Alastair Rosie's Blog, page 7

Samantha Speaks Out

What’s it like to be raised by vampires?

Samantha Sullivan is a twenty one year old student at Glasgow University. Born in Germany and raised in America she has a bubbly personality that belies her strange upbringing. Between the ages of five and thirteen she was part raised by her stepmother Doctor Catriona MacGregor. After her stepmother’s disappearance over the Gulf of Mexico, she and her father went to live with Catriona’s friends in Chicago who were all long time associates of famed supermodel Elizabeth McIvor. Thus between then and now, vampires continued her education. I had an opportunity to catch up with Samantha at Doctor MacGregor’s home in Hillhead to learn more.  Read More Here…

What Do You Take To Dinner With a Vampire?

Dr. Catriona MacGregor lives in a quiet suburban street in Glasgow’s West End. But which house belongs to her?

 

Following on from my earlier interview with Dr. MacGregor I was dispatched by my editor to the good doctor’s home for follow up interview. I was a bit hesitant at first but I fear my editor more than an army of vampires. An hour later I found myself talking to Dr. MacGregor’s stepdaughter, Samantha. Yes, mom would be delighted to speak to you again, how about you come for dinner? My editor was over the moon, so to speak and I was at a loss. What do you take to dinner with a vampire? A bottle of blood? A box set of the Twilight films?

A second phone call left me even more confused. Read More…

Who Is Elizabeth McIvor?

To millions of Americans raised in the eighties and nineties she was America’s ‘Girl Next Door’ and we saw her go from a precocious six year old model to the sixteen year old who sold millions of ice cream cones simply because she licked the ice cream. By then she had tried her hand at acting and one of her signature roles was as Emily in the sitcom, My Mom the Vampire. Read more here…

What was life like in 1297?

When someone mentions 1297 and Scotland in the same sentence we immediately think of the Battle of Stirling Bridge and overlook the stories of the common folk who lived then. Recently I caught up with Dr. Catriona MacGregor at the Woolpack Inn (pictured). Catriona was born in 1285 and now works out at Yorkhill Children’s Hospital in Glasgow. For the first twelve years of her life she lived at Tillicoultry, known as Westertoun then. A petite, quietly spoken redhead with a welcoming smile and well-developed sense of humour, she seems the antithesis of the vampire, something she claims is quite deliberate. Read more…

 

 

The Grey Raven site on WordPress

When her stepmother’s plane vanished over the Gulf of Mexico in 2003, Samantha’s world was thrown into turmoil. Her entire world revolved around this vivacious, sophisticated and well educated woman. However with Cat’s mysterious disappearance another door opened when she and her father relocated to Chicago at the invitation of billionaire House of McIvor CEO, Elizabeth McIvor, where she first encountered the mysterious Clan Grey Raven. As she grew to maturity, Samantha came to suspect that the official account of the accident was mere window dressing to cover a deep and mysterious world. When she was finally reunited with Cat in Scotland she learned the startling truth about Clan Grey Raven, Cat’s true identity and the part that Cat and the Grey Ravens played in Scotland’s First War of Independence in 1297. 

Some people will always love. 
Some people never lose hope. 
Some people never die…

Angel of Mercy will be released at the end of June, date to be announced.

It is Time...a fresh new look at Erotica

IT IS TIME
BY ANNA BAYES


There are two genres I tend to be wary of writing, horror and erotica. As a writer I'm very aware of the subconscious desire to up the ante and make it more horrifying or erotic to satisfy your readers, and in a finite world I'm afraid there are only so many positions, methods and scenarios available before you run out of steam, so to speak. I mean men who can perform faultlessly for hour after hour after hour is totally beyond the realms of possibility, sorry ladies.

Enter Anna Bayes with her compilation of fifteen short stories titled, It Is Time. The cover photo is quite impressive and the stories are certainly worth reading. Some of the stories could do with a bit more meat but in defence of 'short' short stories these vignettes do hold your attention. The opening story, It Is Time is a bitter sweet tale of being just one of three other women and her attempt to outshine them, there is hot, sweaty sex, pillow talk and a resolution that was different.

Ticket to France doesn't have the same graphic sexual descriptions and is more of a vignette where our heroine graduates from cam sex to buying a ticket to you guessed it, France. We don't know what happens when she reaches France but that's the beauty of these stories. Instead of focusing on the steamy, graphic sex or challenging positions, Bayes has forged a connection with the ordinary world around about us. Let's face it, even though I never read Fifty Shades, the thought a woman could carry on an abusive relationship for three whole books made my ears hurt just hearing about it. Bayes' talent for taking very ordinary situations and sexing them up is refreshing. For readers with a fetish for bondage, there are BDSM stories in there as well, I can't judge them however as I'm definitely not into that but the stories do read well. The only story I found odd was the last one, Lucy Reborn, which is a paranormal tale and while it's well written and entertaining enough, I felt it didn't belong in this particular collection. Others may disagree but I felt the inner rhythm was coming along nicely without that last story. There's a feeling we've stumbled across a diary of fleeting memories faithfully recorded and then discarded and that's the strength of these tales, because in the real world that's how it happens and all we are left with often is just a memory.

My favourite story would have to be Stockings, Pendant, Arousal because it builds slowly and then leaves you wondering what happened next and that to my mind is the secret to writing good erotica, leaving the reader to imagine the rest or fill in the blanks. On a scale of five I'd give this four point five because as previously mentioned, the last story didn't belong in this anthology. However Anna Bayes has a talent for writing erotica and I'll certainly be returning to this collection more than once and keeping a look out for more of the same.
Check out It Is Time for yourself.
It Is Time and Other Stories

A Conversation With... Melissa Pearl

A CONVERSATION WITH... MELISSA PEARL

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan... not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has continued to produce a steady stream of books. Recently she signed with Evatopia Press and her first Evatopia book is coming out in February 2014 - True Colors, The Masks Series #1. She is very excited to be trying out new things this year while continuing to publish under her own name as well. She has six books planned for 2014 and is excited about writing each and every one of them.
"I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love."
You can find her website here.
What do you do with your leisure time?
I love to sing and play the piano. I also ADORE watching movies. I love getting caught up in a good story whether it's on screen or in a book, but movies inspire me the most. They are so visual and the musical score really adds to the whole experience.
And I, of course, love hanging out with my amazing husband and two sons.
How long have you been writing and what was your first published piece?>I've been writing for about 12 years now, but I didn't publish my first book until November 2011 - Golden Blood (The Time Spirit Trilogy, #1)
What inspires you as a writer?
>Everything - music, movies, books, nature, people watching, questions, conversations with people, visiting cool places. Anything that will put a scene in my head. Most of my stories grow from one scene that captures me and I build around that.
Are you a panster or a plotter?
Definitely a plotter, although my stories do develop in the first draft stage. I don't stick religiously to my plan, but the basic structure stays the same.
Have your writing habits and methods changed from when you were starting out?
Yes - definitely. I have learned so much from studying the craft of writing and have developed my style hugely. I used to just write off the top of my head...now I plan meticulously. I used to use beta readers, but not editors. It didn't take long to figure out how valuable professional editors are - pure gold! I've learned to develop my characters fully, taking the time to figure out exactly who they are before writing a novel - this has helped my work hugely.
You've written three trilogies to date. Do you have a particular passion for trilogies or is that just the way it turns out?
To be honest, I never imagined that I would ever write one trilogy, let alone three. It was actually a marketing move on my part. I had studied what was working in bookstores and online and I noticed many YA writers were writing trilogies and series. I could see how popular they were and I thought I'd give it a go. I ended up loving it way more than I thought I would. Readers often say how they don't want to say goodbye to characters and I understand that feeling. With writing more than one book, you get to hang out with these characters for longer and I really love that :)
How has travel helped your writing?
Yes - definitely. I have come up with so many story ideas. Being in new places inspires my imagination...especially historic places - temples, castles, old ruins...places like that. It's also given me a really good picture of how different cultures work. We may all be humans, but our thinking is so different across the world. It's been really good for me to get firsthand insight into those differences. It's helped me understand humans just a little better.
What advice would you give writers who aren't able to travel quite so frequently?
Internet research - looking up pictures of places they want to set their stories in, learning the history of towns and how they came to be.
Watching movies or reading books - even though these stories are often fictitious, the basic facts about the setting and the feel for the culture are usually pretty good. You'll get so many insights from studying the background and listening to the way people talk and the things they care about.
What are you working on now?
I have just finished a two book series that I enjoyed writing SO much. It's in 2nd draft stage at the moment.
It's my first romantic suspense about a mystery girl who turns up at my MC's school. He's a curious guy and wants to figure out who she is...but the more he discovers, the more he realizes that this girl he's falling for is actually a lying thief.
The first book is entitled I Know Lucy and is written from Zach's viewpoint, but also jumps back in time so the reader can find out Lucy's real story as well.
It's been an awesome project to work on and the entire cast of characters have been so excellent to hang out with. Zach's friends are colorful and unique and writing Lucy's story was also a pleasure. She is a strong, amazing character and quite possibly my favorite out of all the characters I've written.
What else do you have planned for 2014?
2014 is a huge year for me.
True Colors (The Masks Series, #1) released on Feb 16th. This is a YA Contemporary Romance with a paranormal twist. It was a great project to work on and I'm really happy with the outcome.
I then have this romantic suspense series coming out in April & May. My first contemporary romance novel is due out at the beginning of June and at the end of June I'm heading to the States. I've been asked to be on a panel at UtopYA Con in Nashville, which I'm so excited about. After that I'm flying home to NZ for a holiday with my family. We'll be there for seven blissful weeks before I head back to China with my boys. The second half of my year will be filled producing the final three books in The Masks Series.
Who are your favourite writers?
I have so many, but off the top of my head... Anna Cruise, Simone Elkeles, Sarah Alderson, Nora Roberts, Francine Rivers and Dee Henderson.
What is something you do that people find odd or even weird?
Hmm - good question. I'm not sure. I sing a lot in public. I'm often humming or singing as I walk down the street. I know some people think that's really strange :) Another thing I do when I'm really lost in my imagination is start coming up with dialogue for my scenes. It must look like I'm totally talking to myself as I'm walking along the road. LOL :D
What advice would you give new writers just starting out?
Take the time to study the craft of writing. There is so much to learn about story structure, character development, dialogue, show-not-tell writing, voice... the list goes on. It's worth spending time reading those amazing books out there and taking a course or two. You'll get so much out of it and then be producing stuff that's really worthy of being published.
Would you ever consider using an agent or do you prefer being an indie writer?
I love being an indie writer, but I'm not opposed to an agent. If one approached me and they looked like they could be really helpful and get my books some decent exposure, then I'd definitely consider it.
Where would you like to be in five years time?
I love where I'm out now. Writing for a living is the best job ever!!!! I feel so incredibly lucky to be doing what I'm doing. If my ultimate dream came true, I would be seeing my books on screen either as a TV Show or movies. Not sure that will ever happen, but if I was there in five years, I'd be one very happy camper :)

For more of Melissa, including contact details please follow the links below.

Melissa's website
Melissa's blogspot
YAlicious blog
Melissa on Amazon
my file
Melissa on Twitter @MelissaPearlG

A Conversation With... Makayla Yokley

Makayla Yokley

Tell us a bit more about yourself.
There’s not much to say, really. I’m a twenty-two year old writer who lives in the Midwest with my demonic cat named Cujo (aptly named, if you knew him!).

What do you do with your leisure time?
When I’m not writing I like to knit. I used to do it in high school for a craft class I took and I wasn’t very good at it, but for some reason I wanted to get back into it, and now that I have I’m enjoying it a lot more than I did the first time. I also like to play video games (such as Sims, The Walking Dead, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, etc.) and have just started a Sims 3 legacy blog following a family I built which I’m using as both an example of my writing and a way to stretch my creative muscles. Sometimes I even enjoy drawing/painting, although I’m not too good at it. But hey, the point is to have fun right? (that’s what I keep telling myself anyway!)

How long have you been writing and what was your first published piece?
I’ve been writing since I can remember, probably even further back than that. The earliest incident I can remember with writing is carrying a plastic loose leaf folder with me everywhere I went in fifth grade and having to be told repeatedly by my teacher to put it away and do my work. Apparently this was a sign of things to come, because even when I was taking college classes I carried notebooks around with me with my projects in them!
As for my first published piece, it was a horror story I wrote when I was a freshman in high school and self-published. I can barely remember what it was about now but it was eighty pages of laughable junk that I’m glad got lost somewhere on the internet. That sounds bad but really, it was awful.

What inspires you as a writer?
Lately? Folklore, Fairytales, and writing prompts. The first two give you a glimpse into the society in which they were written, which is awesome for when you’re building a whole new world (or adding aspects of the ancient world into the more modern one, such as in urban fantasy) and the latter is a great way to generate ideas when it feels like you don’t have any. Which would probably explain why my hard drive is full of half-finished W.I.Ps.

Are you a panster or a plotter?
Both, actually. During the first draft I am a total panster. I write as things come to mind and worry about fixing them later. After that, I’m a plotter. It helps me organize the stream of thought from the first draft into something halfway coherent. When I get to the plotting part of the process, I like to follow the helpful advice given in Kirt Hickman’s book Revising Fiction which is full of helpful hints and ideas to try once you get to the organizing part. He even has a couple chapters on what to look for when you get to the “read it through” stage.

Have your writing habits and methods changed from when you were starting out?
Oh definitely. When I first started out I had it in my head that I could do a first draft and have it sparkle like a final draft. That was back when I was young, naive, and idealistic. Truth is, the first draft will never (and I repeat: N-E-V-E-R) be as good as the final draft. I remember reading a quote somewhere, but now I can’t remember who said it, saying that, in terms of sculpting, the first draft is seeing the angel in the sculpture. Revisions help you set him free. Of course that’s a massive paraphrase.
So, in short, I’ve learned that you can’t...and shouldn’t...do it in one draft and that revisions are what make the books what they are.

What inspired you to write the Violet Chronicles?
Fairytales. More specifically Little Red Riding Hood. I was getting into a fairy tale kick when I started writing the Violet Chronicles and had also recently heard the phrase “steampunk” for the first time. After a lot of research I realized it was something I loved, so I started thinking up ways to combine my love of fairytales with this “steampunk” concept. Of course a lot of ideas got rejected, and the one that stuck was actually a reimagining of an old project that started out very Tolkienesque. I recycled that idea, tweaked it to fit, and ran with it. Actually, Ethan and Aurora are the only characters to make it out of the original idea intact. Everyone else got reimagined and redesigned to work with the new world. Not including Violet, who was never in the old idea. I came up with her after doing a few character sketches to get an idea of what I even wanted to do.

What are you working on now?
Alongside working on the edits for the third book, Briar Light, I am working on other projects including a romance and a paranormal thriller. I’m not exactly someone who can stick to just one project. My fiance says it’s because I have the attention span of a goldfish, but I like letting my mind spread out over different concepts and playing in different worlds.
A random prompt generator I found online inspired the romance, which is actually pretty funny because I never actually intended to start a project. I was just curious what it would come up with, and wouldn’t you know it? I loved the first prompt it threw out. My favorite character in this project is definitely the hero, Connor. He’s delightfully nerdy and very sweet.
It took one month to write the first draft for the romance, and now I’m getting some distance from it before going into the second draft. Every once in a while I would look down at my word counter and realize that I got another huge chunk out of the way. I was churning out at least 5k a day with this project, which I thought was absolutely amazing. That was the first time I was able to just let the words fly like that.
My other idea is one that I’ve continually tried to do over and over again since I was a sophomore in high school (about seven years ago? Seven? Really? Damn I’m old). It follows a vampire hunter named Alice as she and her new partner as they try to solve murders in modern day New York City that they think are committed by vampires. This one was inspired by playing Tomb Raider: Legend when I was younger and thinking, idly, that one of the characters looked like a vampire. A couple of years before that I had an idea for a vampire hunter story that was dead before it even started and was locked away in the junk drawer of my mind until I had that random thought. After that it was an explosion of an idea that I really enjoyed working on. But back then, I was still under the impression that you could do it in one draft, which was why no agents accepted it and I got frustrated.
As it turned out, though, this turned out to be a good thing. It was by no means ready, and if it had gotten accepted I would’ve been dreadfully ashamed of it. I fully believe that if writing something isn’t working out, maybe you’re not the person you need to be to write it yet. I was definitely not the person I needed to be for this. Considering how well it’s going now, I’d say I’ve finally grown up enough to be able to write this the way it needs to be.

What else do you have planned for 2014?
One of my biggest plans for 2014 is to find an agent with one of the new projects I’ve been working on. I’ve already got a few in mind that I’m excited to query to!

Who are your favorite writers?
Laurell K. Hamilton
Jim Butcher
Nicholas Sparks
Arthur Goldman
Lisa See
Marissa Meyer
I’m sure I’m forgetting someone, but those are my big ones!

What is something you do that people find odd or even weird?
My fiance told me I’ve got this weird habit of having half a conversation in my head, then the other half out loud. I’m not sure how to explain what I mean because I’m not even aware of it when I do it, but he tells me it’s hard to keep up with me in a conversation sometimes because of this. I think what he means is that I’ll have both halves of the conversation (mine and his) in my head, then out loud I’ll start with my side of it and he won’t even know what I’m talking about. That’s as close as I can get to describing what I mean.

What is the funniest thing to happen to you in the last twelve months?
Last August; my best friend had a baby.
In two weeks.
Now I know how this might sound, but it happened in two weeks because she didn’t tell anyone until the last two weeks of her nine month pregnancy. She called me and told me that she was, officially, with child. Though she didn’t say how far along she was, so I was thinking that there would be a while in between when she told me and when she actually gave birth.
Roughly two weeks later...while I was lazing around playing The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct her boyfriend sent me a text message telling me that she went into labor and she was on such-and-such floor in such-and-such room if I wanted to come see her. Shocked that it happened so suddenly, I went downstairs to leave for the hospital. My mom was in the living room watching television, minding her own business, when I went downstairs and told her that my best friend since sixth grade was giving birth. Right Now.
The look on her face was absolutely priceless! She got this wide-eyed “what the hell?” kind of look and repeatedly asked if it was THAT friend. THAT friend? Really? Little that friend? And no matter how many times I said yes, that friend, she still couldn’t wrap her mind around it. My friend and I still laugh about it to this day, almost six or seven months later.

What advice would you give new writers just starting out?
Learn everything you can about the craft. Read as much as possible because reading improves your skill even when you don’t think it is. Also, don’t be afraid of revision. I was terrified of it when I first started out and my writing suffered because of it. After I learned that revision is an absolutely necessary part of what we do, my writing got so much better so much more quickly.

Where would you like to be in five years time?
In five years, I’d like to be married to my fiance, which isn’t so much a “I would like to be” sort of thing, more like an “I WILL be” sort of thing. We plan to get married after he gets out of school and lands his first game design job and hopefully living somewhere rainy like Maine. I hope to be getting some good buzz going about my novels and I HOPE I can write full time in five years. That would be ideal for me.

The Ruby Curse on Amazon
Triton on Amazon
Triton on Smashwords
The Ruby Curse on Smashwords

A Conversation With...Kelli and Erin Beck

A CONVERSATION WITH... KELLI AND ERIN BECK
Talking Walls and Cigarettes And Other Dark Tales

Tell us a bit more about yourself.
Kelli: I’m a small town girl, having lived most of my life in the rural Midwest. It’s a good enough place except the allergies are terrible. I work for the United States Postal Service and write in my free time. I have narcolepsy, which I think all the sleeping I do helps with my creativity. I have a husband, two dogs, and a snake.
Erin: Although I consider myself a Chatsworthian, my family is originally from Chicago. We moved when I was eleven, so it’s hard to consider myself a city girl, but I sometimes feel the lure of bright lights and the hustle and bustle that only a city can give you. I have, however, grown to love the quiet of the country and have taken quite an interest in nature. I currently work full-time in a factory, which sucks, but I’ve been taking college classes online to get my degree in English.

What do you do with your leisure time?
Kelli: I like to sleep, write, and read. I go to concerts whenever I can. I like to run (though I’m pretty slow at it and frankly not that good), play with my dogs, normal everyday things. I am addicted to Netflix which has cut into my writing time considerably.
Erin: In my leisure time, I read, and obviously write when I’m particularly inspired by something. My boyfriend and I go out to his family’s cabin quit often. We take our two dogs and get a kick out of them running and playing. We go on hikes, cut brush, set things on fire, and occasionally blow something up.

How long have you been writing and what was your first published piece?
Kelli: Since the sixth grade. I wrote a short story for an assignment and the teacher had written “nice detail!” in the margin. I don’t know why that was so significant for me, but it was. I then told Erin I wanted to be a writer and we started writing together. Like Erin, in the seventh grade I submitted a poem into a contest and it was published in a big anthology. I got a letter stating that I was a semi-finalist and that I could purchase the book with my poem in it for 50 bucks or something. When I told my dad he said they were just trying to sell books. He was right.
Erin: I’d say I’ve been writing since about eleven or twelve or since the sixth grade when I met Kelli. I may have dabbled a bit before, but I don’t remember much. I think it really became a passion of mine when I started writing with Kelli. I consider Talking Walls and Cigarettes my first published piece. I do have a poem published in one of those Who’s Who books where they publish everyone’s poem and try to get you to buy the book, so I don’t really count it.

What inspires you as a writer?
Kelli: Everything. People around me, things I read, watch, or listen to. I try to write about things close to my heart. Things that scare me, humor me, move me.
Erin: Many things inspire me to write, a good book or movie to begin with. Reading a good book that I totally get lost in makes me wish I had written the book. It makes me want to invoke those emotions in readers with my own writing. Everyday life also inspires me, my friends, my family, and even my co-workers. There’s a lot of interesting characters out there just asking to be written about.

Where would you like to be in five years’ time?
Kelli: In five years I would like to be making a living writing. I have a couple things I’m working on myself, plus a couple Erin and I are going to be working on soon, as well. It’s always been my dream to be a working writer and I’m going to keep making steps in that direction.
Erin: In five years I would like to have an Associate's in English and maybe a Bachelor's in publishing. I want to be through with factory work and working with the written word in any form, even if it’s not my own. I would like to have more of my pieces published, but I’m not trying to be the next Stephen King or JK Rowling. I just want to be Erin and write what inspires me and hopefully inspire someone else with my work. that I totally get lost in makes me wish I had written the book. It makes me want to invoke those emotions in readers with my own writing. Everyday life also inspires me, my friends, my family, and even my co-workers. There’s a lot of interesting characters out there just asking to be written about.

Are you a panster or a plotter?
Kelli: Panster. I did plot a novelette by the direction of Holly Lisle, a writer and a writing teacher. It was fun to change things up. I tend to go for it in the first draft and then in the second I set up my plot and get my head around what I’m really trying to get across.
Erin: I think I’m a little of both. I don’t start all my stories the same way. Sometimes I just come up with the first line or a bit of dialogue and then attempt to build a story around it. I may plot out specific scenes from there but not all of them; some are formed during the writing process. Occasionally I’ll have an idea and I’ll know the beginning and the end and not the middle. So basically I do a little plotting and little of just letting things flow.

Have your writing habits and methods changed from when you were starting out?
Kelli: I’m more diligent now. I don’t wait for inspiration, I call it forth. Or sometimes I just stare at the screen until I turn off the computer and take a nap.
Erin: Yes, I do a little more plotting than I used to. Plotting has helped me actually finish a story, which is something I use to have a big problem with. I still struggle with it a bit, because my habits are pretty much the same. I mostly write when I’m inspired. I rarely sit down and force myself to write.

What inspired you to write Talking Walls and Cigarettes?
Kelli: We really wanted to get ourselves out there and give people a taste of our writing style. I thought it was a great way to wade in the self-publishing waters, too.
Erin: Many of the tales in Talking Walls and Cigarettes were years in the making. A few were stories that we had each written sometime ago and had revamped. Kelli had the grand idea of putting together a collection of short stories to publish. We wanted to try our hand at self-publishing with a smaller work before tackling the full-length novel we co-wrote. When it comes to the dark tales in the collection, I guess we were inspired by things we fear. Kelli insisted that I write a story about aliens since I have an irrational fear of them. Homecoming was difficult to write since I do my writing early in the morning before the sun comes up. I didn’t like thinking about strange beings lurking in the darkness waiting to take the character in the story.

What is something you do that people find odd or even weird?
Kelli: Probably my narcolepsy. It’s kind of fun telling people because the expression on their face is awesome. People definitely don’t understand it and think I’m a dope for going to bed early, taking naps, etc. I’ve gotten a lot of flak over the years because I’ve missed out on lots of nights because I wouldn’t be home in time for my strict 9 o’clock bedtime.
Erin: Lots of things I’m sure, but mostly recently I was made fun of for talking with my hands. I guess I’m very expressive. My boyfriend would say a weird thing that I do is make “sexy” faces and poses toward him. I know I look ridiculous and not at all sexy. In fact, I’m trying to be funny, and since it always gets a smile out of him, I would say that I’m quite successful at it.

What is the funniest thing to happen to you in the last twelve months?
Kelli: Nothing is as funny as what Erin has to say.
Erin: Do I dare to tell this story? Since Kelli already forced me by gunpoint to tell it on camera for a video blog she plans on releasing, I may as well. A few months ago, my boyfriend and I finished fencing in the backyard, which I had no idea at the time how grateful I would be to have it there. One night we ate some greasy Casey’s (gas station) pizza. It was delicious and I believe I ate four slices. The next morning I awoke and went about my business as usual, making the coffee, letting the dogs out and so on. I heard my boyfriend wake up and go into the bathroom, and I went in after him. He was on the toilet. The pizza wasn’t sitting well with him, he said he about crapped his pants. I didn’t feel too bad; I had to go but it wasn’t urgent. I told him such and left the bathroom. No sooner did I enter the kitchen did the rumblings begin. I clenched my butt cheeks together and leaned over the counter in agony hoping to God that I didn’t blow before my boyfriend got out of the bathroom. I clenched and I paced and took deep breaths, willing my bowls to quiet. I wiggled my way over to the bathroom, still clenching, careful not to move to quickly in fear that one wrong move would bring about release. He was still on the toilet. He was taking forever. I raked my brain for a solution. It was coming and it was coming soon. Something had to be done. I raced out of the house and into the backyard, dropped trough, and…well, you can guess the rest.

What advice would you give new writers just starting out?
Kelli: Persevere. And you’re never as good as you think you are or as bad. Read a lot, study writing, and WRITE. I’ve written so many terrible stories but each one has taught me something about myself and my writing.
Erin: I’ve taken numerous creative writing classes and I remember one teacher saying that you get better as you get older. Or in other words, the more you write the better you’ll get. The best advice I have is to accept criticism and not to get bogged down by rejection letters. Each one puts you a step closer to an acceptance letter. Have faith and confidence in your writing and be able to defend it and if publishers can’t see the beauty in your art, take a chance on yourself and consider self-publishing.

What are you working on now?
Kelli: I’m working on a new novel called The Soul Jar. I’m on my second draft. I sent out my novel There Ain’t Nobody in Kansas to the editor and can’t wait to get it back so I can rewrite that. In the summer Erin and I plan on working on our novel Grabappleberry Punch: The Adventures of Mister Tennison. That one is very dear to me as I’ve come to think of Mister Tennison as a real person. We spent a lot of time in that world and I can’t wait to get back to it.
Erin: I think Kelli and I both have stories we are working on. We are toying around with the idea of putting together a collection of more humorous stories. Our full-length novel is never far from our minds. Although we are not currently working on it, we are always thinking of ways to improve it and plan on making improvements this summer.

What else do you have planned for 2014?
Kelli: I’m going to release my novelette Friday McDaniels and The Case of the Missing Nutsack. It’s a humorous story about a private detective and his brother. I also hope to release There Ain’t Nobody in Kansas later in the year. I like to run and I hope to get better at it and sign up for more races.
Erin: As I stated above, we plan on working on full-length novel this summer. For 2014, I plan to continue with my school work.
Check out Talking Walls and Cigarettes on Goodreads.

Talking Walls and Cigarettes And Other Dark Tales
Kelli on Goodreads
Kelli's website
Talking Walls and Cigarettes (Amazon)

A Conversation With...

A CONVERSATION WITH... SAMANTHA LAFANTASIE

Tell us a bit more about yourself.
Well, I’m a mom to three monsters. Most of my time is devoted to them, but when they’re at school, I’m a writer/editor, and occasionally a domestic goddess.

What do you do with your leisure time?
I’m very rarely gifted this thing called leisure. However, on the off chance I get it, I’m reading, writing, doing some other crafting thing, playing Guild Wars (2), or staring at the ceiling, waiting for the muse to return to me.
On a more serious note, the best thing I love to do is curl up on the couch with my children and watch a movie or play a Wii game with them. Leisure time is family time, right?

How long have you been writing and what was your first published piece?
I know most authors say they’ve written since they were 5 or some unbelievable age. And maybe they have, but I didn’t and I don’t think I ever could claim that. I did write throughout school, particularly in middle school and high school. Half the time it was for a grade, but I do recall having a few things that weren’t. Such as: songs, poetry, and this lovely little rendition of Aladdin that I wrote with my brother on my mom’s old fashioned typewriter. I felt all “Official” and everything. My mom kept it and returned it to me when I needed to be reminded of how much fun writing was to me.

What inspires you as a writer?
Everything and absolutely nothing. Life, death, peace, sorrow, anger, happiness, the chirping of birds outside the window, the reflection of sunlight on a wall. The smell of spring carried on the breeze or the fading wisp of smoke from a cigarette. The flicker of a memory or the last remaining images of a dream. The glow in my son’s eyes when he smiles or the excitement in my daughter’s. The way my oldest boy laughs. Or the feel of my husband’s arms around me. All these things and so much more. You did want these answers to be relatively short, right?

Are you a panster or a plotter?
Is plotting by the seat of my pants a good answer? I tend to do that. But mostly, I’m a pantser. I plot out specifics, but I don’t kill the story. I like to have things like scenery worked out or a map to go by. Sometimes a little more than that, but I don’t sit down and physically plot the first draft of any story.

Have your writing habits and methods changed from when you were starting out?
Yes and no. There are things that I have learned that helped to enhance my writing and things that I tried and wanted to pull my hair out with. I don’t do the same exact thing for each story that I write, so I’m constantly learning something new about the craft and my skills. But I’m also getting better at writing too (if I do say so, myself!). Things that I have strengthened and improved upon such as tense slips, (yes, I do those too), character development, story line, dialogue, etc. But you didn’t about that, did you?

What inspired you to write Made To Forget?
Ha! A dream. I come up with things called Dream Scenes. They are dreams that are just too vivid in detail and plot to be forgotten. So I started to write them down. Some evolved into stories, while others remain as they are. But this one wouldn’t leave me alone. In a lot of ways, Elsa and her story is very real to me.

Tell us about The Fighting Hamsters and how has it helped you as a writer.
The Fighting Hamsters is the name of my critique group. Though we’ve had some new faces every now and then, there are a few of us who have been there since the beginning. They know my style and what I’m trying to say and aren’t afraid to tell me how it is. With that in mind, their opinions are held in high regard and have helped me to dig deeper as a writer and helped me to get better with my processes and tell which story ideas are worth fighting for and which ones are best left rotting in the wastes.

What are you working on now? Can include what inspired the story, what it's about and who your favourite character is.
I’m currently working through the notes from my beta readers on my second novella: Echoes of Memories. I’m also finishing up my NaNoWriMo project from last year. I left it late last month to get the novella ready to send out to my betas and so far, I’m nearing the 70k mark on words. The end is getting closer, but we’re not quite there yet. It’s called The Last Necromancer. I don’t know that I have an exact thing that inspired the story. I’m an avid gamer and the game that I play the most has a necromancer class with a really neat skill (that I won’t go into as it plays into the story) and I thought that’s it! That’s what I’m going to write about. Beyond that, writing a different story about necromancers floated around in my head for a while, but I didn’t have anything that would really kick off the story like that skill. Choosing a favourite character of my own book is a lot like choosing my favourite child. It’s damn near impossible!

What else do you have planned for 2014?
Writing related, I have the release of Echoes of Memories and the first draft of Forced to Remember to do. I’m hoping to polish off a full-length MS for publishing late in the year.
Non-writing related, I’m hoping to take my family on a vacation. We have several places we want to go, so narrowing that down is a task in itself. I’m also planning on some renovations of my house, and learning to say no. LOL I’m a pushover, really.

Who are your favourite writers?
The two people who have opened my eyes to the world of fantasy and an escape for my crazy dreams are Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. They are the authors of Dragonlance. I think that’s enough of an explanation on that. I highly recommend their series, particularly the firsts.

What is something you do that people find odd or even weird?
I’m rather outspoken and awkward. I’m a clown and a bit of a show-off at times, doing things that I probably shouldn’t, but it makes people laugh so it’s all good.

What is the funniest thing to happen to you in the last twelve months?
Oh man! Things in my life had been stressful the last two years, so I’m not sure that I have an immediate answer for this one. I’ll have to think about it and let you know.

What advice would you give new writers just starting out?
Ignore the nay sayers and do what’s in your heart. Disregard all the advice you are given unless you find it useful to what you are working on. And NEVER EVER give up. You’ll find your niche and what makes you happy. The rest will come in time.

Where would you like to be in five years’ time?
Hmm … I think I would like to be where I am now with more knowledge, more success, and more wisdom (as it is very different from knowledge), and all around just happy with what surrounds me and the experiences I’ve been gifted by life. Hopefully writing more books is involved in that as I think writing is like breathing for me.

A big thank you to Samantha for sharing her time with us. Her website can be found here.

Click here to check out Made to Forget
Another highly recommended book by Samantha LaFantasie is Heart Song.

A Conversation With is published by Alastair Rosie, author of The Deepening Dark. If you’d like to have a conversation with me please send an email to alastair.rosie@gmail.com and provide a brief bio and links to your webpage, blog and book(s) and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.