Amanda Howard's Blog, page 3

Author Interview: Steve Dillon, Author of the Refuge Collection

Hey fellow readers and writers. This week I am interviewing Steve Dillon, author of the Refuge Collection, a series of tales about a place called Refuge. "Heaven to Some, Hell to Others". It's a place where the thin veil of death is often torn asunder, where Egyptian gods roam freely alongside Lovecraft's mythos deities. There are tales of terror, suicide and murder, perverted priests, corrupt politicians. 18 stories published so far, the next 18 are on their way! All in the name of charity, with stories from Ramsey Campbell, Kaaron Warren, Paul Kane, Lee Murray, Tracie McBride, Mark Allan Gunnells and many more!

Can you tell us a bit about you as an author? Writing fiction has always been a hobby, but as our kids have grown older, I’ve found more and more time to develop the hobby. Writing is now a passion; a compulsion and is rapidly in danger of becoming an obsession.

What are the hardest part of being an author? Finding the time to get the ideas down before the next idea hits me. That, and the dreams… When I’m immersed in any project, whether that’s painting or writing, sleep becomes more like walking I’m just walking in a different world. Since I started work in The Refuge Collection, each night is like a visit to Refuge. I dream its streets into being, meet up with and converse with its people, study about their personalities and wonder what adventures will befall them next. I seldom sleep more than a couple of hours before waking, and if the ideas are buzzing about me—the hornets, I call these—then getting back to sleep is very difficult. Sometimes I have to switch on the laptop and start writing. Is that bad?

What do you enjoy most about being an author? Above all, the ability to construct an alternate reality, to play out my dreams, to test my theories, explore the interactions between ideas and personalities. Of course, this can be done while I’m painting, but writing provides—for me at least—a much faster means of transport to get there.

What authors/books have had an influence on your writing? I’m hesitant to offer a long list of writers, but of course everything we read influences us. The first library book I recall reading was a Doctor Who story. It was way above my age, but I was enthralled and subsequently labelled a ‘bookworm’ by my family. After filling my world with Spiderman, Doctor Strange, The Avengers and all those early British Marvel comics, I moved on to read more Science Fiction—I was equally attracted to the artwork and I collected Sci-Fi posters and artwork. I turned to fantasy after a while— everything by Tolkien, Terry Brooks’s Magic Kingdom and Shannara Chronicles (I hated the TV series) and of course Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea. I’ve Lol’d at most of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books and peripherals. My main inspiration for the darker side of fiction comes from Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell (who has a story in The Refuge Collection), HP Lovecraft, MR James, Brian Lumley and many more. Since coming to Australia, I’ve discovered a much broader wellspring among my colleagues and friends, as well as my co-writers at The Refuge Collection. Lee Murray’s ‘Into The Mist’ leaps out at me as one of the best novellas I’ve read recently, but I mostly read short stories now. I also listen to audiobooks on my daily commute, and have recently discovered Ian Tregillis’s ‘Something More than Night’ which in my opinion is a modern archetype. When I was young, I read the Bible studiously (especially Revelations), as well as Shakespeare (I memorised most of Macbeth and large sections of Hamlet and Richard III.)

Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing? I believe in it, because people often refer to it. I have tried to write three novels, one of which got to 60,000 words before I put it down and accepted the fact that it was something I’d never finish. That’s not a block, in my opinion, even though it may be a dead end. There’s plenty more to write about, after all. Ideas come to me all day every day and I find I have to block them out, so I don’t believe I’ll ever suffer from lack of ideas. Personally, I find writing to be more of a sludge at times, when I have to pause the ideas factory in my head to write stuff down—the details if you like—when I really just want to crack on with the story.

Do you have a particular place that you like to write? At my day job, if I can get away with it—that’s where I’m writing at the moment. Usually when I’m waiting for some information before I can proceed with something. I write in bed sometimes, or on the commuter train—with earplugs in—and that’s where I wrote the first draft of ‘The Shiraz Train.’ I also have a dedicated space where I work at my day job as well as write, and I travel a lot and stay in hotels, so I do a lot of reading and writing at restaurants or in my hotel room. In general, I prefer solitude and quiet, so I always carry earplugs with me.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write?During working hours is preferred, but not always practical as my day job gets in the way.  Other than that, not really.

How do you like to reach your readers? (Social media? Book signings? Blogs etc.) I use Facebook a lot, and Twitter tends to feed off that. We also have a fantastic web site built by Eric Gross, one of our contributing artists. I’d love to engage more in person at book shows and conventions, etc. but I’m fairly restricted in that respect because of my job, family commitments and geographical constraints.

Can you tell us about your latest book? The Refuge Collection’ is a series of short, standalone, scary tales set in the shared, mysterious world of Refuge. 36 tales from Refuge have been imagined by about 30 writers and artists, but they also inter-leave and form a large organically-grown story-tree. It’s typically my own stories, and in my role as series editor, where we graft the other branches to the tree, or plant seeds that can grow into other tales, allowing the characters to blossom between stories. All the proceeds are for charity to aid refugees, and we see this as a way for fictional horror stories to help people who are living real-life horror stories.

How long did it take you to write the book? Book 1 of The Refuge Collection—subtitled ‘Heaven to Some’—saw print about 9 months after I kicked off the project, and Book 2—subtitled ‘Hell to Others’—will follow about 3 months later.

Do you have a favourite character/topic in your work? Refuge is populated with an assortment of characters that are often revisited in different tales, sometimes by different writers. The town’s mayor is a devious, devilish sort, and along with father Millar, the corrupt parish priest, he’s probably the one most writers want to include in their own stories.

What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow? Do you write in chronological order? I began by writing a few inter-related short stories in quick succession, to flesh out some of the key characters, places and events. Then the other writers developed the themes, contributed their storylines and ideas, and we worked together to make them all fit together. One of the stories, by Ramsey Campbell, is a reprint, and this needed to be adapted slightly to fit into Refuge. My most recent stories are inspired by the events and happenings that other writers have brought to Refuge through their stories. Although I had a beginning and an ending in mind, how those two elements came together have largely been affected by the other tales and the imagination of the other writers.

Do you have plans for further instalments? Yes. Book 2 will be out later this year, and we’ve already begun writing for The Refuge Companion, which will include some additional stories, but also character summaries, plot overviews, and additional thoughts. Easter eggs and puzzles will be solved, and some of the symbolism in the books will be expounded upon.

Do you have a plan for your next book? I don’t know that Refuge will ever let me go, and I’ve been asked by some of the writers to make this an annual project. Plus, we’ve already held discussions for a TV series, graphic novels, a role-playing game, etc. But I’m also trying to find time to write non-Refuge work for competitions and for escapism. The problem is, they always seem to draw me back to Refuge… I’m writing one about cats at the moment, and cats feature heavily in Refuge, so who knows?

Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading?I prefer hardback books to thumb through when I’m feeling self-indulgent. I like softbacks to read and fold the pages, and drink coffee over and while travelling, I read ebooks for their convenience, and listen to audiobooks most workdays in the car.


Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing? It seems to me that the advent of self-publishing is a writer’s heaven and a reader’s hell… The biggest challenge is to recognise the great stories from the masses. Most people will tend to stick to known authors as a consequence, which is a blessing and a curse—another duality.

And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors? Don’t aspire—just write. I’m an artist because I paint, no matter how good or bad (or unconventional) it might be. And I’m a writer because I write. Even if nobody else likes it, or ever reads it. I was an aspirant for way too long, and life is too short.
How can readers find out more about you:Website: www.RefugeCollection.comSmashwords (for ebooks): http://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/22669Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stevedillonwriter/and http://www.facebook.com/refugecollectionTwitter: @Refuge Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/29KLmdF Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/12352170-stephen-dillon

Thanks Steve for dropping by this week. The collection was released in HC on August 1 and the PB will be available on November 9th. Mark your calendars!
Thank you everyone for stopping this week.  If you'd like to be interviewed for this blog, please drop me a line, if you have a cool story to tell also let me know. 
Until next week!
Cheers, 
Amanda Howard
Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
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Author Interview: Gregory A. Fournier, Author of Terror in Ypsilanti

Gregory A. Fournier was born in Trenton, Michigan in 1948. He grew up in the Downriver Detroit area and graduated from Allen Park High School in 1966. When he read Lost Horizon as a young teen, he decided then that he wanted to be an author. That novel transported him to Shangri-La, and he's been trying to get back there ever since.

He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in English Language Arts and sociology from Eastern Michigan University. After teaching at Ypsilanti High School for seven years, he moved to San Diego, California, and taught Language Arts in public school for another thirty years. He also taught night school and weekend college during that time as an adjunct professor at Cuyamaca College for ten years. Now retired, he is living his dream of becoming an author.

In addition to his debut novel, Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel, Greg writes a weekly blog at fornology.blogspot.com, He joins us today to talk about his new book Terror in Ypsilanti.

Can you tell us a bit about you as an author? I began my writing career in 2009 after a career teaching English in San Diego. My first book Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel was published in 2011. My current work is a true crime treatment about a little known Michigan serial killer. Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked, is newly released and available online. For the last six years, I’ve been writing a blog entitled Fornology in support of my writing. I want my writing to stand for something beyond the story. As an author, I want to accomplish more than being in the boredom-killing business. I want my work to have intrinsic meaning and value beyond the page.

What are the hardest parts of being an author?  Publishing and promotion. Writing is a challenge, but the commercial end of the business is inscrutable. Traditional publishers are losing their grip on their market share, and independent publishers and digital printing are changing the game. The writer is caught in the middle.

What do you enjoy most about being an author? The sweet agony of creating meaning out of thin air and having my readers respond favorably to it.

What authors/books have had an influence on your writing? My primary inspiration was James Hilton’s prophetic Lost Horizon. Later in life, Night author Elie Wiesel taught me the power of memoir and the writer’s responsibility to the testament of truth. But the author that has had the greatest impact on my writing is Stephen King. His On Writing may be the finest book ever written about what it takes and what it means to be author.

Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing? Brain freeze? Everyone gets it. Walking away from my writing for a day or two to let my subconscious go to work sometimes helps. More often than not, I write a blog post and have a couple of beers.

Do you have a particular place that you like to write? Yes. In front of my desktop computer at home. The problem with working at home are all the daily distractions.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write? I prefer to write in the morning after I check my social media until early afternoon. The middle of the night works great when I can’t sleep.

How do you like to reach your readers? (Social media? Book signings? Blogs etc) I’ve been building an audience for over five years on social media and my blog. Now, I have an author website which is showing positive results.

Can you tell us about your latest book? (is it part of a series, genre) Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked is a long overdue, nonfiction treatment of a serial killer case from the late 1960s. Collins was the poster boy for the new age of serial killers before the term serial killer was coined. More isn’t known about him because the Charles Manson Helter Skelter murders occurred just as the Collins case went to trial and drew all the national press to Los Angeles, California.

How long did it take you to write the book? Five solid years of research and writing.

Do you have a favourite character/topic in your work? No. This was a difficult story to tell. John Norman Collins is the central figure in the book but far from my favorite. He is a psychopathic murderer.
Tell us about John Norman Collins. JNC was the prime suspect in the murders of seven young women in the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor, Michigan between the summers of 1967-1969. Washtenaw County prosecutors tried and convicted Collins of his last murder—the sex slaying of Karen Sue Beineman. The other murders became cold cases.

Why isn’t Collins better known? The week the Beineman case came to trial, the Helter Skelter [Tate/LaBianca] murders happened in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. Overnight, Charles Manson and his family drew national attention to Southern California. The Collins trial became a war of attrition; the Manson trial became a three ring media circus.

What genre is your book and who is your target audience? It is true crime. Terror in Ypsilanti strives to restore the lost history of these cases. The trial transcripts were purged from the Washtenaw County files shortly after all of Collins’s appeals ran out in the mid-1970s. I initially wrote this book for the people of Ypsilanti to pay a debt to history, but young people going away to college will find the story instructive and cautionary.

Can you briefly summarize the content of Terror in Ypsilanti? Part one tells the story of the murders as the details unfolded before the police and the public. Much of this information has never been made public before. Part two reconstitutes the most infamous criminal trial in Michigan history from hundreds of vintage newspaper articles. Part three tells the story of Collins’s years in prison, his efforts to circumvent his life sentence, and his attempts to manipulate public opinion through the media.

What qualifies you to tell this story? While these murders were happening, I lived one block up the street from Collins and had several negative encounters with him. It wasn’t until I saw his face plastered across the front pages that I realized I recognized him. I knew people he knew, and I knew friends who knew some of the victims. Going to Eastern Michigan University and teaching at Ypsilanti High School gives me a detailed knowledge of the area and its people. The non-fiction story of what actually happened needed to be told before these events become lost in the fog of time. I’m uniquely positioned to do that.

Has this story ever been told before? Brief surveys of the Collins story have appeared in crime magazines and internet articles—usually with faulty information and without the benefit of hindsight. Five years after these events occurred in 1976, Edward Keyes published a cozy mystery called The Michigan Murders, which used pseudonyms for the victims, the witnesses, and the convicted murderer. Keyes wrote his book as a novel, but it did more to obscure the real history than add any insight. Terror in Ypsilanti is a very different treatment of the subject matter. I take a terse journalistic approach.

What was your biggest challenge writing Terror in Ypsilanti? Getting official information on the trial. The Washtenaw County Court files were purged in the mid-1970s, and nobody in authority would comment on that. I had to create a patchwork of facts from hundreds of local newspaper articles to tell the broad outline of the trial.

Does your book leave readers with a message? Yes, if something doesn’t feel right about a person, trust your instincts. Don’t place yourself in a compromised position and recognize danger before it’s too late.

What else have you written? My first writing effort after I retired from teaching was Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel. It tells a multicultural story of the clash between urban and suburban cultures. Main character Jake Malone gets a crash course in race relations and learns that the face of racism comes in every shade of color. I also write a weekly blog entitled Fornology [fornology.blogspot.com] about my news and views.
What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow? Do you write in chronological order? I use a chunking technique at first. I get an idea of where I want the writing to go, and I write a few chapters. From there, I chart out a preliminary outline and write each chapter like it was a stand alone short story. Once on the writing treadmill, I continually rewrite until I come up with something I like.

Do you have plans for further instalments? I may write a follow up about some prison letters of John Norman Collins. Several people have given me caches of his letters, but for now, I’ve had my fill of him.

Do you have a plan for your next book? Yes, an unsolved murder of an eight-year-old boy found frozen under a bridge in the rural town of Ypsilanti, Michigan. The Ypsilanti Historical Society asked if I might be interested in writing a piece on little Richard Streicher.

Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading? I prefer the look and feel of books. I like to go back and forth when I read and turning pages works best for me.

Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing? What has happened to the broadcast television networks, the movie business, and the auto business is happening to publishing--decentralization. The digital revolution is a game changer. Why be on the ragged edge of traditional publishing when I can be on the cutting edge of independent publishing. Either way authors go, promotion is their responsibility, so why not cut out the middleman?

And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors? Write, write, write until you can’t help yourself anymore. Then find a competent editor to help guide you. The eye sees but doesn’t see itself.
How can readers find you?Website: gregoryafournier.com
Facebook: facebook.com/gregoryafournier
Twitter: www.twitter.com/GAFournier1Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Gregory-A.-Fournier/e/B00BDNEG1C/
Goodreads: goodreads.com@gregfournier
Gmail: gregoryafournier@gmail.com
Thank you Gregory for dropping by. As a fellow true crime author, I found this a fascinating interview. I am one of the few who know of the crimes of John Collins, so it was great to see another author's journey with such a violent killer.  Amanda
If you would like to be interviewed for this blog or have a great story to tell, please drop me a line.  As always thanks for dropping by and see you next week. 
Cheers!
Amanda HowardThank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...

The Author's Journey - Part 1 The Seed of Inspiration

Welcome back to the very first part of my blog series, The Author's Journey. I am writing this as part of my Master of Arts (Writing) under the subject PWR70002 - Online Writing.

Each week, I will post a new blog topic, covering a small part of the author's journey, using my own experiences, my own mistakes, learned skills, and creative processes to help emerging writers find their writerly self and create their own masterpieces. I will also suggest a writing exercise to get those creative juices flowing.

This week, I will look at the seed of inspiration. That moment when you come up with an idea and what you need to do with that to nurture it and help it sprout. Of course it would be easy just to give you some points, some tips and then just assume it will work for you, but that is not how I work.  I want you to come along a journey with me. I want to inspire you to create your own journey.

As an author, I love to listen to people, I love to hear their ideas. So many of my story ideas come from something someone has said, or perhaps a news article, even a story I read that I thought could have gone in another direction. Inspiration is all around us, it is about finding it.

So how do we find it?

THE SEED OF INSPIRATION
In its simplest form, inspiration is everywhere. The seed of an idea could come from anywhere at any time and this is why you need to always have a notepad and pen, or some other form of implement that will allow you to write down or record your ideas.

Personally I carry a small A6 size note book and pen in my bag, I prefer to jot down ideas but don't forget you can also send yourself messages on your phone, via email or even in a recorded message, however my advice is always to ensure that you keep all of your ideas in the one place. Keeping those pieces of inspiration together means that if you do get stuck, you can flick through a notebook or folder with ease - rather than scrolling through emails/recorded messages etc. Being unorganised with your ideas is just as bad as not writing them down!

So where to find inspiration if you're not sure you have anything to write?

Always remember that EVERYTHING around you is fodder for writing. Yes EVERYTHING.

Sitting in a coffee shop, listening to the conversations going on around you could be the opening scene of your next book.

The two toddlers squabbling over a favourite toy at the park? Perhaps those two little girls later squabble over the running of a multinational corporation in your book.

I was once sitting at my daughter's swimming carnival watching the kids race laps in the pool when an idea came to me. A story questioning how well we know our neighbours. What inspired that? It was my daughter's friends sharing their stories, of the mum who gets up at 3am each day to cook lunches for her children, the other child who was excited to be meeting her father on the weekend. It made me think, how well do we know people and how many secrets do people really have?

Luckily, though I was prepared for a day of water and chlorine, I had also packed a notebook and pen. By the end of the carnival, between cheering for my daughter's sporting house I had jotted out the entire book's premise.

Another moment of inspiration came for me under somewhat tragic circumstances. I was in Sydney, doing the touristy things that people are wont to do, when we came upon a man who was suffering from some mental health issues. I was completely fascinated by his thought processes and his speech patterns. He half sang-half ranted about God and about an imaginary friend beside him. What he said stuck with me, and later became part of one of my storylines. Using examples from life gives realness to stories. People are fascinating and I never miss an opportunity to learn about different types of personalities - especially if they are fractured or flawed.

So, now, I recommend to have a go at an exercise, to find your own inspiration.

WRITING EXERCISE
Forget about any project that you are procrastinating on. Forget those other ideas and scribbled notes. I want you to go somewhere different to your usual places of comfort. Head to a sporting event, take a walk along the beach, find a high spot on a large grassy hill and write what you see, write what you hear, write what you feel.

I'd love to see how you go with a fresh piece of a paper and an new place of inspiration.

To end this week's blog post, I will use one of my favourite quotes: "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing" Benjamin Franklin.

Thanks again for dropping by, I hope to put these topics up frequently, so I can share my journey with you and hopefully inspire in you an incredible manuscript.

Until next time,


Cheers


Amanda Howard


Links:
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Amanda Howard Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandahoward73
Amanda Howard's books (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e/B001JP7X7I/Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...

The Author's Journey - An introduction

Moving further into the concepts of the writer and their writing-  and as part of my University Master's degree in Writing (Subject PWR70002 - Online Writing)-  I will be looking at the writer's journey and will include tricks and tips to help with those difficult times as well as answer questions you may have.

For those who don't know me, I am Amanda Howard, I am a true crime and crime fiction author, I have spent the past two decades interviewing and writing about serial killers and other violent predators.  I am a regular panel member on Australian television programs regarding criminology and have appeared on documentaries, radio, online  and in newspapers across the globe. 
Up to September 2016, I have published:
10 True Crime Books River of Blood: Serial Killers and Their VictimsThe Lottery KidnappingTerror in the SkiesMillion Dollar Art TheftPredators (co-authored)Innocence Lost: Crimes that Shocked a NationSerial Killers and Philosophy (Collab)A Killer in the Family: When Murder Waits at HomeMurder on the Mind: An Insight into Serial Killers and Their CrimesRope: A History of the Hanged 3 Novellas and Short Stories The Cicadas RoarCharlotte's One of a Kind CakesWriter's Block 3 Fiction Novels: Kate Reilly Ritual Series
The Blood of ManyThe Elements of MurderA Thousand Cuts 1 Non Fiction book How to Be An Author (Collab)So that is seventeen books so far, and I have another in the Kate Reilly Ritual Series coming out in November, as well as another True Crime book in February 2017. I also have a fair few other writing projects on the boil too that I will share as they come to fruition.  So I think with a CV like that I hope that I can offer some advice on both non-fiction and fiction writing, The processes of dealing with publicists, publishing houses, editors and the like.  
I have begun putting together a list of topics - of course these may change as time progresses -  that I think this could be a great way to start. Each blog will link back to this page too, so you can go from topic to topic. 
I will begin with the very first moment of a book, those tiny fragments of inspiration and take you through the writing journey until you reach your masterpiece. 
The topics I will cover include:
Ideas and concepts
The seed of an ideaWhere to beginWriting packages and programmesIs the pen mightier than the keyboard?Inspiration and dedicationWriter’s block and free writing Thought mapping - chapters, characters, outlines, storyline
Who, what, where, when and howLong Chapters/Short ChaptersWord count goalsSimilar books/films/ideas Research
Write what you know or learn what you don’tFantastic sources and resourcesSourcing and referencingGenre, rules and the artist First drafts and Hemingway (my guide)
When you don’t love your first draftWhen you love your draft too much to edit itThe Editor and the Author WithinThe space between the work and the author (the need to leave early drafts to simmer) The first edit - the brutal reality
Subsequent editsDirection, misdirection and the need for a critical friendWhen you get sick of reading your writingSelf-doubt and self-worth Publishing, contracts and lit agents
Traditional publishing vs self-publishingA changing landscapeUnscrupulous “publishers”The traps new authors fall intoContracts – what do they meanThe editor - friend, foe or something else?Do they love it as much as you do?When you don’t see eye to eyeCreative control Covers - the reality of judging a book
KISS- obvious is goodThe market and the shelfMore research The finished product
Nothing like the smell of success and a bookThe bookstore and the book shelf Now what? Media, publicity and the hard sell!
Press releasesYour audienceSocial mediaInterviews – the good the bad and the uglyRadio, television, newspapers – what’s the focus?Nervous? How to curb it.For now, before the journey commences, these topics will be a great start. Of course, stop me at any point throughout the journey and ask questions, request clarification or even perhaps suggest better topics. 
Thanks again for dropping by, I hope to put these topics up frequently, as my own inspiration ignites my passion.
Until next time, 
Cheers
Amanda Howard 
Links:Amanda Howard Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandahowardauthor/Amanda Howard Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandahoward73Amanda Howard's books (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e/B001JP7X7I/
Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...

Author Interview: Award Winning Belinda Missen

Welcome to Belinda Missen, this week's feature author. 

Belinda Missen began her writing career following a decade in retail and a further five years in the transport industry, Like most of us, she realised where her heart belonged and she decided to take a break and return to her first love, writing.


After her works were read by approximately fifty thousand online readers, she finally decided to put the figurative pen to paper and write her first novel. While she enjoys writing contemporary romance fiction, she can also be found freelancing for websites, and twisting dark, psychological thrillers together.

In April, 2016, Belinda won the Inspire 26+ Category in the Australia-wide JOLT Courthouse Youth Arts Awards for her short piece "Obsessions".

She's currently working on novels four, five and six. So, if you're looking for her, she's likely buried under a pile of paper somewhere. Belinda lives near Geelong, Australia, and is an active member of the arts community.

Thank you Belinda for stopping by today. 

Can you tell us a bit about you as an author? 
Writing is always something I've done. It started as a young child writing Jurassic Park fanfic, before I even knew what fanfic was. I stopped writing for a few years, and did the whole 'busy being an adult' business. I worked in retail for ten years, and transport for a further five. After leaving transport, I kind of floated a bit for twelve months, and the writing bug got me again when a character turned up and introduced himself. It's been non-stop ever since. To this day, I still write fanfic (though I'd never tell anyone how to find it), because I love how much of an audience gauge it is. You can see what does and doesn't work simply by their reaction.

What are the hardest part of being an author? 
Hmmm there's a bit of a list there. There's being your own boss, which is awesome. But, at the same time, it means you're the one responsible for getting yourself into gear each morning. For the most part, I love this, just not when I'm lacking inspiration. What do you enjoy most about being an author? The freedom, the creativity, the friends and connections I've made, and getting to write my own story. What authors/books have had an influence on your writing? There are heaps of authors that I love, that have had an influence on me. As a child, I loved Roald Dahl. As an adult I still do, but I also enjoy Mhairi McFarlane, Lindsey Kelk, Cecilia Ahern and David Nicholls.

Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing? I think there is a bit of a writer's block thing. 
When I went to London last year, I was there for six weeks. The entire time I didn't even want to write, though I forced myself to keep a blog. When I got back, though, the words poured out.

Do you have a particular place that you like to write? 
Depends on how I'm feeling. Most of my writing happens after ten p.m. I work into the wee hours of the morning, but I don't mind a rainy day, in the car, by the beach. Recently, I've become a fan of sitting down at the You Yangs and bashing out some words. Last time I was there, I wrote a short story that became a screenplay that weekend.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write? 
After ten p.m. when the world is quiet. How do you like to reach your readers? (Social media? Book signings? Blogs etc) Social media is good, but can be tricky. It's really hard to gauge an audience. I do giveaways, they vary in their effectiveness. I've done one book signing in a wine bar that ended with me converting profits into espresso martinis. That was an amazing night.

Can you tell us about your latest book?
I write romance, which I'm always a bit remiss to announce. People seem to think romance = Fifty
Shades of Grey. I don't do that. It's not my thing. I really do just like good things happening to good people, so all of my books are light, fluffy romance. My latest one is a bit of a play on the old Captain von Trapp and Maria situation, a grieving widower meets young upstart, sparks fly, and things get crazy. It is third in a series of books that I called BookEnds. I think I chose that at the time because I was going to bookend the series with a book about a character I wrote called Red.

How long did it take you to write the book? 
This one has taken a while. I wrote the first draft about two years ago, and it's undergone numerous rewrites since. I've recently ordered a proof copy and, the next morning, decided I still wasn't happy with it. So, back to the drawing board again. This new rewrite is packing the punch it needs to.

Do you have a favourite character/topic in your work? 
Red seems to be a fan favourite. He was my first book, and he's resonated with a lot of people, which I love. What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow?

Do you write in chronological order?
No plots. Not even always chronological order, but it helps. I generally get an idea for two characters, they're what turn up first. Then their settings and situation, and I go to work from there.

Do you have plans for further instalments? 
I'm trying to get some more Red together, but I don't want to force it. So, there are plans. How soon they'll eventuate is anyone's guess.

Do you have a plan for your next book? 
I've just worked out the next four, despite the fact I've got another ten or so books in various stages on the computer. I had an idea for a set of four books during the week. I'll run with that for now.

Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading? 
I do prefer paperback, I don't think there's much better in this world than paperback books. However, if I think I may not like a book, or it's outside my regular genre, I'll get the eBook first. If I love it, I'll go out and get a paperback.

Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing?
Honestly, I'd love to be traditionally published. I think there's a bit of... pride (if that's the right word?) in being able to say you're tied to, say, Penguin, or Random House, etc. On the other hand, I love the freedom of creation that I get through self-publishing. I am my own boss, and everything happens how I want it to.

 And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Keep writing and keep reading. That's the only way you're going to get better. I went on a reading binge in early 2016, and stepped away from the books for a bit. I read about twenty novels in six weeks. When I came back, I could see the difference in my writing. Also, surround yourself with the right people. You need the right advice, the right support, and the right family and friends. If they're not into what you're doing, it'll just make life hard, really..  

Thank you so much for that Belinda. I found it really interesting and I hope our readers did too. 

If you'd like to know more about Belinda and her writing, please look her up on the various social media platforms listed below:

Website: www.belindamissen.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BelindaMissen 
Twitter: www.twitter.com/BelindaMissen
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/BelindaMissen/e/B00UWR51MS
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/bmissen

Again, thank you so much for stopping by. If you are interested in being interviewed for this blog, please drop me a comment. Also please don't forget to subscribe to ensure you see each week's interview. 

Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...

Author Interview: Caroline Angel, Horror and Sci Fi Author

This week, I am interviewing Caroline Angel, she is an Australian author who lives alone on 6 and a bit acres, with her Arabian horses, whippets, nekkid cockatoo, chickens, geese, peacocks and cats.
She had a goat but he ate a plastic bag and died.

She work ten hours a day, so get up before dawn, feed everyone, drives over an hour on the highway to sit in a call centre for ten hours, then drive home for over an hour, feed her animals, and go inside when it's dark and she's tired.

Caroline love horror stories, sci fi (her first full length novel was Star Trek when she was 7) and some fantasy. She hate silly girly vampire movies (I am so glad - Amanda), like the harder stuff...but she still loves Buffy! She loves to read, but doesn't get much time. (Does anyone these days? - Amanda)

Can you tell us a bit about you as an author?
Ah, this is hard. Its all boring! I write horror and horror sci fi. I have one book published and three on the way.

What are the hardest part of being an author?
Finding belief in yourself

What do you enjoy most about being an author?
Getting those monsters outta my head

What authors/books have had an influence on your writing?
Any and all. The usual horror but also the more off beat, and believe it or not, the unpublished writers on fictionpress

Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing?
If anyone has a remedy for this I’d like to know

Do you have a particular place that you like to write? No, my first book was written at work, the second mainly in a coffee shop, but if the mood takes me I will write anywhere. Have laptop – will write!

Do you have a favourite time of day to write? No, but the dark does invite further terrors

How do you like to reach your readers? (Social media? Book signings? Blogs etc)  I am terrible. I am too introverted to self promote. I am hoping to overcome this and should be able to have a website up soon

Can you tell us about your latest book? (is it part of a series, genre) I’ll go with the one that’s already out. It is loosely based on the Slenderman myth, but carefully stepping around any copyright!

How long did it take you to write the book? About six months

Do you have a favourite character/topic in your work? The main characters, maybe. I tend to lie the characters that take on a life of their own when I had only planned for them to be minor, and they take off to be more substantial.

What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow? Do you write in chronological order? I just write. The story comes along organically. Then, once it’s all down I may add a chapter or two in editing to make the story flow better.

Do you have plans for further instalments? Not on this one, though I did leave a hook just in case!

Do you have a plan for your next book? Next book is written, editing now

Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading? Nothing like holding the paper in your hands

Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing?Traditional, I am not good at promoting myself. I know there are many that do, I see it all the time with them calling for action on award competition etc, but I can’t bring myself to do that.

And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors? I know most people say “Write!” but we all know that one. I would say to have faith in your self, and in your story.
How can readers find out more about you: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ucat42/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ucat42Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01061CYYCGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13955689.Caroline_Angel

Thanks Caroline for stopping by. It's been great I hope you get over your fears of self-promotion. I think it's a very important part of the journey for writers. We now have to be savvy in all areas of social media, as well as traditional interviews and the like. 
If you'd like to be interviewed for this blog, or have an interesting story you'd like to tell, please drop me a line. 
Until next week, 
Cheers, 
Amanda HowardThank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...

Author Interview: Steve Herczeg, Screenwriter and author of two stories in Sproutlines

Welcome Steve Herczeg to the Blog this week.

Can you tell us a bit about you as an author?
I have been writing creatively for as long as I can remember in one way or another. As a teen I wrote dodgy heavy metal lyrics for a garage band I belonged to. In early adulthood I moved from writing short fiction into a couple of full length novels. Reading those now, I cringe, but they were a learning curve and have proved useful since.

I turned to writing feature film screenplays as a way of getting my thoughts and ideas down on the page quicker and in a more concise way. I found the visualisations that can be achieved in a script to be more effective than the stunted prose I was writing at the time.

I have so far completed fifteen feature film scripts, and numerous short scripts. Two of my scripts, “Death Spores” and “Control” have placed well in some international screenplay competitions, and I am working on developing “Control” into a fully realised feature film.

Working on “Control” has made me turn from a simple writer into a film maker, and I have taken the helm as a director to bring three of my short scripts to the screen.

Last year I had the opportunity to turn back to prose writing and was fortunate enough to have two of my short stories accepted into “Sproutlings: a compendium of little fictions” that is being published through Hunter Anthologies.


What are the hardest part of being an author?
I think the thing that holds most people back is self-doubt. Everybody you mention to that you are an author or writer answers with “I have this great idea for a book/movie”. When you then tell them to sit down and write it, they invariably answer with “oh, I could never do that”.

It’s the same with more established authors and writers. Even George R. R. Martin expressed the sentiment in a recent interview with Stephen King. He asked King “You don’t ever have a day when you sit down there and it’s like constipation - you write a sentence and you hate the sentence and you check your email and you wonder if you had any talent after all and maybe you should have been a plumber?” he asked, incredulous. “Don’t you have days like that?” To which King replied “No”.
But for the most of us, the answer is “Yes”. The real answer is to ignore the question in the first place and just get on with it.

I’ve talked to people that have spent years writing a screenplay. They’ve got to page forty and no further. They say they’ve polished those forty pages until they gleam. My advice to them is finish the bloody thing. It doesn’t matter if the end result sucks, at least it’s finished. Then you have the choice to re-edit it or start on something new. The act of writing is all about the creation not the polishing.


What do you enjoy most about being an author?
The physical act of losing yourself in the creation is the most enjoyable aspect of writing. It’s sort of like being a long distance runner. At times it is almost impossible to break through the inertia, but once you achieve a level of momentum and the endorphins kick in you can achieve a sense of euphoria that is unlike any other experience. The same happens in writing. The blank page can be as scary as any horror movie, but once you begin to type and words appear and multiply, you get sucked into the act of creation and lose all sense of time and space. It is drug like in its attraction.


What authors/books have had an influence on your writing?
I write horror. I have dabbled in science fiction and action, but will always return to what I like best. My favourite authors are James Herbert (R.I.P.) and Stephen King. Herbert always inspired me through his use of small vignettes or short stories at the beginning of his books as a mechanism for setting up the main plot lines of the story. He could breathe life into his minor characters, give them a history and personality before obliterating them completely, often in the most grotesque and left field way. King is the master of taking the mundane and turning it on its head.

My one true passion is collecting Herbert and King hard cover first editions. I have about forty Stephen King HC firsts, and about ten of Herbert’s (including a signed copy of his last novel Ash). Other notable influences have come from the collected works of H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. For just pure unadulterated entertainment I can never go past a Terry Pratchett novel. I have a large collection as well.


Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing?
Most people think that Writer’s block is a complete shutdown of ideas flowing into the writer’s imagination. To me I think it is more a lack of motivation or even interest centring on the work that the author is concentrating on at the time. As George R. R. Martin said in the interview with King, it comes from that growing self-doubt or sense of worthlessness that comes when a writer loses motivation or interest.

To the part time writer it manifests itself as a symptom of life. The inability to find time to write, time to prepare, time to oneself. Family, jobs, life in general just gets in the way.

One way I’ve found to deal with it, came from a talk that I saw Terry Pratchett give a few years before his death. He said that before he sat down to write he would play a few minutes of Doom. He reckoned that there is no better way of clearing out the cobwebs that day to day living spins in your mind than to blow the crap out of a few zombies and monsters with a double barrelled shotgun.

Admittedly, there can be a downside to this when you realise after a few hours of playing Assassin’s Creed that you’ve now run out of time to do any writing, which is what you were preparing for in the first place.

Do you have a particular place that you like to write?
Again, life has got in the way. I haven’t managed to set myself up a nice, cosy area to while away the day forging pages full of words.

I did have a brilliant opportunity afforded me last year though. I found myself unemployed for a couple of months. This period coincided with a need to perform a full rewrite of my feature film script “Control”. I managed to spend a lot of time visiting coffee shops and cafes across the city in between appointments and job interviews.

I found one café that was nestled in the basement of a local shopping centre and was part of a large second hand bookshop. I was able to hijack a table on a couple of occasions and write to my heart’s content while bathed in the odour of old books and fresh coffee. It was bliss and highly productive.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
Again, life. I generally fit in some writing around what I am doing. I have found that if I can lock myself away at lunch time (whilst at work) I can be quite productive, or I’ll snatch some time in the late afternoon before leaving work for the day (there’s a little trick with Outlook that you can answer whatever emails need your attention and forward them on with a time delay). At night, once the kids go to bed and the dishes are done you can generally find some more “me” time to get more words on the page.

How do you like to reach your readers? (Social media? Book signings? Blogs etc)
Social Media (e.g. Facebook) is one of the wonders of the modern world. It may be a massive drain on the collective attention span, but it is also a brilliant way to disseminate information. When my short stories were accepted into Sproutlings, I began advertising the fact on my own feed and on other pages and groups. Although it can be a little hit and miss, the word that came back to me was that it was very effective. Many of my friends and acquaintances either sponsored the Kickstarter campaign or bought pre-release copies of the book.

I have also been a member of online writing groups and collaborative sites. These are great at getting unreserved (sometimes a little too forthright) feedback from strangers as opposed to your friends who are more likely to love everything you do and not give back any useful criticisms.

Can you tell us about your latest book? (is it part of a series, genre)
Apart from my Sproutlings stories and a few other unsuccessful competition entries, my main focus has been on rewriting my feature film script for “Control”. I managed to win an Arts Fund grant through ScreenACT to help further my career as a screenwriter. The money was used to employ a script editor located in Los Angeles. Her task was to pull apart the plot of Control and provide me with the means and feedback to enable a rewrite of the script so that it would be more coherent and marketable.

Control is a horror story that centres on a young woman who is able to see the ghost of a young man and give him the power to interact with our world. Unbeknownst to her when alive he was a serial killer. He learns how to draw power from her and begins to kill those around her. To save those she loves she must learn how to stop him.

The script placed second in the 2013 International Horror Hotel Screenplay competition and was a quarter finalist and top ten in the 2014 “Search for New Blood” and “Horror Screenplay” competitions, respectively.

How long did it take you to write the book?
The initial version of “Control” took about six months to write from woe to go. The original idea came from a talk held a at local film maker’s group where a renowned script writer suggested that there was a lack of ghost stories in modern cinema. Admittedly, this was before “The Conjuring, Mama, Sinister, Ghostbusters remake, etc”. An idea came into my mind from an old article about the prevalence of poltergeist activity around teenage girls. The idea was “what if a young girl could not only see ghosts but control them”? From there the script was created.

The rewrite took six weeks from “FADE IN” to “FADE OUT”, but most of the work was done with the script editor in defining the major turning points in the plot. I only reused one scene, where the ghost animates a roomful of china headed dolls and terrorises a teenage girl to the extent that she jumps out of a window.

Do you have a favourite character/topic in your work?
I love zombies. I have seen and documented about 250 zombie movies and run a Facebook page called “The 30 day zombie challenge” where I publish movie and book reviews.
I have written three zombie scripts, “Death Spores”, “Dead School” and “Titan”, and the opening scenes of “Death Spores” were rewritten into the short story that was published in Sproutlings.
I like zombies as you can do anything with them, give them any attributes that you want as long as you are honest and set up their characteristics from the beginning.

I also find that watching zombie movies to be very cathartic, there’s nothing better than seeing humans perish at the hands and teeth of the ravenous undead to put your own trials and tribulations into perspective.

What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow? Do you write in chronological order?
I’ve read and listened to Stephen King’s “On Writing” about five or six times and love the process he undertakes to writing, which is come up with an overall story and then let the characters tell you where and how it will proceed.

I’ve tried to put that in action, but found the result to be an absolute mess. Then I found Syd Field, one of the best proponents for screenplay structure in Hollywood. Field suggests the formation of a paradigm which maps out the standard three act structure of feature films, with techniques for when and how to move from one act to the next.

Being an IT geek by trade, I have created a small database that I can input my ideas on the structure and characters and have it spit out the paradigm for me to follow.

It is all a little structured, but I’m a programmer and database developer, so it suits my thinking processes.


Do you have plans for further instalments?
I have left the end of “Control” open for a sequel, but have no plans to write one until I can advance the development of the film. My next steps are to gain a distributor and begin to put key people into roles and gather funding. I have no plans to direct the film myself but do plan to keep as close to the project for as long as I can.

Do you have a plan for your next book?
I have about ten unwritten script ideas in various stages of development. When I began the rewrite of “Control” I was about sixty pages into another script called “Exposure” which is about a young martial artist who finds himself in an underground pit fighting club and must battle to survive and to protect his lover. I am in the struggle stage of getting re-motivated to finish off “Exposure”. Life, and that Assassin’s Creed problem keep getting in the way.

Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading?
I love the feel and smell of physical books. When I am reading for pure pleasure then I would rather have one to hold. My library has well over five hundred on its shelves and my love has transferred to my daughter (9) who feels the need to own as many books as possible, even if I already own them.
For convenience, happy with eBooks or even audio books. There’s nothing worse than finishing a paperback with several hours left on an international flight (it happened), and you can knock over a large number of books by listening to them on the way to and from work.

Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing?
The industry is changing and for the better. Self-publishing is a great way for people to get their work out into the marketplace. At one time this was called “vanity” publishing and cost a fortune, but a writer can spend a relatively small amount of money and produce and publish an ebook. It does mean that there will be a whole lot more garbage out there, but it also means that a lot of rough and unpolished diamonds can make their way into the collective consciousness rather than be lost for all time.

And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Just do it.

Write. Create. Build. Paint. Sculpt. Sing. Play. Make.

Get your work out of your brain and down onto paper or into a computer. Who cares if it’s any good? 

Who cares if no one but you and your mother will ever read it?

If you never write then you will never know. And if you never write then no one else will ever know.

Once you get it out, then you can make the decision to make it better, throw it away, or move on to the next project. But if you never do it in the first place, then you will never have that chance.

How can readers find you?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.herczeg.3
Thanks for dropping by Steve. Your projects sound incredible interesting. 

Don't forget to subscribe to Killing Time Blog to see more author interviews. Please contact me if you'd like to be interviewed or have a really interesting story to tell.  Until next time...

Cheers

Amanda Howard

Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
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A Change of Pace - An Interview with Amy Wright - Co-designer of Killer GPS App

I thought now that we have some incredible author interviews in the works and a very interesting line up to fill in your weekends, I thought I'd also get some of the other interesting people I know to be interviewed and share a little piece of their life with us.

My first victim subject is Amy Wright. I'll let her explain her interesting life to us...

Can you tell us about you. Who you are, and what you do?
I'm a wife and mother with a regular day job. At night and on weekends I like to read about, research, and visit locations of murders. In 2012-13 a friend and I developed three apps for iOS - Serial Killer Murder Library, Killer GPS, and Killer Quiz. The library is what you'd expect, a collection of serial killers from around the world. Killer GPS is an app that will lead you to locations of murders, be it the home of Sharon Tate (the Manson family) or a little known murder that occurred down the street from you. The Killer Quiz is obviously a quiz. The questions are easy at first, but they get difficult pretty quickly!

When did you get started in your field?
I've been interested in true crime since I was nine years old, but I only really started doing something with my knowledge about four years ago. That's when I met my friend Chris. He's an app developer, and we used his IT knowledge and my serial killer knowledge to create our apps.

How is it all going?
It's going well. Our app sales keep rising, our Facebook page gains new followers every day. The


engagement is great. I can't imagine my life without all of our Facebook followers now. We've become a real community.

So, I know I want to hear more about your your current project, what is the most interesting thing you’ve come across lately?
I recently stumbled across a murder that occurred in Brisbane, where I grew up. It happened around 40 years ago, but I'd never heard of the case. A woman was raped and murdered in her home whilst her fiancé was at work. I realised there's so much I don't know about my own city, so I'm concentrating on cases in the Brisbane/Gold Coast area at the moment.


Do you have nightmares working in the criminology field? You know, I've never had a nightmare. The closest thing would have to be a dream I had a year or so ago. I was on the phone to Ted Bundy, and he was begging me to visit him. I told him that I couldn't, because he was dead (Bundy was executed in 1989) but he wouldn't believe me!

Have you come across anyone/thing that has scared you or made you a little worried?I've had a few situations that have made me feel uncomfortable. There was a woman who was quite an active follower of our Facebook page. She ended up murdering her boyfriend, which was horrible. There was a guy who would write to me and tell me how he wanted to become a serial killer, what he'd do, how he'd do it. I had to report him to the authorities. I've even had someone contact me looking for someone to kill them! Crazy.

What’s the next stage? Where are you heading? What’s the future hold?
More locations, more research. I can't get enough of it. People are walking down an alley, past a house, through a park where a murder occurred and they'll never know. It fascinates me.

So now, on to some crime related questions...
Serial killers/mass murderers – do you prefer to research one over the other?
I go through phases. At the moment I'm quite interested in assassinations. I don't really have a preference. Maybe serial killers, because there's always an interesting back story.

Do you have a case that you research more than any other? Why?
Serial killer wise, I'd say Ted Bundy. I guess because he was exactly what you wouldn't expect a serial killer to be. I never get tired of reading and learning new facts about him and his victims. If you're talking about mass murder, it would have to be Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. I remember that day so clearly, I remember watching the news for hours. They were only a couple of years younger than me. The idea that two kids could do something so horrible...

Do you have a ‘favourite’ unsolved case?
Betty Shanks. It's always Betty. She was murdered in 1952 when she was walking home after getting off a tram. Her body was found in a policeman's front yard. She'd been beaten to death. She had no known enemies, it appeared to be a random attack. It was such a shocking crime for 1950s Brisbane. I wish I knew who did it!

Now some totally random questions
Would you like to share a strange habit/talent you have?
Habit? I guess rock collecting. I'm not kidding. I collect rocks from places like Belanglo Forest, where the Backpacker murders occurred, Dealy Plaza, where JFK was shot... I also collect them from famous places like Buckingham Palace.

If you were to eat one food for the rest of life, what would it be?
Probably Chinese.

Do you prefer ebooks or physical books? Physical books, or REAL books as I call them. Half the joy of reading is smelling those pages and turning them.

Ultimate holiday/relaxation? Anywhere that's freezing cold, where I can curl up in front of a fire with a glass of wine and a good book. I'm living in the wrong country for that, though!
Thank you so much Amy for dropping by for this super cool interview.

Amy and I went for a trip to Belanglo together in April this year. It was sooooo cold - not sure because of the temperature of the forest or the scary feelings of the forest.



You can find more information on the Apps at: http://www.rocketsplashgames.com

And join us all over at the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/serialkillapp/?ref=ts&fref=tsThank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...

Author Interview: Isobel Blackthorn, author of A Perfect Square

Today I have with me Isobel Blackthorn, the author of A Perfect Square. 

Isobel Blackthorn was born in London in 1962 and has spent much of her life in Australia. She's also lived in Spain and Lanzarote (Canary Islands). She's been a teacher, market trader, project manager and PA to a literary agent. She received her PhD in Social Ecology in 2006. She now lives on the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia, where she follows her passions for social justice, philosophy, current affairs, books and art.

Isobel is the author of a collection of short stories, All Because of You (Ginninderra Press), and the acclaimed novel, Asylum, and her latest release, The Drago Tree. Her writing has appeared in e-journals in Australia and the US. 


Can you tell us a bit about you as an author?
I harboured a wish to be an author when I was just eleven years old. But I had no self-confidence and no support. So I went off and got a degree, had kids, became a high school teacher, then went on to do a PhD. After all that, in 2007 I got a job as PA to a literary agent. It was she who urged me to write creatively. By then I was 45. After a shaky start and a lot of personal upheaval I am now a dedicated author, brimming with stories.
What are the hardest part of being an author?  Fiction writing puts you in a shadow world, one in which the characters inhabiting you are more real than ordinary reality. At first that’s the hardest part of being a writer—making that happen, sustaining that reality. But as soon as the publishing side of things starts to happen, things shift, and suddenly the life of an author is all about marketing and public appearances and relentless self-promotion. The co-existence of these two realities within one individual is challenging. What do you enjoy most about being an author?
I enjoy living with my characters, inhabiting the worlds conjured out of a few little ideas. It’s a very private joy and one filled with uncertainty because I have no idea if anyone else will like what I’ve written. When a reader comes along and tells me how much they have enjoyed my writing, that private joy is suddenly shared, and with it comes both relief and a sense that all that slaving away really is worthwhile. That me, along with all the other authors out there, really can tell a story. I think all the creative arts are like this. There’s such a sense of doubt that pervades it all.
What authors/books have had an influence on your writing?Iain Banks has had the biggest influence on my writing. I began with The Wasp Factory back in the 1980s. What an imagination! Most of all, I appreciate the way he doesn’t shy away from topics that are repellent. He creates really interesting characters and carefully woven and twisted plot lines. His Sci Fi aside, he hovered on the fringes of the genres, playing with them but never bending the will of his muse to their strictures.
Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing?No, I don’t. I have waited far too long for this chance to devote myself to writing. Life’s too short. I don’t waste a day. If I’m stuck on one thing, I turn to something else.
Do you have a particular place that you like to write? I compose my handwritten drafts on the living room couch. I’m either there, on here at my desk. I cannot write anywhere else. Consequently, I don’t like going out.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?I find the mornings are best. And late afternoon. I’m too tired in the evenings and just want to switch off.
How do you like to reach your readers? (Social media? Book signings? Blogs etc) I am always on social media. I’m a blogger and big on Facebook. When I have a new release I like to go out and reach as many of my existing readers as I can. And new ones! Because I’m currently living in Australia, this can mean travelling big distances too.
Can you tell us about your latest book? (is it part of a series, genre)A Perfect Square is a literary mystery/thriller. It’s written from three points of view but the protagonist is pianist, Ginny Smith. She’s just returned to live with her mother in the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne. Having just left her boyfriend, she’s not in a good space, and her mother, eccentric artist, Harriet, is desperate to cheer her up. So she suggests they collaborate on an exhibition of paintings and music. Ginny is plagued with questions as to the whereabouts of her father, whom she hasn’t seen since she was seven. There’s a parallel narrative, set in Exeter, in which another mother is wracked with concern for her daughter.
The story behind A Perfect Square is special for me personally, since it is based on ideas contained in my PhD and on my daughter’s Honours thesis in Music. Elizabeth Blackthorn has composed the music to go with the book, and there’s a link to that music included in the front pages. That said, the story is not highbrow or pretentious. But there’s a message in there, one I think needs to be told and told and told.
How long did it take you to write the book?This book took me a little over a year to complete. For me, this is fast. The story poured out of me. And there were parts of it that were already written from a previous work.
Do you have a favourite character/topic in your work?My favourite character is Harriet Brassington-Smythe. She’s straight out of Absolutely Fabulous. That’s how she appears to me. I had so much fun working with her.
What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow?  Do you write in chronological order?I began with a few scraps of ideas. I knew what the themes would be and I had the characters and a very basic idea of the plot. After that I let the story flow. Before long the story took over and I was no longer in the lead. The story jumps around in time. Some readers don’t like that, but I found it necessary. It was the way the story needed to be told.
Do you have plans for further instalments? This story is a one off. I cannot imagine I’d take it further. Although I suspect there is another story that could evolve. But I’m not sure I’m ready to go there just yet. Maybe ten years from now.
Do you have a plan for your next book? I’m currently at work on a cosy crime series set on Lanzarote. The series is based on characters whom first appeared in an earlier work, The Drago Tree, which was released last year.
Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading?I used to be a stickler for paperbacks. Now, I don’t mind.
Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing?The most exciting thing happening in publishing today is the rise of small presses. I think traditional publishing has become too big, too corporate, too profit driven. They are interested in what is marketable, what sells. Small presses will take a chance on originality, on literary works that may not be so profitable, on emerging authors rather than big names. Print on Demand services are now opening up big possibilities for small presses, who no longer need the capital for print runs. I think PoD challengers the distributors and booksellers who between them currently take the lion’s share of the price of a book. I predict that Print on Demand is going to revolutionise the book industry.
And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors?
My advice to aspiring authors is simple: write. Write every single day. Don’t just surround yourself with your favourite authors, seek out writers whose works are challenging, who write in different styles and voices. Study the works of others, for structure, syntax, voice, and techniques for writing dialogue, description, action and reflection. It takes between 5 to 10 years to get good at writing. So don’t give up.
Thank you so much for dropping by. Good luck with your new release, A Perfect Square.

Where can readers visit your work?
Website:  https://isobelblackthorn.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lovesick.Iso... @IBlackthornAmazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Isobel-Blacktho...
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Thanks again to Isobel for today's interview, 

If you'd like to be a featured writer, filmmaker or the like, please drop me a line. Please don't forget to also subscribe to keep in touch with the series. 

Cheers, 

Amanda



Thank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...

Author Interview: Amanda Kool, Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction Author

This week's feature author is Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction Author Amanda Kool.
Amanda Kool has been writing stories since she was eight years old, starting on her mother's old typewriter. While her day job as a Technical Writer keeps both her menagerie (two dogs, one cat, and eight chickens) and her mortgage fed, she spends her downtime writing Crime, Speculative, and post-apocalypse fiction.

Her first solo novel, "Tallwood", is available now, released by Satalyte Publishing. Her second two novels, "Wires", and "The Murderer's Cloth" are coming soon...

Amanda also co-authored 1000 Mettle Folds with Australian Horror writer Steve Gerlach and wrote the children's story, The Paper Fox (illustrated by her brother, Jeremy).


Can you tell us a bit about you as an author?I write Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction (and one straight-out historical crime fiction!).As a writer, I'm a bit scatty to be honest. I can't tell you where the ideas come from, but they usually start with some image or scene in my head that I build around. I write on a paper, initially. I find that much more creative – I can cross things out, draw lines from one thing to another, write in the margins. It becomes a melange of idea fragments and I find it helps my creativity.

I only start writing on the PC when I have a sure idea of where I am going with the story.
What are the hardest part of being an author?  Writing. I'm only being a little facetious, here. When it's working, it's great. When it's not, it's like all the tension goes into my jaw and my teeth start to grind and my head aches and I doubt myself and really, what are words good for anyway?!
The actual hardest part – selling the book. For introverts like me, it's hell. And it's essential. I went the traditional publishing route to avoid the bulk of that – turns out you cannot evade hell no matter how hard you try :)   
What do you enjoy most about being an author?When it works. When the world finally coalesces in your head and you start to think and feel like the people who inhabit it. When you're in that zone and you start dreaming about the next thing that happens, it's amazing. The downside is, I get distracted and neglect the people in 'real world'. We all do that though, right? Right?  
What authors/books have had an influence on your writing?Michael Shaara, Shelby Foote, Stephen King, Ursula Le Guin, Cormac McCarthy, Umberto Eco, JRR Tolkien, James Ellroy, Banks (both M and sans M), Val McDermid, James Blish.… That's a list I have on stand-by to copy/paste. You can pretty much divide that list into the two main reasons I love them and they are totally different reasons: Paucity of words, brevity, a sparse, poetic style.Lush world-building, complex scenarios and long, descriptive passages.
I wish there were more women in that list, but these are the writers that have had the biggest influence on me when I was first starting out.
Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing?Not so much 'block', as 'paralysing fear'. I was cool writing four books in isolation, then I got published and suddenly people were reading my work. This book I'm writing now? I'm second-guessing every word, every action, every phrase. I really need to get over myself and just write the damn thing. I didn't write for a whole year because of that. I'm getting back to it now. Imposter Syndrome is real! (Check out the Writing Excuses podcast – they do a great episode on Imposter Syndrome.)
Do you have a particular place that you like to write? My study. I'm surrounded by the items of the story/genre I'm currently writing and glancing up will give me inspiration. I have a proper desk, a PC and reference material everywhere. I also have "Freedom", a program that blocks the internet for however long I specify. No distraction, no Facebook, no email, no looking up something. I put that on when I need to focus. It's like a slap on the wrist for me.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?Any time I can write is my favourite time of day. I have so many things in my life (friends, family, work, animals, chores, etc.) that if I can carve out any time at all to write, I consider that my favourite time.
If I had my druthers, I'd write at night, but as I need to get up at 5.20 am for work, it's not practical at all :)
How do you like to reach your readers? (Social media? Book signings? Blogs etc) Any way I can. I don’t 'like' it, as I'm really shy. But right now, Facebook is my main outlet for sharing my book information. I only just created a website (bare bones) but hopefully that will become the main port of call for folks who want to know about me. I'm heading up to the Sydney Expo in October to promote Tallwood and meet other authors and publishers. That's really exciting and TOTALLY out of my comfort zone! (I hope they have wine...) 
Can you tell us about your latest book? (is it part of a series, genre)
Tallwood is my latest published work. It is a Science Fiction story set well after the world as we know it now has ended. Scant humans live in pockets of underground safety and a roving menace on the surface keeps them down there; for the most part, anyway. It's a standalone book, and at least twice the size of anything else I've written.
How long did it take you to write the book?A few years. I can't tell you exactly as I work full time and started somewhere in 2006 and finished somewhere in 2009.... I would love to write full time. To have the time and money to do that would be incredible.
Do you have a favourite character/topic in your work?I like ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Very few of my characters are cops, or specialists in a field, or superheroes. I like to fling chaos at ordinary folk and see how they react. In Tallwood, Llewellyn is the 'everyman' if you like. He's new to the world up top. He gets into serious trouble pretty quickly and my other, seasoned characters are the ones to help him out.
What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow?  Do you write in chronological order?I tend to be a big old pantster. I tried to plot a book once and it killed the creativity for me; started to feel like homework, like I'd already written it in notes, so what remained was boring and held no surprises. I got 20k in and shelved it. I've thrown away the framework and will come back to it later when I can be fresh and just...let it happen.
I always know where I'm heading. I sometimes have a set-piece in mind for the ending, then write semi-chronologically as I go. (I sometimes jump ahead if an idea strikes me and the mood is there, then fill in the gap later.)
Do you have plans for further instalments? More than a few people have asked for a sequel. I'm not sure I have another epic Tallwood SF in me, to be honest, but you never know...
Do you have a plan for your next book? I have two at the moment; the one I have shelved for the time being, and one I am struggling with. Neither has really grabbed me by the throat yet, and that's what I need to finish these things. Hopefully, when I have time to really devote to it, I can get into the 'zone'.
Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading?If I love a book, I will buy it in paperback/hardback. My favourite authors are always a physical purchase, no question. Books like "S" have to be physical because of all the glorious "bits" that are included in the mystery. (Don't know what I'm talking about? Google "S" by J.J. Abrams, Doug Dorst – a mind-screw of the most enjoyable kind).
My e-book purchases tend to be anthologies (though some I will then buy in paperback), new authors, books that I don’t know if I'll like, omnibuses that are on sale or classic books I want to re-read. Clive Barker's works are among these. On only read e-books on my train into work, never at home.
Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing?Honestly, I don’t know enough about the industry and its machinations to comment on its changing ways. I do know that I went the traditional publishing route because my publisher would lead the charge when it came to garnering interviews, reviews, publicity etc.
I was totally willing to participate, but selling myself cold is not what I'm good at. I wrote four books before I even considered letting them out to see the light of day. I was quite happy to put each in a drawer and start the next one. It was my family/friends and beta readers who told me to get off my butt and get out there :)
My traditional publishing experience has been somewhat mixed in any case.
And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors?Write. Write all the time, when you can – and FINISH something. It's so easy to start many things and not finish and tell yourself that you're a writer (and you are, because writing), but starts are easy. 
Hell, endings and middles can be easy, too, but having all three and finishing a complete work is hard. Finish an entire work, then start another one as soon as possible.
Read. Read all the time. Good fiction, bad fiction, your genre and similar genres. See what other people are doing and feel good about your own work. 


How can readers find out more about you: (Fb, Goodreads, website links and such)Website: www.amandakool.netFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.kool.3Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandishk Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Kool/e/B01F4RAKGW/Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4992624.Amanda_Kool
Thank you so much Amanda for dropping by, this has been a fantastic chat today. 

Killing Time Blog note: I always love having speculative fiction authors drop by, they have a way with words that I always love to read. 

Thank one once again for coming to read my author  interviews on Killing Time Blog. If you're interested in being interviewed, or have a really cool story to tell, please send me an email.  Don't forget to also subscribe for future interviews. 

Cheers,

Amanda HowardThank you for visiting Amanda Howard
Check out my site at http://www.amandahoward.com.au
and
My Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e...