A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 181
December 14, 2014
Character Interview Number Nineteen – Jo Sullivan – Suspense
Name (s): Jo Sullivan. That’s what I go by now, anyway. Anyone that calls me Jody these days better be prepared to piss me off. It brings back too many memories.
Age: A girl never tells. Let’s just say old enough to walk around with my eyes open about what life is really like, but not so old I don’t still occasionally hope it’s possible to make a difference in this world if you try.
Please tell us a little about yourself. I’ve wanted to be a journalist since I was in pre-school, I think. So when I got an internship at the Chicago Tribune straight out of college, I thought I’d made it. That was until the reality of a male-dominated industry was made clear to me when my editor tried to grab my ass and take credit for stories I did all the work on. My career aspirations these days probably look like they’re on a smaller scale, but the implications are much more broad and satisfying. Winds of Change may only be a weekly rag, but they aren’t afraid to point out social injustice and try to make it right. Letting me write my Street Stories column about the homeless individuals I meet is one example. Also, except for one annoying employee, all the paper cares about there is that you write a good story and get your facts straight, not how big a booty you’ve got.
Do you have a moral code? If so what is it? Boy, you do like to ask the tough questions. Sure, I like to believe I have a moral code. Don’t screw people over, don’t cover bullshit with fluffy pink frosting, and own up to your mistakes and make them right. Is that a moral code or just three of the rules I try to live by? I don’t know.
Can you remember something from your childhood which influences your behaviour? How do you think it influences you? When I was in seventh grade, my father was accused of molesting and murdering a young boy. He was arrested and tried, but never found guilty. My mother likes to say that proves he’s innocent, but what really happened is that the DNA evidence was contaminated by a rookie cop. They may not have been able to convict beyond a reasonable doubt, but reasonable doubt is enough for me to want him to stay the hell out of my life. My friend Keisha thinks the reason I get so wrapped up in helping these homeless kids I come across is because I’m trying to atone for what my father might have done. She may be right. It doesn’t matter to me why, it just matters that somebody takes the time to listen and care, because there sure aren’t very many others who do.
Please give us a little information about the world in which you live. You might not believe this, but the Chicago streets the homeless navigate are as alien as any dystopian sci-fi world you might read about. Walk around in the shoes of a kid who’s been kicked out of his home because he refuses to be abused anymore and you’ll see what I mean. You’re like a spectre floating aimless and ignored until the “real world” needs someone to blame for the darkness that happens in their lives. Then you stand out like a two-headed green Reever. Sometimes I feel like a shaman or a psychic, able to see through to this other dimension they live in, the Twilight Zone of homelessness. Is it a good thing to pull them back into the same place the corrupt politicians and so called “Christians” live in? I don’t really know, but until someone discovers another layer of life, one where we care about each other and treat ourselves and our neighbors with respect, this world will have to do.
Do you travel in the course of your adventures? If so where? I’ve travelled all over Chicago in the last five years, and have discovered I don’t need to go anywhere else to experience the world. From Little Italy to Chinatown then on to Greektown and Little Vietnam. Devon Avenue is like a miniature India and the Pilsen neighbourhood has a distinctive neo-Bohemian-Baroque architecture from the Czech and Bohemian immigrants who settled there. There’s a strong Ethiopian community in the Uptown area and if it’s food I’m looking for I don’t think there is any culture not represented somewhere in the city. Why fly when a quick “L” ride can get me anywhere I want to go in the world?
Name and describe a food from your world. Have you ever had a Chicago dog? If not, then you’ve never tasted a hot dog. When I was a kid, my mother used to feed me a water-logged wiener on a saucer with no bread, just a puddle of ketchup on the side to dunk the meat in. I didn’t know what I was missing till I lived here. You take a perfectly steamed dog and nestle it in a soft poppy seed bun. Squirt some tangy yellow mustard on there and cover it with relish, tomatoes and a pickle spear. The best part for me is the onions and peppers, sweet and juicy. You top that all off with a sprinkle of celery salt. Trust me. You will never eat any other style of hot dog again.
What form of politics is dominant in your world? (Democracy, Theocracy, Meritocracy, Monarchy, Kakistocracy etc.) Stupidity, plain and simple. Lacking in reason and compassion, weighted down with red tape and pork fat.
Name a couple of myths and legends particular to your culture/people. Myths surround the street culture homeless people live every day. The most common and most damning is that “these people are just lazy and should go out and get a job.” Walk the streets for one night with Night Moves counsellor Jack Prescott and see how many people have two and sometimes three jobs and still can’t afford to pay rent in a safe neighbourhood. Volunteer at a service agency that educates people on how to write a professional resume and find out how often people get turned down despite their qualifications simply because they don’t have a home address. You can’t get a job unless you prove you are stable and reliable. You can’t have stability until you earn enough money to afford a place to live and food to eat and transportation to get back and forth to work. Learning disabilities, lack of education, and mental illness are often additional factors that prevent someone from being hired.
Another myth is that this can’t happen to you. Don’t fricking fool yourself. Imagine you get sick or suffer a disaster that depletes all your resources. The economy is in the toilet and you lose your job. You’re over fifty, maybe, or your experience is limited. What if your family is gone or you fall out with them and you have no one left to help you out? The face of homelessness is changing. The fastest growing segments of the homeless population are women and families with children.
Author notes:
Book(s) in which this character appears plus links
Painted Black
http://www.amazon.com/Painted-Black-Debra-R-Borys/dp/1614690065
Bend Me, Shape Me
http://www.amazon.com/Bend-Shape-Street-Stories-ebook/dp/B00BUR63P8
Box of Rain
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OTZL3FS
Author name
Debra R. Borys
Website/Blog/Author pages etc.
www.StreetStoriesSuspenseNovels.com
Online writing courses
Tales of Erana: The Warrior’s Curse – Fantasy Short Story New Release!
In a dark world where magic is illegal and elves enslaved a half-elf, a troll woman and an on-the-run human attempt to make their fortune searching for treasure among the abandoned ruins or Erana. Erana is a world of secrets, lies and deception and the past was not much different. The three adventurers unleash more than they bargained for, and more than they can understand when a story long in the mists of a time gone by is revealed. Witches, dark magic, greedy adventurers and tragic heroes all feature in this exciting tale.
Tales of Erana: The Warrior’s Curse is a short tale of fantasy, heroes, greed and magic.
Although set in the world of The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles this particular tale doesn’t feature any of the main characters; these are the tales of the past, the tales of simple people, and the tales of heroes and monsters. These tales are a companion series to the Chronicles but can be read without prior knowledge. One might say they are a peek into a world of magic and myth.
http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Erana-Warriors-Alexandra-Butcher-ebook/dp/B00QZ7PVWY
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tales-Erana-Warriors-Alexandra-Butcher-ebook/dp/B00QZ7PVWY
Currently available on Amazon other versions will follow shortly, including, hopefully, an audio edition.
So what else will come in the new year? There will be more Tales to follow, and of course for those who love short tales of myth and magic there is Tales of Erana: Myths and Legends.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JCHQWJK
http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Tales-of-Erana-Audiobook/B00LB8WH0G/
http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Erana-Myths-Legends/dp/B00LCEUJ5E
December 13, 2014
Returning Author Devorah Fox
I’d like to welcome back, Devorah Fox.
Please recap briefly about your books:
I’m the author of The Lost King, The King’s Ransom, and The King’s Redress, Books 1, 2 and 3 in the acclaimed literary fantasy series The Bewildering Adventures of King Bewilliam. I also co-authored with Jed Donellie Naked Came the Sharks, a contemporary thriller of murder and mayhem in the Texas Coastal Bend.
What has changed since you last visited? Tell us your news!
When we chatted last year, I was working on Naked Came the Sharks which hadn’t been released yet, and hadn’t even started on The King’s Redress. The former was released in December, 2013 and the latter in June of 2014. And I got another pet: Scottie, a rescue cat, who joined Sago, the senior cat, and Shumba, who was adopted from the local animal shelter in 2012. So my bookshelf and my lap are a little fuller now.
Do you read work by self-published authors?
These days I read primarily self-published work. I find they’re especially fresh and original.
4. What are your reviews on authors reviewing other authors?
I must think it’s OK for authors to review other authors since I do that myself, and readers of my reviews find them helpful. For the most part, I approach a book as any other reader would. I want to be entertained and enchanted. I want to become invested in the characters and engrossed in the plot. My reviews relate the degree to which I had that experience and what elements of the book contributed to that. It’s only after I’ve finished the book that I put on my author hat to see if there’s something that I can learn about craft from the author.
Do you have any unpublished novels under the bed/in a folder anywhere which you thought were awesome at the time, but now will never see the light of day?
On the contrary, it’s the other way around. I have some “drawer stuffers” that came this close to being traditionally published but never did because of changes at the literary agency that represented me at the time. With all the self-publishing platforms available, I can now get those stories between covers after all. I even had the most curious experience of discovering nine—count ‘em, NINE—chapters of a book that I didn’t remember writing. I still like the story and hope to finish it.
How have you progressed as a writer since you started?
I believe that I’ve gotten bolder, more daring with my writing. I’ll get an idea and think, “Nah, that’s outrageous” but then I’ll decide “What the heck, let’s see where that goes.” I’ve been pleased with the results. What seemed risky in concept worked out surprisingly well once I got it written.
What aspect of writing do you least enjoy? Why might this be?
The aspect of writing that I least enjoy is … writing. Well, at the outset, at any rate. It seems to take me a long time to get going. Fortunately at some point I get up to cruising speed and then it becomes enjoyable but when I first begin I have to keep cranking the engine before it will kick in. There’s a lot of sputtering and false starts.
What are your views on authors offering free books?
I will admit to taking advantage of giveaways. I discovered an author whom I really enjoy that way and I might not have otherwise. This year, I tried a giveaway for the first time. It did help to make some new friends for my books. That said, I don’t like the idea of free books. We put so much effort into our writing and our work has value. In our society, that’s means a price tag. It’s hard enough to be taken seriously as an artist and command appropriate remuneration without giving our work away. It also concerns me that “free” implies to the reader that a book has little merit. In addition, so many of us struggle to squeeze our writing in while we labor at some other job to pay the bills. I fear that the more of us who give in to the pressure to give away our work, the harder it will be to get paid for it. I will say that I believe “FREE” has lost a little of its power as a marketing tool because so many giveaways are being run these days. It’s not so special anymore and I don’t see authors getting tens and hundreds of thousands of downloads the way they may have only a few years ago.
Do you have a favourite movie?
If I had to pick just one, I’d name “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” I never tire of watching that and I learn something new about storytelling every time.
10. If your book was produced as a film who would you like to see play the lead?
Ooo, I played this game with King Bewilliam’s fans. They suggested Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman. Either would be great. Someone else suggested Liam Neeson. He’s one of my favorite actors but I think he’s too old for the character, although if this series goes on long enough, he’ll be just right. I tend to picture Sean Astin when I write.
P.S., The King’s Redress ranked in the Top 25 Kindle Free books and The Lost King ranked in the Top 100 Kindle Paid sales.
Links etc.
Twitter: @devorah_fox http://twitter.com/devorah_fox
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/devorah.fox
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/DevorahFoxAuthor
Google+: https://plus.google.com/115373271462004436975/posts
amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B006L9BJAO
smashwords profile page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/mbapub
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devorahfox/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/devorahfox
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2751371.Devorah_Fox
Amazon Links:
The Lost King: http://www.amazon.com/The-Lost-King-Devorah-Fox/dp/0977824527
The King’s Ransom: http://www.amazon.com/Ransom-Bewildering-Adventures-Bewilliam-Volume/dp/0977824535
The King’s Redress: http://www.amazon.com/Redress-Bewildering-Adventures-Bewilliam-Volume/dp/0977824551
Naked Came the Sharks: http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Came-Sharks-Murder-Coastal/dp/0977824543
December 10, 2014
Author Interview Number Seventy-Seven – Echo Fox – Fantasy/Young Adult
Welcome Echo Fox, YA Fantasy author!
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. I’m currently writing the fourth book of my fantasy series. The Equilibria Series is different from many other series, in that each book can be read as a standalone. Each one focuses on a different character in the same world, Pangaea – it will only be in the fifth book that the characters will meet each other. So it really doesn’t matter what order the books are read in. The order I’ve written them in however, is ‘Wave Singers’, ‘Earth Drummer’ and ‘Air Riders’. Can you guess number four’s title?
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? I love researching and do it constantly; as a hobby rather than a chore. I maintain a Pinterest board where I keep all the latest images inspiring my fantasy world and characters and once I have that visual aspect it’s much easier for me to start creating the blanks – who is this person, why they act like that, what their history is. You can see my board here: http://www.pinterest.com/radientcolour/equilibria
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…) Tricky! I’d have to go with solid plot, great characters, great world-building, technically perfect. Although saying that I do find bad spelling or grammar a big no-no when reading, it distracts me from the story too much. If the plot has obvious, gaping holes in it then the whole story fails in my eyes. Great characters help move things along and provide someone for the reader to empathise and identify with. World-building is important, especially in a fantasy or sci-fi work, but ultimately the characters and plot line is what you fall in love with.
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? My other job is as a copywriter / editer, so yes, I do self edit. However, you can always miss things or get carried away so I generally have a couple of beta readers on hand to help out. My book is always read and checked for consistency and errors by about four or five people before I publish it.
Do you read work by self-published authors? Yes, indie books are often an untapped well of brilliant stories unbound by the publishing house’s views on ‘What sells’ or ‘What the public want’. I find my next reads through the social movement #IndieBooksBeSeen.
What are your opinions about authors commenting on reviews? How important are reviews? Reviews are everything. Well, no, that’s melodramatic. Reviews are pretty important. It’s how I know whether someone liked the book, or what they would have changed. It helps me grow as an author and it helps potential new readers make a decision on whether to take a chance on my books. I really appreciate every review that comes my way and I love chatting to people on Twitter and Facebook about their favorite characters.
What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers?
Start writing. Just sit down and do it.
Keep writing. Don’t stop to edit or change things until you have a first draft down, complete.
Join a club if you need motivation, like NaNoWriMo – I love the charts, I’m a sucker for gold stars. Find my profile here: http://nanowrimo.org/participants/radiantc
Most authors like to read, what have you recently finished reading? Did you enjoy it? I just finished ‘The Palace Job’ by Patrick Weekes and loved it – you can see my review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1061345227?book_show_action=false
What are your views on authors offering free books? I think it’s great, I do it myself. Many people cannot always take an expensive chance on a new author, so a free book is a chance to discover a new author without any monetary risk. If you’re interested in knowing when I next offer a free book, you can sign up here: http://echofoxbooks.co.uk/register-interest/
Do you have any pets? I do, a black and white cat called Kiddo, who I adopted from my boyfriend’s sister when she moved house and couldn’t take the cat. She is hilarious, but camera shy, otherwise she would be an internet sensation by now.
Can you name your worst job? Do you think you learned anything from the position that you now use in your writing? Hmm, worst job? I was officially a Receptionist at a Day Spa, but the position eventually boiled down to ‘General Dogsbody.’ I can draw on that for feelings of being put upon, for sure. As a freelancer, I’ve had lots of jobs that fuel my writing, such as Crematorium Assistant, Sports Coach, Nutritionist or Florist!
Can you give us a silly fact about yourself? I used to hiccup – a really tiny, squeaky little hiccup – at least once a day, consistently, for about three years.
Book links, website/blog and author links:
Twitter: @EchoFoxBooks https://twitter.com/EchoFoxBooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EchoFoxBooks
Website: www.echofoxbooks.co.uk
Mailing List: http://echofoxbooks.co.uk/register-interest/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Echo-Fox/e/B00GR98CM6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard
1st book Wave Singers on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wave-Singers-Equilibria-Echo-Fox-ebook/dp/B00GQYQBL6/
2nd book Earth Drummer on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Earth-Drummer-Equilibria-Book-2-ebook/dp/B008Z2GID8/
1st book Wave Singers on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18819891-wave-singers
2nd book Earth Drummer on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22067102-earth-drummer
3rd book Air Riders on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22610003-air-riders
December 5, 2014
Author Interview Seventy-Six – Deb Borys – Suspense
Welcome to Deb Borys
Where are you from and where do you live now? – I’m from small town Midwest U.S. and after about fifteen years of living in the big cities of Chicago and Seattle, I’ve come back to my roots and my hometown.
Please tell us a little about your writing – My current focus is my Street Stories suspense novel series. The first book, Painted Black, was released in 2012, then Bend Me, Shape Me in 2013, and the third, Box of Rain just became pre-orderable on Amazon. The ebook will be released December 15 but the print version won’t be out until the spring of 2015. You can basically say I’ve been able to get a book a year out now. I’m hoping I keep up that pace.
Each book in the series tells the story of a kid living on the streets of Chicago who finds him or herself in a jam that no one but my protagonist seems to care about. I take the real life drama that homeless people have to deal with every day and twist fictional, quirky suspense plots into it. Like a mortuary freeze-drying corpses like special order pizzas and psychiatrists trying to brainwash an army of terrorists, or finding a decapitated body in a back alley dumpster.
Where do you find inspiration? – I found my inspiration on the streets of Chicago where I volunteered with homeless youth and adults and discovered heartbreaking but uplifting tales of people doing the best they can under the circumstances. My eyes were opened to the fact that they are no different than the people I meet in my everyday life, not deep down, where it counts. I want to somehow make everyone aware of that.
Are your characters based on real people? - My primary characters are completely fictional, but their ideas, goals and opinions reflect real people I knew when volunteering on the streets of Chicago. Throughout all the books I have sprinkled versions of people and situations that I actually experienced myself, or heard about from other service workers.
Is there a message conveyed within your writing? Do you feel this is important in a book? – There are stories worth listening to in everyone’s life, even that homeless man standing on the corner with his hand out for a quarter. How can you judge someone’s actions or attitude or situation if you don’t know anything about the person you are condemning? My hope is that after reading one of my books, you might take a second look, or even stop and listen. I don’t think all books need to have an underlying agenda or should try to speak deep thoughts about life or the world. Sometimes books should just be about escape and enjoyment, because we all need that once in a while, too. My Street Stories series, I hope, does both. At least that’s what I intend them to do.
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…) – I think you pretty much have the correct order there. If you don’t start with great characters, why should the reader care about the journey or how the story ends? World building may seem less important than all the others, but that’s only because it is intended to be almost invisible. You need to know it well yourself but only give out the tiniest but most important details in such a way that it is recognizable and understandable without calling attention to itself. The reader should never be pulled away from the story in order to admire or wonder about the world in which the story takes place. The path down which the plot steps should flow naturally out of who the character is and what world he or she is living in. A warrior in Roman times will make different choices when confronted with conflict than a teenager from the slums who has been abused all his life. Correct grammar and typographical errors, etc. do need to be kept to a minimum, or else they are too distracting, but if you do the first three things to perfection, your readers will give you a lot more leeway on technicalities than they would otherwise.
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? – Painted Black and Bend Me, Shape Me are available in both ebook (mobi and epub) and trade paperback. Box of Rain will be released as an ebook Dec. 15 and will be out in trade paperback sometimes next spring.
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? – I do self-edit, but so does my publisher. I never send the first draft off to them. I polish as much as I possibly can before letting them or anyone see it. For Box of Rain, I also had several people beta read for me to give me advice on the big picture, rather than line editing. I really do think everyone needs to let someone else edit or at least make suggestions for edits. And by that I mean someone with knowledge or expertise, not just your mom or boyfriend. You are too close to your work to view the finished work objectively. In the beginning, you are often so in love with it you think it is all diamonds and gloss over the lumps of coal among the glitter. If you’ve been over and over the book many times, you are often so sick of your own words you can’t tell which are gold and which floss.
What are your opinions about authors commenting on reviews? How important are reviews? - The more reviews a book has, the better, I think, even if some of them are negative. Reviews show people are reading the book, at least. I think it’s a fine idea to thank someone for their review in a comment. It’s even okay to make some remark about the content of the review, as long as it isn’t arguing or disagreeing or trying to explain yourself. If anything, say something like, “That’s an interesting take on the subject. I wonder if anyone else feels the same way?” Vindictive, extremely negative reviews are best left ignored. There is no need to stoop to their level.
When buying a book do you read the reviews? – When I see a book with absolutely no reviews, unless it is very recently released, I tend to suspect it must have been pretty boring.
What experiences can a book provide that a movie or video game cannot? – A book makes us work at our entertainment. Instead of being a passive mushroom watching the story, we are forced to partake in it, interpret it. Since we don’t have the visual or the sound, we have to burrow deep in our minds to envision and experience the world. Because there are narrative passages, we can know and explore the inner thoughts of characters, instead of simply trying to interpret them from their faces or voices. The amount of detail, and the time it takes to read, interpret and experience all the words on the pages immerses you more fully in the story than a one dimensional viewing on a screen. You’ve probably noticed it yourself. Have you ever read a book about a blind person, for instance, and when you finished it, it felt strange to be able to walk around and see again?
Book links, website/blog and author links:
Painted Black
http://www.amazon.com/Painted-Black-Debra-R-Borys/dp/1614690065
Bend Me, Shape Me
http://www.amazon.com/Bend-Shape-Street-Stories-ebook/dp/B00BUR63P8
Box of Rain
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OTZL3FS
www.StreetStoriesSuspenseNovels.com
November 30, 2014
Author Interview Number Seventy-Five – Lazlo Ferran
Welcome to Lazlo Ferran
Where are you from and where do you live now? I live and work in London.
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. That is a difficult question to answer because I don’t feel limited by genres, have never recognised them and my readers have come to expect that I will cross any genre boundary without recognising it. I have published fourteen books; three collections of short stories, two science fiction stories, two occult thrillers, one spooks thriller, one historical epic, one contemporary literary novel in two volumes, one war thriller and now Lotus. The best way to put this is that I look for a story that stimulates me and tests my philosophical limits. If it doesn’t stretch me, I will not be able to engage and excite the reader. Categorising my books is a constant necessity of modern publishing and a challenge for me. I would say that Lotus is a suspense story. But you will have to read it to decide yourself!
Where do you find inspiration? Inspiration most often comes from dissatisfaction with the world, either general or specific but this will be mixed in with my ideals to make a good story because I don’t want to operate on just one level. If I did, I would alienate more readers than I attract. Occasionally, my need to understand the world around us alone will generate a story idea. Occasionally too, I simply want to write a good yarn, as is the case with Attack Hitler’s Bunker! Lotus, however, comes from none of these places. It comes from a very dark place, a place that needed illuminating, a place that I took 64000 words to describe! I hope it will at least give readers a jolt when they read it. I hope they will say, “Yes, I know this place. I have been there!”
Do you have a favourite character? If so why? No. All my characters are my favourites and they all do things I can’t predict or stop! If my books are my children, their characters are my grandchildren!
Do you have a character you dislike? If so why? Yes. But he is in a book yet to be published and he is the hero!
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? I do extensive research for my books and this usually takes about a year. I generally write about what I know but I want every detail to feel ‘right’ so I dig.
I am lucky enough to know a lot about WWII and the early Medieval. I have always been fascinated by WWII so I have extensive knowledge of it. I know quite a bit about the Medieval because I spent ten years researching my family tree, which I have now traced back to 1240 France. As an offshoot of this, I became interested in the Cathars and early medieval religion so I read widely on the subject, mostly academic works. When I came to write a sequel to Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate, the 13th Century seemed a natural setting for me to attempt. However, I ambitiously decided to depict the Battle of Bouvines. This meant an extra few months of research.
Research is not something I crave, however, so a purely romantic novel is on the cards. That shouldn’t require much research!
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? All my books, apart from the short stories, are available both as eBooks and paperbacks. Too Bright the Sun is also available, with an audio track to accompany the first chapter, on Booktrack.com. I want to do large print books but I simply haven’t had the time, so far. Audio books will be the next step when I find the time and money. I have sampled some mixed media formats, mostly those piloted by the big players like BBC, which look very interesting. These include video, interactive elements like quizzes and forms, slideshows, picture galleries, links and text to tell stories. The BBC had a nice one recently about a murder story in Iceland. I am always looking for new ways to engage with readers and I will be watching for the next format that comes along.
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? I self-edit initially but then I go to Beta readers. They will have the book for at least two rounds and there may even be a professional editor for a third round, as I had for Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate. I find that I cannot realistically edit my own material because I am too close to it.
Do you think indie/self-published authors are viewed differently to traditionally published authors? Why do you think this might be? Yes, they are and this is a shame. I personally know a traditionally published writer who had to significantly modify a novel in an attempt to get it published. Indie writers don’t have to do this. Of course, we should edit a book so that our main idea will be presentable to readers but we don’t have to compromise. That is why some of the freshest fiction out there is published independently.
The prejudice against indie writers can come from surprising sources and is painful to see. I had one of my kindle books banned (blocked is their term) by Amazon because it deals with incest. It’s set in 17th Century Central Asia (about descendants of the Mongols), and, quite frankly, not only in Central Asia but Europe too, incest was common among royalty. A European king married his sister and had children with her! When I pointed out that Amazon distributes books by both Nabokov and Thomas Pynchon, both of which include themes of incest, the support staff member told me that Amazon makes these choices based on ‘artistic merit.’ I guess I have to conclude that some highly qualified literary critic, employed by Amazon, sat down and read my book from cover to cover and made that choice. It seems unlikely, however, since Amazon had displayed that book for almost ten years at the time without quibble! I had the last laugh because Createspace has a different idea about artistic merit, even though it’s owned by Amazon, and still published my paperback to…wait for it…Amazon! You couldn’t make it up!
Do you read work by self-published authors? Yes. Some indie writer are probably the best out there because they don’t have to modify their work for a publisher. I doubt I would get Lotus published in its present form with a trad publisher and that would be very sad. I can recommend the work of Khalid Muhammad, Kristen Stone and Morgan Wyatt
What experiences can a book provide that a movie or video game cannot? I began as a musician but found the framework of music and lyrics too limiting so I switched to writing novels. Our modern way of living has become very visual; video games and movies exemplify this way of experiencing the world. But the most profound emotions are not caused by visual, aural or any other sensory input; they simple bubble up from very deep places. This is why books will, I believe, always have a profound effect on us. Although Lotus might make a very good video game or film, some of its deeper elements would be lost or else would need to be forced on the viewer/player, thus taking away their free will and the power of the book to stimulate thought.
What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers? I will give just one. Get some Beta readers. Good Beta readers will have a go at your book and give you invaluable feedback; where the novel’s pace is not right, whether you use words that are too big or make the characters speak unrealistically, whether the climax works etc. I have often rewritten up to 50% of a novel based on this feedback. I know my books are better for it. As I think Mark Twain once pointed out, the problem when you think you are reading back your own work is that you are actually reading your own mind. You know what the story should be and this is what you hear in your head. You will not notice when an idea doesn’t get across, which frequently happens. A Beta reader will notice. Without the final 2 Beta readers, Lotus would never be the tight, well-developed story it is now.
Beta readers can also offer encouragement. Lotus has been around for over six years now, initially as a rough draft of one short passage. It existed as a personal sketch and I felt it too outrageous to give to a reader. If I hadn’t taken the step of letting somebody read it, I wouldn’t have heard that phrase ‘You must publish it!’ This is what all writers want to hear.
Book links, website/blog and author links:
Lotus: http://bit.ly/amlotus
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/lotusswds
Blog and website: www.lazloferran.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lazlo_F
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lazloferran
Google+ https://plus.google.com/102697264562597755987
November 24, 2014
Author Interview Number Seventy-Four – Maer Wilson -Paranormal Fantasy
Welcome to Maer Wilson.
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. I write Urban Fantasy. My first book is Relics, Modern Magics, Book 1. Book 2 is almost ready for submission to my publisher and I’ve begun Book 3. Relics takes place in San Franciscoand follows the exploits of husband and wife detectives, Thulu and La Fi. The couple’s clients are usually dead, which is fine with them since they work only with the supernatural. But their simple job to find lost relics for an ancient daemon turns into a grand adventure when the creatures of myth and magic return to Earth, confirming that humans are definitely not alone.
Where can readers find your book? Relics is found at these retailers:
Amazon – Kindle – http://www.amazon.com/Relics-Modern-Magics-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00NULK7PE/
Amazon – Paperback – http://www.amazon.com/Relics-Modern-Magics-Book-Volume/dp/1941637035/
Barnes & Noble – Nook – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/relics-maer-wilson/1120404720?ean=2940046193619
How long have you been writing and what, if anything, made you choose the genre in which you write? I’ve been writing for years, but this is my first novel. I adore fantasy and Sci Fi. I wanted something contemporary, so a blend of urban Fantasy, Paranormal with hints of SF was a natural and very comfortable choice.
Who or what are your inspirations/influences? I’m sure every writer I’ve ever read has influenced me to some degree or other. I love the idea of magic in our world, so while I read a lot of epic fantasy, I also love contemporary fantasy, as well.
Can you name a positive experience from your writing and a negative one?Positive – The fact that I get to play in a wonderful world and make it into whatever I want it to be.
Negative – About the only thing I can think of is that I don’t get to read as much as I’d like to. While I do read a lot, most of it is for mini-reviews for my podcast or because I have a blog guest. I don’t get as much time to just sit and read whatever I want to.
With the rise of e-books do you still publish in print as well? Is this medium important and why? I am published in print and ebooks and I think both are important and each serves its own function. There are still many readers who want to have that physical book in their hands. As long as that demand is there from the readers, then it’s important to meet that demand.
Do you listen to music or watch TV whilst you write? I listen to gaming and film soundtracks and discovered Two Steps From Hell, an awesome group. I don’t listen to songs very often, though, because I find words distracting. But soundtracks are perfect for what I write.
Books are important, why is this the case? What can a book provide that, say, a video game cannot? I’ve been reading since I was four years old and I cannot imagine not having a book going.
While I’m not tearing through five to seven books a week like I did when I was younger, I still read a lot. I also play video games. The thing you get in books that you don’t get in a game is the story and character development. There are some games that attempt to give us some of that, but the sheer detail is lacking. Just as when a beloved book is created into a film, it can never quite capture every nuance of the book. For one thing there is simply too much detail packed into a novel to translate to the screen. For another part of what happens in a book is based upon the reader’s perception of what they read and take away from the reading. That one on one relationship between author and reader is magic and is unique to each reader.
Can you give us a silly fact about yourself? I used to be a hardcore raider in online MMOs. Now I’m just a casual raider, but I still play online video games every week. My current game is Star Wars: The Old Republic. Thank you for having me on your blog and for such a fun interview!
After a successful career being other people, and later teaching others the many tricks of that trade, Maer Wilson has decided to be herself for a while. Turns out she’s a writer. She’s always loved stories, especially fantasy, mystery and sci fi. Maer was born in the Year of the Dragon and has a dragon-themed room in her home, but sadly no dragons in the back yard. When she’s not writing, Maer plays online video games, teaches college and reads. Maer is a partner in Ellysian Press, a small publishing house. She also co-hosts the literary podcast MythBehaving.
Maer lives in the high desert of Southern Nevada with her three dogs, a chihuahua and two poodles.
Her books include Relics and Portals, Books 1 and 2 in the Modern Magics series. The upcoming third book in the series is Magics. There are also three novelettes in the series – “Ghost Memory,” “Unwanted Ghost” and “Ghost Dancer.” A fourth story, “Wedding Ghost” is also planned. You can find all books and novelettes in the Modern Magics series at Amazon.
For more info, you can visit Maer’s website at http://maerwilson.com/.
The Modern Magics Series
The books trace what happens when magic returns to Earth, as seen through the eyes of paranormal detectives, Thulu and La Fi.
The Modern Magics Stories are set prior to the main events in Relics, Book 1 and involve some of the couple’s more interesting cases.
Relics, Modern Magics, Book 1
Most of Thulu and La Fi’s clients are dead. Which is perfect since their detective agency caters to the supernatural. But a simple job finding a lost locket leads to a big case tracking relics for an ancient daemon.
The daemon needs the relics to keep a dangerous portal closed. His enemy, Gabriel, wants the relics to open the portal and give his people access to a new feeding ground – Earth.
Caught on live TV, other portals begin to open and the creatures of magic return to Earth. The people of Earth are not alone, but will soon wish they were.
When Gabriel threatens their family, Thulu and La Fi’s search becomes personal. The couple will need powerful help in the race to find the relics before Gabriel does. But maybe that’s what ghostly friends, magical allies and daemonic clients are for.
When the creatures of myth and magic return to Earth, they’re nothing like your mother’s fairy tales.
Portals, Modern Magics, Book 2
For supernatural detectives Thulu and La Fi, “normal” is a relative term. La Fi is a medium, Thulu is a finder, and their usual clients are already dead.
But when their friend Reo is shot, and a group of stranded angels show up at their house for help to find a missing child, things are striking too close to home.
And the portals that let the magical races return to Earth have started opening on their own. With trips off-world, a kidnapped psychic and changes to their own abilities, Thulu and La Fi are hit with a lot more than they usually handle. Of course, their magical friends are there to help, but even they may not be enough to save an increasingly unstable Earth.
Portals is the cross genre (Sci Fi/Urban Fantasy) sequel to Relics and is Book 2 in the Modern Magics series.
November 19, 2014
Two large, unknown planets are detected at the edge of the solar system
Interesting and totally not related to books….
Originally posted on Metro:
A large, Earth-sized planet may be ‘pulling’ dwarf planet Sedna towards the edges of the solar system (Picture: Rex)
Two large, unknown planets could be lurking at the edge of our solar system, scientists believe – and observing the orbit of asteroids and ‘dwarf planets’ in a far-flung region beyond Pluto, at least one of the planets is believed likely to be larger than Earth.
The research, by University of Madrid scientists, suggests that two large objects may be lurking in a little-studied area at the ‘fringe’ or our solar system, known as the ‘inner Oort cloud’.
The first hints of their existence came from the discovery of icy ‘dwarf planets’ Sedna and 2012VP113 – and scientists studying their orbits realised their might be something massive on the edge of our solar system pulling Sedna and its fellow ‘dwarf planet’ out into the frigid depths of space.
The research highlights how little we actually know about the…
View original 216 more words
November 15, 2014
Author Interview Number Seventy-Three – Alice Sabo Spec Fic/Mystery/Sci Fi
Welcome to Alice Sabo
1. Where are you from and where do you live now? I was born and raised in NJ, but as soon as I was old enough, I moved away. I have lived on both coasts and in the middle. I loved living in the mountains in Colorado, but the high desert was too dry and hot for me. I now live in the mountains of western North Carolina, which are just right.
2. Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. I write mystery and speculative fiction. I have one scifi novel, Lethal Seasons, out now. It is the first in a series about a post-apocalyptic world. The 2nd book in my Asher Blaine Mysteries, Dark Deeds, will be coming out in January. Those are a little lighter. I have plans for another series, sort of space opera, and possibly a fantasy series. As you can see I have lots of ideas and a ton of work ahead of me.
3. Are your characters based on real people? Not really, although I’m sure some of their attributes come from people I know. Sometimes it’s more like casting a movie. One of my characters was based on Harrison Ford. It wasn’t actually based on any of his movies. I just knew that he suited the character. So when I imagined the scenes in my head, I knew how I expected him to react.
4. Have you ever used a person you don’t/didn’t like as a character then killed them off? No, but I did name a slave planet after a boss I especially disliked. That story probably won’t ever see the light of day, but it was very satisfying.
5. 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? I do research as it comes up in my mysteries. I have corresponded with a variety of people, and I am always amazed at how willing they are to answer my stupid questions. For White Lies, a murder is committed with a prop gun. I emailed an armorer in Hollywood about it. He was extremely helpful. It was a good thing I asked, because prop guns cannot fire live ammunition. The gun has to be rebuilt for that. So my villain had to have that expertise.
I do enough research to become well versed in what I need to know. For Lethal Seasons, I studied the forecasts of how much the sea levels would rise. I bumped the numbers a little and drew my own map of how much land the US would lose. It’s based on the maps NOAA created.
In general I love doing research. I start with the internet. Sometimes I look for people to answer a specific question. I don’t always need to become an expert on the topic.
6. Do you think indie/self-published authors are viewed differently to traditionally published authors? Why do you think this might be? I do think we are viewed differently.
Some of the authors that made it big as self pubbed had been trad pubbed before, or signed with them later. Many of them became hybrid authors, splitting off some of their book rights to big publishing, but retaining ebook rights. People look at these authors and some assume that they wanted to be trad pubbed for the recognition. As if only the big publishing houses have a right to tell us what is good enough to read. In reality, for many of them, it comes down to economics. Who does a better job of marketing and distribution for which format?
On the other hand is the self pubbed dreck. I’ve read a few too many of them. Most are just not ready to publish. It’s a hard thing to see when you are giddy with finishing your first novel. It’s a bad case of not knowing what you don’t know. If you don’t know things like story structure or the expectations of a genre, you can’t craft a good product. For example, I read a murder mystery in which the protagonist failed in the final confrontation. He had to be rescued. The book ended on a weak note and was very unsatisfying. Another example was a fantasy in which the whole first chapter was back story. A man came home from years on the road to recount the entire thing to his mother. In stilted, unrealistic dialog that went on for pages. Or the Young Adult thriller that had a 25 year old protagonist.
It’s a very mixed bag. Perhaps that’s it’s greatest fault – a lack of consistency.
7. Do you read work by self-published authors? I do, but I am a little gun shy. I have found some great ones, and some really bad ones. In a couple of cases, the first chapter is so well polished that I am fooled into buying the book. However, the problems pop up soon enough and I give up on it. At first, I tried to give construction reviews, but now I’m too busy to spend time on authors I don’t know.
8.What are your opinions about authors commenting on reviews? How important are reviews? Reviews are very important. Although as books flood the market and people game the reviews, I have heard that a lot of people don’t trust them anymore. It’s all down to word of mouth. It’s hard to get respected reviewers to accept books from new authors because they are overwhelmed with requests. New reviewers are popping up overnight, but if they don’t have the following and reputation, they aren’t helpful to an author.
Giveaways don’t always get you reviews. Sometimes you get bad reviews because people sign up for things that they don’t usually read. A bad review from someone who isn’t my target audience can be very disappointing. I had a very interesting discussion with some people on Goodreads about the pros and cons of offering free books for reviews. One person said I should never expect a review because the book is a gift. I had given away 5 audiobooks and not received any reviews. I didn’t follow up with any of them, because I don’t think authors should ever badger their readers, but I was very disappointed. The worst part is thinking that, months later, they haven’t even listened to the book, yet.
Getting people to read an unknown author’s book is very difficult. There are a lot of free sites where you can advertise, but many of them are requiring a certain number of reviews at a certain level. One site requires 25 reviews on Amazon with a 4-star average. If I already had that, why would I need them? It’s a bit of a catch-22.
9. What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers?
1. Read in the genre you want to write in. You need to know it very well. And read outside your comfort zone. I don’t usually read military scifi, but one book taught me a lot about fight scenes.
2. Love what you write. Don’t write a Romance because it’s the fastest growing market. Write it because you’ve read one every week all your adult life. Don’t write what you think will sell. Write the story you want to tell.
3. Learn the bones. If you don’t know basic grammar and story structure you will flail around constantly fixing things. Once you understand these things, they function in the back of your brain and help you be a better writer.
10. Most authors like to read, what have you recently finished reading? Did you enjoy it?
I just finished reading Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. He’s one of my favorite authors. It’s epic fantasy and an absolute doorstop. I have to say I might be losing my taste for it, because this one felt especially long. There were a few too many detours into other aspects of the world that I found less interesting. Regardless, I will probably read the next book when it comes out. I just started Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobbs and I am devouring it. She’s a favorite, too. I am very excited that she decided to write in this world again.
Book links, website/blog and author links: All my books are here on my blog.
Blog/website: http://allthereisandtherestofit.blogspot.com/
