Stuart Aken's Blog, page 339

What Does Genre Really Mean?

There are, as most writers and readers will know, almost infinite genres and sub-genres available. So, how do you define the book you've written or the books you're most interested in reading?I suppose we have to start by listing the most popular genres with their sub-genres. And I will immediately offend some writers/readers, because I will inevitably exclude some of their favourites. That is the nature of the beast.
First, are we talking FACT or FICTION – not so much genre as a label to identify whether a book is a work of imagination or a piece of writing depending on factual information.
Under FACTUAL we could include the following:AutobiographyBiographyComedy (or humour)EducationalTrue StoryDocumentaryAnd these are themselves generic terms to cover wide-ranging subjects as diverse as History, Travel, Arts, Science and Collecting, to name but a random few.
But my interest is in the genres that appear under the heading of FICTION:ActionAdventureComic (or humour)CrimeDetectiveEroticFan-fictionFantasyHistoricalHorrorGothicLiteraryMysteryRomanceSagaScience Fiction SequelThrillerTrue StoryWestern  Just 20 separate genre headings there. Let's break one of them into some sub-genres, and see where we go.
Romance:Adventure African-AmericanBisexualCategoryChick-litContemporaryDark FantasyErotic FantasyFuturisticGayGothicHistoricalInspirationalInterracial LesbianLiterary MainstreamMilitaryMulti-CulturalMysteryNovel With Strong Romantic ElementsParanormalRegency Science FictionSuspenseSweetTeenThrillerTime-TravelTraditionalTransgenderUrban FantasyWorld War II-EraYoung AdultSo, only another 35 sub-genres there – no problem!
No wonder the issue of genre is difficult for both writers and readers. This imposition of pigeon-holing by the industry does, however, have a purpose. Most readers want a clue to the sort of book they are picking up and genre is a reasonable, if sometimes less than accurate aid.
My own novel, Breaking Faith, is listed as a Romantic Thriller. But what does that tell you about it, as a book? Does the term 'Romantic' put you off, as a male reader, or the term 'Thriller' make you wary, as a female reader? (sorry for stereotyping here, but sometimes it's necessary to generalise to make a point). The story is basically a love story set against a historical backdrop (1976), but it examines relationships, familial domestic and romantic. Murder, rape, love and erotic sex lurk within the pages. In some senses, there is an element of the adventure novel and there is also the softer romance depicting a man and a woman in love. The story has made readers of both genders cry, laugh, exclaim with indignation, rant at injustice, sigh with frustration and smile with satisfaction. So, Romantic Thriller does not really do it justice. But how else would you label it?
In the end, we are stuck with genre as a way of classifying books into defined areas of treatment. But it is clearly wise for readers to remember that the labels attached are not by any means accurate or exclusive of other themes and topics than those expected from the genre.
If you use genre as a buying/reading guide, you might be well advised to read the blurb, the opening page and another random page in order to get a more accurate flavour before you commit yourself. Sometimes, you might be offended, disgusted, horrified or disappointed, and at others you might find yourself reading something that delights, surprises, elevates and astounds. I just ask that the simple label or genre doesn't prevent you considering a book.

Author Interview with SueAnn Jackson Land

SueAnn Jackson Land is an author who lives in Sudbury, Ontario. She has been published in The Globe & Mail, The Outer Banks Sentinel, on Soul's Code (a webzine) and was featured recently on Authors on Show.This is the pitch: 
When the rage of living settles down and age relieves us of blame - then we are ready to look in the mirror. After everything we encounter as human beings, after every trial and joy, everything we have chosen this lifetime for - we eventually answer to the human being staring back at us from the mirror. I have suffered at the hands of others, child abuse, sexual abuse, rape, suicides in three generations of my family. I have also suffered at my own hands, addiction, obesity, depression. Along with the memoirs that talk about "what they did to me" I wanted to write one that said, "These are the people who helped me. These are the memories that I had to go back and revise because I was wrong. These are the things I could not change and here are the things that I could. This is how I found peace." Ultimately, this book is about survival and the grace that time offers us to change our perceptions and move on.
Tell us about The Truth About Whales in a few sentences.
The Truth About Whales is a memoir and it was written with the purpose of helping survivors of suicide, specifically family members of people who have completed suicide.
How did you come to write this particular book?
Three members of my family completed suicide: my grandmother, my mother and my seventeen year old son.  I started the book to explain my history to myself, to write down all of the research, notes and questions I had about my family's story.  So it began as a journal of sorts.  When I finished it, 20 some odd years later – I realized that I had told the best story I have, my own.
If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?
My gramam, Anna Fizel Geshan, is my favorite character in the book.  She was mean, volatile and unpredictable.  She was also soft, squishy and taught me what it was to value family. 
Where and when is your novel set and why did you make these specific choices?
The book moves in and out of many geographic areas.  I am originally from North Carolina, grew up in Pennsylvania; did "geographic cures" to North Dakota, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas and Sudbury, Ontario (Canada).
How can people buy your book?
The book is available on Amazon.com and on Lulu, as well. 
What qualities make a successful writer ?
I have learned so much about what it takes to put together a book.  I thought I would have "the book" and Oprah would just magically find me.  Wrong!  I think self-confidence, persistence and networking are some of the qualities you need to be a successful writer.  You also need a great network of people who believe in what you are trying to accomplish and are willing to help you push through the days when you wonder exactly what it was you were thinking to begin this process at all!
How do you set about writing a piece?
I wish that I had the discipline to write every day, but I do not.  I write when I am moved to write.  Having sat down many times with the "I need to find a way to do this every day" I found myself with a lot of stuff even I didn't want to read.  When people affect me, I write. When memories are painful or I find some nugget of information about my family, I write.  When I have no other choice – I write.
Beginning writers make many mistakes; what do you think is the most harmful?
Thinking that they are hack writers or that they don't have the talent to "make it" as a writer.  That's why it took me so long to finish my book.  I went into the "lit crit" circles and was completely underestimating my writing ability and my right to have something good for SueAnn happen.
To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?
I think the attitude of "that's the editor's problem" is mistaken.  Getting published, or even to be seen by an agent, is like finding a needle in a haystack.  So if you are coming to a professional without something that is presentable; well, it's like going to a company fundraiser naked.  You want to look your best, but there is the problem of the dangling participle.
How much revision of your MS do you do before you send it off?
I read through it once.  I sleep on it for a couple of days and read through it again.  I usually send it to a friend to have a gander (because I miss things) – then I hit "send."
To what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?
I think that readers have niche markets that interest them.  Not everyone wants to read the same thing.  The sad part about genre is that it limits readers at the same time.  If I read "romance" on the description, I immediately think "Harlequin" and turn my head.  I read a classic "romance" novel this year as a favor to a friend and it turned out to be one of the best books I read all year.
How do you know where to begin any given story?
Having written a memoir – of course the story begins with "I."
What sort of displacement activities keep you from actually writing?
Authonomy (sad, but true)… I find myself reviewing so many manuscripts that any writing time I have budgeted is forfeited.  Having said that, if I hadn't gotten on Authonomy and started meeting other writers, I would still be thinking that I had the "it" book and waiting by the phone for Oprah to call.
Do you have support, either from family and friends or a writing group?
I have been a part of a writing group for eleven years.  We are friends who came together out of a love for music and have emailed the details of our lives, every day.  It is amazing to me how many "writers" there are out there who have no desire to be published.  They write because it is their art and how they express themselves.
Is presentation of the MS as important as most agents and publishers suggest?
Honestly, I have almost no experience with presenting my book proposal.  I got aggravated at the process early on and self-published.  I am certain is it extremely important because of the sheer volume of the manuscript on-line.
How long did it take you to write your book?
Twenty years.  I am currently working on my second book and I certainly hope that it doesn't take me another twenty.
Who or what inspires you?
Human beings, the human condition inspires me.  How we respond to one another emotionally, the spiritual search for why we chose this lifetime – I could write another twenty books about how much I love watching human beings discover their purpose here, how we touch one another's lives.
If there's a single aspect to writing that really frustrates you, what is it?
Having to critique someone else's writing frustrates me.  I want to get out my red-pencil and mark up the text.  I lack the courage to say, "Hey… really… your manuscript could be so good if…you stopped using those ellipses and finished the quote with the quotations outside of the punctuation."  That, and reading so many serial vampire killer stories.  Of course, I'm of the smarmy Stuart Smalley emotional variety, so…
Is there any aspect of writing that you really enjoy?
Self-disclosure – I am a flasher of the emotional variety.  I want people to know that I'm searching, the same way that they are – and what answers I manage to find.
Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?
I think that writers have a desire to express their perceptions of the world, of their lives.  My writing came from the inability to tell the secrets that were happening all around me.  Writing gave me a voice and an ally.  I believe that our brains and abilities are limited only by our ignorance.  If we don't know it, if we don't seek it, if we don't discover it within ourselves – how are we to ever have something naturally?  Even savants have to play the instrument or put the pen to paper, right?
What single piece of advice would you give to writers still hoping to be published?
Don't give up.
What are you writing now?
I'm writing, "After All" which is a memoir, go figure. It's about the women who raised me and the chosen family that gave me the love I sought after.
Do you have a website or a blog that readers can visit?
I have a Facebook fan page for The Truth About Whales http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Truth-About-Whales/100551756663247
and I have a blog as well, but I am not great about keeping the blog up to date.http://www.sueannjacksonland.blogspot.com/
Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?
I would love a beach house in Nags Head, North Carolina with a view of the Atlantic.
Where do you actually write?
I attempt to write in my living room in Sudbury, Ontario with the television blaring.  We live in a two-bedroom apartment and it doesn't allow for office space, really.  The best writing times are Sunday morning before anyone is up and breakfast isn't even an option, yet.
Stuart – thank you very much for this opportunity to speak with you about The Truth About Whales.  I admire your effort in helping authors get the word out about their books and wish you luck on your next book!  I'm looking forward to reading it.

What Does it Mean to Be Green?

Image via Wikipedia
For some, the Green movement is a political choice, for others, it's a spiritual matter and yet others see it as a social issue, especially relevant to the future lives of their children. Many people see it as all three, of course. And yet others think it is all so much hype and hysteria – though who, exactly, would gain from such a programme of disinformation about the environment is difficult to pin down.
As a parent, I want to leave behind a world fit for my daughter, and any children she may have, to inhabit. I would prefer to leave the place better than I found it. So, I belong to Greenpeace, and have done since the 1980s. My wife belongs to Friends of the Earth. We pool their information and do what we can to support both organisations.
Are all the warnings about climate change (or global warming, if that's your preferred term) justified? The climate is a hugely complex system and local weather, on its own, is no clue to what is happening on a global scale. It is the accumulation of changes, extremes and effects that point to serious movement in the way our climate works. Almost without exception, the statistics indicate that the Earth's atmosphere is altering to the detriment of humankind. I have no fear for the planet itself or life in general: they will continue for untold eons, with or without us. But there are signs that our input to the climate is generally destructive in the way it affects humans as a species. Already, some crops are failing, the water table in many areas - India's Punjab and Israel's disputed territory are obvious examples – is dropping to a point where it will soon be unusable. We are experiencing many examples of extreme weather in the form of floods, droughts, hurricanes, ice storms, forest fires etc. Some people believe that because their own local weather is improving, there is no problem. But local weather patterns on their own are no indicators of the general health of the climate over the planet.
Way back in the early 80s, Greenpeace predicted that we would see extremes in the weather all over the world due to global warming. And what do we have today? Extremes in local weather all over the globe. Isn't that a surprise?
If we accept that mankind is the prime mover in this change (and the naysayers will blame the Sun – a long discredited theory; or cyclical changes – also not a valid defence, as the rate of change we are experiencing is unprecedented) then we need to know whether there is anything we can do about it as individuals. We cannot trust governments to take the necessary steps, unless we are prepared to back their unpalatable changes with action.
Recycling comes a poor second to making things last longer and repairing stuff that needs replacing. We consume as though the planet's resources were inexhaustible but there are already signs that we will run out of some our basic needs in the near future. It is not unlikely that the next round of wars and conflicts will arise over claims to drinking water. Then will come disputes over food production, as the world's population exceeds the planet's ability to support it. Millions are starving today; if they were fed to the level of the most highly consuming societies, there simply wouldn't be enough food to go round. So, we would struggle to feed a world with its current 6.5 Bn; what will we do with a population of 9 Bn, due around 2050?
Is it feasible to slow down population growth, surely a prime cause of our problems, or better, to reduce it?Can we persuade people to reduce car use? Will increased nuclear power help reduce the effects of growing fuel use? Will commercial and political interests allow the introduction of factors other than purely material one to be included in pricing, so that the real costs to the planet can be reflected in what we use and buy?
I put these statements and questions to attract comment and debate and invite you to make your contribution here and now.

Interview with Author, Geoffrey Thorne.

Geoffrey Thorne, novelist and screenwriter, was born in the United States and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. A Second Prize-winner in Simon & Schuster's sixth annual Strange New Worlds anthology with his story "The Soft Room," he published more stories in anthologies and the Star Trek: Titan novel Sword of Damocles.Other stories include contributions to Phobos Entertainment's anthology Reality Cops: The Adventures of Vale and Mist, Parsec Ink's Triangulation: End of Time anthology, and the neo-pulp webzine Astonishing Adventures! Magazine .As a screenwriter, he worked with Kickstart Entertainment to develop, Of Bitter Souls and Sword of Dracula , for television. He worked as a staff writer on season 9 of USA network's Law & Order: Criminal Intent season 3 of TNT's Leverage.Geoffrey Thorne is co-founder and writing partner in GENRE 19, a studio formed with artist, Todd Harris, in 2008.
Tell us about WINTER OF THE WILD HUNT in a few sentences.
Well, it's an urban fantasy, paranormal romance told by the male half of the couple but focusing on the female. It's a bit of twist on a few themes and I'm really happy with it. This is taking Paranormal Romance and beating it to death with SCIENCE! Or something.
How did you come to write this particular book?
Well, technically it was the first book I ever wrote, about 20 odd years ago. Needless to say that first version was crap. I decided to see what I could do to make it work, now that, in theory, I know what I'm doing. I like myths and folk stories and I like mixing them with hard reality so this story was going to be told one way or another.
If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?
Can't say. It gives too much away. But the two lovers are pretty high up there in my esteem. Especially the girl. Romance, remember? Paranormal Romance. Extremely para.
Where and when is your novel set and why did you make these specific choices?
It's set in the present, in an unnamed American city. I like the whole Tolkien-esque thing well enough for a fantasy setting but I wanted to tell this sort of story in a modern frame. And it's a REALLY old story.
How can people buy your books?
Amazon. Barnes & Noble. Powell's. Smashwords.  Basically wherever good books are sold. My Star Trek stuff is pretty ubiquitous too.
What qualities make a successful writer?
Durability. Good ideas. A good sense of the flow of language and a sense of fun being transferred from you to the reader. Understanding how people work vs how you wish they worked. Unless you write that bleak, depression-inducing stuff that makes people want to hang themselves but why would you do that?
How do you set about writing a piece?
The idea occurs to me, wherever. I jot down some notes and let the thing gel a bit. This can take as little as a few hours and as long as a year. When it's firm in my mind I sit down to write. Sometimes with an outline, sometimes not.
Beginning writers make many mistakes; what do you think is the most harmful?
Thinking they know everything and therefore everything they write is gold or, conversely, thinking they know everything and therefore their work is automatically crap. Writing, getting to be a good at it, is a long process. Dig in. Learn to learn.
To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?
You have to know the rules in order to break them effectively. Ask Picasso. Dig him up first, of course.
How much revision of your MS do you do before you send it off?
Hmm. Depends on the story but not many. Never more than two and never a giant overhaul. More like spot-welding. If an editor wants a rewrite she'll say so.
To what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?
Well, my stuff is all mash-ups of at least two genres at a time. I think it's a fine marketing gambit– giving the readers a rough idea of where to go– but it's limiting too. Michael Crichton's stuff is all classified General Fiction but nearly everything he wrote is Science Fiction. Why isn't Greg Bear's stuff in General Fiction? No clue.
How do you know where to begin any given story?
I don't. They tell me.
What sort of displacement activities keep you from actually writing?
Video games. Eating. Sleeping. Basically anything having to do with keeping body and soul together. Plus video games.
Do you have support, either from family and friends or a writing group?
Not so much. My parents were great at the beginning, very encouraging and my wife has a great critical eye (when she actually has time to sit still and read something, which is rare. Her job is CRAZY!) but now it's basically just me plugging away in an office or cafe until the mountain is climbed.
Is presentation of the MS as important as most agents and publishers suggest?
Do what they tell you. Do not deviate. I used to be a reader. If the MS looks poorly formatted, I'm not wasting one second on it. Circular file. Seriously. There are just too many to get through in a given day. If the publisher tells you how they want the thing delivered, deliver it precisely that way. 
How long does it normally take you to write a piece?
No particular time period. Some things whip by; some take lots of time. There's no pattern.
Who or what inspires you?
Hmmm. My brain cooks stories. Pretty much constantly. I'm not sure I even actually need inspiration. It's more like knowing I'm not going to live long enough to tell all these stories.
If there's a single aspect to writing that really frustrates you, what is it?
Getting books into the readers' hands.
Is there any aspect of writing that you really enjoy?
Finishing whatever's current and moving on to the next.
Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?
Both. I'm not the most gifted writer I know but I have pretty good control of my "gift." A more gifted writer might be horribly undisciplined and not have any clue what makes some of her stuff good and some crappy. That writer will not get the brass ring though she is, technically, more "gifted."
What single piece of advice would you give to writers still hoping to be published?
Marathon, not Sprint. Dig in. Write. Eat rejection like candy and keep at it. If success happens fast, it's not worth anything.
What are you writing now?
I'm desperately trying to finish the new eNovella in my GRIM ARCANA series, FIXING MR. STYX. Urban fantasy. It'll be offered for free for however many days are left in October when it's done. Halloween is my favorite holiday.
Do you have a website or a blog that readers can visit?
hmm. a bunch, actually. Try... http://redjacket.blogspot.com/ or the new one for the WINTERMAN PROJECT (that's the micro press we formed when the books kept selling) http://www.wix.com/wintermanproject/books
Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?
A giant European manor house (Irish or English, preferably) with a two-story library/study stuffed with books.
Where do you actually write?
Anywhere I can fit me and my laptop.

Breaking Faith Published in Full as eBook for all platforms.

As a result of public demand, I've now published Breaking Faith as an ebook in its full version. That means that the ebook now contains the erotic scenes that previously I'd restricted to the print version.
On reflection, I should never have allowed the prudish attitudes of a few readers to influence my decision on this. The erotic content is integral to the story; neither gratuitous, nor extraneous. The book, after all, is about the difference between love and sex: it cannot properly convey that theme without some sexual content.
So, if you'd like to read this book on your PC, Mac or eReader, you can now do so by visiting Smashwords.     In the near future, I intend to place this on the Amazon Kindle site as well, but if you want this for your Kindle, you can still do so via Smashwords.

God: a Reality, a Fantasy, or an Unknown?

If you're easily offended by religious ideas that fail to match your own, please don't read on. But, if you have an open and enquiring mind, you might like to share your thoughts and comment on what I intend to explore here.Raised as a Christian, I passed through atheism, induced by my mother's death in a road accident when I was 16, to my current state of agnosticism. The agnostic stance, as with most religious viewpoints, has several manifestations. My own is quite simple:
I believe that IF there is a God, that being or power is certainly not in any way a personal deity and can have no gender. I believe such an entity is likely to be too complex and ineffable to be even remotely comprehensible to humanity.
As a result of this philosophical stance, I see ALL definitions of God as inadequate and sometimes downright insulting to this power. However, because I have no emotional bond to the idea – it's an academic consideration rather than a sentimental desire to have unanswerable questions easily answered – I feel no personal concern at such insults. I do, however, find sympathy with some of If we are brought up, steeped in any religious tradition, these ideas are so deeply ingrained into our consciousness that not only are they difficult to counter in later life, but they exist as a subconscious set of rules for our later beliefs and behaviours. Language itself is difficult to use without, in the case of Christian countries, Biblical references; the same applies in Muslim countries with the Qur'an. No doubt there are similar ties in other languages with Hinduism and Buddhism, though the latter is a little less aggressive than most religions. If children are taught a certain dogma as fact, then they are less likely to view opposing ideas with sympathy and, in some cases, are likely to view such opposition as hostile. We educate our children in a specific religious belief at the expense of their intellectual and spiritual freedom. That this is done by the religious groups primarily as a way of perpetuating and increasing their particular viewpoint, is undeniable, though they will all deny it, of course.
It strikes me that most religious doctrine (by which I mean the dogma; the insistence that their version of events is the only one, the right one) is so clearly based in factually questionable ideas as to be transparently doubtful. However, most adherents, disciples and converts to the various faiths are so desperate to be seen as members of their particular club or tribe that they willingly paper over the obvious cracks. Often, the arguments brought to bear in defence of their particular stance are so far-fetched as to be risible when subjected to rational analysis. Religion is the only area of human life where a belief in something which cannot be proven is considered a positive quality. There's as much evidence for the existence of fairies, a flat Earth or a Moon made of green cheese, as there is for the existence of the type of God described by most religions. (This, of course, is only the case if you remove from consideration as evidence the religious books – Bible, Qur'an, Torah, etc, - since history proves that these were clearly written by men and have nothing whatsoever to do with any higher power) Yet believers in the other fantasies listed are pilloried and ridiculed, whilst believers in the faiths are praised, especially by others of the same persuasion. Faith in things intangible encourages our children to believe myths, mistruths, rumours and lies, instead of promoting questioning everything around them and fostering the search for evidence. Do we really want to steep our children in dubious myths, which have long since been discredited, and thus perpetuate divisions caused by loyalty to organisations that exist primarily as power bases for those with a personal need for authority and control over others?
So, no doubt having enraged members of all major faiths, I invite all and sundry to comment, refute, agree or question. BUT I'll delete any comments that are simply insulting or deliberately offensive, whatever side of the argument they support.   

Author Derek J Canyon, Interviewed.

Describing himself as a newbie self-publishing writer, Derek J Canyon was inspired by JA Konrath's success in epublishing. After discovering his blog and reading it for about two days, he decided to dust off an old, rejected manuscript. That novel, Dead Dwarves Don't Dance, is due for release in November.He also had 3 short stories that led up to the novel, and decided to publish them in an anthology, Dead Dwarves, Dirty Deeds, which has been available since September 30th on Amazon.For the last 13 years, his day job has been working as a Technical Writer at Microsoft in the Seattle area. A great place to work, it gives him the financial freedom to pay for cool covers and editing on his ebooks. But, spending all day wracking his brain to write computer documentation does sometimes sap his creativity before he gets home. Alas, one must take the bad with the good. He lives with his wonderful wife Shari and their long-haired chihuahua Andy in the exotic wilderness east of Seattle.
Tell us about Dead Dwarves, Dirty Deeds in a few sentences.
It is an anthology of three cyberpunk short stories revolving around criminal scum and the violence they perpetrate in the technological excess of the 22nd century. Vat-grown foods have eliminated hunger, bacterial petroleum is cheap and clean, and genetically engineered neohumans do the jobs no one else wants to do. But, even in such a world of plenty, humanity still suffers from hate, strife, and apathy. As always, criminals prowl the edges and feed on the chaos, and each other.
How did you come to write this particular book?
I had the title for my novel Dead Dwarves Don't Dance in my head since about the late 1980s. Around 1994, I wrote the novel in 3 months. I didn't do any revisions or editing. Not surprisingly, my efforts to find an agent and publisher were unsuccessful. I let the manuscript languish for 15 years until I saw JA Konrath's blog and bought into his Kindle evangelizing. I spent the last couple months cleaning up the book, and I'm releasing it on Amazon in late October.To give readers a taste of my writing, I just released an anthology of short stories, Dead Dwarves, Dirty Deeds, set in the same world. These stories are actually a prequel trilogy to the novel. I've priced it at 99 cents, so it's a cheap way to decide if you like my writing enough to buy the $2.99 novel later this month.
If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?
Noose the genetically engineered dwarf assassin. He's cool, he's tough, he's hard-boiled, and he smokes a cherut. Imagine Dirty Harry, Rambo, and John McClain scrunched down into Gimli's body, then throw him into Blade Runner and there you go. He only plays a brief role in the third story in Dead Dwarves, Dirty Deeds. However, he is the protagonist in Dead Dwarves Don't Dance.
Where and when is your novel set and why did you make these specific choices?
It's set in the early 22nd century. The world is governed by the United Globe, a descendent of the United Nations. Everyone lives in vast metroplexes scattered around the world, while the rest of the world is being restored to pristine wilderness. These stories are set in North America, one in a desert prison arcology, the other two in the Regional Atlanta Metroplex. Due to the travel undertaken by some of the characters in the upcoming novel, I needed the story to start east of Texas. I arbitrarily chose Atlanta. Therefore, the three prequel short stories also relate to Atlanta.
 How can people buy your books?
My short story anthology is currently on Amazon. The novel will be available in November.
What qualities make a successful writer?
I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer this, as I'm just a beginner. However, I expect that successful writers must be determined, imaginative, marketable, thick-skinned, patient, and in it for the long haul.  In the traditional publishing arena, you also have to be well-connected and/or lucky.I don't expect to get rich overnight selling my ebooks. I'm hoping to break even within a year by selling around 2000 copies. Hopefully, in five years, when I have more titles available, I'll have a nice tidy novel income to supplement my real job.
How do you set about writing a piece?
The genesis for one of my stories might come from a title (as it did with Dead Dwarves Don't Dance) or a character, scene or  setting. Once I have a story seed, I spend about a month outlining the entire plot. For a full length novel, this outline might be about 10 pages. Then, I bang out the first draft. I can write about 1000 words an hour, with gusts up to 1500. My daily writing record is 5000 words in one day. After I finish the first draft, I rewrite six or seven times. Each revision has a different goal, such as correcting plot holes/errors, cleaning up dialogue, purging extraneous content, tightening the prose, adding descriptions, etc. After about the 8th draft, I'm ready to hand off to an editor.It takes me a total of about 200 hours to write a novel and get it into editable condition. That's 200 hours of sitting at the keyboard typing, not counting the countless hours I spend outlining and thinking about the story.
Beginning writers make many mistakes; what do you think is the most harmful?
Inaction, procrastination, impatience, thin-skin, and excessive expectations. If you don't write, you're not a writer. It's much better to write today than tomorrow. Don't expect immediate responses or sales. Don't expect every review to be glowing and take constructive negative reviews seriously. Don't expect to make a living writing unless you spend five years building your market.            To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?
They are almost as important as imagination and plot. In self-pubbing, you can always hire an editor to clean up your grammar and spelling mistakes, but that can cost $25/hr. So, the cleaner your manuscript, the less money you spend on editing. If you're going the NY publishing route, you better get your grammar and spelling in tip top shape or the agents and publishers won't read beyond your first few mistakes.
How much revision of your MS do you do before you send it off?
At least seven revisions.
To what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?
It is immensely important. How else will I find the books I like to read? How else will my target audience find my book? It's much easier to say cyberpunk or science fiction than it is to say "It's set in a near future Earth where computers, cybernetics, and genetics all mixed up together."
How do you know where to begin any given story?
Never begin in the beginning. Start the book in the middle of a scene. Start it with a reverse cliffhanger. Drop the reader into the middle of something with limited information and then slowly reveal what's going on.
 What sort of displacement activities keep you from actually writing?
I suffered a yearlong bout of writer's block during my home remodel because my general contractor was terrible. Fatigue from my real job, where I have to use my mind 8 hours a day. That can get tiring and make creative writing difficult in the evenings.  Xbox, Big Bang Theory, RPGs and board games constantly lure me away from writing.
Do you have support, either from family and friends or a writing group?
My wife is very supportive and provides me with lots of motivation and input.
Is presentation of the MS as important as most agents and publishers suggest?
I do not have the experience necessary to answer this question.
How long does it normally take you to write a novel?
200 hours of typing for a manuscript that ends up being around 90,000 words when I hand it to editing. Those 200 hours, though, can take a year to accumulate.
 Who or what inspires you?
JA Konrath, JK Rowling, Agatha Christie, Louis Lamour, ER Burroughs.
If there's a single aspect to writing that really frustrates you, what is it?
I don't get frustrated when writing creatively. I find it immensely enjoyable. If I am ever able to sustain a career as a novelist  I will be in 7th heaven.
Is there any aspect of writing that you really enjoy?
Everything except the business end.
Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?
Acquired. I read voraciously as a kid, and I think that tempered me into writing. It fed my imagination, nurtured it, unleashed it. Now, I have an excessively overactive imagination which fuels my writing. I don't think someone who has not encouraged their imagination would be good at story telling.
What single piece of advice would you give to writers still hoping to be published?
A tiny fraction of writers can earn a living as a novelist in the print publishing world. That probably isn't me or you. However, with dedication and skill, after five or ten years of epublishing, you should be able to earn a nice living with your ebook income. Especially with the projected growth of the ebook market. For more inspiration in this regard, go read JA Konrath's blog.
What are you writing now?
I'm finishing up a YA novel. I'll be trying to get an agent and go the NY publishing route with that one. But, I'll end up epubbing if those efforts prove fruitless.
Do you have a website or a blog that readers can visit?
Website: http://www.derekjcanyon.com/Blog: http://derekjcanyon.blogspot.com/
Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?
In the mountains with a spectacular view of snow-capped, rugged peaks, castles, alpine lakes, trees, and raptors soaring about. Of course, I'd be on a balcony of a castle, in a comfy chair, with fruit and juice near at hand. Music appropriate to my current writing project is of course playing on my stereo.
Where do you actually write?
In my home office with a good speaker system and lots of mood music. I have a view of the street, but often enjoy fruit and juice graciously provided by my great wife.

Review of Wringland by Sally Spedding.

Wringland is published by Pan Books.
673 pps. 77 chaps. 200,000 words
Powerful, disturbing, intense and engaging, the narrative moves this story at a pace that never falters. Finely drawn characters move, repel, haunt and enmesh the reader in this tale of a young woman and her man as they struggle to understand and attempt to defeat the potent forces stacked against them. Quinn, the sinister but complex tool of evil, controlled by the spirit of the vengeful Martha, embodies a type of wickedness that can reside only in the being of an uncertain man of the cloth. Abbie, essentially open but naïve, provides a wonderful example of the honest thinker caught up in the material world of corrupt sales: a heroine who grows through the experiences she faces.
Sally Spedding's sense of place is superb and captures the dreary, claustrophobic atmosphere of the Fens with such accuracy that the reader can smell the tide-washed mud, feel the weight of sky and hear the ever-present motion of the water.
This thriller tackles the world of ghosts and the spiritual supernatural with confidence enough to draw in the disbeliever. The very humanity of the characters compels the reader to follow them through their trials to the conclusion. Un-put-downable.  

Blog Jog Day

November 21, 2010 is the 38th annual World Hello Day. Anyone can participate in World Hello Day simply by greeting ten people. With this in mind, the linked blog will be scheduling the 2'nd Blog Jog Day event on this date.

You may e-mail the blog owner at chipanugget@gmail.com to be put on the notification list. 

The May 9, 2010 Blog Jog Day was a huge success. This November's event has been deliberately scheduled just before the holidays so if you have products to promote you have a better chance of sales. Remember, most Blog links remain for days, weeks, or permanently! Last year there were over 3,000 Blog visitors on Blog Jog Day and several thousand more just before and long after that date!

Interview with MJ Webb, Author.

MJ Webb is the author of Jake West – 'The Keeper of the Stones'.  The book started out as a project for his children that he thought would take countless years to complete (hence why it was aimed at teenagers and young adults, even though his children were two and three years old at the time).  He started writing and couldn't stop.  Forty-three chapters later he realised he had an epic on his hands which would delight and enthral young minds. A fulltime worker and dad, he has very little spare time and had to sacrifice things in order to write this novel; his gym membership went (gone up a notch on his belt), golf clubs were sold (paid for a few flyers) and hisTriumph Daytona went to some lucky chap from Lincoln.  His marriage somehow survived the ordeal and he and his wife are still on speaking terms (though it was touch and go for a while).It's been the hardest, most fulfilling thing he's ever done and to finally see it in print....  Priceless !
Tell us about Jake West – 'The Keeper of the Stones' in a few sentences.
My debut novel is an introductory novel intended to be the first of a three book series.When fifteen year old Jake West and his best friend, Ben Brooker, help Jake's grandfather clear his attic of the junk he's collected from his years of travelling, the boys discover an old chest containing a beautifully carved wooden box.  The box contains a set of five mysterious stones and, when they erupt to emit a bright beam of light, it sparks an epic journey which will lead Jake into a dangerous world and to the discovery of some strange family secrets. In an instant he becomes the latest in a long line of world protectors, a symbol of hope to millions and prey to all the warriors, wizards and evil tyrants who now know of his and the stones' existence.  When fifteen year old Jake West and his best friend, Ben Brooker, help Jake's grandfather clear his attic of the junk he's collected from his years of travelling, the boys discover an old chest containing a beautifully carved wooden box.  The box contains a set of five mysterious stones and, when they erupt to emit a bright beam of light, it sparks an epic journey which will lead Jake into a dangerous world and to the discovery of some strange family secrets. It's an epic tale set in a war torn fantasy land of deposed Kings, wizards and ferocious warriors. A story of courage, honour, loyalty and friendship. But it's also about coming of age and facing ones fears.
The fate of millions on this world and countless others now lies in the hands of a teenage boy from Lichfield; if he can't protect the Stones.......
How did you come to write this particular book?
I was looking through a book club magazine, trying to take advantage of the introductory offer and choose some books for my children. I wanted ones for when they were much older, but I wasn't impressed with the choices and I found myself thinking, 'I could write a book.' The more I thought about it, the more the idea gripped me and I raced for a pen.  Forty-three chapters later, the plot had grown beyond all recognition and I realised this was book 1 of a series of adventures.

If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?
I love the main evil warrior, Sawdon. He is awesome and incredibly scary but you can't help but admire his sense of pride, loyalty, honour and the respect and adulation he has earned from his warriors. Wouldn't want to face him in battle though.

Where and when is your novel set and why did you make these specific choices?
Lichfield, England. Present day. I love this city. It's full of history and character. The people are the kindest I've known. There's a real feelgood factor surrounding the place even in the worst of times and it's always welcoming.The fantasy land of Rhuaddan on the continent of Estia. It allows my imagination to run riot.
How can people buy your book?
Online at www.authorhouse.co.uk and .com where it's at it's cheapest. Also on other sites including Amazon.
What qualities make a successful writer?
A vivid imagination, the ability to absorb information and learn continually, humility and a sense of humour.  Oh and patience....  Lots and lots of patience.

How do you set about writing a piece?
I set out a loose plan of where I want to go/get to. Then I completely ignore it and let my pen foxtrot all over the page until my fingers ache. I read it back, edit it 32 times (not really) and decide enough's enough. Really, my limited available time means that I often sit down not knowing what I'm going to write, only that I have to write something. I've found forcing it out actually works and I'm soon in the groove and flowing until I can't stop.

Beginning writers make many mistakes; what do you think is the most harmful?
Impatience. Submitting before your work is ready and burning those valuable bridges as you rarely get a second chance.
To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?
It depends if you can afford a full professional edit. I couldn't and it was therefore vital. My readers may not care, but those in the industry I'd like to impress sure do.
How much revision of your MS do you do before you send it off?
Oh absolutely loads of editing and re-editing, right up to the last minute.  Never satisfied.
To what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?
I think it can be harmful to pigeonhole people's work. Because mine is classed as fantasy, many publishers and agents would not even look at it. I think that is a little short sighted and wonder if they passed on J K Rowling's books for the same reason? I respect their right to make that decision, but I wish they'd have just taken a glance at it.  (SA – this is a common problem for fiction writers who step into the fantasy world – I suspect many agents and publishers have no idea of the richness of the genre. But, to be pragmatic about it; if the agent/publisher isn't keen on the genre, they're hardly going to devote time and effort to it, are they?)
What single piece of advice would you give to writers still hoping to be published?
Take all advice on board but make up your own mind in the end. You should know if your work is good enough and if you believe in yourself, persevere and keep trying. You have to be in it to win it.
What are you writing now?
The sequel. Seven chapters in its untitled and absolutely blooming brilliant. Lol
Do you have a website or a blog that readers can visit?
Yes. www.jakewest.co.uk  I'm also on Facebook in the Fans of Jake West Group. 
Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?
I'm happy at home in England. A nice country cottage somewhere and a roaring fire. Bliss.
Where do you actually write?
Martini. Anytime, anywhere, any place. The search for peace and quiet is endless. Anyone free for babysitting?