Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "the-flag-keeper"

Saint Patricks Day Comments




Welcome, everyone, and Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!

My guest author today, Stacy Juba, would like to make your celebrations even more fun by offering you the opportunity to enter to win one of 5 Smashwords downloads of her latest novel, Sink or Swim. Stacy's new book is inspired by reality TV. It has been getting lots of 5 star reviews, and I for one am looking forward to reading it! I'll tell you more about the giveaway later, as well as revealing a discount code for Stacy's children's book The Flag Keeper.









Readers of my blog will know that I am currently running a series of blogs where I am introducing you to my favourite authors. Stacy and I first met online sometime last year and we are both resident authors on BestsellerBound, a message board devised by author Darcia Helle, where indie authors can connect and chat with readers. Over the past year or so, we have become good friends. I loved her book, Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, a mystery based on an unsolved murder from 25 years ago.

Here are Stacy's answers to my interview questions:


Is there a particular author, or book, that inspired you to start writing?

I was inspired as a child by the Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden mystery series. I devoured them, and by fifth grade, was writing my own mystery series about a teenage sleuth named Cathy Summers.

When did you first discover your love of writing?

I got the writing bug in third grade, when I wrote my first thriller. I have folders and folders full of stories from when I was a child. By fifth grade, I was always working on a story. Some were about 50 hand-written pages.

Do you have any tips for someone who is considering self-publishing their own book?

I self-published my children’s picture book The Flag Keeper and the e-book versions of my mystery novels. I would recommend using Create Space to publish a print version as they do quality work, have great customer service, and it’s very inexpensive if you hand them a fully designed PDF. However, don’t expect to make much money on a self-published print book as it’s hard to get it in bookstores and libraries. Focus on the e-books as the e-book market is huge. You can self-publish your e-books through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, Barnes&Noble’s Pub It, and through Smashwords for Kobo, the Sony Reader and other retailers. I recommend selling your e-book for a bargain price such as $2.99.

How did the writing experience for your children's book The Flag Keeper compare with writing your adult books?

You have to write very tight with a picture book so I found myself doing quite a bit of cutting to keep my word count down. You need to leave the description for the illustrator to convey through pictures, while still providing enough details for the illustrator to work with. You also need to choose words that are on a child’s level. It takes me much longer to write a 260-page adult novel, but writing a picture book wasn’t easy by any means. I did a lot of editing and revising to get the story right.

How much research went into writing that book, which I understand is all about flag etiquette? And what gave you the idea for it?

I got the idea because my husband is very patriotic and has always been interested in flags. After we got a flag pole, he would bring out the flag every morning and bring it inside at night. I was surprised he didn’t just leave it out all night, but he explained to me about flag etiquette. For example, you’re not supposed to leave the flag out in the dark unless you have a spotlight. He also taught me other rules of flag etiquette – for example, there is a certain way to fold it. I had representatives of the national American Legion Post and National VFW Post read the story to make sure everything was accurate, and they tweaked a few minor things. The main point they thought I should get across to kids was that you won’t go to jail for breaking these rules, but following them shows your respect.

How did you go about arranging illustrations for the children’s book?

My father actually did the illustrations. He draws as a hobby. At the time, I didn’t know the book was actually going to be published. It started more as a fun project, but it came out so nicely and got such a good response that I decided to publish it. The Flag Keeper is available in paperback and will be coming out in multiple e-book formats including Kindle and Nook, hopefully by early April.

What is the target age group for that book?

The target age is 4-8, but I know some families that have bought it for toddlers to grow into, and some have bought it to read to older children who might have a relative in the military or who are involved with Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts. The illustrations are of a bear family, so it is perfect for young children in pre-school and elementary school.

I read and enjoyed Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, a murder mystery revolving around an unsolved murder.  The main character, Kris Langley, works for a local newspaper.  I understand that you have a background in journalism.  Are any of your experiences of working in that field reflected in the novel?

When I started in journalism, I was a newspaper editorial assistant and obit writer, like my character Kris. One of my responsibilities was compiling the 25 and 50 Years Ago Today column from the microfilm. In the book, Kris stumbles across an unsolved murder while researching her 25 Years Ago Today column. The book is fiction, but I used my newspaper background to make the newsroom setting authentic.

There are many references to Greek mythology in the novel Twenty-Five Years Ago Today.  How much research did you have to do for the novel, and how long did it take you to write?

I loved Greek mythology growing up so didn’t need to do much research for that aspect of the novel. I just had to go back to some of my mythology books and refresh my memory, to find the right myths to mention in the novel. In my book, the murder victim, Diana Ferguson, was an artist inspired by Greek and Roman mythology, and her paintings may provide clues to her death. It took me a couple of years to write the book, and then a couple years to find an agent. The agent ultimately wasn’t able to sell it and I shelved the book for awhile. Then it finaled in the St. Martin’s Press Malice Domestic Competition for new mystery writers and I started submitting to publishers again. I was fortunate to find a small press, Mainly Murder Press, which publishes an impressive line of beautifully designed gift quality trade paperback mystery and suspense novels.

Your new novel, Sink or Swim, which I am looking forward to reading, is a murder/mystery based on reality TV.  Are you a fan of reality TV shows?

I watch reality shows now and then, but it’s mostly sitcoms taking up space on my TiVo. But I was intrigued at how popular reality shows are getting, with these normal people being thrust into the limelight. I wanted to explore what might motivate an ordinary person to try out for a reality show, and inject that into a mystery novel. Reality fans should appreciate the book, but you don’t need to be a reality fan to enjoy it. Most of the novel takes place in my character Cassidy’s hometown, after she returns to her normal life as a personal trainer. I’d describe it as a cross between a cozy mystery and a romantic suspense novel.

Tell us a bit more about the online mock reality TV show that you are currently running on your blog.

I started a new feature called the Sink or Swim 6, where authors can have one of their characters fill out a six-question contestant interview for my fictional reality show Sink or Swim. The author is encouraged to promote the post on the scheduled date so that friends and readers can leave comments. The three characters that draw in the most post at the end of the year will be chosen as the winners of Sink or Swim, and their authors will get some extra publicity. I am booked for a couple months, but will be opening submissions again in mid-May till the end of June for posts to run in the summer and fall.

Summarise you new novel in three or four sentences

Here is a quick blurb for Sink or Swim: How do you change the channel when reality TV turns to murder? After starring on a hit game show set aboard a Tall Ship, personal trainer Cassidy Novak discovers that she has attracted a stalker. Soon, she will need to call SOS for real…

Who are your favourite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?

I really enjoyed the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. Overall, I'm just impressed by the scope of her imagination and how she was able to carry Harry's story through so many novels, and to work under that constant deadline pressure.


Is there a book you own that you’ve read more than once?

I haven’t read a book more than once since I was a teenager – too many books to read, too little time. But I read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton at least 15 times in high school. It was my favorite book at that time.

What was the last book you read?

I just finished Trevor's Song by Susan Helene Gottfried and really enjoyed that. It provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of members of a fictional rock band.

Are you reading a book at the moment?

I’m reading a couple at once – Drowning in Christmas by Judith K. Ivie in print, and Nexus Point by Jaleta Clegg on my e-reader.

What do you think of ebooks?

I love them! It’s a wonderful way for lesser known authors to find readers. As a reader myself, I do prefer print books, however, I own a Sony Reader and love it. I’ve gotten to many free and inexpensive ebooks that I never would have read or heard of otherwise. I’m also thinking of getting a Kindle. I read both print books and e-books.

How important are reviews for you as a writer?

Reviews are extremely important, especially reviews from book bloggers and reviews on sites such as Amazon, Goodreads and Library Thing. Several good reviews on a site such as Amazon can make a prospective reader feel more confident about taking a chance on a new author, and reviews on blogs or on Goodreads can introduce a book and author to new readers. Goodreads reviews feed into the Sony Reader Store, and Library Thing reviews feed into the databases of many library systems, so one simple review can have a great deal of influence.

How do you go about choosing a cover for your books?

My publisher designed the covers for Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim, and was generous enough to allow me to use the same covers for the ebook versions. The designer did a wonderful job and I was given an opportunity for input. My husband is a graphic designer and did The Flag Keeper cover and he will also be my cover designer for some other projects that I have coming up in the near future.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on getting The Flag Keeper into multiple ebook formats and I’ll also be releasing a children’s picture book called Victoria Rose and the Big Bad Noise exclusively in ebook format this spring. I’ll be releasing a short mystery story called Dirty Laundry in ebook format as another way to introduce mystery readers to my work. I’m also gearing up for the release of my young adult paranormal thriller Dark Before Dawn, coming from Mainly Murder Press in early 2012.

Where can people buy your books?

My mystery novels are available in paperback and multiple ebook formats. You can order them at any bookstores. Below are some online links:

Sink or Swim on Amazon

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today on Amazon

The Flag Keeper on Amazon

You can also access links for Barnes & Noble.com, Sony, Nook, Kobo and other retailers at Stacy Juba's store

Do you have your own website or blog where people can read more about your work?

My web site

My blog

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

Thank you to the readers who have given my books a chance and have taken the time to place reviews or recommend my stories to others. I love to interact with readers and book lovers, whether you’ve read my books or not – feel free to friend me on Goodreads.

Here is a discount voucher for The Flag Keeper: Use coupon code VTW7KCSN at checkout to get the book for $7.99, a $4 discount. https://www.createspace.com/3475588

Thank you for answering my questions, Stacy!

Remember, there are 5 Smashwords downloads of Sink or Swim up for grabs, just leave a comment below to enter.
Winners will be picked on 21st March 2011.
Good luck!