Simon Royle's Blog, page 11
November 10, 2011
Day 2 of 180: Dam!
Inspiration for writing comes from what we experience and feel. In some cases we're just writing to ourselves, perhaps to absorb "it" better but for others we're trying to share experience through description.
So it would be remiss of me, not to talk a little about the floods we are experiencing right now in Thailand. This next pic is me driving home. This is taken right outside the infamous, "Bangkok Hilton", or Bangkok's main remand prison. Infamous inmates have recently included, Victor Bout, prior to him being shipped off stateside.
It's a bit blurry as it was snapped from my BB while I was driving. That's how it goes. From a writer's point of view, national disasters are much food for thought. How people react. Emotion, fatalism, sharing, thievery (yes, thieves on boats). How politicians have reacted; photo ops and meaningless politicking. Who's really helping. All of those things are fuel for for a writer. Fiction or not.
A funny thing...
I took the main elevated highway headed north out of Bangkok and dropped down on the Nam Wong Wan Exit. I knew the area below was flooded - I didn't know how high, but it had been reported at between 80-50cm. My car would be OK with 50. Not so good with 80, but I figured I'd probably make it. I descended from the highway, cars parked on the hard shoulder and the outside lane. People have taken to parking their cars on any high ground available - normally, unless you've broken down you're not allowed to park on the expressways, but this isn't "normally". The parking stretches for many kilometers on many of Bangkok's expressways.
As I was saying, I drove my car down the exit ramp, to be greeted by a car driven by a young woman. Naturally I stopped. Fortunately, she stopped too. And then she looked at me, as if to say, "Hey I've got my hazard lights on, so I have right of way..." It was tricky to back up as I was concerned about another car coming down from the expressway. She looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders. Finally, I think it dawned on her that she was driving the wrong way on the expressway and she reversed back so I could exit.
And then I drove down into the water as pictured above. That's taken at one of the lower levels of water on the road. Further up it gets as deep as a meter.
Another, funny thing...
I got overtaken, on the inside lane, by a boat. Yes, we were both using the same stretch of road. I got a wave. From the driver and the boat. A little surreal.
What isn't funny...
Is the way that this flood has, and is, being ,
Meanwhile ordinary Thai people 99% have been helping each other. Sharing food, donating money and pitching in to fill sandbags or help protect each others homes.
The sheer volume of water that built up at the back end of the rainy season was simply too much - seems to be the excuse. But guys (and gals) it took a long time to build up, and people have been dying (533 to date) for over three months.
Early September, flooding had already hit many provinces in the North. The Dams were full, water being released as fast as it was collected. The water in Thailand, for quite a few years now, has taken its usual path to the sea, downwards. This is a fairly common phenomenon, but one that appears to have been ignored.
To be sure, it has been a big challenge and bad luck for a new government to come into office just as Thailand gets hit with these floods. But the team put together to handle the flood and all aspects of the flood, news, relief etc. have not performed well (it would take a brave woman to deny otherwise). In a way this flood could have been the making of a great leader, someone who truly set aside any notion of politics and simply got on with the job of making Thai people's lives better. Unfortunately that hasn't been the case. However we live in hope. Both for a drier and less partisan future. One that reconciles and benefits all.
This NYT article about the flood is reasonably balanced, despite the overly dramatic headline.
On a personal level, I was in hotels for a couple of weeks, while family was upcountry in a safe and dry place. We're all back together now at home, virtually surrounded by water, but we're told, sort of, that the worst is over and Bangkok will be dry in about ten days. That road pictured above is about four kiloms from where I live and still very wet. Many of the staff of my company in Thailand are in hotels or hostels around the city. We, of course, are helping with that expense but it is small help compared to the inconvenience and hardship being faced. Many have their homes flooded.
What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger (and gives you lots of material to write about).
November 8, 2011
Day 1 of 180: Me Me Me
The real challenge for any indie author is to rise above obscurity. To become a name. Right? Well, maybe, it depends upon your take on things and in particular your goals. For instance, if you type simon royle, into Google, I'm reasonably sure you will find, on the front page, me. Or at least you'll find the website I created (back in October 2010) to promote my work. I'm also sure that this page http://simon-royle.blogspot.com will be way back into the nether regions of searchworld, in a word, obscure.
The thing is, although the SEO and pagerank on www.simon-royle.com is great, what the site does is promote everyone else but me. And the thing was, the site had become quite popular (primarily for the reviewers listed and contributing there) with indieviews by authors, reviewers and so on. Oh sure I had a few links up to the book on amazon and a page for the book and reviews but I never felt comfortable to share my own fiction or opinion on "things" when so many others were contributing.
So although I lifted my site from obscurity to "a name", it wasn't achieving what I wanted to achieve, which was to introduce more people to my writing and stories. To solve that problem I set up and registered www.theindieviews.com and then redirecting ALL traffic from www.simon-royle.com to www.theindieviews.com. Traffic went from 150 visitors a day to 0. Cool, problem solved. I am now obscure, again :). Step 1 of starting again completed.
The lesson: Before you start your website or blog or whatever, think carefully about where it fits in terms of your strategy as an author. Then think carefully about where it fits in terms of your strategy as a publisher. Those two strands of thought may not converge...
I am reliably informed, I know this because it was told me by Google, that my redirect needs to stay in place for 180 days before I get www.simon-royle.com back. 179 to go.
This blog is the temporary home of Simon Royle, Indie Author. Here you will find my writing, opinions on things and my life.
Fatal Liaison in the Top 100
How cool is that!!! Vicki Tyley, friend and author on the blog, rocking it on Amazon, @ #74 Top 100 paid in Kindle Store US.
Nice one Vicki, well done.
November 6, 2011
Shaun Jeffrey's new book, Killers, sequel to The Kult, is out…
Shaun Jeffrey, friend of the blog, and an author listed here, has a new book out. Highly recommended. Check it out. Oh, and if you haven't read The Kult, do yourself a favor, and get that while you're there.
Amazon Us / Amazon UK / Smashwords
IndieView with Katy Gilbert, author of, You Have This Day In Front Of You
"I adore writing the first words that come to you and having not the faintest idea where their wondrous story is going to take you. I love the sudden flourishes and flurries of ideas that render you sleepless when you start something really amazing – little snippets of story, shards of character and strands of sentences that shine with potential and excitement."
Katy Gilbert 7 November 2011
The Back Flap
"You keep searching…
This is a book that started as one thing and ended as another. A book that unfurled over a sunny autumn and an icy winter in 2010, lit up by a flicker of hope and a determination to succeed. A book that twisted slightly the deeper inside I looked, a book that healed once it'd uprooted everything it required to become complete.
For me it's a ray of cold sunshine or an embrace with a shunt in the right path, a smile on bitter lips or a sly breeze in close summer that slits right through.
It's whatever you need it to mean, you know?
Short pieces, poetry and odd lines; 44 pages of goodness, two full colour covers by Emily Boyle and a lot of heart."
About the Book
What is the book about?
You Have This Day In Front of You is about adversity and overcoming it. It's about seizing hold of everything that's thrown at you and creating something wonderful, having a blast as you do. It's the second magpie that flies over your head, or the penny that you found in the crack of the pavement. It's about this life being your life and it's about whatever you need it to be about for you.
When did you start writing the book?
August 2010, after considering crowd-funding on a car journey through sunny countryside. I thought, 'I could do that', so then I did. I'm so glad, it was lots of fun!
How long did it take you to write it?
Till December, right up to the night that it went to print! That didn't surprise me though, so it was alright. There were a lot of long, late, dark (freezing!) nights, but I wouldn't take a moment of it back. Besides, it's England, so you get used to draughty houses and wearing hundreds of layers! Also, my inability to live in a room without keeping at least one window open probably has a little to do with the chill. Fresh air is divine.
Where did you get the idea from?
A message that I wanted to cast out into the world. It came at a time when a lot of people around me seemed to be having real difficulty in life, while I was trying to make the very most of every moment that I was given, despite rather a lot in my world being less than ideal. You have to seize everything brilliant or create it for yourself, otherwise what's the point? I wanted to share the capacity for joy and the uselessness of resigning yourself to misery – unless you're enjoying it, of course. I know quite a few people who claim to relish constantly moaning!
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
There were a few more difficult pieces. Charity Shop Hearts was one of them, mainly because it has a deliberately restrictive syllable count and rhyming pattern, etc. That was the piece I was finishing at almost midnight on the last day the book could go to print, even though it was the first fresh piece I started for it, sitting on a cold mattress staring at the wall where I was writing it down. It was also tricky because it unexpectedly became something of a catalyst, contributing to what turned out to be one of the most difficult periods of my life; realisation and introspection blossoms through the book, but at the time it was painful. I'm glad that that was my situation during the writing though, because I feel it gives the message I'm presenting integrity that would otherwise have been forgone. It all falls into place in the end.
What came easily?
I had my meadow, one of the opening pieces, came out of nowhere and flowed like a dream. The story behind it was writhing quietly around the back of my mind that day, as I'd been talking it through with one of my best friends late (or early) the night before; unwillingly dragging all of it back up, though the conversation was a remedy. Sitting at my desk, looking out on a gorgeous day, I began to write on a whim, abandoning what I had been working on. In that moment came sudden realisation of what I'd been living with, bottled up deep down for so long, and I felt both angered and liberated. I had my meadow, and it's second part, finally put all that to rest. I'm pleased. Neither you past nor anyone from it should get to spoil your present for you.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Since I was a child I've loved Jacqueline Wilson and I still thoroughly enjoy her books. I'm a big fan of William Golding's Lord of The Flies, and Meg Rosoff is another absolute favourite of mine, as is Oscar Wilde. I admire all three for their originality, artful skill, and their disregard of crowds and bandwagons. I love the poetry of John Clare, who I studied with a fantastic English teacher at AS Level, and reading Shakespeare always motivates me. I also love Beatrix Potter dearly – she reminds me to keep the charm alive. As for influence, I think I'd cite these more as inspiration. It's very important to me that I'm my own person, so I'll always follow my gut instinct rather than attempting to mimic the style or subject matter of someone else, or similarly conform to what's in fashion. I like to look on my stories and pieces with fresh eyes and the zing of something brilliant and new in my heart, and you can't do that if you're dying to be compared to someone else, or if you keep glancing over your shoulder to check that you're getting it right. If anything, they've encouraged the independent spirit that I've always been grateful to have.
Do you have a target reader?
Anyone and everyone! I can't afford to be picky! No, but seriously, I want to engage anyone who is interested, not discriminate with age groups or genders etc. Each reader who picks up a book of mine and enjoys it is genuinely important to me, and I appreciate them greatly. I don't want there to be boundaries with who will most likely connect with my work, everyone is welcome.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I don't have a process! I write when the ideas come to me, which often means it's on the back of an ancient receipt that I'll later find illegible, or ink on my skin which will have disappeared by the time I have any paper to scrawl it down upon. When I was writing my latest novel – which was pretty much over with a year or so ago now, time is terrifying! – I was very strict with myself; I'd write from getting back from school till tea, and then on again till bed. It worked, though looking back it looks brutal! It was my free time, though, and although it was dreadfully tiring sometimes I still loved every moment of it. I like to listen to music often when I write; it's a tremendously important part of what I do and who I am. People sometimes ask who my greatest writing inspirations are, but many of the people I look up to are actually musicians. Overall, though, I don't have any process or plan, I'm not a greatly organised person – preferring 'organised chaos' – and it would take all the fun and charm out of things for me! I like fate and meaning, sudden sparks, things falling into place, and delight.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Smoothly continuing from the last question, no! Haha, if I could put my finger on one thing in this way of life more unbearable to me – personally – than having a process, it would be planning stories (or indeed my poetry). I just can't sit down and outline what is going to happen or how I am going to present it and how each character will react to each certain, placed situation – so often have characters fallen into life from nowhere in the middle of writing, or story lines materialised from my finger tips at any given point. I adore writing the first words that come to you and having not the faintest idea where their wondrous story is going to take you. I love the sudden flourishes and flurries of ideas that render you sleepless when you start something really amazing – little snippets of story, shards of character and strands of sentences that shine with potential and excitement. I'd hate to spoil the unrivalled joy that there is to be found in that; I don't even want to attempt to plan things out unless it's necessary for the kind of book that I am writing. Of course this approach means that the writing takes longer to finish, but it also feels a lot more dear to me as well, and that shows in the story, right through each page. It's like sunlight, that joy.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you've finished?
As I go, and again and again once I'm done, until I'm completely happy. I always want to be proud of what I release, so I have to check!
Did you hire a professional editor?
No…as I've just dubiously mentioned I have to trust myself. With that in hand, if you want to see a hilarious and completely unpredictable result of this in video form, with me discovering a value-enhancing and character-endowing tiny mistake in the first edition of You Have This Day In Front of You, it's up for your entertainment on my YouTube channel, /katygilb. Quality production.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Music is so important to me, and while I was writing my young adult novel I was listening to two of my all time favourite artists, Vanessa Carlton and Ingrid Michaelson – both of whom I love beyond rating. To me, their music feels like home. I was also playing a lot of the wonderfully talented Tegan and Sara, as well as brilliant Fall Out Boy, who were brilliant.
Right now, alongside all of the above, I'm really into some newer people that I'm coming across, too. I think Ed Sheeran is fantastic, I love Ellie Goulding's sound, and I think Ke$ha is fantastic fun, as is the very talented Tinie Tempah. Imelda May's style rules, Jessie J is wicked, I'm getting more into Coldplay recently, and I've swiftly fallen in love with Emmy The Great. Also, although it really doesn't seem to correlate with my rather lacking romantic side I'm getting quite into Taylor Swift too, haha! Then there are people I've known for a lot longer who I absolutely adore: Skye Sweetnam, Allison Weiss, Nerina Pallot, Sara Bareilles, Lelia Broussard, Jenny Owen Youngs, Bess Rogers, Lauren Zettler, Katy Perry, Chipmunk, Nelly Furtado, Katy Rose, Michelle Branch, Kate Nash, Katie Melua, Frou Frou… There are so many, but they're all so good! Finally, of course, since about six years old I've been a dedicated S Club 7 supporter. Never forget.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Not in the case of You Have This Day In Front of You or any of my other indie pieces. They feel like a separate kind of work to me; they were built for the independent part of my world. My novel wasn't, however, so I'm constantly approaching both agents and publishers, which is a lovely process.
What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Impatience! As I said earlier, I would never have been able to live with myself if I'd just sat at home, waiting with my fingers crossed. I'm a real believer in making it happen and so I commit myself to that every day. I also relish the challenge of getting somewhere as an independent artist; I love to work hard and I want to earn and deserve any success that I do achieve. For me, that is what will bring integrity and real worth to any joys that unfold in the future. I think that the entire experience is an exceptionally worthwhile one that thoroughly shapes you as a person. It raises the bar of what you're capable of, as well as the confidence you have in yourself.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?
A combination! I'm fortunate enough to have a very good friend who doubles as an artist – Emily Boyle (www.sesamoia.tumblr.com). For You Have This Day In Front of You I took the photographs and Emily edited them, as well as designing the border within the book. For my free downloads, Cut knee, age three and Love/song, I did the art myself – there's actually a video of me creating the set for Cut knee on my YouTube channel. Love/song was a horrifically glittery, kitten-covered, sarcastic affair – it was so much fun to create. The fact that I genuinely nearly failed my Art AS level shouldn't put you off, though; my enthusiasm makes up for the lack of meeting assessment objectives! Emily and I are pairing up again for my new project, too. I'm thoroughly looking forward to working with her again, she's so talented, enthusiastic and hilarious. The biggest challenge will probably be to stop laughing and actually get the covers done!
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
This is such a great question! I do have a plan and I work on promotion constantly, whether on a significant campaigns or in general, day to day updates that have to be maintained to keep everything shiny and new. It's one of those things that leaves you with so much less time to actually write than you'd expect! That said, I like the idea of winging it sometimes, as far as seeing what happens and what works. It's a lot of fun to have bright ideas out of the blue and just go with them because you can, and you think they'll work.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Definitely! I think the most important thing is to hurl yourself into it with all the passion you possess, because it's all you have to keep you afloat. It can be stressful and frustrating, and it's always very hard work, but when you really love something and you put the effort in, if it's meant to be it will always be rewarding. Make the effort to enjoy every moment, because the journey's a massive part of your life too! Be prepared to deal with the legions of people who didn't follow their dreams to start suggesting that you 'get a real job', and don't let them persuade you to give up on yours. That we're alive is such an incredible opportunity, and we have way too little time to waste it compromising or failing to create as many amazing moments as we can. Seize onto what means the most to you and have the time of your life.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Staffordshire, England, alongside oatcakes and bull terriers. It's not very well known, but geographically it's in the middle, if that helps!
Where do you live now?
Stafford, still! I haven't moved out yet and I couldn't afford to anyway, so. I'm not sure where or whether I'd choose to move to if I could. I love the seaside; I always feel very at home when I'm next to the sea, so perhaps somewhere coastal. I'd miss the Midlands though, it feels so right to come back when I've been away for any length of time.
What would you like readers to know about you?
Probably some important, life-enhancing trivia or something. Perhaps that the one thing I'm quite good at drawing is Billy Casper out of Kes (film adaption of A Kestrel For A Knave)? People say that 'there's a good likeness'. That or that I'm very grateful for them sticking with my interview for this long. You're the best.
What are you working on now?
Right now I'm focussing on resurrecting my website, which was lost to the Internet last month.
I'll be catching up with my next project! It's a non-fiction book on 'beauty'; a challenge to the dreadfully distorted perception that's presented and accepted by the media and society. It won't just be a focus on teenage girls and being skinny, though, and I promise it won't be me preaching at you either!
The project is for anyone who has ever felt less than completely comfortable and confident in themselves, embracing rather than dividing by age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, nationality, etc. This book will be a celebration, and I want it to be fun, too. Gorgeous in body and soul. I'm so excited to share it and everyone can get involved! I'm currently accepting submissions of people's views on the subject, so please do get in touch – there are contact details on my website – (you'll win prizes for doing so, wicked)!
End of Interview
Check out Katy's website and you can buy her book here, where two free downloads can also be found.
November 5, 2011
Adarna SF is looking for a fourth reviewer
Just a heads up for people who like reading (and reviewing) speculative fiction. Adarna SF is looking for a a fourth reviewer. Adarna is a great site with a great bunch of people and headed up by Frida Fantastic who is an awesome person. Head over here to sign up.
Welcome to the IndieView
Welcome to the new site. Most of the things here are the same as the previous site, except added more functionality (and more on the way) for indie authors and readers.
For readers there will soon be a new section for Advanced Reader Copies (ARC's) called ARC Angels. The idea behind that is you will sign up for genres you like and authors seeking early reviewers can send you their book.
More interviews, authors, reviewers (17 new reviewers in the queue) will be added over the coming days. Stay tuned.
October 5, 2011
IndieView with Gary Marshall, author of, Coffin Dodgers
"I think the most important thing is that you need to be passionate about what you do. Being an indie author is great fun, but it's also an awful lot of work for relatively little reward. If you don't love your book when you're writing it, you're going to really hate it by the time you've finished editing it."
Gary Marshall 6 October 2011
The Back Flap
Eighty is the new thirty. Nobody's having babies, the old massively outnumber the young and the hip crowd has become the hip replacement crowd. Twentysomething barman Matt Johnson would be bored senseless if someone wasn't trying to kill him.
When Matt isn't playing silly pranks on his elders with his colleague Dave or laughing at Dave's dating disasters, he's trying to summon up the courage to ask best friend Amy out on a date. Then Matt narrowly escapes a car wreck, and he discovers that his accident was no accident. Someone's murdering young people, and dozens are already dead. Can Matt, Amy and Dave stop the killings? The answer involves guns, gangsters, an angry bear and plenty of irate pensioners.
About the Book
What is the book about?
The book's about Matt, Amy and Dave, three twentysomething friends who've inherited a world where the old have the money and the power and the young look after them. They soon discover that some people think money and power are worth killing for.
It's first and foremost a thriller – a funny one, I hope – but there's a touch of SF to it too: not just the technology, which never turns out to be as impressive as future-gazing pundits predict, but the wider world. I wanted to extrapolate from some of the things that are going on around us now, so for example we have an ageing population and falling fertility levels, there's an enormous and growing gap between the haves and the have-nots, and we have botoxed goons running around the place trying to look seventeen instead of seventy. The rich demand – and get – tax cuts at the expense of poor people's healthcare and services, well-off couples pay poor women to act as surrogates and at least one MP has seriously suggested poor people should sell kidneys to raise a bit of cash.
The world is seriously, seriously weird – so what would happen if it got just a little bit weirder? What would happen if the people who run the world now decided they wanted to run the world forever?
When did you start writing the book? How long did it take you to write it?
I started thinking seriously about it in 2008, and wrote it over five or six months in 2009. That was the first draft. The next seven drafts took another year and a half.
Where did you get the idea from?
I was standing outside a supermarket in Florida when a gold Lexus nearly splattered me against the wall. The driver then took the best part of ten minutes to actually get out of the car: he was about 200, very shaky and didn't seem to be entirely sure where he was, and yet he was driving what could easily be a two-ton killing machine. That's when the light bulb appeared over my head.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Finding the time was the hard bit. I was working long hours and my daughter was a wee baby, so a lot of the writing had to be done in my head while rocking her to sleep and typed up in the wee small hours.
What came easily?
There were several bits where the book appeared to be writing itself – the big action scenes in particular. I love it when that happens.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I've borrowed some bits and pieces from real people. For example Amy, one of the main characters, is a composite of some very fiery, funny and faintly frightening women I know in real life, and Dave has a lot in common with a few old friends. There's only one character I can think of who's based completely on a real person, though, and he's bumped off very early in the book.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I love Tim Dorsey and Christopher Brookmyre, both of whom write funny thrillers (or wrote – Brookmyre's started doing more serious books now) and both of whom can have me rolling around the floor in stitches. Dorsey in particular is just incredible: he writes Florida crime capers featuring a serial killer with OCD and a policeman who talks in 1950s James Ellroy dialogue, and they make me laugh so hard it hurts.
There's definitely some Douglas Adams in there too, and I think some of Matt's descriptions of things have a touch of the PJ O'Rourke to them – PJ's just superb at describing people, like his description of Russian mafia wives having "covered their bodies in Elmer's Glue and run through the boutiques of Palm Springs buying whatever stuck". I love that kind of thing.
I think I'm as influenced by bad writing as I am by good, though. It's nice to read something that's absolutely hellish, analyse why it's so bad and try very hard not to make the same mistakes. The Guardian newspaper has a superb column by John Crace called the Digested Read that's perfect for that kind of thing: Crace skewers the book in a few hundred words, and it's usually hilarious.
Do you have a target reader?
Me. That changes during the editing, so for example I took a lot of swearing out because it might offend and wasn't particularly necessary, but when I'm writing I just want to tell a story that I'm excited about.
I think there's some truth in the cliché about writing the book you want to read: I get really annoyed by books that are obviously padded out to hit a word count or page count, with descriptions of everything just thrown in there to make the book look bigger. If a character is going to open a door, don't give me 200 words about the door – just open the door! Who cares what kind of wood it's made from, or what the door maker's dad's dog's name was? It's something I hope ebooks will address, actually: you're not judging books' value on whether they look thick enough, so hopefully authors will let stories be the length they need to be – whether that's 60,000 words or 160,000.
I think, too, that sometimes characters can be a bit too wooden, a bit too "I've done loads of research and by damn I'm going to shovel it into this book somewhere" exposition instead of realistic dialogue. I've lost track of the number of times a supposedly smart, glass ceiling-shattering female character suddenly becomes a simpering idiot thanks to Captain Exposition. This kind of thing:
Him: We need a laser.
Her: A laser?
Him: Yes, a laser. It stands for light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation, and it was first suggested by Einstein in 1917. In 1958, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow theorized and published papers about a visible laser, an invention that would use infrared and/or visible spectrum light, however, they did not proceed with any research at the time. Today, however, lasers are everywhere, used in a variety of industrial and military applications. You'll even find them inside home entertainment equipment such as DVD players.
Her: You are so clever! Let's have sex!
If that kind of thing annoys you as much as it annoys me, then you're my target reader 
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I spend months just collecting things – clippings, interesting online articles, photos of interesting places – and letting them percolate in my head until I start to get a sense of the story. Or the beginning of the story, anyway. Once I've got an opening line, I up sticks and go to the pub with a pen and notebook. I'm a tech journalist by day and I've found I can't write fiction in the same environment that I work in – I need to be away from my desk, away from the computer. I've got hellish RSI so writing longhand's a challenge, but I can manage 500 to 1,000 words before my hands turn into claws, so it's a fairly slow process.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I don't. I get an idea, start writing and keep going until writer's block hits. When that happens I'll leave myself cryptic notes - DAVE/PASTA or NEED TO KILL EVERYONE HERE – and wait until the next bit pops into my head. That can take hours, days or weeks.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you've finished?
I think momentum is more important than accuracy – for me at least it's better to do 10,000 words and cut 9,000 of them later than to spend a week making sure page 1 is perfect. If you decide on page 74 that your character isn't a Jack but a Matt, or that everybody's Belgian, or that the whole thing would be better off if it were happening in space, then I don't think you should stop: just start using the new name, the new nationalities or the new location and fix pages 1-73 later. Everybody's different, of course, but that approach is definitely the one that works best for me.
I think too that you can be too close to the book. There were some really obvious flaws in the first draft of Coffin Dodgers that I simply didn't notice the first time around – plot holes big enough to swallow the sun – and I think that shows how important it is to take your time and get some distance from what you're doing. Write the first draft and come back to it fresh a few weeks later. I guarantee you'll see things more clearly.
In the end, Coffin Dodgers went through eight drafts. Some of those drafts were just picky editing, going through the text to find the typos, grammatical howlers and other errors, but some of the drafts involved introducing new characters and new situations.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I didn't. I'm lucky because my friends include editors and pedants, and they were happy to cast their expert eyes over the book. I think I'd hire a pro editor next time, finances permitting, though. I don't want to take the mickey out of my friends.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Not consciously – it's on in the pub when I'm scribbling, but it's not something I pay much attention to, not least because the pub's music is awful – but I do listen to music to get me in the mood. There's a big chase scene in the book that wouldn't have happened without God Hates a Coward by Tomahawk.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I did, to dozens, and a few of them were kind enough to give detailed feedback. The consensus was that the book was funny and well written but too niche – and at 67,000 words, a bit too short – for mainstream publishers. One agent was blunt: if you want to make a living from novels, don't write funny ones.
What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
A gradual process, definitely. I started to think that I'd rather get the book out to interested people than have it sitting gathering digital dust on a hard disk. I'm sensible enough to realise it's not a licence to print money – so far I've covered the cost of the cover, and that's about it – but it's a real kick to see a good review from someone you're not married to, related to or on first name terms with.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?
The impossibly talented Ronnie Brown designed it for me. He's very good. Everybody should hire him.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Oh, I'm winging it. It's one big exciting experiment. I'm trying to blog about it as I go along and share what I've learnt with anyone who's interested.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
I think the most important thing is that you need to be passionate about what you do. Being an indie author is great fun, but it's also an awful lot of work for relatively little reward. If you don't love your book when you're writing it, you're going to really hate it by the time you've finished editing it.
On a more practical level, do as much as you can yourself – many things, such as creating Kindle-friendly files, are much easier than you might think – but don't be daft either: if you can't draw for toffee, don't design your own cover; if grammar, spelling and detail aren't your strong points, get a professional editor.
About You
Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?
I was born near Inverness in Scotland, and I live just outside Glasgow with my wife, daughter and black lab.
What would you like readers to know about you?
Coffin Dodgers is my first novel, but I've written loads of other things: in addition to 13 years of tech reporting I've written several books for young musicians, one about working from home and one about laptops. I've also co-authored lots of computing and music books and played in various bands.
My musical career included playing Glasgow Barrowlands and T in The Park, a five-year-old's birthday party, a teenage beauty pageant and a gangster's private function. I've been heckled, bottled, threatened with knives, harassed by the police, molested, mocked in national newspapers, electrocuted, ripped off, chased by hormone-crazed girls and set on fire.
What are you working on now?
I'm finishing off a collection of my tech writing, writing a big dark gloomy novel, working on a long short story that makes me laugh and planning the sequel to Coffin Dodgers. I've got about an album's worth of songs to finish off too. The sooner cloning's invented the better.
End of Interview
You can find out more about Gary here. You can buy his book at Amazon UK, Amazon US, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Diesel, Sony Reader, and Smashwords.
September 24, 2011
IndieView with Moses Siregar, author of, The Black God's War
"I want to inspire my readers with my work. Ideally, I want to rock their worlds. I'm in this to make people feel the way I feel when I read or watch a great epic drama."
Moses Siregar 25 September 2011
The Back Flap
Against the backdrop of epic warfare and the powers of ten mysterious gods, Lucia struggles to understand The Black One.
Her father-king wants war.
Her messianic brother wants peace.
The black god wants his due.
She suffers all the consequences.
About the Book
What is the book about?
The final days of an ancient war between two nations with radically different religious philosophies. One side reminds readers of ancient Greece or Rome, with elements of Judeo-Christian religions. The other side is like a Buddhist India.
When did you start writing the book? How long did it take you to write it?
August 2009, when I knew next to nothing about writing fiction. I studied and worked hard and published the novel two years later. It's been an amazingly fun ride.
Where did you get the idea from?
The primary inspiration was Homer's Iliad (which I've long loved), and my story is a bit of an homage to that tale. But the entire world and all of the characters sprung from my own head—not quite fully formed.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
In too many places to mention. I had a lot to learn about how to write fiction. The romance and battle elements required the most work, but after some false starts I eventually started to hear positive feedback about these elements.
What came easily?
Huh. Now that's an interesting question. Not much, I'm afraid, although the plotting itself comes close. I worked off a pretty good outline and that really helped.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I've borrowed little things here and there from interesting people I've known, but none of my characters are copies of any live people.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Through his own work, a new writer named Craig Saunders really showed me the power of shorter sentences and paragraphs. Michael A. Stackpole also inspired me in that way, though some comments he made on his DragonPage podcast; he pointed out that it's easy to get fatigued as a reader when sentences and paragraphs too long. So when I rewrote my novel over the last year, I changed my style from a more 'literary' style to a simpler, more streamlined approach. I think that was a very good decision. I don't get as many compliments about my lyrical prose, but overall readers seem to like my work much more.
Do you have a target reader?
Readers who want epic stories that are fairly deep and well paced at the same time. Also, people who enjoy a touch of the spiritual and metaphysical, but I make a very determined effort to not turn off people who aren't interested in those things.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Chip away, chip away, chip away. I'm not a binge writer or a particularly fast writer. I also NEED to listen to good music while I write. For example, you can see the music playlist for my next book here.
I know my next book will be good because the music I'll be listening to while I write it will be great. I get a lot of inspiration and emotion from music.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
More like one paragraph summaries of the important things that need to happen in each chapter. Jumping off and discovering things from there is where the magic happens.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you've finished?
Now I do a fair amount of editing as I go, although I wrote my first draft without editing it. I'm not sure what my process will be like for book 2, though.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Because I wanted my first book to be good, I hired three editors, plus a proofreader.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Oh yeah! See above.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
No, but I'd really like to work with Joshua Bilmes. One of his clients told him he might recommend me, so I'm hoping that works out.
What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
It was a gruesome, difficult decision. Ha! It started with J.A. Konrath's blog and then persuasive arguments by Zoe Winters. My main concern is about what's happening with bookstores, so I've so far placed my bets on a future when ebooks are king so that I can change and control my own prices to remain competitive.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?
I did it myself, but William Campbell helped me with a few things I couldn't do myself. I also got a lot of feedback from friends who helped me make the cover better.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I've tried quite a few things. On David Gaughran's excellent blog, I've talked about why I made a long excerpt from my novel free for about a year before my book came out (here and here). That's probably the most interesting thing I've done and I think that strategy turned out to be fairly successful because I sold around 450 copies of my novel in the first month. That's very good for a debut fantasy novel, so I'm sure the freebie helped me there.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
If you don't think you'll be able to write at least a couple novels a year, you might want to either turn back now or just go ahead and do it for the love of it. But more than anything, follow your muse.
About You
Where did you grow up?
First New Jersey, then around Atlanta, GA. I went to college at UGA in Athens, GA.
Where do you live now?
Prescott, AZ. We're up at about 6,300 feet, living in a tall A-Frame in a pine forest with mountain views. Winters are actually cold, but I love the sunshine and the low humidity. Nice people around here, too.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I want to inspire my readers with my work. Ideally, I want to rock their worlds. I'm in this to make people feel the way I feel when I read or watch a great epic drama. That's the most important goal to me. If readers will give me a chance to tell them a story, I promise to give them my best effort and to write a satisfying ending for each book I write.
What are you working on now?
The next book in my Splendor and Ruin series, tentatively titled The Gods Divided. It's a lot of fun to plan out another book. The planning and plotting might be my favorite part of writing. Now I'm off to try to outdo my first effort! Thanks for having me on IndieView, Simon!
End of Interview
You can buy The Black God's War at Amazon US, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. You can find Moses on his Blog here, Facebook here and follow him on Twitter, @MosesSiregar, here.
I'm reading The Black God's War right now. It's a tight, sweeping story. If you life epic fantasy, do yourself a favor, and click on one of the buy links above.
September 16, 2011
IndieView with, Toni Dwiggins, author of, Badwater
"I ususally reread the previous day's work, to get back into the flow. If I don't get into the flow, I end up editing the previous day's work. If all goes well, I take off that damn editor hat and get back into the story.
My writing routine: coffee, breakfast, coffee, write, a little social networking, research, coffee, write, stretch, write, lunch, long walk, tea, chocolate, write, social networking…veg out."
Toni Dwiggins 16 September 2011
The Back Flap
Forensic geologists Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws embark on a perilous hunt—tracking a terrorist who has stolen radioactive material that is hotter than the desert in August. He threatens to release it in America's most fragile national park, Death Valley.
But first he must stop the geologists who are closing in.
As the hunt turns dangerous, Cassie and Walter will need grit along with their field skills to survive this case. For they are up against more than pure malice. The unstable atom—in the hands of an unstable man—is governed by Murphy's Law. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
And it does.
About the Book
What is the book about?
BADWATER is about two forensic geologists—a young woman and her father-figure mentor—whose job is to analyze earth evidence at crime scenes. In the Death Valley case, they must do more than solve the immediate crime, they must also prevent a radiological disaster and survive to tell the tale. The book is a bit of a hybrid, part mystery and part ecothriller.
BADWATER is meant to entertain, but also to get the reader thinking about a couple of things: where are we goping to put all this lethal-hot stuff coming from nuke plants, and what happens when humans make mistakes in an unforgiving line of work—the Oops Factor. But, firstly, the book is meant to entertain.
Where did you get the idea from?
I got interested in forensic geology, always loved Death Valley, and learned there used to be a radioactive waste facility on the perimeter of the National Park. I thought that would make a good story.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Yes, in weaving in the technical information. The book is aimed at a general mystery/thriller audience but I also wanted it to be accurate for a reader with knowledge of the subject matter. That created something of an awkward dance between overexplaining and having my characters lose credibility.
I went with the mantra, if in doubt, take it out. I have a lot of outtakes.
What came easily?
The action sequences. Every time the characters got into trouble, the scenes just took off. Also, most of the action takes place in the outdoors, in places I'd visited, so there was a certain natural movement to those sequences. There was one scene I'd actually lived, about a whirlwind in a slot canyon, although I did embellish it!
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
None are entirely fictitious, in that they all take on certain characteristics or word choices or actions that come from me or people I know (or have observed). It could be something quite trivial, such as an aversion to snakes. I used to have a snake phobia and in BADWATER I saddled two characters with it. Heh.
For my major nuke-worker character—since I knew nothing of that world—I lurked on a few websites and picked up some useful phrases and attitudes and personalities.
One of my protagonists—Walter—is very much a combination of my stepfather (named Wally) and a forensic geologist who taught me the basics.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Nevada Barr, who writes mysteries about a ranger in various national parks: Reading her books, I believe I've learned something about making the setting a strong and unpredictable character.
James Lee Burke, who writes characters who are so deeply (and sometimes scarily) alive. I have a Burke-test for my characters—are they living the story, the way his characters do? If I get in the same neighborhood, I count that as a success.
Do you have a target reader?
Someone who likes mystery, suspense, and thrillers, and who can relate to a strong woman protagonist. Much of the action takes place in the outdoors, so a reader who likes adventure-type stories might enjoy the ride.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I ususally reread the previous day's work, to get back into the flow. If I don't get into the flow, I end up editing the previous day's work. If all goes well, I take off that damn editor hat and get back into the story.
My writing routine: coffee, breakfast, coffee, write, a little social networking, research, coffee, write, stretch, write, lunch, long walk, tea, chocolate, write, social networking…veg out.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Yes, in more or less this process: I'm writing a series so I already have the main characters set, and the framework of the story–the protags are forensic geologists. So there must be a crime or two, and there must be earth evidence for my characters to analyze.
Next I come up with a setting/theme. The stories concern environmental issues; for instance, the one I'm working on now is about an undersea experiment gone wrong, in a near-shore hypoxic zone.
Next I get to know my villain(s)–what motivates them, why they do what they do, what kind of havoc they wreak, how they threaten people and the environment.
The conflicting goals of the protags/antags lead to scenes. I usually sketch out the major scenes all the way through–kind of an in-depth outline. Invariably, I detour from the outline in the writing, as the characters come more alive and chart their own course. But I always refer to my outline, to be sure I don't head off into la-la land.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you've finished?
I pretty much edit as I go, a habit I'd like to break. Although it results in a cleaner better first draft, it can also derail my progress. For example, I just finished a scene in which the characters argue over something, and I realized I hadn't planted the "something" in the previous chapter, so I went back and redid it. Would have been better to just put a note to self inscene saying "hey author, motivation needed here!"
Did you hire a professional editor?
No. I have a literary agent who is a skilled editor, and she put me through several in-depth rewrites—all to the benefit of the book.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I don't. If I did, it would likely be the 1812 Overture. With cannon.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yes. I have a terrific agent.
What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
The book didn't sell, although it came close several times. My agent suggested going Indie (although there were a couple more editors we could submit to) and I agreed. Partly, it was because the subject matter was suddenly timely (nuclear safety), partly because New York was eating my lunch, and partly because I'd begun to read some Indie books and was quite impressed. I was happy to join that club.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?
I'd seen several terrific Indie covers that authors had done themselves and thought I'd give it a try. I found stock photos, learned Gimp, and came up with a passable cover. I posted it on Kindleboards and got some great suggestions, and also attracted a cover designer who liked my concept. I made the smart choice and had him do it.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I've gotten blogger reviews and interviews, joined in discussions on both reader and writer boards, and shamelessly badgered friends and family to buy and recommend the book. I'm winging it with the hope there's a direction involved.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Learn what is involved—through discussion boards, books on the subject, whatever. Really really learn. And if they decide to proceed, write the best book they can, have it professionally edited, get a quality cover, and learn to format correctly or pay someone to do it. In a nutshell, put out a book that is worth the reader's while.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Born in Burbank, California, grew up in North Hollywood. I'm a third-generation Californian.
Where do you live now?
Cupertino, in northern California. Home of Apple, which is the main claim to fame here.
What would you like readers to know about you?
That I absolutely love reading, and am thrilled and honored when someone is interested enough to read my book.
What are you working on now?
The next book in the forensic geology series. It takes place in my forensic geologists' home town—Mammoth Lakes, in the Sierra Nevada range. A volcano is rumbling, and FEMA has sent a rather psychopathic emergency-ops guy to get the town ready to evacuate, and the mayor's body has just been found in a glacier.
End of interview
You can buy Badwater at Amazon US, Amazon UK and Amazon Germany. Also at B&N and Smashwords.
Toni's website is here. DO read the article on Cats and Books, made me laugh out loud a few times. Also, be sure to check out Toni's page on this blog, right here.
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