Carrie Green's Blog, page 4

The Future of eBooks - Interview with Douglas Dorow

_ Douglas Dorow's The Ninth District is a thriller about an attempt to rob the Federal Reserve, specifically, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Minnesota which serves the Ninth District (hence the title).  It is the first book in a three-part series that will feature FBI Special Agent Jack Miller.  Followers of Michael Connelly, John Sanford and Lee Child will especially enjoy this book. 

CELEBRATING MINNESOTA, THE LAND OF 10,000 LAKES

A long-time resident of Minneapolis, himself, Dorow has exploited this Midwest setting, to its fullest.  The action takes place in the summer, a season that offers rain, thunderstorms, and heat.  "Weather is always part of the conversation, here," Dorow explains, "since we have all four seasons and experience sharp extremes in temperature, from short hot summers to long cold winters."  Given the brief summers, most people try to fully enjoy the great outdoors, taking advantage of biking and running trails (Dorow is an avid runner, he has completed three marathons) as well as boating and fishing on the state's numerous lakes. 
_ In his novel, readers travel from downtown Minneapolis to scenic Lake Minnetonka, a large lake west of the city.  Dorow also featured the underground sewers and tunnels that run under Minneapolis—their existence is not well known, but using them for criminal activity is not without precedence.  "There are old limestone caves in St. Paul that were rumored to have been used as illegal Speakeasies during prohibition," he shared. 

SEEING THE FBI AS HEROIC

Also unique is Dorow's decision to have an FBI agent be the hero.  "Too often, especially in film, the FBI is portrayed as bumbling idiots as they work with local law enforcement." Dorow wanted to show them as dedicated professionals.  He was inspired by an old grad school roommate of his who changed careers, going from accounting to becoming an FBI Special Agent.  Dorow was able to pick his brain on how agents interact as well as visit an FBI field office.  He may have also been influenced by fond memories of watching the TV series The F.B.I., starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., as a child with his father.

To contrast his hero, Dorow created an utterly vicious thug known as the Governor.  In his opinion, a good villain is extremely important in a thriller.  "The villain needs to be your hero's equal, or even better, so that your hero has a daunting challenge.  There should be some doubt about whether the hero will prevail."  He believes that the best villains are human, rather than one dimensional cartoons.  Although Dorow establishes in the first scene that the Governor is fully capable of evil, he still strove to give this character some redeeming qualities, a few positive attributes that a reader could relate to or even admire, later in the story arc.

Dorow is especially suited to crafting the intricate plotlines expected of thriller/mystery genre given his engineering background and his current IT Manager position.  He has a deeply analytical nature that is revealed when he was just casually discussing eBook technology, marketing and the future of publishing. 

WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR eBOOKS?

In his own personal experience, Dorow had always been a big reader, but he preferred paperbacks to hard cover editions, since they were easier to lug around.  He was initially doubtful that he'd like to read eBooks, but his wife bought him a Kindle in the spring of 2010 and he quickly became a convert.  He actually now prefers eBooks to paperbacks.  He loves the portability, the fact that the single lightweight Kindle holds numerous books as well as the ease of purchasing new books.  He's also a fan of the syncing ability of mobile devices.  He can read a book on his Kindle in the evening and the next day, say at his son's hockey practice, he can continue reading, where he left off, on his iphone.  He also uses his Kindle to look up words, highlight, and to make notes for a future book review.

He sees a future that will be a mixture of traditional and indie publishing.  People are used to going into a bookstore and picking up a book from the new release shelf.  "Now, with eBooks, the shelf that they're browsing has grown a lot bigger."  Sampling has replaced picking up a book and reading a few pages.  Dorow regretfully has given up on some of his favorite traditional authors when their eBooks cost more than the paperback versions, but he also has discovered so many new indie authors that he can't read fast enough to keep up.

Dorow says that eReader sales started with people who were already comfortable with technology and looking for the increased convenience of eBooks.  Dorow thinks that the demographic age of the eReader owner is moving both older and younger from the original adopters.  "The older reader is looking to consolidate their libraries and save room as they downsize their housing.  They also enjoy the ability to change the font selection and size to make it easier to read.  Younger readers will be attracted to the color and touch screen options as authors discover ways to incorporate those eReader features into books that make reading more game-like for that audience."

The biggest challenge for both traditional and indie authors will be how to present themselves so that new readers can discover them, according to Dorow.  He's sees tools that help readers find the type of books that interest them continuing to rise in popularity such as Goodreads, and similar forums/sites.  There is also a lot of experimentation going on right now with authors trying Social Media, partnering with other authors, online promotions, virtual book tours on blogger sites and trying different pricing strategies.  Dorow stresses that authors need to remain open to trying new marketing techniques in order to find the ones that work.  Overall, he remains optimistic that this new medium of eBooks ultimately will benefit both authors and readers. Douglas Dorow is one of nine authors being featured in the WoMen's Literary Cafe's Mystery Book Launch Event.  Be sure to visit Tuesday, December 13th - Thursday, December 15th and load your Kindle!

Dorow's Links:
Twitter @DougDorow
Douglas Dorow Facebook Author Page
Author Website
Blog: Thrillers 4 U
Goodreads Author Page
Independent Author Network Page
The Ninth District : Kindle
The Ninth District : Nook

An Original Teaser by Angela Kulig

I discovered the talented Angela Kulig after I was interviewed on T.M. Souders' blog regarding 'No More Vampires, Werewolves or Wizards.'  This was my plea for authors to please craft original characters rather than tired tributes to Twilight or Harry Potter.  This led to some lively comments and Twitter discussions, during which Angela was mentioned as having written a truly unique paranormal romance, one that features a skeleton as a love interest.  I was hooked on the first book in the Skeleton Lake series and I'm sure that you will be, too.  Check out Angela's teaser:  _ In a world where everyone was good or evil, and everything was cut and dry, decisions would be so much easier.  In my new world of beautiful bones, and false flesh everything lay in shades of grey.  Not really good or evil, but bits of both.

Sara had never hurt any of us, and judging by her lost doe eyes, I doubt she ever would.

"Fine," Raiden said.
He did not sound bitter or annoyed as he stood up straighter, but I had to admit that I was.  My time with him was always being interrupted.

For once I just wanted to finish a moment with him, and for that I would go through almost anything.

I had already died once.  Nothing but the thought of losing Raiden was worse than that.

Skeleton Lake can be purchased in many online bookstores and at Amazon.

Coming Soon (Scheduled for Release in January)

Why Go Indie? Interview with Carolyn Arnold

_ Carolyn Arnold is the charismatic mystery writer behind the Madison Knight series that will appeal to any readers that enjoy a female character with grit.  Ties That Bind is Madison's first appearance, when she's facing the task of investigating a serial killer.  Madison is tough, yet still caring, not only for the victims of crime, but for the families that are left behind. 

This apple did not fall too far from the tree.  Carolyn is also a strong woman, who's not afraid to speak her mind, especially when it comes to writing and publishing.  She shared the story about her own path to publication.  It started approximately four years ago.  "I hadn't written anything for thirteen years—yes, you heard that correctly."
_ Carolyn explained that like most of us, she was busy living life.  She graduated, married, and moved across the country.  Writing, after leaving school, was just an occasional wishful thought, "Wouldn't it be neat to write a full-length novel?"  The reason for her to start writing again was a drastic life change.  Her department at work was facing a lay-off.

No one was feeling motivated, to say the least.  "One day, a fellow employee emailed me and asked me to tell her a story."  Carolyn typed up a few paragraphs, on a lark, and sent them back.  Her friend loved what she had written and demanded more.  They exchanged more emails and then Carolyn's friend insisted that she had to finish it.  That story became Carolyn's first full-length novel.

She had no idea how her life would transform.  "I have not gone one day since without writing, reading about the craft, or sharing what I've learned with other writers.  Writing has truly become interwoven with who I am."

She connected with an online writing forum where she made some great friends.  Their feedback and constructive criticism helped her mature as a writer.  She had been timid, at first, about jumping into a thread with strangers, but eventually she became less shy about reaching out to other writers.  A blog and a Twitter account soon followed with even more peers for her to discuss writing.

"When I started out, I had been determined to publish traditionally—land an agent and so forth.  I learned how to craft a query letter, a synopsis, and I sent out two of my books to agents."  Carolyn went through the rejections, the requests for additional materials, and, finally, was invited to submit a full manuscript for review. 

Hearing back from this agent regarding the full manuscript was a pivotal moment.  The agent had loved the novel, but had provided some vague response about how the storyline could be developed further.  Carolyn decided that she didn't want to continue seeking an agent.  "I LOVED it, the way that it was written.  This was when I made a huge decision—self-publication."
Carolyn is one of nine mystery authors participating in the WoMen's Literary Cafe's Mystery Book Launch Event.  Be sure to visit Tuesday, December 13th - Thursday, December 15th and load up your Kindle!

Carolyn's Links:

Amazon Author Page
Website
Blog
Twitter
Facebook page 
Goodreads
Email

Thank You, Stephen King!

_ As a writer, there are many people that I'd like to say thanks—readers, of course, are first and foremost.  Thank you for buying my books and for taking the time to post reviews.  Next, like any good acceptance speech, I'd acknowledge family, friends, teachers, and lastly, a shout out to the super supportive community of authors & bloggers that I have discovered online. 

My deepest debt of gratitude, however, actually goes to the horror maestro, Stephen King. 

King was the author, beyond all others, who showcased the versatility of the horror genre to me, which forever shaped my path as a writer.  At an early stage in every writer's career, it becomes necessary to select a genre.  This is the decision which will define you, as an author, and your books, as a product, from that point forward, as you strive to build an audience.

Throughout my childhood, starting around third grade, I was a voracious reader and I devoured my books, en masse by genre.  I went through periods where I read every book that I could find in a specific genre and nothing else, until I grew bored with repetitive themes, characters and plots.  I would then switch to a new genre. 

In this fashion, I went from reading westerns to spy adventures, mysteries, celebrity bios, science fiction, detective, romance and horror novels.  I'd bravely walk pass the main librarian's desk, so that I could enter the Adult section (there was one dour old librarian who'd bark that I should stay in the children's area, if she saw me), passionate on my crusade to explore of all these different genres.

There were certainly some great books that I encountered—the hard-boiled detective novels of the 1940's were one particular stand-out, but when I finally embraced the Stephen King collection, it was like a shining beacon went on.  I had avoided King, due to reading Carrie at the tender age of eight (since it kept coming up during recess).  That novel was the bane of my adolescence. 

Whenever a prom or school dance was scheduled, some smart mouth would ask if I was intending to run for prom queen and wouldn't it be funny to toss pig's blood at me.  Ha. Ha.  I recall while reading that book my dismay at finding out that Carrie was such a total social outcast.  She had no redeeming traits—no charm, no good looks, no intellect and she hurt the very people who tried to help her. 

I couldn't appreciate, at the time, the tragedy and horror that was being depicted in this tale of bullies, victims, and the not-so-innocent bystanders who allowed this cycle of abuse to continue.  My main take-away was that it would be fool-hardy for me to ever run for prom queen.  I knew that it would be too tempting for my peers.  After reading Carrie, I hated Stephen King.

Only when I was in college, during a writing workshop where other people kept comparing my writing to King's, did I become curious enough to try his books, again.  It was a revelation.  Once I was no longer reading about characters named Carrie, I found him vastly entertaining! 

King showcased for me the endless possibilities, flexibility, and originality of the horror genre.  A villain can be a serial killer (Firestarter), a loving father and husband (The Shining and Pet Sematary), a classic car (Christine) or a clown (It).  Heroes can be just as unexpected—children, an average joe, or even a prisoner on death row as in The Green Mile series. 

One of my favorites from his more recent works has to be the untrustworthy narrator of Blaze, a petty criminal who kidnaps a baby, who is both the hero and the villain in the novel.  It's an elegant exercise on the duality of human nature.  I also adore Misery.  It is both a great horror novel and a wonderful stand-alone romance (in the chapters that resurrect the character of Misery).  I could not imagine a more unlikely genre coupling, but King appeared to pull it off with ease.

I must sincerely thank King for teaching me, through his published works, that the horror genre, above all others, can be any genre.  It offers the greatest flexibility, since horror can be found in any situation and seen through the eyes of any character.  It offers infinite freedom.  I am only limited by my own imagination!

Note--this blog was actually a guest posting on Depression Cookies, but it was so perfect for Thanksgiving that I had to post it again on my own blog to celebrate the holiday.  Be sure to visit the original posting to read the more than 40 comments that it received.  You'll also want to check out Tia Bach's warm and witty blog entries!

Photo credit: Shane Leonard