A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 172
February 17, 2015
Author Interview Number Eighty-Four – Seth Lindberg
Welcome Seth Lindberg (S.E. Lindberg)
Where are you from and where do you live now?
I am mostly a mid-West U.S.A. guy, with roots in Wisconsin and Ohio. For about two decades now, I have lived near Cincinnati, Ohio. During the day, I practice chemistry & microscopy to further the production of complex mixtures (shampoo, toothpastes, cosmetics, detergents); by night, I write and illustrate weird fiction. By the way, Ohio has had many fantasy writers (including 3 of the 15 ���Swordsmen and Sorcerers’ Guild of America��� of the 1970���s): Roger Zelazny, Richard Lee Byers, Andre Norton, Ted Rypel, John Jakes, Stephen Donaldson���.and more���
Please tell us a little about your writing ��� for example genre, title, etc.
Dark Fantasy/Sword & Sorcery in the vein of Robert Howard and Clark Ashton Smith.�� Perhaps hipsters of today would call it Grimdark.
Can you give us a silly fact about yourself?
Although I love fantasy art with tons of blood & gore, the slightest amount of real blood makes me sick. I have trouble squashing bugs even, and faint easily. I love horror movies, but could never watch more than a few seconds of the Faces of Death series (an 1980���s documentary series showing actual deaths of animals & humans).�� Real death revolts me, but books & movies I watch better have tons of the fake stuff!
Is there a message conveyed within your writing? Do you feel this is important in a book?
Not a ���message��� as much as a ���muse.����� Artists (writers included) are driven by something, a motivation or ���muse.��� I think anyone creating art should consider why they are compelled to do so. ��Mimicking someone else���s art can be good practice, but realizing someone else���s muse generally does not please the audience or the artist. Usually people get fascinated with something that other artists are not exploring.
My Muse? As a practicing chemist and hobbyist illustrator, I���m driven to explore the weird experience of artists & scientists attempting to capture the divine. I identify with early scientists before chemistry splintered from alchemy, when Art and Science disciplines had common purpose. Take, for example, early anatomy (Medieval and Renaissance period): surgeons searched for the elements of the soul as they dissected bodies; data was largely visual, and had to be recorded by an illustrator. The technology behind paint and dyeing was developing alongside advances in medicine. Back then, the same instrumentation in apothecaries produced medicines as well as paints/inks, so the distinction between artist & scientist was obscure. Despite all the advances over centuries, much of the alchemical focus remains at large.�� Personally, it drive me nuts knowing that energy and mass are conserved quantities (that can be measured, tracked, and manipulated), yet the ���soul��� still evades detection or practical measure. As long as intangible things exist beyond our reach of understanding, we���ll need artists to interpret (study?) them. ��With Dyscrasia Fiction, I rely on Sword & Sorcery as a medium to contemplate life-death-art, so undead characters play a big role!
Here is my standard blurb: Dyscrasia��literally means ���a bad mixture of liquids��� (it is not a fictional land).�� Historically, dyscrasia referred to any imbalance of the four medicinal humors professed by the ancient Greeks to sustain life (phlegm, blood, black and yellow bile).�� Artisans, anatomists, and chemists of the Renaissance expressed shared interest in the humors; accordingly, the scope of humorism evolved to include aspects of the four alchemical elements (water, air, earth and fire) and psychological temperaments (phlegmatic, sanguine, melancholic and choleric).�� In short, the humors are mystical media of color, energy, and emotion;��Dyscrasia��Fiction��presents them as spiritual muses for artisans, sources of magical power, and contagions of a deadly disease. ��The books explore the choices humans and their gods make as this disease corrupts their souls, shared blood and creative energies.
Sort these into order of importance: Great characters; great world-building; solid plot; technically perfect. Can you explain why you chose this order? (Yes I know they all are important���)
For most storytelling, readers desire a character to be a liaison. However, to provide satisfying escapism, the world-building aspect must be solid (���real��� almost).�� This question resonates with me, since I experimented with prioritizing these first hand. Ideally, I could have figured out a way to simultaneously build a world and fascinating characters���but as I started writing, my ���world��� kept changing. So I chose to build a strong, consistent world with my debut book Lords of Dyscrasia.�� Most reviews confirm I succeeded���at the expense of character development/reader-engagement. I took reader reviews to heart (it is tough to relate to an alien world when most everyone is undead) and introduced the living protagonist Helen in Spawn of Dyscrasia. ��
��
To reinforce the character focus, I commissioned master fantasy painter Ken Kelly to portray Helen on the cover. I blogged the experience; here, I highlight the design choice of a still, portrait-style composition over an action scene. For Book 3, Helen will grace the cover by herself (working title Seer Helen, due out ~2017).
In what formats are your books available? (E-books, print, large print audio) Are you intending to expand these and if not, what is the reason?
Print and eBooks, available from most online retailers.�� Audio books are in production now, for a March 2015 release via Audible.com.
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited?
With rare exception, the amount of editing scales with quality. Editing can be painful and time consuming, but is necessary. I hired professional editors for both my books (for copy and line editing); that was after several rounds of edits from critical beta-readers, and rounds of self-editing.
Do you read work by self-published authors? Yes, frequently. I try to review everything I read to help future readers, as well as the authors.
Can you name your favourite traditionally published author? And your favourite indie/self-published author?
Favorite mainstream published author: Clark Ashton Smith (poetic weird fiction from the pen pal of Robert E. Howard and Howard P. Lovecraft)
Favorite Indie/self-published: Tom Barczak (an architect by day, illustrator and poetic writer by night��� I relate to his Veil of the Dragon work)
Do you have any pets?
A white, passive cat ���Sweetie,��� and a comical, black pug ���Shorty.���
Book links, website/blog and author links:
E. Lindberg Author Blog: The focus is on Beauty & Art in Weird-Fantasy Fiction.
E. Lindberg co-moderates a Goodreads.com Sword & Sorcery Group and invites you to participate (link) .
Dyscrasia Fiction on Youtube ��� Check out the trailers
Tales of Erana – Volume One
I’m pleased to announce the release of Tales of Erana – Volume One.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1508403538
Available exclusively on Amazon and only in print it comprises the short fantasy stories set in the world of Erana, which are available in assorted anthologies. This is the first time the stories have been featured as one collection.
Lonely gods, errant mortals, monsters, magic and mayhem, love and loss, romance and revenge all set in a dark fantasy mythic world – The world of the Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles.
Featuring:
The Moon on the Water – a tale of greed, magic, love and loss and the lore of the Trollkind.
The Tale of Treyna the Beloved –��the desire of a lusty god for a mortal has terrible consequences, and the sky will never be the same.
Storm Born –��a lonely mage creates a companion but has he unleashed more than he knows?
The Blue Phial – a crafty apothecary recounts how important it is to read the label when dabbling with potions.
The Legend of Oeliana – A guardian of the forest keeps a secret, until the magic returns.
The Warrior’s Curse –��when three adventurers stumble into a mysterious cave will their greed get the better of them, or will they too��fall to the monster’s curse?
Just One Mistake – Reluctant hero Coel must right a wrong.
Cover art by��Atelier Sommerland – Fotolia
Anyone who has done a Charity Anthology – Please urgently advise Kevin…
I know some of my followers might have been involved with charity anthologies – can anyone offer advice?
Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog:
Received this email from Author Kevin Morris who is blind and has a guide dog Trigger���
Hi Chris,
As you know I am in the process of pulling together a charity anthology to raise money for The Guide Dogs For The Blind Association.
Prior to publishing I want to establish a means of getting the money directly from Amazon to Guide Dogs (I.E. without it passing through my bank account).
I am liaising with Guide Dogs but am still awaiting their response.
I was wondering whether you could kindly put something out on your blog asking that anyone who has done a charity anthology please contact me at:��
newauthoronline (at) gmail (dot) com
I am keen to get the anthology out ASAP, however I want to avoid tax complications hence my preference for the funds going directly to the charity.
Many thanks and kind regards,
Kevin
The IX by Andrew Weston
I am looking forward to reading this – it’s got a ton of good reviews and the premise sounds great.
Originally posted on Legends of Windemere:
Arden, home to a culture that has existed for thousands of years and which spans dozens of worlds. Regardless, their sophistication cannot prevent calamity at the hands of an unstoppable nemesis. Known only as the Horde, this enemy has proven relentless. They have not only stripped the outer colonies bare, but now threaten the existence of the entire Ardenese way of life.
Realizing there is nothing they can do to prevent the inevitable march toward extinction, the Ardenese governing body comes to a drastic decision. They gather together at their capital city, Rhomane, and place their remaining genetic heritage in a vast underground ark, in the care of an advanced AI construct called the Architect. Its mission? To use Rhomane���s dwindling reserves and safeguard their race by reaching out across time and space toward those who might be in a position to help reseed a devastated world at some time���
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February 15, 2015
Author Interview Number Eighty-Three – Sharon Kae Reamer – Spec Fic
Welcome to Sharon Kae Reamer
Where are you from and where do you live now?��I was born in Philadelphia, PA and am now an expat American living in Cologne, Germany.
Please tell us a little about your writing ��� for example genre, title, etc.��I���m a speculative fiction writer, writing in both the fantasy and science fiction subgenres. I���ve dabbled a little with writing horror short stories and plan on doing a historical mystery in the near future. My first fantasy series, The Schattenreich, is a cross-genre work combining science and fantasy with suspense and a strong love story. It���s a curious mix of seismology, Celtic mythology, and German aristocracy.
It started out as a standalone with a sequel and then grew to five books. So the whole thing wasn���t planned. I���m not sure I���d do a series that way again, but then again, it made for a much more organic process than if I���d planned each book and the whole series. I���m a pantser, so it���s easier for me to write that way.
Where do you find inspiration?��Everywhere. Seriously. A man���s face. A TV documentary. A small wooden cat was the inspiration for my current series. Odd phrases that run through my head. Looking out the window or lying in bed on my day off and just letting my thoughts wander – I do that a lot. I believe the technical term is goofing off. I prefer the term daydreaming.
Do you have a favourite character? If so why?��I like most all of my characters. At times, I will think more about a certain character than another, mainly when I���m writing certain parts of the story that heavily feature that character. I even like my bad guys. It was fun keeping them evil but also giving them motivations and background.
Do you have a character you dislike? If so why?��Yes, but I���m not going to tell you why or who. It would be unfair to that character. And it would hurt their feelings.
Are your characters based on real people?��Not directly. There are people who serve as models for my characters, either visually or the way they talk or walk. Sometimes it���s not a conscious thing. I just get a vision of a character and I don���t know where it comes from.
Some characters are an amalgam of people I���ve met or observed. I have a couple of cameos in the series featuring real people (with changed names), but not without their permission. There are a few characters that aren���t reality-based, like the Celtic and Germanic deities and some of the other supernatural creatures.
Have you ever used a person you don���t/didn���t like as a character then killed them off?��Yes, which is why I was so evasive above.
Research can be important in world-building, how much do you need to do for your books? Do you enjoy this aspect of creating a novel and what are your favourite resources?����love research and have done a whole bunch of it for The Schattenreich series. I knew relatively little about Celtic and Germanic mythology when I started out, really nothing about druids or the history of the Celts. I read a bunch of books to educate myself, books about the Celts, about their mythology, about whether or not the druids really existed, about the demise of the Celtic culture.
I recently tackled the Germanic mythology and history, including the rune language. I���ve done a fair amount of reading on modern Paganism and a bit on the history of witchcraft and Satanism.
I do some reading on the Internet, but my favourite resource so far has been books. Luckily, I love to read non-fiction including history and mythology, so it was a labor of love.
For the science fiction novel I���m writing now, I have read a lot about quantum physics, string theory, extreme biology and the evolution of plate tectonics on our planet. I am a geophysicist in real life, so the last two subjects were also fun to research and gave me an excuse to buy a few books that I otherwise wouldn���t have been able to justify.
Since I live in a non-English-speaking country, I have to buy most of my reference materials. I do read some German reference books, but it���s much easier for me to read in English if I can.
Is there a message conveyed within your writing?�� Do you feel this is important in a book?��I don���t write to theme, but themes do sometimes emerge during writing. I just try to tell a story. I don���t mind reading books with a message, but if it���s heavy-handed or if the story is just there to illustrate a certain political stance, then I���m usually not keen on it.
Sort these into order of importance: Great characters; great world-building; solid plot; technically perfect. Can you explain why you chose this order? (Yes I know they all are important���)��Your order is pretty good. I���d probably put solid plot ahead of world-building in some cases, but it depends on the genre and the type of story ��� is it a fast-paced thriller or a deeply complex world with lots of interacting characters? Each has different demands. But great characters are always at the top of my list as a reader and therefore, that���s my first consideration as a writer. Figure out who the characters are, what their motivations are, and write the story around them.
I don���t believe technical perfection is something I ever worry about when I read. I doubt I will ever be able to achieve technical perfection in my own writing. I just try to write the best book I know how to with my current skills. That���s all any writer can do, really.
In what formats are your books available? (E-books, print, large print audio) Are you intending to expand these and if not, what is the reason?��My Schattenreich series books are available in print and ebook formats and in a variety of places. I���m not exclusive to any one vendor. I would like to do audio books now that I���ve finished the last book in the series, but currently the Audible/ACX option is only available to U.S. residents. I���m researching other audio options.
I plan on releasing a few short stories in the near future, and will do ebook format exclusively on those at first. If I get some requests for print, then I���ll consider it.
I���d love to have my books translated into German, but it���s financially beyond my reach at present.
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited?��I have all my writing professionally edited. My very wonderful editor, John Kenny, is as much The Schattenreich series as I am. He���s helped me shape the series, and I can���t imagine having gotten this far without him. I hope he will continue to edit my books in the future. I feel like I won the lottery finding him right away. I���ve learned so much from having him edit my books. It���s money well spent.
I do a lot of self-editing as well both before and after sending my manuscripts to my editor. There are different types of editing for different phases of writing, and I���m still learning how and when to use them.
Do you think indie/self-published authors are viewed differently to traditionally published authors? Why do you think this might be? Yes.
Because self-published works are not considered to have been ���curated��� for the most part. It���s true. But many readers don���t seem to mind that.
Do you read work by self-published authors?��Yes. I don���t really pay attention to publishers any more. I look at the cover, at the subject matter, at the description. If it���s something I think I will like, and the price is right, I���ll try it. I read on a Paperwhite as well as in print (but increasingly more ebooks all the time) and find that many trad-pubbed ebooks are too expensive for my budget. I read a lot (my Goodreads goal is 100 books this year ��� I probably won���t make it, but I wanted to try). Generally, I���ll take a chance on any author for under 5 bucks. I will not pay more than 10 bucks for an ebook unless it is a non-fiction book that I can���t do without.
What are your opinions about authors commenting on reviews? How important are reviews?��Good question. I think reviews are important but perhaps not in a direct monetary sense. I do not comment on them. I once contacted a reviewer because they made a statement about one of my books that was factually wrong, but I don���t think it���s a good idea. If I know the reviewer, then I might say something to them personally about my choices, but never criticizing their review and my policy is to not make comments as a public statement. The only comment I allow myself to make to any reviewer, in public, is ���thank you���.
But I would be lying if I said a bad review doesn���t bother me. I do try to take it for what it���s worth and then just move on.
When buying a book do you read the reviews?��Yes. But I don���t always take them seriously.
What are your views on authors reviewing other authors?��It���s okay. We do it. It���s not always optimal. I review books on GR ��� mostly from authors I don���t know and less often from authors I do know. If someone I know asks me to review their book, if it���s a genre I read a lot in, I will usually say yes. I mostly use GR as a reader and so I think that reviewing books there is a thing I can do as a reader without having to feel bad about it. As a rule, I don���t review on Amazon any more.
What experiences can a book provide that a movie or video game cannot?��Books are better for getting inside a character���s head, for expressing complicated emotions, for allowing the reader to absorb content at their own pace. Movies are watched usually all at once. In a video game, the pace can be controlled to a certain extent, but books are better.
Movies and video games are also visually oriented. So if a writer is doing his or her job, they can provide the reader with a complete sensory perception of a world, and this is especially important in the speculative genres. You can get that to a certain extent with movies and video games, but books are waaaaaay better. I much prefer to read sex scenes rather than watch them (with certain exceptions). I can control what I visualize and how I visualize it.
What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers?
Write as much as you can.
Don���t be afraid to make mistakes.
Don���t give up.
Most authors like to read, what have you recently finished reading? Did you enjoy it?��I just recently finished The Martian, by Andy Weir. I did enjoy it, which surprised me. It was our book club selection for February (four women who read SFF ��� yes it definitely counts as a book club) and probably is not something I would have picked up otherwise.
Do you have a favourite movie?��Impossible to name just one!!
The Raiders of the Lost Ark is at or near the top of the list.
The Hunt for Red October
Gone with the Wind
Star Wars ��� IV-VI
Groundhog Day
Music and Lyrics
Any Cary Grant movie, even the bad ones ��� I���ll watch them anytime.
Do you have any pets?��My European shorthair, Ramses, 17 years old
Can you give us a silly fact about yourself?��I���m easily startled. Earthworms and grubs used to terrify me. But I���ve learned to get over that. I scream like a girl on roller coasters and in the movies when a scary part comes and in traffic when my husband is driving and I get spooked by another car making a sudden move. Makes him angry. I don���t blame him.
Book links, website/blog and author links:
Books 1-4 of The Schattenreich:
Fantasy, Science Fiction and Literary Heroes in our Society – Thaddeus White
Today I am pleased to welcome back Thaddeus White, fantasy author for a guest post on my feature for 2015. ��Here are his views on fantasy in society, and its influences.
Name: Thaddeus White
Location (as I am wondering if it is regional)? England
Are these genres seen in a more acceptable light than they used to be?��I think that this is definitely the case. Superheroes are utterly dominating cinema and are starting to make headway on TV as well. The Lord of the Rings/Hobbit films (and Harry Potter) have enjoyed immense success, as has (and will) Star Wars. Game of Thrones is hugely popular as well. Sci-fi and fantasy aren���t niche anymore, they���re mainstream.
I think the shift has occurred for several reasons. CGI allows a truer rendition on-screen of what happens in books, and there���s increasing awareness that fantasy isn���t necessarily fairytales and elves (the rise of grimdark). This means that those into gritty and grim stuff can find much to enjoy in fantasy. As geeks have inherited the earth, it���s helped to make science fiction cooler.
There���s also a natural ebb and flow to what happens to be ���in���. Right now, sci-fi and fantasy are doing well, but sooner or later fashion will shift.
It has been argued fantasy is full of ‘tropes’ ��� what are your views on this?There are many fantasy tropes, but this isn���t limited to this one genre. The flood myth and dragons are commonplace in religion and old legends, and how often is a spy also a ladies man? Tropes can be overused to make something boring and generic, but they can also be handy pegs, shorthand to let readers know something without having to detail it (eg dwarf = short, probably bearded, may well have an axe, likes a drink).
Fantasy and science fiction used to be seen as very male-oriented, do you think this is still the case. Do you have any experience of this?��[Disclaimer: I am a chap]. I think it���s far less the case than it was, and it���s important to note that other genres are female-oriented (romantic fiction, for example). A potential issue with fantasy, set either in a medieval or a largely realistic medievalish world, is that there wasn���t gender equality, so the stories are often male-dominated. Women can of course have roles in commerce, religion and magic, but (keeping to medieval norms) it���s hard to give them common roles in warfare or political power. It���s impossible to impose modern gender norms on a world aspiring to be the equivalent of, say, 14th century England.
Sci-fi���s an entirely different kettle of fish, because you can make a sci-fi society credibly equal, or even matriarchal in nature. Shifting Starbuck from a male to a female character in Battlestar Galactica was a credible change.
How important are ‘facts’ in fantasy/science fiction ��� does something need to be plausible to be believable?��I think internal consistency is critical to credibility. People will suspend disbelief for magic or advanced technology beyond anything possible today, but they will never believe a world or universe where the author contradicts his own tenets. So long as an author adheres to the rules that are established, there���s no problem.
What science fiction/fantasy has influenced you most?�� What would you say the most influential writers/film-makers?��It���s interesting you mention those, because one of the biggest influences on me was the videogame Vagrant Story (came out about a decade and a half ago now). It had a phenomenally good translation to English (it was originally in Japanese), and Alexander O. Smith deserves huge credit for the translation. It���s almost Shakespearean, and, (as well as English), French, German and Latin are mingled together to give the city of Lea Monde, and the wider world, a deeper sense of history. It was an inspiration for me when I was doing the extensive world-building behind my first book, Bane of Souls.
Another major influence, albeit in a smaller way, was the BBC adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia. There���s one specific moment I shan���t spoil that, as a young child, made me realise just how exciting fantasy could be.
Social media links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorrisF1
Website: thaddeuswhite.weebly.com
Blog: thaddeusthesixth.blogspot.co.uk
Amazon UK author page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thaddeus-White/e/B008C6RU98/
February 9, 2015
Character Interview Number Twenty- Five – Marcus Brutus
Tell Us About Yourself
Name (s)��Marcus Brutus
Age:��Thirty-three.
Please tell us a little about yourself.��I was the Triari, – Prime Centurion of the First Cohort of the Ninth Legion of Rome (Hispana), until death took me in the bleak Highlands of Caledonia. As the highest ranking officer to survive, I received a field promotion to General, something I would have preferred to earn by merit. However, by Pluto���s grace, I appear to have impressed those in power, here on Arden, for I was promoted onto their council with the rank of Sub-Commander.
Describe your appearance in 10 words or less.��I am not concerned by appearances. However those from the centuries ahead of me, tell me I look like a cross between Javier Bardem and Antonio Banderas, whoever they are? Hopefully they were warriors of high repute?
Would you die for those you love?��Of course. My love for Rome and for my brothers is without peer, and rightly so, for the life I led did not leave room for a family. Now we are here and building new ties, we must begin again. Life is precious, and so are those we fight to protect.
What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses?��My strength lies in the fact that I never give up, no matter the hurdles I might encounter. Only the strong survive, and I am determined to outlive any who would endanger our safety.
As to my weaknesses? Perhaps it is also my resolve never to give up? I must learn to come to terms with the fact that much now rests on my shoulders. I have more to consider than just personal pride and resolve. My decisions affect others, and the future of an entire new race. Inevitably, this will mean I have to learn to walk away, and come back to fight another day.
Do you have any relationships you prize above others? Why��Besides the Legion, my best friend, Flavius Tacitus, is the closest thing I now have to a true brother. He was Decurio of the Legion ��� what you would call the cavalry officer ��� until his transference here. Now he serves as my second-in-command.
Unbelievably, I also find I am developing closer ties to some among our former enemies of the Iceni tribes. Cathal MacNoimhin and Searc Calhoun in particular. They are fierce warriors, who, despite their uncivilized ways, have a strong ��� if somewhat strange ��� sense of honor. I was astonished to discover how skilled ��they were in battle, and the fact that they would fight to the death, rather than let a man die alone. Remarkable!
Can you remember something from your childhood which influences your behaviour? How do you think it influences you?��I���m from a long line of warriors. As a boy, I was brought up on honor and tradition. One of the first things that made a strong impression was how people treated the former soldiers of the First Legion Germanica following their disbandment for cowardice during the Batavi revolt. They became pariahs within our communities, outcasts who were shunned and forced to live as outcasts in the wilds.
I vowed that when I grew up, I would never shame my family in the same way. Death before dishonour! Strange, how I ended up keeping to those tenets, only to discover death was only the beginning of my adventure.
Do you have any phobias?��Cowards. I hate them with a passion…along with those who refuse to carry their own burden.
Please give us an interesting and unusual fact about yourself.��I���m a rather good cook…even if I do say so myself. Years in the field help you make the most of limited ingredients, and it���s true to say, an army marches on its stomach. If you don���t learn to make even the blandest of foods appetizing, well, you won���t last very long. You ought to see what I can do with worms, garlic and eggs!
Apart from that? I love gardening. It must be something to do with enjoying the peace and quiet of watching what you���ve planted grow before your eyes. (A most welcome distraction from endless conflict).
Tell Us About Your World
Please give us a little information about the world in which you live.
As I���m sure you���re already aware, Arden is a world situated a long, long way from Earth. On the far side of our galaxy in fact. (I have learned of such things after I arrived here).
A strange place, for it reminds me in many respects of Gaul in high summer. Endless plains, sprawling forests, and rich wildlife just begging for the hunt.
My dream was to retire to Gaul one day and start a family.
It looks like I might still get to do that, although many millions of leagues away from my original choice.
Do you travel in the course of your adventures? If so where?��Travel is difficult because of the demon Horde. Nevertheless, I seize whatever opportunities I can to take Starblaze, my horse, for a run. He���s a fine stallion of impressive Arabian stock. Black as midnight, with a white sigil upon his forehead. Trained for battle and as surefooted as they come.
I know some among our colony like their hover crafts and other futuristic devices, but I prefer the feeling of being connected to my mount as I journey out into the plains surrounding Rhomane. It reminds me I���m alive.
Name and describe a food from your world.��Everyone loves the rhobexi here, a fine and robust animal with a taste that reminds me of venison. My personal favourite, however, is yithan. Its appearance resembles that of a gazelle, or particular varieties of mountain goat back on Earth. Tastes the same too, and is particularly fine when roasted over an open fire.
What form of politics is dominant in your world? (Democracy, Theocracy, Meritocracy, Monarchy, Kakistocracy etc.)��The form of government here is currently what you���d find in many military regiments, although much more relaxed. A necessity as we face an everyday battle for survival. But in the past, it appears the Ardenese people had a system much like we used to find at home.
From the viewing devices I have witnessed, they had a Senatum, magisters and prefects. Even their main cities posses a similar ring. My men have often wondered if the Ardenese people ever used their vast flying machines to swim the stars to seed distant worlds with the concept of culture and politics. Earth among them, perhaps?
What is the technology level for your world/place of residence? What item would you not be able to live without?��I come from the first century, so everything here stretches the imagination. For example, I am only able to converse with you now, due to the presence of tiny mechanical devices in my blood. I have been told such things are called, ���Nano-bots���. They saturate my system, and allow me to learn at a vastly increased rate, and enhance my ability to communicate in different languages ��� Ardenese and English included.
It seems like magic, to me? Things I cannot see, or feel, working away inside me to produce tangible differences. But there you go. I suppose we must accustom ourselves to such changes, for there is no going back.
Now we are here, the one thing I can���t do without is Starblaze. He reminds me of who I am, and where I yearn to be.
Thank you for asking me about my life. I���d love to assist you further, but must be away to oversee the Legion as they go through their drills. Modern or not, this society needs warriors who can fight. Men with spirits of steel. And now we���re here, I must ensure the Ninth remains the backbone of their new, emerging army.
Good day.
Author notes:
Book(s) in which this character appears plus links
��
The IX
Amazon.com:
Amazon.UK:
Author name:
Andrew P. Weston
Website/Blog/Author pages etc.
Website: http://www.andrewpweston.com/
Blog: http://andrewpweston.blogspot.gr/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WestonAndrew
Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Andrew-P-Weston/e/B00F3BL6GS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
February 8, 2015
Audiobooks – an author’s experience – Frankie Bow
Today I am pleased to welcome Frankie Bow.��She��has just released an audio book with narrator Nicole Gose, and Frankie has joined us to tell us what she has learned from the experience.
Over to you Frankie:
I’ve just released my audiobook, The Musubi Murder. It’s the first campus murder mystery set in Hawaii. The experience was great, and as of this writing I’m happy to report a 4.5 star rating on ten reviews on Audible.
There were some surprises along the way. Here are are four things that I didn’t expect:
My narrator managed to impersonate me, without ever having heard my voice.Several friends, to whom I’ve gifted copies of the audiobook, have told me that they thought��I��was the narrator. I am not the narrator. That role was filled by Nicole Gose, a talented voice artist from Hawaii. The thing is, Nicole recorded the chapters��without having ever heard my voice. And I know she doesn’t naturally sound like me, because I listened to her audition tapes. The only explanation I can think of is that she captured the “voice” of the author so well that it seemed that she was telling her own story, rather than reading someone else’s.
A versatile narrator requires fewer dialog tags.In the written manuscript, you need dialog tags like “Pat said” in order to keep track of who’s talking, especially in three-way conversations. When your narrator can clearly voice three different characters, though, many of the tags become unnecessary–and annoying. After listening to the first pass, I actually went back and edited many of the dialog tags out of the manuscript. Nicole was very patient with me, and did the necessary edits and re-recording. Removing those few words made a big difference.
It’s not going to turn out the way it sounded in your head. I thought I had written a low-key��meditation on academic life, and I found myself listening to a boisterous comedy. Part of this was Nicole’s delivery (her comic timing is fantastic) and part of it is simply the medium.��Producing an audiobook was a little like writing a play. I wasn’t calling all the shots anymore; I was a co-creator with the performer. And I knew not to micromanage.
Audiobooks don’t have the discoverability of ebooks–yet.Audible doesn’t have the narrow categories that Amazon has, so there’s no “cozy mystery” category, just “modern detective.” That means that “The Cherry Cheesecake Murder” is in the same category as “The Burning Room.”
Audible doesn’t currently allow authors to put in keywords. So “The Musubi Murder” won’t come up under searches for “cozy mysteries,” “Hawaii,” “university,” or “campus.” (Also: I don’t recommend searching for “campus.”) Searching for “murder” does bring up “The Musubi Murder,” fortunately, because “murder” in the title.
The next book in the series is tentatively titled The Cursed Canoe. But if Audible still isn’t allowing keywords by the time it comes out, I may have to change the title to “The Cursed Canoe: A Funny Cozy Murder Mystery Set In Hawaii Also Sue Grafton Janet Evanovich Joanne Dobson Amanda Cross.”
Thanks Frankie, it certainly is a learning curve!
Here��are��the audiobook links:
The Musubi Murder (Unabridged)
And the hardback:��http://www.amazon.com/The-Musubi-Murd...
February 5, 2015
Author Interview Number Eighty-Two – Jessica West – fantasy/romance/multigenre
Welcome, Jessica West.
Thanks for having me.
Where are you from and where do you live now?��I was born and have lived in Louisiana my whole life. I’ve always lived in small towns, living first in West Feliciana Parish, then in Avoyelles Parish, and now I live in Evangeline Parish. Regardless of the fact that Louisiana is a small state, each time I moved to a different parish, the people of that parish had never heard of the town I used to live in. Louisiana has a lot of really small towns like that, though, towns that hardly anybody outside a 20-mile radius have ever heard of. The town I live in is, technically, a village.
Please tell us a little about your writing ��� for example genre, title, etc.��My writing. Hmmm… Might be easier for me to tell you what I don’t write. ;) My favorite genres are Fantasy and Horror, but I like a little romance/erotica thrown in anywhere. I tend to write viscerally, regardless of genre. I like bold splashes of color in my stories, and stark, high-contrast settings. If I were to make a movie, I imagine it would look something like Sin City or maybe even something by Tim Burton. Wow, I got a little sidetracked there. I tend to think my work is much darker than it really is. I’m stretching my wings, though, and really pushing the envelope with a series I’m co-writing with an incredibly talented and daring author buddy. So, lately, my writing has been adventurous. Yeah, let’s go with adventurous. ;)
Where do you find inspiration?��Everywhere! Seriously, sometimes an idea will come to me while I’m driving or in the shower. Many of the structural techniques I use I’ve learned from having Disney or Monster High films on in the background pretty much all day. My excuse is that I have a young daughter who loves to watch them, but honestly she doesn’t watch them all that much. I need the background noise, though. I’ve recently tried writing while listening to music, and according to the feedback I got, it turned out well. I don’t know if the music was my inspiration in that case, but sometimes a song will put me in a certain kind of mood and I’ll write something because of that. I’ve written to many photo and/or theme prompts. I’m a big fan of flash fiction and other short forms, so I pay attention to various blog contests out there. I don’t always participate, but sometimes I’ll find inspiration there as well.
Do you have a favourite character? If so why?��My own favorite character or a fictional character created by someone else? For my own, I’d have to say one of my newest characters in A Strange Alliance (available February 19, 2015). His name is Hastiin. He smells really good. No, really. He does. If it’s someone else’s character … this one’s harder to answer. I’ve been reading mostly indie books from authors who I’m acquainted with, so those are the characters stuck in my head at the moment. I tend to like characters who do what they feel is right, regardless of what anyone else would think of them or what’s strictly legal.
Do you have a character you dislike? If so why?��Again, if we’re talking about my characters, I’d still go with Hastiin. He’s so cocky. As I wrote Alliance, he evolved, so I didn’t have a strict handle on him from the beginning. I did have a pretty good idea how things were gonna go. Even so, I didn’t realize what a dick he was until about half-way through.
Are your characters based on real people?��No. Each of my characters come with the territory, so to speak. I visualize my mind as being similar to a doctor’s office. A very crowded, slowly clearing doctor’s office. One that gets more new patients in daily than they clear out. But I can only work on so many stories at one time, so everyone else has to wait. Some of them come in pairs, some bring the whole family and all their friends along with them. And, of course, I have to interview the antagonist of each story, too. I’m sure my life experiences and all the people I’ve known influence how my characters are drawn, but I don’t base characters on people I know. I will sometimes get a picture of a celebrity as I’m writing so I remember what a character looks like. Helps for consistency. :)
Have you ever used a person you don���t/didn���t like as a character then killed them off?��Ha! No, I haven’t, but I can’t wait until the day comes when someone pisses me off so badly I can turn around and tell them, “I’m going to eviscerate you in fiction!” Just to see the look on their faces. I probably still wouldn’t do it, cuz ain’t nobody got time for no lawsuit.
Research can be important in world-building, how much do you need to do for your books? Do you enjoy this aspect of creating a novel and what are your favourite resources?��Most of the time there’s a great deal of research behind everything I write. The internet is my best friend. I find that I have to save it for after writing the first draft and fill in the blanks, or I have to do the research first and then write. I can’t do both, I’d never get anything done.
Is there a message conveyed within your writing?�� Do you feel this is important in a book?��Sometimes there is, sometimes there isn’t. I don’t like forced messages. It’s like reading a novel that could have been a novelette. If you have to bend your character’s story to suit your own purposes then you’re not telling the story true. Tell the story. That’s it. I don’t feel that every book has to have a message, no.
Sort these into order of importance: Great characters; great world-building; solid plot; technically perfect. Can you explain why you chose this order? (Yes I know they all are important���)��Great characters. The rest can be fixed with editing. You can not fix a character a reader simply can not relate to. Having said that, you can get to know that character with design documents that don’t go into the book, but not everyone is willing to devote that much time to a character. If I don’t have a good handle on a character, I don’t write them. I have to have a good (if not totally complete) understanding of them before I can even begin to listen to them. If I can’t hear their voice clearly, I’ll struggle to transcribe their story accurately. And the whole thing will fall flat because I won’t understand the why, the force that drives the character and the story. It’s not like that for everyone, but for me personally, the character makes or breaks the story. Everything else can be worked in in layers, if need be.
In what formats are your books available? (E-books, print, large print audio) Are you intending to expand these and if not, what is the reason?��I currently only have short form works in ebook format. What started out as a single novelette, however, is now turning into something bigger. Red River Rangers was the first of my weird west tales, and A Strange Alliance is the second. I see another one on the horizon, but it isn’t in clear focus just yet. Another new character introduced in Alliance has my interest, though, and I don’t imagine I’ll be able to put her off much longer. She’s strong, someone I want to get to know. And there’s only one way for me to do that. When we’re both ready, I’ll write her story next. When I do, I’ll make all three books available for print together. Since they’re short, I can’t see charging the price of a paperback for each one. But all three together would be worth the cost, in my opinion. I’ll probably release the single and the paperback at the same time, in May. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, that is.
Can you tell us a silly fact about yourself?��I like socks. Like, a lot. Fluffy, brightly-colored, patterned socks. And my birthday is February 21st. ;)
Where do you think the lines are drawn between romance, erotica and porn?��I think Romance can have erotic elements, but doesn’t necessarily have to include them. Erotica is expected to be steamy, it just all depends on how far you want to go. The difference between Erotica and Porn is, in my opinion, how much effort is put into the story. In Erotica, the author turns up the heat but still makes the characters work for that climax. In porn, you’re there for the good stuff. Period. And in Erotica, you may or may not get overly detailed with the physical descriptions but in Porn, I would think that’s pretty much expected. When I write this type of story, I toe the line between erotica and porn. That’s indicative of my style, though. I tend to rush, to layout stories at a fast pace, no matter what type of action is going on. If my character is trying to save the world, I rush to find the solution to the problem so they can get it done already. If my character is trying to get a piece of ass, well, same thing.
Thanks again for having me today.
Book links, website/blog and author links:
Jessica West is a Freelance Writer and Editor, an Independent Author, and Editor-in-Chief at Prose Before Ho Hos, an irreverent humor blog. She maintains a writing blog and her personal site as well.
Jess lives in Central Louisiana with three daughters still young enough to think she���s cool and a husband who knows better but likes her anyway.
She leaves a trail of blood or pixie dust in her wake, but such is the life of a Horror and Fantasy Writer. Though she prefers those genres, Romance and Erotica are her guilty pleasures. Many authors ��� including Stephen King, Clive Barker, Terry Goodkind, and Ayn Rand ��� have contributed to the delinquency of this intermediate writer, and now she���s just whistling her own version of Dixie.
Amazon’s Jessica West Author Page
Jessica West at Twitter (@West1Jess)
Contact: jpwest6 at gmail dot com
