A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 191
June 22, 2014
June 21, 2014
Author Interview Number Fifty-Three – Margaret Skea – Historical
Welcome to Margaret Skea
Where are you from and where do you live now? I was born in Ulster and grew up there at the height of the Troubles, but have lived in Scotland for the last thirty years. (Oops, giving away my age there.)
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. My debut novel Turn of the Tide is historical fiction set in Scotland around the Tudor period, but I also write short stories and most of them are contemporary, though often set as distant from me in location as my novel is in time.
Where do you find inspiration? For the short stories inspiration is all around – a snippet of conversation overheard, a building, a news item, personal experience.
Do you have a favourite character? If so why? Kate Munro, the wife of my main character in TotT, who was great fun to write.
I was speaking at a Book Group last Saturday (they’d just read TotT) and one of the folk asked me if I was Kate Munro? And though I’d never thought of it before, if I am that would explain why I like her!
Do you have a character you dislike? If so why? Definitely William Cunninghame – the primary villain, and thoroughly obnoxious. (But also great fun to write!)
Are your characters based on real people? In TotT all the characters apart from the main character and his immediate family were real people, which makes it a challenge to write about them.
Have you ever used a person you don’t/didn’t like as a character then killed them off? I wish…one of the problems of using real people is that they can’t be killed off until they actually died. Lots of readers have said they’d like to see me kill off William, but sadly I can’t at the moment.
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 research and yes, I need lots of it, the only problem is it’s also a wonderful displacement activity, when I’m bogged down in the actual writing. My all-time favourite resource is a set of books called Domestic Annals of Scotland from the Reformation to the Revolution. That may sound boring but they aren’t. They are chock full of snippets of information that range from the trivial to the really important, all taken from records of the time – they are great for solving plot problems and for checking what was possible in an earlier time.
Is there a message conveyed within your writing? Do you feel this is important in a book? There is, but I hope I carry it lightly. My book is all about the difficulties of living within conflict, the problems of diverse loyalties, the pressures it puts on families and relationships and so on. The dilemmas my main character faces are very similar to those faced by 1000s of people all around the world today.
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…) 1. Great characters. 2 equal Solid plot / Great world-building. Technical perfection is an impossible dream, hence it comes last, though I’m not sure if I’d really enjoy a book that was perfect, it might be the Barbie doll of fiction. I put character first because if readers aren’t made to care for your characters they won’t read on. The plot needs also to grab and keep attention and it’s really important that readers are transported into your world.
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? E Books and print.
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? I’m fortunate in that although I am published by a small press they did provide editorial input. I think the book is better as a result.
Do you think indie/self-published authors are viewed differently to traditionally published authors? Why do you think this might be? I think they used to be and still are to some extent, but things are changing. There are poorly written traditionally published books and poorly written self published books, but perhaps because it s relatively easy to do now, there are more of the latter.
Do you read work by self-published authors? Yes, most definitely. I judge a book, not by its cover but by the opening extract available on Amazon.
I don’t care who has published it.
What are your opinions about authors commenting on reviews? How important are reviews? I’ve never commented on a review publicly, nor would I. If it’s good then I hope the writer will know that I’ll be pleased, and if it’s bad it’s best not to give it too much attention. People’s tastes differ and no-one can write to please the entire reading public.
AS for importance, I think they are really important in establishing a reader-base and finding new readers, but it’s very hard as a debut author to get lots of reviews. My book is in the final of the People’s Book Prize and there are over 100 comments on that site. If only some of the folk who posted those comments would review on Amazon it would make such a difference.
When buying a book do you read the reviews? I do, but as I said the extract is the most important thing for me.
What are your reviews on authors reviewing other authors? As a reader I think I should be able to review other books as anyone else can, the fact that I’m also a writer shouldn’t debar me from reviewing. But I certainly wouldn’t nor shouldn’t be able to trade’ reviews with another writer.
What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers?
Make sure you really want to do this – it isn’t an easy option.
Persevere – as the old saying goes – Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Edit and edit again (and again) ruthlessly, until it is as good as you can make it, and then put it out to the scrutiny of others.
What are your views on authors offering free books? I’m not sure about free, but promotions are a great idea – I wish I had the freedom to do this.
Can you give us a silly fact about yourself? Once, on the way home from the library carrying several hardback books, I thought I saw a friend ahead of me. I ran up and walloped her on the head with the books. When she turned round, reeling from the impact – you’ve guessed it – I didn’t know her at all! Thankfully she took it in good part and she turned out to be a cousin of the person I had thought she was.
Book links, website/blog and author links:
Turn of the Tide is now available http://tiny.cc/kli0ow
Visit my webpage http://margaretskea.com
Find me on FB http://www.facebook.com/TurnoftheTide.Novel
New: Historical Short Story just out in the HNS anthology Beggar at The Gate http://tiny.cc/tkgj4w
Author Interview Number Fifty-Two – Barbara G. Tarn
Welcome to Barbara G.Tarn
Where are you from and where do you live now? I’m Italian and I’m still stuck in this third world country, hoping to move to a saner place soon.
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. I write mostly SFF, but I label my fantasy “adult unconventional” since I don’t follow the usual tropes of the genre. It’s not a BISAC category, so I usually choose the Fantasy – General category when I publish, since it’s not Epic, Paranormal nor Urban and I can never find a specific sub-category for my stories. Is it High Fantasy because it’s set on a secondary world? I have no idea…
Are your characters based on real people? They have real people’s faces (I call it my “virtual cast”), but I use them as actors (in fact my muses are both actors, I like imagining new roles for them). I might squeeze in a real thing or two here and there, but mostly I like to make up stuff. Having a clear and known face in mind helps me visualize the story, though.
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 started writing fantasy precisely because I was too lazy to do research and write historical novels. But then I discovered researching wasn’t so bad – especially with Saint Google at hand – so now I try to check if there’s something on the internet about what I’m thinking and then elaborate on that. Still to be improved: writing action scenes, realistic injuries and descriptions. I find them boring, and think they’d bore the reader too, so I tend to skip them. But with some research that helps me visualize better whatever I’m trying to say, I improve my stories. I now have a very long calendar for the history of Silvery Earth, so it’s just minor things that need to be checked from time to time.
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. I’m a storyteller, not a wordsmith. As long as there’s a story and it’s clear, with no plot holes and other inconsistencies, I don’t fuss about words and sentences.
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? e-book mostly, especially the shorter works. There is a POD version for novels or anthologies. I might add more p-books in the future and do a-books whenever I figure out how to do them from Italy, but so far I’m selling only e-books, so I don’t know. I’d rather be off writing, you know?
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? I self-edit after I receive feedback from beta-readers and then send to a native editor/proofreader since I don’t write in my mother tongue. I don’t know what other authors do, but I’ve found badly written books next to wonderfully written books – and I didn’t bother asking each author who did the editing and proofreading. I overlook typos with indie and self-publishers, but when it’s a publishing house, it makes me wonder if they even did an editing or just put out the manuscript as received!
Do you read work by self-published authors? My time is so limited that I tend to read only indie and self-published authors lately – except now that I’m checking the Hugo nominees, better keep an eye on trad publishing, right?
When buying a book do you read the reviews? Nope. And I don’t read reviews on mine (or pretend not to).
What are your reviews on authors reviewing other authors? I used to review what I read if I would give it 3 or more stars. But after a discussion with an author I gave up the review thing. At the end of the year I make a list of the 5 stars books I’ve read and I contact the author for a guest post or interview if I really enjoyed his/her book.
What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers? Apply butt in chair and write. Learn the rules (technique) so you can blend or break them knowingly. Be persistent.
Most authors like to read, what have you recently finished reading? Did you enjoy it? I’m reading the Hugo nominees and no, I’m not enjoying any of them. I haven’t found a five-star read yet. Makes me worry that my tastes are far removed from the market, it’s going to be hard to find my readers! :(
Book links, website/blog and author links:
Barbara G.Tarn
Website/Blog/Author pages etc.
blog: http://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barb-aka-Barbara-GTarn/175559797281
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4717133.Barbara_G_Tarn
Author Central http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-G.Tarn/e/B0050P0R2G
Where to find everything (although the i-bookstore link seems to be broken):
http://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/where-to-find-my-stuff/
Silvery Earth (adult unconventional fantasy): http://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/silvery-earth-chronology/
Star Minds (science fantasy): http://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/star-minds/
The Invisible Writer
Yup, I’d agree with this.
Originally posted on Still Writing:
An American-style crossword with a 15 15 grid layout. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hey Writers! Do you feel invisible? Misunderstood? Do your friends and relatives know what you’re doing with your life? Do they think you’re some kind of dilettante? I know it’s not just me, because I’ve heard other writers complain about the same things. What am I talking about? Well, in the past two weeks, the following incidents occurred:
1. I told a friend, someone I’ve known over half my life, that a collection of my short stories is being published as an e-book. She asked, “Which stories? You wrote some stories?” (The 11 stories in the upcoming collection were written over the past 3 decades. Some were published in literary magazines.)
2. Another long-time friend read one of the posts on my blog because he wanted information on the particular topic it addressed. Afterwards he sent me…
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June 18, 2014
Character Interview Number Twenty-Three Kilig the Sword
Welcome to Kilig
Name (s) Kilig the Sword (birth name: Karuna)
Age: 30ish
Please tell us a little about yourself. I was fifth of ten children, exploited by my own father until Acharya Saif saved me from my life in the slums. Hence Karuna the Sorrowful became Kilig the Sword.
Describe your appearance in 10 words or less. A dark-haired brooding beau.
Do you have a moral code? If so what is it? I’m an assassin, and we do have a moral code: never hurt women or children. And we don’t use poisons. We’re honorable men (and a few women).
Would you kill for those you love? I kill for a living, but mostly the undeserving – abusive husbands, unjust men of power…
Would you die for those you love? Absolutely. My life is worthless without them.
What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses? I’m strong and determined and a pro – a senior member of the Assassins’ Guild of Godwalkar – my only weakness is my heart. When I fall in love, I fall really hard.
Do you have any relationships you prize above others? Why The first was with Acharya Saif, who trained me and helped me to become an assassin. I thought we’d live happily ever after, but after only two years he dumped me to raise a son he never knew he had. And when he died, fifteen years later, he bestowed his son on me. So now Hakeem stole my heart, like his father did, and I’m in trouble again.
Do you have a family? Tell us about them. Of those ten children, only two survived besides me. And my brother reminds me too much of my father – we haven’t talked in years. I see my sister when I can, my cousins even less. My new family is the Assassins’ Guild, I guess…
Please give us a little information about the world in which you live. I was born in the slums of Godwalkar, former capital of the Kingdom of Gajendra, five years after the last king was killed. It’s a very mixed town since the underground people, who call themselves the Genn, joined us as regular citizens. It’s a big city, built at the crossing of two rivers and surrounded by hills, and then forest and mountains to the north, a plain to the south-east and up to the coast. It is now a city-state with a town council run by the Genn.
Does your world have religion or other spiritual beliefs? If so do you follow one of them? Please describe (briefly) how this affects your behaviour. Each country or city-state has its own religion, but most of the Humans are polytheists. I heard up north someone is preaching a single god, but personally I don’t believe in any. None of them helped me during my childhood, so I stopped believing.
Do you travel in the course of your adventures? If so where? I go on assignments for my Guild, and I’ve been as far as Jevina, another former capital of a kingdom that is no more. I’ve never been to the place that gave birth to the Assassins’ Guild some centuries ago, though. Agharek is too far south, and has its own version of the guild – our founder came from there, but he changed the rules a little.
Does your world have magic? If so how is it viewed in your world? Humans are pretty hopeless, but if they mate with members of the Magical Races, they can be very powerful. I don’t know the source of their magic, and in spite of having a half-blood friend, I have no idea of how it works – and neither has she, I’m afraid!
Does your world have different races of people? If so do they get on with one another? The Humans have different colors of skin or eyes or hair, but they differ only in their culture, that sometimes clashes even if they’re – for example – all blond and blue-eyed (I’ve heard in the north the Varians and the Blackmores are tearing each other apart in an endless war, and they have the same origin. In the south we’ve been at peace for a long time, in spite of the fall of all our kings).
Does your world have any supernatural/mystical beings? Please tell us about some. We have the Magical Races. So far only the Genn seem to be able to live with us – and through them we can sight Sila from time to time. I once helped kill a half-Fajrulo, but they’re shape shifters, so who knows if and how many are among us. I’ve never seen a Waiora. The Genn are Ether’s people, the Sila are Air’s, the Waiora Water’s and the Fajrulo Fire’s (Humans are Earth’s in case you were wondering). They believe our world is under the supervision of five Immortals, the aforementioned elements. Being a non-believer myself, I’ll let you be the judge on who’s right. They claim it’s fact, not religion, but who knows…
Author notes:
Book(s) in which this character appears plus links
Saif’s Legacy (also included in the anthology Male Lovers of Silvery Earth – Kilig and Hakeem are on the cover there as well)
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/385653
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Saifs-Legacy-Barbara-G-Tarn-ebook/dp/B00H5RVNYS
Amazon.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Saifs-Legacy-Barbara-G-Tarn-ebook/dp/B00H5RVNYS
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en/ebook/saif-s-legacy
Apple US: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id776870421
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saifs-legacy-barbara-gtarn/1117635574?ean=2940148864189
Kilig will be featured in Guisarme, submitted to Wyrd Worlds II, out sometime in September. In the fall the rest of his story will be published, first a prequel, Saif&Kilig, then Kilig’s Heart. The print version will be available when the story is complete.
Author name
Barbara G.Tarn
Website/Blog/Author pages etc.
blog: http://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barb-aka-Barbara-GTarn/175559797281
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4717133.Barbara_G_Tarn
Author Central http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-G.Tarn/e/B0050P0R2G
Where to find everything (although the i-bookstore link seems to be broken):
http://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/where-to-find-my-stuff/
June 16, 2014
Indie Collaborations Presents… Summer Shorts
Well here we go again…. another great anthology from the Indie Collaboration, a group of authors who met on Facebook and have decided to produce several anthologies of short stories for your reading pleasure, for free where possible. Mixed genre there should be something for everyone. The latest offering is Summer Shorts, with a mix of fantasy, poetry, dark fiction, horror, sci-fi and general literature.
In this I have a poem about the glorious, and often rainy British Summer Time, and a funny fairy-tale type story – the Kitchen Imps.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/448685
The book will also be available on Amazon and the Smashwords associate stores shortly.
To date we have:
Tales from Dark Places: A Halloween Collection
Yuletide Tales: A Christmas Collection
Kiss and Tales: A Romantic Collection
Snips, Snails and Puppy Dog Tales: A Children’s Collection
Summer Shorts.
This year will also (hopefully) see a sci-fi/fantasy collection and a second horror themed one.
Please check these out and support Indies!
June 15, 2014
Meet My Character Blog Tour
I have been invited by JC Mells to participate in this blog tour, discussing a character from a work in progress or recently published work.
JC is the author of the Pierced Series.
Website/blog: http://www.jcmells.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/J-C-Mells/428567953902490?ref=hl
Do check out her blog to learn about her characters and those of the other authors involved. This is going to be an ongoing blog tour so follow the chain to find some wonderful new friends.
*****
Here are the questions to answer about a main character from a WIP (work in progress) or recently published work:
1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?
The main character of my current Work in Progress is Mirandra Var, she is a female troll, and daughter of the shaman. I guess that makes her a troll princess. Troll society is matriarchal so the women are in charge. She is, of course, fictional.
2) When and where is the story set?
The novels are all set in the fictional fantasy world of Erana, which is a medieval-style world, loosely based on Europe at the time. In the context of the books this is set roughly 18-24 months after the events of book I and several months after the events of book II.
3) What should we know about him/her?
Mirandra is a half-troll. Although to all intents and purposes she counts as a full-blood troll. As I said the Trollkind are matrilineal so it would be her mother’s line which is important. Mirandra is the daughter of the Shaman, Kherak, and her father is Lord Archos, Magelord of Tremellic, although this only comes to light in book II. She is young for a troll, about thirty one or so, when she leaves for her adventure – her Proving. Trolls are generally attractive, intelligent and cultured, unlike most of that race portrayed elsewhere. She is clever, brave, but she has doubts and fears like everyone else and this book is about her, her journey and what it means to be a Shaman.
4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
Mirandra is heir to her mother, but in order to rule she must undergo a Proving – a test or series of tests to prove she is worthy. These tend to be different for every Shamania – the heir apparent – and each one carries substantial risk. One of her ancestors was crippled and another died during the Proving. There is more to the adventure – some kin in the far hills are missing and Mirandra must discover what has become of her distant cousins. Not only that but they encounter unexpected hostility from the locals, creatures which should not exist and far more questions than answers. What is discovered and what is lost will be important in later books and the overarching plot of the series.
5) What is the personal goal of the character?
To survive her Proving, to find her kin, to lead her people wisely in the upheaval to come.
6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?
The Stolen Tower.
At present there is not much about that book on my blog but the series is listed. Once the first draft is finished I will post up a lot more.
7) When can we expect the book to be published?
By the end of 2014.
*****
Here are my quick links.
Bio: A.L Butcher is the British author of fantasy series The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles in which “a beautiful young elven sorceress flees for her life in a dark world where magic is forbidden and elves live as slaves.” Her books have been described as: “Dark” and “gritty” and that “The story is very much a romance at heart, with plenty of steamy graphic sex to keep erotica fans happy.” She also has several short stories published in fantasy and romance anthologies.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6430414.A_L_Butcher
Bitly: http://bit.ly/1kdyPZ7
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarkFantasyBeyondTheStorm
Bitly: http://on.fb.me/1oDoSKA
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alexandra-Butcher/e/B008BQFCC6/
Bitly: http://amzn.to/1pvz33k
*****
Here are some examples of some participants who have already posted.
http://www.kimberleyclarknovels.com/index.php?option=com_joomblog&task=preview&id=21
http://www.matthewpetersbooks.com/meet-my-main-character-blog-tour
D. A. Rhine, author of Vampires of the Chesapeake, asked me to participate in this “Meet My Character Blog Tour”. Her books take place in the Chesapeake Bay area and each novel features a different vampire with a unique challenge and a new steamy relationship.
*****
Here are the authors I am tagging:
Laurel A. Rockefeller, historian and author of the medieval sci-fi series the Peers of Beinan and the Legendary Women of World History series. She also writes for Yahoo Voices on a range of topics.
http://peersofbeinan.wordpress.com/2014/06/11/meet-my-main-character-blog-tour-june-2014/
*****
Victoria Zigler
Website/Blog/Author pages etc:
Website: http://www.zigler.co.uk
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/toriz
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/toriz
Blog: http://ziglernews.blogspot.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Zigler/424999294215717
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/victoriazigler
*****
N. R Champagne
N. R. Champagne joined the U.S. Navy at age 25 and has been something of a gypsy since. She currently lives in Scotland with her husband and no kids, dogs, cats, or birds. She has always loved fantasy and science fiction and has been scribbling story ideas since childhood, but only now, at the midpoint of her life, has decided to become an author. Her first book, Prodigal Angel, is a paranormal romantic adventure about a woman who falls in love with a powerful immortal who is a descendant of the fallen angels, and all of the trouble it lands her in!
Website: www.nrchampagnebooks.com
Blog: http://bit.ly/1gOma49
Facebook: N.R. Champagne
Twitter: @NRChampagne1
*****
Dina Von Lowenkraft
Born in the US, Dina has lived on 4 continents, worked as a graphic
artist for television and as a consultant in the fashion industry.
Somewhere between New York and Paris she picked up an MBA and a black
belt – and still thinks the two are connected. Dina is currently the
Regional Advisor for SCBWI Belgium, where she lives with her husband,
two children, three horses and a cat.
website: http://www.dinavonlowenkraft.com/
FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dina-von-Lowenkraft/551209381555837
twitter: https://twitter.com/vonlowenkraft
goodreads book page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18043583-dragon-fire
pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vonlowenkraft/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Fire-ebook/dp/B00ECNEZ6
*****
Elizabeth Los, author of the Captain Hook Story Second on the Right
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorELos
*****
Thaddeus White
Links: Amazon US - http://www.amazon.com/Sir-Edrics-Temple-Adventures-Edric-ebook/dp/B00GCAF2CI/
Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sir-Edrics-Temple-Adventures-Edric-ebook/dp/B00GCAF2CI/
My site - http://thaddeuswhite.weebly.com/
My blog - http://thaddeusthesixth.blogspot.co.uk/
My Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorrisF1
Mini-bio:
Thaddeus White is an author of comedy and ‘serious’ fantasy, and has released three books to date.
He enjoys reading classical history and fantasy in his spare time, as well as watching and betting on Formula 1 (with mixed results).
Sir Edric’s Temple is his first comedy, and the second (Sir Edric’s Treasure) is well underway and will hopefully be released later this year.
June 14, 2014
Meet My Main Character Blog Tour — June 2014
My tour event will appear shortly but in the meantime here is one from Laurel, it is a great interview about her latest work.
Originally posted on The Peers of Beinan series on Word Press:
A few weeks ago Alexandra Butcher invited me to be involved with the Meet My Character Blog Tour. Basically she posts and tags several people and they tag others they know and so on. We discuss our own writing processes and pass the baton.
Artist concept of what Boudicca might have looked like.
1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person? My name is Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni. I was born among the Aedui tribe in Gaul of royal blood before escaping Roman slavery and crossing the strait to Britannia. I was one of the greatest heroines of the ancient world. 2) When and where is the story set? My story begins with my meeting of King Prasutagus of the Iceni in the city of Camulodunum (renamed “Chester” in the centuries since my death) which was originally the capital of the Trinovante…
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June 11, 2014
Author Interview Number Fifty-One – Caleb Monroe – Sci-Fi
Welcome to Caleb Monroe
Where are you from and where do you live now? I currently live in Lake Charles, Louisiana and I have lived here for the last 13 years.
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. My book is called New Beginnings. It is the first book of The Quarantine Series that I started this year. This is my first attempt at writing anything, and I have always loved sci-fi so I went that direction with my series. I tried to make this book a story that felt something like an Indiana Jones’ adventure with my characters traveling around the world. Every stop they make helps to build towards the ending that will then set up the rest of the series.
Where do you find inspiration? I would have to say that most of my inspiration comes from either comic books or watching sci-fi movies. The other area would be the books I have read in the past few years. I have been reading a lot of young adult fiction books and I wanted to write something that was not really being written about right now.
Do you have a favourite character? If so why? In my book there is a character named Clark Smalls. He is probably my favourite character because in my book I took a chapter to tell a good amount of the story from his perspective. It let me take a small chapter to really get into his head and let the readers see what makes him who he is. Clark is a very important character for the story and I loved writing him into situations that would drive the story.
Do you have a character you dislike? If so why? Roger Biggs. He is a real jerk and I hope that everyone hates him.
Are your characters based on real people? The only character that is based on a real person is my main character, Ben Callder. Since the story is written in first person I got a chance to really put my personality into Ben every time he thought or spoke to another character. I hope that this makes him more relatable to the readers. I wanted people to read this and feel like they were reading this story from a real person’s point of view. There were times when reading through it that I thought maybe the reader doesn’t need to know that they are thinking this, but I want this book to feel like a real person is living this story. I wanted to give a lot of details into how they think so that what they do makes since.
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 spent countless hours researching for my book. Since my characters go to a lot of famous places I took the time to find out everything I could about these places. My book is based in our reality and on our Earth so I wanted to make sure that everything was represented correctly so that people knew this was not a fictional version of Earth. I want the readers to experience the reality of these locations that my characters go to on their journey. I would find out how long a plane flight would take to get from each site and also what kind of transportations were available from the airport that my characters landed at in each country. I would even look up examples of names for each region my characters travelled to in the story. Even though I wrote a sci-fi book I want this to be grounded in our reality.
Is there a message conveyed within your writing? Do you feel this is important in a book? The subtitle to my book is: Choose the World or Choose Your World? As you read through the first book you will see that this is the most important message in the book. This question is going to shape the whole series.
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…)
Solid Plot, 2. Great characters, 3. Great world-building. 4. Technically sound
Like you said, all of these are important. I really believe that if your plot is bad then there is no chance you can build a book or story around it to get people interested in or make them want to read your book. For my writing process coming up with a plot directly gave me the next two things I listed. I think that plot dictates what kind of direction your characters go and where they live in your book. I knew from day one what was going to happen at the end of each book I am going to write for the series. I let that determine how I designed and crafted my characters personalities and thoughts so that they could grow and eventually fulfil the destiny that I have for them. The world that they operate in also came from the fact that my plot was based on the Earth and time we live in right now. The reason I put technically sound last is because this is my first book and to be honest I am very weak when it comes to grammar. I paid someone to proofread my book for me because I know how bad I am with grammar. I did make a mistake in not getting it proofread twice though. That is something I will have to deal with for my book and I am a little embarrassed that I did not put more emphasis on the technically sound aspect of my book. That being said, I do not think that there are the types of errors that will make reading the book impossible or unenjoyable. I just know that there will be a few small ones.
In what formats are your books available? (E-books, print, large print audio) Are you intending to expand these and if not, what is the reason? My book is available in E-book format only. This is only because I self-published the book and did not have the money to put it in print. I would love to make this book available in all forms and maybe one day I will be able to.
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? I self-edited this book for two reasons: The first is I did not have the money on me to get a professional book editor to do it for me. Like I said earlier I did have someone proofread the book but only once. This proof-reader also gave me some ideas to help me with editing the book. The second is that I know what direction the whole series is going in and I want to make sure that it stays on the right path. Now even though I am saying this, if I had the money I would have gotten it professionally edited. I know that there will be a few mistakes in my book, but I think that those mistakes will be found in the grammar. I believe that the plot is good with not holes in it, but I should have gotten it proofread again to make sure all the mistakes were out of the book.
What experiences can a book provide that a movie or video game cannot? Being a nerd, I love going to see movies and playing video games. However, I feel like books are the best way to really get to know a character. A great story will pull you in but if you are not able to really understand the motives behind the characters then the story falls flat in the end. Some of the best parts in a book to me are when you get a chance to see a character’s thought process. I love seeing what drives a character and how they think. I took that and applied it to a few parts of my book so that the reader could get a chance to understand why characters are making these decisions and acting the way they are.
What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers?
Being a new writer myself I think that most important thing to tell writers like myself is to take your time. Make sure you take your time when putting the book together.
The second piece of advice would be to save your money so you can get a good editor/proof-reader.
The third is don’t let bad reviews get to you. You are going to get them and you might even get a few. Just know that you wrote book and that this is no easy task. You should be proud of yourself.
Most authors like to read, what have you recently finished reading? Did you enjoy it? Before I started writing I read Meta by Tom Reynolds. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who likes superhero stories.
What are your views on authors offering free books? If you want to try to get your book out there then this is a great option. People are more willing to try an indie book if it is free.
Do you have a favourite movie? It is a tie between the Star Wars series and Nolan Batman Series.
Do you have any pets? I have a basset hound named Bruce Wayne
Can you give us a silly fact about yourself? This is probably not silly, but before I go to bed each night I have to check all the locks in my house five times or I will not be able to fall asleep. It’s a little OCD, but it helps me sleep.
Book links, website/blog and author links:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JL2GS7M
June 7, 2014
Book Review – High Moor – Horror
High Moor
http://www.amazon.com/High-Moor-Graeme-Reynolds-ebook/dp/B0068NOYM8
Graeme Reynolds.
This has been on my reading list for a while, but it was well worth the read. An old-school werewolf story, set in Northern England it starts in the year 2000, but the story soon shifts back to the 1980s. It helps to understand the setting here; Thatcherite Britain, a run-down town with high unemployment, depression, and the malaise which fell over a lot of the country at this time. The main characters in the early part of the book are children raised in working class houses, with little concept that things will get better, alcoholic and violent parents and an overworked police force. Bring into the mix the prejudices of the time and you have a rather dark background. Then a werewolf arrives….
The book is violent, this is no shifter romance, but a brutal and horrifying account, reminiscent of wolfman films and older stories. The werewolves are not nice, they kill, they eat people and they cause total mayhem. That said there is some real depth and emotion in this book, the fear of the townsfolk, the bravery of those who seek to hunt the killers and the despair of John, the main protagonist. Some of the writing is superb, with vivid descriptions, dark humour and a fast pace which keeps up all the way through.
My only complaints were the slight implausibility of part of the ending, and the cliff-hanger, although the story was concluded well enough. I will definitely read the second part of the series.
Overall a great read, with fast paced action, terrifying monsters, but a few touching scenes. Well worth it!
