy in that? Delete. Delete. Delete. It’s only recently that a different voice has emerged and it’s one that wants to laugh a little more. Once again, I was caught completely off guard.

Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?
Hermann Hesse is one of my biggest influences because he really struggled to reconcile his rational nature with his earthy, or sensual, impulses. It was so difficult for him to be a sexual being and erudite man and he taps into the darker side of our psyche in a very positive way. Growing up in rural Virginia, I really needed someone like him.

I also love Paul Auster and Milan Kundera for the way they challenge traditional story-telling. They blur the boundaries between author, protagonist and reader. They are intellectually demanding without being obtuse.

On a more personal note, I have had the privilege of knowing Elizabeth Eslami, author of Bone Worship (Pegasus 2009), since I was an awkward college student. Her unwavering dedication to the writing life is such an inspiration. Knowing her and seeing what she’s been through makes me feel like “real” people can be writers too.

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?
My mother recently asked me, “When did you know you wanted to be a writer?” There never was a moment when it wasn’t what I wanted. So many of the people I admire throughout history and in pop culture are writers. It takes me back to all those cheesey college entrance essays. “Who do you most admire and why?” Excluding the time I told one extremely snobbish college the tramp from Disney’s Lady and the Tramp just to make them uncomfortable, my essays were always about big thinkers and great authors.

I sincerely enjoy researching, thinking, corresponding and writing, so all the daily tasks associated with being a writer are things I would be doing anyway. The lingo is just different now. Instead of going to the bookstore, it’s market research and instead of messing around on twitter, I’m networking. Oh, and instead of doodling, I’m brainstorming. I especially love that one.

If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?
With my hobbies, my options are writer or college professor. I always have to be studying something new. One time in Washington, my roommate came home and I had books sprawled all over the coffee table and was making comparative religion charts. I wasn’t in school at the time so he looked at me bewildered and asked what I was doing. “Well, I didn’t have any homework, so I gave myself some.”

If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?
I don’t know if it’s there yet, but my goal is to be unpretentious.

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
In his book Palm Sunday, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. wrote, “I think it can be tremendously refreshing if a creator of literature has something on his mind other than the history of literature so far.” Vonnegut gave me permission to have and pursue interests other than writing and literature and while it hasn’t been the most linear of paths, I feel like I still ended up in the right place and at the right time.

Amanda Alley is an aspiring writer who adores coffee, words, aromatherapy, mythology, wine and nature walks. She enjoys stacking wood, washing dishes, making outlines and giggling like a school girl. She divided her youth between Maryland and Virginia but did most of her growing up in the Pacific Northwest. Please join her in Athena’s Den where sometimes the sacred actually meets the profane, but mostly she compiles quirky lists. Check out http://athenasden.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/and-now-class-its-time-for-the-essay-portion-of-this-blog/

Blooming Author Laura Harner!

2010-09-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Laura Harner's book Whiteout was was published by Cobblestone Press in August 2010.

Tell us about Whiteout. What is it about and where will it be available?
Whiteout is about three perfectly ordinary people trapped together in a cabin during a monster winter storm. By the time the storm is over their lives won’t be considered quite so ordinary anymore.

The two men, Cade and Carter, have been roommates for years and have shared everything from team sports to their law practice. They’ve both known Christina since second grade, but neither man has ever asked her out.

Christina has never been able to make her mind up about which of the two men she’s most interested in, and never found a man that interests more than either Cade or Carter. When Cade sees Christina making a purchase clearly designed to keep a lonely woman warm as the storm approaches, he takes matters into his own hands and the men show up on her doorstep to ride out the storm. It’s a contemporary erotic romance, a ménage story, and it will keep any one warm.

Whiteout is the first book of the Three’s Allowed series and it’s available right now from Cobblestone Press.

What were your inspirations for Whiteout? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
One of the major digital first publishers had a call for submissions for an upcoming winter anthology and they were looking for something to heat up cold winter nights. The idea appealed to me but I didn’t have much time before the deadline. I spent the last seven winters in a very cold and sometimes very snowy northern Arizona, so it wasn’t hard to picture a winter storm that would keep everyone shut in for a few days. The idea grew from there.

In general, I get my inspiration from relationships and odd situations. I love to put good people into an awkward circumstance, throw in a little misunderstanding and watch them work their way through it. One of the common threads in all of my books is a strong female main character. No matter how sexy the man, or in this case, the men are, it takes a strong woman to bring about the right element of romance.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing Whiteout? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
I rarely use an outline. Generally, when I start a book, I know who my main characters are and I know how I want the ending to turn out. Then I just start writing. If the characters are right, the story flows for me because I can live it through their experiences and ideas.

I follow a lot of other writers on Twitter and I see them post about their five page outlines and it makes my hands twitch and my brain itchy. I tried that once and spent a week creating a beautiful outline for a book. Less than two chapters into my writing, one of the characters took a definite left turn from where I thought he would go and it turned the whole outline on its ear. The characters really do come alive for me and as their personalities grow through the story, the way they interact or the choices they make also change.

I want to write, not plan to write. I know that doesn’t work for everybody, but it’s how it works for me.

As for where I write, I have a spare bedroom in our house I’ve taken over as an office. I have an old dining room table as a desk. I used to write on a laptop in the living room, but now I really enjoy the quiet space.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
As I mentioned earlier, I wrote Whiteout for a special call for submissions, but after a month of waiting I received the dreaded “No thank you” letter. I had spent the month while I was waiting polishing the manuscript and immediately sent it out again. That was on a Monday. By Thursday of that same week, I had signed a contract with Cobblestone Press. I had also submitted it to two other publishers at the same time and both had expressed interest. It was a matter of getting the right story, to the right publisher, at the right time.

I just signed a contract for another book in the Three’s Allowed series called Rescued, which is due for release in November from Cobblestone Press.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
I am just starting get the hang of this publicity stuff. To tell the truth, I just want to keep writing. Thanks to you and other wonderful bloggers out there, plus social media like Twitter and Facebook, I expect to make more appearances to talk about Whiteout and the upcoming Rescued.

Fresh Voice: Jay Eckert!

2010-09-03T07:00:00.004-04:00

"we do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit." - E.E. Cummings

Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Voices. We are delighted to share with you the voice of Jay Eckert!

What is your ultimate writing goal?
My ultimate goal is to be published and have enough repeat success so that I can make writing my full time job. I can't imagine this is an uncommon goal. It's one heck of a stretch, of course, but to some degree it's in my hands. How so? I have to write. A lot. I have to continually improve as a writer. If I'm able to dream up characters and stories about which I'd like to read, then I'm heading in the right direction. And if my writing group and my family like them, then I know I'm improving my chances for success. I have some brutally honest beta readers.

Why do you write?
Frankly, it started as a hobby, and then I found it helped me reconnect with a creative side that had been underused for a while. I actually did an entire blog post about this very topic on SM Blooding & Crew - http://smblooding.blogspot.com/2010/08/why-do-i-write-jay-eckert.html

In the end, I write because I like to write. It certainly fulfills many needs, but I'm not one of those people who writes because I can't help it. I certainly don't write for free coffee. You have to be careful with free coffee. Once in a while, you'll work in some office where they're using starbucks, but most often, it'll be some packets of Krusty's recycled grounds sent through an industrial coffee maker that adds a foul odor and taste to everything with which it comes into contact.

Have you worked to achieve your voice or is it just a natural style for you?
I think every novel or series has a distinct voice. In my case, my first two novels didn't have a particularly compelling voice. They were far more plot driven and I didn't connect particularly well with the characters. As the author -- the supernatural force pulling the strings -- if all I do is like or dislike my own creations, it's a problem. After those two novels, I decided I needed to switch things up and took on a new project -- Urban Mythos -- by writing in the first person POV. This was a total breakthrough. As I wrote, I found that I fell in love with each and every one of my characters. Well, okay, just the "good guys". I have a son in high school, and I see and hear a lot of teenage attitude. Despite what my kids say, I'm also not so old that I've forgotten what it was like to be them, albeit with archaic video games and a complete lack of texting. On top of that, I read a ton of YA and Middle Grade fiction to make sure my voice is honest. My characters are often an amalgam of other fictional folk, with the occasional nod to a family member or friend.

Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?
There are a ton, but here's a shortened list.

JK Rowling - The voice. The fairytale feel. It would be easy to say that it's because I can read all seven Harry Potter books over and over and never tire of them. And while that's true, it's not the real reason. Simply put, she motivates me. If I can make others feel about my characters the way she's made me feel about the characters in her world, I will feel like I've accomplished something great.

Neil Gaiman - Because he wrote Neverwhere and the Graveyard Book. But mostly because he wrote Neverwhere. His imagination is all over the page for the reader to see.

Stephen King - I don't think anyone needs an actual reason to like Stephen King. Here are some of my own, however. The Stand. The Talisman. It. More recently, Under the Dome. There are few writers that can make me stick with a 1000 page tome as consistently as he can. Only he could have concluded the Dark Tower they way he did. You want to talk about brutal honesty and total fearlessness? Uncle Stevie will go anywhere and do anything. Is it occasionally a bit much? Sure. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child - Because they've created a detective series featuring the strangest hero ever - Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. And because I generally learn a little something new about New York City or some other locale.

Suzanne Collins - Another fearless author of both Middle Grade and YA. Mockingjay is a brutally honest ending to a fantastic series that captivated everyone.

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?
I love spending hours each night living in a fantasy world of my own creation, forgetting about my professional responsibilities. I like sharing those stories and characters with others. Personally, I'd prefer to actually spend more of that time during the day, as opposed to after dinner hopped up on Cafe Americano's struggling to stay awake.

If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?
Good question. I used to think that if I won the lottery, I'd move to a college town and teach. But I'm not sure I'm suited to teaching. Maybe an ice road trucker. You know work is tough when you think being an ice road trucker seems like a relaxing profession. Since you say I'd have guaranteed success and wouldn't drive off a mountain, maybe it's an option.

If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?
Plain

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
From literary agent Donald Maass in Writing the Breakout Novel -- "As authors we like our protagonists. We are tempted to protect them from trouble. That temptation must be resisted."

I agree. You need to be merciless with your babies. What doesn't kill them will make them stronger.

There's also this one other bit of advice I've seen repeated a number of times. "It's okay to write crap in a first draft." It helps me tune out that evil inner editor and get to the end of the story.

Jay Eckert is a writer of YA fiction, including his YA Urban Fantasy, Urban Mythos and his YA contemporary fantasy, The Children of Midian. He is also an active member of SCBWI. He posted a series of blog entries entitled, "Birth of a Novel", in which he chronicled the development of Urban Mythos. Here's a sample - http://jayeckert.blogspot.com/2009/08/birth-of-novel-chapter-2.html - you can link back and forth from there.

Blooming Author: Benjamin Rogers!

2010-09-01T07:00:00.013-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Benjamin Rogers' book Faith and the Undead was published by Library of the Living Dead Press in May 2010.

Tell us about Faith and the Undead. What is it about and where will it be available?
FAITH & THE UNDEAD is the story of surviving the Zombie Apocalypse. In FAITH and the rest of the Trilogy of the Undead when it’s completed, I’ve used a throwback method for the creation of the undead. The story is about Good vs. Evil as most zombie novels are, but The Creator and Satan (Shaitan, Lucifer…) are finally battling it out for the souls of mankind. Satan creates the zombies to carrying out his evil deeds on Earth, specifically terminate the good.

FAITH & THE UNDEAD is available on Amazon.com in both trade paperback and Kindle formats. You can also check out my website at http://benjamincrogers.com for more information on upcoming appearances.

What were your inspirations for FAITH & THE UNDEAD? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
There were many inspirations for FAITH & THE UNDEAD. A lot of the more realistic portions are based on experiences I had or friends of mine had while in the military. Much of the more ‘fictional’ pieces came from ideas that I’ve had running through the dark recesses of my mind for years. Much of the concepts though come from things that just irritate me about current world politics or the idea that we as humans have a serious problem with accepting each other for who we are.

The actual impetus stems from a conversation I had with the 12 year sister of a girlfriend many years ago. She looked me square in the face and told me that all Buddhists would go to Hell. That has bothered me ever since.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing FAITH & THE UNDEAD? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
I actually use a method that I would never recommend to anyone else but it works for me. There are no outlines or any documentation typically. I have a story arc in my mind that I want to write about. When I started the idea of the Trilogy of the Undead, I had a beginning and ending point. From that I said ‘What am I going to do to these characters?’ I then molded the characters around what was occurring in the story.

FAITH & THE UNDEAD was written on a Toshiba laptop anywhere that I found time. Parts of it were written in bed or in my family chair in the office. This wasn’t necessarily the optimal environment, but I have this dream concept of a writing room that faces West with large windows so I can write and watch the sunset, storms come in, or the snow fall. One of these days I’ll have that. If everything goes well that is!

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
A few years ago I stumbled across the Library of the Living Dead which is headed up by the infamous Dr. Pus. Through their forums, I began to meet different authors, many of which I had read, including Stephen North and David Dunwoody who really encouraged to get my stories down on paper.

My first published piece was poem through a now defunct horror magazine and things progressed from there. I started and stopped multiple novels which are now waiting for me to finish them. Last year I went to Horror Realm in Pittsburgh, PA and a few of the authors there read some of the work in progress I had taken with me. Evidently word got back to the publisher because when I was part way through FAITH I sent him a synopsis. Got a quick acceptance and we’ve gone on from there!

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
I’ll be appearing at various conventions through the fall including Horror Realm (Pittsburgh, PA) and Horror Hound (Cincinnati, OH) along with a signing at That Book Place in Indiana. Actually quite busy for the first major con season, but I was careful not to overload myself because I’m working on the second book in the Trilogy of the Undead entitled ‘CRUSADES & THE UNDEAD’ which I hope to have released next year.

Fresh Voice: Darius McCaskey!

2010-08-27T07:00:00.038-04:00

Blooming Author: Jonathan Weyer!

2010-08-25T07:00:00.038-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Jonathan Weyer's book The Faithful is coming out from Brio Press in October 2010.

Tell us about your book The Faithful. What is it about and where will it be available?

I'll let the "book flap" speak:

Aidan Schaeffer is a young pastor at a crossroads. Conflicted with his faith in God and the hypocrisy of the church, he feels alone and depressed. His only companion is his dog, Bishop. When he begins to doubt his faith, he knows he is entering a spiritual battleground. He panics and starts searching for answers.

Then he learns his ex-fiancée is murdered in a possibly demonic ritual and he finds himself catapulted into a deeper fight. Tormented by supernatural entities, Aidan becomes a medium that will hold the key to solving this murder mystery. Readers will find that The Faithful tears at the emotions and doubts of humankind.

You'll be able to get the book anywhere. It's on all the major booksites for pre-order. Plus, there will be an e-version for Kindle and iPad.

What were your inspirations for The Faithful? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

There are quite a few different inspirations running through The Faithful. One, would be my experience as a minister and my work with people who struggle with their faith. Plus, not to mention hanging out with atheists the past two years.
Two, I just love scary stories. As a kid, I wasn't really allowed to watch movies like Friday the 13th. I scared myself by reading "real" scary stories about ghosts,Bigfoot and the Mothman. I love novels that really attempt to explore the relationship between the seen and unseen worlds. The novels of Charles Williams have been a huge influence. In fact, he is mentioned in the novel. I really love seeing people (so far anyway) react to the story. It really completes the whole writing experience for me.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing The Faithful? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

I think my stories begin with the "What if?" question. With The Faithful, I started with the question, "what if a Presbyterian minister went around investigating paranormal events?' After I asked the what if question (Thank you, Stephen King), I'll outline a plot in my head. With The Faithful, I outlined the whole plot in a five minute shower. I need at least a loose idea of where I'm going, even if it changes later on.

I work in a coffee house when I write. I very rarely write at home, because of all the distractions. There is an amazing coffee house right near my house in Columbus.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."

I'm guessing this is going to be one of the most bizarre publishing stories you have posted. So, after writing, I did the whole query an agent process. Nothing. I did it for six months and nearly gave up. Then, a friend of mine in Texas met a rep for my publisher at a church small group.

And so, I sent my manuscript to the rep. A few months later, I heard from her boss at Brio Publishing, William Reynolds. Will loved the book and said Brio wanted to publish the book. Brio's business modal focuses on subsidy publishing and I told Will I couldn't swing it financially. He said, "Jonathan, this book is so good, I would hate to see it not be published. Let me see what I can do."

In the next few months, Will talked with his distribution partner, Lerner Publishing in Minnesota. Lerner loved the book as well and gave Will the go ahead. Will sent me in email in January and said Brio wanted to publish The Faithful in the traditional way. I didn't get an advance, but I get a huge percentage of the sales. Plus, with Lerner, the distribution of the book is all over the world. I love being able to tell people my book made a company change their business model.

Plus, given the current state of publishing, I really feel like I got the best of both words. I get creative control while having all the benefits of a publisher. My editor at Brio brought me pain, but it was a good pain. She went over the manuscript many times, more times than she wanted to, I'm sure. The publicist at Brio has been setting up interviews and I have already done two. Plus, she has set up some
fantastic book signings.

In fact, I told a friend of mine all the stuff Brio had been doing for me. She has a few books published by a fairly major publisher. She couldn't believe all the stuff Brio had done for me, especially in the publicity department. I think I made her jealous.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

I have a book tour that will start on October 1st. See my website (jonathanweyer.com) for details and stops that include, Columbus, Cincinnati, the Eerie Horror film festival, Philly and St. Louis. I'm adding more all the time, so keep checking back.

I'm also doing a number of radio interviews, especially on paranormal shows. Plus, I'll be doing blog interviews, and of course, Twitter (@spookypastor).

Actually, for authors, I can't stress enough how important Twitter is for your promotion. A Time Magazine journalist has read my book and gave it an amazing review on Amazon. I have also met movie producers and blog people who have given the book a major push. So, moral of the story, get on Twitter and learn how to use it well.

Fresh Voice: Rachel Colina!

2010-08-20T07:00:00.021-04:00

"we do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit." - E.E. Cummings

Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Voices. We are delighted to share with you the voice of Rachel Colina!

What is your ultimate writing goal?
This question is at once easy and scary. I think about writing. I talk about writing. And I certainly write about writing. A lot. But what is my ultimate writing goal?

“Only connect,” E.M. Forster said, and that’s it. That is all. Connect people, connect ideas, connect seemingly disparate times and places. Connect myself.

(Of course I hope that ultimately this results in publication and readers and long-term happiness…)

Why do you write?
I write in order to make sense of the world. If I’m confused about something or someone, I write about it. I try to understand and explore different points of view. But more than that, I love stories; it doesn’t matter if the story is about my family, myself, or someone I have made up. Flannery O’Connor wrote that “a story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way, and it takes every word in that story to say what the meaning is.” I relish telling that story, revealing that meaning.

Your writing is both sweet and smart. Have you worked to achieve that voice or is it just a natural style for you?
When I was a child—timid, shy, but oh-so interested in the world around me—I would replay in my head conversations I had listened to throughout the day. I couldn’t wait until I was alone so I could “hear” them again! I would add my own narration and think about what I would have said if I were a little braver.

My writing voice is the one I hear in my head; it’s optimistic and nudges me to be more compassionate and understanding. When I write fiction, I draw from those conversations I’ve been cataloging throughout my life. My writing and language are grounded in my experiences and observations.

Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?
I’ve read everything by Flannery O’Connor and love the ugly and flawed characters that populate her stories, from Hulga (born “Joy”), the one-legged woman who believes in “nothing” and who attempts to seduce a traveling bible salesman, to Mrs. Turpin, who gets a book thrown at her and is called an old warthog inside a doctor’s office. I enjoy the short stories of Amy Bloom, Raymond Carver, Tobias Wolff, Lee Smith, and too many others to count!

I also love Barbara Kingsolver and Jhumpa Lahiri, and I’m getting impatient for another book by Jeffery Eugenides. My favorite authors are ones who let their characters drive the action and not the other way around.

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?
I used to joke that I’d love to be a perpetual student; take classes, write papers, and learn tons and tons of stuff! “If only I could get paid to be a student,” I’d say. But being a writer is even better. I direct my own learning, steer my own education.

Until last month, I taught Composition and Introduction to Literature to nursing students. There was so much I loved about being a teacher. I helped them find their voice and shape their own writing. But while I played an important role, their successes and failures were their own. I think today’s writers are more connected than ever; writing is a less solitary endeavor than twenty or even ten years ago. Still, our successes and failures are our own. My own.

If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?
I’m sure I would be an educator of some sort, whether leading a creative writing workshop for older adults or teaching children how to make homemade paper in an afterschool program. My mom teaches third grade and my dad, formerly a principal, is building schools and resource centers in Kenya; education is in my blood.

If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?
Wistful.

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
In the first writing class I took as a freshman, our assigned text was William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well.” Zinsser stresses the importance of clarity in writing; eliminate clutter, redundant words, the “thousand and one adulterants” that weaken our sentences. I carry that advice with me in all my writing, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, formal or informal, and I’ve passed it on to my own students.

Rachel currently resides in Cincinnati, OH, where she cheers on the Reds and cannot wait to see what happens when Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco line up together for the Bengals. She doesn’t have any pets, but she does have a giant stuffed penguin named Wally given to her during a stay in the hospital as a teenager. Rachel’s blog, Perfect Sand, is named after a holiday she and her best friend made up in 1989, wherein they meticulously filtered a neighbor’s sandbox (“Perfect Sand Day” remains November 3rd). She started the blog two years ago to post pictures from her trip to London and has since been using it to chronicle her journey as a daughter, teacher, and aspiring writer. For a sample of her personal, nonfiction writing, check out this post from January, Communities. (She’s currently building a wordpress site to house her fiction). Follow Rachel on twitter (perfectsand), but beware of tweets about the Reds, politics, and libraries in addition to ones about writing!

Check out: http://perfectsand.blogspot.com/2010/01/communities.html

Blooming Author: Adi Alsaid!

2010-08-18T07:00:00.032-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Adi Alsaid is a literary fiction writer with a commercial slant whose book Somewhere Over the Sun will be available from Dog Ear Press in November 2010.

Tell us about Somewhere Over the Sun. What is it about and where will it be available?

The story follows Alan, a spirited young writer with a wandering imagination who has discovered that the stories he writes are suddenly coming to life. At the suggestion of his loving father, Alan embarks on a quixotic journey to visit friends and use his new-found gift to write them all happier lives.

There are a few limitations to his power; he can’t cure diseases, he can’t summon pots of gold, and each story leaves behind some physical discomfort. However, the appreciative and optimistic Alan is not deterred from creating fantastical characters and storylines to give his friends more literary lives.

Interlaced by the lovely and true to life vignettes he writes for his friends, the narrative takes us inside the imaginative Alan’s thoughts and those of his hosts; college friends, a childhood chum, his editor and a former love.

It will be available on Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, borders.com and all other major online retailers. It will be distributed by Ingram, so it’ll be available internationally at brick-and-mortar stores.

What were your inspirations for Somewhere Over the Sun? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

Like pretty much everything else I’ve ever written, it started as just a thought while lying in bed one night. I maneuvered through my dark room to turn the computer back on and write down the thought, then left it alone for months. By the time I was ready to write the novel, the idea had changed into what is now the basic synopsis.

I like to think that I can be inspired by anything. At some point in Somewhere Over the Sun, Alan, who as I mentioned is also a writer, talks about how writing is by and large waiting for inspiration to come, much like a surfer waits for a wave to form. I don’t think writers ever have a choice when it comes to inspiration. It’s just about being out in the ocean for long enough, waiting for the wave, and hoping to ride it as best as you possibly can while it’s there.

Unlike surfing, though, a writer can always be attacked by a silently approaching wave, even when you’re not aware that you’re in the ocean, so it’s crucial to always have a surfboard with you (in a writer’s case, pen, paper, a note-taking application on a cell phone).

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing Somewhere Over the Sun? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

I wrote the outline for Somewhere Over the Sun while I was living in Las Vegas. That was a pretty big deal for me, because I usually just get a sentence in my head and try to form a story from that, which results in me never finishing anything I start writing.

But I knew I wanted to take a more organized approach to the book, so I got an outline together, threw a going-away party, and left everyone I know to go live on the coast of California. I’m a social guy, and having friends around would be too much of a distraction. So I moved to Monterey, CA, armed with an outline, free time, and an array of coffee shops to write at.

It turned out to be a good decision. I was writing 1,100 words a day for the first month, mostly in coffee shops during the day or on my inflatable mattress in the middle of the night. It gave me the opportunity, for the first time in my life, to fully submerge myself in my writing. I made it my full-time job, and in 3 months the book was done. I spent another month doing rewrites before I began sending out queries to agents.

Tell us about your "story of getting published." How long did you submit before you were accepted? How did it feel to get accepted?

I queried dozens of agents for a couple of months. Two of them requested my manuscript, and both of them passed because they felt it was not the right project for them, although they did have good things to say and assured me that the project would be right for someone else.

Unfortunately, time wasn’t on my side, and I could no longer sit around and wait for agents to respond. I am not a citizen of the U.S, and currently on what’s called an OPT visa which expires at the end of 2010. To ensure that my book would be published in time for me to get a new visa, I chose to go the self-publishing route. I’m thankful that the option exists. This way I can make some agents regret their decision to pass me up, and hopefully stay in the country to be able to promote my book.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

I’ve got my blog running at www.somewhereoverthesun.com and have been steadily increasing my audience by promoting on my Facebook page and on my Twitter account @adialsaid. I recently held a writing contest in which I had readers submit a story that they would like to see come to life. The winner got to read my manuscript prior to publication.

The book will be announced by a press release to 1,000 targeted media outlets. I’m also putting together a virtual book tour which will hopefully lead to a non-virtual book tour. My plan is to mix guerilla marketing efforts with my ability to take rejection lightly. Even if the chances are slight, I’ll be sending emails or placing phone calls to everyone from local newspapers and book stores to Oprah and Jon Stewart.

I studied Marketing in college, and I am in talks with one of my former professors to present my case to his class in order to get some more input on promotional efforts. Because I went with the self-publishing route, there is even more pressure for me to conduct my own publicity. I’m up for the challenge, and confident I can succeed. This interview is one of the first steps, and I’d like to thank you and your readers for the opportunity. I try to be prompt with email responses, and welcome all questions or comments to adi.alsaid@gmail.com.

Fresh Voice: Anne McCarron!

2010-08-13T07:00:00.034-04:00

"we do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit." - E.E. Cummings

Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Voices. We are delighted to share with you the voice of Anne McCarron!

What is your ultimate writing goal?
Ultimately, I'd like to be read after I'm dead. Well, not exclusively after I'm dead, of course. I think it would be great fun to be read while I'm still alive. In fact, I'm busy trying to make that happen. But I love reading a book or exploring a painting or listening to music and getting the feeling of connection to a person who lived in another time, a different world. I'm sharing the mind of someone I'll never know, yet in some deeper sense, know better than most people I see every day. I believe that's what Art can do. It makes the world a bigger place.

Why do you write?
It's cheaper than paint and canvas. No, that's not the only reason. That wouldn't explain why I write every day, why I care so much about the people who inhabit the stories, why I want to share the experience of the story with everyone. When I was younger, writing was work, and I abandoned it. Since I started writing again three years ago, I've discovered that writing is play, and now it's all I want to do.

Your writing is lyrical and rich. Have you worked to achieve that voice or is it just a natural style for you?
My high school writing teacher used to complain that my writing style was archaic. Well, I couldn't help it, I was reading Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle and Tolkien, among others, and I was a devout Anglophile. I think I must have been writing with a British accent. Now, I have a better sense of who I am, and I think the voice that's emerging in my writing is the product of my own experience, although I use the term loosely since I've lived my whole life in Wisconsin.

Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?
I've fallen in love with many writers, but the first was Ray Bradbury. His stories are poetry to me. I would get swept away to exotic places like Mars or Venus or Waukegan, Illinois on a river of words, perfectly buoyant and maybe a little soggy at the end, but exhilarated and thankful for the ride, and wanting to run around to the back of the line and do it all over again.

And then there was Daphne DuMaurier. A friend and I took a road trip through Devon and Cornwall, looking for Dame Daphne. We ended up in the middle of Dartmoor at the Jamaica Inn on a day when the wind was howling and the rain was blowing sideways over the tops of the hedgerows. I think we found her there.

I bumped into Mark Twain while I was in college. That man could make a sentence sit up and bark. He was such a powerful writer. He could drive a needle-sharp point home with a delicate tap from the sledgehammer of his talent, and you'd only feel it when it got to your heart.

And for the past twenty years or so, I've enjoyed the teeth-to-the-wind stories that Stephen King rides into the world. Everything he writes is so true and seems so real (glad it's not). What terrible fun his stories are, especially at their darkest, and what a joy when the clouds part and the sun shines out again. And he shows up in his own stories, too -- how cool is that!

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?
Freedom.

Oh, I know that being a professional anything requires commitment and obligation and deadlines and tax forms, but that's the business of writing. As a total amateur, I can get away with ignoring that part to focus on the good stuff.

Writing is something I can do wherever I am, whenever I want to, I don't even have to write it down as I'm doing it, although if I want to share it with anyone, that would be best. It's in me and of me and purely me, and as long as I'm speaking a language that others understand, I only need my experience and my imagination to call the stories out into the world. No one can take that from me and no one can stop me. That's freedom.

If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?
Oh! Definitely! Japanese ink and wash painter, sumi-e. It's all very Zen and indescribably beautiful! When can I start?

If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?
Metamorphic (and I mean that in the geologic sense. Lots of heat and pressure and bending and folding going on).

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
The old standby, "Write what you know", is still good, but I would up it one. Write what you love. Love is the thing that lasts.

Anne McCarron is a middle-aged (well, she doesn't know any hundred-year-olds, so guesses she's past it, in many ways, alas) woman who has been a good little worker bee for long enough. Time to soar with the eagles! To do that, she's gonna really have to muscle-up on her flying skills, but if you'd like to read any of the stories she's finished so far, they're at The Shining Line. She'll be adding new ones as they get rejected by the literary magazines she sends them to.

Blooming Author: Jason Beymer!

2010-08-11T07:00:00.032-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Jason Beymer's dark comedy Rogue's Curse will be available from Lyrical Press on August 16, 2010.

Tell us about Rogue's Curse. What is it about and where will it be available?

Rogue's Curse is a dark comedy set 2000 years after the Rapture. When Doban, a nasty rogue, discovers the talisman responsible for the Rapture, it embeds itself to his skin. Now the ancient prophet who created the talisman wants it back, and he manipulates the king into launching a manhunt. And (just to sweeten the pot) Doban must turn to the only woman who ever loved him—a woman he once left to die in a tomb—for help. Rogue's Curse has tons of sex, monsters, palace politics, romance, humor and adventure.

But mainly the focus is on the relationship between Mona and Doban. What has happened in the two years since he left her to die in the tomb? How did she survive and escape? And most importantly, can they set aside their differences long enough to stop a second Rapture? At its heart, Rogue's Curse is about second chances, and whether or not we repeat past mistakes when presented the opportunity.

Bottom line: 2000 years after the Rapture, the world still sucks.

Rogue's Curse will be available as an eBook for purchase on 8/16/10 from Lyrical Press (as well as other fine eBook distributers).

Click here for an excerpt.

What were your inspirations for Rogue's Curse? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

Characters. Sitting at my local coffee chain, I see so many characters. Can I say the name of the chain? Star-blmmm. The employees are very nice to me, and allow my ass to fester on the comfortable, plush chair. Some writers sit on the county transit and fill up pages while glancing around them. Not me. I'm a coffee voyeur. There's lots of us, actually. Bet you didn't know that. See that guy sitting on the chair typing? He's typing about you. Oh, I see you decided to wear your sweatpants with the word "Love" stretched across both cheeks. Bad choice. You just made it into my zombie-fashion story. Be warned: if you walk into my field of vision while I'm writing, you are fair game. I'm especially fond of inattentive parents whose precious darlings hover around my precariously perched laptop.

Before I wrote Rogue's Curse, I'd written stories for my World of Warcraft guild (yes, I brought up Warcraft. I went there), and decided it was time to write a book. Several character ideas buzzed inside my head, so I took out the laptop and turned them loose in a first draft. This was my favorite part of the process.

In general, I just want to make people laugh. If it's funny to me, I hope to God it's funny to you, too.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing Rogue's Curse? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

My optimal environment is a loud, busy coffee house; my optimal time is morning. I get up at 5am every day and hit the coffee barn when they open. My creative batteries keep a good four-hour charge, then my head becomes a mucky mess as the day's responsibilities take shape. Oh, if I could spend all day writing! What worlds I would create (or I'd just play more xbox… Meh. It's probably better this way).

When I start the process, all I want to do is build a foundation for later drafts. I type as fast as I can, trying to stay one step ahead of my inner-editor. Once I have a solid first draft, I fill a big poster board with index cards for every chapter, juggling them into some sort of order. Then edit, edit, edit. I've found that editing on a Kindle works best for me—I use the notes feature and end up with hundreds of changes each day. Paper is good when you're still in the embryonic stages, but Kindle rocks for sentence-level edits and read-throughs.

Tell us about your "story of getting published." How long did you submit before you were accepted? How did it feel to get accepted?
I sent several query letters to big literary agents and publishing houses; I received several form-letter rejections in return. Then I sent the same query to a few small e-publishers; they sent back personalized rejections and feedback on how to improve my query letter. So I tried a new strategy: Send my queries to e-pubs, get feedback on why my queries suck, fine tune and start hitting the big names on the Writer's Market again. But suddenly…BANG…Lyrical Press accepts my query, spoils my plan and offers me a contract. I was like "What the f@#$ is this?" when I opened the email. I was accustomed to receiving "Sorry, but we are….", "Please excuse this form rejection, but…" and so on. I was elated. I hired a lawyer to review the contract, negotiated a few minor things with Lyrical (they were very flexible), and signed a contract I was happy with.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

Blog, tweet, beg, dance. I'm new to this. I have to rely on the kindness of strangers like you. I'm a recluse, a shelled turtle. But I'm trying to extrovert myself. Currently I'm doing a "101-Word Daily Stupor" experiment on my blog to drum up attention. Come check it out! Also I contribute reality TV show rants to Moronlife.com.

I've signed a contract with Lyrical for another book, Nether, which will release next summer. It's an Urban Fantasy this time, but also a Dark Comedy in the same vein as Rogue's Curse.

Thank you for this opportunity to discuss my novel, Sue!

email: jason@beerandtv.com
Blog: http://www.beerandtv.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/beerandtv

Fresh Voice: Linda Grimes!

2010-08-06T07:00:00.027-04:00

"we do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit." - E.E. Cummings

Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Voices. We are delighted to share with you the voice of Linda Grimes!

What is your ultimate writing goal?
To have someone pass me on the street, do a double take, and say, "Hey, I know you—your books always make me laugh." Bonus points if it's not my mom.

Why do you write?
Here's where I should wax poetic about my love of the written word, and how I've lived and breathed literature since I was a tot, right? Which is true, of course, but that's the reason I read. I write mainly because I can't sing, and I'd go crazy without a creative outlet.

Also, I can't draw, paint, or sculpt, except metaphorically with my words. So, really, I had no choice. It was write or go crazy. (My family might argue the "or" in the preceding sentence should be "and." I'm forced to concede they might have a point.)

Your writing is witty and fun. Have you worked to achieve that voice or is it just a natural style for you?
Thanks! Being a smartass comes naturally to me, but I've worked to hone my delivery. Growing up with three brothers helped. We weren't allowed to beat each other up, so we had to learn to "use our words." Eventually it got to the point where my brothers would all say, "Please, just hit me!" whenever I opened my mouth, but by then I'd realized words were a lot more fun than physical violence.

Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?
Gaah. That is probably the most difficult question for a writer to answer. There are so many! How about a sampling?

Diana Gabaldon (author of the Outlander series) is a perennial favorite. Her books are the most flavorful genre stew you can imagine—romance, historical, sci-fi, fantasy…you name it, it's in there. All seasoned with enough tragedy, humor, love, and derring-do to keep you reading, whatever your literary taste.

Harlan Coben—all his books, but especially his Myron Bolitar series. Pure mystery mastery. Plus, I have a crush on Win, Myron's semi-psychopathic sidekick.

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series keeps me hungry for more. Harry Dresden is a smartass's smartass, and a wizard to boot. What's not to love?

Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series is always a treat to read. There's a surprise for me in every book—I like that.

There are tons more, but I'd better stop before I put a strain on your bandwidth.

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?The POWER. Bwah-ha-hah! I may not be able to control every aspect of my real life, but gosh darn it, in my books what I say goes. Frankly, it can be addictive. If I had that kind of power at my fingertips in actuality, I'd be a despotic monster. But mostly benign. Or maybe not. No telling how that kind of power might warp me.

If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at different career, what would you choose?
Other than singer, you mean? Since that one's been ruled out by my *ahem* singular lack of musical ability. Let's see…I've outgrown "jockey" in both height and inclination. Though I do still love horses.

Hmmm. Maybe a tabloid journalist. Or is that cheating, since it's still writing? Wait, I know! A tabloid television reporter. That way I could still tell outrageous stories about strange characters.

Or I could just go back to being an actress. Since I'd be guaranteed success, I wouldn't have to stress the auditions.

If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?
Popcorn. Light, fluffy, and a little salty. Snack food for the brain.

Does that sound self-deprecating? I don't mean to be. Popping up the perfect batch without burning it, or leaving behind too many "old maids" (the unpopped kernels), is harder than you'd think, so I'm really not exhibiting low self esteem by making the comparison. Plus, everyone needs a little indulgence in life—it's healthy. When you think of it that way, it's downright humanitarian of me to write the fluffy stuff.

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
Diana Gabaldon's stock reply springs to mind: 1. Read. 2. Write. 3. Don't stop. (Which is remarkably concise advice, given the length of her novels.) The "don't stop" is the most important part. Because as long as you keep going, you will get better.

Linda Grimes is an ex-actress who also used to teach high school English. Now she channels her love of words and drama into writing escapist ("popcorn") fiction. She grew up in Texas, and currently resides in Virginia with her husband, AKA the theater god, whom she snagged after he saw her rousing rendition of "If You Wanna Catch a Fish You Gotta Wiggle Your Bait" at the now defunct Melodrama Theater. The fishnet stockings apparently helped camouflage her awful singing.

You can find her on Twitter (@linda_grimes) and her blog Visiting Reality. If you'd like to sample the popcorn, check out an excerpt of her writing.

Blooming Author: Tibby Armstrong!

2010-08-04T07:00:00.013-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Tibby Armstrong's contemporary erotic romance Sheet Music will be available from Ellora's Cave today!

Tell us about Sheet Music. What is it about and where will it be available?

Sheet Music is a contemporary erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave coming out on August 4^th! It’s about musical superstar with secrets to hide, and the journalist determined to find them out at any cost. Here’s the blurb:

Music journalist Kyra Martin faces the toughest assignment of her career—to write a cover story about enigmatic heartthrob David Tallis. Deadline looming, Kyra plans to go undercover. When she ends up under the covers with the sexy superstar instead, can both her career and their budding relationship survive?

With a closet full of skeletons to hide, and a paparazzi-fueled divorce behind him, David Tallis despises the press. When Kyra Martin bribes her way into his life, her sexy assets have him composing a duplicitous seduction. Ensnared in a media maelstrom of his own making, can David face the music? Or will he lose Kyra, along with another piece of himself?

**OVER 18 WARNING**You can read a sexy excerpt at http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8533-50-sheet-music.aspx.**OVER 18 WARNING**

What were your inspirations for Sheet Music? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

Sheet Music was inspired from an experience I had wrangling an all-area-access backstage pass to a Peter Gabriel concert in the mid-1990’s. Although the hero in the story isn’t based on Gabriel, I had the seed of the idea when I realized just what lengths I was willing to go to in order to get inside the music scene for a publishing class assignment. I talked to people I should never have had access to, including one of Gabriel’s long-time band mates, Tony Levin (of King Crimson fame), all because I was too naïve to realize I shouldn’t be able to have access to them. I guess you could say my heroine, Kyra, gets her chutzpah from me, for better or worse!

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing Sheet Music? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

First drafts, I usually invest a lot in critique partners’ comments and edits. Second draft is for layering in character back story—because the back story is often revealed to me more richly as I’m writing. As I get to know my characters better, they confide more in me. It’s impossible to have the richness at the beginning of a draft that I have at the end, so that has to be layered into the first half of the novel later.

Sheet Music was the first story I wrote from an outline. Well, I wrote the first three chapters, and then wrote an outline. I was amazed when I actually stuck to it! I think the story is all the better for it. Tighter and more focused than anything I’d written previously.

I can’t write longhand on paper. It interrupts my flow. Usually I’m at the Barnes & Noble two minutes from my house, headphones on, music blaring, enjoying a decaf, skim, mocha. I have to watch out for kindly-meant questions from local grandmothers on what I’m writing though. So the headphones help. *grins*

Tell us about your "story of getting published." How long did you submit before you were accepted? How did it feel to get accepted?

Well, this is kind of funny and kind of embarrassing. Lol. Last year I saw that Ellora’s Cave issued a call for music themed submissions. Knowing I had Sheet Music’s plot in my back pocket, I took it out of the drawer, so to speak. The word count for the submissions was 30k. While I was writing it, I posted comments on my blog about not knowing how the story could possibly fit into 30k words. Yet, I shoehorned it into the allotted space and sent it off in April. Well, turns out I should have listened to my inner editor. The very encouraging letter I received back—very quickly—asked if I would be willing to add more to the story—it seemed like there was more story than I’d written. (Talk about a perceptive lady, my editor!)

I think it took me two weeks to add another 14k words to the novel. Those 14k were some of the easiest words I’ve ever written, I think because they needed to be in the story. By that time I also knew Kyra and David inside and out. I think it took about two weeks upon resubmission for Sheet Music to be accepted, with the comment that there had definitely been too much story for the 30k limit! So, if I’d listened to myself in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to suffer an almost rejection! Let that be a lesson to me! You can read all the sordid details on my blog at http://www.tibbyarmstrong.com.

When I got the acceptance? Oh-my! I was silent for about ten seconds and then let out a whoop the likes of which had my family running to see if someone had broken into the house! I bounced around (literally) for about twenty minutes and then proceeded to call and email everyone I knew. I was high on happiness for days. Weeks even! I still get little thrills now when I think about it! It never gets old.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

On August 4^th I’ll be giving away a copy of Sheet Music to a randomly drawn person who posts on my Facebook wall! Other plans:

4^th of August, I’m blogging with K.J. Reed at http://www.authorkjreed.com.
6^th of August is with Kristin Daniels (the woman and author to whom Sheet Music is dedicated) on Fierce Romance at http://fierceromance.blogspot.com/.
18^th of August, I’m blogging for Delilah Devlin at http://www.delilahdevlin.com/blog/.

Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure to chat with you!

Tibby Armstrong

Fresh Voice: Alyson Peterson!

2010-07-30T07:00:00.033-04:00

"we do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit." - E.E. Cummings

Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Voices. We are delighted to share with you the voice of Alyson Peterson!

What is your ultimate writing goal?
I want to write books as a profession. I don't plan on writing only one book or only publishing one book. I am a VERY prolific writer and I want to publish as much as I can until all the ideas in my head run silent.

Why do you write?
First and foremost, I love to tell a good story. I love to make people laugh, gasp, cry... you name it. It's the light in their eyes when they get my story and are sucked into wanting to hear more about it. Very addicting. I don't know about anyone else, but when I have a free moment that doesn't require actual reality thought, my brain is cranking out a story. It fills the blank spaces waiting for doctors appointments, decreases road trip boredom, and makes me laugh in the shower. I have always had characters talking up there. It makes for a fascinating head space. At times when my head gets too full, those character's stories have to come out. The happiest moments are realizing that what I see behind my eyelids is popping off the paper in incredible vibrancy. Sheer joy right there!

Your writing is filled with energy. Have you worked to achieve that voice or is it just a natural style for you?
I do have voice in my writing and I have been told it is a strong voice. I am a passive person with a whole load of opinions I don't ever speak out loud. When I write, I hide behind my characters and all my spunk and fire comes spilling out on the page through them. It didn't come naturally at first. I was still too scared to let myself come out in my first full length novel. It was a horribly written book. By the time I got to the second book, which I started on a very bad day, I was ready to break free. The change in voice, pace, and energy was liberating! Now, five books later, my voice spills out before I can stop it.

Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?
Oh no... this question is opening a can of worms! I think JK Rowling is utter genius. She has voice, style, and talent. Swoon! I read her books for different reasons, but when I need a vocabulary recharge, she is perfect. I also love the classics. Charlotte Bronte was my first venture into the classics. Jane Eyre swept me up and carried me to places I never thought possible. It was beautiful and raw. Soon after, I was embroiled in Jane Austin, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, and Charles Dickens (LOADS of Dickens). However, when I need a good laugh, I read James Herriot. My sister made the great mistake of reading All Creatures Great and Small to me while I was sick. I have never been the same since.

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?
Freedom. I can take my laptop anywhere (and I do take it everywhere) or a paper and pen and just let words flow. If I could find a job that gave me that much creative freedom I would be a workaholic... oh wait, I already am. I write in bed, on airplanes, on my sunny back porch, half wet straight out of the shower because an idea was just THAT good. Pretty much anywhere that allows for five minutes to jot something down. Life doesn't get much better than that!

If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?
Ah, that's a toughy. I can do other things very well. I have a degree in fine art and I paint every spare moment I am not writing. I think that if I could overcome my debilitating stage fright, I would love to be a world class piano performer. Currently, only my dogs are allowed to listen to me play. Anything beyond them is too nerve wracking and I freeze like I just had massive head trauma.

If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?
Tongue in cheek. I know that is not one word, but it's the best I've got.

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
I interviewed Ayesha Pande on my blog last week. Her parting shot to my final question was: "If you have talent, someone will recognize it. So practice your craft diligently and relentlessly and don't let rejections get you down."

Ms. Pande made my day!

Alyson Peterson is a scant five foot tall woman, but makes up for her vertical challenges with spunk and fire. She is married with two boys ages six and eight who keep her on her toes. She mainly writes Urban Fantasy for adults, but is now working on a bit of Young Adult Contemporary Fiction about two girls who are pen pals and their struggles to survive middle school, co-written with Michele Shaw. Posts of those chapters will come at a later date. For an example of her writing style and a chapter out of the current book she is pitching, SOUR GRAPES For all other reads both humorous and strange, visit her blog Crazy Writer Girl, or check her out on Twitter at CrzyWriterGrl.

Blooming Author: Gene Doucette!

2010-07-21T07:00:00.025-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Gene Doucette's contemporary fantasy book, Immortal, will be available from Hamel Integrity Publishing in October, 2010.

Tell us about Immortal. What is it about and where will it be available?

I was going to say that Immortal is about the life of the book’s narrator, Adam, an immortal man. But that sounds terribly boring, doesn’t it? He’s sixty thousand years old, and that’s a lot of ground to cover, and he’d be the first to tell you that vast stretches of history are incredibly boring.

The story takes place largely in the present, with some relevant highlights from Adam’s history. He’s in a bit of danger, and lessons learned become pertinent in his being able to figure his way out of that danger. And if that still sounds boring, let me add that Adam is much funnier than I am. I should probably have him doing this interview, actually.

As to the when and the where, the publication date is 10/1/10, a wonderfully binary date. We’re having a soft rollout of sorts: it should be available on Amazon right away, hitting brick-and-mortar stores gradually after that.

What were your inspirations for Immortal? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

I started this novel in 2004, after some years as a humor columnist and satirist. I wanted to work on a new novel, but everything I started ended up stillborn fairly quickly. One day it occurred to me that since most of what I’d written for the past several years had been in first person, it made sense to try a novel in that voice. That’s how Adam came into being.

What inspires me is a difficult question to answer. I was inspired to write this novel because I wanted to write a novel, and I don’t think my motivations were any more complicated than that. But at the same time I was working on it I was also reading a great deal of history and writing and reading articles on skepticism, so what came out was a modern man who is also, at heart, a caveman and a very non-spiritual realist. What also came out was a story that didn’t involve any magic. When I decided to include vampires and what-not, that last point got kind of interesting.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing this book? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

I tell people on my blog to for God’s sake not write like I do.With Immortal I started the first draft knowing only that my narrator was an immortal man and that the first sentence was going to be “It all started when I woke up behind the futon.” I made up the plot—and much of Adam’s character and history—while I was writing it. Three or four months later I had 95,000 words down and a decent first draft.

I have a full time job and a family—the kids were just starting the teenage years when I began writing Immortal—so there was never a lot of free time to be had. I tend to be a binge writer as a consequence: I’ll go for days and weeks and sometimes months without writing anything new, and then dump out a lot all at once. I’m at the point now where, with the kids old enough to kill their own food, I have more time to write and yet I still do it in bunches.

I honestly have no idea what the optimal writing environment is for me. There were a couple of occasions when I had the opportunity to get away and spend a few days by myself at a vacation house my family has on Cape Cod, but the last time I did that was… well, a long time ago. I guess I’d call that optimal, but I don’t know any more.

Tell us about your "story of getting published." How long did you submit before you were accepted? How did it feel to get accepted?

The process of getting the book published was perfectly horrific. (I covered a lot of it on my website in “On Agents” and “On Publishing”.) Since Immortal is a bit quirky, it’s not obvious where it fits on the genre bookshelf: a fantasy with no magic; a sci-fi but with vampires and demons; an historical fiction with an immortal thrust in the middle; or a contemporary fantasy without a romance story. No matter what genre you want to call it, it’s not going to stay in any one box. Publishers—the large market ones—hate that.

The damnable thing about the whole process of trying to sell it was that without fail the notes I got back were full of praise. Everyone who read it began with how entertaining it was and ended with “but we can’t publish it.” In a lot of ways the industry is more concerned with how to sell something than with how good a read it is.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

Publicity is another thing we’re going to be ramping up gradually. Since Hamel Integrity Publishing is brand new there are a lot of steps that need to be taken and will be taken but have not yet been gotten to: websites, online promotions, radio tours, etc. In the meantime I’m hoping to “tour” as many blogs as I can—the Twitter community has been wonderful for this—and I’m working on securing as many pre-publication blurbs and reviews as possible. After that, we’ll see what we can do. Hopefully a book tour is in our future.

Follow Gene on Twitter: @genedoucette
Follow Adam on Twitter: @adamtheimmortal

Blooming Author: Kiersten White!

2010-07-14T07:00:00.024-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Kiersten White is a YA writer whose book, Paranormalcy, will be available from HarperTeen in August, 2010.

Tell us about Paranormalcy. What is it about and where will it be available?

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

Paranormalcy will be available in all major bookstores and on Amazon!

What were your inspirations for Paranormalcy? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

I was mostly inspired by ideas of supernatural creatures and a desire to both take them back to more original mythology and also kind of play with the pop culture ideas of them. Everything spun out from there.

I'm always inspired by dramatic landscapes--I took a trip to Romania this summer and now I have a whole book in my head set there! I also like music that inspires a lot of emotion, and I like researching mythology. There's so much there that can spur ideas.

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else? Where did you work when writing Paranormalcy? Do you think it
was the optimal writing environment for you?

I'm a stay-at-home mom to two young children, so I write wherever and whenever I can! I started writing Paranormalcy sitting on my bed while my son napped and my daughter played, and most of it was written there or on the couch. I can't be picky about my working environment or I'd never get anything done!

I very rarely outline. I start a story in full voice, let it churn in my mind, and then go from there. I will take notes on what needs to happen overall and in the next chapter, but I never do full outlines. I find that if I take away my characters' ability to surprise me, I lose interest in the story or force it to go in a way that isn't the best course.

Tell us about your "story of getting published." How long did you submit before you were accepted? How did it feel to get accepted?

I queried off and on for a year with a disastrously boring middle grade project before writing my first YA novel. I sent out forty-five letters for that one before finding my fabulous agent, Michelle Wolfson. She sent that book out on submission in January of 2009, which was when I wrote Paranormalcy. When the other book didn't sell, I went back and edited Paranormalcy. We sent that out at the end of July and it sold in a pre-empt mid-August.

It was certainly a roller coaster! After the very disappointing experience of waiting month after month only to get more rejections on my first book, getting offers so quickly on Paranormalcy was surreal. When Michelle called with the pre-empt from my dream house, I sank to the floor and just laughed. It still feels unreal most days!

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

I'm going to do a few big contests on my blog--one going right now--as well as signings in several different cities when the book comes out. Currently all I have set is Oceanside, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah, but I'll keep everyone posted! I've thought about a few other promotional things, but I'm not really sure what's worth it when you weigh the effectiveness versus the time/cost. It seems to me it'd be very easy to go overboard on a lot of little things that won't reach very many people. Regardless, I'll keep up my blogging and presence on Twitter and figure out what else to do!

You can also find Kiersten online at kierstenwhite.com.

Blooming Author: Kristie Cook!

2010-07-07T07:00:00.044-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to
become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Kristie Cook is a contemporary fantasy writer whose book Promise will be available July, 2010.

Tell us about Promise. What is it about and where will it be available?
Promise is about two souls that must overcome their internal demons and unite because their union is part of the Angels’ preparation for spiritual warfare to enter our physical realm. The demons plan to bring the battle to the humans and the Angels are preparing their own army. This book is a prologue to the rest of the series – the beginnings of the soul-binding relationship between Alexis and Tristan. Here’s the “official” blurb:

Alexis Ames has a life full of promise…but not all promises can be kept.

When Alexis Ames is attacked by creatures that can’t be real, she decides it’s time she learns who she really is, with or without the help of her mother, who guards their family’s secrets closely. After meeting the inhumanly attractive, multi-talented Tristan Knight, however, Alexis retreats behind her façade of normalcy…until she discovers he’s not exactly normal either. Then their secrets begin to unravel.

Their union brings hope and promise to her family’s secret society, the Angels’ army, and to the future of mankind. But it also incites a dangerous pursuit by the enemy – Satan’s minions and Tristan’s creators. After all, Alexis and Tristan are a match made in Heaven and in Hell.

Promise is the first novel of a series that explores the ideas of how damaged a soul can be before it can no longer be saved and how far we will go to protect the souls we love and those we do not. This first book introduces Alexis and Tristan and their trials and tribulations to unite. Their union is the Angels’ first step as they prepare for the war for human souls to enter the physical realm.

We are currently taking orders at www.IHavePromise.com. Anyone who orders by July 9 will have their book signed and delivered by July 30, the official release date. The book will be available on Amazon.com that week, then other online and offline retailers sometime in August. It will also be available on Kindle, iPad and other e-readers.

What were your inspirations for Promise?
I had been thinking of angels and demons for many years, but didn’t have a story to go with the concept until a couple of years ago. J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyers inspired me in two totally different ways (one was, I wish I could be that good; the other was, Well, I think I can be at least that good). I had also been playing World of Warcraft with my kids at the time and drew some inspiration from that world, as well as from J.R.R. Tolkien’s world.

What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?
Music, real-life conversations and events, the what-if game, other awesome and not-so-awesome-but-could-be stories…I try to find inspiration in everything. Sometimes in real life, especially if I’m bored or completely out of my element, I’ll wonder how my characters would be in that situation and that can get the creative juices flowing…and make the reality of it at least more bearable for me while I’m there. LOL

Let's talk about your process. How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else?
I started with a couple of character ideas and a life-changing scene. The whole series blossomed from that. I know the ending climactic scene for the whole series and important happenings that must take place to get there, but no more than that (so I’m not positive how many books there will be). I’m the same way with the book I happen to be working on at any given time. I know the key parts that must happen, but I let the characters take me there. Sometimes they take me to much better places, though, and that’s the fun of writing to me. I’ve learned that if I outline something, I have no interest in writing it. I already know everything that’s going to happen. I like the twists and turns, just like when reading. In fact, I set out to write a book that I really want to read but no one has written yet. That’s why I’ve always enjoyed writing, since I was a kid.

Where did you work when writing Promise?
Pretty much at my desk, which is in my bedroom. I have a laptop, but I usually have so many peripherals plugged into it, it’s a pain to move around. But sometimes I’ll go out on the lanai and write by the pool.

Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?
Yes and no. I definitely need to be able to shut the door and we have a big box fan that I run just to drown out the household noise. I listen to music to prepare for writing, but it distracts me when I’m actually working, so headphones don’t work. I would really like to get out of my bedroom, though. It’s too easy to get all-consumed and I really need more exercise than the three feet between the bed and the desk. LOL My oldest son graduates high school next year. Little does he know how much I’m coveting his bedroom. Bwahahaha.

Tell us about your "story of getting published."
First of all, my first two books, Promise and Purpose, were originally one book and that’s how I started my journey to publication. I queried thirty-something agents with it. I received many rejections and some requests for partials, which ended in rejections (though two didn’t come until I made the following decisions…). I realized two things in this process: 1) I was having a hard time hooking people because I had too much going on in my book to focus on one main plot line. I decided to split it into two. And 2) I was told that it wasn’t marketable. No reason why, but I assume a lot of it had to do with my MC being 18 in the beginning and supposedly no one wants to read about college-aged MCs. I, um, don’t like being told I can’t do something that I truly believe can be done. I’m also impatient (which doesn’t work well with the years-long publishing process) and a control freak. I have another business (I’m actually a serial entrepreneur) and had already tossed around the idea of starting a publishing company with my business partner, who was my first reader and has been my biggest cheerleader. She didn’t like to be told my story wasn’t marketable either because she had already been doing an awesome sales job to everyone she knows. People were always asking when my book was coming out because they were so excited to read it. So, in February, we decided to publish this ourselves and we started our own company, Ang’dora Productions. And nobody has to wait two years to see Promise on the shelves. I never even tried querying Promise as its own book. Traditional publishing just isn’t for me. Did I mention I’m an impatient control-freak? Of course, it helps to have a marketing background and an incredible support team.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
We’re holding a Virtual Release Party July 24-30 on my blog (www.KristieCook.com), Facebook and Goodreads pages, that will include a virtual tour with interviews, guest blog posts, reviews and a scavenger hunt with lots of prizes. There are also a couple newspapers publishing articles and I’m working on a trailer right now. We’re having a big release party and signing with family, friends and supporters on July 30, which is when I’ll be truly celebrating (with lots of champagne and other yummy imbibing). There will be more going on after the release date, and then we get to start all over with Purpose’s release in the fall. The best way for people to stay updated is on my blog.

Besides her blog, you can find Kristie on Twitter (@kristiecookauth) and Facebook.

Fresh Voice: John Jasper Owens!

2010-06-25T07:00:00.005-04:00

Fresh Voice: Lydia Ondrusek!

2010-06-04T07:00:00.023-04:00

Lydia Ondrusek is a long-married SAHM of two who describes herself as writing her way out of a paper bag. She writes fiction (mostly flash) and poetry, and like everyone else in the known universe, is working on a novel. Okay, two. She is not writing what she meant to write, but feels that she is writing what she’s meant to write. If you’d like to read one of her stories online, “Shift” represents the light side of the coin, and “Gruff” -- the other. You don’t have to tell which one you pick. Oh, and if you like poetry (and New Orleans) you might enjoy “Nola, When She Sings.” More can be found on her fan page at www.sniplits.com and www.lydiaondrusek.com.

Thank you for reading this edition of Fresh Voices. Feel free to follow the Fresh Voices list on Twitter or nominate yourself or another author as a Fresh Voice.

Blooming Author: Aaron Polson!

2010-06-02T07:00:00.006-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Aaron Polson is a horror writer who has three books coming out. The House Eaters will be available from Virtual Tales in 2010; Loathsome, Dark, and Deep will be available from Belfire Press in November, 2010; and The Saints Are Dead will be available early 2011.

You have a lot of books coming out soon! Tell us about them. What are they about and where will they be available?

The House Eaters is a YA dark fantasy set in a fictional small town in Kansas. The narrator’s family is forced to move when his mother loses her job in Kansas City. Unfortunately, they move into a neighborhood plagued by an ancient, Native American “eating monster.” Nick (the narrator) has a few romantic entanglements to sort through on the way to putting the monster to rest.

Loathsome, Dark, and Deep chronicles the journey of a Civil War veteran and employee of a lumber company as he travels up the Lewis River (in Oregon) to uncover a mysterious stoppage of wood from the mountain camps. The narrative is a little heavier than The House Eaters, and features what I once called “Steampunk Zombies” on my blog. They aren’t really zombies, of course, but I won’t spoil anything for potential readers. I found some inspiration for the initial part of the book in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, but it quickly took on a life of its own.

Finally, The Saints are Dead is a collection of previously published and original short fiction, all written in a style I like to call “dark magical realism.” Among the eighteen stories are nominees for storySouth’s Million Writers Award (one story making the short list) and a “Recommended Read” from Tangent Online. Enchanted goldfish, secret backyard cities, library-dwelling monsters, and magic playgrounds all have a place in the book.

Each will be available in paperback through several online retailers (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, etc.), and through Ingram to traditional, brick and mortar booksellers. The novels will also be available as ebooks.

What were your inspirations for these books? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

I’m inspired by the magic question: “What if?”
What if the goldfish my best friend dumped in the river as a kid grew to ridiculous size?
What if gold-hungry loggers in the 1800s discovered a way to control human behavior?
What if there really was something which lived in my basement, and it was hungry?
I’m also inspired, in general, by trying to think of the world in a different way each day.

What is your writing process? How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else?

I write every day, even if I eventually scrap what I’ve set on digital paper. I do most of my work in my basement, but we have a trusty old laptop that serves well in a pinch. As for outlining, the most important thing (for me) is to have an ending in mind. At least I know where I’m heading—the general direction of a narrative. If all those “what ifs” along the way add to something different, so be it. A basic skeleton isn’t a bad idea, but I have to be flexible or I’ll write myself in a corner.

Where did you work when writing? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

As I stated in #3, I usually write in the basement—a room I call (somewhat ironically) the “Man Cave”. It isn’t a very “manly” space at all. The walls are lilac. A picture of St. John the Evangelist from the Book of the Kells hangs on one wall. My children (Owen, 6 and Max, 4) have plenty of paintings on the other walls. But I need relative calm to actually lose myself in the process. Music helps, too. I usually choose one album for each book and listen to it on repeat. Often, this album is ambient—for Loathsome, Dark, and Deep it was Stalker by Robert Rich and B. Lustmord.

Tell us about your "story of getting published." How long did you submit before you were accepted? How did it feel to get accepted?

Funny, my first acceptance for a short story came on a Saturday morning after I’d submitted on Friday. Granted, I’d been subbing for six or seven months at that point…

I received a number of agent rejections with The House Eaters, including one rewrite request, before going with a small press. I went straight to the small press with Loathsome and The Saints are Dead. Small presses are leaner beasts, and in my experience, are more willing to take chances on material that might not be as widely marketable. Major publishers have “big mouths” to feed.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?

I’ll be giving things away, of course. Signed books, homemade chapbooks with original fiction, other fun stuff. I’m working on trailers for each book this summer; I enjoy tinkering with video, so it’s been fun. Fire features prominently in both novels, so I’ve even considered doing a book burning contest. Crazy publicity grab or act of genius? I don’t know. But I do teach Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury’s classic about censorship and burning books, in my day job.

Keep in touch with Aaron on his blog or on twitter.

Check out Aaron's writing in the short story collection "Fifty-Two Stitches: Horror Stories (Volume 1)."

Fresh Voice: Bethany Harper!

2010-05-28T07:00:00.004-04:00

What is your ultimate writing goal?

I want to be able to walk into Barnes & Noble/Hastings/Borders/Whatever and be able to buy my own book.

Why do you write?

I write because it's fun. I enjoy watching words spill across the screen, the sounds of keys clicking. I like the way pen feels when it meets paper. I love the chunking sound of a typewriter. The part I love the most is leaving Oklahoma, leaving my living room (or my
bedroom or school or wherever my body happens to be) and going somewhere else.

Your writing style is sweetly gothic. It reminds me of whispering in the dark with my sister, or making up ghost stories with my friends. Have you worked to achieve that voice or is it just a natural style for you?

I have never really worked on a specific voice as much as I've worked on being consistent and clear. The work published on my blog (so far) has been stuff I've done quickly, with no editing, so it's probably as close to my natural voice as you can get.

Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?

I love Stephen King. I find the characters he writes fascinating, and I love how all of his books seem to exist in the same universe-characters mentioned in one off that were the stars of other stories. I also owe him a debt of companionship, as I do to everyone I read.

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?

One of my many crafts is crochet. I've been doing it as long as I've been writing. I've never been sophisticated with my crochet, but building something stitch by stitch, row by row, and having something completed and recognizable at the end is wonderfully satisfying.

I feel the same way about writing. Sentences start with letters and words, stringing the sentences together makes paragraphs. Before you know it you've gone through a gallon of tea and there's this story. It needs some work (doesn't it always?), but the shape is there, the form.

It's the difference between buying a handmade blanket and making the blanket. Some people love handmade blankets, love the way they feel, but don't possess the talent (or the drive to learn the talent) to make them. Some people see a handmade blanket and want to do it. I'm the latter.

If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?

I crochet and sew as well, and doing that (one or the other) for a living would be nifty.

If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?

Plums!

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?

Stephen King's On Writing became something of a Bible of Writing to me, and there's a quote in there about criticism that I try to keep to heart. "If you write (or paint or dance or sculpt or sing, I suppose), someone will try to make you feel lousy about it, that's all." It's especially worth remembering in the age of the Internet, where the trolls breed and lurk. They will deliberately be cruel, and they will hurt you. Write anyway.

Bethany Harper is short, has pink hair, lives in Oklahoma, and has a house full of animals-- 3 cats, 2 dogs, 3 gerbils. She's been voted 'most likely to turn into a crazy cat lady' at work. She crochets, sews, writes, program, games, reads, and spends the rest of her time working, going to school, or sleeping. You can find her online at Twitter (@MartianBethany) or on her blog.

Thank you for reading this edition of Fresh Voices. Feel free to follow the Fresh Voices list on Twitter or nominate yourself or another author as a Fresh Voice.

Blooming Author: Ashley M. Christman!

2010-05-26T10:00:00.002-04:00

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to
become the person you believe you were meant to be.” ~ George Sheehan

Ashley M. Christman is an urban fantasy writer whose book, The Witching
Hour, will be available from Lyrical Press November, 2010.

Tell us about The Witching Hour. What is it about and where will it be available?

Here’s the blurb:
Lucky Sands is anything but. His wife is cheating on him, his job sucks, and when she walks out on him and dies in a car crash, the only thing he can think of is drowning himself in cheap booze and cheaper sex. But when he finds his childhood friend Tuesday Peters working in a brothel, his luck
takes a steep downward dive after he finds out her twin sister is dead...and that Wednesday's death was no accident. Together Lucky and Tuesday embark on a search for answers, plagued by spirits and deities alike. Every clue along their path points not just to the truth of Wednesday's murder, but to divine machinations that prove everything Lucky knows about life to be wrong--and
prove there's no such thing as luck. Only fate...and the madness of the gods.

The Witching Hour will be available November 22, 2010 in ebook version at the Lyrical Press Website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com, Fictionwise, Sony, Mobipocket, etc. We still don’t know about a print run yet, if it goes to print, the answer will be wherever books are sold.

What were your inspirations for The Witching Hour? What sorts of thing inspire you as a writer in general?

For The Witching Hour, I was inspired mostly because of my extensive research and knowledge of various pantheons and mythology. My inspiration in general can come from a number of places. It can come from a piece of music—I find that classical pieces inspire me the most, or a conversation
with someone. Sometimes, I’ll see a picture or think of a location and a character’s voice will come to me. That’s when I know that I have to write (my characters have a way of screaming in my head until I release them by writing their story).

What is your writing process? How do you approach a story, do you start with outlines or something else?
A process would mean there is some method to my madness ~laughs~. My process is a simple one. If I’m in front of my computer, I’ll just start typing, see where the voice in my head (yes, I am referring to my muse. I have enough problems without other voices) takes me. Once I have an idea, I’ll usually write a crude working pitch. Its three lines that tell me who are the main characters, what’s going on, what’s the problem. From there I create a very basic outline. I have to say that my outlines are usually only chapter outlines. Now that I am working on more complex plots, I have a board where I pin up my plot points, characters, etc…so I remember to fill in all the holes.

Where did you work when writing The Witching Hour? Do you think it was the optimal writing environment for you?

I literally wrote everywhere. I would write in my cubicle, the car, the coffee shop. Anytime I had any downtime I was writing. I’m finding that doesn’t work for me anymore—at least for revisions. I now make quiet time where I set up candles, incense and a can of Red Bull (as you can see in
one of the pictures on my site) on my dining room table and work there. Now that we’re moving to the upper Midwest from the lovely western coast (I am going to miss the sunlight) one of the priorities was a room of my own. I find that the quiet time with the atmosphere helps me focus better, and thus
craft better tales.

So to answer the question, the environment I used initially for The Witching Hour, not optimal for me. I found that I really do need a room of my own and that is something that every writer needs to discover on their own. On a side note, I still have a fantasy of me being a broody writer with a cup of
coffee in a chic Parisian café. I can dream, right?

Tell us about your "story of getting published." How long did you submit before you were accepted? How did it feel to get accepted?

Goodness. That’s a long story, do you have all night. ~Chuckles~. I literally submitted hundreds of times between the five-six manuscripts I submitted prior to getting the yes. It was a long process. When I was subbing The Witching Hours, I had gotten a lot of personalized rejections rather than forms with the whole “we like it, but…”. I think those hurt the most, although I couldn’t help but find humor in one that basically said, “we like it, don’t change a thing, but we won’t publish it because the
heroine starts off as a prostitute”. I was like, people start off doing a lot of things, but it doesn’t define them.

When I finally got my golden ticket, the magical letter that every subbing writer hopes to get, I was ecstatic, excited, elated, more words that begin with “e” ~laughs~. It was an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment. It felt like I had done something right or maybe just gotten really lucky. I read
the letter several times. I kept waiting for a second one to come my way saying “sorry we made a mistake”. I don’t think there are really any words to describe the range of emotions I went through. When I finally signed the contract, I still couldn’t believe it. It didn’t really sink in that this was happening until I saw my name on my publisher’s website as one of their authors and my books title there as well.

What are the publicity plans you have coming up?
I am planning a virtual book tour and some readings at the moment. I also will be doing signed bookplates, so anyone that buys the book and wants a book plate can request one. Promotion is an on-going thing and as I come up with ideas, I add it to my marketing plan. And of course, the best type of publicity is to write another book.

You may also enjoy some of Ashley's previous work, such as the Rose Brown series.
Midnight Rose: The first novel in the Rose Brown Series, this novel introduces Rose, a natural born witch, who takes a job at a fetish fashion wear company, not knowing that her entire life is about to change.
Tiger Lily: When Rose Brown is summoned back to the small Texas town she came from, she discovers family secrets that will alter the course of her life forever. Throw in a psychotic serial killing vampire, and you have yourself a party.

Fresh Voice Liz Borino!

2010-04-16T07:00:00.014-04:00

Fresh Voice Caitlin Whitaker!

2010-04-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

1. What is your ultimate writing goal?

My ultimate goal is to get published, make billions, and have all my movies made into blockbuster movies with Colin Farrell as the romantic lead. I'd also like to buy an island in the South Pacific and hire a team of nannies and maids to do everything for me so I can take really long naps on 500,000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets.

You know something funny? I've never really thought about an ultimate goal; it's always just been one step at a time. The first step was to write a chapter. And another. I finished a book, finished it again (and again), and then started another one. My goal right now is to find representation with a good agent and then go from there.

2. Why do you write?

I write because I love to. It's the most obvious answer but it's the purest, simplest way to say it. I was this wildly imaginative kid who made everything into an adventure, which probably drove my parents up the wall. My little brother and I used to lay in the back of the family's rusty Ford Pinto (sad but true) and pretend we were in a submarine studying deep sea creatures (other cars). Honestly, we're lucky to be alive. Big old 18-wheelers were sharks and we'd pretend to shoot at them with harpoon guns. Amazingly, we were never run off the road by disgruntled truckers.

Putting all my crazy ideas on paper not only keeps me sane but feeds my soul. I love the sound of typing and the way the screen looks when it's filled with words. It's all very OCD, really. As cool as it would be to sell a million copies of each book and end up on the NYT Bestseller List, those things aren't motivating factors for me. My life is spectacular and writing is something I'll do forever, even if it never amounts to anything but a bunch of used up memory on my hard drive.

3. Your writing reminds me of a happy cowgirl - enough sass to be fun but she still has her boots on in case someone needs a whuppin'. Have you worked to achieve that voice or is it just a natural style for you?

I have no idea what that means. Honestly. In fact, I'm kind of freaked out by the whole whuppin' idea. As far as my voice goes, it's pretty darn natural for me. In WILL & MAGGIE, a love story about a 17 year old girl, I let myself be a little more descriptive and dreamy. I wanted the book to have an easy, hypnotic feel to really bring the reader into her first love experience. Justin, the teenage guy on the run in REM, is faster and edgier. As much as I love rhapsodizing about stupid things (purple prose is a weakness of mine), Justin wouldn't notice half the crap Maggie would in the same situation.

What you read on my blog is a lot like having a conversation with me. I talk too much, ramble, and love to laugh at myself. Whatever I'm writing at the time will have a small influence on my blog posts, of course. It's kind of like being an actor; I tend to hang onto some of my protagonsists characteristics even when I'm writing something other than the actual manuscript.

4. Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?

I grew up on Stephen King. In junior high, I devoured the uncut version of THE STAND and was morbidly obsessed with planning my strategy to survive the end of the world. I read THE SHINING and PET SEMETARY and was utterly disgusted by the film versions (where the heck was the exploding boiler? Huh? HUH?). His characters are unbelievably real-- like you might actually bump into them on the street someday. I totally relate to characters with psychiatric issues. I finally sold my bookcase-filling hardcover collection on ebay when I got married and space was limited. I'm still kicking myself over that.

Other favorites of mine are Anne Rice, Wilson Rawls, Scott O'Dell, Laura Ingalls Wilder, J.K. Rowling, Shannon Hale, J.R.R. Tolkien, Suzanne Collins, Stephenie Meyer, Margaret Stohl, and Kami Garcia. Even authors who will probably never be nominated for a Newberry Award can be amazing story tellers, and that's what it's really all about for me.

5. What most attracts you to the life of a writer?

This has to be a trick question. I've always imagined the life of a writer to be a quiet one; sipping tea by a window and tapping away at a keyboard for hours on end. For me, I grab moments during the day when I can; perched at my breakfast bar on the laptop with kids hanging on my pants with complaints, snack requests, and dirty diapers. I've actually had love scenes interrupted by puking children and fights over video games. Some of my best writing happens late at night when I get the kids in bed and my fifteenth latte of the day finally kicks in. I have to peel myself away from the computer and force myself to go to bed sometimes. If this is the life of a writer, I am not attracted to it at all. I'd much rather have the life of a twenty-something hotel heiress, thank you.

I am excited about the concept of book tours, however. I love to travel and wouldn't mind taking a break from the kids once in a while.

6. If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?

There were two other things I wanted to be when I was growing up (author has always been number one): forensic detective and pastry chef. Decay and maggots make me throw up and zombies are my single biggest fear (seriously), so I leaned more toward pastry chef. I was all set to go to culinary school when I met my husband at eighteen and everything went awry. Writing involves far fewer calories, however, so it's all good.

7. If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?

Pink. Next question please.

8. What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?

Write for yourself. It may sound terribly selfish, but it's what works for me. I never intended to be a YA author, but my characters all seem to be around eighteen years old and I like sexual tension better than graphic encounters. I do drop the F-bomb in my first novel, but it would totally compromise the integrity of the scene to leave it out (you'll see when it's published). Anyway, I write what I want to read and it keeps it natural. Forcing my work to conform to a genre or a target audience would tick off the rebel in me and then things would get really nasty. Mama no likey.

Oh yeah, and Stephen King's ON WRITING. All of it. Seriously.

Caitlin Whitaker is an escapist mom raising five hooligans in rural Tennessee. She is married to a hot Marine, has a mad crush on Adam Lambert, drinks too much Diet Coke, and is allergic to house cleaning. Her first book, WILL & MAGGIE, is currently being considered by several literary agents while she plugs away at her second and writes mad notes on several others. You can follow her on Twitter; http://twitter.com/Saycaity (warning; she's a rapid tweeter) and keep tabs on her progress by reading her blog; www.saycaity.blogspot.com.

Thank you for reading this edition of Fresh Voices. Feel free to follow the Fresh Voices list on Twitter or nominate yourself or another author as a Fresh Voice.

Fresh Voice Quinn Katherman!

2010-03-19T07:00:00.006-04:00

1. What is your ultimate writing goal?

Whenever I hear the word “goal” I think of soccer. I hate soccer, all that running up and down the field while kicking a ball—what’s the point? To get the ball past the goalie and score? Stupid.

I don’t like keeping score when it comes to my writing.

My only goal is to write. Write and write and write some more. Every day.

2. Why do you write?

Well since my modeling career never took off, American Idol rejected me, and then Steve Jobs beat me to the punch on the innovative technology front, I just decided it was time to settle for something that would put food on the table. Let’s just say if wealth were measured in Ramen Noodles, I’d be rich.

Writing is an escape for me, I write to be free from the claustrophobia of daily routines. My passion for writing comes from knowing what it feels like to read a book or story and find bits of yourself on every page, as if the author wrote the book for you. I like making people laugh and that’s what I try to focus on in my writing because I want to break the perception that female writers aren’t funny by encouraging other women to exercise their funny bones.

3. Your writing is quirky and fun. Have you worked to achieve that voice or is it just a natural style for you?

Oh, stop! I’m blushing! But yes, it’s true, I am naturally this hilarious and amazing, or “quirky and fun”—whatever you want to call it. (Good thing I’m also humble.)

As a greeting card writer, I spend most of my days writing fart jokes and birthday puns, which inevitably contribute to my voice. I also come from a crazy family that I love, but things haven’t always been easy. I have found that humor fills emotional voids like concrete, whereas ice cream tends to melt (of course, ice cream is still my food of choice whenever I decide to eat my feelings rather than write them).

I’m still developing my voice; I like to think of it as being in the training bra phase. Good writing requires a debilitating amount of honesty and a level of self-awareness you can’t escape. These things take a lifetime to develop and I think the most powerful voices out there are the ones that never stop evolving.

4. Who are your favorite authors and why do you like them?

I like sentence writers. As you read their work each sentence makes you pause and marvel at the sheer genius of the composition, the artistic combination of words that couldn’t be placed in any other order and retain the same meaning. I had a teacher who called it “pondering the physicality of words,” which makes it sound like word porn and I’m totally into that.

Listing all of my favorite authors is nearly impossible, so I will narrow it down for the sake of my attention span, or lack thereof: Sam Lipsyte, Gary Lutz, Virginia Woolf, George Saunders, Sylvia Plath, Amy Hempel, Deb Olin Unferth.

5. What most attracts you to the life of a writer?

Absolutely nothing. Do you think I’m a sadist? There’s nothing attractive about the life of a writer, unless you excel at self-loathing, lying and already hate almost everything, which I do. I think the best part about being a writer is knowing that as long as you have a pen and paper, you can survive. It’s tangible, portable, physical and emotional.

6. If you couldn't be a writer but knew you were guaranteed success at a different career, what would you choose?

A ninja.

No, wait—a unicorn!

NO! A gourmet chef…

Ugh, never mind. Do you have one of those career aptitude tests I can take?

7. If you had to describe your writing in one word, what would that word be?

I’m going to oversell myself here and call it “trenchant.”

8. What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?

The one phrase that always comes to mind first is, “writers write.” It seems obvious, until you’re a writer that’s not writing.

I had another professor who was also an accomplished writer, and after class he used to say, “Well, it’s time for me to get back to my people,” referring to his characters in a story he was working on. Now when I write fiction, I strive to create the kind of characters that I want to come back to, characters that need me to finish their story so badly that leaving them alone for too long makes me feel guilty—I want my characters to be strong enough to make me miss them.

Quinn Katherman is a greeting card writer for American Greetings and lives in Kansas City. She is from Richmond, Virginia and attended The University of Kansas where she received a BA in Creative Writing and a BA in Communication Studies. Quinn has a blog, which you can find here, or you can get the condensed version by following her on Twitter or subscribing to her feed. Writing in third person makes Quinn uncomfortable, but she generally likes anything that makes her sound important. Quinn also likes unicorns, eating other people’s food (especially if it comes with a note that says “Do Not Eat”), the smell of new office supplies and drinking beer outside because that makes her feel outdoorsy.

Thank you for reading this edition of Fresh Voices. Feel free to follow the Fresh Voices list on Twitter or nominate yourself or another author as a Fresh Voice