Maria Savva's Blog, page 56

Want the chance to win a copy of The Dream?

As most of you know by now, my latest book, The Dream, a fantasy/paranormal/timeslip novel, is now out in the world.

There are two giveaways you might like to know about:

1. On LibraryThing you can enter until 14th August 2011 to win a copy in the Member Giveaways: LibraryThing

2. On The Secret Writer Blog, I have a written a guest post all about the trials and tribulations of an indie writer's life, and until 13th August 2011 you can enter to win a copy of The Dream.
The Secret Writer

Good luck!

Meet children's author Jill Warren and win a copy of 'Abe's Lucky Day'!

As a reviewer for Bookpleasures.com, I often choose to read children's books as I have young nieces and love to pass the books to them when I'm done with reviewing. Recently, I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of Abe's Lucky Day by Jill Warren. I was very impressed by the book. I just had to invite Jill to my blog so you could all meet her and find out more about her and her book.

As well as agreeing to answer my questions, Jill has very generously offered to give away one copy of the 'Abe's Lucky Day' to readers of my blog. If you'd like the chance to win a copy, just leave a comment below or 'like' this post. A winner will be chosen on the 16th August 2011.

Here's the interview:
What kind of books did you like to read as a child? Did you have any favourites?

I read quite a lot when I was a child. I read all of the The Black Stallion books, and every other horse-oriented story that I could find in the school and local libraries. I also liked books such as Sybil: The True and Extraordinary Story of a Woman Possessed By Sixteen Separate Personalities, Flowers for Algernon, and The Miracle Worker. I was very interested in psychology from a fairly young age. In addition, I really enjoyed books by Ray Bradbury such as The Illustrated Man and Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. I loved horror stories, too, such as Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum and The Tell-Tale Heart. Stephen King books are my one guilty pleasure!

Tell us a bit about your background and how you got into writing.

I have been writing in one way or another for a very long time. I started out in junior high writing poetry, which I did up through college, when I had a few pieces published in the college paper. In 8th grade English, we had a short story assignment, and I remember really enjoying it - I wrote quite a messy horror story! I also enjoyed a mini-course on classic literature, during which time I read Les Misérables. It was the best book I had ever read up until that point, and I remember wanting to be able to write like that. I tried to sit down and write at different times over the years, but just couldn't get anything going. Then about 3 years ago, the urge became stronger, and I started writing again. This time, the stories began to come easier, and I found that I had a style all my own that I truly liked. From then on, I have had periods where I feel like maybe I will never write another story, and then a thought comes into my head, and I have to write again. The drive is so strong that most of the time, I can't stop writing until the story is finished.

Is ‘Abe’s Lucky Day’ your first published book?





'Abe's Lucky Day' is my first published book, but I am currently working with my illustrator on the pictures for my next project. I have written between 20 and 30 children's stories, and would like to publish about half of them.


Your bio says that you work with children. Have you read ‘Abe’s Lucky Day’ to them? If so, what types of reactions have you been getting?

I do work with children, but I have not read the book to them yet. I work with preschool-age children with autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders, and they sometimes find it very difficult to sit in a group for a story unless it is one with an accompanying CD, especially if it is musical. They also don't respond well at times to a "new" story. They seem to prefer hearing stories that are familiar, with a new book slipped in once in a while!. I have been getting responses, though, from friends who have read 'Abe" to their children, and so far, the children have reacted positively.

How did you come up with the idea for the character ‘Abe’?

Abe's character was the product of a movie I was watching at the time called Unleashed. In the story, there is an unfortunate young character played by Jet Li, who is taken in by a very kind older man played by Morgan Freeman. Through the course of the story, the older man teaches the younger character how to do things like cooking and shopping for himself, but also teaches him about love, trust, and what it means to be part of a family. I was hit by a need out of nowhere to write "Abe's Lucky Day", which I did in one sitting.


How did you go about finding the illustrator?

Finding my illustrator was quite a project, and one of the reasons that it has taken me approximately 3 years to get 'Abe' published. I had the story, was very excited about it, and actually paid a self-publisher to publish it. Then I found out that I needed illustrations. The publisher referred me to a firm that they had sent many other authors to, and I was hooked up with a gentleman that I knew only as 'KJ'. I sent him a scene description, and he went to work on a sample. Well, when I received the sample scene, I went bananas! I knew then and there that I wanted this gentleman for my illustrations. I asked for a quote, and was completely devastated when I received it. There was no way I could pay that amount. I went everywhere I could think of to ask for loans. I looked into grants. I sold my personal belongings to raise money, but there was still no way. I sadly told KJ that I couldn't do it, and went about looking for someone else. The only problem was that no matter what samples I received, nothing held a candle to KJ's work. Then out of the blue a year later, I got an email from KJ saying that he could do my illustrations for less money, and that he would allow me to pay over time for the 28 illustrations that I needed. I was ecstatic! It was like a dream come true. KJ is now working on the illustrations for my next book, and they are awesome!


Did you know what you wanted Abe to look like, or did you leave that to your illustrator? How much input did you have into the illustrations?

I knew exactly what I wanted Abe to look like right away, along with all of the other characters, the colors I wanted used, and everything about the book. I had spent so much time with 'Abe' that it was all very clear to me what I wanted. I first sent all of my character descriptions to KJ, and then all of the scene descriptions. He would do a sketch of each one, send it to me, and I would give feedback. Each scene then would go back and forth like that until I liked the finished product. It was actually very scary to me because I had never published a book before, and here I was responsible for every aspect of it. All I could do was hope that I was making the right decisions!


When you wrote the story, did you intend it to be a picture book, or were you writing it as a children’s story and were the pictures added later?

I did intend for 'Abe' to be a picture book, so I had to do some research and educate myself on the industry standards, what number of words is considered appropriate for each type of book, how many pages, all of that stuff. I did make some adjustments to make 'Abe' fit the standards for a picture book because i tend to be wordy - always have been so I'm told!- and then the pictures came along much later.


Are you working on any more books featuring Abe?

I am not currently working on any other books featuring Abe. I tend to write on a need-to basis, when I have a thought that I just can't resist and I have to write that particular story. The last story I wrote came to me when I was visiting with my neighbors and I had to excuse myself and run next door to get the story written. I researched for a couple of hours and the story was done in two days total. I do have a character I used in 2 stories and she is a little girl named Grace. I really like her, and she may come back again.

What is the target age-group for the book?

The target age for 'Abe' is technically 5-8 or something like that, but I believe that our children today are much more sophisticated and savvy than children were when I was young. My son as a youngster was able to understand much more, and wanted much more, than books that were targeted for his age group. What I originally intended was that 'Abe's Lucky Day' would be technically written for children of a certain age group, but enjoyable by anyone who picked it up. When I was younger, I was really inspired by Shel Silverstein's The Missing Piece and The Giving Tree. On the outside, they look like they are written for children, but the stories themselves are actually ageless and timeless. That is what I was going for when I wrote this story.

‘Abe’s Lucky Day’ is also available on Kindle. What do you think of ebooks? Do you read them?

I do not currently read ebooks mainly because of the fact that financially, I can't afford to buy the necessary equipment. I am also torn because I can see both sides. Ebooks have their benefits, but I feel in my heart that reading an old-fashioned paper book has a charm that ebooks can't imitate. The feel of the cover, the texture of the paper, the smell of a real, live book...those things add to my enjoyment of reading.

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

My favorite writers are fairly diverse, but I have to say that Stephen King is my all-time favorite. I love the way he describes everything to the nth degree...I can see the whole thing like a movie in my head, and I love that! I also really love some authors that I mentioned earlier - Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury are exciting because they make me think about things that i had never imagined before. Shel Silverstein has a way of putting very profound thoughts into just a little bit of text that seems like it is so simple but it's really not.. I also have read quite a few James Patterson books, but then I love the classics, too...


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

I don't typically read a book more than once, and the list of the ones that I have re-read is fairly short: The Velveteen Rabbit and The Little Prince

What was the last book you read?

The last book I read was the first book in the Twilight saga. I felt left out at work not being able to talk about it with my friends.

Are you reading a book at the moment?

Right now I seem to be on a kick where I am reading more short stories than anything.

What are you working on now?

Right now I am working on getting the illustrations completed for a book called 'Bizzy Bee and the Flowers'. It is a story I wrote last year, but it is also the story that my son loved the most out of all the others I had written up to that point His reaction to the story was the reason it was chosen to be the next one for publishing . My son is a sophomore journalism major at Ithaca College, and quite a writer himself. He has been with me every step of the way through each and every story I have written, and I listen to his reactions and suggestions before I call a story 'finished'. I recently finished a story called 'Noah and the Sea'. My son says is the best so far, by far, and the reactions that I've gotten from people who have read it are very encouraging. I think that 'Noah' will probably be the third one to be published, but then that depends on what I write between now and then!

Where can people buy your book?

'Abe's Lucky Day' can be purchased through my publisher Outskirts Press, and Amazon.com

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

I currently do not have a a blog - I am just a little behind on the technology thing - I turned 50 last month and you know what they say about old dogs...my son had to help me get going with Facebook...what an ordeal! I wasn't even sure what a 'blog' was until just recently!

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Ha, ha!
Thank you, Jill, for being a fabulous guest!

Remember, if you'd like to enter to win a copy of 'Abe's Lucky Day', leave your comment below, or 'like' this post :)
Good luck!

Music and 'The Dream'

As many of you who follow my blog know, I have a few obsessions... apart from reading and writing, I also love music. I was therefore thrilled to be invited to West of Mars to discuss my new release The Dream and to reveal what songs remind me of the book.

Click on the link, to find out which song I most associate with The Dream, and why...
West of Mars

Thanks to Susan Helene Gottfried, author of Trevor's Song, for inviting me to West of Mars!

The BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology - Volume 2 is now published!!

As many of you know, I am a resident author at BestsellerBound.com. Following the success of The first Bestseller Bound Anthology, Darcia Helle has put together a further collection of stories, chosen from those submitted by BestsellerBound.com, members.

The BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology - Volume 2, features my new short story 'Isolation'.

You can download the collection free of charge from Smashwords.com

Here is the list of titles and authors:

1. What Was Lost by James Sophi
2. The Art of Breathing by Jaime McDougall
3. Soul Windows by Jaleta Clegg
4. I Didn't Know His Name by Darcia Helle
5. Red Route by James Everington
6. Make A Wish by Susan Helene Gottfried
7. The Last Chance Motel and Mausoleum by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick
8. Isolation by Maria Savva
9. Beyond The Green Hills by Tom Gahan
10. From Joy We Come, Unto Joy We Return by Ami Blackwelder

I have read the collection, and I really enjoyed the stories. Like the last collection, there are many different genres, but somehow this collection seemed to be almost themed because many of the stories delve deep into the human psyche and there are some very powerful tales.

Download a kindle book and get an autograph!

My fellow author, Stacy Juba, recently discovered a new and interesting website, Kindlegraph.com, where you can search for your favourite kindle books and authors and if they are listed, you can request an autograph to be written by the author and uploaded onto your kindle!

I've added my books there: KindleGraph

So if you have one of my kindle books and would like a personalised message to go with it, please request one through the site! :)

The actual autograph you will get is not my real one, but I will get your request and I will type a little note for you which will be converted into 'script' and uploaded to your copy of my book on your kindle.

It's a fun website. I think any authors who have books available on kindle should add their titles.

Meet author James Everington and enter to win an ebook!

Today I am very excited to be introducing you to a new author James Everington, who I am sure will be a famous writer one day.

I met James online recently after I read and reviewed Oblivious by Neil Schiller. James is also a friend of Neil's and a fan of his work. I was intrigued by the title and cover of James's collection of short stories: The Other Room. The short descriptions of the tales made me want to read the book. I'm glad I did. It's a very original collection full of surprising and well-crafted tales.




James very kindly agreed to answer a few questions and he is also giving away 2 ebook copies of The Other Room to readers of my blog! If you'd like to enter the contest, just 'like' this blog post or leave a comment below. Winners will be chosen on the 13th August 2011.

Here are James's replies to my interview questions:

Are the stories in ‘The Other Room’ a collection of stories you wrote over a number of years, or did you write them specifically for the collection?

They were written over a number of years (a scary number of years now I think of it) although all of have been revised pretty recently. I spent quite a few hours trying to figure out which stories to put in, and in which order. I saved a few stories back I consider some of my best for the next collection - I didn't want to be like one of those bands with a great first album, and then a patchy follow-up because they obviously didn't get any time to write some decent new songs...

Your collection contains horror, paranormal, thrillers, ghost stories, and what has been called ‘weird fiction’; what is your favourite genre to read?

I read a huge variety of things - I think it's pretty important for a writer to read widely, even if what style they write is pretty limited. Which it is for me. I guess it's only in the last few years I've worked out that despite the fact that I read science-fiction, the classics, poetry, popular science, modern literature and so on, I can't write those books. I can just do my own little thing: scary surreal stories with a bit of pretension basically.

In one of your stories, there is a writer who is trying to write a story, but the ‘words wouldn’t reveal themselves’. I thought that was an interesting way to look at writing. I’m always intrigued at how other writers view the writing process. Is that your view of how a writer finds a story, that in a way the words reveal themselves as we write rather than us writing the words?

I'm not sure; that attitude to writing just suited the character of the story and fitted the themes. I think as a writer you have to be flexible about these things. Sometimes the words will just come to you, and it's like uncovering buried treasure. Other times you have to work hard at it, really forcing yourself to get the right sentences. You have to be prepared for both.

In another one of your stories, the character is reading a book and listening to music in the background, and not just an instrumental track but a song. I wondered whether you listen to music when you read, and also whether you listen to music when you write.

Yeah all the time; I love music almost as much as I love books. I guess listening to music as I write comes from living in halls of residence at university - there was always some music blaring through the walls. So the only choice was write to someone else's music, or to my own. I don't find it distracting at all. The only time I wouldn't listen to music is when I'm doing the final edits to a story - I like to read the prose aloud then.

The story 'When The Walls Bend' in this collection was named after a line from a Radiohead song; the title for 'Feed The Enemy' (which is available separately) was poached from a title of a song by the post-punk band Magazine.


I liked all the stories in the collection, but I think my favourite is ‘Red Route’, I just loved the ending because it all came together and is quite awe-inspiring. Do you have a favourite story from the collection, and if so, why is it your favourite?

It's funny, everyone who's picked a favourite so far has picked a different one; I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

I'm not sure writers are the best judges of their own work, buy my favourite to write was 'The Other Room' itself. It just about wrote itself. There's a lot of little details in that story that all seem to work together, but I didn't plan any of them. I mentioned writing is sometimes like finding buried treasure above; for 'The Other Room' the treasure just seemed to be lying around on the surface.

Of course the next story I wrote after that was a right difficult sod.

On your website you run a series of guest blogs in defence of short stories. What gave you idea for this, and if you could say one thing in defence of short stories what would that be?

Well, I'd no idea until recently how poorly short fiction sold compared to novels. And that some people, who seem so sane and so well-read, could spout such drivel about the form - really vitriolic stuff! So it came from that really; and I've had some great writers contribute, for which I'm very grateful. It's partly selfish on my part; I only really write short stories so I'm buggered if they keep declining in popularity...

What would I say to people? Just... don't judge short stories by the standards of novels. They're a separate art-form; there's a whole separate world you're missing out on if you don't read short stories. They're not truncated novels, they're something else.

You have only published your short stories as an ebook. Is there a reason why you haven’t made it available in paperback, and do you have plans to do this in the future?

No reason, I'm just new to all this. I wasn't really aware of self-publishing or ebooks at all this time last year; I was going the traditional route of submitting stories to small-press magazines (which I still do). I had one non-horror story called 'Feed The Enemy' which I didn't know what to do with, and then I saw a call for submissions for someone electronically publishing. So I sent it off, not even knowing what it was really. Then rather than rejecting it they sent me a scary looking contract...

So I started to look into ebooks when I knew I'd have a story available in that format, and stumbled across some great writers and helpful people like Neil Schiller and Dan Holloway who were already doing it for themselves. So I jumped in too.

I'd like to do a physical book sometime too, but I've no actual plans at the moment. I'm just seeing how things pan out.

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

Without wanting to sound too much like a Nike advert, just do it. Provided, that is, that the book is already written. If it's not, then concentrate on writing the best book you can for now; don't even think about how you're going to publish it until afterwards.

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

Probably too many to mention, but some I think have been particularly influential on my writing are Ramsey Campbell,Franz Kafka, and Shirley Jackson.

They all have certain things in common, in that they write strange, somewhat surreal fiction, but in an intelligent, literary way. (I think of Kafka as being very much part of the tradition that includes the best 'horror' writers.) And they all have done some of their best work in short story form. 'The Companion', 'The Metamorphosis' and 'The Lottery' - hard to think of better trio of short stories than those.

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

God I think I've read most of them more than once; what's the point in owning books otherwise? Ones I've definitely read at least three times include: The Lord of the Rings,Mrs. Dalloway,The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Girlfriend in a Coma. Plus books by the authors above, of course.

What was the last book you read?

I tend to read more than one book at a time, so there's a few: Cold Hand in Mine; Loisaida -- A New York Story;and 'The Magical Maze', a book about maths and fractals and other fascinating stuff.

Are you reading a book at the moment?

Of course! Again, more than one: The War of the Worlds, and Ice Age - a great collection of weird, surreal horror tales. Oh, and a book about Bob Dylan too.


How important are reviews for you as a writer?

Very important; not so much the content or the rating, although that is important, but just knowing that someone took time out of their busy day to put some words down about my book. That's a good feeling. Of course I've been lucky that I've not had a bad review yet, so my attitude could change! I've probably just jinxed myself by saying that too.


I must say that the title and cover of your book really caught my eye and I just knew that I wanted to read it. How did you go about choosing the cover for your book?

Funny you should ask, because the photo it's based on was taken by someone I know you know - Neil Schiller. I liked his covers for Oblivious and The Haiku Diary so I asked him how he created them, and he was generous enough to let me use one of his photos. His covers are arty black and white; I messed about with mine and put a filter on to make it appropriately spooky.


What are you working on now?

A novella called The Shelter. It's a story I wrote when I was about seventeen, and recently I found the battered manuscript and read it again - it was dreadful obviously. Clichéd and stilted. But it struck me the plot itself was pretty good, and seemed far more commercial and straight forward than the stuff I write nowadays. I was just discovering writers like Stephen King and Dan Simmons then.

So I've decided to rewrite it completely from scratch - hopefully I can combine the youthful ideas and energy with the strengths I have now - namely knowing a dreadful sentence when I write one, which I obviously didn't then. We shall see if it works...

Where can people buy your book?

You can get The Other Room in these places:

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Other-Roo...

Amazon US: www.amazon.com/The-Other-Room/dp/B004...

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...


Oh and I blog and talk general rubbish at: http://www.jameseverington.blogspot.com/

Thanks for being a very entertaining guest, James!

You might also like to check out James's other books:

Feed the Enemy

The Psyche Corrupted

I know I will be! :)

Remember, if you'd like to enter to win a copy of The Other Room, just 'like' this blog post or leave a comment below. Good luck!

An update and news about my latest interview...

The Dream has been published for just over a week now, and I have already started writing my next novel. I told myself I would have a rest after completing The Dream as it was very hard work getting it finished! But as they say, there is no rest for the wicked, so I am on to my next project. In fact, far from feeling bogged down, I am actually enjoying it. As with all my work, it is slightly different from the other novels I have written to date... I like to try new things. This one is quite deep and deals mainly with crime and the psychology behind that and the impact of it. I shall say no more for now. With this one, I have started off with a plan, but am drifting away from that and into quite interesting territory. I have written about 12,000 words so far, although it's hard to be precise as I have gone back to writing it with pen and paper rather than typing it. It just seems to suit me better that way.

In other news, my latest short story: 'Isolation', will be featured in "The BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology-- Volume 2", which is to be released very soon... any day now I am told. Watch this space for further news.

You can read all about my new novel, 'The Dream', on Darcia Helle's blog:

Interview -- Dreaming With Maria Savva

Darcia Helle talks about her latest novel, 'Into The Light'. Plus, you can enter to win an ebook copy!

I am pleased to welcome back to my blog my good friend and fellow author Darcia Helle.

Earlier this week, Darcia and I launched our new novels, her book, Into The Light, is all about a ghost, Max, who refuses to rest until his killer is brought to justice. I was very lucky to be able to read an advance copy of the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed Max's adventure. At the moment, Darcia is holding a giveaway here on Goodreads. If you go to the book's page you'll find details as to how you can enter to win a print copy (limited to US and Canada).

She has also very generously offered to give away two ebook copies to readers of my blog. All you have to do to enter is 'like' or comment on this blog post. A winner will be picked at random on 31st July 2011.

The interview:

I think I read on one of your blog posts that when you started writing Into The Light, your intention was to kill of Max, who ended up being the main character, in the first chapter of the book, is that right? Tell us a bit about how you decided to keep him in as the main character.

I always intended for Max to die right away and for his character be a ghost. But Joe Cavelli, the private investigator, was supposed to be the main character. Max was to be a sort of comic sidekick, who interfered as Joe tried to solve his murder.

I don't write outlines first or do any real planning. The idea marinates in my mind for a bit and the characters come to life. Then I start writing. The characters typically have a lot more control of the story than I do. With Max, that control was magnified to the extreme. By the time I finished writing the first chapter, I knew that his character needed to be center stage. He'd have it no other way. He also wasn't leading me down my normal suspense road. At first, I tried steering the story in one direction and he'd immediately dig his heels in the ground and say, "No, this way." Max's story wasn't all about the mystery and suspense. His story was something altogether different and I'm happy that I followed his lead.

Into the Light, in my opinion is a bit like a romantic comedy, but there is also a much deeper side to the tale. I think behind the fun, and the excellent mystery, there is a lot in the book to make the reader think about the way they are living their life, and how it can effect other people's lives and ultimately their own fate. When you set out to write the book did you mean to examine how our behaviour effects others or was that something that developed while you wrote the book?

I'm not completely sure what I meant to write but I know it's not at all what I wound up with. When Max emerged as the main character, I found myself exploring issues outside of the mystery of his murder. In coming to terms with his death, Max had to confront his regrets and admit his own culpability in allowing circumstances to shape his life. Max, like many people, held a lot of resentment about the way his life turned out. Blame is an easy thing to place but, when looked at with honesty, not as easy to maintain.

In the book, I hope I'm not giving too much away by saying that Max meets quite a few people from the past who have touched his life in some way. There was an underlying theme, I feel, revolving around the regrets we can sometimes carry with us. If you could meet someone from your past for a day, who would that be and why?

Wow, this is a question that I could ponder for weeks! I've tried to come up with a lighthearted answer but I'm striving for honesty here. I would go back to meet the eye doctor my mother took me to when I was about eight years old. An odd choice, right? I'll briefly explain. I had begun having vision problems - letters moved around the page, words were slightly out of focus. And I was getting intense headaches. Making the obvious assumption that this was a vision issue, my mother took me to an eye doctor. He examined me and declared my vision perfect. Then, in front of me, he told my mother that he believed I was manifesting the symptoms. He suggested that I had a friend who wore glasses and maybe I wanted to be like her. Or, perhaps, I was looking for attention.
I was an extremely quiet, impressionable child. This man, with his few callous words, had left me feeling responsible for creating symptoms that supposedly didn't exist. He'd made me question myself in ways that no child should ever have to do. And that continued on for many years.

Naturally, my mother believed this doctor. This was 40 years ago, after all. No one questioned doctors back then. And what reason would my mother have to disbelieve him? I stopped talking about my symptoms, even as they got worse. I learned to chase the words around the page. I still do. Many years later, too late to change the course of the illness, I found out that the headaches and vision issues were early signs of Lyme disease. Now it's late-stage and chronic.
I don't blame that one doctor. There were many after him, well into my adult years, who made similarly callous remarks. But I would like that first doctor to know that his offhand comment, about a young girl he didn't know anything about, altered my life in profound ways.

Max is a ghost. You and I have discussed our own ghostly experiences in the past. Indeed, we're putting together a group here soon on Goodreads 'Supernatural Book Talk'. Max has a very interesting journey after he dies, did you do any research into theories about death and ghosts before you wrote the book, and if so how did you go about that?

I didn't do research specifically for this book. This is a topic that has long intrigued me and I've read countless related nonfiction and fiction books. I also think growing up in a haunted house has given me a slightly different perspective than the average person has! Part of Max's journey is a mixture of various things I've read and experienced. But most of it is the result of my imagination and Max's character merging into what I hope is a perfect fit.

Are you a reader of ghost stories? If so, do you have a favourite?

I do love ghost stories! I'm not so much into the 'horror' genre, where ghosts are all evil poltergeists or out to possess living people. I like the human factor, when you're able to picture that ghost as a person, understand what his/her life had been like and why he/she is lingering in the world. I also like love stories related to various psychic abilities. One of my favorite ghost stories will always be Caraliza by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick. Awesome book! I'm a big fan of Kay Hooper, who writes a series based on a special F.B.I. unit of psychics. Another of my favorites is While the Savage Sleeps by Andrew Kaufmann, which is a fast-paced suspense but also deals with a bit of psychic abilities.

Since our last interview on my blog, a lot has happened. You've been busy collecting stories for the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthologies. Tell us a bit more about what gave you the idea to publish these volumes and what are your plans for the collections?

We have some of the most amazing authors as part of our BestsellerBound group. The amount of talent in these relatively unknown authors is astounding. I wanted to give readers a sample of our talented group and hopefully introduce us all to a wider readership.

These authors are not only talented, they are truly nice people. We're all happily compiling our stories and giving them away free for readers to enjoy. Writing the words means nothing if we have no one to share them with.

Volume Two is in the works. Each volume will have ten stories. I'm awaiting the final story for the second volume. Jaleta Clegg has already designed the cover for us. I hope to have it formatted and sent out to the world by mid August. And we've started collecting stories for volume three!






As well as having many novels to your name, you have now published a few of short stories. We discussed The First Kill in your last interview. I was definitely drawn in by your latest short story, 'You can call me Ari', which appears in the BestsellerBound Anthology - Volume 1. It's an engaging read. Tell us a bit about the inspiration behind writing that fabulously imaginative but very scary story...

I have voices in my head that I can take no credit for. If I didn't write, I'd be heavily medicated in a padded cell. :)

The idea for this story came to me while I was lying on my chiropractor's table. If you've read the story, you'll know that I did not want to be having those particular thoughts at that particular time! I kept trying to brush it aside but the idea would not leave me alone. The chiropractor's table is truly a great setting for torture! By the time my adjustment was over, the idea was formed and the characters were speaking to me. I got home and immediately had to sit down and write the story.

Name one thing you like more about short stories as compared to novels.

In reading them, I like that short stories require a shorter commitment. If I've just read an in-depth novel or a detailed nonfiction book, I sometimes like to break away and read something that asks less of me as a reader. I also like the fact that short stories often leave more to the reader's imagination. In a way, they are only a glimpse into someone's window. You don't get to see what happens when the blinds are closed.

In writing them, again, I like that they require less commitment. Novels take months, if not years, to produce. I can write a short story in one afternoon. I'm a fan of instant gratification. :)

Now, name one thing that you like more about writing novels as compared to short stories.

With reading and with writing, I will always lean more heavily toward novels for the same reason: Better character development. For me, characters drive the story. I want to know what drives this person. Why did he make one choice rather than another? Character depth is difficult to achieve in a short story.

Having read a few of your books now, I have to say that I love your style. I would not usually choose crime fiction to read mainly because I have found that much of it includes gratuitous violence. You seem to have found the perfect balance between writing very violent scenes but in a way that is not likely to put off a discerning reader. Is that just an inherent skill you have or do you purposefully try to construct the violent scenes in a more digestible fashion?

I think that comes from my own reading preference. I am drawn to mystery and suspense but not for the blood and gore. As I've mentioned before, human nature fascinates me. I love placing (fictional) people in challenging situations, then stepping aside to see how they respond. Twisted minds are, for me, more intriguing than the happily married P.T.A. mom who bakes cookies every Wednesday. (Not that P.T.A. moms who bake are a bad thing!)

When I read, I don't want to be shocked by what the killer is doing with his knife. I want to be shocked by what he's thinking while he does it and what he feels afterward. I want to be even more shocked because I understand his motive. I also want to be in that moment with the victim. I don't necessarily want to read about the pain the knife inflicts. I want to experience the remorse of knowing she will never see be able to apologize to her husband or the guilt because he's done horrible things to others and now knows how his own victims felt. When I write, those are the goals I'm reaching for.

Now that you have ventured into the paranormal with 'Into The Light' do you have plans to write more supernatural stories?

I would love to, if my muse cooperates! I had a lot of fun writing Max's story. I've considered using Joe Cavelli, the private investigator in Into The Light, as an ongoing character and writing a type of series about a P.I. who hears ghosts and solves their cases. But the different ghosts would be the main characters in each book and Joe Cavelli would remain the minor character. For now, that's just a thought and might or might not ever play out.

What are you working on at the moment?

I'm currently working on digging myself out from under the pile of assorted projects and tasks I've let build up! I want to get volume two of the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology completed. I've got some work to do on my website and assorted mundane tasks to catch up on. Once I get regrouped and clear the debris that is covering my desk, I plan to work on the third book in my Michael Sykora series.

Thank you, Darcia, as always for being a wonderful guest.

Remember, if you'd like to win an ebook version of 'Into The Light', leave a comment below, or simply click the button to 'like' the blog post!



P.S. It's a great cover, isn't it? It was designed by the multi-talented Jason McIntyre, author of Road Markers and Thalo Blue (and a whole lot more) I'd also recommend you try his books.

Double launch day! 'The Dream' and 'Into The Light!' and a 48hr giveaway!

My excitement for my book launch today has been doubled because I am launching on the same day as my good friend and fellow author, Darcia Helle.

For those of you who might be new to my blog, I'll explain a bit about how I connected with Darcia.
Last summer I was invited by Darcia to join BestsellerBound.com as a resident author. Up until that time I didn't really know Darcia, except that I was a friend through Goodreads and maybe some other networking sites. I was very impressed by her website and blog so I agreed to join her and Stacy Juba in launching BestsellerBound. That message board is now very popular with independent/small press authors and readers. If you haven't already been there to have a look, please do join us. We love meeting new authors and readers.

A few months ago I found out that Darcia was busy writing her new novel, 'Into The Light'. As I was planning to release my new novel, 'The Dream', it made sense to launch the books together, especially as they are both books that feature ghosts!

More about the books:

The Dream:



Blurb: Lynne cannot shake her feelings of dread; her dreams tell her she is making a terrible mistake, she must not marry Adam. But, how can she believe the dream? Lynne and Adam have shared their lives for three years now. She is certain she loves him. It is not that love, which her dream warns against. It doesn't matter that she loves this man she will soon marry. If she marries him, the voice in her dream says her soul mate will die. Her true love will perish. Soon, Lynne's world is transformed and becomes almost unrecognisable, except for the déjà vu. Time doesn't seem to mean much anymore, and things are not quite as they seem. As her world spins out of control, Lynne must sort out what's real and what isn't to fulfill her destiny.

Link to the book trailer: The Dream - Book Trailer

Where you can read a sample: Goodreads

Where you can buy it! Lulu.com for the paperback version. Save 30%!

The paperback version will also soon be available on Amazon and B&N and other such sites. You can also order it from any bookstore or library quoting the ISBN: 978-0-9564101-5-3

Ebook!
Amazon Kindle
Journal-Store
Smashwords.com Where you can download in any format to suit your ereader.

Into The Light:



The blurb:
Max Paddington refuses to go into the light until he finds his killer. This presents a dilemma, since Max is even less competent as a spirit than he was as a live person. No one sees or hears him and he can't manage to get anywhere or do anything on his own.

Joe Cavelli is a private investigator, living an ordinary life. Then one day he walks across a parking lot, gets yelled at by a ghost, and his life only gets stranger from there.

Max and Joe team up to find Max's killer. In the process, they form an unlikely friendship and change each other's lives in ways they never expected.

Link to the book trailer: Into The Light - book Trailer

Where you can read a sample: Darcia's Blog

Where you can buy it! On Darcia's website (print copy pay via paypal): The Book will also soon be available on Amazon and other good book stores. You can order it from any bookstore or library quoting ISBN: 978-1463640200

Ebook version on
Amazon Kindle
Smashwords

Contest!

Darcia Helle is currently hosting a giveaway where you can enter to win a print copy of both our books! It runs until Wednesday 20th July, so be quick, this is a 48hr giveaway! Here's the link to the contest: Giveaway!

Enjoy the books!

Special discount on 'Fusion' at Smashwords! One week only!

I am very excited that Fusion, my latest collection of short stories is now available on Smashwords.com This means that anyone with any type of ereader can download and enjoy the stories.
In order to celebrate this, I have a special promotional discount of 50% off for those of you who would like to download the book. Use code: LX99Y at the checkout, to get the entire collection for just $1.50 (coupon expires 16th July 2011). That has to be a bargain! There are 22 stories in the collection, in a variety of genres.
I hope you'll try the book.
Enjoy!