Jessica A. Scott's Blog, page 4

Author Interview: Sergio Gomez and his Dark Treasures

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Hello everyone! And welcome back to my author interview series.

Today I am talking to another member of my Indie Eden book club, Sergio Gomez. His book, Dark Treasures, is a collection of short horror stories that features monsters that range from demented clowns and sewer monsters to just your average, flawed human being. Let’s see what he has to say about Dark Treasures, and about his writing process.

 

 

Hi Sergio! I always like to start my interviews by finding out what authors think that their fans most need to know about them. So, what is the one question that you wish people would ask you about your latest book? (And what is the answer?)

I wish they would ask me what I enjoy writing more; novels or short-stories. My answer would be both, because even though they’re both similar enough, the process behind writing the two forms are radically different when you get down to doing it.

Can you give us a short description of your book or books?

My books are technically horror, and for the sake of filing them into one of the known genres that’s what I call them. But, I actually think they don’t exactly fit the bill of horror. They’re more like stories that explore dark topics like jealousy, heartbreak, loss, loneliness, depression, etc., but the gore and scare factors are never the forefront when I’m putting them together. I’m more interested in writing stories that are relatable to people that may be going through a hard time, or perhaps already been through hard times. I want those people to read my stories and know they’re not alone, and no matter how bad things get, it can never get as bad as the situations my characters are put in.

That’s a really inspiring approach (And as someone who is reading Dark Treasures now, I can say that I hope I never get into a situation as bad as the ones your characters get into! haha). Is there any famous author that inspires you, personally, or that you admire?

Oh yeah, many. Oddly enough, most of the ones that inspire me aren’t horror writers. Stephen King is of course at the top of the list, considering he’s the best that’s ever done it in the genre. The other names that immediately come to mind are Haruki Murakami, William Goldman, Timothy Hallinan, and Richard Laymon. Two names from my childhood that I still tap into to try to emulate when I’m writing for children/teens are Gary Paulsen and S.E. Hinton.

Your book is in the horror genre. What drew you to this genre? Do you also like to read books in this genre?

I don’t think anything in particular drew me into the genre, it’s just what comes out when I write. I’ve tried writing superhero stories, young adult stories, fantasy stories, etc. and the one thing that always seemed constant in them was either the “dark” elements that would snake themselves into them or I’d be focusing a lot on the blood. I eventually started to write what would be my first published novel, a post-apocalyptic story about a father and son, and it felt “right”. [You can find Sergio’s first novel, The Chaos, on Amazon.com]

I do read books in the genre. Not as many as you might expect, but as I mentioned I love Stephen King. I’ve also read a few of the classics like the Hellbound Heart [by Clive Barker] and The Girl Next Door [by Jack Ketchum] and stuff like that.

Who is your target audience for this book? What do you think will appeal to them about Dark Treasures?

The target audience I suppose are horror fans. What would appeal to them is the dark tones of the story. But, I think anyone who wants to entertain themselves with a quick story could also enjoy Dark Treasures. There’s a wide variety of stories, and I tried to write each one with a unique voice, that I think even non-horror fans can find at least one story they enjoy in the collection.

I noticed while reading that each story has a unique voice to it, which made it very interesting to read! When you write a book or a short story, though, do you plan out everything beforehand, or do you let the story follow its own course?

I let the story follow its own course. It makes it exciting for me, and I know that means my excitement will transfer into the writing, which then (hopefully) transfers into excitement for the reader.

Do you have any quirky writing habits?

Not really. I guess I like to always have a drink while I write. Whether it’s water, soda, or coffee. Which means I get up to use the bathroom a lot, haha.

Do you have any writing tips for other writers? (Other than not drinking too much water while they write? :P)

Don’t ever put anything in front of the story. Our jobs as writers are to entertain people, not to try to impress them with how smart we think we are or to deliver our political messages. That stuff has a way of finding itself into stories without you needing to drive it home, so just focus on telling a good story.

That is great advice! Thank you so much for letting me interview you, and telling us about your book.

You can find out more about Sergio Gomez at Authorsergiogomez.com, or on Goodreads. You can find Dark Treasures in both paperback and ebook form on Amazon.com.

 

About the Book:[image error]

Don’t be afraid of the dark. Sometimes there’s treasure in it. A shunned clown with a murderous plot fueled by jealousy, a hungry creature living in the sewers of a small town, a haunted board game that pits friends against each other in a game of life and death, a grim spin on a childhood tale, and four other stories that will grip you and won’t let go until the last page.

About the Author:

Born in Mexico but raised in the United States, Sergio Gomez lives in Philadelphia with his family. He enjoys reading, martial arts, cooking, but most of all writing. His favorite superhero is either Batman or Hellboy depending on the day.

Author Interview: Alexa Linger on Birthright

Hello everyone! And welcome back to my Author Interview series.

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This week, I am chatting with Alexa Linger, a fellow member of my new Facebook book club, Indie Eden. Her book, Birthright, is a Young Adult novel about a small town full of secrets – and the one person responsible for keeping all of those secrets safe. Let’s see what she has to say about her book, and about the writing process!

 

 

 

Hi Alexa! Let’s start out with what might be the most important question. What is the one question that you wish people would ask you about your latest book? (And what is the answer?)

‘Did you base a character on yourself?’ Yes, I did, but it was accidental; something that just sort of happened. Many of my traits and characteristics come out in Ruth-Anne, the main character’s assistant. Ruth-Anne over-mothers everyone, she’s neurotic, she’s disorganized, she always looks slightly disheveled, she has no fashion-sense, and she has “The Look” down (the look your mom gives when you’re about to be in trouble) – that’s all me!

Which typical author interview question do you hate the most? (I won’t be offended if you choose one of mine. :P)

‘Where do you get your inspiration? The problem with that question is inspiration isn’t finite; it can come from anywhere or anything. There’s not a one size fits all answer; you can’t wrap it up and tie a neat little bow around it.

Whew, that wasn’t one of mine. Haha! On a similar topic, though, Is there any famous author that inspires you, or that you admire?

The writing of this book was largely inspired by William Faulkner. It’s said he wrote the novel “As I Lay Dying” (one of my all-time favorites) in about a month and it was published with very little editing. Since I learned that in college, I’ve wanted to write a book in a month like him. And I thought what better way to do that than NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)? When I had the idea for Birthright around Halloween 2016, though, I realized I would have very little time to prepare for NaNoWriMo, which takes place during the month of November. I just started writing, anyway. No character sketches, no outline, no notes – nothing. I was shocked I wrote a 50,000-word novel by December 1st with no preparation because I was so well prepared for NaNoWriMo the previous three years and the most I ever wrote was 26,000 words for them. The difference between this year and the others was Birthright was a story I needed to tell. I fell in love with Downe, the characters, and the story… I felt like I needed to share it.

Other authors that I like are J.K. Rowling, Vladimir Nabokov, Albert Camus, Shakespeare, Kurt Vonnegut, William Faulkner, John Greene, Chuck Palahniuk… the list goes on.

That’s really impressive! Can you give us a short description of Birthright?

Basically, Elisheva Corrine (Ellie) is a sixteen-year-old who’s grieving the death of her grandfather (her guardian/caregiver) when she’s thrust into her role as The Secret Keeper, which was her grandpa’s job before his death. She lives in the community of Downe, which is for all intents and purposes a cult, and she’s responsible for keeping all the members’ secrets (held within objects) safe and secure. Soon, Ellie begins to follow clues left by her grandpa that make her realize not everything is how it seems.

There’s a much better synopsis on the back of the book.

May Updates: Book Club and YouTube Author Page

Hello everyone!

April was a busy time for me – I got a lot of writing done, and I got a lot of great new things started for my brand. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, I have started an author channel on YouTube, where you can find videos meant to help writers find advice and inspiration. I am looking to add video book reviews to the channel moving forward as well, so stay tuned for that!

One of my favorite new additions to the Jessica A. Scott author “brand,” though, is the book club I started on Facebook, called Indie Eden. This book club is for indie and self-published authors who want to share their books with other readers, and for readers who want to discover some great new writers. Every two weeks we will be reading a new indie book and sharing our thoughts on it, as well as anything else that comes to mind. It is sure to be a great environment for readers and writers alike, so feel free to check it out here!

Thanks for reading! And I hope you’ll take advantage of some of my new ideas. Talk to you soon! :)

Author Interview: Deepti Sehgal on How to Transform Your Body and Mind the Ancient Way

Hey everyone! And welcome back to my author interview series.

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This week, I am chatting with Dr. Deepti Sehgal, author of Body & Mind Transformation The Ancient Way. Her book changes the way we look at health and wellness, and introduces many natural and holistic approaches to living a better, healthier, and happier life. Many of these ideas come from our ancestors, who, it turns out, could definitely teach us a thing or two about living!

Let’s see what advice she has to give us about becoming a better version of ourselves – and about writing!

 

 

 

Hi Deepti! I think that the best way to start an interview is to ask the author what they would most like to be asked. What is the one question that you wish people would ask you about your latest book?

Is your book different from other health, diet or wellness books. What new concepts have you covered in your book and how will it help us?

I think we’ve got those covered! Now, on the other side of the coin, which typical author interview question do you hate the most? (I won’t be offended if you choose one of mine. :P)

This very question…lol! I love coming across questions & challenging my mind to think beyond limits. That gives me food for thought for my next book work.

Haha! Point taken.

Portrait of a Sunset FREE Weekend

Hey everyone!

This post is just a reminder that the Kindle version of my latest novel, Portrait of a Sunset, will be free from March 24-March 26, 2017, so don’t forget to check it out! And if you do, be sure to leave a review on its Amazon page – I would love to hear your thoughts on it!

Author Interview: Smriti Bhatia and Her Chocolate Alphabet

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first entry in my author interview series!

 

 

Today, I am interviewing Smriti Bhatia, author of The Chocolate Alphabet![image error], a non-fiction, encyclopedia-style book chock full of fun facts and interesting information about chocolate and our relation to it. Not only is Smriti a published author, she is also a professional chocolate artisan, and has won awards for her chocolate making! As a chocolate enthusiast myself, I couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say about her book and her writing process.

Without any further ado, let’s get to the interview, so we can all learn more about chocolate!! Um, I mean, Smriti.

News and Updates

Hello everyone!

I have some exciting news to share with you today, including some big changes coming to this website! Here’s a list of some of the upcoming events to look out for.

Portrait of a Sunset Sale

From Friday, March 24 to Sunday, March 26, my self-published novel, Portrait of a Sunset, will be FREE on Amazon.com. Don’t miss your chance to download the ebook version at no cost to you, and don’t forget to leave a review to let me know what you think of the book!

Author Interview Series to Begin March 2017

Hello everyone!

Just a quick announcement:

Starting on March 24, 2017, I will be interviewing a new author every Friday on my blog. This is a great opportunity to showcase your talent, and to connect with other authors! If you would like to be included in this interview series, or if you have any questions that you would like me to ask the authors, send me an email at interviews@jessicascottauthor.com.

In the meantime, stick around for more writing tips, essays, and interviews with your favorite new authors!

I have to get back to writing now, so have a great day!

Writers on Writing: 7 Great Quotes to Inspire You to Write When You Feel Like Giving Up

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Continuing on my quest to write content that is helpful to my fellow writers, today I am tapping into a feeling that all authors get from time to time. It’s that nameless, heavy feeling of frustration and hopelessness and depression we all get when we can’t seem to get anyone else to care about the book we spent years slaving over, or when no one is taking us seriously because we write stories for a living, or when we’re suffering from a bad case of writer’s block. It is hard to be a writer, and it is lonely. But we wouldn’t be writers at all if we let this temporary feeling of discouragement keep us from chasing our dreams!

So, here are seven great quotes to help inspire any writer to keep writing. Some are instructional, some are inspirational, but most are just here to show you that you’re not alone, and that you should keep soldiering on with the rest of us.

 

1. Here’s one for that feeling you get when you want to write so badly, but

you just can’t make the words come out on paper.

2. You can’t wait forever for the muse to find you –

sometimes you have to start without it!

3. Know that it won’t be easy, though…

4. …but you have to keep going, one word at a time.

5. Know, though, that you’re not the only one who feels anxious before you start writing.

But you have to push through the fear!

(Quote by Stephen King)

6. Once you decide to really buckle down and write, you have to make it a priority,

and make sure to take the time you need to work –

regardless of others’ demands on your time.

7. Lastly, the most important thing is to remember why you started writing in the first place.

If you keep that in mind, you can’t do anything else but keep moving forward,

until you achieve your dream.

Which quotes about writing inspire you the most? Feel free to share them, so the rest of us can feel inspired too!

Also, if you have achieved your goal of writing a book or a story or even an article for a newspaper, share it in the comments, to give us even more inspiration! You can check out my novels on the Books page of this website.

2017 Writing Contests

Hello everyone!