Melanie Tomlin's Blog, page 2

An Interview with Author Suzanne Jenkins

Today I had the opportunity to speak with multi-genre author Suzanne Jenkins, whom I’m lured away from her cozy home with a suggested trip to Costco. Thank you, Suzanne, for taking the time to chat to me. Please sit down, get comfortable and let’s begin.

About Suzanne Jenkins

Suzanne Jenkins writes contemporary fiction from an isolated location in the north San Diego county mountains, rarely coming down unless it’s for a trip to Costco. A member of the Romance Writers of America, she also writes page turning Science Fiction, Mystery, and Crime Fiction. A former operating room nurse, she loves writing medical scenes, and researching to get details right.

What’s the name of the book you’re here to talk about?

Perfect for Him

Tell us a bit about your book

When a young wife and mother discovers she hasn’t got long to live, she discovers a unique way of making sure her family will be okay after she’s gone. Implementing her plan keeps her busy until the end, when everything falls into place perfectly.

If there was a film or TV adaptation of your book, who would you like to see play your characters?

For the wife and mother, Harley, I think Emma Stone would be perfect. Zac Efron for Jason, her husband. I rarely go to the movies or watch fiction on TV, so I’m not even sure what they’re like on the screen. But they have the right look.

Give us an insight into your main character. What makes them unique?

I know Harley, a fantasy woman in my heart, the perfect wife and mother, the nurse everyone loves at work. If anyone is in need, Harley is right there, helping out. When breast cancer hits, she doesn’t want to say, “why me?” but she does anyway. Her sister is going to have a baby, her mother is retiring, her four daughters are growing up, and she doesn’t want to miss out on a thing. Missing out, knowing when she is at the Jersey shore with her family that it most likely will be the last time, that’s what bothers her. But the worst thing is worrying about her husband and daughters’ wellbeing after she’d gone.

Where do your ideas come from?

My ideas come from life, and especially from the things I worry about. The what ifs. What would I do in an ideal world if a situation should arise? In my book, Pam of Babylon, I was obsessing over what I would do if my husband had an affair. The idea that I could be so forgiving and so loving that I’d embrace the mistress was powerful. Of course, I’d never do that! But If I was rich and beautiful and had nothing to lose, I might.

What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

I love book trailers and I love making them, using Animoto. https://youtu.be/EDCplGIIaiw

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Don’t give up. Keep writing. Don’t read reviews, because they are just opinions. You know what you want to write. Just write!

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

I already did it, was a nurse for thirty years. But I love what I do now so much. I love the writing, the marketing, the networking, helping other authors promote their books.

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

I’m working at not reading them, but the good ones are great promotion tools. I get hurt when I read a bad one, unless it’s deserved. If they’ve pointed out something that can be changed, I usually do it. But most of the time a bad review is just because the reader didn’t like the story. That’s their opinion.

What is your best marketing tip?

Grow your own email list. Also, I love social media! Facebook ads and networking with fans is crucial for me.

What is your least favourite part of the writing / publishing process?

Obsessing over sales!

Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others?

I don’t do good sex scenes. They read like a surgical report.

What are you working on now?

I always have several stories going at once. I’m concentrating on The Jade Emperor, a story about a Vietnam veteran approaching retirement who discovers he has a son from a relationship which took place when he was there in the 1970s. I’m shocked at what is happening as the story progresses because I didn’t imagine it would turn out this way.

What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your book?

For The Jade Emperor, I picked my husband’s brains unmercifully about his tour of duty in Vietnam with the US Air Force. It was a healing time for us because his experiences there were not something he comfortably shared in the past. The way the veterans were treated when they returned home from the war was a travesty. So forty five years later, he talked about what it was like for him and the other men and women who served.

Where did your love of books come from?

I think I was born with it. I can still remember the moment I learned to read! Something just clicked and I understood what the letters said. I’ve been writing little stories since childhood.

How long have you been writing?

I started writing my psychological suspense story, The Savant of Chelsea, in 1987. It took almost thirty years to finish. I’ve been writing full time since 2010.

What would the main character in your book have to say about you?

She’d hate me. I tell all.

Are your characters based on real people, are they imaginary or a combination of both?

A combination of both.

When you’re writing, do you listen to music or do you need silence?

I wear noise cancelling head phones, and sometimes ear plugs. Noise is a big factor for me.

What’s the best thing about being an indie author?

I just write constantly whatever I want. I don’t need any approval.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Editing. It’s expensive, and when you publish six books a year like I do, and give many away free, it’s almost impossible to pay for it. I depend on other authors and beta readers a lot for help with editing and proofreading. Mistakes happen and I have suffered the repercussions in reviews.

Where can readers go to discover more about you and your books?

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | YouTube

Perfect for Him is out now!

Available formats: ebook

The post An Interview with Author Suzanne Jenkins appeared first on Melanie Tomlin.

An Interview with Author Lydia Sherrer

Today I’m talking to fantasy author Lydia Sherrer, who loves tea, the Kentucky countryside and playing her ocarina. Thank you, Lydia, for taking the time to chat to me. Please sit down, get comfortable and let’s begin.

About Lydia Sherrer

Author of the Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus magical adventure series, Lydia Sherrer is a fantasy author whose goal is to leave this world a better place than when she found it. With an urban fantasy series, multiple short stories and a novella under her belt, Lydia has been writing for over a decade and enjoys nothing more than a good book, a cup of tea, and a comfy chair in the sunshine. When not writing she loves to play her ocarina (think Zelda), and also enjoys traditional archery, cosplay, larping, and art.

Growing up in rural Kentucky, she was thoroughly corrupted by a deep love for its rolling countryside, despite the mosquitoes and hay fever. She was instilled with a craving for literature early on, and her parents had to wrestle books away from her at the dinner table. Though she graduated with a dual BA in Chinese and Arabic, having traveled the world she came home and decided to stay there. She currently resides in Louisville, KY with her loving and supportive husband, and their very vocal cat.

What’s the name of the book you’re here to talk about?

Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings (The Lily Singer Adventures, Book 1)

Tell us a bit about your book

Saving the world is such a bother when it makes you late for tea.

By day, book-loving wizard Lily Singer manages library archives. By night? She sleeps, of course. In between, she studies magic and tries to keep her witch friend Sebastian out of trouble. Much to her displeasure, he finds it anyway and drags her along with him.

From unmaking ancient curses to rescuing a town lost in time, Lily and Sebastian fight to avert magical mayhem. Meanwhile, Lily’s mysterious past begins to unfold–a past hidden from her by those she trusts most. Will she be able to discover the truth despite them?

Beginnings is the first installment of the Lily Singer Adventures urban fantasy series. Full of unexpected twists and snarky humor, this story has been known to cause: loud snorts of laughter, inexplicable craving for tea, and loss of work productivity. If you enjoy magic-filled adventures like Harry Potter and Sabrina the Teenage Witch then you’ll love Lydia Sherrer’s delightful new series.

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Put your butt in the chair and write something. Once you’ve written it, get beta feedback. Never assume it’s good enough, everything can always use another edit. While writing, take time to be a part of the writer community. Help other people and they will help you. Listen to others and treat constructive criticism as the most precious thing in the world, even if it hurts, you can always learn something from it. While it’s good to constantly seek to educate yourself about the publishing/writing world, don’t worry too much about anything else until you have that completed, self-edited and beta read manuscript in hand. Before that, it’s all just wistful thinking anyway.

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

I’ve always loved nature and insects, if I could travel the world collecting insects, whether for scientific research or for private collectors, that would be awesome. Of course, it would be very hard making a living doing that, so more realistically, I’d like to somehow use my love of music and ocarina playing a living, or my art. Okay, who am I kidding, that would be even harder to make a living in. But this is all hypothetical, so why not?

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

I read every single one. Always. I never respond. Ever. That’s a rule that every single respectable author has ever told me. Never respond to your reviews. The only exceptions might be if someone obviously reviewed the wrong book (maybe the title was similar or they just clicked on the wrong button, it happens sometimes) or if they made factually false statements about you or your book in the review, or if the review was obviously violating the review guidelines (using profanity, personally attacking you as the author, etc). But in those instances, I wouldn’t so much respond to the review as report it to the administrators of the site to have it pulled.

What is your best marketing tip?

See and be seen. I know some people aren’t big on personal interaction, or maybe have a small budget, or maybe suck at talking to other people. I’m a raging extrovert and very personable, so I can’t say what it is like to be an introvert and try to do this. But I’ve made more advancements in my author career by simply going to events (readings, signings, panels, conventions, etc) and making friends than I have in any other way.

Build an email list. It is the single best and most effective way to directly reach your own, personal cultivated audience who want to hear from you and want to buy your products. If you don’t know how to do it, just go google it and start sifting through the glut of information.

Okay, sorry, here’s a third one, haha! Get on facebook and go join author groups, whatever types of groups fits your genre and where you are in your author journey. You’ll meet people from around the world and get tons of amazing advice. Observe, ask questions, help others out, and CROSS PROMOTE with other authors.

What is your least favourite part of the writing / publishing process?

Making the cover. Gah! It is so nerve wracking! You can’t just make a pretty cover. You have to make a good-looking cover that sells by hitting all the right genre cues. I don’t do my own covers. I am not a professional graphic designer, so I hire a professional to do them for me. It is always nerve wracking finding the right person for each cover and worrying that you won’t get it right after spending all that money. Editing is easy. There is a right and wrong way to edit, and I am a writer by trade so I know what I’m doing. But I am not a professional cover designer so giving up that control is nerve wracking for me.

Do you have a favourite conference / convention that you like to attend? What is it?

I just got back from a weekend at LibertyCon 30 in Chattanooga GA. If you are an author, an aspiring author, or a book lover, you will have a blast with all the amazing panels and opportunities to hang out with the pros and ask them questions around a good bowl of whatever they are serving at the con suite that particular day. This past weekend I got to have lunch with David Weber, be on a panel with Faith Hunter, and talk writing with John Ringo. I also got to meet some of the staff at Baen Books, one of the top science fiction/fantasy publishers around.

What are you working on now?

I’m sort of between books at the moment. I’m about to finish my final edits for “Accidental Witch” (Dark Roads Trilogy, Book One). It is a spin-off series from my Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus series about Lily Singer. It tells the backstory of Lily’s friend and companion Sebastian Blackwell and how he became a witch. It is much darker and more somber than the Lily Singer books, with some elements of horror in it. But then, Sebastian had a hard past, and got mixed up with demons *shrugs*. After that I’m going to start on my first ever epic fantasy novel about how the gods got bored, gave a worthless beggar god-like powers as a joke, and then lived to regret it. You’ll have to wait until January 2018 to find out more ;). You can keep up to date on my projects by subscribing to my newsletter at www.lydiasherrer.com/subscribe

Why should a potential reader buy your book(s)?

Do you like reading quality fiction? Do you like to laugh? Do you like magic and adventure? Do you like cats? If you said yes to any two or more of those questions, you will like my books (and if you don’t like cats, you absolutely should read them, because you WILL like Sir Edgar Allan Kipling, magical talking cat extraordinaire). They are ideal for Harry Potter fans and people who enjoy series like Supernatural and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. They do, however, have their own warning disclaimers: My books have been known to cause loud snorts of laughter, inexplicable cravings for tea, and loss of work productivity. Someone once left a review stating that they were almost late for a business meeting because they were so engrossed in my book. Proceed at your own risk.

What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your book?

Maybe not the strangest, but this is what comes to mind. What do you call a group of cats? The answers range from a clowder (the most officially correct term) to a glaring, a pounce, or a clutter. In the end, I just stuck with “a group of cats.” Though “a clutter of cats” has a nice ring to it…

What’s an interesting fact about your book?

The reason I chose Agnes Scott College to be Lily Singer’s home base/place of work in the Lily Singer Series is because my husband tried to date a girl from that college (it is a small, private, all women’s college) way back when, and he was always telling me stories about dodging security guards and getting thrown off campus for doing things like holding up a sign outside his girlfriend’s dorm room that said “I love you.” That’s how I got the idea of having Lily work there, and her friend/”professional” associate Sebastian Blackwell coming to visit unannounced and dodging security guards. And, just so everyone knows, in real life it isn’t like guys can’t visit Agnes Scott Campus. There are men on staff and male professors. It is just that, if you are there visiting one of the students, you are supposed to be chaperoned while on campus. It used to be more strict, but not anymore.

Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?

The cat. Always the cat :). Sir Edgar Allan Kipling, magical talking cat extraordinaire, is a hoot of a character, and I love cats, so it is a lot of fun writing him. If you want to read an interview of him that I did on my blog check it out here: http://lydiasherrer.com/exclusive-talking-cat-interview-and-giveaway/

Are your characters based on real people, are they imaginary or a combination of both?

All of my characters contain elements of the people I know and love, because those are the personalities, the quirks, the loves and hates and emotional maps that I know best, and can write about most authentically. None of them are any one person, though some of them are more heavily and purposefully like people I know than others. Writers write best what they know, and any book you read, there is some part of it that is connected to something the author knows and loves.

When you’re writing, do you listen to music or do you need silence?

90% of the time I need music, and I generally listen to epic orchestral music along the fantasy/video game lines. But there are definitely times that I just need silence to concentrate, or I’ll get on a role, not even realizing my music isn’t on, and I get so in the zone it doesn’t matter either way.

What’s the best thing about being an indie author?

Having all creative control over your work. There is no one there to tell you what the cover should look like or how the plot should go. Of course, that is a tremendous amount of responsibility, and you can more easily sink yourself than if you had a publisher helping to guide things along for you.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Just writing. Sitting my butt in the chair and writing when I don’t feel like it (which is about half the time). It is all well and good writing every now and then when you feel inspired. But writing regularly on a schedule with deadlines whether you feel like it or not is sometimes like pulling teeth. And I’ve had two teeth pulled, so I know what it feels like.

Where can readers go to discover more about you and your books?

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Instagram | Goodreads | YouTube

Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings(The Lily Singer Adventures, Book 1) is out now!

Available formats: ebook and paperback

The post An Interview with Author Lydia Sherrer appeared first on Melanie Tomlin.

An Interview with Author Colby R. Rice

Today I’m interviewing author Colby R. Rice, who describes herself as a shameless nerd and bookworm. Thank you, Colby, for taking the time to chat to me. Please sit down, get comfortable and let’s begin.

About Colby R. Rice

Dystopian, Sci-fi Thriller, Urban Fantasy, and Crime Noir(e) Novelist. Screenwriter. Film Director. Game Writer & Narrative Designer. Globetrotter. Fable Hunter. Action Junkie. Rebel Ragdoll.

A shameless nerd and bookworm since the age of five, Colby R. Rice is the author of The Given and The Taken, the first two novels in The Books of Ezekiel, a dystopian sci-fi and urban fantasy decalogy.

She was an Air Force BRAT born in Bitburg Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany and came to the States at the age of one. Colby bounced around a lot but finally settled in Tucson, where she could at last deal with her addictions to writing, legends & mythology, filmmaking, creative entrepreneurship, motorcycles, and traveling.

Now, armed with a mound of animal crackers and gallons of Coca-Cola, Colby takes on the fiction writing trinity (novel writing, screenwriting, and game writing) in a fight to the death!

What’s the name of your new book?

The Given (The Books of Ezekiel #1)

Tell us a bit about your book

For over one hundred years the Civic Order and the Alchemic Order have held a shaky truce, peppered by violence and mistrust. But when Koa, a Civilian-born insurgency, bombs an Alchemist summit, the truce is shattered. Now, Koa is rising. War is coming. And all sixteen-year-old Zeika Anon can do is keep moving as she watches the lords of alchemy slowly overtake her home.

But when clashes between Koa and the Alchemic Order put a final, deadly squeeze on the remaining Civilian territories, Zeika finds herself in the crosshairs of fate. She must walk the line between survival and rebellion against the Alchemists. On one side of the line awaits death. On the other, the betrayal of her civilization, her loyalties, and herself.

How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?

Om-GOSH, names drive me insane because they are SO important to me. There’s always some deeper meaning to how or why I’ve named a character in a certain way. I feel like there’s a lot of essence, spirit, meaning, history, and nuance in a name. For example, in my Books of Ezekiel series, the brother of one of the main characters is Sairen, which (in spelling) is androgynous but also refers to his inner moral compass (like a siren’s call), which ultimately becomes his doom.

If you could choose ten words to describe your book, what would they be?

Dark. Gritty. Noir(e). Witty. High-octane. Unapologetic. Ass-kicking. Magical. Urban. Fantastical.

Where do your ideas come from?

So, before really jumping fully into my career as a novelist and filmmaker, I trained for nearly 7 years as a sociologist and social researcher. I was really invested in exploring social problems and posing statistically-informed, research-based solutions to these problems. Issues like poverty, disease, racism, sexism and sexuality, health, and more were always on my mind and still are. As a result, most of my novels are always, on some level, exploring social problems, asking questions, and posing social experiments and thought experiments through the lens of sci-fi and fantasy. I don’t think I sacrifice any of the fun, action, tropes, or escapism that’s expected from SFF/H novels, but I find it impossible to write any series that isn’t actually about anything significant or socially relevant.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

My dream is to build my company, Rebel Ragdoll, into the ultimate media f’empire. Currently, Rebel Ragdoll stands as a female-identified, multimedia brand dedicated to increasing the presence and impact of women, people of color, and other disenfranchised communities in publishing, filmmaking, and game design. I hope to empower artists to create, push change, and make a living with their art.

Specifically, Rebel Ragdoll is divided into four creative subsidiaries:

— Rebel Ragdoll Press (publishing),

— Rebel Ragdoll Productions (film & TV),

— ChickRogue Studios (games, software, and animation), and,

— The Bohemian Badass (creative education & training).

Personally, though, in addition to running Rebel Ragdoll, I myself want to publish an insanely large backlist of sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, crime noir(e), and survival horror novels. I also want to create and direct a bunch of action, horror, and sci-fi movies with all-female crews! I’d love to be one of the most prolific creators to ever have lived.

An Interview with Author Chris Shuler

On this gorgeous summer day in South Carolina, author Chris Shuler has kindly agreed to join me on couch in wintry Melbourne to talk about his young adult paranormal book, The Watchers Rising. Thank you, Chris, for taking the time to chat to me. Please sit down, get comfortable and let’s begin.

About Chris Shuler

Chris Shuler was born on October 19, 1971, in Columbia, South Carolina. He has two children: a boy and girl. When he is not spending time with them he loves to read and write. He still resides in Columbia, South Carolina. His first book, The Watchers Rising, was published in November of 2016.

Tell us a bit about The Watchers Rising

After the death of his father, Topher and his mother have moved to the small town of Newfoundland, so now Topher must face a new school, a new town, and new friends. Soon after settling into his new school he discovers that Newfoundland and his new friends hold a secret….a secret that thrust the weight of the world onto his shoulders and he must face the greatest evil the world has ever known.

If there was a film or TV adaptation of your book, who would you like to see play your characters?

Ashley Benson from Pretty little Liars to play Shannon and Rachel Lutrell from Stargate Atlantis playing Amanda. I would have to think about the rest.

How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?

They are extremely important. I named each character in both books after someone who has crossed my path at one time or another in my lifetime….except one anyway.

Give us an insight into your main character. What makes them unique?

Topher, finding out he is an Archangel … that is unique. Finding out he has all this stress on him but still acting like a teen is amazing all in itself.

If you could choose ten words to describe your book, what would they be?

Supernatural meets Harry Potter meets Percy Jackson.

Where do your ideas come from?

I see them in dreams … sometimes when I here a song or take a walk something appears …

What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

I think they are cool and would love to try one but don’t have the talent or resources to make one.

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

Being the father of two beautiful teenagers.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully still writing, and working on a novel with some amazing writers I’ve met.

Have you always liked to write?

Always loved it. I finished my first short story when I was in the sixth grade. It was based on a dungeon I created for a Dungeon and Dragons campaign.

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Keep pen to paper, fingers to the keyboard. Don’t let anyone tell you not to write. Writing is a part of you … your very soul … writing keeps you whole.

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

Probably still my day job … selling cars.

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

I do, yes. I look at this way with the bad reviews. You can’t make everyone happy. If it’s a legitimate bad review I will listen to it and learn from it.

What is your best marketing tip?

Cross promoting with other writers, giveaways, this awesome website called The Prolific Reader and instaFreebie.

What is your least favourite part of the writing / publishing process?

Watching the story unfold. Watching how the page fills up with your creation.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it?

Cruelty to children or animals.

Do you have a favourite conference / convention that you like to attend? What is it?

I would love to go to the San Diego Comic Con … I’ve seen picture of the people who cosplay there and they look so happy to take a break from reality for a few days.

Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others?

I usually have a hard time writing a scene that has four or more people. It … I have a hard time with balance and rhythm with it.

How long does it usually take you to write the first draft of a book?

If I’m in the zone, usually 30 days.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on the third Watchers book and outlining its spin off series the Caretakers.

Can you give us a few tasty morsels from your work-in-progress?

Well, in the third Watchers book about 80 to 90% of it takes place in a hospital and the horseman Pestilence is making a house call.

Do you have any unique or quirky writing habits?

When I know what scene I’m about to write I try to find a song that would put me in that mood. Like a romantic scene I will try to find a romantic love song by Rachel Platen … or if it’s going to be an action packed one I’ll find a rock song of some sort.

How has your environment or upbringing impacted your writing?

My mom and dad made sure I had an endless supply of books. There was a room in the house grew up in that had floor to ceiling books. It was my favorite room in that house.

Describe what your ideal writing space looks like.

A deck by some forest or mountain that has a view of the sunrise or sunset.

Why should a potential reader buy your book(s)?

As a friend of mine said it’s a guilty pleasure to read and escape to.

What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your book?

The book of Enoch and how angels fell in love with humans. Also how the Egyptians were scared of angels so much that they invented Qere to kill them. They even used it in their mummification process to ward off angels in the afterlife.

What’s something you’re really good at that few people know about?

I’m a great cook.

What’s an interesting fact about your book?

There is a scene that happened to me in real life …I won’t say which one, but it was very emotional when I wrote it.

Why did you choose to write in your genre? If you write in more than one, how do you balance them?

I didn’t choose to write in my genre. The story wrote itself into that genre. When I finish this series whatever story ends up in my head at that point will probably be in a different genre.

Where did your love of books come from?

My mom and dad.

How long have you been writing?

Pretty much all my life.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I wouldn’t give myself advice. Every decision I’ve made in life brought me to this point. So what if I needed to turn left instead of right? I’m here now and thankful for that.

What would the main character in your book have to say about you?

That I’m a big old meanie for making them go through all the stuff I’m making them go through.

Do you have a day job in addition to being a writer? If so, what do you do during the day?

I’m a car salesman. Don’t hold that against me, I’m one of the honest ones!

Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?

Shannon because she is so loving.

Are your characters based on real people, are they imaginary or a combination of both?

They are based on real people …

When you’re writing, do you listen to music or do you need silence?

Oh yes, I love listening to music when I write.

Who are your favourite authors, and why?

King because he introduced horror, Twain because of his quirky style, and Doyle because I love mysteries.

What’s the best thing about being an indie author?

Total control of everything! I love learning about the business side of things, like marketing.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Finding time to do it!

Where can readers go to discover more about you and your books?

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

The Watchers Rising is out now!

Available formats: ebook

The post An Interview with Author Chris Shuler appeared first on Melanie Tomlin.

An Interview with Author Jamie Davis

Joining me today is well known podcaster and author, Jamie Davis, who takes being a paramedic to a whole new level in his urban fantasy ‘Extreme Medical Services’ series. Thank you, Jamie, for taking the time to chat to me. Please sit down, get comfortable and let’s begin.

About Jamie Davis

Jamie Davis, RN, NRP, B.A., A.S., host of the Nursing Show (NursingShow.com) is a nationally recognized medical educator who began educating new emergency responders as a training officer for his local EMS program. As a media producer, he has been recognized for the MedicCast Podcast (MedicCast.com), a weekly program for emergency medical providers like EMTs and paramedics, and the Nursing Show, a similar program for nurses and nursing students. His programs and resources have been downloaded over 6 million times by listeners and viewers.

Jamie lives in a home in the woods in Maryland with his wife, three children, and dog.

Which book would you like to talk about?

Extreme Medical Services (Book 1)

Tell us a bit about your book

New paramedic Dean Flynn is fresh out of the academy. When he gets assigned to the unknown backwater ambulance Station U, he wonders what he did wrong. Then Dean learns that his patients aren’t your normal 911 callers.

Dean and his partner Brynne Garvey serve the creatures of myth and legend living alongside their normal human neighbors in Elk City. With patients that are vampires, werewolves, fairies and more, will Dean survive his first days on the new job? Will his patients?

Come along on this ride with “Extreme Medical Services” – part one of the series by the same name, a paranormal medical thrill-ride with the paramedics of Elk City. Described by one fan as “like Grimm, but with paramedics” this book is brought to you by best-selling author and real-life paramedic Jamie Davis. He crafts a book called an accurate, interesting, & fabulous page-turner.

If there was a film or TV adaptation of your book, who would you like to see play your characters?

Chris Pratt as paramedic Dean Flynn

Amy Adams as senior paramedic Brynne Garvey

Dennis O’Leary as Dean’s mentor Mike Farver

Ian Somerhalder as Brynne’s vampire boyfriend James Lee

Eric Stonestreet as comic foil vampire Gibbie Proctor

How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?

I selected names for some of the peripheral characters to give a nod to people I respect and admire. For my main characters, I chose names that resonated with me for one reason or another. The main character, Dean Flynn had a name change after my wife asked for his name to be changed from the original (Jerry). She’s the boss, so Dean it is.

Give us an insight into your main character. What makes them unique?

Dean is a young paramedic, fresh out of the academy so he has to struggle with his feelings of inferiority being thrown out into the real world to treat real patients for the first time. Of course, Dean has the added challenge of finding out he’s been assigned to treat patients from the paranormal underworld in his city. His supervisor, Brynne Garvey doesn’t want to break in a new probie in the job, which also leads to some early conflicts between the two of them.

If you could choose ten words to describe your book, what would they be?

fresh, intriguing, thrilling, surprises, mythical, supernatural, comic, emotional, realistic, medical

Where do your ideas come from?

Dean’s approach to caring for his unusual patients ultimately comes from my experiences as a paramedic on the ambulance for years. While no real patient is represented in the books, the scenarios will be familiar to anyone with an emergency or medical background. In addition to that, I often find situations in the world around me find their ways into my books to confront Dean and his companions.

What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

I’m not a big fan of book trailers, probably because I don’t watch them myself. I think if they’re done very well, they might have an impact, but the authors I know who’ve used them have had mixed results when compared to the money or effort put into them. Based on that, I’m not planning on doing a book trailer anytime soon.

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

For me, my marriage and my kids. Without my family, I’d not be the person I am today. I owe a great deal to my wife’s patience with my artistic and creative pursuits. Her continued support humbles me. And don’t get me started on my kids. They make me proud every day with their accomplishments and endeavors.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In ten years, I see myself with five or six successful series in several fantasy genres. I like to read in multiple genres and I think my readers would like to follow me on that journey as well. I’d also like to be in a position to give back to my local community and to the online community who have supported my work along the way. I love mentoring young paramedics and nurses now and would like to add budding authors to that group, too.

Have you always liked to write?

My mother recently sent me a box with a collection of things from my school days she’d been holding on to for years. In the box were several creative stories I wrote back in third and fourth grade. In addition to that, I don’t just consider myself a writer, rather I see myself as a storyteller. I’ve always told fun stories to pass the time, whether they were strictly true or embellished. I think that is where my writing drive comes from today.

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

It’s cliche but just do it. Many will tell you it has to be this or has to be that. Who knows some of them might even be right. In the end, it doesn’t matter. Write for yourself and then share it with the world.

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

I would be a full-time nurse and educator instead of the part-time dabbler I am today. I truly love the work and caring for my patients. There’s nothing as special in the world as a good nurse is. Remember that and thank a nurse you know.

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

I do read my reviews. The positive ones are uplifting and the negative ones can be instructional. I actually celebrate via my social media channels whenever I get a one-star review. Most of them are from trolls and aren’t worth the keyboard time it took to write them but they are an indication of your success. Remember, nobody tries to trip up the runner in second place so if a troll took the time to rip you in a review, it’s for a reason.

It’s the two and three-star reviews I find most helpful. These are readers who didn’t like a certain aspect of the book for one reason or another. I don’t always follow their advice but in the early days, I think some of the advice in those reviews helped improve my writing.

What is your best marketing tip?

Write more (good) books! It sounds overly simple, I know. In the beginning especially, though, your best advertisement is another book on the bookshelf. It improves the chances for readers to find you exponentially. I do spend time building an email list and other essential things every indie and traditional author should be doing but at the end of the day, I always take time to write fresh words. They are what keeps the reader coming back.

What is your least favourite part of the writing / publishing process?

Editing! Oh my God, the editing is the part I absolutely dread. But, as is often said, writing is re-writing. You have to do it and it’s the only way to make a book better aside from having a good story idea to begin with.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it?

So-called active romance is a subject or genre I don’t think I’ll delve into anytime soon. Mostly because I’d suck at it (no pun intended). That said, I think books are a great way to tackle difficult subjects in non-threatening ways. My Extreme Medical Services tackles some difficult healthcare issues facing the country but it’s totally in the background and usually, only other healthcare pros pick up on it. My series also deals with topics like racism and bigotry through the actions and interactions of the characters. I think this is an important role for fiction in our lives.

Do you have a favourite conference / convention that you like to attend? What is it?

I’m a big fan of the Smarter Artist Summit put on the by the guys who run the Self Publishing Podcast. It’s a great community to be a part of and I always learn a ton when I hang out with that crowd.

Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others?

Intimate sex scenes are my kryptonite but sometimes they are necessary to drive the story. so, I write them and then have my wife read them to make sure they are appropriate to the story but have enough passion getting the point across.

How long does it usually take you to write the first draft of a book?

I usually crank out a first draft in twenty to thirty days depending on the length. I write 3,000 to 4,000 words a day so you can do the math.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a second Urban Fantasy Series in conjunction with writer Sean Platt. It is a collaborative venture, but with him guiding the story from the background and most of the story juice coming from me. It’s been a fascinating experience and I think it’s improved my story-telling immensely. The story is planned for five books and is scheduled to debut this summer 2017.

Can you give us a few tasty morsels from your work-in-progress?

I’m working on a second Urban Fantasy Series in conjunction with writer Sean Platt. It is a collaborative venture, but with him guiding the story from the background and most of the story juice coming from me. It’s been a fascinating experience and I think it’s improved my story-telling immensely. The story is planned for five books and is scheduled to debut this summer 2017.Winnie followed Cricket into the other room. Inside there was a giant metal desk strewn with papers and folders, a few chairs in front of the desk and one larger one behind it, and a large, flat-screen TV. Nothing else.

A tall man with a shaved head stood in front of the TV, his back to them. He was broad-shouldered and muscular. Massive arms bulged from his short-sleeved bowling shirt. He was engrossed in something on the TV and didn’t turn when they entered. He waved to shush them.

“… There are few reports coming in so far, but it appears that some sort of massive natural disaster has occurred in Boston. We are unable to reach our affiliate station or any local authorities by phone or video conference. National response agencies are rushing resources there to try and get to the bottom of whatever is happening. We’ll have more details as they come. Again, some sort of natural disaster has struck Boston and severed all communication with the city. Stay tuned for details.”

The big man picked up a remote control and muted the audio.

Do you have any unique or quirky writing habits?

I like writing with the twenty-four-hour news on in the background. I know some artists listen to music, but I like music too much and I find myself singing along or tapping my fingers to the song playing. With the constant drone of the news on in the background, I get a lot done.

How has your environment or upbringing impacted your writing?

It’s coloured it a lot. I’ve written about things that are important to me in my life to share some semblance of my experiences with the readers.

Describe what your ideal writing space looks like.

I write on a laptop using a lap desk in an easy chair. That’s my writing space at home. Because I travel a lot, I do a lot of writing on the road and then I just write at whatever desk I can find.

Why should a potential reader buy your book(s)?

Based on my reviews, I think readers will like my books because they are a twist on the normal paranormal and urban fantasy genres. In my books, the humans can be the monsters as often as the creatures who live alongside them.

What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your book?

I write books with a medical twist so I’m always verifying some medical procedure or medication. As a paramedic and nurse, nothing bothers me more than when a book, or TV show, or movie gets the medicine wrong. It’s so easy to ask someone who to get it right and yet they just don’t get it. I try and avoid that so I double check everything, even stuff I KNOW I know. As for the strangest thing — I once looked up to see if you could purchase sunscreen and glitter make-up in one tube. Vampires who want to sparkle in the sun need protection you know.

What’s something you’re really good at that few people know about?

I play bass in my church’s praise band and I love to play obscure jazz riffs during popular praise songs and see if anyone notices them. Occasionally a person will pick up on it. It’s fun.

What’s an interesting fact about your book?

The first book in the series was originally intended to be a sort of experimental textbook to teach paramedics some knowledge and skills in a narrative format. That’s why it has so much medical jargon in it. Later books in the series don’t lean that heavily on the medicine.

Why did you choose to write in your genre? If you write in more than one, how do you balance them?

I have always read fantasy and science fiction so I knew I’d start writing in one of those two genres. I chose Urban and Paranormal Fantasy because I was watching a popular paranormal TV series with my daughters and I wondered what would happen if any of the main characters ever needed to call an ambulance. That was the birth of the Extreme Medical Services series.

Where did your love of books come from?

My parents always read to me so it started there but it became a true love of mine when I spent most my summers at the local library pouring through every single book they had in fantasy and science fiction. I would sit in the library and read until they closed and then I would go home and come back the next day to do it again. It was an important time in my life.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing creatively since I was a little kid, probably second or third grade. I had a very active imagination and several teachers steered me in that direction early on.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

If I were to give myself a piece of advice it would be to stop procrastinating and start writing the stories floating in my head sooner. Nothing ventured is truly nothing gained and I could have so many more stories out there if I’d started writing them down years ago.

What would the main character in your book have to say about you?

I’d like to think paramedic Dean Flynn would look upon me as a role model. I’ve always tried to treat every patient as if they were a member of my own family. It hasn’t always been easy and I didn’t always succeed, but I tried and that is the most important thing in life. I just keep trying to do better the next time.

Do you have a day job in addition to being a writer? If so, what do you do during the day?

I’m a full-time medical journalist. So, I’m still a writer, just not fiction all the time. I travel to conferences around the country and interview keynote speakers and researchers and publish the articles and video interviews online on my podcast channels.

Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?

I think Ashley Moore would be my favorite. She’s an angel (though in my books, they are called Eldara) and she travels throughout the world and through time helping nurses and other healers throughout history. I liked the concept so much she became the central figure of my first spinoff series in the book, “The Nightingale’s Angel.”

Are your characters based on real people, are they imaginary or a combination of both?

Most are a combination of real and imaginary people though a few peripheral characters represent people in my life I respect a great deal and wanted to immortalize in some way through my books.

When you’re writing, do you listen to music or do you need silence?

I think I already answered this one. I need some background noise but music distracts me too much. I listen to the cable news channel turned down to a murmur while I write in the early morning.

Who are your favourite authors, and why?

David Weber and Robert Jordan are my favorites, primarily because they create intriguing characters I come to care about while reading their books. I think this is important and helps readers become more engaged with both your books and with you as an author.

What’s the best thing about being an indie author?

I love controlling the pace of my writing for myself. Readers want books faster than traditional publishers turn them out and we owe that to them. I’m also a serial entrepreneur and wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I weren’t self-employed.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

The discipline required to be an author or even self-employed in general is sometimes difficult to wrestle with. You have to treat it like a job or you’ll never get your drafts and editing completed.

Who gets to read your books first?

My wife gets first dibs on my books. I don’t give them to her until the second draft stage but she always comes back to me with important input about my stories that makes them better. Best Beta Reader Ever!

Where can readers go to discover more about you and your books?

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page | Instagram | Goodreads

Extreme Medical Services is out now!

Available formats: ebook, paperback

The post An Interview with Author Jamie Davis appeared first on Melanie Tomlin.

An Interview with Author Laura Greenwood

Joining me on the couch today is author Laura Greenwood, who like to write (that’ a given), cook and bake. Thank you, Laura, for taking the time to chat to me. Please sit down, get comfortable and let’s begin.

About Laura Greenwood

Laura is a speculative fiction & romance author, often mixed together! Whether it’s shifters, princesses or theatre lovers, the stories she writes are the ones that get stuck in her head!

When she’s not writing, she likes to cook and bake, as well as read a wide variety of genres. She’s also a Brownie Guide (or Girl Scout if you’re in the US) leader.

Her main series, the Paranormal Council, is a paranormal romance series featuring shifters, necromancers, witches and more.

What’s the name of your new book?

Creatures: A Limited Edition Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance

Tell us a bit about the collection

Creatures is a collection of otherworldly tales from today’s indie-favorite New York Times, USA Today, and International bestselling authors!

You are about to enter the realm of Creatures, a boxed set packed with more than twenty enthralling tales of urban fantasy and paranormal romance! From witches to vampires, shifters to fae, and every dark creature known to lurk the pages of fantasy fiction, you’re sure to find yourself up past your bedtime and reading well into the witching hour!

So curl up on your sofa with a steaming cup of tea and PreOrder today if you dare brave the beasts!

If there was a film or TV adaptation of your book, who would you like to see play your characters?

In all of my books, there is only one character I have that has an answer for this! And that’s Rory from The Necromancer’s Prey. She’d definitely be played by Mila Kunis. While Mila is shorter than Rory is, they share the same kind of look, and Mila’s spunkiness from other roles would suit Rory perfectly!

How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?

Sometimes names are important, sometimes they’re really not. I have a variety of ways in which names come to me. Some, such as Annabelle (What Lies Beneath the Mask), Rory (The Necromancer’s Prey), Arabella (The Vixen’s Bark) and Raven (Hidden Smoke), just come to me as part of the character, and then they’re stuck with them!

Others actually have a meaning. Arabella and Rory’s other halves (Bjorn and Alden respectively) have names relating to what kind of shifters they are. Bjorn’s name means “bear”, whereas Alden’s means “wise” (he’s an owl shifter). Equally, the couple in The Dryad’s Pawprint, Kemnebi and Xylia, mean “panther” and “from the woods” respectively, as they’re a panther shifter and a dryad.

And then there’s the odd few that have names just because I liked the sound of them when I was looking Eaton (Hidden Smoke) and Caden (Moonrise) are two such.

With my co-written book, Ocean’s Serenade (part of the Creatures Box Set) the names Ronan and Coral were settled on after hours of debate!

Where do your ideas come from?

Where don’t they come from is probably the better question! I think that most of my ideas probably stem from things that go on around me, and then spring to life when I’m switching off, and twist into ways that I use for my stories.

But mostly my books come from the characters themselves. I’ll have a picture in my head, and the characters will then tell me about what happened to them. It sounds kind of crazy, but it makes writing the easy part. The only annoying thing is when they tell me something I don’t like, and I have to roll with it because it’s part of the story! (Yes, Rory. I’m looking at you there. Just couldn’t behave could you?)

Have you always liked to write?

Yes! I remember getting our first computer. I think I was about seven at the time. I used to write really short stories about my beanie babies. Thankfully, those stories seem to have disappeared, and I only have a really weird story about space birds left of which to be embarrassed!

When I was slightly older, and at secondary school (so somewhere between 11 and 15), I used to write a TV series with my friends. It wasn’t a real TV series naturally, but it was written to be one. Think Fawlty Towers type format and humour. We re-read these as a group recently, and somewhat surprisingly, they’re not as bad as we thought they were!

Properly writing fiction, I probably started around eighteen, but wasn’t published until I was twenty-two, and didn’t self-publish for another two years. But now I write all the time. It’s an intrinsic part of who I am!

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

I have several pieces of advice actually!

1. Accept that you’re going to make mistakes. This is probably the MOST important thing I can think of. I’ve made mistakes in my publishing, several of them. And I’ve learnt more from making those mistakes than I have from not.

2. Your cover is SO important. Seriously don’t get it wrong! One of the above mentioned mistakes was the cover of my first contemporary romance. The original cover was gorgeous, and I still love it, but what it didn’t do was convey genre. At all. I’ve replaced it now, but the damage was already done I think.

3. Write! Write what you love (notice I didn’t say write what you know, because unfortunately I don’t know any hot male shifters!) and write a lot. If you want to hop genres, then do. If you want to write in just one niche, then do. Both of those have their advantages and their disadvantages, but it’s about finding what works for you.

4. Writing the book is the easy bit. Marketing is way harder. Just be careful where you spend your money!

How long does it usually take you to write the first draft of a book?

It depends how much I procrastinate. But my quickest turn around was The Necromancer’s Prey, which I wrote in about a week. If I didn’t get distracted I could do a lot better!

What are you working on now?

As I’m writing this, I’m working on several things!

Hidden Smoke: This a fantasy romance with assassins and court politics…and has been a long time coming! This kind of fantasy is what I started writing, but up until May, I’d never actually published any. I’m just putting the final touches to it as I type.

Ocean’s Serenade: This is a paranormal romance that I’m co-writing with J & L Wells. It’s got mermaids, romance & magic, and is exclusively a part of the Creatures Box Set. So far it’s been an amazing experience!

The Vampire’s Bite: This is more in the planning stages, but is the 4th book of my Paranormal Council series, involving shifters, vampires, romance and more. I love this series, and actually I’ll be sad when I write the last book (but that’s still some time away).

Moonflight: This is only a short story, and serves as a kind of prequel to Moonrise, my first sci-fi romance! I really enjoyed writing this one. Just polishing it up so I can submit to an anthology!

How has your environment or upbringing impacted your writing?

This is actually a hard one to answer. I know that my upbringing has, but it’s hard to actually quantify that.

All of my characters have a little bit of me in them, some more than others, and some I won’t admit to. I have one character who had events in her past that are similar to some in my own. Because they’re so central to the story, I’ll never actually fully admit which parts are based on truth, and which are just there for the plot, but those events from my life definitely shaped what I wrote.

A happier example of how my upbringing shaped my writing is in my most recent contemporary story, Recruiting Love (which is included in the Charity Anthology, the Summer of Us). I actually purposefully gave Jill some of my childhood memories from visiting Honfleur on the French Coast, and making moules marinière with my Grandad. Those are real memories, and I actually got a text from him this morning saying he loved that they were in there!

What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your book?

Probably the mating habits of panthers. Not something I ever thought that I’d be researching! Though I’ve also had to look up specific dates for historical events (for my forthcoming time travel) including the exact date that Anne Boleyn gave Henry VIII the book that sparked the Reformation and his break from Rome, and specific weapon techniques, which weren’t things I ever thought I’d be looking up.

Why did you choose to write in your genre? If you write in more than one, how do you balance them?

I write multiple sub-genres of romance, but mostly refer to myself as a Speculative Romance Author so I can cover them all…except my Contemporary Series!

Balancing them can be tough. But at the moment, I have a main series (the Paranormal Council, which is paranormal romance) that has a more rigid release schedule, and then I write other genres around that schedule.

For example, in April I released two paranormal romance books (The Necromancer’s Prey, book #3 of the Paranormal Council, and Spellbound, a spin-off) and a contemporary romance companion novella (You Know I Do), as well as writing a contemporary novelette (Recruiting Love). In May I released two fantasy romances (Assassin Princess and Hidden Smoke) as well as Recruiting Love as part of a Charity Anthology. In June I’ll be releasing the 4th book of my Paranormal Council series (The Vampire’s Bite) and a Sci-Fi Romance (Moonrise).

If I didn’t jump between genres, then I’d get frustrated! So it’s something I have to balance anyway!

Where did your love of books come from?

I’m not really sure. I’ve loved them for as long as I can remember. I have a problem with my eyes that meant I (apparently) learnt to read properly around the age of two. So I guess from there.

Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?

The most recent one! Whoever they are!

I do tend to find that after writing a book, the most recently finished characters are my favourite. However, I think my absolute favourite has to be Arabella Reed from The Vixen’s Bark. Don’t ask me why, but there’s something about her! So far, she’s appeared in all the Paranormal Council books, and I don’t see that ending soon.

Are your characters based on real people, are they imaginary or a combination of both?

Most characters are just from my head. However, there are three in What Lies Beneath the Mask that are at least partly based on real people, but I’ll only tell anyone about one of them!

The secondary character in the book, Hayley, is very much based on my best friend, Anna. They have their differences (for example, Anna is a scientist rather than a costume designer like Hayley), and they look nothing a like. But the interactions between Hayley and Annabelle (the narrator) are very similar to those I have with Anna. It’s her no nonsense approach and strength that are taken from my best friend more than anything!

Where can readers go to discover more about you and your books?

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page

Creatures: A Limited Edition Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance is out on August 15, 2017 and available for pre-order now!

Available formats: ebook

The post An Interview with Author Laura Greenwood appeared first on Melanie Tomlin.

An Interview with Author A.L. Knorr

Joining me today is A.L. Knorr, who has studied dance, worked in marketing, and is now writing young adult fantasy books. Thank you, A.L., for taking the time to chat to me. Please sit down, get comfortable and let’s begin.

About A.L. Knorr

A.L. is a Canadian who spends summers in the beautiful Rockies and winters wherever it isn’t absolutely freezing – usually Italy. Her love of stories sparked after her mom taught her to read at the age of three, and writing for a living was a dream she harboured all her life. She studied dance but ended up working in marketing for many years and learning how to make a business go. When Amazon changed publishing forever and made it easier for indies to make a living with their craft is when Abby knew it was time to do it on her own. There has been no looking back.

What’s the name of your book?

Born of Water: An Elemental Origins Novel

Tell us a bit about your book

Targa MacAuley’s mom is a creature of legend: a mermaid disguising herself as a deep-sea salvage diver while raising her daughter. The only problem is that Targa is a dud. She never made the change as a child like she should have, and she knows her mom is disappointed. Not only that, but the longer a mermaid lives on land, the more difficult it becomes.

Targa isn’t just a disappointment: she’s her mom’s personal form of torture.

So, when a rich Polish shipping magnate hires the salvage crew to work a long lost ship in the Baltic Sea, Targa jumps at the chance to tag along. If she can’t be a mermaid, at least she can help her mom and see her in her true element.

But the Baltic serves up more than an old shipwreck. Because deep in its briny waters is the key to why Targa never changed. And who she truly is.

If there was a film or TV adaptation of your book, who would you like to see play your characters?

I can easily picture Kate Beckinsale as Mira, the mom in my book, but the daughter Targa is a little more difficult. The two of them look a lot alike so it would have to be an actress like Kate, just younger. Maybe Megan Fox.

How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?

Very. Both Targa and Mira were chosen carefully because both mermaids have a siren name that the sea gives them, which is a name that swallows up their human name. For instance, Targa’s siren name is Atargatis.

Give us an insight into your main character. What makes them unique?

Targa is one of the few sirens whose mother did not use siren wiles or manipulations to catch her father. Her parents have a genuine love which results in Targa being given the power of an elemental, a giant step above any normal mermaid. But she’s got a problem – she was supposed to have her first transformation when she was just a little girl – the moment she first steps into salt water. When it doesn’t happen, Targa feels like a dud.

If you could choose ten words to describe your book, what would they be?

Cinematic, sweet, startling, engrossing, authentic, environmental, relational, coming-of-age, romantic, detailed.

Where do your ideas come from?

It was born from my love of nautical history and shipwrecks and my love of YA fantasy. I asked myself, ‘If mermaids existed, what would they really be like? How would they procreate? How do they live? How do they react to different environments?’

What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

I haven’t created any book trailers but I’d like to at some point in the future.

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

Finishing my first book felt like a huge accomplishment as it was something I dreamt of doing since I could read at the age of three.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Traveling the world while spinning my yarns.

Have you always liked to write?

Yes. I learned to read when I was three and have been in love with words ever since. I’ve been writing dialogue since I could hold a pencil. Apparently I should have been a screenwriter.

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Accept that your first draft will be terrible. The gold is revealed in the rewrite.

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

Probably working in marketing. It’s what I did before and I really enjoyed it.

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I don’t take bad reviews personally. You cannot please all readers, it’s simply impossible.

What is your best marketing tip?

Be genuine and answer every fan email and every facebook question or comment. Nurture a two-way relationship with people, even though it can be energy-draining for introverts, it’s vital to your author brand.

What is your least favourite part of the writing / publishing process?

Formatting.

Do you have a favourite conference / convention that you like to attend? What is it?

I’ll be attending the 20Books Conference in London in 2017, and in fact have been invited to speak so that’s super exciting!

Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others?

Fight scenes – I usually need to enlist help to write a good sword fight.

How long does it usually take you to write the first draft of a book?

I can do it in less than a month if I really knuckle down and my outline is thorough.

What are you working on now?

Born of Air. The 5th instalment of my Elemental Origins Series.

Describe what your ideal writing space looks like.

Anywhere that isn’t too loud and I can sit for hours without being disturbed. Italian cafés are my favourite!

Why should a potential reader buy your book(s)?

If a reader loves to be convinced that elemental magic could be real, or mermaids could be real, they’ll probably love my books.

What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your book?

Parasitic isopods. Don’t look them up. They’ll give you nightmares.

What’s something you’re really good at that few people know about?

Mountain biking.

Why did you choose to write in your genre?

I couldn’t write in any other (to start out with anyway). My love of coming of age stories and fantasy made YA Urban Fantasy a no brainer. I would like to try another genre down the road, but only after I feel like I’ve told most of the YA stories burbling around in my head. There are a lot of them!

Where did your love of books come from?

Storytime as a child. My mom did a great job reading out loud to me.

How long have you been writing?

Since I could write.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

What would the main character in your book have to say about you?

She’s introverted and sits too much.

Do you have a day job in addition to being a writer? If so, what do you do during the day?

Nope. I am blessed to do this full time.

Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?

Targa MacAuley, my siren/mermaid from Born of Water. I see a lot of myself in her.

When you’re writing, do you listen to music or do you need silence?

I don’t need total silence, but I don’t listen to music – that would be too distracting. The background noise of a café is perfect.

Who are your favourite authors, and why?

Anne Rice comes to mind as the author of the most fantastic vampire novel I’ve ever read. Kelley Armstrong for her werewolf series and her YA trilogies. JK Rowling for somehow managing to be both funny and dark at the same time, and for changing the world of publishing forever. Stephenie Meyer for proving that the story is more important than the writing. But no one more than Stephen King who transcends it all. I don’t like horror, but King’s stories are so amazing that I’ll read them anyway, just to have a King experience.

What’s the best thing about being an indie author?

Flexibility! It’s up to me what to write, what genre to write in, what my cover art looks like, where to distribute and how, what my newsletter says, what my website looks like, when to launch the next book, and everything else. It’s a lot of work, but I love being in control.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Rewriting is a daunting task, but I think that outlining is actually the most difficult. It isn’t easy to craft a story that ticks all the boxes and there is so much creative freedom that you can feel exposed and overwhelmed. But nothing beats putting the finishing touches on a great outline.

Where did the inspiration come from for the laser (a small boat) accident?

The answer is… real life! I didn’t end up in the kind of trouble that my characters did, but that boat accident actually happened to me.

Where can readers go to discover more about you and your books?

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page | Instagram

Born of Water: An Elemental Origins Novel is out now!

Available formats: ebook

The post An Interview with Author A.L. Knorr appeared first on Melanie Tomlin.

An Interview with Author Belle McInnes

Today I’m looking forward to talking to author Belle McInnes about Scotland, historical romances and her new book, A Love Divided. Thank you, Belle, for taking the time to chat to me. Please sit down, get comfortable and let’s begin.

About Belle McInnes

A native Scot who lives in the hinterland between Edinburgh and the Borders, Belle loves to write about Scotland and its history.

In addition to writing historical romance, she rides dressage, teaches skiing – and pens prize-winning Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy and Contemporary Romance as Roz Marshall.

What’s the name of your new book?

A Love Divided

Tell us a bit about your book

Mary Queen of Scots is on the throne, and the frontier between England and Scotland is a powder-keg

More interested in raiding into Scotland with the rest of her clan than womanly pursuits like embroidery or finding a husband, Alexandra Graham is a feisty English heiress who rides and fights as well as any man. But when a daring rescue goes wrong, she ends up in the dungeons of Scotland’s most forbidding castle, prisoner of the notorious Earl of Bothwell and at the mercy of the queen’s justice.

As deputy warden responsible for keeping the law on the queen’s borderland, Michael Cranstoun is a Scottish laird with a reputation for fair-mindedness and the looks of a Viking warrior. But meeting the beguiling Alexandra puts both his life and his honour at risk—not to mention his heart.

If there was a film or TV adaptation of your book, who would you like to see play your characters?

I learned early on (when I wrote a red-haired character who looked a little like Ed Sheeran) that, wherever possible, you should choose the cover photo first before you describe the character – because some combinations (eg a ginger who looks like the guy next door) are very hard to find.

But because of that, the hero/heroine of the book ‘becomes’ that model – so Alexandra in A Love Divided is the raven-haired, feisty-looking model on the cover. Perhaps if she was to be played by a modern actress, Lauren Cohan who plays Maggie in The Walking Dead would fit the bill?

Michael, the hero, is fair-haired and described as looking like a Viking. I think Liam Hemsworth (who played Gale in The Hunger Games) would fit the bill.

For book 2 (A Love Beyond) again the heroine (Libby) is the blond model on the cover, but the hero is totally inspired by Luke Pasqualino, who played d’Artagnan in the BBC series, The Musketeers

An Interview with Author JA Andrews

Joining me today is JA Andrews, who writes epic fantasy novels … but wait, there’s more to her than meets the eye! (Settle down people, JA will reveal all shortly.) Thank you, JA, for taking the time to chat to me. Please sit down, get comfortable and let’s begin.

About JA Andrews

JA Andrews is a writer, wife, mother, and unemployed rocket scientist. She doesn’t regret the rocket science degree, but finds it generally inapplicable in daily life. Except for the rare occurrence of her being able to definitively state, “That’s not rocket science.” She does, however, love the stars.

She began writing stories and creating coloring books because these sorts of things need an outlet. And now good markers are a deductible business expense.

She spends an inordinate amount of time at home, with her family, who she adores, and lives deep in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, where she can see more stars than she ever imagined.

What’s the name of the book you’d like to talk about?

A Threat of Shadows

Tell us a bit about your book

Once Alaric was a Keeper.

Once he advised the queen.

Once he was a good man.

Until, in a futile attempt to save his dying wife, he delved deep into dark magic.

One last chance for a cure, buried in a magical Wellstone, drags Alaric back into his old life. With the help of an enigmatic elf, a disgruntled dwarf and an inept wizard he is close to finding it.

But he’s not the only one looking for the Wellstone, and if his enemies find it first, they will use it to awaken a terrible evil.

Fighting this growing darkness requires the strength and power of a Keeper, not the broken man Alaric has become.

Can he overcome his past? Or will it be the shadows within himself that destroy everything?

If there was a film or TV adaptation of your book, who would you like to see play your characters?

I don’t know who would play the characters, but I’d love Joss Whedon to produce it!

How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?

Ugg! Naming characters is really hard for me. (Don’t ask how hard it was to name my real life children!) There’s no real significance to any. I’m just pleased when the name fits the character!

Give us an insight into your main character. What makes them unique?

Alaric struggles with something that I think a lot of us do – the question of whether the worst things we ever did somehow define us.

I think it’s very easy to become stuck in a negative place because we’re letting bad choices from our past still control us today, when in fact each day we have the chance to make new decisions. We may still suffer the consequences of things we did in the past, but today we have the chance to pick something new. And I love the hope that exists there. It’s what I wanted Alaric to figure out in his story.

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

I do, but I try to keep a good attitude about them.

I like to see what people liked in good reviews to make sure I keep that sort of thing going in my writing.

For bad reviews, I try to look at it impartially and decide whether it was written by someone who just doesn’t like my sort of books, or whether they have legitimate complaints that I can work on fixing.

But mostly I remember that reviews are very personal and individual.

For instance, I recently had this book reviewed publicly. The reviewer didn’t really like it and pointed out exactly why. But then a week or so later, due to a mixup, another reviewer on the same site reviewed it again. This one did like it, and pointed out exactly why. It was a great reminder to me how much each individual person brings to books and how much that influences whether we like it or not.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on the sequel to A Threat of Shadows. It’s currently title-less, but I hope to release it in 2017.

Describe what your ideal writing space looks like.

A cozy cabin in the mountains that comes with a perpetually filled coffee pot and a beautiful view.

Why should a potential reader buy your book(s)?

My fantasy books have been described as classic tales that twist all the expected characters into something new and fun.

What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your book?

What fires started with dried dung smell like.

An Interview with Author Elen Ghulam

Joining me on the couch today is author Elen Ghulam, who has managed to combine two of my favourite things — food and fiction — into a book. Thank you, Elen, for taking the time to chat to me. Please sit down, get comfortable and let’s begin.

About Elen Ghulam

Elen Ghulam is an Iraqi-Canadian living in Vancouver B.C. She worked as a computer programmer for 18 years before turning to writing fiction. Telling stories to silicon chips proved to be easy, and so she graduated to amusing humans. She is a passionate blogger at www.ihath.com.

What’s the name of your new book?

Spoonful Chronicles

Tell us a bit about your book

Thaniya Rasid grew up in the Middle East dreaming of becoming a surgeon. Now living an ordinary life as a mother, wife and a hospital lab tech in Vancouver, Canada, she garners unexpected fame as youTube’s Queen of Hummus when her video demonstrating the recipe goes viral. How could blending chickpeas in a food processor generate so much excitement? And how could her life have ended up so far away from all her expectations?

To make sense of the unlikely events that have brought her to this place, Thaniya turns to food, curating memorable eating experiences of her life, searching for clues. Between her childhood aversion to cucumbers, her search for an authentic Iraqi kubeh in the city of Jerusalem, her 10-year tomato wars with her husband Samih, a mood altering encounter with a blood pudding in Edinburgh, and a Kafkaesque nightmare involving a cauliflower, Thaniya unravels repeated patterns occurring in her life. The secrets of love, friendship and destiny hidden in her cauldron of mishmashed cultures begin to reveal themselves.

Where do your ideas come from?

Ideas always come from the most unexpected places. With Spoonful Chronicles it all started with hummus. Many years ago, I uploaded a video demonstrating how to make the middle eastern recipe. The responses came from far and wide. More surprising were all the responses that had nothing to do with food or cooking. Emails that started with “Your video changed my life” or “You recipe saved my marriage” left me baffled. It all got distilled through the filter of my imagination into an outrageous short story about a woman who experiences existential crisis after making a hummus video. Which led to an angry short story about falafel. By the time I was writing a short story about a marriage falling apart over a shahshuka recipe (eggs cooked in stewed tomatoes) I knew I had the start of a whole novel.

Isn’t life strange? I sent into the world a simple recipe video and got back a novel.

https://youtu.be/-hpeYdNOzlg

What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

I try to create interesting and unique book trailers for my books. Here is an example:

https://youtu.be/W8KUBKMLxwM

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

I read all the reviews. Both good and bad. I wish I was the sort of person that could honestly say: “I ignore all the bad reviews.” But I am not. The harsh reviews effect me much more that I would like to admit. I have spent hours in bed, crying and feeling sorry for myself as a result of a negative review. I realize that this behavior is childish. I should toughen up and develop thicker skin. I am yet to discover how to make rejection hurt less.

Can you give us a few tasty morsels from your work-in-progress?

I am working on a novel called “Car on a Bus”. It uses traffic as a metaphor for life and tells the story of how impossible it is to get over heart break.

What’s something you’re really good at that few people know about?

I am an ok flamenco dancer. You can watch me perform in this video: https://youtu.be/HMpkLIPrlGE

Dancing is a source of inspiration for my writing.

What’s an interesting fact about your book?

The reader can receive a list of recipes connected to the novel. I have set up a mailing list where recipes shall be mailed directly to the reader’s inbox on a weekly basis. That way you can read the novel and eat it too.

http://ihath.com/MailingList/?p=subscribe&id=5

Where can readers go to discover more about you and your books?

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | YouTube

Spoonful Chronicles is out out now!

Available formats: ebook and paperback

The post An Interview with Author Elen Ghulam appeared first on Melanie Tomlin.