Konn Lavery's Blog: Posts from konnlavery.com, page 43
January 24, 2018
Laura Lovett, Calgarian Thriller Author
This month’s guest is Laura Lovett who was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. She received her PhD in Psychology from the University of Calgary in 2005. Her debut novel Losing Cadence is a psychological thriller. She has written for many years while juggling school, her family and work. Let’s welcome her to the blog!
Hi Laura Lovett, thank you for joining us. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Thank you for the warm welcome. I am a mother of three, an entrepreneur in my field of workplace psychology, and a writer. I run Calgary Career Counselling as well as Work EvOHlution and the Leadership Success Group. A lot of what I do is inspire people to pursue their passions, and I feel that my writing is an example of that. I’ve carved out time in my busy life since 2002 to work on Losing Cadence, and now its sequel, which is planned for release later this Fall. I love it when people tell me they can’t put my book down, and I enjoy entertaining others.
You’ve mentioned that you have written a lot over years, what other pieces have you written?
I’ve written a lot in the business and academic worlds. Being an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Calgary, and contributing to my field means writing book chapters, articles in peer-reviewed journals, magazine articles, and more. I co-authored a traditionally published book called Growing the Virtual Workplace in 2007 with three business school professors. My foray into fiction started in 2002 when I began writing Losing Cadence, which took me eight years due my full plate. I finally released it in April of 2016. Beyond the upcoming sequel, I am not sure what my next project will be, but writing is a passion and I plan to continue doing it!
Considering your background in psychology, would it be safe to say your work and teaching has been an inspiration to writing Losing Cadence? What else was a contribution?
Yes, I’d say I’ve learned and heard a lot in my almost 20-year psychology career (note that I finished my Master’s in Counselling Psychology in 1999 and worked for a few years before embarking on a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology). I’ve been able to apply some of my insights and knowledge into my characters. I’m able to write about human behaviour and mental instability. I’ve also been inspired by other books and movies in this genre, including oldies like Misery and Sleeping with the Enemy, and newer successes like Gone Girl and Girl on the Train.
To expand on that, are any characters influenced from people you know? I’m curious about the deranged ex-boyfriend, Richard White.
People ask me that, and I’d say no, these characters are purely from my imagination. Thankfully, I don’t know anyone remotely similar to Richard White, and my husband is his exact opposite!
Do you have any other novels in the works?
The sequel to Losing Cadence is being released later this Fall. I am happy with how it came together and my fans are excited to see what happens next as the first book ended on a cliffhanger.
Any advice you’d like to offer aspiring writers?
Don’t let perfectionism slow you down. It’s far better to write your story, and then editors can help you fine tune it. If you try to make each sentence perfect, you won’t ever finish!
Also, try not to get dissuaded by how competitive the field of writing is, and instead look at the positives. It’s more possible to have your work out there than ever before, and if you have a unique story, fiction or non, get it out there!
Thank you Laura Lovett for joining us!
You can find Laura through the following links below.
Website: lauralovett.ca
Amazon: amazon.ca/gp/product/1491788518/
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/15114936.Laura_Lovett
Facebook: facebook.com/Author.Laura.Lovett
Instagram: instagram.com/authorlauralovett/
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January 17, 2018
Three Weeks of Self-reflection
It’s 2018! 2017 sure went by fast. Let’s not get into reminiscing the entire year right now. Instead, this blog post is going to get into the last three weeks. As a matter of fact, I was having a stay-cation since December 23rd up to January 15th. It wasn’t a full on stay-cation, more so time off for research. The time was used to reflect upon what the hell happened over the past year.
Self-reflection Time is Important
This isn’t just for authors, I truly believe that everyone needs to slam on the brakes and review what they are doing with their life. For myself, 2017 was a total blur of working, events and travelling. It was in a constant state of ‘go’. Basically I was a production machine and relied entirely on my previously established skills, thought patterns and knowledge to make it through the hustle. I wasn’t learning anything new, I wasn’t challenging my thinking or my abilities. I only used them to their maximum potential. That is fine, however if I kept doing that, I will never grow as a person or understand how I can better myself.
Self-reflection Allows Growth
I am a believer that everyone should always learn and grow. If we stay the way we are and refuse to grow, the years go by quite quickly. You keep doing the same thing over until you have a realization down the road that you wasted a ton of time. This is why self-reflection is important. Take time to stop and reflect on what you did. Move forward by consciously thinking about what you are doing. In other words, be within the moment and you will find that you’ll think clearer and with more control. You’ll find it is a far more enjoyable way of being rather than running on autopilot.
What Did I Learn from This Time Off and Self-reflection?
Well, I learned that sleep is pretty awesome. Outside of that, I got to think about what I did in 2017. I realized that there were things that didn’t work, things I missed and things that I could do better. Sure it would have been nice to pivot my direction earlier in the year, but again, I was in a constant state of ‘go’. Self-reflection was a foreign word to me.
During the time off I was able to check off certain tasks regarding my graphic design and website development business. As of now, I am completely paperless. I’ve also migrated a lot of internal processes to a new system to smooth out my workflow, which means more focus on the work and clients and less time on trying to send an email.
I also spent time improving my writing craft. I’ve gone through two very helpful books during the time off. I read The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know by Shawn Coyne and On Writing: A Memoir on the Craft by Stephen King. I’ve also started Why Write?: A Master Class on the Art of Writing and Why it Matters by Mark Edmundson.
Oh, I also took some time to have fun. I caught up with friends and family. Always make time for them. Nurture those relationships to really have a fulfilling life.
The post Three Weeks of Self-reflection appeared first on Konn Lavery.
December 31, 2017
Goodbye 2017 and Hello 2018
The last day of 2017 is finally here – woohoo! It has been a drastic twelve months of change both locally and globally. Discussing globally would be a much larger topic, so we will keep this last blog post of the year related to what I have to share with you. First off, I am exceptionally relieved that 2017 is coming to a close, this has been one of the busiest years I have had. Let’s dive into a year’s summary and say hello 2018.
Welcome to another edition of Unprocessed Thoughts
We’ll get into the writing, but first I want to share something that has had an unexpected turn of events:
I Broke Out of a Rut
For the past few years I was in a bit of a stale situation when it came to visual art (drawing, design, UX, etc). My design work, website development and drawing hadn’t improved much despite continuing to practice daily. Near the beginning of fall I began exploring new tools and mediums for visual art such as photo illustration and gouache, this art style is greatly seen in the upcoming novel YEGman. Exploring this form finally ignited the light in my head and I began seeing differently which effected how I projected concepts in a visual manner.
The result of this meant I finally began producing exciting work for my clients and they were thrilled with what I have offered them. This has created more business, happier customers and higher quality work.
The Writing Industry Has Deep Waters
The writing craft is a very isolated experience and I am sure a lot of writers can relate to this. 2017 has been the biggest push I have given it. I’ve met many new and great people in the industry and it has opened my eyes to how many gears there are in the great machine. This is a positive thing. Before I was left floating in open ocean without any clue to what was going on. Now, I understand how to better navigate through the waters for the coming years.
December I haven’t done a lot of writing as I anticipated, but I have done a lot more research. This has allowed me to critically reflect on what worked and what didn’t work in 2017 and how I can better approach 2018.
Stepping Into the Unknown
Mentally I wanted to be exactly where I am at the moment in 2015 but knew there was a lot of work to be done in order to get there. So, that is exciting on it’s own. I’ve put in a lot more working hours in 2017 than I have in previous years. Some of it was spinning my wheels but the majority of it paid off and it will help pave the way for coming years. So before we get into what you have to look forward to in 2018, I’d like to break down and acknowledge some things over the past year.
The 2017 Breakdown
A massive thank you to all of the support I have had over the past year for pursuing my writing. This is extended to my friends, family and fans of my writing.
Balanced a larger workload than I thought I was capable of.
Reality: Part I of Mental Damnation second edition launched
Dream: Part II of Mental Damnation second edition launched
Created a road map for 2018.
Major breakthroughs in my design and writing professions.
Hello 2018
Now that is all said and done in 2017, I am excited to say that some of the heavy work this year is to create some exciting releases in 2018. This includes:
YEGman launches early 2018
YEGman will have a score to go with it, much like with Seed Me.
Part III of Mental Damnation will be released
That is what we have on the table for now. So until 2018, stay safe and stay warm. Have a happy New Year!
Beer Note: Phillips Longboat Chocolate Flavoured Porter
To end the year off, I went for a darker beer to compliment the drastic weather change we got here in Edmonton. Chocolate also seemed like a good idea for the season. Phillips Brewing Company makes a great ginger beer too so I wanted to try some of there other specialty beers. This one does not disappoint. They have a good sense of balancing odd flavours in with the beer so one does not overpower the other. It does rest more on the beer side, but that is why I am drinking beer. Chocolate and beer aren’t often my go-to for specialty beers but it does its job well.
With my hoppy taste buds in mind, I’d give this beer a 4/5.
A post shared by Konn Lavery (@_konnartist) on Dec 31, 2017 at 12:45pm PST
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December 20, 2017
Are Holidays For Writing?
The end of the year is here. The Christmas spirit is in and everyone is rushing to get everything ready for the 25th. Some companies will shut down for the week of Christmas and many people take vacation time to visit family. These are the holidays. In a way we become so busy that we don’t even get to take a break during this vacation time. As writers, this poses the question… are holidays for writing?
There Is No Relaxing During the Holidays!
This is a common thing people say. Especially if you have a large extended family. It becomes almost a chore when December comes around. We are bogged down with many commitments throughout the month. Work has Secret Santa and the Christmas Parties. Mandatory gifts for family which will destroy your wallet. All this planning and executing can become quite exhausting.
Family First
I truly believe family is important (blood or not), should take priority in your life. Take some time to enjoy your family during the holidays. These are the people who you cherish.
So where does writing fit into the holidays?
This is not for everyone, but as the previous post mentioned, you can focus on your yearly author plan. The holidays can be an excellent time to disconnect from your regular routine and even do a “digital detox” and disconnect from the online world.
Clear Mind, Clear Ideas
Much like any other vacation, the Christmas holidays can offer some insight that you wouldn’t normally see because we are in the thick of our lives all of the time. If you choose to take time off during the holidays you can use it to get to that manuscript you’ve been wanting to work on. Or use it to work on your yearly author plan. Maybe even use the time off to experiment with new writing styles.
Travel
A lot of people travel during the holidays, any travel is a good time to conjure new ideas for writing. If you are travelling, maybe bring a note book to jot ideas down.
How Much Time Do I Dedicate to Writing?
It depends on your personal agenda during the holidays. You may have more commitments that are not easy to avoid during this time. Personally I like to use the holidays like a winter writing camp and do some heavy writing. Much like in November for NaNoWriMo these weeks are used as an investment into writing without a lot of outside distractions.
Regular life can be quite chaotic for timing throughout the week so most of my writing is done late at night or early in the morning. The two weeks that the holidays offer allows me to extend that throughout the day.
Do you use the holidays for writing?
If you do, it’d be great to hear what you do during them. Even if you don’t use it for writing, how come? Share in the comments.
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December 13, 2017
Karen E. Lee, author, public speaker and workshop leader
For December, our guest author is Karen E. Lee who is a writer, public speaker and workshop leader. She is a retired clinical psychologist and a world traveler. Her novel The Full Catastrophe: A Memoir was published by She Writes Press in April 2016.
It has won a Silver Medal in the Readers’ Favorite Medal awards, Finalist medals in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and in the USA Best Book Awards, both for the category of “Women’s Issues” in 2016, a Distinguished Favourite Award in “Women’s Issues” in the 2017 Independent Press Awards and a Finalist Award in the International Book Awards 2017 for “Best Non-Fiction Book.”.
With that being said, let’s introduce Karen E. Lee to the blog!
Hi Karen E. Lee, thank you for taking the time to join us. Can you introduce yourself to the readers?
Hi Konn, I am very pleased to be with you today and to be able to introduce my book to your listeners/readers. I have reached a point in my life where, as they say, it is all coming together for me – I have been as you have said, a clinical psychologist, a teacher/instructor and a management consultant. As a result I have a lot of skills to bring to my present life as a writer and a writing teacher/mentor. I have definitely found my niche as an instructor of memoir for people with difficult stories which is what I teach now.
As mentioned in the intro, you’ve traveled a lot. Where is next on your list?
My husband and I are going to Ireland for 2 weeks at the end of November – this will be the 6th time I have been to Ireland because when I lived in England for 11 years it was so easy to get a quick flight to go over for oyster festivals, touring around and conferences. This time we want to travel and see parts of Ireland we didn’t visit in the past but I am also going to look for the parish that my ancestors were in when they decided to make the long and perilous journey to Canada for a new life.
You lived in Calgary working as a clinical psychologist, how has this helped your writing?
While I could have written my memoir without being a clinical psychologist, this training enabled me to really explain the process of Jungian analysis that helped me heal from domestic abuse. I had insights into my own behaviour and that of my abusive husband that I might not have had otherwise. Also, it highlighted the fact that even well-educated professional women can be in abusive relationships.
Currently you have two novels, Consulting into the Future, and The Full Catastrophe, what is next on your list?
When I finished my memoir about domestic abuse, I realised that getting the word out that it is necessary to heal from such experiences was important to me. I have led groups of women who have left or are in the process of leaving abusive relationships, have been on the board of a not-for-profit organisation that helps women leave abuse and am on a committee of survivors of DA that looks into the barriers faced by women leaving abuse.
When my first husband left me, I was left with 2 very young children and a poorly paying job. Though I tried to cope with what had happened, I had no idea that I needed to heal from the abuse I had gone through. I didn’t know what to look for to avoid more abuse and so fell into another relationship that was also abusive. By the time my 2nd husband died, I was determined never to be in another poor relationship again. I went into Jungian analysis in order to figure out why I had been so vulnerable and to heal. I wish that for all women who have undergone abuse – it changes you in ways you don’t realise at the time.
You also have interest in helping women in society by being involved in numerous in boards and committees, care to share more about this aspect of your life?
When I finished my memoir about domestic abuse, I realised that getting the word out that it is necessary to heal from such experiences was important to me. I have led groups of women who have left or are in the process of leaving abusive relationships, have been on the board of a not-for-profit organisation that helps women leave abuse and am on a committee of survivors of DA that looks into the barriers faced by women leaving abuse.
When my first husband left me, I was left with 2 very young children and a poorly paying job. Though I tried to cope with what had happened, I had no idea that I needed to heal from the abuse I had gone through. I didn’t know what to look for to avoid more abuse and so fell into another relationship that was also abusive. By the time my 2nd husband died, I was determined never to be in another poor relationship again. I went into Jungian analysis in order to figure out why I had been so vulnerable and to heal. I wish that for all women who have undergone abuse – it changes you in ways you don’t realise at the time.
Any advice to aspiring writers?
Mostly just write. Go to conferences, get good “how to” books and go to classes like those at the Alexandra Writers’ Centre. Ask for, and listen to, feedback – and try not to take it personally but to improve your writing. But don’t let feedback throw you off your own message and your own voice.
Thank you Karen E. Lee for joining us!
You can find Karen through the following links below.
Website: karenelee-author.com
Amazon: amazon.ca/Full-Catastrophe-Karen-Elizabeth-Lee/dp/1631520245
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/14507907.Karen_Elizabeth_Lee
Facebook: facebook.com/Author.Karen.E.Lee/
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December 10, 2017
Arm Cast Podcast: Episode 184 – Lavery And Generous
Listen to the Arm Cast Podcast where I share some tips and insight into the production and business choices I’ve made with my writing. Specifically with my dark fantasy series:
Two Canadians this week on Arm Cast: Dead Sexy Podcast. Host Armand Rosamilia tries not to giggle every time either of them say abooot instead of about. Crazy language.
First up…
Konn Lavery, a Canadian horror and dark fantasy writer who is known for his Mental Damnation series.The second book, Dream, reached the Edmonton Journal’s top five selling fictional books list. He started writing fantasy stories at a very young age while being home schooled. It wasn’t until graduating college that he began professionally pursuing his work with his first release, Reality. Since then he has continued to write works of fiction ranging from fantasy to horror.
And then…
Eddie Generous is a Canadian living on the Pacific coast with his wife and their cats. He operates a fledgling literary horror outfit aptly named Unnerving. The anthology he edited, Hardened Hearts, is available now.
This week’s episode is sponsored by Subculture Corsets & Clothing
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December 8, 2017
Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews
Check out the interview I had about Dream with author Lisa Haselton. We cover the following topics:
Introduction
What inspired you to write this book?
What exciting story are you working on next?
When did you first consider yourself a writiner?
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
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December 7, 2017
Creating your Author Year Plan
Something that every author should do is plan in advanced when it comes to submitting, publishing and marketing your novels. Creating an author year plan will allow you to take advantage of major events and book flights, or time off work to prepare for them. Often it is a good time to start thinking about your author year plan well in advanced, six months to even a year in advanced.
Committing So Far Ahead Is Too Difficult
It may seem daunting to some having to think so far ahead into the unknown. Life has a weird way of making things change in an instant. At times, we don’t know if we have enough funds to afford a trip to a convention. Your author year plan is meant to behave as a guide.
You’re not writing in stone
Or you shouldn’t be, that takes a lot of time. Computers are faster at typing. Sarcasm aside, writing it down can achieve two things:
Remind yourself that you are going to do the event/reach the goal at that time. You’ll be able to adjust the rest of your life accordingly.
If you’re not sure if you can commit, highlight it so you know it is not a 100% guarantee.
Your Author Year Plan is a Living Document
If you’ve heard the term living document, this will be a no brainer. If you haven’t, a living document is an on-going editable document that you tweak and adjust as new information comes into play.
What Do I put in my Author Year Plan?
Everything. It is really up to you how far in detail you want to go into your document. Some ideas would be:
Book Releases
Times to submit manuscripts
Travel commitments related to your author career
Scheduled book signings, conventions and talks
Marketing and promotional campaigns
How Do I Start This Document?
The document can be written out in any format that works best for you. Maybe a physical calendar works best to see the whole year and placing sticky notes. Spreadsheets work too to section off the types of commitments based on columns. Personally I use a regular Word or Open Office document that allows me to jot down the commitments in a linear fashion with bullet lists and headlines for each month.
When Do I start the Author Year Plan?
Right away! As mentioned previously, it is a living document and you should be adding onto it frequently. Specifically for book signings and conventions, the event organizers need to plan well in advanced (months) so think six to twelve months ahead of where you are now. Where do you want to be?
For book releases as an indie author, strategize your releases to the time of year. Do you want the book ready for a specific convention or do you want it out for when school is back in the fall?
Be Realistic
It is easy to conceptualize tons of ideas on paper, but remember, you have to do it still. It might look simple on paper and in your mind but think critically about each thing you are doing. How does the rest of your life fit into these events?
How Do You Plan Your Year?
Share in the comments, it’d be great to hear from other authors any advice regarding writing.
The post Creating your Author Year Plan appeared first on Konn Lavery.
December 5, 2017
Cover and Synopsis Reveal of YEGman
COVER AND SYNOPSIS REVEAL of my new thriller novel, YEGman, coming out in 2018.
Witness real justice.
YEGman Synopsis
In the darkest streets of Edmonton, crime is around every corner. The police have exhausted their resources. Citizens are in a constant state of fear. The city is in dire need of justice. Someone needs to give the felons what they deserve – skip the courts and deliver their verdict with a fist full of fury!
At least that is what Michael Bradford tells himself. He struggles with violent tendencies while personally investigating the Crystal Moths, Edmonton’s most notorious gang. His vigilante methods get caught on film and are uploaded to the web with the hashtag YEGman. These videos catch the attention of a rebellious journalism student whose aspires to cover the developing story on the city’s underground hero.
YEGman Cover
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December 1, 2017
Headed for the Light
One month left in 2017! What a busy ride, and well worth it. We still got another 31 days to go before it comes to a close, so I’ll share the recap of the year for a later date. The Headed for the Light title of this blog is in relation to the excessive amount of work that was put into this year to get it done and plan for 2018 and beyond. Since September 2016 it has been a long haul but finally there is a bright light at the end of the vortex of projects.
Welcome to another edition of Unprocessed Thoughts
If you follow my Instagram, you probably saw two key posts in the past month, one was the reveal of the new thriller novel, YEGman. The other post was a title of a document “2018 Author Plan”. So there’s some exciting news coming down the pipeline. I am just finalizing some information before I can share more with you.
Project Burnout
As mentioned in the intro paragraph, a vortex of projects has consumed all of 2017. These projects have varied from graphic design, to web development to writing new novels and revising the Mental Damnation series. The term project burnout has been adapted in many industries and it leaves you in a mentally exhausted, emotionless state where you start to care very little about anything. It’s unhealthy and it is the result of working too much.
Headed for the Light
Following the topic of this short post, there is a light at the end of 2017. While I am in the midsts of the project burnout phase, the declining list of projects means I have some mental room to breathe and flex time in my day. When I say flex time, I mean less than 14-16 hour work days. I’m back down to 10, which is a huge change! Having this extra amount of time leaves you dazed and confused.
Although the normal work hours are 8 hours 9-5, so I still have a ways to go with reducing the amount of hours I put into the day.
Work Isn’t Work
To be fair though, I can put in that amount of hours willingly because it doesn’t always feel like work. I enjoy my trade and I love writing. So I can’t complain too much. It only becomes a struggle when you bite off more than you can chew and have to pick up the pieces.
On that note, as a contractor you have to take the work when it is hot because it can vanish as quickly as it arrived.
Beer Note: Dark Matter by Hoyne Brewing Co.
I’m a sucker for labels. I quite enjoyed on the side of the bottle they have a scale for Colour, Malt and Hops explaining the taste. This is a darker milder beer from what I would normally go for but seemed fitting for the winter. Cold weather and deep dark beers go hand in hand. However, here in Edmonton we were cast with a warm spell. Regardless, very smooth and a good choice to end the day with.
With my hoppy taste buds in mind, I’d give this beer a 3.8/5.
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