Maria Savva's Blog, page 37
February 25, 2013
A-Z of Self-publishing and writing tips: T
I'm only covering the letter T today, because I found that I almost wrote a novella about how to use Twitter! (see below). There are also a few other things beginning with T mentioned.
T
Twitter:
I have found Twitter to be an invaluable resource for promoting my books. I know that some people hate it. I don't claim to be an expert, but in the past couple of years I have built up just over 12,000 followers. I'm not sure if that's a good number or not, but it seems like a decent amount to me. I haven't bought any followers from anywhere either; these are just people who follow me and I follow most of them back.
I think Twitter works best when you follow a few rules:
1. Always follow people back when they follow you (unless they are spammers or some other kind of lunatic).
2. Thank people for RTs (re-Tweets) when you can, or alternatively you can RT something that they have Tweeted. RTs are always welcomed, as these help with promotion.
3. Interact with your followers. By this, I mean, if someone asks you something, you should respond to them (again, provided that they are not a spammer or a lunatic).
4. To build up your following to begin with you need to follow people. This may seem obvious to most people, but there seem to be those who think that people will just follow them. If you're Lady Gaga, or someone like that, you would be right to think that you don't really need to follow people to have them follow you; otherwise, I think you should make some effort, or you'll be left with hardly any followers and Tweeting to yourself.
5. Use the hashtags. This does come with a warning though. For example there is #FF for Follow Friday, where you list people who you follow, that you would recommend to others. For writers there is #WW Writer Wednesday, where you recommend writers that you follow.
The WARNING is this: Twitter is on the lookout of for spammers. They seem to be unable to get rid of real spammers, (you know, the ones who send you DMs that say 'have you seen this pic of you lol,' or 'someone is saying real bad things about you in this blog' with a dodgy link), but Twitter does hone in on people who mention lots of other Twitter names in their tweets, or people who use the reply function often.
My account was recently suspended because I did a lot of #FF mentions on one particular day. I was informed that the reason my account was suspended was that I used the 'mention' and 'reply' functions too much. I did eventually manage to get my account back, but it was very annoying.
So, #FF and #WW are a good way to get more followers and to keep your followers, as long as you don't overdo things. Try to vary your tweets on days when you're doing these types of mentions so that your account won't look like a spammer's account.
6. Trending topics are a good way to get your account noticed. What I mean by this is that on the left hand side of the page you'll see the list of popular topics on twitter i.e. those that lots of people are tweeting about. If you can join in with one of those topics, you should see that you gain a few more followers. For example, I recently joined in on one that was #SongsThatMakeMeCry and noticed that I got quite a few new followers on that day. Whether it was a coincidence or not, I can't be sure.
7. If you have something that you want to promote on a particular day and need help with RTs, I find it is a good idea to RT other Twitter users on your Twitter feed randomly, i.e. those that you wouldn't usually RT, and this will usually result in those people Tweeting something for you.
8. Something that is off-putting is where someone is always Tweeting about their own stuff and not about anything else. Unless you are very famous, this tactic will not work, and will result in you losing followers.
9. You can use justunfollow.com to find out who unfollowed you, and who is not following you back. This enables you to unfollow them. A word of warning here though. Twitter also doesn't like people who follow a lot of people on one particular day, or unfollow a lot of people on one day as this could be seen as the action of a bot. Be careful, and try to limit the following and unfollowing, and spread it out a bit.
10. You can use Hootsuite.com to schedule Tweets to go out from your Twitter account at times when you won't be able to Tweet e.g. when you are sleeping or working. There is a free version which I use sometimes, and find it particularly useful when I have a special promotion going on so that I can reach all time zones. There's also a version you can pay for that does other things, like clean your house for you (just checking that you are still concentrating!). No, actually, I don't know what the paid-for version does, but it probably allows you to schedule more Tweets in advance and other such stuff. You can find out on the website.
11. There are ways of getting more followers by joining certain groups. For example, there are groups here on Goodreads where you can list your Twitter name and others will follow you back. I have also joined the World Literary Cafe's Twitter Follows group. Here's a link where you can leave your Twitter name to be followed by others, and you then follow them back: http://www.worldliterarycafe.com/cont...
12. The aim on Twitter is build up a following so that when you Tweet about your work it will reach a wider audience. Where you RT other people's Tweets they are more likely to Tweet yours, so you reach an even wider audience each time you tweet.
13. Tweet about things you enjoy and you will find like-minded people to connect with, which makes the whole Twitter experience all that more interesting.
14. There are daily or weekly papers that you can set up to automatically tweet from your Twitter account, where you help promote other Twitter accounts. This will result in more RTs for your own work, and it helps to keep your account active when you're away from the Internet for a while because the paper will Tweet from your account daily or weekly, depending on your settings. Go here, and log in with your Twitter account to set up your paper: https://paper.li/ - It only takes a few minutes and it will post the paper to your account automatically (as long as you request that in the settings), so once you've set it up, you don't need to do anything else to maintain it.
15. BookBuzzr on Freado.com allows you to set up tweets that link to samples of your writing. These will be tweeted daily or weekly, depending on your preference.
16. A hashtag that is useful for writers for promotion is #SampleSunday, where each Sunday you can provide a link to a sample chapter of your work. Other authors who take part in this will RT that for you.
If anyone else has any Twitter tips, please feel free to list them in the comments section below.
Triberr
I am quickly mentioning this only because I know that some of my indie author friends swear by it. I haven't worked out how it works, but if you have time, it might be worth having a look into. http://triberr.com/
Tumblr
I have a Tumblr.com account but don't use it often as there are just too many networking sites to keep up with. It is quite a popular site, though, and is another way you can spread the word about your work. You can also blog from that site. It's similar to Twitter in that you follow other users and they follow you back, but there is not a restriction as to the amount of words you use. You can post videos and photos there too.
Time
Time management is very important as a self-published author. When you self-publish, you do your own promotion, and most of your own editing, so this can lead to very little time to do much else, especially as most of us also have full time day jobs.
It's important to make sure you have time for the things that are important in your writing life. I haven't come across the secret formula for creating more time, but if somebody else does, please let me know.
Try to find a balance that works for you and find ways to organise your time so that you don't work around the clock and burn out.
I would suggest finding one or two networking sites that work for you and devoting the promotion time to those sites. Have a realistic schedule for your blog, maybe run a series, like this one that I am doing, so that you have something that people might want to keep up with and will follow the blog, so you don't have to worry about losing followers if you're away from the blog for a few days or weeks.
If you find that you don't have enough time to write, think about what you could do less of to make more time. For example, I have had to cut down the amount of book reviews I do so that I can keep up with my own writing. Having said that, it's important to keep reading other people's work because the more you read the better your own writing will be. Reading is great for fuelling our imagination.
One way to make more time, is to use an editor for your novels, so that you spend less time having to read and re-read your own work.
It's all trial and error, but find the balance that works for you, and concentrate your time there. It's more productive to have one good blog where you can promote and keep your readers up to date, than to have multiple blogs and lessen the impact of those because you don't have time to promote them.
Networking with other writers helps with time management because you can have a support network. Usually other authors will help to promote your books if you do the same for them; so at times when you're not around on the Internet the chances are someone else will be tweeting something about your work.
Also, as mentioned above, apps like Hootsuite are great for helping with time management because you can schedule promotion for when you're not around. Wordpress blogs have a similar scheduling system, so you can set up posts days or weeks in advance.
I have to say, I find managing my time one of the most challenging things about being an indie author. If anyone else has any tips, please leave them in the comments section below.
Trailers
Book Trailers. Just like Twitter (and Marmite) some people love them and some people hate them.
Personally, I think anything that can positively add to your book marketing campaign is a good thing. I like book trailers. I can't say that I've ever bought a book because of a book trailer, but maybe I might have found out about a book because of a book trailer. So it all adds to promotion and exposure for your book.
I make my own book trailers, and you can find them on my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/MariaSavv...
One of our Bestsellerbound.com members, Magnolia Belle, makes book trailers.
Here's a promotional video for the book trailers she makes: http://youtu.be/RUGFeenMKcs
She made a couple of trailers for our Bestsellerbound Anthologies. Here's a link to one of them: http://youtu.be/kIWsIIKyobI
I've recently found out about an innovative company, Red 14 Films, that makes cinematic book trailers. They believe that book trailers are a great marketing tool. Here's a link to their website where you can view some of the trailers they have made: http://red14films.com/
Also, at the moment they're running a contest where you can win a free 30 second cinematic book trailer. You just have to subscribe to their website to enter. There'll be a raffle in March to choose the winner.
Targeting your readership
I think one of the most important things for any writer is to find a target readership and focus on promoting to that group. It's harder for writers (like me) who write in many different genres, but if you only write in one genre, you can use this tactic effectively to find a following.
There are many different websites that promote one type of book; for example, some sites only promote romance, others are set up to promote science fiction, etc. You should use Google to find such websites and blogs and try to get your books listed.
I'm going to promote my crime fiction novel, Haunted, on a website this week Fantastic Books Publishing. They are doing a spotlight on Crime Fiction on the 28th February 2013, so it will be interesting to see what result that achieves in terms of book sales.
Targeting a specific audience does work. For example, I recently promoted my novel, Second Chances, on EReader News Today (ENT), in their 'Bargain Books' promotion. They have a huge following of readers who are looking for bargain e-books; so I lowered the price of the book to 99 cents and it was promoted on the site for a couple of days (ENT takes 25% of your total royalties for sales over the 2 day promotion). The result was 140 sales overnight, and another 50 sales since the promotion ended. Okay, the royalties on 99 cents (given that you only get 35% of that from Amazon) is not great, but the exposure is a good way to find a new readership. Here's a link if any authors want to try it: http://ereadernewstoday.com/bargain-k...
Similarly, for a short term boost to sales, and to make your book more widely available to an audience who might not otherwise try it, the Amazon KDP Select free promotion days can be good.
I hope you'll find these tips helpful!
T
Twitter:
I have found Twitter to be an invaluable resource for promoting my books. I know that some people hate it. I don't claim to be an expert, but in the past couple of years I have built up just over 12,000 followers. I'm not sure if that's a good number or not, but it seems like a decent amount to me. I haven't bought any followers from anywhere either; these are just people who follow me and I follow most of them back.
I think Twitter works best when you follow a few rules:
1. Always follow people back when they follow you (unless they are spammers or some other kind of lunatic).
2. Thank people for RTs (re-Tweets) when you can, or alternatively you can RT something that they have Tweeted. RTs are always welcomed, as these help with promotion.
3. Interact with your followers. By this, I mean, if someone asks you something, you should respond to them (again, provided that they are not a spammer or a lunatic).
4. To build up your following to begin with you need to follow people. This may seem obvious to most people, but there seem to be those who think that people will just follow them. If you're Lady Gaga, or someone like that, you would be right to think that you don't really need to follow people to have them follow you; otherwise, I think you should make some effort, or you'll be left with hardly any followers and Tweeting to yourself.
5. Use the hashtags. This does come with a warning though. For example there is #FF for Follow Friday, where you list people who you follow, that you would recommend to others. For writers there is #WW Writer Wednesday, where you recommend writers that you follow.
The WARNING is this: Twitter is on the lookout of for spammers. They seem to be unable to get rid of real spammers, (you know, the ones who send you DMs that say 'have you seen this pic of you lol,' or 'someone is saying real bad things about you in this blog' with a dodgy link), but Twitter does hone in on people who mention lots of other Twitter names in their tweets, or people who use the reply function often.
My account was recently suspended because I did a lot of #FF mentions on one particular day. I was informed that the reason my account was suspended was that I used the 'mention' and 'reply' functions too much. I did eventually manage to get my account back, but it was very annoying.
So, #FF and #WW are a good way to get more followers and to keep your followers, as long as you don't overdo things. Try to vary your tweets on days when you're doing these types of mentions so that your account won't look like a spammer's account.
6. Trending topics are a good way to get your account noticed. What I mean by this is that on the left hand side of the page you'll see the list of popular topics on twitter i.e. those that lots of people are tweeting about. If you can join in with one of those topics, you should see that you gain a few more followers. For example, I recently joined in on one that was #SongsThatMakeMeCry and noticed that I got quite a few new followers on that day. Whether it was a coincidence or not, I can't be sure.
7. If you have something that you want to promote on a particular day and need help with RTs, I find it is a good idea to RT other Twitter users on your Twitter feed randomly, i.e. those that you wouldn't usually RT, and this will usually result in those people Tweeting something for you.
8. Something that is off-putting is where someone is always Tweeting about their own stuff and not about anything else. Unless you are very famous, this tactic will not work, and will result in you losing followers.
9. You can use justunfollow.com to find out who unfollowed you, and who is not following you back. This enables you to unfollow them. A word of warning here though. Twitter also doesn't like people who follow a lot of people on one particular day, or unfollow a lot of people on one day as this could be seen as the action of a bot. Be careful, and try to limit the following and unfollowing, and spread it out a bit.
10. You can use Hootsuite.com to schedule Tweets to go out from your Twitter account at times when you won't be able to Tweet e.g. when you are sleeping or working. There is a free version which I use sometimes, and find it particularly useful when I have a special promotion going on so that I can reach all time zones. There's also a version you can pay for that does other things, like clean your house for you (just checking that you are still concentrating!). No, actually, I don't know what the paid-for version does, but it probably allows you to schedule more Tweets in advance and other such stuff. You can find out on the website.
11. There are ways of getting more followers by joining certain groups. For example, there are groups here on Goodreads where you can list your Twitter name and others will follow you back. I have also joined the World Literary Cafe's Twitter Follows group. Here's a link where you can leave your Twitter name to be followed by others, and you then follow them back: http://www.worldliterarycafe.com/cont...
12. The aim on Twitter is build up a following so that when you Tweet about your work it will reach a wider audience. Where you RT other people's Tweets they are more likely to Tweet yours, so you reach an even wider audience each time you tweet.
13. Tweet about things you enjoy and you will find like-minded people to connect with, which makes the whole Twitter experience all that more interesting.
14. There are daily or weekly papers that you can set up to automatically tweet from your Twitter account, where you help promote other Twitter accounts. This will result in more RTs for your own work, and it helps to keep your account active when you're away from the Internet for a while because the paper will Tweet from your account daily or weekly, depending on your settings. Go here, and log in with your Twitter account to set up your paper: https://paper.li/ - It only takes a few minutes and it will post the paper to your account automatically (as long as you request that in the settings), so once you've set it up, you don't need to do anything else to maintain it.
15. BookBuzzr on Freado.com allows you to set up tweets that link to samples of your writing. These will be tweeted daily or weekly, depending on your preference.
16. A hashtag that is useful for writers for promotion is #SampleSunday, where each Sunday you can provide a link to a sample chapter of your work. Other authors who take part in this will RT that for you.
If anyone else has any Twitter tips, please feel free to list them in the comments section below.
Triberr
I am quickly mentioning this only because I know that some of my indie author friends swear by it. I haven't worked out how it works, but if you have time, it might be worth having a look into. http://triberr.com/
Tumblr
I have a Tumblr.com account but don't use it often as there are just too many networking sites to keep up with. It is quite a popular site, though, and is another way you can spread the word about your work. You can also blog from that site. It's similar to Twitter in that you follow other users and they follow you back, but there is not a restriction as to the amount of words you use. You can post videos and photos there too.
Time
Time management is very important as a self-published author. When you self-publish, you do your own promotion, and most of your own editing, so this can lead to very little time to do much else, especially as most of us also have full time day jobs.
It's important to make sure you have time for the things that are important in your writing life. I haven't come across the secret formula for creating more time, but if somebody else does, please let me know.
Try to find a balance that works for you and find ways to organise your time so that you don't work around the clock and burn out.
I would suggest finding one or two networking sites that work for you and devoting the promotion time to those sites. Have a realistic schedule for your blog, maybe run a series, like this one that I am doing, so that you have something that people might want to keep up with and will follow the blog, so you don't have to worry about losing followers if you're away from the blog for a few days or weeks.
If you find that you don't have enough time to write, think about what you could do less of to make more time. For example, I have had to cut down the amount of book reviews I do so that I can keep up with my own writing. Having said that, it's important to keep reading other people's work because the more you read the better your own writing will be. Reading is great for fuelling our imagination.
One way to make more time, is to use an editor for your novels, so that you spend less time having to read and re-read your own work.
It's all trial and error, but find the balance that works for you, and concentrate your time there. It's more productive to have one good blog where you can promote and keep your readers up to date, than to have multiple blogs and lessen the impact of those because you don't have time to promote them.
Networking with other writers helps with time management because you can have a support network. Usually other authors will help to promote your books if you do the same for them; so at times when you're not around on the Internet the chances are someone else will be tweeting something about your work.
Also, as mentioned above, apps like Hootsuite are great for helping with time management because you can schedule promotion for when you're not around. Wordpress blogs have a similar scheduling system, so you can set up posts days or weeks in advance.
I have to say, I find managing my time one of the most challenging things about being an indie author. If anyone else has any tips, please leave them in the comments section below.
Trailers
Book Trailers. Just like Twitter (and Marmite) some people love them and some people hate them.
Personally, I think anything that can positively add to your book marketing campaign is a good thing. I like book trailers. I can't say that I've ever bought a book because of a book trailer, but maybe I might have found out about a book because of a book trailer. So it all adds to promotion and exposure for your book.
I make my own book trailers, and you can find them on my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/MariaSavv...
One of our Bestsellerbound.com members, Magnolia Belle, makes book trailers.
Here's a promotional video for the book trailers she makes: http://youtu.be/RUGFeenMKcs
She made a couple of trailers for our Bestsellerbound Anthologies. Here's a link to one of them: http://youtu.be/kIWsIIKyobI
I've recently found out about an innovative company, Red 14 Films, that makes cinematic book trailers. They believe that book trailers are a great marketing tool. Here's a link to their website where you can view some of the trailers they have made: http://red14films.com/
Also, at the moment they're running a contest where you can win a free 30 second cinematic book trailer. You just have to subscribe to their website to enter. There'll be a raffle in March to choose the winner.
Targeting your readership
I think one of the most important things for any writer is to find a target readership and focus on promoting to that group. It's harder for writers (like me) who write in many different genres, but if you only write in one genre, you can use this tactic effectively to find a following.
There are many different websites that promote one type of book; for example, some sites only promote romance, others are set up to promote science fiction, etc. You should use Google to find such websites and blogs and try to get your books listed.
I'm going to promote my crime fiction novel, Haunted, on a website this week Fantastic Books Publishing. They are doing a spotlight on Crime Fiction on the 28th February 2013, so it will be interesting to see what result that achieves in terms of book sales.
Targeting a specific audience does work. For example, I recently promoted my novel, Second Chances, on EReader News Today (ENT), in their 'Bargain Books' promotion. They have a huge following of readers who are looking for bargain e-books; so I lowered the price of the book to 99 cents and it was promoted on the site for a couple of days (ENT takes 25% of your total royalties for sales over the 2 day promotion). The result was 140 sales overnight, and another 50 sales since the promotion ended. Okay, the royalties on 99 cents (given that you only get 35% of that from Amazon) is not great, but the exposure is a good way to find a new readership. Here's a link if any authors want to try it: http://ereadernewstoday.com/bargain-k...
Similarly, for a short term boost to sales, and to make your book more widely available to an audience who might not otherwise try it, the Amazon KDP Select free promotion days can be good.
I hope you'll find these tips helpful!
February 17, 2013
SECOND CHANCES is on sale!
Just wanted to let you all know that following a successful promotion of Second Chances with EReader News Today, I have decided to keep the low price of 99 cents/77p for the Kindle version until the end of February. I won't be doing any more free promotions for my existing books, so this is the lowest price you can get the book for.
Here's a link to the book on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chances-...
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Chance...
It's also on all other worldwide Amazon stores at the same price.
Here's a link to the book on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chances-...
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Chance...
It's also on all other worldwide Amazon stores at the same price.
The Very Inspiring Blogger Award
I have been nominated for this award by author, Susan Buchanan. You can read her post here: http://susancbuchanan.blogspot.co.uk/...
Thanks, Sooz!
Here are the rules of the Very Inspiring Blogger Award:
1. Display the award logo on your blog
2. Link back to the person who nominated you
3. State 7 things about yourself
4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award and link to them
So, here are 7 things about me:
1. I don't own a smartphone
2. I have nearly 400 unread books on my Kindle
3. As a child, I had a pet ferret
4. My favourite books as a child were by C.S. Lewis
5. I watch EastEnders
6. I am rubbish at Hide 'n' Seek, according to my 5 year old niece
7. I can usually be found daydreaming.
Now to tag some bloggers:
J. Michael Radcliffe: http://michaelradcliffe.wordpress.com/
Jason McIntyre: http://www.thefarthestreaches.com/
Danielle Monique: http://somedayandnever.wordpress.com/
Dionne Lister: http://dionnelisterwriter.wordpress.com/
Doreen Cox: http://doreencox.blogspot.co.uk/
Quentin Bufogle: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Seumas Gallacher: http://seumasgallacher.com/
Julie Elizabeth Powell: http://www.freewebs.com/julizpow/blog...
Darcia Helle: http://quietfurybooks.com/blog/
Andrew Peters: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Kimm Walker: http://nutsandcrisps.wordpress.com/
Justin Bog: http://justinbog.com/
Ben Ditmars: http://niceoldspice.blogspot.co.uk/
Stacy Juba: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/blog/
Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick: http://thetaleisthething.blogspot.co.uk/
February 16, 2013
Introducing Helle Gade, author of Silent Dreams & a giveaway!
I'm thrilled to be introducing you today to one of my favourite online friends. Up until a few months ago, Helle Gade, was an avid reader who dreamed of becoming a published writer. She has now accomplished that dream, by publishing her first collection of poetry, Silent Dreams.
Even though I don't read much poetry and it's not my usual reading choice, and even though I have over 300 unread books on my Kindle, I just knew I had to read Helle's collection. I knew, from getting to know about her online, that this would be a great book, and it is.
Below, you can read an interview with Helle, and she has also generously agreed to give away an e-book copies of "Silent Dreams" to two of my blog followers. To enter, you just need to leave a comment, or 'like' this blog post. Two lucky winners will be chosen on 28th February 2013.
Here's the interview:
Welcome, Helle. Your debut book has recently been released. Congratulations! "Silent Dreams", is a collection of poetry. When did you start writing poetry?
First of all, thank you Maria for interviewing me for your blog. I’m honored to be here.
I started writing poetry in October 2012, so I’m quite new at this. I have never read much poetry, not since I went to school. Most of the poetry I have read I never understood, not until I read some of my indie poet/author friend’s works. That’s when I understood that poetry is what you want it to be. It doesn’t have to be long and complicated to be poetry. I really love that several of the people that have read my book, they don’t normally read poetry and they connected with my words.
I'm so impressed that you only started writing poetry in October! Your collection "Silent Dreams" is so polished, it gives the impression you've been writing for years!
The poems in "Silent Dreams" are divided into four sections: Chaos, Nordic, Darkness, Joy. The poems all seem very personal. Are they all inspired by your own life, or have you also included some fiction?
They are mostly personal. I suffer from Fibromyalgia and most of my poetry is inspired by my life with fib. Some of them are about the pain and confusion, and others are about appreciating the simple pleasures in life. There are also a few that are fiction.
Sorry to hear about the fibromyalgia. I did wonder where the imspiration for the pain expressed in your poetry came from.
One of my favorites in the collection is "Watching". What inspired that particular poem?
Because of the fibromyalgia, I live an isolated life. I simply don’t have the energy to interact with people much outside the Internet. So I often feel like an observer on the sideline. That is what sparked the poem and from there on it got a life on its own. ;)
Do you have a favorite poem in the collection? If so, tell us a bit about it.
It’s hard to choose one favorite since love them all, but I guess that "Victory", and "Warrior", stand out for me.
"Warrior" actually started out as a description for one of the characters in the paranormal romance novel I’m working on, but somehow it turned into a poem. "Victory" is about holding my head high through a rough life.
Did you write all the poems for "Silent Dreams" with a view to publishing them in a collection?
Well, I wrote my first poem ever in October 2012 and three months later I suddenly had a book ready. So no, I didn’t expect to ever publish a poetry collection. It just sort of happened.
Are you working on any other books?
I’m working on a picture book, sort of a Kindle coffee-table e-book. I’m also working on a paranormal romance novel and I might publish another poetry collection this year. I try to just go with the flow, I hate deadlines.
Well, that's one of the great things about indie publishing; deadlines don't exist!
I know that as well as a writer, you are a keen photographer. Have you studied photography, or is this just a hobby?
It’s a hobby/obsession that started when I got my first camera as a teenager. The obsession really took off when I got first digital camera. The ability to see the pictures immediately and delete them was amazing. It gave me the freedom to take 50 pictures of the same scene until I got the perfect picture. That is how I have learned to take good pictures.
If you had to choose between writing and photography, which would you choose?
That is a hard choice. I love to write but I think it would be photography. Everywhere I go and everything I see is a potential picture. You could say that I see the world through an imaginary camera. The possibilities are endless and if I don’t have a camera with me when I go out, then I go nuts. I’m serious; I become really grumpy.
LOL, that's what I'm like if I don't have time to write!
If you could go anywhere in the world to take photographs, where would you go and what would you take photos of?
I would love to go to Japan. They have everything, mountains, amazing nature, artistic gardens, fascinating architecture and history.
I know that you read a lot. Who are your favorite writers?
My absolute all-time favorites are C.S. Lewis, J.R. Tolkien, Barbara Bickmore, Knud Holten, Ilona Andrews and Yasmine Galenorn. I have reread them over and over. I could mention many more, like all the amazing indie authors whose books I have read since December 2011 when I joined Twitter and discovered the indie world.
Were there any writers that inspired you to start writing?
One day I got fed up with all the daydreams and voices in my head, so I sat down and began writing. I was lucky to meet Melissa Craig shortly after on Twitter in December 2011. She was the first to encourage me to write. The fact that she had only been writing a year when she published her first book was a huge inspiration. Amber Jerome~Norrgard, Ben Ditmars, and Robert Zimmermann, are the ones that inspired me to write poetry and I’ll forever be grateful for that.
What is a good book you've read lately that you can recommend to us?
I just finished Gnomes of Coyul: The Crystal Staff by Ben Ditmars. It’s an awesome fantasy book about gnomes.
Do you have any tips for someone who might be thinking of self-publishing a book?
Talk to as many indie authors as you can about their experiences.
Take pride in your work and don’t rush it.
And always use an editor.
Ah, yes, sound advice
Some of the poetry in Silent Dreams is inspired by Norse mythology; is this a subject that you have studied?
Only as a hobby. I grew up reading the award winning comic book series Valhalla by Peter Madsen. It’s so popular that it’s translated into 11 languages. It depicts the Norse gods, especially Thor and Loki and all their crazy adventures in fun way. I have loved Norse mythology ever since I read the series the first time. I always love a good book where the old gods come out to play.
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At the end of your collection there are two poems that are written in Danish. I would personally love to see the English translation of those. Do you have any plans to make those available?
I have translated Danmark for you ;)
Denmark
My home is under the red and white flag
Along the turbulent sea
Beneath the green beech
Amongst the valiant Vikings
Gudenaaen winds around my heart
In the east Jutlandic soil

Gudenaaen is Denmark’s longest stream and it runs through the area where I live.
Thanks, Helle!
From following you on Facebook, I know you love big cats! Do you have a favorite big cat?
My favorite is the tiger, but I love all big cats. They are so powerful and graceful. I find it a bit ironic since I’m a dog person. LOL
As you are a fellow chocolate lover, which is the best in your opinion: white, milk, or dark chocolate?
Milk chocolate! Always and forever!
Ha, ha! I prefer dark chocolate, but only because of my intolerance to cow's milk
Do you prefer e-books or print books?
I love print books, but I mostly buy e-books now. I love that I have a whole library in my smartphone and I love the lit screen, I can read no matter where I am or what the lighting conditions are.
Where are the best places for people to connect with you online?
http://www.facebook.com/authorhellegade
http://twitter.com/helle_gade
http://www.goodreads.com/hellegade
Helle also has a blog, here: http://hellegade.wordpress.com/ where you can view some of her photographs!
Where can people buy your book?
You can by my book on
Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Dreams-e...
Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-Dreams...
Thank you for answering my questions, Helle! I wish you every success with your future writing and photography. I'm looking forward to reading more of your work.
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If you'd like to enter the giveaway to win a copy of Helle's book, please 'like' this post or leave a comment below. Good luck!
February 14, 2013
A Very British Blog Tour 2013!
The lovely Terry Tyler has invited me to take part in the Very British Blog Tour 2013. Here's a link to her blog where you can read her answers to the questions, and there are links to some other authors' blogs.
http://terrytyler59.blogspot.co.uk/
The idea behind the tour is to introduce readers to British writers.
Here are my answers to the questions:
Q. Where were you born and where do you live at the moment?
A. I was born in London and I live in London. I did spend a few years living in Hertfordshire, but I'm back in London now. My sister recently bought a house that's only a few doors down from where I was born, actually. It used to be a maternity hospital, but it's an old people's home now, so whenever I visit my sister, I am literally just a few yards away from the place where I was born.
Q. Have you always lived and worked in Britain or are you based elsewhere at the moment?
A. I've always lived and worked in Britain.
Q. Which is your favourite part of Britain?
A. Being a Londoner, I would have to say London. I love the buzz of the city. I have to say, though, I do like to escape to the countryside sometimes. Hertfordshire, where I lived for a while, has some very nice little towns and villages.
Q. Have you ‘highlighted’ or ‘showcased’ any particular part of Britain in your books? For example, a town or city; a county, a monument or some well-known place or event?
A. As writers, we draw our inspiration from the world around us, I think; so yes, I've always tended to set my books in London, or places that are very much like London even if fictional. I recently wrote a short story for the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology which is set in the area around Russell Square in London. I mentioned the 2011 London riots in my book, Haunted. I also mentioned red telephone boxes in that book too! I've mentioned the London Underground in many of my books and stories, and I'm sure I've made lots of references to London and British places and things in my novels over the years.
Q. There is an illusion – or myth if you wish - about British people that I would like you to discuss. Many see the ‘Brits’ as ‘stiff upper lip’. Is that correct?
A. I think it's more of an upper/middle class thing... Yes, sadly, we still have remnants of a class system in this country. I think the average Brit is quite comfortable showing emotion these days, but maybe twenty to thirty years ago, demonstrative behaviour was still frowned upon by those in high places (still is by some, unfortunately)... We're slowly breaking out of that mould, I believe (I hope!).
Q. Do any of the characters in your books carry the ‘stiff upper lip’? Or are they all ‘British Bulldog’ and unique in their own way?
A. I have written hundreds of characters over the years, and they all tend to be inspired by real people. There have been some with a stiff upper lip, and some who are quite the opposite... It all depends on the story, I suppose. Most of my characters tend to be British, though.
Q. Tell us about one of your recent books
A. "Haunted" is my latest novel, and I'm very proud of it because it is my first thriller and is being well received by lifelong thriller fans. It's about a man who, in a moment of rage, does something he regrets, and it's a study into how that one act affects the rest of his life, and in particular his mind; although the book also looks at how the people around him, and the victim's family, are changed by the repercussions of the event.
Q. What are you currently working on?
A. I'm editing a collection of short stories. It was meant to be a collection of some old short stories I found on my computer and on an old floppy disk, but I have since written three new stories for the collection, and added a 'Part 2' to one of the old stories. One of the new stories is in four parts, and is called Delusions & Dreams. I'm using that as the title for the anthology. I hope to publish it in the next few months. I've also started writing a sixth novel, but it's been put on the back burner until I finish the short story collection.
Q. How do you spend your leisure time?
A. I hardly have any leisure time. I work full time, then when I get home I try and catch up with a bit of writing or promotion of my books online. I usually get waylaid by Facebook and Twitter. I try to read and review books for fellow indie authors because I know how hard it is to get our books noticed out there; that takes up a lot of time too. I hardly have time to relax. When I do, I like to listen to music, go to concerts, the theatre, comedy nights, that sort of thing.
Q. Do you write for a local audience or a global audience?
A. World domination... Is there any other reason to write? But seriously, I write the stories that come into my head and I am happy that a global audience seems to appreciate them as I have readers in many countries who enjoy my books, and I'm very thankful for that.
Q. Can you provide links to your work?
My website: http://www.mariasavva.com has links to all my books. There are excerpts from some of the books, and book trailers; purchase links, and more.
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I would like to invite the following British authors to take part in this tour:
Julie Elizabeth Powell
Andrew Blackman
Andrew Peters
Tasha Harrison
Alex Sumner
Gareth Lewis
Mark Rice
James Everington
Neil Schiller
Second Chances - special promotion
My novel, Second Chances, is being promoted on EReader News Today's website as a Bargain Book: http://ereadernewstoday.com/kindle-da...
The price is 99 cents or 77p for Kindle.
Remember, you can read Kindle books on your iPhone, iPad, smartphone, PC, or Mac, when you download the free apps from Amazon.
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chances-...
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Chance...
The price is 99 cents or 77p for Kindle.
Remember, you can read Kindle books on your iPhone, iPad, smartphone, PC, or Mac, when you download the free apps from Amazon.
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chances-...
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Chance...
International Book Giving Day!
I've just found out that today is International Book Giving Day. This is a wonderful idea to help encourage children to read. Here's a link to the official website that tells you all about how you can get involved: http://bookgivingday.com/
You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter at the following links:
http://www.facebook.com/BookGivingDay
http://twitter.com/BookGivingDay
You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter at the following links:
http://www.facebook.com/BookGivingDay
http://twitter.com/BookGivingDay
February 10, 2013
Introducing musician, Joe Gande!
I've been lucky to discover lots of great independent musicians on the internet in the last few years. Today, I'm thrilled to be introducing you to Joe Gande, a very talented musician who has an excellent album, The Godsend Sessions. After listening to his album, I was keen to invite him here to discuss that and also his other projects.
Here's the interview:
Welcome, Joe. First of all, congratulations on your album, The Godsend Sessions, I have enjoyed listening to the songs. It seems to be very blues influenced. Who were your musical influences when you were growing up?
Hi Maria, Thank you so much. So glad that you enjoyed listening to my music, and thank you for the opportunity to do this interview; and yes, I guess it is blues influenced in many ways.
Hmmm... let's see... I had so many musical influences growing up. I guess I had many phases. It was an awesome time for music back then, and my father was a Jazz musician -- a tenor saxophone man -- and my mom sang, so I was very lucky to be surrounded by music and the arts. I heard and listened to everything in the house as a child, from Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Dean Martin, Jazz and Big Band, to John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, and Lester Young, and also Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Stevie Wonder... the list goes on! But as I got a bit older I remember listening to and loving my records from The Beatles, John Mayall, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Robin Trower, Bad Company, Deep Purple, Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, and probably one of my early favorites, Aerosmith! I even had a phase of The Jackson Five, Sly and the Family Stone, and a lot of old R&B and Soul music from listening to my big brother's records at the time, before moving on to a lot of early progressive rock like Yes, Kansas, and early Journey. But with all that, my all time favorite music constant growing up has to be Lynyrd Skynyrd. Many have found that strange for some reason when I tell them that, but I was a huge Southern rock music fan and would play along with Freebird until my fingers bled!!:)
I love Freebird, too :) You were lucky to grow up in such a musical household!
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Tell us a bit about your musical career to date.
I began playing music as a young teenager... always knew I wanted to do my own thing and write my own music... never wanted to do "Covers"... and have not stopped for one day since. Let's just say that I have been so lucky to have met and/or played and/or worked with so many wonderful, talented musicians, and to have played so many awesome clubs, concert venues & bars of all sizes, from dumps to legendary stages over the years, and lucky to survive it all and be still doing what I love to date: music.
How long did it take you to put The Godsend Sessions together? Did you work with other musicians, or did you produce it yourself?
Well… it took about 2 years to fully complete the CD -- or album, as I still like to call it -- My father had just passed away and I just wanted to put together an ultimate collection of songs that I had written and performed live to that point, and I delved into my work head on writing and arranging and deciding the tracks; it was a very creative time for me. I sat down with my good friend and awesome Musician/Bassist/Producer Neal Ostberg, and we put the plans in to motion. We went into a heavy rehearsal schedule, night and day. I don't think I slept more than a few hours the whole time... really. Most everything was done by myself and Neal, with also the awesome work of NYC drummer Kevin Bregande, the truly "Godsend" of "The Godsend Sessions". After auditioning and trying so many drummers he was a dream come true for the project. Then there was the task of finding a professional engineer that would share my vision and also have the talent and capabilities to pull it all off. It was not easy, considering what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it, and we were lucky to find two such engineers by the CD's completion that could do it: Joe West to start, and then James B. Gately III. Then it was off to Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC for mastering. Truly a dream come true for me.
Do you have a favourite song from The Godsend Sessions, and if so, why is it your favourite?
That's a very hard question to answer. Each one is very special to me, but I would have to say that, "Brighter Day" would have to be my favorite. I just think it is the most "Me" and unique song that I had written, and was very emotional and captured just the way my mind had envisioned it before hand. Sometimes it's like that for me; I can hear the whole song with all its musical, instrumental parts playing in my head... everything, right down to the smallest cello part, and then I try to recreate it during the recording process in the studio.
I also really like the ballad, "Can't See My Life".
I agree that it's hard to pick a favourite from the album! It's full of great songs.
If you could play a gig at any venue, anywhere in the world, where would you like to play?
Being such a longtime New Yorker, I would have to say Madison Square Garden! But it would be wonderful to play so many places around the world. Hmmm... maybe a show in London, England. I have been to and played many places, but never there yet, and it has always been a dream of mine since I was a child.
It would be awesome if you did play in London! I would definitely go!
If you could duet with another singer, or play with another musician (alive or dead), who would you choose and why?
Let's see... off the top of my head: Steven Tyler, Bernadette Peters, Dolly Parton, Luciano Pavarotti, Paul Rodgers of Bad Company... oh and Adele. I know, strange mix I guess. And why? Hmmm... Because of their sheer uniqueness and passion I believe.
Great choices!
What kind of music do you like listening to these days and do you have any favourite bands?
Well... to start, I really don't listen to very much music as one might think. I often stay away from listening; especially when in writing mode, although I do seem to get on kicks like everyone else I guess, depends on my mood or the mood I have been in or want to go to. Recently I have been listening to my collection of all of the James Bond theme songs I have!:)
I revisit and discover old classics a lot too, and I'm always listening to/helping if I can/promoting tons of wonderful Indie bands and singer/songwriters on my travels online.
Do you have a favourite song by another artist, one that perhaps you wish you'd written yourself?
Oh... too many favorites to list, and no not really, oh wait, maybe it would have been great to write Aerosmith's "Dream On"!
I know that you are active on a lot of different social networking sites and you have your own website and blog. Which are you favourite sites for interacting with fans?
I try to be active as much as I can... and yes, too many sites!:)lol And new ones popping up all the time. It's not easy sometimes to keep up with it all, but I do my best and everybody has been so kind and supportive and understanding of that. I have to say that Facebook seems to be the best for interacting. People seem to comment and get involved there the most; not necessarily my favorite site though, but the best I think to reach one's friends, family, fellow musicians, business contacts, and fan base. I tried very hard to make sure everyone is there, although the friend limit they have is driving me crazy lately and I have to say with the new format and changes there, it's very difficult to see everything from everybody timely the way I'd like to. I also have been trying to get into the G+ thing... Very cool, but occasionally it's a ghost town as far as interaction goes lol. And I'm always trying to, of course, keep up with and utilize Twitter as much as I can.
But you know, all the sites are good really, as long as you're smart and safe. It depends on what you want to do and what you're there for. I've met at least a few awesome, sincere music fans, and also fellow musicians that have discovered my music on almost every site I'm on I think. If you have the time and can weed out the phony profiles, spam and, yes -- sorry to say -- delusional wackos!:)lol
I've tried many, but still trying to find an app, program, or website, etc., that will post everywhere at once and let you see what's going on across your networks as well. If anyone has any ideas please let me know!:)
I also struggle with that! So many websites and so hard to keep everything up to date!
It's no secret that you love to cook. I have seen photos of your food on your blog and also Facebook and Twitter. You mentioned last year that you were thinking of putting together a cook book, do you still have plans to do that?
Yes, I do love to cook. I guess it's from wanting to stay close to my family and roots and traditions while away from home for so many years. It's just really good for you, you know? You have to learn to take care of yourself and for pure survival reasons at times, cooking is a must, and it keeps you grounded; and lately I'm even more so into the cooking thing and trying to eat as healthy as possible. Having eaten in so many restaurants over the years, there's nothin' like home cooking':)
I do have plans to put out a cook book thank you for asking; and I have been putting it together little by little. Everyone has been so responsive and kind about my food posts online and so many people actually have asked for recipes or a book, that I thought it might be a good idea. I have written since I was a child and the first thing I wanted to be when I grew up actually was a writer, until I found a guitar!:)lol, so we'll see how it goes; maybe a downloadable E-Book with recipes, photos, and history/background, and personal stories about the food will be available soon to start. I need to learn much more about the biz and how it's done.
Well, feel free to join me on Bestsellerbound, a community of writers. There is always someone who can help with questions about writing/publishing etc., and everyone there is very friendly!
What's your favourite recipe?
Oh man, so many!:) To eat, or to cook? lol I like a lot of different things, so difficult to say just one. I love Manicotti, and I hear I'm pretty good at making a mean Linguini and clam sauce :)
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Such a shame you live so far away or I would be knocking on your door demanding you to cook for me LOL
Getting back to your music, when did you start to become interested in writing your own songs?
I began writing songs at about 12 years old or so, noodling on the piano at first, and then guitar. I wrote a lot of little jazzy guitar pieces on my dad's old beat up nylon string guitar, and then came the Gibson Les Paul and it was all over :) It's funny, when I got my first real Les Paul guitar, they were not "IN" or hip at all at the time, and a lot of friends made fun of me because I had one, lol.
Are you working on any new projects at the moment?
Well, as many may know, I recently have been taking care of some personal business as of late with my Mom being unwell, so live gigs have been put on hold for some time now, but hope to be out there when I can! I am always so busy though, always writing new songs. The newest things I'd say are look for the cook book to be out soon and also I've been going through & compiling thousands of hours of video footage, live studio antics, etc., in order to put out a DVD.it's almost done.
As an indie musician, do you have any tips for anyone who might be thinking of producing their own music? Have you found that any particular website/social networking platform works better than others for promoting music?
I would say just get your stuff out there, everywhere online possible; you never know where you next fan may come from -- and also by doing shows whenever you can.
Make sure to use Reverbnation and Soundcloud and any other music website where you can share your music and reach people and find music fans; and also network with other Indie musicians, so you can cross-promote etc.
What instruments do you play, and are there any that you don't play that you'd like to learn?
I sing and play the guitar, the piano, keyboards, etc., bass, percussion, and I'm always trying to be better at those instruments. And yes there is; I'd love to be able to play stringed instruments. The cello especially -- such a beautiful, rich, melancholy sound. Or maybe the violin; oh, and the Saxophone.
As I'm interviewing you on Goodreads, it's only right that I should ask you a bit about your reading habits. I know that you have a Goodreads account, so you like to read. Who are your favourite authors?
Yes, I do like to read. I always have been a book worm. So many wonderful authors, it's so hard to say. I do love Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and have read and reread the Sherlock Holmes stories over and over again. I love the classics. Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, and also a lot of Non Fiction or historical books. I could go on for hours!:)lol It's just simply too hard to say and name names! Lately, I have been discovering so many wonderful Indie Authors too, and I am always on the lookout for my next good read!
So cool that you are reading books by indie authors! I love hearing that. There are so many great books out there that people haven't heard about.
Do you prefer print books or e-books?
I'll read anything, but I have to say I prefer print books. Since I was a kid I have been drawn to books and collecting and buying them, and have so many I don't know where to put them all!:)lol
I do like the idea of the e-book and it's convenience in today's new technological world, but I hate to think that real print books would be phased out and hope they never will.
I feel the same. I've always liked the look of 'real' books. But I do enjoy the convenience of e-books and the fact that I can now carry hundreds of books with me in one small electronic device.
Where is the best place for people to buy your music?
http://joegande.bandcamp.com is the best place.
You can also find my music on iTunes, Amazon, and I think like 50 other online retailers; but Bandcamp is the best, there is no middleman; it's directly through me and it's the easiest and highest quality you can get, in any format you prefer.
Where's the best place for people to keep up to date with your news?
On my official website http://www.joegande.com you can find and get to everything, but here are some links:
Blog: http://joegande.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joegande and http://www.facebook.com/JoeGandeMusic
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/joegande
Google Plus: http://www.google.com/profiles/joegande
Thank you so much for being a fabulous guest, Joe! I look forward to hearing more of your music, and of course, trying some of your delicious recipes when your cook book is released!
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I hope you enjoyed the interview. I'd highly recommend Joe's CD, The Godsend Sessions, if you're a music fan. Also, Joe is one of the friendliest people I know online, so make sure you connect with him on one of his sites.
February 8, 2013
A few FREE e-books I've heard about...
There are going to be some free promotions on Amazon next week that I thought you should know about.
Firstly, as revealed in my interview with the lovely, Tasha Harrison, last week, her book, Pearls will be free to download on 13th & 14th February.
Here's a link that should take you to your local Amazon store: viewBook.at/B00A8RJE8O
The next free download is of a newly released book. J. Michael Radcliffe has just published the third book in his 'Beyond the Veil' fantasy series: Rise of the Shadow
This one will be free to download on the 14th- 16th February. Here's the link you need: viewBook.at/B00B923LN6
Once Upon Another Time by Rose McQuestion will be free between 12th and 14th February: viewBook.at/B00AEGD70A This is one that I haven't read, but have been told it's very good.
Another one I haven't read yet, The Gay Mardi Gras Murders, by Sylvia Massara, will be free on Amazon Kindle on 11th and 12th February. Here's the link: viewBook.at/B00BBS2R88
Enjoy!
If you're an author with a free promo next week, or if you've heard about a free book, you're welcome to post about it in the comments section below :)
Firstly, as revealed in my interview with the lovely, Tasha Harrison, last week, her book, Pearls will be free to download on 13th & 14th February.
Here's a link that should take you to your local Amazon store: viewBook.at/B00A8RJE8O
The next free download is of a newly released book. J. Michael Radcliffe has just published the third book in his 'Beyond the Veil' fantasy series: Rise of the Shadow
This one will be free to download on the 14th- 16th February. Here's the link you need: viewBook.at/B00B923LN6
Once Upon Another Time by Rose McQuestion will be free between 12th and 14th February: viewBook.at/B00AEGD70A This is one that I haven't read, but have been told it's very good.
Another one I haven't read yet, The Gay Mardi Gras Murders, by Sylvia Massara, will be free on Amazon Kindle on 11th and 12th February. Here's the link: viewBook.at/B00BBS2R88
Enjoy!
If you're an author with a free promo next week, or if you've heard about a free book, you're welcome to post about it in the comments section below :)
January 30, 2013
Introducing Tasha Harrison, author of Pearls
My guest today is a talented author I recently came across on Twitter, Tasha Harrison. Even though I have over 300 unread books on my Kindle (mostly free downloads!) I decided to buy one of Tasha's books because the cover caught my eye and the description sounded like something I would enjoy.I'm so glad I decided to read Pearls; it's one of the best books I've read recently. You can see my review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
After reading the book, I was keen to invite Tasha here to introduce her to all of you. She has told me that she is planning a free promotion of the Kindle version of Pearls on 13th & 14th February! So, mark those dates in your diary and make sure that you download a copy.
Here's a useful link for the Kindle book (it should take you to your local Amazon store): viewBook.at/B00A8RJE8O
Without further ado, here's my interview with Tasha:
'Pearls' is all about people finding themselves and how it's never too late for someone to change. Your character Charlie likes the mantras she finds on the cards in Kate and Gary's house. Do you have a favourite mantra that helps to inspire you?
‘Everything is exactly the way it’s supposed to be at this moment’ is a bit of a hard one to get your head around when life isn’t going your way, but I’ve found it gives me a sense of comfort, knowing that I’m not in control and that maybe something else is.
Ah, yes, I like that one :)
Your character, Miriam, has a paranormal experience in the book. Have you ever had any similar experiences?
No, but I’d like to! I believe in life after death, although I don’t subscribe to any particular belief as to how it all works. I was watching Brian Cox on TV the other night talking about the beginnings of life on our planet and I was finding the scientific explanations a bit hard to follow until he said, ‘Energy can’t be created or destroyed, only conserved or transformed.’ And that made sense to me. I suppose that Miriam’s experience – seeing a young woman’s soul leave her body at the point of death – is something that while on the one hand, would be quite disturbing, on the other, could also bring much peace of mind.
Yes, it's kind of like the scene from Ghost when Sam dies!
How long did it take to write 'Pearls'?
I guess about a year to write the first draft, while trying to juggle part-time work and family life. My working day stops at 3 when I pick my kids up from school. Some days I write in the evening if I have the energy! I’m a speedy typist, so if I’m on a roll, I can cover a fair bit of mileage in a short amount of time.
Apart from 'Pearls' you have 2 other books. Can you tell us a bit about those?
Package Deal and Hot Property are both beach reads through and through. Package Deal is set on the Greek island of Kefalonia and is about a group of British holidaymakers whose lives become entangled on their two-week holiday in a newly-built apartment complex. The caretaker there, ladies’ man Dimitri, immediately eyes up singleton Mia, but for once his charms are having little effect.
Hot Property is similar but is set in Crete and is about a group of ex-pats who are striving to live the perfect sun, sea and sand lifestyle, but thanks to a devious local property developer, life is not quite as idyllic as they’d hoped. Both novels are humorous holiday reads, and are told from lots of different characters’ viewpoints.
They sound like fun! I will be adding them to my list of books to read :)
Your bio says that you studied journalism, and worked as an editor for various magazines. Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction writing?
I worked as a sub-editor, so not as high up the ranks as an editor, but doing the job of editing nonetheless! I love writing fiction and can’t imagine not doing it, but since starting a blog, I’ve rediscovered how fun writing non-fiction can be. However, I find it hard to find the time to fit it all in – writing a blog, promoting my books, writing books, kids and work – there aren’t enough hours in the day!
Do you do the editing and formatting for your books?
Both Package Deal and Hot Property were taken on by agents, and therefore underwent several drafts before being submitted to publishers. Sadly neither agent was able to sell, so when I decided to self-publish them as e-books, I asked sub-editing friends to proofread them for me. With Pearls I didn’t have an agent’s guidance, but I paid a friend I used to work with to edit and proofread it for me. You can never have too many fresh pairs of eyes to spot the mistakes you missed! On magazines, every single page gets proofread by a whole team of sub-editors, and still mistakes can slip through the net! As for formatting, I’d be lost without my husband’s help – though that said, I did manage to format my own table of contents on Pearls which I was very proud of! It was actually very simple, but I can usually be trusted to mess up even the simplest of technical tasks.
I'm like that... a bit of a technophobe, but have found that most things are easier than they first seem once you set your mind to doing them!
All the characters in 'Pearls' struck me as being very realistic. Are any of them inspired by people you know, or are they totally fictional?
All the characters are completely fictional apart from Miriam, who was inspired a fair bit by my mum but also by a friend. Many years ago, after losing her sister to cancer, my mum turned to AA when she felt she’d become too dependent on alcohol. Her drinking was nowhere near as bad as Miriam’s, but she felt she needed to take control of her life and turn over a new leaf. I went to a few AA meetings with her and they were incredibly humbling and inspiring. As a result, I joined Al-Anon (a self-help programme for friends and relatives of alcoholics) for a few years and it turned my life around. My mum conquered her demons, too. More recently she’s been exploring Buddhism (as does Miriam in the book), so thanks to her, I’m always getting some kind of spiritual education that challenges my way of thinking!
Which one of the characters in 'Pearls' can you most relate to?
I can relate to all of the three main female characters to some extent. There’s a bit of me in each of them. In my early twenties, I was like Charlie, lacking in confidence and self-belief, while like Kate, I was also holding onto a lot of anger from the past. Today, like Miriam, I’m more at peace with myself.
Who designs your book covers?
My brilliant husband! I tell him what I don’t want and he works out what I do want and puts it all together.
I must admit I was drawn to read Pearls because of the cover! That happens to me sometimes LOL
Who are your favourite authors?
I love Lionel Shriver, Anita Shreve, Sarah Waters, Khaled Hosseini, to name but a few – all such gifted storytellers. Recently I read The Legacy by Jill Rowan, a witty time-travel novel with a romantic twist – I couldn’t put it down.
Do you prefer e-books or paperback/hardback?
I’m not bothered. I think e-books are a brilliant innovation – they make reading so much more instantly accessible. But when I read a book that really bowls me over, I quite like to own it in paperback and put it up there on the shelves for keeps!
Me too!
Are you working on any other books at the moment?
Yes, my current WIP is called Blown-Away Man and is set in the '80s and the present day in London and Lincolnshire. For the first time ever I’m writing in the first person, the story is told from one character’s viewpoint only, and that character is a man. Uncharted territory for me!
That is a challenge, but those types of thing can really help with our development as writers.
Where is the best place for readers to connect with you online?
Come visit my blog at www.tashaharrison.com or look me up on Twitter http://twitter.com/TashaHarrison_
Where can people buy your books?
Currently they’re only available on Amazon. But I’m hoping to put them on Smashwords at some point this year.
Do you have any tips for someone who might be considering self-publishing a book?
If you don’t get your book properly edited and proofread by someone who does it for a living, there will undoubtedly be more mistakes than you realise in it and you risk not being taken seriously. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever read a trad-pub book without a typo or two in it! Also it’s well worth sending your manuscript to somewhere like http://www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk/ who, for a fee, will give you some professional, honest feedback in a written report. The more professional feedback you can get before you self-publish, the better.
Yes, I did that with a couple of my novels. I sent them to Cornerstones. That type of professional feedback is very helpful, I've found.
Thanks so much for being such a great guest and for answering all my questions, Tasha! I wish you continued success with you writing!
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Remember to download your free copy of Pearls during the free promotion on the 13th & 14th February: viewBook.at/B00A8RJE8O
