A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 195
April 17, 2014
Author Interview Number Forty-Eight – Sarah Makela – Paranormal
Welcome to Sarah Makela
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. My new release is The Witch Who Cried Wolf. It’s a New Adult Paranormal Romance. After a potion gone wrong, Mia Brooks is a witch hiding from werewolves she didn’t know existed. When her brother’s best friend comes home from deployment for the holidays, the emotions she’s suppressed boil to the surface. Not only does Ethan’s view of the supernatural shift when they’re attacked by a werewolf, but his feelings for Mia intensify to the point where he can no longer hide them.
Do you have a favourite character? If so why? Hmm… This is a hard question because like with children, you love them all. Of course, some of the characters, aka the villains, don’t tend to be my favorites, but they have their own reasons for why they do what they do. I do love Ethan though. He’s strong and independent, but he has a definite soft spot for Mia.
Are your characters based on real people? No. When I first started out I toyed with it a little, but I love the characters that come from my imagination the best.
In what formats are your books available? (E-books, print, large print audio) Are you intending to expand these? (If applicable) My books are available in eBook and print at the moment. I’d love to venture into audio,
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? I think it’s important to self-edit because as authors we have a good idea of what we wrote (or should at least), so if we can’t get it in shape, then how can we expect an editor polish it for us. I do believe in having books professionally edited because it’s almost impossible for an author to catch all of their own mistakes. To me, it’s better knowing that a reader isn’t going to be turned off by the book due to a multitude of errors that could’ve been caught by an editor.
What experiences can a book provide that a movie or video game cannot? I’ve seen some great movies and played some awesome video games, games that really immerse you in the world. However, I think books provide the reader with a sense of what’s going inside the characters and being able to tag along on the adventure instead of watching it happen to someone else.
What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers? 1.) Keep writing your primary focus. Readers don’t want to wait for the next book, so it’s important be working on the next book. Very few authors make it big on only one, so going overboard with promoting the first one won’t help if you don’t have something else in the works.
2.) Never give up. Sometimes it’s easy to get down and discouraged, but writing is a marathon, not a sprint. If one book doesn’t do well, then a second book flops, don’t think you’re never going to get anywhere and quit. Maybe try a new genre or pursue a new idea. You never know what’s going to catch on. The third (or thirteenth) book could be what rockets you to where you’d like to be.
3.) Always be learning whether it means getting better at your writing craft (which is really important) to figuring out how best to market yourself to tackling the next new thing (writing query letters, self-publishing, audiobooks). It’ll give you a leg up when it matters.
Most authors also like to read, what books do you enjoy? What book(s) have you just finished? I enjoy reading urban fantasy, New Adult contemporary, and New Adult paranormal romance. I’m currently reading Camouflaged by Selena Laurence.
Do you have a favourite movie? I don’t think I have one specific favorite. I really like the movie Lockdown with Guy Pierce. The Avengers is another that I really enjoyed.
Do you have any pets? Yes, I have some cute and cuddly cats that enjoy hogging loads of space on the bed.
Book links, website/blog and author links:
The Witch Who Cried Wolf buy links
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GZ9CSHS
B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-witch-who-cried-wolf-sarah-makela/1117527750?ean=2940148931034
Kobo – http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-witch-who-cried-wolf
ARe – https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thewitchwhocriedwolf-1369494-344.html
iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id768396546
Connect with me!
http://www.twitter.com/sarahmakela
http://www.facebook.com/authorsarahmakela
http://www.goodreads.com/sarahmakela
Sign up for my newsletter for updates on my new releases.
Meet H.M. Jones
One of the featured authors on the Fantasy and Paranormal Goodreads group.
Originally posted on A rat's a rat's a rat's a rat...:
As you know, I don’t usually promote authors whose books I haven’t read. So why am I making an exception in this case? Easy. For one, Ms. Jones’ book touches on a topic I, too, have had my both active and passive experiences with, and about which I, too, have written a book: depression. Two, just like me, she has chosen the fantasy angle to approach the topic, to somehow explain what is going on in a depressed mind by means of fantastical representation. And after having read a few of the reviews her book got on
Goodreads
, I was more than convinced that I needed to promote her work. In fact, I’ve added it to my (admittedly considerable) to-read pile, so will be able to give you a review of my own soon.
Now, let’s ask her a few questions.
Who are you?
My author name is H.M. Jones. I’m…
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Author Interview Number Forty-Seven – Mia Hoddell – Paranormal
Welcome to Mia
Please tell us a little about yourself. I love reading and writing and that’s what I spend most of my time doing now I have a year off before going to university. I took A-levels in History, Drama & Theatre Studies, Photography and English Language (much to the dismay of my teachers who wanted me to major in science and maths). I love anything paranormal, which is mainly the genre I write in besides romance, and I have an overactive imagination that taunts me in the night when I’ve read or watched something scary. Until you get to know me, I’m quite shy but none of my closest friends or family would agree with that statement. Other than that I love escaping to new worlds either in books, movies or the little worlds inside my head!
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. I’m the author of Deadly to Love (Elemental Killers 1) which is a YA romance with paranormal aspects. After writing my first trilogy (The Wanderer) I wanted to write something more light-hearted and fun. I knew I wanted to create a romance with a modern twist and stay away from high-school, so I started experimenting with social games on my iPod. It was from some of the messages I received on there that generated the idea for Deadly to Love. I based some of it on real life experiences and the rest was down to my imagination asking “what if the world was alive and fought back?”
At the moment I’m gearing up for the release of the sequel while editing the third book. There will be a total of four books in the series and I’m working on planning the final instalment now.
Who or what are your inspirations/influences? My inspiration and influences change per book. Sometimes they come from real life situations (like with Deadly to Love) and other times they come from other places such as my dreams. You never know when something is going to spark off an idea so I always keep a notepad handy to jot down ideas as they come to me.
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? Once again it really depends on the novel I am writing. For Deadly to Love a lot of it came from my imagination so besides researching the paranormal aspect and adapting it to fit with my story, there wasn’t a lot of research to do because I created a new island on Earth as the setting and was adapting ideas from real situations. However, with the new book I am writing now I’ve had to do quite a bit of research on things like: travel, location, weapons, rankings in certain jobs etc. I don’t want to give too much a way on that project right now but because it has a lot of action in it, I have been using the internet and YouTube a lot for maps and videos of self-defence.
In what formats are your books available? (E-books, print, large print audio) Are you intending to expand these? (If applicable) My books are available in both ebook and print. I wouldn’t know where to begin with audiobooks but it may be something I look into in the future.
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? No, I made that mistake once and will never do it again. Thankfully, a reviewer let me know quickly so I could correct the book before too much damage was caused. I believed my editing was good enough but I think it’s incredibly hard to self-edit. For me I read what I know is meant to be there rather than what really is and therefore missed a lot. I now edit to a point but when I feel I can do no more I outsource. In the end I think professionally edited books are better as you get another person’s perspective to help not only with the grammar but correct continuity errors in the story and to help the overall flow of the book.
What are your opinions about authors commenting on reviews? In general I don’t. I reply to emails, tweets or Facebook messages if someone tells me they have reviewed my work and it will always be a polite thank you even if the review is not something I agree with. I’m both a blogger and author so I’ve seen both sides. I know how upset authors get when their work doesn’t connect with someone but it’s part of the job at the end of the day. I don’t agree with authors who will get into lengthy and public discussions over a negative review and in my opinion it does more harm to the author’s reputation than the review itself.
The only time I’ve commented on a review was to let someone know that my book had been re-edited and re-released as they had picked up on some grammar mistakes which I was thankful for.
Do you listen to music or watch TV whilst you write? Music is a big must when I’m writing as I find it traps me inside my own little writing bubble and focuses me. I have to have the right music playing to fit the atmosphere of the scene I am writing though because otherwise it’s just a hindrance. Mostly I use film scores as they are perfect for creating moods – it’s what they were designed to do after all – so fit great with images in my head. They also have no lyrics that can distract me by making me sing along (badly) which is a bonus.
What experiences can a book provide that a movie or video game cannot? For me it allows me to escape into another world and actually engage with the characters. I find I just sit staring at a screen with movies (I don’t play video games) and don’t form a bond with the characters. Writing allows me to feel what the characters are feeling, go on a journey with them and experience their story rather than just watch it. I kind of turn into a zombie with a movie but can connect on an emotional level with novels.
What advice would you give new writers? Write whenever you get the chance. There is never, nor will there ever be, a ‘perfect time’ so just get up and do it instead of waiting. Also, develop a thick skin, learn to grow from criticism and ignore everyone who tells you writing is easy – it’s not and it only gets harder after you’ve written a novel!
Most of all though I would say make sure you have fun while writing. If you don’t have fun or pick a subject you are interested in it will be even harder to finish.
What are your best marketing/networking tips? I’d say it would be to keep an active online presence. Nowadays there are so many authors out there that if you stop promoting for even a day you fall off the radar and have to work your way back up. I try and spend at least two hours a day doing some kind of promotional activity for my books.
Most authors also like to read, what books do you enjoy? I love anything paranormal or that includes romance. I like getting lost in new worlds and I’m a sucker for HEAs. For me reading is a feel-good hobby and I refuse to pay for something that isn’t going to end well. A few of my favourite authors are Rachel Vincent, Derek Landy, Julia Golding and Sophie McKenzie. There are a lot of others but those are the books I always re-read.
Can you give us a silly fact about yourself? I have an overactive imagination. I can’t watch or read any forms of horror (even the very mild or stupid) because I won’t sleep for weeks. I end up lying in bed and staring at my door believing something’s going to come through it. Living in an old house with creaky floorboards doesn’t help either, every noise makes me jump!
Book links, website/blog and author links:
Deadly to Love (Elemental Killers #1)
by Mia Hoddell
Genre: YA/Romance/Paranormal/Fantasy
ASIN: B00BDQ3QGA
ISBN: 978-1-291-41025-9
Blurb
The world is dangerous – but love will kill you.
Little did Serena Jackson know that one simple, flirty remark to an anonymous guy online would lead to her world being changed forever.
She doesn’t know him, but inexplicably, is drawn. She knows it is wrong but she agrees to meet.
His real name is Kai. He is beautiful. And immediately Serena feels herself blindly falling for him even though she senses a lie. She knows he is hiding something and it terrifies her.
What she doesn’t realise is that her entire life has been built on secrets and lies. The people she loved left her in the dark for a reason.
She trusted them. She trusts Kai. But as he pulls her straight into the heart of the danger the lies and deadly secrets are revealed. They overwhelm her, and the person she once was no longer exists as she is thrown into a ruthless world of elemental forces. The price of truth is her life—and now the world wants her dead.
Buy Links:
Amazon
(Kindle) |
Amazon
(Paperback) |
Lulu
For a limited time only, Deadly to Love is 99c / 77p on Kindle!
About the Author
Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading and loves anything paranormal. Mia always had a love of writing but never reading. She was more interested in sports and hated sitting still – despite getting three poems published before the age of sixteen. Finally though, she found some novels that captured her interest and developed a love of reading which is now one of her favourite hobbies.
Mia began with poems before moving on to short stories. Although she enjoyed this, Mia found she had too much to tell with too little space, so later on she created her first series ‘The Wanderer Trilogy’ and from there other ideas have emerged. With a total of nine books planned at this moment, she is busy working on her second series ‘Elemental Killers’ before moving onto the next idea on her ever growing list.
Links: Blog |Twitter @MiaHoddell | Facebook Page |Goodreads
April 16, 2014
10 Ways to Navigate Plot Holes, Dead Ends, Blockades, and other Hazards on the Roadway to Writing Success
Interesting post. Plot holes – like pot holes only harder to escape.
Originally posted on Christina L. Rozelle:
For the past few days, I’ve been navigating the rough roads of a writer trying to meet a deadline-destination with a yet-to-be-completed novel. It was complete, but then I got it back from a few fabulous beta-readers and with their help, I was able to see where I needed to add flesh to bone in a lot of places. This included a new ending, which is where I’m at now. So far, I’ve added 25K words to the story and I forsee it topping out at 100K, which means I have a mere 15K words to bring it all together.
So, I’m traveling along this awesomely smooth road where the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and things are falling into place, when my engine screeches to a halt and the rest of the cars slam into my backside. I’m sure you know this dreadful moment. When these things crop…
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February 18, 2014
More interviews
http://yawattahosby.wordpress.com/201...
http://olgagodim.wordpress.com/2014/0...
January 31, 2014
Meet my leading lady
January 27, 2014
Another interview
January 15, 2014
Updates
I've just submitted a short fantasy romance story to an anthology, it will be free so do look out for it.
There'll be another short fantasy piece in an heroic fantasy anthology in a month or so.
I'm also now running character interviews on the wordpress blog, these are proving popular. They are a lot of fun and it is a great way to find new books.
Here are links to my most recent author interviews
http://thaddeusthesixth.blogspot.co.u...
http://authorsinterviews.wordpress.co...
There are a few more but they are listed elsewhere on the blog.
Oh and now I am a twit, I mean a twitter user...Honestly I am not yet convinced....
September 8, 2013
Wyrd Worlds
August 31, 2013
Charity Anthology
My story is the Tale of Treyna the Beloved, a dark fantasy fairy tale. Plus I have a specially written poem. Many thanks to all involved and I hope we raise some money for the wee babies:)
