S.T. Sanchez's Blog, page 23

Interview with Illustrator Anastasia Shygaieva

My name is Anastasia ( or Nastasia) Shygaieva. I live and work as an illustrator and an art teacher in New York. I was named one of the 222 Best young book Illustrators . I was raised in Ukraine and was mostly influenced by the Ukrainian art culture. Over the past years I have been working with watercolor paint, creating a unique layering and aquarelle effect in illustrations. I really love what I do!

If there was one thing you wished author’s knew about illustrating what would it be?
Publishers that I worked with know that I am a talented illustrator with wide experience in creating unique and professional quality illustrations. I am proficient in everything from classical art, portrait to cartooning, from packaging to children's book illustrations. I provide fast, friendly illustration and design services. I work well with my clients and strive for perfection! I have worked with Ogilvy& Mather for a long time.

How do you communicate with the author on a project? Do you like it when the author gives a lot of direction or just lets you have creative license?
I am open to the suggestions and publisher’s directions when I am working on a new book. Most of the publishers trust me and rely on my sense of taste when I’m choosing the subject for illustrating.
What do you typically charge per illustration?
For single projects , such as 1 title illustration, or 1 poster, a logo, etc. I charge per hour. My hourly rate is 25$ as for today. But for other projects, that require hard and long hours of illustrating, I charge according to a budget.

What has been your favorite project to work on so far?
Currently I am working on a few very interesting projects, that I will be planning to sell to the publishers.


Anastasia, what is your preferred method to illustrate in?  Digital? Pencils? Watercolor?
My aim is to reach client's complete satisfaction, so I always offer two-three revisions until the image is approved I do hand-made sketches, scan them and send to my client for revision. When sketches are approved I continue to digital (or hand-made) color, revisions if any and then final delivery.

Any last words? I am open for cooperation. Please don’t hesitate to contact me)!

Thanks for sharing with us. Be sure to check out Anastasia at the links below.  Happy Reading!!
https://www.facebook.com/shygaek/
https://www.instagram.com/shygaek/
www.shygaieva.com
mail: shygaek@gmail.com
skype: nastasyash

Interview with Nicole Matthews author Beyond the Pulpit

Today I'd like to welcome author Nicole Matthews. Nicole,  what got you into writing? Poetry was my start to it all. 

When you read, which do you prefer: print books or ebooks? I prefer print books.
Have you been given any helpful advice? Author/publisher Victoria Christopher Murray believed that I could take this journey and that support was more helpful than advice. 
Support is great. Being an author can be a tough road. It's great to have people in your corner. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why? Down under, Australia, I think it is beautiful from photos I've seen. Id like to go to some where beautiful.                         Share something with us not a lot of people know about you. I'm a self taught Artist, I use to do movie reviews. 

Nicole, is Beyond the Pulpit a stand-alone novel or part of a series? This is a novella and the sequel is out For Worse. 
Do you have people read your drafts before you publish? Yes.
How do you select beta readers? I don't, people I know read the drafts.
Who designed the artwork for your cover? The company Publish America did all except my latest which is a children's book. "Diamond's Kindergarten Madness" 

Did you have any writer’s block? No. In fact I wrote the sequel to the sequel and my daughter erased it by accident.  
I can't imagine, that would be horrible to lose so much work. Is there something you learned from writing your first book? Yes, write, read, rewrite and repeat.
What are your hobbies aside from writing, if any? Art and making things with my hands.

Which is your favorite book? Beyond The Pulpit

What is your writing process like? I think of a story than think about the characters that will fit each role. 

What advice would you give someone who is considering publishing? Make up in your mind the time frame you want to get your story out there to the audience, who they are and that there maybe a lot of rejections or people that don't like your story.
Should new authors consider traditional or self-publishing? The journey you take has to be your own and what works best for you. 
Any last words? Whether you get signed you will still have to put in the leg work.  Thanks for sharing.  Happy Reading!!
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Pulpit-...

Interview with Illustrator Kilson Spany

Today I'd like to welcome the talented Kilson Spany. What made you want to be an illustrator?

It would be hard to recall with accuracy what drove me to become an illustrator since I started at the age of six. My big brother was a great talented artist and I used to sit I with him and drawing for hours. At the that time, it was more like entrainment than a serious thing. However, as grew I started to see it would probably be my calling, so here I’m.
 

 
How long does it typically take for you to complete one color illustration of a book?

This depends on the Required style. On an average 2-5 days

What tips would you give a new illustrator starting out?

Well, it’s quite hard to advise anyone starting this journey, but we all know that practice it’s the secret to master anything in life. So, it’s necessary to draw everyday and throw your entire soul into this art if you really want to excel at drawing breathtakingly. 


Great advice. Kilson, what warnings could you give an author looking for a new illustrator?

One should always make a contract before starting a project. This will protect the rights of both the author as well as illustrator

When an author contracts with you, do they own exclusive rights to the images, or does that have to be purchased separately?

They have the copyright. No need to be purchased separately


 
Do Illustrators offer revisions of their work? 

Of course, they do. But I always like to get the clear idea of what my clients really want before I can do any sort of revision. It would help both of us to significantly reduce the time of the work. 



Thanks for sharing with us Kilson, do you have any last words?

Great artist are literally young Gods who have awakened their true selves. In fact, we are all young Gods, unfortunately, few knows about this truth. There’s a barrier that separates anyone to really become amazing in what they do. It happens because they had forgot who they really are, they just need to remember and the only way to do that, is to meditate every day. 
 


Be sure to check out more of Kilson's work at theses great sites.  Happy Reading!!


Email: kilsonspany@gmail.com

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/kilsonspany/e/b...

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/m.arte999/ 

Interview with Heather MacKinnon author of Shift A Southern Werewolves Novel

Today we have author Heather MacKinnon joining us.  Thanks so much for being with us.  Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a pretty new Indie author currently living in North Carolina with my husband and two dogs. I’m originally from New York and spent about ten years in New England before moving down south. I’ve always been a huge reader, and to this day, read on average 2-4 books per week. After being such a huge fan my whole life, I finally decided to try my hand at coming up with worlds and stories that others can get lost in, just like I had for years. Shift is the second book I’ve published, and both have been in the paranormal romance genre.


Will you share a short selection from Shift?

“We’re a pack of werewolves. Wanna’ see?”
Without warning, she reached for the hem of her shirt, and yanked it over her head. With her dark brown hair mussed, she stood there proud as a peacock in her lime green bra.
I shielded my eyes when she reached for the zipper of her jeans.
“Have you lost your mind?” I shrieked. “What are you doing? Keep your clothes on!”
Another giggle. “I gotta’ take my clothes off before I shift if I don’t wanna’ ruin em’.”
Dread churned in my stomach. Was this whole house insane? Who were these people?
“Shift?” I squeaked.
“Sure, silly. Into a werewolf.”
My hand fell limp onto my lap.
This is insane.
There’s no way this is real.
When Evey reached for her only remaining garment, her underwear, I turned my head the other way.
She giggled again. “You better get used to this.”
“What does that mean?”
A loud crackfilled the room, and I turned to Evey again. She’d crouched down on all fours, and I watched in equal parts horror and fascination as tufts of black-tipped gray fur sprouted from her smooth skin. She tipped her head back as her nose elongated and grew.
Bones shifted beneath her tan skin, and a few muffled snaps later, where Evey once stood was now a very large wolf with dark blue eyes. I gasped, and scrambled backward on the bed, my heart racing.
For a moment I was back in the woods, broken and bleeding. I could almost feel the cold, wet leaves beneath me, feel the razor sharp teeth tear into my skin.
I shook my head to clear those thoughts and centered myself in the here and now. This wolf has blue eyes-not black. This wolf hasn’t tried to harm me. This wolf is apparently a werewolf. But, if she’s a werewolf, does that mean...


Heather, what brought about the idea for this book?

I read a lot of paranormal books myself, and I was on a werewolf kick when I began to wonder why the werewolves in the books I read never gave birth to multiples. If they’re part wolf (or however the specific folklore goes), shouldn’t they at least sometimes have twins or triplets? From there I began to build my werewolves world where they’re all born either twins or triplets or even sometimes quadruplets. Then I thought to center the story around a set of quintuplets. I figured that many children at once would be a novelty both in the human and werewolf world. From there I developed the rest of the story.


Where do you see yourself in five years?

Still writing, for sure. I’ve always been a big reader and the whole concept of writing down my own stories is new, but one I’m in love with. I hope that in five years, this can be something that’s closer to a job than a hobby for me.


Just keep writing and don't give up. Currently, what are you working on?

This question might get me in trouble, actually. I was busy working on Shift’s sequel, Howl, when another idea for a book came to me that I knew I needed to write right away. It’s a second chance romance about a married couple that struggle with fertility and eventually drift apart and how they find their way back to each other. This story will most likely be the next one I publish, but I still plan on publishing Howl in 2018 as well.


What has been the most difficult thing you have struggled with since you began a career in writing?

The biggest thing I’ve struggled with is wondering if what I thought was good writing, actually translated that way to my readers. Sure, I might think something sounds funny, or profound, or touching, but will the reader see it that way too?


I think that something most authors wonder about. Tell us a little bit about your main characters
Like I mentioned above, some of the pivotal characters in the book are a set of quintuplets. The oldest is Abraham (or Abey, as his sisters like to call him), the alpha of their pack, next is Beatrice (or Bea), the beta or second in command, then comes Callista (Callie) who’s the peacekeeper of the family and super into protecting the environment, then there’s Delilah (Del) who’s a fantastic musician, and finally, there’s Evelyn (who goes by Evey) the sweetest, most fun loving woman you’ll ever meet. The heroine of this story is Elizabeth. She’s a hardworking attorney, solely focused on advancing her career until Abraham and his sisters come into her life.


What has been the best compliment you have received?

I woke up the other day to a notification on Facebook. Someone had liked my author page and left a comment. I don’t get tons of comments, so I checked this one right away and it was a reader thanking me for writing Shift because she loved it so much. That really meant the world to me.


Do you have people read your drafts before you publish?  How do you select beta readers?

First, I work with a critique partner, a fellow author that I met on Goodreads. I send her chapters as I finish them, and she gives me her feedback. Once the book is finished, I’ll send it to a few beta readers. I had two this last round and three would be the most I’d want to have. I’m a firm believer in the idea that there is such a thing as too many opinions. Everyone is different and has differing opinions and it would be really easy to lose my story if too many people were critiquing it for me. And as to how I choose, I like someone who enjoys my genre, and who isn’t afraid to tell me the truth. Thankfully I found two great beta readers this last time who have agreed to work with me in the future.


Well its good to find what works for you. I can never have to many eyes on my draft. I am always surprised at what one person will notice that another one doesn't. Who designed the artwork for your cover?  Or did you design it yourself?
I found my cover on https://selfpubbookcovers.com/ and it was made by the username Ravenborn. She also did my second cover for this series, and I’ll definitely be looking to work with her for the next book as well.



How do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?
Criticism can be tough, especially to an author as new as I am. When you only have 40 reviews, and ten of them are negative, it’s easy to think that a quarter of the people who read your book disliked it, but that’s not true. Most readers never leave reviews, even if they enjoy your book. I try to keep that in mind as well as the honest truth that you can’t please everybody.


That's a good way to look at it.  I wish more readers would write reviews, but unfortunately it seems to just be a small percentage. Which do you find more challenging inventing the hero or the villain?  Why?
The hero, for sure! Because they can’t be too perfect, right? Every hero needs some flaw to make them seem more human and it’s hard to walk the line between just flawed enough that they’re relatable, and too flawed that they’re disliked. A villain, on the other hand, is easy for me. Add some sarcasm with some snark, and a dash of ill intentions and there you have it!


Any last words?

Thank you so much for featuring me on this blog and thank you to the followers for reading my interview. I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little better and if you decided to take a chance on my books, I hope you enjoy them!

 Best of Luck!  Don't forget to check out Shift.  Happy Reading!!


Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shift-Southern-Werewolves-Heather-MacKinnon/dp/1976896479/


Website: https://heathermackinnonauthor.wordpress.com/


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherMacKinnonAuthor/


Twitter: https://twitter.com/hmackauthor


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathermackinnonauthor/

Get Sunwalker Free today on Amazon

FREE TODAY on Amazon Free on Kindle Unlimited all the time
Reviews appreciated but not required.
Catch up on book 1 of my exciting Vampire Trilogy before book 2 Nightwalker is released in May
myBook.to/sunwalkertrilogy Award Winning Author Carole P. Roman said “Imaginative book about a natural-born vampire. All it took was for both parents to have a gene mutation in common, and daughter Lilly was born a a vampire. Her uncle wanted her destroyed, but her mother fiercely protects and saves her daughter's life. Lilly is a charming girl, popular and full of fun. When her best- friend is nearly killed by another vampire, Lilly saves her friend and charms Tread, another Sunwalker. An unexpected betrayal sends her deep into the vampire's world where the book takes a shocking twist. Entertaining and fun, ST Sanchez has written an enjoyable story for vampire lovers.”

Interview withIllustrator Khrisha Levisay

Today I'd like to welcome Khrisha Levisay. Tell us a little about yourself. Hello! My name is Khrisha Levisay, I was born, raised and continue to reside in Ohio. I attended CCAD and my study of choice has been children’s illustration. My work is digitally sketched, finalized and colored in Photoshop. With its childlike playfulness and sense of wonder my work is enjoyable not only for children but also adults.

Khrisha, if there was one thing you wished author’s knew about illustrating what would it be?
I would like authors to know that it’s not only their words that make a story, but it’s also the illustrators pictures. Illustrators are just as important, and they play an equally major role in creating a keepsake.




How do you communicate with the author on a project? Do you like it when the author gives a lot of direction or just lets you have creative license?
I think communication is very important! I always have my phone on me, who doesn’t, and I’m constantly checking my email to make sure I can answer my client promptly. I like taking creative license, mostly because I’ve had training and experience but also it’s very hard to create and change something that the author is attached too. I really prefer bouncing ideas back and forth, and creating something great!

That's good to know. What do you typically charge per illustration?
Prices vary depending on what is needed, but for a short story (12-15 pages including covers) I usually charge $1000, longer books can usually be between $2,000-$3,500. Anything else can be discussed and we can find the right number!



What has been your favorite project to work on so far?
I’m currently working with a great company creating digital stories that correspond with bath bombs. Each bath bomb has toy inside and with each purchase you will receive a free bedtime story, which is where another illustrator and I come in at! You can learn more here at http://fizzymagic.com/

What is your preferred method to illustrate in?  Digital? Pencils? Watercolor?
I work solely digital! Unless I make thumbnails in my sketch book, layouts, sketches and color is done via Photoshop.


Any last words?
I hope you all enjoy my work and hope to hear from you in the future!

Thanks for sharing with us today.  Happy Reading!!
isntagram.com/queenkhrishaart
khrishaillustrations.tumblr.com
khrishaillustrations@gmail.com

Interview with Dale Briton author of The World I Know

Today I'd like to welcome fellow Texan Dale Briton. Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up in the Buffalo, NY area, went to school in Utah, spent two years in France, and now live in Arlington, Texas. Still not sure how that happened. I met my wife in college, and we have three beautiful daughters. I teach high school math and computer science, and spend most of my free time writing young adult novels. Learning to be an author has been a wonderful adventure.


It is definitely a learning process. Being an author is a lot more than just writing a good story. What brought about the idea for this book?
Strangely, the idea for this novel came from a list of writing prompts. One of them was “Everything in your house has been replaced by identical copies of the originals.” I thought it was kind of silly, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and it evolved into the premise of The World I Know.


Dale, where do you see yourself in five years?
My dream is to progress to the point where I can earn enough from my writing to cut down on the extra work I do at my second job. My goal is to release two novels a year, so in five years I should have twelve out.


Two a year is a lot of work.  I am presently attempting the same goal. Good luck! Hopefully we can both keep up the momentum. Currently, what are you working on?
I’m finishing the novel I started for National Novel Writing Day, and planning the next one (Everyone Knows Jane). I’m also beginning the editing process on the book I’m planning to release this summer: Too Much Information.
Congrats! A new release is always an exciting time. What has been the most difficult thing you have struggled with since you began a career in writing?
For me, the hardest thing is finding time to work. I have two jobs, a family, a house, commitments at my church, and a hundred other things. It’s really hard finding time to write, edit, and promote my work. It’s gotten harder now that I’ve already released two of my books.
I hear you. There are only so many hours in the day, and there is so much work involved after the release of a book that I had no idea of before publishing a book. Dale will you tell us a little bit about your main characters.
Leo, my main character, is a popular high school jock (so I’m definitely notwriting what I know) who slowly starts to realize that the world is changing around him. A lot of the story deals with his interactions with his girlfriend Shelly, a stereotypical cheerleader, and Cassidy, a girl who has magically appeared in his school. Leo’s experience helps him to rethink his priorities.


Do you have people read your drafts before you publish?  How do you select beta readers?
I show my work to anyone I can convince to look at it. I need as much feedback as I can possibly get. I’m a member of a number of critique groups, and we read each other’s books to offer advice and suggestions. I would not have been able to do this without all of the people who have helped me.


I agree the more eyes the better. Who designed the artwork for your cover?  Or did you design it yourself?
Unfortunately, I’m not at a place where I can afford to pay for artwork. I design my covers myself, again with as much input as I can get from others.




How do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?
Fortunately, I’m aware of the fact that I have room to improve in my writing. I need criticism. I can take it. I’ve gotten a lot of good advice, and fortunately I haven’t had any overly harsh criticism. Not yet, anyway.


Dale, is there something you learned from writing your first book?
I learned that I actually could write a book. I wrote it over five years ago, and I had no idea what I was doing. It needs a ton of work before it will see the light of day. I really liked the premise a lot, though, so I’m hoping I’m be able to find the time to work on it.


How many times do you think you read your book before going to print?
I read it so much that I’m totally sick of it before I finally publish it. At least, that’s what’s happened so far. I’ve only published two.



Thanks so much for sharing with us today. Don't forget to check out all of Dale's books.  Happy Reading!!


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaleCBritton/?pnref=lhc
Blog:  dalebritton.wordpress.com
Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Dale-Britton/e...

Illustrator Interview with Weronika Wolska

Today I'd like to welcome Weronika Wolska, please tell us a little about yourself
I am young illustrator from Poland. Nowadays I study graphic design on master’s degree. I am interested illustrations, books, typesetting, typography and actually I am working on with it. Currently I am freelancer. I am doing illustrations, design books, posters, covers and lots of similar things.





If there was one thing you wished author’s knew about illustrating what would it be?
I wish authors have understood our creative work. I think we are half-artist and half-artisan, so we have  to compromise with authors and vice versa.


How do you communicate with the author on a project? Do you like it when the author gives a lot of direction or just lets you have creative license?
Obviously I prefer when I have creative license do, so I can fully focus on my work, without directions. Same as above, we always have to find healthy compromise between authors and illustrators.



Weronika, what do you typically charge per illustration?
I don’t have any typical charge per illustration. Many factors affect the payment. Very important thing is illustration’s size. It can be size of one page or a quarter of a page. Equally important are the time I spent on the project and the number of corrections. As you can see, there is a lot of factors, so there is no official rate for design.


What has been your favorite project to work on so far?
I am working on few fresh projects actually and they are my favorites. For example is a journal, where all typesetting and illustrations were designed by me. I am also designing my own typeface, inspired by Polish typography from XX century. Always after I finish my designs, I am satisfied only for a while. Because I am still developing and I need more and more freshness.

What is your preferred method to illustrate in?  Digital? Pencils? Watercolor?
When I start a new project, I always begin from sketches. Sometimes I must do a lot of drawings. The next thing I have to do is to move my sketches to computer and start to work on them. I always apply a lot of textures, which I made before with some crayons, pastels, markers and paints. I also cut some elements from my textures, which I later applying many textures, which I made by some pastels, crayons, markers and paints. I cutting some elements from textures and I compose it in my drawing. I do it all in programs for digital graphic design.

Any last words?
I am open for any cooperation. Thank you for this opportunity!



Thanks for sharing with us today.  Happy Reading!!
https://www.instagram.com/w_wolska/?hl=pl
https://wwolska.tumblr.com/
https://wwolska.blogspot.com/
mail: w.wolska4@gmail.com

Interview with Ramon Ballard author of The Last Chance

Today I'd like to welcome Ramon Ballard. Tell us a little about yourself.

 I was invisible throughout my schooldays (due to my shyness), I had the lonely child's habit of making up stories and holding conversations with imaginary persons. Invisibility has definite advantages, especially when combined with a vivid imagination. I created magical, fantasy worlds with magical inhabitants, which I told to my imaginary friends.
Time does not stand still. Fantasy worlds evolve into mundane, everyday life. As I grew older, my whimsical travels to far off places diminished and my invisibility slowly faded into visibility. Once I had children, I would tell them the stories that only my imaginary friends knew.
Years passed. One failed marriage became two. I found and married my one true love and began my happily ever after. Happiness has certain side effects my creativity yearned to shine. The imaginary world refused to be silenced; they demanded to be heard.Well we are glad you got here, no matter how long it took. Share a short excerpt from your novel.
“Tommy left for the safety of Pearl Harbor soon after New Year’s Day, 1939. Our radio show continued to rise in popularity.”(of course we know how SAFE Pearl Harbor was)Ramon, what brought about the idea for this book?

I’ve always enjoyed history and one day I pondered about a protag that lived through the twentieth century. Thus Horace was born.
Where do you see yourself in five years?

I’m almost 70 years old, I hope in 5 years I’m still here.

Currently, what are you working on?

I’m working on a middle-grade novel that I wrote 5 years ago.
Ramon, can you tell us a little bit about your main characters?

Horace3 was born in 1893, and has lived through Kitty Hawk though 9-11
What was your favorite scene to write?

Horace’s friendship with Babe Ruth has been a favorite of mine.
What kind of research do you do before you start a new story?

Time Life has a series about the 20th century. I bought all ten for research.
That's a lot of research.  Maybe that's why I like fantasy so much. How do you promote your books? Any tips you can share?

I have a few groups on Facebook that I use, however they are all authors, so it doesn’t work.
Really? I find other authors promoting my work to be one the best marketing strategies I have tried. Do you have people read your drafts before you publish?  How do you select beta readers?

I have a few people that will read my stuff.
Who designed the artwork for your cover?  Or did you design it yourself?

I forgot who did this artwork. It was done by a friend.
How do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

I take criticism well. I don’t consider criticism a bad thing.
I don't mind helpful criticism, but I am not a fan of anyone who just bashes someone else's work. Is there something you learned from writing your first book?

I learned word count.
Which do you find more challenging inventing the hero or the villain?  Why?

Both are just as easy

How many times do you think you read your book before going to print?

I wrote this book in 2009 and published it in 2017, there was plenty of time to read it.




Thanks for sharing with us today.  Best of Luck with the novel.  Happy Reading!!

Nightwalker Coming May 2018

There's still time to read Sunwalker before Nightwalker is released
  More Lilly only wants to meet another of her kind. When another vampire appears holding answers, will she be able to risk it all to find the answers she desperately seeks? On Sale 99 cent ebook 9.99 paperback Universal LinkmyBook.to/sunwalkertrilogy