Barbara G. Tarn's Blog, page 98
December 17, 2015
An Interview With Writer Barbara G.Tarn
interview with yours truly, with special thanks to Eliza Gales…
Barbara G.Tarn is a blogger and the author of Rajveer the Vampire; here is a link to her blog:
https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/
Q: What is Rajveer the Vampire about?
A: It’s about a proud Rajput warrior in 14th century India who is turned into a bloodsucker by a western druid… making him immortal, but also extremely conflicted! His religion doesn’t really approve of drinking people’s blood. Fortunately he doesn’t have to kill anyone to survive and thrive, but it still takes stamina to live through the centuries, watching mortal lives wither and die.
Q: What inspired you to write it?
A: My love for India and Bollywood! I noticed a few Bollywood actors have rather pointed canines… it actually started as a joke, with my body-switching witch wanting a Desi Vampire as a pet (you can read “Samantha’s Day” in “Strange Portals”, the Inkslingers free anthology that came out last…
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December 15, 2015
Writer Wednesday
Last title of the year is out. Two Tales of the Northern Kingdoms is two short stories I wrote this year but kept in a drawer until now. One was sent around to some magazine, the other is actually an old story translated, so probably not my best work. Next year I’ll publish a collection of all these stories of the Northern Kingdoms, including Firebird and the ones that I still have to write…
Don’t forget to check the sale on the m/m titles, including Beautiful, a sweet m/m romance, a fairy tale revisited, etc. Smashwords added another few places where it distributes, except by adding Tolino I have a duplicated channel with Draft2Digital… and considering how Smashwords works, I had to opt out manually for almost 100 titles.
I much prefer D2D asking me where I want to distribute each book, instead of opting out of the channel I go either direct or don’t want… Besides, they added another channel too, and asked if I wanted to add all my books to it or manually add them later… not to mention that they automatically update the backmatter with one click…
Writerly links – don’t miss the posts on Heinlein’s Rules on Dean Wesley Smith’s blog. I always followed 1 and 2, but I was stuck on 3 for years on end, never sending out stuff (which doesn’t mean I kept rewriting it, I simply put it in a drawer)…
And check also Gamblers and Artists by Kristine Katryn Rusch. She mentions Stephen King too. So lots of wisdom from real professional writers in that article. Go read it and prepare for next year.
I wanted to write 500K this year, and only reached 375K (unless during the Holidays, when everybody else is busy, I can pour out another 25K, which would still leave me 100K shy of my goal), but I don’t feel like a failure.
But it’s a little early for New Year’s resolutions! :D I shall go back to writing and wish you a great week!
December 13, 2015
Sunday Surprise
Words of wisdom, writers on writing, you get it. Here’s the last bit of writerly quotes of the year. Enjoy!
This is the best time to be a writer. We have so many choices. We have so much freedom.
I sometimes feel like someone who spent her entire life living in a dark dank basement, allowed to go outside only on every third Sunday of every fifth month. Now I live in the sunshine, and I forget what it was like to leave the basement. Yeah, back then, it felt great to hit the fresh air after breathing mold-infested dampness day in and day out. But it feels better to have sunshine on your face each and every day—so much sunshine, in fact, that you begin to take it for granted.
Heh. Have I said how much I like this new world of publishing? Because I do.
The best thing about writing fiction is that moment where the story catches fire and comes to life on the page, and suddenly it all makes sense and you know what it’s about and why you’re doing it and what these people are saying and doing, and you get to feel like both the creator and the audience. Everything is suddenly both obvious and surprising… and it’s magic and wonderful and strange.
– Neil Gaiman
Don’t ever write anything you don’t like yourself and if you do like it, don’t take anyone’s advice about changing it. They just don’t know.
― Raymond Chandler
The successful fiction writer of twenty years from now will need to be a very well-trained person in writing, business, and marketing. And the belief that you can go to a traditional publisher and get them to do all that for you will be a forgotten relic.
In fact, what I sort of imagine for a successful fiction writer twenty years from now is a captain of a ship. The captain doesn’t do every task on the ship, but he or she runs the ship and is in control. Completely.
Control of everything is the key there.
Nothing great has ever been achieved without passion. We writers have to know how to explore it, cultivate it, maintain it and reinforce it. However, passion is fragile and it may suddenly disappear as well. So, we also need to know how to mend it and reconnect to it. Being always a passionate writer takes patience and determination, but it pays back with a happy and successful writing career.
December 10, 2015
Random Friday
Let’s make it Art Friday or something. A preview of Samantha the Witch and the Desi Vampire – pencils only and the last scene still to draw. That’s the original ending, and the first thing I wrote, but then Rajveer’s story took another turn. I thought this was fun to draw, so I’m doing this chibi-style comic about it (see even the original doodle about Samantha’s pet vampire)…
And now a few cloudy skies and winter suns… Roman December courtesy of Da Smartphone! Have a great weekend! :)
Click to view slideshow.
December 8, 2015
Writer Wednesday
Unblocked the contemporary stories, might finish even the longer work I started back in September… but you won’t see them until next year! ;) Might be this week, where we have a holiday, I have an Aunt Day and less time to write, so I decided to work on those instead of starting a new fantasy story…
From the book fair – the Espresso Book Machine. After the 2012 preview
it’s now all over the world (almost), including this third world country! That’s a very good way to get into the Mondadori Stores here in Italy – and other places in the world. Although Createspace and Amazon send printed books to many bookstores, the Espresso Book Machine reaches country where Amazon hasn’t set foot yet, so… worth a thought!
Writerly links! Moira Allen’s good-bye and thoughts on the world of publishing, the good, the bad and the changes we all went through in the past beginning of millennium.
If that newsletter is gone, you can still learn from books if you grab this bundle before Christmas (or put it on your Christmas wishlist). I got them when they were separate bundles, and I’m still trudging through them. Wait for the end-of-the-year reading post to see the recommended titles (although it will come out after Christmas, so get it now)!
Numbers – 2015 Smashwords Survey and Authors Earnings report on the UK market. Food for thought. It’s an international market and we better be prepared… Have a great week!
December 6, 2015
Sunday Surprise
And it’s a guest! He’s author of the month on Goodreads, so if you don’t have enough with these, go ask him questions on the Smashwords Authors group as well! He’s just completed NaNoWriMo! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Albert Yates!
Where do you live and write from?
I live and write from Fredericton in New Brunswick, Canada. It’s the part of Canada attached to Maine. Not the one to the north of Maine, that’s Quebec. We’re over to the east. I grew up in a little fishing community on almost the furthest point east in Nova Scotia. I think I got a lot of my creative energy growing up there, some of the more famous Celtic musicians all grew up in the same area I did.
Why do you write?
I love to read and I want to create a story or series that I would want people to read and get excited about. I’ve come across so many book series that once I start I have to finish immediately. Those are the types books that I want to write.
When did you start writing?
I have always written stories, growing up I would write little stories as part of my homework assignments. I did not write anything of substantial size until after I finished university when I wrote a few short stories.
What genre(s) do you write?
I write traditionally horror. I’ve done a couple of suspense short stories when I was in university but I enjoy finding ways to terrify myself when I’m writing.
What does your writing routine consist of?
My routine is something like this:
turn on computer open up current manuscript
open web browser and click through a few pages of reddit
find playlist or band that I think will want to listen to
re-read the last couple of paragraphs that I wrote
go back to reddit and see if there’s anything new
type away on the keyboard
When I really want to get some writing done I have to turn off the WiFI on my computer so that I just stay off the internet altogether.
What do you feel are your strengths as a writer? How have you developed these qualities?
I would have to say that building the characters in my stories is one of my strengths, or finding creative ways for some one to meet their end.
Where do you find your inspiration? Do you put yourself in your stories?
I find inspiration in what scares or worries me. If I find something sending chills down my spine thinking about it then that’s going to have the same effect on someone else which is the ultimate goal.
I’ve never put myself in my stories, I might take something from my life and use that as the basis for something that I write, but I’ve never named a character after myself.
Outliner or improviser? Fast or slow writer?
With my latest book, that I started the first of November to coincide with NaNoWriMo I tried to be an outliner. I had a grand plan that covered 31 chapters for my book. By the end of my 2nd week of writing I was so frustrated with writing that I couldn’t see past the next plot point that I had written down. I was constantly going back to the outline to see what I was supposed to be doing. The last 3 days of November I abandonded my plan and managed to throw down 12,000 words with little problem.
When I’m in the mood to be writing I’m a fast writer. I take all of the thoughts in my head and splatter them all over my keyboard. I’m a programmer by trade so I’m a very skilled typist, which isn’t something you hear most programmers bragging about.
Tell us about your latest book (add link if published)I have one book published currently about how one man’s life changes when the world starts to die around him. Everyone thinks that they’d be a survivor if something like this happened in real life, some would survive longer than others based on chance and circumstance more than anything.
Summary:
The world has become a different place since Henry woke up this morning and decided to go for a run on his treadmill. His neighbour seems to be acting strange, no one is working at the radio station, and the 911 operator rushed him off the phone when he called. What happened to his town while he was sleeping and will Henry be able to survive the dangers that lie outside of his house?
The link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/570268
It could use a little polish since I’ve learned so much from working on my current story.
I’m currently writing the sequel to this book, there will likely be a few more after this as well, which follows Henry and his small group of survivors as they deal with their greatest challenge: other survivors. I want the book to show the real struggle that would happen if the dead rose from their graves, how people interact and treat one another. I think the struggle to deal with the freedom from rules, lack of oversight and fear from police really will play a big part in how the world deals with such an event.
Indie publishing or traditional publishing – and why?
Indie publishing. I like the freedom of setting my own deadlines, writing about topics that I enjoy without having to worry if the publisher even will print what I come up with. That might not be the case any more, but that is what I have in my mind what dealing with a publisher is like. I also wanted to make my book available for free. As a new author I wanted as many people as possible to access my book, I feel the exposure for it is the greatest reward.
Any other projects in the pipeline?
I always have a few stories and ideas floating around in the back of my mind. Once I finish this series I plan on expanding some of the stories I wrote a couple of years ago. One is an homage to 80s slasher movies which is probably where everyone gets their start in scary movies.
I would love to create a collection of short stories. There is more freedom to do something small and satisfying with a smaller story than when you have to keep the pace going in a longer work like a novel. Writing a story based on a thought that you had while driving down the road will get the creative juices going sooner and might allow you to expand it into something bigger later. Those have been some of my favourite books, whenever Stephen King puts out a new book it always ends up on my To-Read list, but when that book is a collection of stories, it goes right to the top of the list.
What is your goal as a writer and what are you doing to achieve it?
My goal as a writer, right now, is to create a world that people can get lost in. A world that they’ll want to come back to again and tell all of their friends about it.
What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given?
I don’t know that I was ever given any advice about writing other than the notes and commendations that my professors in university gave me from my essays when I turned them in. As a computer science student I took a number of history and sociology courses that did not have tests but essays for grading, my professors were always impressed with my papers and it did mean a lot to me at the time.
For my final assignment in my Computer Science degree I did have to do a research paper and presentation, my advisor at the time was the Dean of the faculty who gave me a great grade on my report.
______
Where to find him:
Google+
Goodreads
Smashwords
December 3, 2015
Random Friday
Playing with water effects @ http://www.watereffect.net/index.php
That’s the cover of S.K.Y.B.A.N.D. 11… I might try to make a new digital painting and apply the effect to see what happens! :)
Not much today – it’s my NameDay, so… I’m doing exactly nothing (well, going to the hairdresser, so I can become a real blonde! ;) While I wait to become a real white, I mean!). Okay, I might meet some people at the book fair starting today or maybe not…
Have a great weekend! ;) Back to drawing Samantha…
December 1, 2015
Writer Wednesday
Colors is done, now I better get if off to betas! ;) It won’t come out until January, though, since I’m not sending it to the proofreader during the Holidays. I might not have a life, but other people do! ;) Gives me time to write Cinder Boy as well and send out both at the same time.
I’m redrafting old stories this month and publishing translations, so only one English title before Christmas. In the meantime, please check this Smashwords-only sale on m/m tiles I had already announced here. 50% off selected titles only until the end of the year. 2 fantasy, 2 science fantasy and 1 urban fantasy – what, you think there’s too much fantasy in this lot?
Still haven’t overcome the project blocks on contemporary titles, sorry. You can tell because I’d rather be redrafting old fantasy stories than writing new ones in a contemporary setting! ;) I do plan to publish another ebook of contemporary stories in 2016, with three new ones (that didn’t appear previously with the discarded pen name), and then do the POD version. Next year.
If you remember my wordcount goal at the beginning of the year, well, I was left behind with all the work on the publisher’s site (excuses, I know!). I shall prepare better for next year, try to keep better track of time, wordcount (for new stories AND translations) and expenses. I’m only now making actual sheets for each title’s expenses – and with 5 years and over 100 titles it’s a real mess – so you better start doing it immediately, if you want to see any return of investment.
I haven’t seen much yet, and I’m not counting my own work – because I’m still in the red anyway – but one day I’ll be able to put that in too, so I better start keeping track of how I spend my time now! I can see it’s a struggle already! Oh, and Wordcount-wise: my goal was 500K, I reached 350K, so not too bad after all! :)
Writerly links! An interesting post on what market is for indies by Kris Rusch. I probably mentioned I don’t write for any market, I just write what I want to read… although sometimes I have to make priority lists on which story to write first and how to bundle them! :)
In a couple of days, the book fair will start here in Rome again. Next week I’ll let you know if I heard something new about publishing in Italy… too late I saw there was a section for translation rights exchange, but if next year some small publisher would like to participate, let’s get in touch! ;)
Have a great week and enjoy the snow until the end of the month! New header in January, preview on my Facebook page! :)
