A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 185
August 24, 2014
Cover Designer Interview Number Two – Gary Val Tenuta
Hi and welcome to the Library of Erana, please tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Gary Val Tenuta. The middle name, Val, is short for Valentine. I was named after my Uncle who shortened his name from Valentine to Val when he entered high school to avoid being teased by his classmates. Probably a good move. The last name, Tenuta, is Italian. Translated into English, it has a general meaning of “land or property ownership”. You’ll often see it on Italian wine labels, referring to the vineyard where the grapes were grown. For example, Tenuta Valdipiatta, or Tenuta Di Castiglioni. My grandfather came to the U.S. from the little Province of Cosenza in the South of Italy. Me? I’m located a considerable distance from Italy in a cozy condo near Seattle where I’m held as a captive slave to a big long-haired black cat named Bear.
1) You are a cover designer, what made you decide to get into this line of work? When I finished writing my first novel (The Ezekiel Code) back in 2007 I decided to put my 30+ years of experience as a graphic artist to work and design my own cover. I enjoyed the process so much I thought, hey, I should be doing this for other authors. Thanks to the internet, I was able to put that idea into practice and I’ve been at it ever since.
2) Can you tell us about some of the covers you’ve designed and authors you’ve worked with? (name of books, authors you’ve worked with etc.) Oh, man. There have been so many, it’s hard to narrow it down. One that comes to mind is Hank Quence, the author of several works of humorous fantasy with such titles as “Tales From Gundarland”, “Zaftan Entrepreneurs”, “Zaftan Miscreants”, Moxie’s Problem” and a few others, all for which I’ve had the pleasure of creating the covers. I’m grinning as I think about this because of how the process always starts out with Hank. He’ll send me a little sketch of what he has in mind. The “sketch” (and I use the term loosely!) typically contains something resembling a stick figure and some random squiggles. Fortunately, he also tells me what those squiggles are supposed to be. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have a clue. LOL I know if he happens to read this interview he’ll just chuckle and nod his head in agreement. The cool thing is that when I send him my interpretation of his squiggles as finished art, he almost always replies with comments like “You nailed it… again!”
I seem to get that response quite often from authors who come to me for their covers. Here’s a sampling:
“Thanks for a BRILLIANT job! I love your choice of printing machine illustration, the money in the jeans device, the typography, the overall colour scheme, and the total design concept. In a nutshell, it’s utterly superb. You really are a graphics genius!” – Joey Moncrief (Author of The Money Press)
“This is just outstanding. The whole layout is beautiful. My wife is just gushing over it. If I never sell a copy of the book, I’ll buy the book myself so I can have the cover art to enjoy.” – David Echeandia (Author of The Avatar of Calderia) •
“Excellent Gary, you’ve rocked my world again. I love it. You are a genius!!” – Jason Blacker (Author of The Lady Marmalade Mystery Series, Dust On His Soul, Money Ain’t Nothin’, Black Dog Bleeding, First Feature, Head Rush, Livid Blue •
“Hi Gary, thanks for the design. Really pleased with both. You have done a brilliant job.” – Dave Williams (Author of Tubes) •
“Invasion From Fred is up on the Amazon site. Everybody’s raving about the cover. So now I’m turning my attention back to Dog & Pony. I am putting this whole thing in your expert hands.” – Richard Herr (author of Invasion From Fred)
“OMG, you are just so much AWESOMENESS!!! Thanks for all of these and especially for the 3D image with the jaguar, I love it!!!!!!!! I’m going to be happily and very proudly sharing it all over the interwebs this week!” – Rai Aren (Award-winning author of Secret Of The Sands, Destiny Of The Sands, Lost City Of Gold) •
“Great job! Thanks for making the suggested modifications.” – Richard Wesson (Author of Miss October Was A Friend Of Mine) •
“Gary, you’ve done it! The cover is now just as I wanted it to be. Excellent! I wanted the cover to be as good as the one you did for Pilgrim’s Banner, and you succeeded.” – Tony Walker (Author of Pilgrim’s Banner and Pilgrim’s Trator) •
“Wow. You hit it out of the ballpark on the first swing… again!” – Hank Quense (Author of Tales From Gundarland, Falstaff’s Big Advenure, Zaftan Entreprenuers, Zaftan Miscreants, Fool’s Gold, Tunnel Vision, Wotan’s Dilemma, Marketing Plans For Self-Published Authors) •
“Thanks Gary. Its awesome!” – M. R. Mathias (Author of Crimzon & Clover, The Wardstone Trilogy, The Dragoneers Saga, and many other titles) •
“You’re the best and made the book jump off the shelf!!” – Scott Adlai Stevenson (Author of Scoundrels In Paradise) •
“The cover looks great and my cousin (the author) loved it!” – Anthony Policastro, Publisher and CEO, Outer Banks Publishing Group •
“I love your covers, especially mine, Night Corridor. also Skye Dancer, Cold Case, Money Ain’t Nothin’… But all your covers suit the particular book or story perfectly. You do excellent work, Gary.” – Joan Hall Hovey (Award-winning author of Night Corridor, Chill Waters, Nowhere To Hide, Listen To The Shadows, The Abduction Of Mary Rose •
“Holy moly – that is absolutely SPECTACULAR!!!! You always Blow. My. Mind. I love, love, love it!!!!!!!!!! (to infinity & beyond!!!!!) The layout, the dramatic effect, the overall stunning impression for an ancient Egyptian mystery is just perfection!!” – Rai Aren (Award-winning author of Secret Of The Sands, Destiny Of The Sands, Lost City Of Gold) •
3) Can you tell us what is involved? (I have no clue so you can be as elaborate as you like!), Software used – where you source your images, how long a cover takes etc. The process always seems to be a little different with each project. But, in a nutshell, it usually goes something like this:
The author sends me a brief synopsis of the story and tells me what (if anything) he/she has in mind for the cover and whether or not they’re totally married to that idea. If they don’t have any specific idea in mind, I’ll usually work up a couple of mockups for them to consider. More often than not, one of the two mockups is accepted, although sometimes the author will request some minor changes. At that point I go to work on what will emerge as the final art.
I work almost exclusively in Photoshop. Sometimes, if an original illustration is needed, I’ll do the line art by hand. Then I’ll scan it and import it into Photoshop for coloring, shading, and any other special effects. The one thing I don’t attempt to illustrate is human characters. It’s not that I’m bad at it. In fact I’m pretty good at it. But I have this thing about character illustrations on book covers. My feeling is that “pretty good” isn’t good enough. I just cringe when I see “pretty good” character illustrations on book covers. Maybe it’s just me, but when it comes to character illustrations on a book cover, if it isn’t an extremely well rendered work of “photo realism”, it just strikes me as looking as if someone did their best but didn’t quite get there. It’s all about perception. It’s the old “don’t judge a book by the cover” but most of us do, anyway. People tend to perceive the overall quality of the cover as an indication of the overall quality of the writing. The cover is usually a potential reader’s initial introduction to the book. The judgement starts there. It’s that all-important “First Impression”. First impressions can have a significant impact on the potential reader’s decision to pick the book up (or click on the link) or pass it by and go on to whatever is next. Lately, if an author insists on having story characters illustrated, I’ve been referring them to Howard David Johnson (http://www.howarddavidjohnson.com/book-covers.htm). He’s very good and his pricing starts at $500.
I usually source my images from Dreamstime.com or iStock.com. Of course stock images are rarely (if ever) adequate for any given cover project without being changed in some way or another. Often the backgrounds need to be eliminated and replace with something more appropriate to the story in the book. The skill is in how well the image manipulation is rendered. It can’t appear as if the image was simply a cut-and-paste job. The end result is that the entire composition is fresh and original. Accomplishing that feat can be a heck of a challenge sometimes because I’m such a perfectionist in that regard. I’ll often spend hours on little details that probably no one will ever notice. But it’s worth the time and effort I’ve put into it because not only do I want the author to be pleased but I also want it to be something I’d be pleased with if it was the cover of my own book.
The length of clock-time it takes to complete a cover from the initial mockup to the final art varies. It might be as little as four to six hours or as much as 8 to 12 hours. I think the average is around 10 hours. That might be stretched across several days. If everything is going smoothly (which usually means few to no major changes requested by the author) then it’s likely that the final art will be delivered to the author well within five to seven days.
4) Where does your inspiration come from? Do you read the book first, then come up with a design, or can you produce something from an author’s description? That’s an interesting question. I don’t have time to read the books. It isn’t necessary anyway. I always ask the author for a detailed synopsis. That’s plenty for me to get the gist of the story and to give me what I tend to think of as the overall “feel” and “flavor” at the heart of the story. A variety of adjectives will come to mind when reading the synopsis, such as dark, light, angry, grungy, humorous, mysterious, action–packed, horrific, other–worldly, cozy, creepy, sexy, and so on. Also, to a large degree, the particular genre of the book will have some influence on the overall look and feel of the cover art.
5) What are your thoughts on ‘generic’ covers – such as a sword or throne and skulls for fantasy, or interchangeable torsos for romance? That’s an interesting question, also. In some respects it’s important to stick with what readers have become accustomed to seeing in terms of cover art for books of a specific genre. The swords, thrones and skulls motif have been used in fantasy cover art for so long that it’s become what readers expect to see. It’s a matter of identification with the familiar. When a fantasy fan sees the swords, thrones and skulls on a book cover, they know immediately what kind of book it is. I recently designed such a cover for David Echeandia’s novel, “The Avatar of Calderia” http://amzn.com/B00H2UYXCC. In that respect, those images are the bait that may well compel a potential buyer (especially a fan of the genre) to pick the book up and give it a closer look. The same can be said about the “interchangeable torsos” for romance novels. After a while, those romance covers all begin to look alike. But fans of romance novels seem to like those covers. That style of cover design has proven itself to be successful at capturing the attention of romance fans. So I guess it’s an example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
6) When you buy a book do you look at the cover first? What else attracts you? What turns you off? Being a cover designer, I’m always checking out book covers even when I’m not particularly interested in buying a book. But, yes, I have to say it’s the cover of a book that first attracts my attention. Then the title. But, honestly, I’d have to say the time between noticing the cover and looking at the title can’t be much more than a split second. It’s almost a simultaneous experience, especially if the title is well integrated into the overall cover design.
What turns me off? As I mentioned earlier, I cringe at covers with character illustrations that aren’t freakin’ great pieces of art. But, like I said, maybe that’s just me.
7) What advice would you give to anyone starting out in this line of work or who might want to design a cover? Don’t do it! I don’t need the competition! But if you insist on getting into the business, I’d suggest going to a bookstore and studying the covers on all the various genres of books. Pay attention to details such as font styles and sizes for both the title and the author’s name. Notice how the titles are integrated into the overall design. Learn the terms associated with cover design. Do you know what “bleed” means? Do you know the difference between RGB and CMYK? Realize that cover art specifications are not always exactly the same from one publisher/printer to the next. Make sure you know the final trim size of the book before you start composing the cover art. There’s really a lot to learn. A Google search for tips on book cover design will bring up lots of valuable information.
8) What are your thoughts on sites like Fiverr where people can buy covers cheaply? Do you think they encourage substandard or very generic images?Honestly, I haven’t paid much attention to them. I’m too busy designing book covers.
9) Do you have a genre you prefer? I tend to like anything in the realm of dark and mysterious. I’m a fan of paranormal, occult, supernatural. But I also like a good crime thriller.
10) Please tell us about your favourite image and the favourite cover you have worked on? Seems like whatever my most recent cover is, that’s my favourite until the next one comes along. Really, I can’t pick just one. I put so much time and creative effort into each one, and each one has it’s own unique qualities. They’re all my favourites.
11) Can you give us a silly fact about yourself? How about this. I was so determined to avoid turning my art talent into a “job” and thereby risk taking the enjoyment out of it that I spent six years in college, earned a degree in social-psychology with the goal of teaching that subject on the college level and, due to a series of unforeseen turns and twists, I ended up as a professional graphic artist anyway. And guess what? I’m enjoying the heck out of it!
Blog/website links etc.
My book cover site: http://www.BookCoversAndVideos.webs.com
My writing site: http://www.GaryValTenuta.blogspot.com
Email: GVTgrafix@aol.com
#CoverArtist #Art
August 22, 2014
An adventure unlike any other full of mysticism, danger, laughter, and friendship await you.
Sounds interesting
Originally posted on theowlladyblog:
Sig Woods was a scrawny boy about sixteen years of age, shaggy dirty blonde hair, piercing green eyes, and a thoughtful look in his eyes. Ever since he could remember, Sig loved nature and the magical greatness it gave. Discovering one day that he had the power to control nature, Sig bands together with his neighbor, Ellie to go on an epic quest. Sig must band together with friends and allies to discover the Book of Elements. Will Sig succeed? Can he combat an evil foe?
As always, there is more than meets the eye in this one of a kind adventure of epic proportions. Partake on the same journey with Sig Woods and discover the secrets hidden within the folded pages of the Book of Elements.
Find it on Amazon.com at this link:
About the Author:
Y. Pushkin…
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August 21, 2014
Here is my interview with Gerry McCullough
Another great interview from Fiona McVie
Originally posted on authorsinterviews:
Name Gerry McCullough
Age Over twenty-one
Where are you from
Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and still live about a dozen miles away.
A little about your self, ie your education Family life etc
I graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a Joint Honours degree in English Literature and Philosophy, and followed this with an MA in English Literature, also from Queen’s. I’m married to singer-songwriter, writer and radio presenter Raymond McCullough, and have four children.
Fiona: Tell us your latest news.
Gerry: I’ve finally finished a book which I’ve been working on for over a year, and it was published in the middle of August. It’s called Johnny McClintock’sWar: One Man’s Struggle Against the Hammer Blows of Life, and it’s set in the early 20th century. John Henry McClintock, a Northern Ireland Protestant by upbringing, meets and falls in love with Rose Flanagan, a Catholic, at a gospel mission…
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Author Interview Sixty-One – Bruce Durham – Fantasy/Sci-fi/Horror
Welcome to Bruce Durham and a return to Hell.
#HeroesinHell #PoetsinHell
Excerpt from ‘Hell-Hounds’: from by Bruce Durham, Poets in Hell, copyright (c) 2014, Janet Morris.
Marconi nodded slowly at first, then vigorously shook his head. “Maybe they’re not dead. Maybe they’re trapped and need our help.”
Bell stared at him for long seconds. “You’re shitting me, right?”
“No. No, I’m not. We can’t just leave. We have to know for sure if they’re safe, or not.”
“Sure we can leave. In fact, I insist.” Bell jerked his thumb toward the van. “They get hazard pay, so it’s not our problem. And what happens if we run into one of those hell-hounds?” Bell reached for his tool-belt. “Let’s see. I have a hammer, a screwdriver, cable-crimpers, some ty-wraps, an ohm-meter.
Hmm. No gun. Must have left that back at the shop along with the bazooka. Of course, we could always try harsh language. Hell-hounds hate harsh language.”
Where are you from and where do you live now? Born in Toronto, Ontario, I have lived most of my life in neighbouring Mississauga. I spent over 30 of those years in the CATV industry in a variety of capacities, most recently as a consultant.
At one time I moderated the Fiction Forums for Paradox Interactive Games, laying the groundwork that turned it into a wildly successful platform where gamers still write about their empire building experiences. And, until recently, Administered the Community Forums for the official Robert E. Howard website.
Though my age has been placed around the Jurassic Era, the reality is I am 60 and been happily married for 29, almost 30 years. My wife and I own a Shar-Pei named Haley and a Brussels Griffon called Maggie Q. Both run the household with firm paws.
Some boring (mainly Canadian) personal facts:
* I saw The Beatles when I was 12. All I remember is the screaming.
* In 1971 I walked away from a plane crash.
* Around the same time I met Pierre Elliot Trudeau at a political rally. Love him or hate him, the man oozed charisma.
* I met Isaac Asimov at a Convention in Toronto and PO’d him with my request to sign a book (sorry, no further details coming with that one). At the same Con I was mistaken for David Gerrold.
How did you end up writing for Heroes in Hell? It was through my friend Michael Hanson. I was writing for his ‘Sha’Daa’ series of books when he mentioned he was involved in the ‘to be resurrected’ ‘Heroes in Hell’ series. Being a fan of the original ‘Thieves World’, and specifically the character of Tempus Thales, I asked if he could mention my name if an opening in this by-invite-only anthology came up. The rest, as they say, is history.
How do you deal with writing in a shared universe? I had lots of experience with this concept before I came aboard. For several years I ran a series of collaborative ‘books’ based on the computer game Europa Universalis from Paradox Entertainment.
I was essentially a ‘dungeon master’ that guided over a dozen writers through a storyline I created based on elements of the game. It was very successful and a blast to do. It also gave me a chance to hone my craft, so to speak. This experience made fitting into the intricacies of the hell-world quite easy.
Why did you choose the characters you are using? Being a Canadian through and through, I thought this was the perfect chance to introduce some important historical characters from my country that most people probably never heard of, or knew little about. Though British, General James Wolfe was key in the formation of Canada, while I found his sickly character (he suffered from consumption) fascinating. Beyond that, there were some important military leaders like the Duke of Marlborough, Prince Eugene of Savoy, and Belisarius that screamed for attention.
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. I’ve been writing short stories for various publications for about a decade now. My work encompasses several genres, including fantasy, SF, horror, historical and alt-historical. My very first sale, ‘The
Marsh God’ was published in the late and lamented ‘Flashing Swords eZine’ and garnered recognition as Best Short SF & Fantasy story for that year. It was also adapted into a graphic novel. My latest story is ‘Hell-Hounds’, and appears in the recently released ‘Poets in Hell’.
Where do you find inspiration? Many of my story ideas come from history books and daily news. It’s amazing how often the phrase ‘I’m not making this up’ from some current news item will produce the germ of a story.
Do you have a favourite character? If so why? Arguably my favourite character is Mortlock the Footman, found in two anthologies from Rogue Blades Entertainment: ‘Return of the Sword’ and ‘Rage of the Behemoth’. Mortlock is my ‘everyman’, a person with a somewhat jaundiced view of the world. He’s a reluctant hero, no world saviour. He’s just happy to follow orders and live to see another day, though events usually conspire against him.
Have you ever used a person you don’t/didn’t like as a character then killed them off? No, but I’ve been awfully tempted. Doesn’t mean it won’t happen one of these days.
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 tend to go overboard with research. Especially with my historical pieces. The beauty of this is that it often leads me into areas of history I know little or nothing about. Then after compiling the research, the trick is to let that knowledge support the story and stay away from the dreaded infodump. Another advantage is discovering some obscure event that develops into a story idea.
Is there a message conveyed within your writing? Do you feel this is important in a book? Naw. I just like to tell a story with no ulterior motive.
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, solid plot, great world building, technically perfect. To me this is a natural progression. A solid plot is almost as important as great characters. I’ve read stories that had well defined characters and good world building but virtually no plot. Just a lot of wandering around.
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? I self edit, probably more than I should, but also rely on trusted people and editors to correct my glaring omissions and missteps.
Do you think indie/self-published authors are viewed differently to traditionally published authors? Why do you think this might be? Definitely, though I think the perception is slowly changing. I’ve read books from indie authors that were excellent, and books from the traditional authors that left a lot to be desired. A lot. The beauty of the indie scene is that it caters to many, many tastes, while I find the traditional publishers tend to jump aboard a flavour of the month and milk it to death.
Do you read work by self-published authors? All of the time.
Most authors like to read, what have you recently finished reading? Did you enjoy it? I recently completed ‘I, The Sun’ by Janet Morris. I have a fascination with the Hititte culture and this book fulfilled it in spades. Well researched and well written. Definitely recommended. I also completed ‘The King in Yellow’, by Robert W. Chambers. I had to thank the recent series ‘True Detective’ for turning me on to that one.
Can you name your favourite traditionally published author? And your favourite indie/self-published author? This depends on the genre, but for fantasy my favourite traditionally published author is Robert E. Howard. Those who know me will find that no surprise. I also enjoy Joe Abercrombie. For history I’ve always enjoyed the works of Nigel Trantor and Bernard Cornwall. SF is a bit harder, as I prefer hard- edged space opera to today’s watered down fare. I would have to go with Frank Herbert or maybe Larry Niven. Indie authors? Well, there’s Joe Bonadonna and Howard Andrew Jones to name a couple.
Do you have a favourite movie? No, but I have a top ten list. Again, it depends on the genre.
Do you have any pets? I have two dogs. Haley, a shar-pei, and Maggie Q, a Brussels Griffon.
Book links, website/blog and author links:
Website: brucedurham.ca
Amazon Author Link: amazon.com/Bruce-Durham/e/B004NMV5HS
I am also on Goodreads and Facebook.
August 19, 2014
Author Interview Number Sixty – Laurel A Rockefeller revisited – Sci-fi/Historical
I’d like to welcome back author Laurel A. Rockefeller
Please recap briefly about your books. What has changed since you last visited? Tell us your news! A lot has happened since we last spoke thirteen months ago. For one, it has now been two years since I released the first edition of The Great Succession Crisis (“GSC”) which I have since taken out of print in favour of the extended edition from January, 2013.
Also when last we spoke, I had just released the QR interactive editions on both GSC and its sequel, The Ghosts of the Past (“Ghosts”).
Today, those are still the only two Peers of Beinan Series novels, but in 2014 I added to the series two novellas (The Poisoned Ground and Good-bye A672E92 Quintus), another companion book (The Lost Tales), and the flash fiction story, “The First King.”
In March, I started a new series of short biographies for the entire family called “The Legendary Women of World History” (LWWH). LWWH came about when I discovered that over 95% of Americans cannot name even ten women from history – including contemporary British royals.
LWWH aims to inspire and educate with the true stories of women who have made a difference, offering positive role models to girls and young women especially. I researched, wrote, and published book one “Boudicca: Britain’s Queen of the Iceni” in March. Book two “Catherine de Valois” came out in June, just as audio production on Boudicca with gifted UK actor Richard Mann commenced. I am pleased to announce to everyone that by the first week of September, “Boudicca” will be live on audible, itunes, and listed with its kindle edition on Amazon websites worldwide.
Finally, Yahoo discontinued Yahoo Voices in July. Across the last five years I wrote around 160 articles for YV. Across July, I transferred the best of that content to my new blog, http://peersofbeinan.wordpress.com/ where I also have some really nice posts designed to guide independent authors through ACX.
Do you think indie/self-published authors are viewed differently to traditionally published authors? Why do you think this might be? I think this is starting to change over the last few months. A year ago I believed that traditional published authors had a credibility edge. It is interesting that Fifty Shades of Grey has helped independent authors by showing that traditional published books can be poorly written and very poorly edited. Traditional published works no longer have this edge.
What they do seem to have over independent authors is access to marketing resources. Traditional publishers have their own little cliques, a network that they work with, that is more difficult for independent authors to access.
Do you read work by self-published authors? Sometimes. Most of what I read is non-fiction as part of my research for my books. So if I find a great independent non-fiction writer writing on a subject I’m researching, I absolutely will look at the work.
What are your opinions about authors commenting on reviews? How important are reviews? Commenting on reviews rarely works in the author’s favour – not that I was not tempted when a UK reviewer gave Boudicca only three stars simply because the book (which is typically found under juvenile fiction or non-fiction) is short. Yes, that bothered me because I think it was not fair to pick on a children’s or young adult book for being focused on the needs of that demographic.
I didn’t post a comment however because the point of reviews is to offer honest opinions, opinions I am bound to disagree with sometimes. Readers too can see through critical reviews or fewer stars, deciding for themselves if they think the review’s remarks are appropriate or biased.
How helpful reviews are really depends on the review. Ultimately, it’s a matter of trusting the process and trusting your readers to recognize quality
When buying a book do you read the reviews? Always.
Looking back what do you wish you’d known when you started writing? Ask questions before you sign a contract or agreement of any type and don’t agree to anything until you fully understand everything. There is a lot of fine print and dizzying legal jargon in these things that most of us have difficulty understanding in full. But if you don’t read and fully understand it all – or you just forget some of the finer points—it can really get you.
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? As a teenager I wrote a lot of fan fiction. When I found those again on a visit back to Nebraska to my mother’s house, I promptly destroyed all of them, along with my diaries from my teen years.
What I have kept are most of my poems dating back to the 1980s & 1990s. I also have both my student screenplay called “Daughter of Starlight” (based on my Dungeon’s and Dragons character – the last time I really wrote fantasy) and my student one act play, “HuangDi Eve” which was written before I took any Chinese history classes or studied Chinese language at the University of Nebraska. Both I hope will never see the light of day – but I might trust a close friend to flip through.
How have you progressed as a writer since you started? If you asked me to write another story like “The Great Succession Crisis” I honestly do not think I would be able to do it. GSC was written when I still held onto young adult romantic notions of happily ever after and the perfect, archetypal knight in shining armour. When I wrote its sequel, Ghosts of the Past, I had to access memories of a very dark time in my life. The writing process literally gave me nightmares the entire time I wrote that book as I confronted memories of unspeakable violence that I had long repressed from my childhood. I witnessed the murders of five or six other little girls sometime before the age of five along with the violence personally directed at me. Though the memories allowed me to create the dark, supernatural villains that readers really love about the book, I think going there in my mind took away some of my innocence and maybe some of my optimism regarding the intentions of other people towards me.
That said, I noticed my romantic heart still feels hope—the things that King Prasutagus says to Boudicca, the way that they love each other before his early death (no spoilers; you will just have to read and/or listen to the audio edition of “Boudicca” yourself) reflect what part of me still believes is ahead of me in my life. I believe in love, in the magic of true love’s kiss – even though I’ve never been honourably kissed in my life.
What aspect of writing do you least enjoy? Why might this be? I would rather write than promote, actually. I don’t like messing with contracts, legalese, and so forth and look forward to the day when I can just write then hand off the rest of the process to an agent and/or marketing firm. I’ve located a PR firm I really like in London and cannot wait for the day when I can delegate all the PR and marketing to them. I write; they promote! Problem solved!
What are your views on authors offering free books? Funny you ask that because all SIX active Peers of Beinan Series books are free on Smashwords through 31st August, 2014 with just one – the flash fiction story “The First King” permanently free.
To a lot of people this sounds nuts – why give away my hallmark series in full? Well let’s be clear: this is a two week free book promotion exclusively on Smashwords. On September 1st, everything goes back to regular prices.
The promotion is just that: a promotion designed to celebrate reaching the two year mark as a self-published author. It’s also all about back to school and my support of schools and school libraries. Literacy is important. With nearly all my titles age appropriate for the entire family, this is my way of helping families get their children and teens reading. So download all six books on Smashwords at https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/2371, then check out my other books on my author profiles on Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/LARAmazon) and Smashwords (http://tinyurl.com/smashLAR).
In other words, it really does matter whether free is permafree or if it’s a promotional offer. The reason why The First King is free is because it is flash fiction and because it offers readers a no-strings-attached introduction to the Peers of Beinan Universe.
The First King is also set right in the middle of the novella Good-bye A672E92 Quintus (written later and structured to accommodate The First King as a separate title), so I’m hoping that readers downloading the story will enjoy it enough to want to read what happens before and after the action.
Do you have a favourite movie? Since my sight is limited, I prefer to watch movie adaptations to help me decide if I want to commit my limited visual resources to reading a book. I actually aspire to bring Good-bye A672E92 Quintus to youtube as a short film if the people I’m interested in hiring for the film are interested and have the technical abilities to handle the futuristic, science fiction elements to the story. So keep watching! I may pop up on the dying planet in a cameo!
As for existing films, I really enjoy a short film starring Richard Mann called “Shot in the Forest” (http://youtu.be/k2gPq5W4k0M). More commercially, I love a lot of biography films like “The Iron Lady,” “Lady Jane,” “Luther,” and the classic “That Hamilton Woman” starring Vivian Leigh and husband Laurence Oliver. I also love musicals and film adaptations of Broadway shows like Les Misérables, Chicago, Mamma Mia, Moulin Rouge, Holiday Inn, A Star Is Born (Judy Garland), and so forth.
If your book was produced as a film who would you like to see play the lead? Richard Mann, of course!
Seriously, sometime in June I stumbled upon a black/white photo of Mr. Mann from a professional website for actors. To my shock, Mr. Mann looked EXACTLY what I’d pictured in my head for Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar from the Peers of Beinan Series. Completely uncanny resemblance! So to me, Mr. Mann is the only person who can play that character.
If Good-Bye A672E92 Quintus is produced, as I very much desire, I also want to cast Mr. Mann as the lead, Lord Malvyn.
Of course it is also my desire to continue to work with Mr. Mann on more audio books. I actually wrote some of Catherine de Valois with Mr. Mann’s voice and abilities in mind. For example, knowing now that he fronts the tribute band “Rolling Stones Now” as Mick gave me the confidence to put music into Catherine’s story; she sings “Veni, Veni Emmanuel” one Christmas morning. Hearing him sing that is likely to be amazing if the videos from RSN concerts are any indicator..
What are your plans for the future? When will we see your next book? Tell us about it. Keep writing, of course! I really want to do more audio editions over the next twelve months with Mr. Mann because he is so talented and conveys my literary visions skilfully. As a low vision person, I tend to close my eyes when I listen to a book so I can really attend to the voice. His is the voice that I most enjoy listening to of all the narrators I’ve heard.
Beyond that, I really want to travel to England in 2015 on a sort of working holiday for my writing—and of course, finally meet in person my British friends. I also aspire to immigrate to the United Kingdom once I satisfy the requirements for doing so—hopefully very soon because I love England so much and feel this inevitable pull to be where so much history happened, history I am sure most people born and raised in the United Kingdom never learned.
Next book? Make that BOOKS!
I have FOUR books in process right now! Ambitious, I know!
Princess Anyu Returns (part three of the Legacy of Princess Anlei Trilogy) is still on hold, in part because I’m meticulous about my world building and need to do more research with it. The other reason for the delay is that I’ve re-written it about eight times and is one reason for the Lost Tales volume where I offer readers material that did NOT make it into the book. I haven’t been idle with the book; just picky about the direction the story goes and picky about the quality of my writing.
Book three of the Legendary Women of World History Series is about Empress Wu Zetian, the only woman to rule China in her own right. I hope to finish this before the end of the year. The prologue is already written, set in 1861 in the British Concession in Beijing.
A third series focusing on American history is in the works. I am currently working on (tentatively titled) Charlotte’s Vote which is about the women’s suffrage movement and told through the life of Charlotte Woodward Pierce, the only signee at the Seneca Falls Convention (1848) to survive to see women cast their ballots in 1920, even though she herself was too ill to vote.
Finally, I’m working on a non-fiction book called “American Poverty: Why America’s Treatment of the Poor Undermines Its Authority as a World Power.” This is a somewhat intentionally controversial look at poverty in America. Controversial because for many Americans, a frank talk about poverty is taboo. Somehow the 99% are not supposed to mind their living conditions nor want things to be better.
This book is structured in three parts. Part one is a collection of five essays, most of them written for and published by Yahoo Voices, looking at real experiences living in poverty. In part two, I take each essay and offer analysis and suggestions for how we can make the key issue (like empathy and prejudice against the poor) better for those living in similar situations. Finally part three looks at the larger issue of how parts one and two affect how people in other countries look at the United States and the whole question of America’s sphere of influence. This is of course a hot-button issue and the one that really set this book into motion in early August 2014 after watching it debated on NBC’s “Meet The Press.” So I’m jumping in feet first and really hoping to get a serious international dialogue going. As I always say, “we can and must do better.”
I hope to release American Poverty by the end of October at the absolute latest.
Finally and more personally, I plan on playing with my cockatiels (I have a new baby bird named Arwen), watching some great BBC programs I’ve found, and getting to know my friends and colleagues across the Pond better. I want to immigrate, earn UK citizenship, buy a nice house with a garden, and enjoy all that life has to offer—live theatre included. And of course, I want to see Rolling Stones Now in concert. I think that would be a gas, so to speak, lots of fun!
Find Laurel here:
Amazon author page: http://tinyurl.com/LARAmazon
Smashwords author page: http://tinyurl.com/smashLAR
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Laurel-A-Rockefeller
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/laurelarockefeller
The Peers of Beinan Series website: http://www.peersofbeinan.com/
The Legendary Women of World History website:
http://www.legendarywomenbooks.com/
Social Media:
pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/peersofbeinan/
twitter: https://twitter.com/laurelworlds
facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/legendarywomenofworldhistory
https://www.facebook.com/PeersOfBeinan
youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYzZwv6hhUwZ2vramRL6ogucFNmknMpR
August 17, 2014
Featured Author: Stan Morris
Here’s a great interview with Stan Morris.
Originally posted on Magic, Dragons, and Other Fantastical Reads:
ABOUT STANI’m Stan Morris. I was born in Linwood, California, and was raised in Norwalk and Concord, California. In 1972, I moved to New Mexico. I met a girl at college in 1975, set out to score, succeeded, and have been married to her since 1977. She taught elementary Special Education in Texas for five years, and then we moved to Maui. We have two grown boys, both gainfully employed, thank goodness. My wife had the career and I had the job, so I worked at a variety of those before developing a computer business in the late 1980’s. Now we are retired and living on a farm. I garden, watch sports, listen to music, read, and write. I don’t make much money at it, so occasionally I have to ask my wife for my allowance.
The books I have written include Surviving the Fog, Surviving the Fog-Kathy’s Recollections
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Sunday Surprise
Here’s an interview with my friend and fellow author Laurel A Rockefeller, she’s also visited Library of Erana so please check her out here.
Originally posted on creative barbwire (or the many lives of a creator):
And it’s a guest! Remember I said about the Author of the Month? Well, here she is! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Laurel A. Rockfeller! :D
Where do you live and write from?
Perhaps stereotypically, I am a wandering artist. I was born, raised, and educated in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA where I received my bachelor of arts from the University of Nebraska in stage/film writing via integrated studies, psychology, and history. From there I’ve wandered all over United States. I presently and very temporarily live in western Pennsylvania which I hope to leave in coming months.
By 2016, I plan to immigrate to the United Kingdom and southern England in particular. I write dramatized history and recognize the benefit to my writing that comes from walking the places where my histories actually happened.
I need each of you to help me make that happen.
I will most certainly welcome…
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Amazon now Allows Pre-orders to Authors
News on Amazon preorders
Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:
A month ago, I published Mad Water, the third book in my epic fantasy series Pearseus. I had announced the imminent publication on social media and to my friends. A lot of them asked me if they could pre-order the book.
“I’m afraid Amazon doesn’t support pre-orders,” I had to explain, to my dismay.
Which is why I am so excited to announce that it now does! I came across the good news the other day, and knew I had to share with you.
According to the Amazon website, you can now make your new books available for pre-order in Kindle Stores worldwide. Setting a pre-order allows customers to order your book as early as 90 days before your book’s release date. When you make your book available for pre-order, customers can order the book anytime leading up to the release date you set and it will be delivered to…
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August 16, 2014
Book Review – The Gates of Hell – C.J Cherryh and Janet Morris – Fantasy/Historical
The Gates of Hell – C.J Cherryh and Janet Morris
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Gates-Hell-C-Cherryh/dp/0671655922
4 stars.
I picked this up in print, intrigued, as I loved Rogues in Hell and I am trying to get through all the Heroes in Hell books. Gates of Hell is the second of the series – and a novel not an anthology. It is a lot of fun.
Where else would one find Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Machiavelli and a whole host of characters from ancient times, medieval times and modern times trying to escape together from Hell, armed with tanks, ancient weapons, Uzis and cavalry? The ancient and modern seamlessly woven together as if it was perfectly natural to consider Julius Caesar riding a Jeep.
For me it was a game of spot the ancient hero and the historical figure. There are many egos among the players and of course, being Hell, not all goes to plan and that plan itself has more twists and turns than the every changing river of Hell. Apparently there is a way out of Hell if only one can find it. Or so the rumour is. A rumour in hell? That will not end well.
There was humour, adventure, great characters, rogues and heroes and a wonderfully crafted universe. Each character has his or her own agenda – Julius believes Alexander and Achilles are part of him, Hatshepsut the female Pharoah wants a kingdom, Alexander wants, among other things his dead lover and the others – well that would be telling. This is a complex story with alliances and betrayal at every turn. They have their memories, their prejudices and their affiliations. Lies abound.
In places perhaps it was too convoluted – and keeping track of what everyone was doing makes the brain flip, but that too is fun. Such an adventure is not for the faint hearted or those who want an easy, simple read. The ending leads to a cliff-hanger – and thus on to the next in the series.
If you can get your hands on this, which is out of print but can be sourced, I’d recommend it for fans of fantasy, adventure and historical fiction.
Donny Swords Interviews Janet Morris
Great interview from Janet Morris!
Originally posted on sacredbander:
http://mishanoamy.blogspot.com/2014/03/interviews-from-void-janet-morris.html?fb_action_ids=760363107339151&fb_action_types=og.likes
Interviews from the Void: Janet Morris
Interviews from the Void: Janet Morris
Greetings, Donny here:
T
his interview is a dream come true for me. Janet Morris is here to answer some questions from the Void. Janet has been an author since the early 70’s and has inspired many authors with her prolific prose since her first series, “
Silistra
.” She is infamous for her contributions to “Thieves World” has written novels that live and breathe better than humans do, spanning across genres with a masterful skill unparalleled by most, and unlike any. Her recent novel “
Outpassage
” is receiving avid 
praise, while her “
Sacred Band of Stepsons
” series continues to prove that well-told tales of heroes, deities, love, war and steel do not have to be tired attempts to copy greats like Robert E. Howard, rather she takes off where he left off……
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