Shawn Hopkins's Blog

So yeah, Kevin Rau interviews me here on his site. Check it out if you get a chance!
http://www.kevinrau.com/i/ShawnHopkin...

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a blog post entitled “The Negative Effects of a Low Average.” It basically showed how a low rating on a book could really hurt its Select promo days, as I believed it did mine. The first time I ran a Select promo was with my novel The Solomon Key. I had it listed on a couple sites and tweeted about it. At this point, it didn’t have any reviews. I sold 1,800 free copies over the two-day sale. With my Select days about to expire, I figured I’d finish them out over a three-day weekend. By now, I had one review on Amazon. 5 stars. Well, don’t you know that the day before the promo, a 1 star review pops up, giving it a 3 star avg. 2 Reviews, 3 stars… not the best. However, I then went over to the Kindle store in the UK and found that it had two ratings. Both 1 star. Grrrr… Well, over those three days, I sold about 400 copies of The Solomon Key, the negative reviews killing my promotion.

Now, my other novel, Progeny, is a different story. This novel has 15 reviews with a 5 star avg. I scheduled Select days to run the 14th-16th and then decided to run a one day primer this past Sunday – Easter. I didn’t schedule it with any sites, didn’t send out any emails, nothing. All I did was tweet. A lot. And with only 1500 followers, there was no guarantee I would have much success. Especially coming off the three-day Solomon Key debacle.

But the power of high averages and good reviews seemed to make all the difference in the world. Whereas my 3-star Solomon Key sold 400 copies over three days, Progeny sold over 1,500 in one. So yeah, it seems that reviewers really do make a difference in the author’s success. Which is why we Indies need the people that like us to review our novels on Amazon in order to counterbalance those that hate us! I’ll let you know how my “primer” impacts my upcoming three-day promo!

A couple months ago, I used two of my Select days for my newest novel, THE SOLOMON KEY. Over those two days, I sold 1800 free copies, earning me the #4 spot in free action/adventure in the UK. While the 1800 copies was good for me, the promo failed to touch the success other indies typically have on their Select days. Perhaps it was because there were no reviews posted?

Well, I realized last week that my Select days were coming to an end, and I still had three days to use. So I scheduled them over this last weekend. Friday through Sunday. I was going to double or triple the last Select days, I was sure. I scheduled tweets to go out every hour for most of the three days, a practice that I found remarkably effective before (see that blog post). This was it, baby. My sales were going to take off after the free days were over!

A five star review showed up right before I started the promo. That was good. Even though it was a review that would polarize, it was still a nice sign.

And then came a one star review. Ouch. Now my average was three stars. And just in time for my Select weekend. Perfect. Unfortunately, neither review touched the plotline of the story in any way. One loved it, one hated it. One thought it was written well, the other thought it was written poorly. One loves end times reads, the other “A tired, old plot. Armageddon? Again?” If this person - who judging from the three other books they rated (and the stuffed animals) is way outside their genre to begin with - read the book description before downloading, I don’t know why they even bothered to read it. Even though “Armageddon” isn’t part of the story, it could share the same genre. So if this person thought that the plot was tired and old, why would they get it to begin with? And then write a review like they were shocked that I wrote about something they thought was tired and old. “Really?” Yeah, “really.” So they spent the .99 or 2.99 which they stated was, “A waste of money” – though because this obviously wasn’t this person’s genre to begin with, I suspect they grabbed it during the first two Select days and didn’t pay a cent for it – but that’s just a hunch Anyway, the two reviews couldn’t have been composed of more opposite opinions. They canceled each other out, giving the prospective reader no clue what they would really get. Of course, you got the people saying that the negative review was “helpful” to them. Yeah, thanks.

But I was still hopeful.

Until I checked the Amazon UK site.

Two reviews. Both one star. My average rating? Yeah, one star. “Badly written. Tries to emulate Mattew Rielly and Wilbur Smith and fails miserable.” Is it possible to try emulating someone you’ve never read? Anyway, the other review stated that it was “total rubbish and poorly written.” Dear reviewers that feel the need to tell the world how much you hate things, have the common courtesy to spell check your review before telling the world a book you read is written poorly. I’m pretty sure that even in the UK “pf” is not a word, and there is something within the English language known as “punctuation.” I’m sorry my book “gave you a headache.” And I’m sorry that such a headache wasted more of your time by making you write about it.

So here I go, jumping into my Select days with a five star rating and three ones – the majority of reviews by nice people telling the world not to read my trash.

The result? Only 46 copies given away in the UK, 362 in the US. Yeah, the power of negative reviews. However, as I was walking around sure that these kind people had it right, that I do in fact suck as a writer and should be marched before a firing squad for my crime against humanity, I happened to get a review on Goodreads. And it could not have come at a better time. A five star review that started out: “This is not a book for casual readers who don't want a lot of deep and historical facts and information in their story.” And then she goes on to actually talk about the story! (THANK YOU!) And she ends with “While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, I would highly recommend it as a must read for those who love history, and are hoping for a better world tomorrow. Not to mention this adventure makes 'The Davinci Code' look like a walk in the park.”

So I thought, yeah, this book isn’t for everyone. And I’m okay with that. Now if only the people it was written for would review it as much as the people who hate it…I might be okay!

So, a big thank you to the kind people out there who destroyed my Select days and would destroy me, too, if they could. Again, I apologize for writing a book that you didn’t like. And I’m sorry you may have spent 2.99 on it, though you probably got it for free, didn’t you? I hope the world produces more writers that think exactly as you do so that you can write more positive reviews in the future.

On a brighter note, my novel PROGENY has a collective 30 ratings with a 5 star average! And the second edition just came out, and there’s a trailer up! And the Select days are coming for that, too… which I’m sure will drop the average down some… but what else can you expect from angry people reading free books?

I have an idea. Shocking, I know. It concerns book reviews. Not reviews that I receive but rather my review of other books. There’s something I may start incorporating into my review process, and I’d like to know what you think.

Almost every other mode of entertainment goes through some kind of rating system that enables the entertained at least a hint of what to expect in terms of what could be considered offensive content. But not novels. Nope. When you crack open the cover of even a great novel, it’s likely you may be taken completely by surprise when that explicit sex scene pops up (whether a good surprise or a bad one is judged by the reaction of each individual reader).

So, my dilemma is this: I work at a school and have somewhat of a “religious” following if you will, even a young one. The last thing that I want is to give 5 stars to a book, praising its artistic quality, and have one of my young or sensitive fans taking it as a recommendation for them. Not if the book is full of sex, language and other things that most people wouldn’t want their children reading. So here’s my idea. When I rate a book that has a ton of language and explicit sexual scenes, rather than giving it fewer stars than the quality of the overall book deserves (in my opinion, of course) or writing a disclaimer a paragraph long, I’m thinking of including a simple key much like the one you see at the top of your TV episodes.

General Audiences, Mature Audiences, etc… And S, L, V, etc…

That way my bases are covered in a rather simplistic way. Yeah, this book was amazing, the writing sound, the plot faultless… (MA: S, V) So people will know that I really liked the book, but for the fans of mine that don’t want to be taken by surprise by certain elements, they’ll know going in to be prepared or to avoid the book altogether (which may help keep negative reviews down for the author, too).

What do you think?

I’ve seen reviews blast books for not disclosing that they contain religious elements or “unpopular” views challenging the party line, and in those cases it seems that the reviewer wants a huge stamp across the front cover stating “WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS A RELIGIOUS THEME THAT YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH!” I think that’s stupid and highly hypocritical since, if these people had their way in any objective sense, then every book written would have to have a list that revealed every thought and idea within the book that someone might not agree with. Of course they wouldn’t want that. They only want book descriptions to come out and tell them what THEY won’t like about the book. And if there was a warning on the book concerning something THEY did agree with (WARNING: THIS BOOK PROMOTES ATHEISM), they would no doubt be up in arms as to why the book should be made to disclose this.

A friend of mine wrote a book that weighs the pros and cons of the God vs. no God scenarios. The book ends up favoring the belief that there is a God. So the reviewers that are atheists slammed the book, calling it an agenda piece, etc. However, if the author had favored the atheistic view, surely those reviewers would have praised the book, not slammed it. In fact, one of the reviewers that tore it up pretty good had someone else thank him for warning him to stay away from it, saying, “The religious based biased books are annoying. If they are such good Christians, why aren't they tolerant and respectful of other people and their beliefs?” And that just makes me laugh. The guy is saying that the author is somehow intolerant and not respectful of other peoples’ beliefs when the guy has just judged a book HE NEVER EVEN READ because of his intolerance for “religious biased books!” It’s bad when you get reviewers reviewing a book they didn’t read. But I guess that privilege is only reserved for objective, non-biased, and tolerant people!

Anyway, sorry for the mini rant. I just find it humorous the things that some find offensive, demanding THAT material be disclosed to them ahead of time. But again, it’s a completely selfish position that demands the world’s artists must inform them of any “concept” they might find offensive but would cry intolerance if the things they believed were stamped with warnings.

So, I won’t disclose that type of warning in my reviews. Religious, secular, whatever… It’s supposed to be a country free of book burning where everyone is able to make up their own mind about whatever they want. I’ll leave that kind of criticism (when it comes to a novel) to others (and I know that every side of every conflicting idea is guilty of it). I only wish to offer a warning of content, not of concept. And as I said before, every other mode of entertainment, from pornography to TV to movies to video games to music contains this.

It’s either that or I don’t review certain books that some might be offended by (I don’t need a parent coming to me and asking why I recommended that their 15 year old read…..).

Does this make sense to anyone? Good idea, bad?

So, I have this website, right? Yeah, no one really knows about it, just like no one really knows about me. I mean, I have 200 Facebook fans, about 1450 followers on Twitter, 600 friends on Goodreads, etc. You get the idea... I'm getting there, but still near the bottom of the pack in terms of my numbers. So anyway, I've been hosting this event on my website that I'm calling The Magnificent 7 Interview Event. What it is is an author interview featuring 7 different authors all at once. And some pretty heavy rollers in the indie world as well as a couple in the traditional market as well. Two of these guys alone have a combined 30,000 followers on Twitter! I figured that it was a way to bring a lot of their fan base to my site as well as to get them supporting each other. I'm introducing Jeremy Robinson's fan base to Ryne Douglas Pearson, etc. As an incentive to get people involved, there are prizes! After the interview, there is a short quiz. Whoever sends in the answers automatically gets a copy of one of my novels and gets to include their own question for the authors that will be featured in the following week's interview (yes, it is an ongoing thing... part five is coming up soon). However, if the participants get all the questions right (it's easy, no one should get anything wrong if they actually take the time to read it) then they are entered into a drawing. The winner gets a copy of one of the author's books, mostly any one they want. But I digress, the point is, I've been hosting this event and have been trying to get the word out there.

Enter my Twitter and Hootesuite revelations.

In the beginning of certain days over the last three weeks, I've scheduled tweets to go out throughout the day. Usually one an hour. Doing this nets me about 500 hits on those days. When I haven't scheduled tweets to go out, I get about 30-50 hits per day. So Hootesuite definitely helped bring traffic to the event and to the site. However, yesterday I decided to try something a bit more extreme. I noticed that most of my views come after 4 o clock, so I didn't even start scheduling tweets until 1 pm. And this time I wrote out about five different tweets and had each one going out per hour. The result? 1200 hits between 1 pm and 11pm, obliterating my prior record. Of course, it might help that I had an exclusive interview posted, but still... So, no tweets- 30 views. 5 tweets per hour- 1200 views. I guess it does work!

Now check out the interviews and win books!

http://www.shawnhopkinsauthor.com

First, I want to thank Heidi for stopping by and including my blog here in one of her tour stops. I'm very excited to be part of this event, and I hope you all enjoy it as well. So let's jump in and learn something about the author of Ambasadora and the newly released, Greenshift. And be sure to participate in the drawing (details following interview).

Shawn: So, Heidi, thank you for being here. I'm honored to have you! I guess we'll start out with the basics... Who are you, where do you come from, when and why did you start to write?

Heidi: I'm Heidi Ruby Miller, lover of SF, Chanel, and action movies. I started to write seriously in 2005 when I enrolled in Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction graduate program. It was a bit of a forced transition in my life, and considering I had dabbled in writing since elementary school, I decided to give it all I had. That changed my life, and I now feel I'm doing what I was always meant to do.

Shawn: Tell us about Ambasadora, where did the inspiration for it come from?

Heidi: Different aspects of Ambasadora were inspired by everything from an ex-boyfriend who hated the idea that I didn’t want children to my fixation on SF movies and TV shows, like The Fifth Element and Farscape. Mostly, I followed my dreams, both those at night and all through the day.

Shawn: The genre it's in, is it one that you plan to be in for a while, or do you have other cross-genre projects in the works?

Heidi: All of my stories are speculative in nature (SF, Fantasy, Horror, Magical Realism), but I have really found a happiness with SF Romance—not only the space opera style like the Ambasadora-verse books, but also contemporary Earth-based SFR like Atomic Zion, the start of another series which I'm hoping will be released next year. It has more of a thriller feel, though even in Ambasadora and Greenshift I tend to keep the story at a fast pace.

Shawn: If you could write about any period in human history, where would you take us? Any fascination with a particular time and its characteristics?

Heidi: The future for sure. I'm drawn to the alien-ness of it, even if we never make contact with actual aliens.

Shawn: How about a specific issue? If writing a non-fiction work that would go down in history as a world-changing book, what issue would you write on?

Heidi: I co-edited (with Michael A. Arnzen) the writing guide, Many Genres, One Craft, which is based on Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction graduate program, and though this hefty volume of 65 bestselling and award-winning contributors may not change the world, I hope it will give writers at any stage in their career that little something they need from time to time. It's coming out in an e-version this year.

Shawn: Any hobbies other than writing?

Heidi: I practice yoga and do cardio daily, and I rekindled my love of reading through my…Kindle! My husband and I also go to the movies regularly and hike as often as we can.

Shawn: What's a normal day in the life of Heidi Ruby Miller like?

Heidi: I get up at 5:30 or 6:00 AM, stretch out in a nice yoga routine, then get breakfast for my husband and me. Then I write before anything else. I adopted a new strategy this year to be more productive with my writing—WRITE FIRST. Sounds simple enough, but it was difficult not to immediately check email, FB, Twitter, and Goodreads. But since applying this new strategy, I had the most productive January of my life: 2 freelance magazine articles, a first draft of a Philip Jose Farmer short story, my Geek Girl Underground column for Inveterate Media Junkies (IMJ), 5,000 words on another book in the Ambasadora-verse, and an extra 20,000 words plus revisions on Greenshift to make it a novel instead of a novella. Plus a ton of interviews for Greenshift's launch. We'll see how long I can keep up that pace.

Shawn: What advice would you offer to authors just coming out of the gate with a published book in their hands but who may be confused as to what they should be doing next?

Heidi: I hate to parrot advice we've probably all heard a dozen times, but write the next book. The writing is the most important part, whether for career or strictly creative purposes. Yes, there's marketing to be done, but having more products available is the best marketing strategy out there. If you can split your time between marketing and writing, that's probably a good option.

Shawn: So what's your favorite movie?

Heidi: There are quite a few, but I always come back to The Fifth Element because it’s how I envision the future. It's not dirty and dystopic, but bright and shiny. That's probably why I made the Ambasadora-verse so shiny and pretty. Because I think it's always more shocking when bad things happen in a world full of beauty and smiles than in one where everyone is already wearing rags and drinking from acid rain puddles.Maybe I just like the fashion. ;)

Shawn: Do you read novels alongside writing your own? Why or why not?

Heidi: Yes! I'm an avid reader. It took a while for me to enjoy reading for the sake of reading again after grad school, but I'm back. I read in most genres, but particularly enjoy spec-fic and thrillers. Right now I'm finishing Grimspace by Ann Aguirre and Progeny by some guy named Shawn Hopkins. My husband and I also have a tradition where I read out loud to him in the car. We've read 20+ books this way. Right now we're in the middle of The Exile Kiss by George Alec Effinger.

Shawn. Are there any particular tactics you've used in promoting your writing that has worked rather effectively?

Heidi: I'm active on Twitter, FB, and Goodreads. I see spikes in my sales after I post snippets of my work and after one of my IMJ columns goes live, but nothing about this promotion stuff has been consistent. In fact, I'm slowly backing off the social media and concentrating on the writing right now.The most important thing that drives sales is a high rank on Amazon—because it's self-perpetuating as your book keeps showing up in recommendations. Trying to figure out how to maintain that high rank is really just hit or miss or pure luck. But many writers have proven that the more books you have available, the more readers are willing to give you a chance. With the way the industry is in constant flux, however, what works for one author will most likely not work exactly that way for another.

Shawn: If Hollywood wanted the rights to Ambasadora and your only stipulation was that you had a say in who starred as Sara, who would it be?

Heidi: I think Mila Kunis would make a great Sara. She can play tough and vulnerable, and she'd look even hotter with bio-lights pulsing up her arm.

Shawn: Do you write yourself into your characters, whether intentionally or subconsciously? How closely do you relate to them?

Heidi: All of my characters, whether hero or villain, are some aspect of me or some warped sense of me. I tried to pretend they weren't, especially some of the more vile antagonists, but they all came from my head. Not that I'm prone to their actions, but it's my personal schema that gave them life.

Shawn: What is the one idea or message that you hope your readers take from Ambasadora?

Heidi: All of my books have the theme of strength through a lover. Knowing there is one person in the entire universe that you are close to in so many ways, and it is that one person who would do anything to protect you, to make sure you're happy, to fight for you and love you. Add in a life and death situation and suddenly you're testing that strength—the emotion that comes out of that is like eating a whole box of candy and washing it down with chocolate milk.

Shawn: Anything you want to tell us that hasn't been hit on yet?

Heidi: If you'd like to get both Ambasadora and Greenshift at a discount, there is a bundle for $4.99. That's almost a $2.00 savings for 160,000 words!

Shawn: Well, I'm enjoying Ambasadora and certainly can't wait to see how it ends. Where can people get a copy of it and all your books?

Heidi: AMAZON –http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ZR9WOY

And Greenshift can now be purchased from AMAZON, too. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00788320W

Shawn: And where can they find, follow, like, and touch base with you?

Heidi: BLOG – http://heidirubymiller.blogspot.com
TWITTER – http://twitter.com/heidirubymiller
FACEBOOK – http://www.facebook.com/heidirubymill...
GOODREADS - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Shawn: Thanks so much, Heidi! It was a pleasure getting to chat with you. Good luck on the rest of your tour!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
To be in the drawing to win your choice of an e-bundle of Ambasadora/Greenshift or just Greenshift, please leave a comment letting us know what you're reading now or have read recently and if you'd like the single book or the bundle, along with your email address disguised something like this heidirubymiller AT gmail. The contest ends on Thursday, March 1, 2012. Winner will be notified on Friday, March 2, 2012.

you can also view this interview and others on my website http://www.shawnhopkinsauthor.com

Q1. Hi Chris! Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions! So we'll start with the basics. Who are you, where are you, and how did you start writing?

Chris: Here goes... My name is Chris Thompson and I work as a teacher in a comprehensive school near Bournemouth in England, UK. I've had a rich working life, being a heating engineer, prison inspector, even a BBC journalist for a time. But no matter what I did, I always had this desire to write. Notwithstanding this passion, and without seeming to make excuses, life always seemed to throw something at me which thwarted any serious attempts to knuckle down to write. I guess it's the same for most of us. So about six years ago, I thought “enough excuses, just get on with it,” and I did. It was a journey full of delusions and dead-ends. Many ideas didn't have legs and ended up a 'saved' file on my laptop. However, Flight of the Stone differed; it wouldn't go away. As a teacher there are some really busy times where you have to devout 110% of your time, and writing gets put on hold for months at a time. Yet still the story continued playing in my mind. I realize this sounds 'arty-farty' but it was as if the characters I created were alive and weren't going to rest idle because I was teaching — so I stuck at it until the story was completed. All in all, it was an amazing experience.

Q2. That's great that you stuck with it. It must have been an amazing experience to finally hold the finished product in your hands. What can you tell us about the story? You have me intrigued.

Chris: Flight of the Stone is essentially a story about a boy’s rite-of-passage. Elliot’s life changes when he throws a stone after being chased into a wooded copse by a pair of bullies. The flight of this stone sets off a chain of events; events which the reader can decide whether it was his destiny to fulfill or not. His subsequent adventures draw in his friends and attract the attention of some nasty creatures called Fuddles who are led by this vicious fellow called Larc. Though these characters are imaginary, most of the story is set around where I live, which is a beautiful part of England called Christchurch. I decided to do this in order to offset the fantasy aspect of the story, so it had an element of plausibility. This was because Elliot discovers he can use leylines to travel across vast distances of time and space, which does seem very far-fetched and fanciful. So when I was thinking about the story, I was able to visit many of the historical landmarks around Christchurch and imagine my characters facing their challenges in these places. For me, at least, it all became very real. Going back to my earlier point, I think this is what helped give the story legs so I could see it through to the end. Even the wood and the tree which the stone hits exists; as does the thorny hollow Elliot jumps into. I find the balance between fantasy and reality is narrowing, especially with the development of technology. Just look at the iPhone, 30 years ago such a device would have been pure fantasy, more Start Trek than reality.

Q3. Ley lines! I use them in my novel, too! Well, the story has caught my attention, and I'll be picking it up for sure. That's great that you were able to see the locations you were writing about. I was able to visit Bermuda a couple of times before I wrote about it in PROGENY. Of course, Google Earth and tourist maps still came in handy, but actually being there was invaluable. I think a dream of mine is to find a location for a future project and go spend a few months there during the writing process. That would be quite an adventure, and I'm jealous that you live in such a place:) Is there a process you follow as far as gathering information and inspiration? Do you carry a notepad and pen on your walks, or does it all come to you at the keyboard?

Chris: I don't tend to write anything down when the ideas are flooding through. Instead, I just let the ideas germinate in my mind. But like you say, what is useful is immersing yourself in the landscape you're writing about. So living where I do helps so much. But as Sam (one of my characters) reflects in the story, sometimes we fail to notice much of what's around us. Our lives are so hectic we often travel distances without realizing how we got there. For me, the writer stops to examine the mundane; to look at things from a fresh perspective and see the extraordinary in the ordinary. This is what I had to get Elliot and his two friends Miles and Abbi to do. That's why I chose to use leylines and historical buildings. They were a means through which my characters could explore the story's themes. Particularly their relationships between each other and the world around them. I also wanted them to look at the boundary between the past and the present as it's often more blurred than we realize. Hopefully I did all this while keeping the story readable and accessible.

Q4. I like to ask authors about their ideal writing conditions, probably because mine have yet to become a reality (ever try writing on a couch with a 1-year old trying to hit the keys, a 2-year old saying, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy..." and your wife talking on the phone next to you? Yeah, that's been my writing world.) So I’m giving you supernatural power over the weather — what are you programming for your writing? I’m also providing you with whatever you want to eat and drink — what is it? I can arrange for you to stay anywhere you need to — where is it? I’ve also supplied you with a wardrobe — what are you wearing from it? Also, from your location, you have all kinds of views — which are you choosing? You get the idea...

Chris: It's an interesting question, but one that I've never considered until now. The reason being, as a school teacher there are very few opportunities to plan any writing. This is mainly due to teaching at ALevel which means there's a constant flow of essays to mark and feedback on. This gets worse during the two exam periods. Therefore I'm constantly snatching at any opportunity to write with both hands. Having an iPhone has helped, especially at weekends if I'm out with the family. For example, it allows me to write while in the train or waiting around a shopping centre. The thought of setting aside any dedicated time is an alien one at the moment. Of course there are the holidays but, like you say, even then it's a balancing act particularly when you've children.

Q5. So you've never fantasized about being all alone somewhere for a long time? I dream of that every day! I'd love to rent a place at the beach during the winter. Maybe someday. Is there any impression you're hoping to leave on your readers, a message they may take from the story?

Chris: There's no specific message as such. I just hope if people get around to reading Flight of the Stone they will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. But then thinking about your question again, maybe I'd like my readers to take with them the sense of optimism which drives the story; especially for younger readers. Even when facing some tough challenges, Elliot and his friends never give up. It's a theme which will continue into the sequel even though they're sure to face some really demanding situations.

Q6. So you have a sequel in the works? Is it going to be a series? Given all your past attempts at writing and the way in which FLIGHT OF THE STONE grabbed you, do you see yourself eventually writing more novels in different genres?

Chris: Yes I've already started on the sequel because friends who'd read Flight of the Stone felt a sequel was a natural progression from where the story ended. Indeed some of them insisted!! Having said that, I think you're correct in assuming that one day I'd like to write a novel in another genre. I have a couple of ideas which seem to be getting their own momentum — always a good sign. But for the moment I'm going to continue working with Elliot and his friends, as they seem to have several formidable adventures coming their way. Particularly with those nauseating Fuddles growing in strength and Larc so desperate for those missing stones that he'll do anything.

Q7. So how has it been so far with the whole self promotion thing? Have you discovered any methods that seem to have worked for you?

Chris: It's still early days for me and I'm learning as I'm going. Naturally word-of-mouth got the ball rolling but as you can imagine this only takes you so far. Then Facebook 'friends' and a dedicated Facebook page picked up the ball. However, what really seems to work is IndieKindle and WoMen's Literary Café. They really put the effort in. Their Twitter and Facebook feeds help sustain a book’s profile. Plus I'm hoping they'll be able to review my book over the coming months. Then, last but by no means least, there's this interview with you. I just take the stance that everything helps — Rome wasn't built in a day. Little by little, piece by piece, ones creation finds its readership, it's niche if you like. What I like, like most authors I guess, is the feedback. It was the initial comments from friends which gave me the confidence to promote my work, as I'll admit that I'm not a natural self-publicist. So once one or two people said they were amazed at what I created, I became confident to push my work. The only frustration is some people don't like posting their comments on Amazon etc. I guess they too aren't natural publicists. But I understand where they're coming from.

Q8. Is there any period in history that fascinates you enough to one day set a story in it?

Chris: That's a fascinating question mainly because it is one of the themes in Flight of the Stone; the relationship between the past and the present. In the novel, Elliot's journeys blur the boundaries of time. He comes to realize that much of the past exists in the present, not just with historical landmarks but ideas and beliefs. I also use his capacity to travel in the way he does so I can locate his adventures in particular periods of the past which interest me. This idea is used even more in the sequel. It's not a new idea, I just want readers to consider how much of the past occupies our present, even in our own lives. Having said that, it's not a 'serious' story. It's driven by humor. Indeed, my copy-editor commented on how much warmth the humor gave to the characters, particularly Dylan, Elliot's chaperone. That was an interesting question!

Q9. That sounds like a great component to your story, and I'm excited to read it. When you're not working or writing, what do you enjoy doing?

Chris: When I'm not writing or working, I tend to take things as they come. Such as family activities, particularly walking. Living beside such a fantastic part of the UK means there are so many outside activities to get involved in. I guess it's all about finding the right balance between work, rest and play. Once you do that, everyone's happy and the imagination is free to roam.

Q10. That’s awesome! Again, I can’t wait to read it, and I wish you all the best as you continue in your writing adventures. Where can readers find FLIGHT OF THE STONE and get in touch with you?

Chris: My novel Flight of the Stone is available as an ebook on Amazon. If anyone would like to contact me they can at christhomp@aol.com. I can be followed on Twitter @TwySoc

Thanks, Chris! Good luck!

Shawn: So give us the backstory. Who are you, where are you from, what made you start writing?

Joyce: Backstory: Born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania, I grew up with little organized entertainment. My parents didn't even get a TV until I was in college. I had no choice but to go on long bicycle hikes in the summer, ice skating in the winter -- and read lots of books. I especially became a mystery aficionado, and given my appreciation of Perry Mason, considered becoming a lawyer (until I looked at a law book). A small liberal arts college (Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA) taught me about the social sciences -- and the need for excellent writing -- and then I decided I needed a PhD. Technically, my first book was my doctoral dissertation. While finishing my degree at George Washington U. (Washington, D.C.), I met and married my husband within the same year. I do believe in "love at first sight." We are still married and have two children: one a music teacher (still employed) and the other a marketing analyst.

I sort of fell into my career of corporate communications -- in the beginning, marketing writing was the only job I could get given that a PhD in International Politics didn't help me enter the growing high-tech job market in California. I extended my writing skills to include press releases, tutorials, white papers, fact sheets, biographies, corporate presentations, SEC filing documents, by-lined articles for publication etc. After more than 25 years of serving as head of corporate communications at several high-tech and biotech companies in Silicon Valley, I found myself without employment. I was not happy. We needed to make house payments. My husband suggested I write a book. Seemed like a good idea. "What kind of book?" I asked. "Well, I'd suggest a mystery, since you like them so much." And that's how I became a writer of mysteries.

Shawn: Is your fiction tied into your work experience?

Joyce: My fiction is definitely tied into my work experience. ON MESSAGE is set in a small biotech company in the San Francisco Bay Area -- where I served as the head of corporate communications at several small biotechs. I drew on my experiences and knowledge of the industry to create the background and the characters -- especially Jillian Hillcrest. However, my characters, the company Harmonia Therapeutics, and the lupus product are all fictional. I hasten to add that I never encountered murder in my 25-year career. For that I turned to current events. Each of the Jillian Hillcrest books was inspired by a current case or cases in the news. ON MESSAGE grew out of a case in San Diego that involved the murder of an angel investor who was a former biotech executive. To assure credible police procedure descriptions, I consulted with several retired police detectives.

Shawn: Well, it sounds like I'm going to have to pick that up! Murder, intrigue, and conspiracy in the biotech world scares the crap out of me! I’m actually reading a book with a similar theme right now that is making me very uneasy... Anyway, to your writing process. What's your method? Do you outline? Do you know how the novel is going to end before you start? What do you already have in your bag of tricks when you go to type the first sentence?

Joyce: Describing my approach to writing as a "method" is a bit of a stretch. I tend to "just do it" with the attitude that I can always rewrite it.

However, admittedly when I do sit down to write, at least for the Jillian Hillcrest series, I have decided on: (1) a chosen case in the news on which to draw and how it relates to my protagonist; (2) an opening scene; (3) a list of characters and their traits -- this often expands as the book progresses; (4) a puzzle, its solution, and one or two red herrings. When I write the opening scene, I let the characters lead me to the next scene and frequently I don't know where that will be, but it must lead us to the puzzle and its solution. It helps that I spent my career performing the same functions as Jillian.

I like to write in large blocks of time, but I also like to write over a period of a few months because the characters like to grow and feel their way. As I'm writing each draft, I make a list of facts I need to check, such as, police procedures, nomenclature, and titles; psychological profiles; biotech products, and drive- time between locations. These are all important for a credible book, although I don't let the need for them slow down the writing process.

I do not let anyone see the book-in-progress. I wait until I have completed a first draft. I don't want anyone to influence the characters until they've had their say. When I complete the first draft of a book, I first ask my husband and a very helpful sister-in-law to read it and let me know what they like and don't like. Then I re-write to develop a second draft. I send the second draft to other members of my family and friends who won't be too cruel but who will give me constructive input. That leads to the third draft. This is the draft I send to the professional editor for the final rewrite.

Shawn: How do you feel about the re-writing process and editing? Is it a process you enjoy? How long does it typically take you and how much ends up being changed? I hate rewriting and editing!

Joyce: The rewriting and editing process takes me as long as writing an initial draft. I produce at least four drafts of a 90,000 word book -- and frequently I rewrite sections within each draft multiple times. Typically I don't change the core of the book, but often I add scenes and characters, and I definitely delete passages. In my first book I added 10,000 words; in my next book I deleted 5000 and then added a different 3000. I struggle mostly with endings and rewrite them the most.

There are parts of rewriting that I actually enjoy, especially because in most instances the rewrite makes the book better. That's probably more a reflection of my reviewers' skills than my editing ability. Expanding characterization to explain motivation, adding scenes to build suspense, or even cutting pages to assure momentum -- these are all creative rewrites, and can be as interesting as writing the initial prose.

However, I admit that there are tedious parts of editing and rewriting that are more mechanical than creative. To discover typos and grammatical errors, I read the final draft from beginning to end at least three times myself -- both on paper and on the screen. This reviewing is tedious and I frequently need to remind myself that I owe it to my readers to give them an error-free book (at least that's the goal). I also remind myself that if I wasn't editing my book, I'd be pulling weeds, cleaning toilets, or scrubbing the floors. That helps.

Shawn: Yeah, I've found that it saves me a lot of time to print out the manuscript and read it out loud, marking it with a pen. Otherwise, I tend to just glance over the mistakes, reading them a dozen times without picking up on them. And, though I hate rewriting, you are correct in that the end product is usually far superior as a result. My second novel was 193,000 words when I was submitting it to literary agents. The one I ended up working with wanted me to whittle it down to 120,000. I managed to get it to 173,000 and hated every deletion. However, I later decided to repackage the novel for a broader audience, and, not having been in the novel for a couple of years, I was detached enough to take it to task. I was able to get it to 123,000.

Anyway, when you write, I mean, when you settle down for one of those LONG writing binges. What is your ideal setting? What do you need to be drinking, chewing, wearing... What do your surroundings look like?

Joyce: For long writing binges I prefer sitting dressed in comfortable, baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants at my grandmother's antique desk in a spare bedroom I use as an office. Sitting at a desk says, "Time to work. Get to it!" I particularly like this setting because the desk is in front of a large window to the front yard of our house. A small gurgling fountain right by the window attracts all kinds of birds and bees. It's fun to watch the birds try to get a drink from the running water. Also roadrunners trot by frequently, one recently with a struggling gecko in its mouth. Occasionally a hawk descends. This outside activity is truly entertaining for purposes of procrastination.

Despite the entertaining distractions, I have found that I am most productive in this setting. In the morning, I accompany my efforts with coffee, which, like my protagonist Jillian, I prepare from freshly ground beans daily. In the afternoon, I drink water -- just regular filtered water. I confess that I take frequent breaks, and do little chores around the house -- as little as possible. However, I have written up to 5000 words a day in multiple consecutive days in this setting. So when I walk into the room and sit down at that desk -- I'm ready to go.

Shawn: 5,000 words a day? Can I borrow your desk and drink your coffee? Sheesh. Okay, I think I have a strange question for you. So you're a woman author... Being a woman, not only as a writer but as a reader, do you notice any kind of difference between male and female writers as it pertains to their fictional work? I guess most female authors would use a female POV, although I guess I've read plenty of male authors using a female as their main character, so maybe I'm just assuming that. I know I wouldn't use a female POV, because I feel like girls would be able to see through it and cry out, "A stupid man wrote this!" My aunt told me the other day that she doesn't read male authors, that she picks women authors over men. And I started to think that I tend to do the same. Granted, I tend to associate (wrongly) women authors with the romance genre, and that probably has something to do with it... Actually, I read a book called ANGELOLOGY that was written by a woman and I loved the lyrical quality it had. It was almost poetic. It had...shall I say a "softer" touch than most books I've read before. It made me want to read more female authors, because I wanted to try and capture some of that elegance to use in my own, more brutish writing. So set me straight, what are the ins and outs of writing fiction from a woman's perspective? Do you think it's different?

Joyce: As a writer, I tend to favor female characters because I do believe that I can describe them more realistically. As a woman, I comprehend the experiences encountered by women and can describe their reactions with more authority. Similarly, I favor writing about American over non-American; middle-class over wealthy or dirt-poor; Caucasian over non-Caucasian -- because that is my point of view. At some point in the future, I plan to depart from this approach and write from a different point-of-view, but I anticipate the need for additional research to make such endeavors credible.

However, when I choose books to read, I do not consider if the author is male or female. In the mystery genre, Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle both wrote intricate plots with interesting heroes and villains. Certainly Mary Higgins Clark does not back off from dark villains -- I still feel an adrenaline rush when I recall one of her heroines being locked in a coffin buried alive. Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell and Nora Roberts/JD Robb are examples of successful current female mystery writers who pen compelling, interesting well-written stories. I am equally enthusiastic about reading books by the male gender -- John Grisham, Mike Connelly, Rex Stout, and James Patterson -- because they are well-written with intriguing plots.

On the other hand, as a woman, I do not take offense at "male chauvinist" authors such as Raymond Chandler, if the writing is good and the mystery is solid -- and there is a semi-respectful undertone. Philip Marlowe basically respects his secretary, even though he might call her "doll".

Outside of the mystery genre, with which I'm most familiar, I tend to favor historical novels or biographies. My favorite all-time author is James Clavell and SHOGUN is my favorite novel. Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is still at the top of my list -- and if she chose Truman Capote as her editor--good job. My favorite historical biographies include Doris Goodwin's TEAM OF RIVALS and David McCullough's JOHN ADAMS -- again both well-written. I certainly could not detect that one is written by a man and the other by a woman.

Throughout my career I operated within the male-dominated corporate environment. I do believe that there is a Glass Ceiling that makes it difficult, although not impossible, for women to advance. Therefore, I do admit to a bias today towards new female authors -- sort of to help balance the playing field. However, bottom line, the gender of the author is not what determines a good book -- rather, it's the writing!

Shawn: I agree! Sometimes people can be ignorant about certain cultures or people groups, and their ignorance breeds intolerance and arrogance. I'd like someday to be able to write through diverse POVs, but like you, right now I don't think I could do an adequate job of properly representing the people I'd be writing on behalf of.

What about future works? Have any epics up your sleeve? Do you think that you've found your niche and will be settling in there for a while, or would you cross genres if an idea hit you?

Joyce: I have plans for several future works. My goal is to write three Jillian Hillcrest mysteries. I have published the first; the second is almost ready to go for copyrighting; and I have decided on the plot for the third. Once I finish the trio, I want to research and write a 1940s mystery with a judge as the central character -- a male judge. I'm also working with a colleague on a Management book. At some point, I may return to the Jillian Hillcrest series -- just have to see how plausible more murders are in the life of a pubic relations executive's life. I have many ideas, and am open to others. I want to make up for all those years of not writing my own novels! I really enjoy the art and practice of writing.

Shawn: That's sounds like a good read! Ok, author to author, how do you handle negative reviews? I just got my first, and it's bugging me. Of course I'm only assuming you've had one, not that you deserve one, but whether you're Stephen King or John Grisham, someone is going to put you down at some point. So, do they bother you like they bother me, or am I just a big baby?

Joyce: I am a recently published author so have not yet experienced the dreaded negative review. However, I will not handle it well. I have practiced somewhat with the informal criticism I've received from family and friends. I'm not talking about the input I solicited prior to publication -- I want that input. I'm talking about off-the-cuff remarks like, "I found the first 50 pages boring." When I get over my vetting, and try to engage my mind, I consider the criticism to try to improve my writing. First, however, I wait a few days before doing anything to try to objectify the point. Then I ask "Is the criticism legitimate?" Assuming that I can be objective, I do my best to evaluate it.

The second consideration is: Does the criticism fall within the criteria of my target reader? If a review says there is too much character development, or they really don't want to learn anything -- well, I have to somewhat ignore that because my target readers for the Jillian Hillcrest series do. They like puzzles, want to learn something, like character development, etc. As I try to find that group, I will need to forego those readers who don't like the type of book my target readers enjoy. I think this will be the most difficult objective to observe, but I believe it will pay off with a more devoted readership.

One peripheral point: given my 25 years of experience as a corporate communications practitioner, I am accustomed to receiving "help" writing press releases, white papers, by-lined articles, fact sheets, etc. So to some extent I have practiced receiving negative input. However, I hastily add, that it is different when the story is my own rather than a corporate one.

Shawn: Yeah, I had a couple reviews saying there was too much information in my book. Well, to me, a lot of information in a book makes the book worth having on your shelf. I include a bibliography because I want people to be stimulated by the information and start wondering about these things themselves. So the people that think there’s too much info obviously don't share the same fascination with the things I'm writing about -- which is fine, because as you said, they are not my target audience. However, it’s also a great feeling when someone who doesn’t initially care about the things in the story end up giving it a 5 star review! When you can convert someone to your genre, that’s a great accomplishment!

Because I haven't read your novel yet, this may be an insignificant question. Or maybe it could pertain to future works. Is there a line you draw when writing sex, language, and violence into your stories? To what degree are you comfortable including some more intense or steamy scenes?

Joyce: The line I draw for sex, language, violence or steamy scenes is determined again by the characteristics of my target reader group. For the Jillian Hillcrest series, my target readers want a hint of sex, but not graphic descriptions; they want language appropriate to the character -- so foul language is likely with some characters in certain situations, including my protagonist. They do not expect graphic violence -- even though these are murder mysteries. This series relies more on the puzzle, character development, suspense in solving the mystery, some romance, learning something, and a little humor. For other novels, that might change depending on the characteristics of those target readers.

I have pushed the line somewhat in the second Jillian Hillcrest mystery. So far my test readers like it and claim it is suspenseful. In addition, rather than decreasing the potentially offensive scene, my editor increased the intensity with the addition of some four-letter words to help reinforce my villain's reprehensibleness. My conclusion is that if I don't overuse violence or sex, and if it is part of the character's world, it will be an effective ploy to draw in the reader. I hasten to add that the scene I'm describing is minimal compared to many, but it's a stretch for the Jillian Hillcrest series.

Shawn: Sorry for the delay between questions here, had to mourn my New Orleans Saints loss yesterday... So where can people connect with you and pick up your book?

Joyce: Oh -- sorry about the Saints. I hesitate to tell you that I was on the other side. I lived in the Bay Area for many years, and I've been a 49er Faithful for more years than I care to count. I enjoyed the Montana/Young years and had almost given up on them in recent years. Regardless, Saturday's game was GREAT. Admittedly I was torn, because I've been routing for the Saints since Katrina. But old habits die hard.

First, people can connect with Jillian Hillcrest at her web-site (http://jillianhillcrest.com), blog (http://jillianhillcrest.com/blog) and Facebook page (http://tinyurl.com/8x9wdqc). She blogs about corporate intrigue at her company Harmonia, interesting dates with her ex-husband, Chad, and relevant news items such as how Steve Jobs changed the practice of PR, contributions by the media to expose corrupt governments, and recognition of the courage of reporters to bring us insight into world events, such as Mexico, where several have been killed to cover the drug cartels. On her Facebook page, readers can learn about the latest progress with the marketing of ON MESSAGE and her next books. She also offers clues to potential readers to solve a mystery to win free copies of ON MESSAGE (see "Jillian's Holiday Story").

To learn about Joyce T. Strand the author, or to purchase a book, go to my Webpage (http://joycestrand.com), which serves as a hub. You can learn more about the author, today's cases which inspired the Jillian Hillcrest mysteries, and a link to my blog "Strand's Simply Writing Tips" (http://joycestrand.com/joyceblog)

ON MESSAGE is available as an e-book at all the likely places, including for the Kindle, the Nook, I-book, mybookorders.com. Reviews are posted on Amazon.com. You can order a paperback version now at http://joycestrand.com and eventually at other retail outlets.

The next book in the Jillian Hillcrest mystery series, OPEN MEETINGS, should be available mid-2012. Jillian works with a local reporter concerned about his hometown police department.

Shawn: Well, thanks so much for spending the time here. It was very insightful to me, and I think people will enjoy what you had to share. Good luck!

NOTE: You can also view this interview on my website http://www.shawnhopkinsauthor.com You can also view my other interviews. If you are an author that is interested in being interviewed, go to my website and "contact" me:)
And please "like" this post if you in fact liked it:)

That's right! For Wednesday the 18th and Thursday the 19th, The Solomon Key will be FREE for Kindle via Amazon! Go ahead and grab it!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Solomon-Key...

Also, go check out womensliterarycafe.com for more free ebooks!

Dear reader of my novels:

So, you like my novel? Awesome. How much did you like it? Enough that you want others to read it? Enough that you would want to read another book by me? Really? Hmmm… Well, if you like it THAT much…

Here’s the thing. I’m not what is considered a “successful traditionally published author.” I am what is known as an “Independent author.” That means that I don’t have a literary agent working for me, running around setting up interviews, book signings, getting me the best deals with publishing companies, etc. I do not have a contract with a major publishing company that is pumping half a million dollars into marketing my books. Nope. All I have is my self-published novels… and you.

If you’re a typical reader just looking for the next bestseller, you may not know what goes into self-publishing, about how much work the author puts into it, and how much YOU determine whether or not we succeed. Yup, you control our fate. So, if you did like the book you read by me or another Indie author, do us a favor… spread the word. Shout it from the hilltops!

You may think, “What difference does my opinion make? One non-review isn’t going to make or break an author.” Unfortunately, that seems to be the overall consensus. In fact, I’d be surprised if 5% of readers actually rate or review the books they’ve read. That means that to get 100 ratings, I’ll need to sell a lot of books. But, as Indie authors, we don’t have huge marketing budgets that allow us to reach thousands of people right off the bat. Instead, for the most part, we rely on social networking - Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. We try to get one person at a time interested in spending .99 to 2.99 for our eBook. Hopefully, they buy it, eventually read it, like it, and then review it and spread the word on it. But even if every reader does this, it’s still a long and slow process for the author. A process that takes away from the amount of time he/she would rather be writing.

As Independent authors, writing is probably the easiest thing we do compared to the amount of work it takes to single-handedly and affordably let people know that our book has been written and is worth a read. Sure, some Independent authors may have the money to buy marketing packages, hire editors, and all the things that generally come from being traditionally published, but many do not. Certainly not me. I don't have extra cash to throw into press releases, book trailers, professional editors, cover designers, etc. Rather, I rely on what little skills I have and my more creative friends that so generously choose to help me. So instead of pounding out the next story, I have to take the time to SELL my other books. Something I hate doing. I am not a salesman, and pretending to be makes me uncomfortable. But I have to do it, or no one will know my books even exist.

The simple fact of the matter is that without tons of money to throw into the game, or the resources of a publishing house, getting recognized on a “successful” scale is almost impossible. Without YOU (man, I sound like a politician running for office!).

Now, I’ve come to understand that many readers, (friends and family especially) don’t understand how much an Independent author needs THEM, especially when friends are expecting free copies of our books. They don’t know what it cost us, what our chances of survival are, or they wouldn’t be asking for such things (hopefully). Because, sure, I can give you a copy of my book (I would love to), but it's going to cost me around eight bucks, it won't count as a sale, and when I know you're not going to review it or promote it... In fact, a friend the other day assumed that because I'm an author and work at a school, I must be raking in about 80,000 a year. Indie authors don’t get publishing deals with signing bonuses, rather everything we do to publish a book is out of our pocket. And while it’s true that we get a higher royalty rate than traditional authors, our sales are, for the most part, not even on the map compared to what they can sell with an army of people promoting them 24-7.

So again, how much did you like that novel? Enough to support the author? Well, here are some ways you can help us out.

1. Buy the books. Most Indie authors usually sell their ebooks between .99 and 4.99, and the higher our sales ranking, the more attention we get.

2. If you like the books, tell the world. Write reviews on Amazon, Barnesandnoble, Goodreads, and anywhere else you can think of. When people are looking for a book to read, they usually check out the reviews. The more reviews a book has, the more confident a reader is going to be in buying it. If I have five bucks to spend in the Kindle store, and I have to decide between a book that has 280 reviews or a book that has 2, I'm probably going with the 280. And authors can use excerpts of your reviews to market their books too. Reviews are probably the biggest way to help an author, and it only takes a few minutes.

3. Click the "like" buttons on Amazon book pages and author pages. It takes less than a second:)

4. On the Amazon page, scroll down and select the appropriate tags for the novel. This will increase the chance of the novel coming up in searches. It will also help weed out incorrect tags that misrepresent the book.

5. Follow the author on Twitter if you twitter. When the author posts things, retweet them! The more people that retweet a message, the more people get to read it (obviously).

6. Leave feedback on blogs and Facebook updates (share them too!). It looks better when there is some author/reader interaction on the author's site. It shows that he/she really does have a following, and more people will want to follow, too!

7. And, of course, tell everyone you can about that great book you just read and where they can get it.

8. If you REALLY want to support an author, whenever you're in a bookstore, ask the manager if they carry the book. If not, ask if they would (if it’s a local author, sell them on that). Sometimes this can actually work, depending on the way the author published his/her book. My aunt did that with my first novel, and my local Barnes and Noble carried it on their shelf for years.

9. Buy more books whenever you can. Christmas presents, birthday presents, whatever... It supports the author financially and increases his/her fan base… which can have a trickle down effect (another person retweeting, posting, sharing, reviewing).

There are countless ways you as the reader can help make Indie authors more successful, but I think you get the point. I think in most cases, and I used to be one of these, people just assume that if you're published, you've got it made. That isn't even true of traditionally published authors let alone Indie authors. So, if you help the author spread the word, it would allow him/her more time to do what we really like - write you more stories!