Grea Alexander's Blog - Posts Tagged "ask-me-anything"
Ask Me Anything
I have received email notification that someone wanted me to do an Ask Me Anything session.
Figuring what the hay, I have set one up:
"Novelist Grea Alexander (specializing in Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Horror, Supernatural Horror & Paranormal Fiction) seeks ardent fan boys and fan girls of all ages (that happen to be greater than 18) for a passionate but short-lived and very public verbal orgy AKA an Ask Me Anything session."
I will be doing a 1 hour AMA session starting on July 19, 2018 8:05 PM EDT. You can post a question at any time from now through 9:05pm on Thursday, July 19th; however, my answer will not appear until the start of the AMA session. The entire AMA session (questions & answers) will continue posted on the site for review after the session is over.
More info: https://authorsama.amafeed.com/noveli...
Figuring what the hay, I have set one up:
"Novelist Grea Alexander (specializing in Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Horror, Supernatural Horror & Paranormal Fiction) seeks ardent fan boys and fan girls of all ages (that happen to be greater than 18) for a passionate but short-lived and very public verbal orgy AKA an Ask Me Anything session."
I will be doing a 1 hour AMA session starting on July 19, 2018 8:05 PM EDT. You can post a question at any time from now through 9:05pm on Thursday, July 19th; however, my answer will not appear until the start of the AMA session. The entire AMA session (questions & answers) will continue posted on the site for review after the session is over.
More info: https://authorsama.amafeed.com/noveli...
AMA Feed Me Seymour!
Allo' Govenors!
I did a rather brief AMA feed sometime ago on AMAFeed.com (back in 7/2018). It ended up being pretty (unexpectedly) popular (much to the horror of the moderators who kept trying to bury my stream). The site did eventually crash and burn into oblivion.
Digging around on my hard drive, I found a copy of the questions I was asked and my answers. Therefore, I decided to share them here.
If any of you have anything else you'd like to ask, feel free. Of course that doesn't mean I'll actually ANSWER your question but you can always ASK. I might even do a new Q&A posting with questions I've been asked more recently.
Enjoy!
Grea.
AMA Description/Intro
Novelist Grea Alexander (specializing in Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Horror, Supernatural Horror, Dark Fantasy & Paranormal Fiction) seeks ardent fan boys and fan girls of all ages (that happen to be greater than 18) for a passionate but short-lived and very public, verbal orgy AKA an Ask Me Anything session.
-------------
Ok, so I've received an email notification that "someone" has requested I do an AMA session. Intrigued, perplexed and utterly paranoid, I crammed my maternity bag full of bear mace, thesauruses and Sweet & Spicy Bacon Burgers (sexy, sidelong glance right at you Whataburger), took enough epidural to birth a large sperm whale and pushed this one out into the world.
Please be forewarned: I have studied the latest in Ka-rah-TE techniques at the Sho-nuff school of Ninjago and graduated with a major in "Let me go mutha-fucka, let me go!" and a minor in "Who's the master?".
Keep your hands and feet inside your keyboard area at all times (lest you feel the burn of my mighty kung-keyboard…and bear mace….lots and lots of bear mace).
That being said, let's get this bastard started.
Don’t want to participate?
That’s fine. I love nothing more than the sound of crickets in the morning. In fact, I eat those chirpy little bastards for breakfast!
Queen of all that she surveys.
Grea.
www.GoodReads.com/GreaAlexander It's where my reviews live.
www.Twitter.com/SeaMonkeyInk It's where I pelt people with lemons then run away.
www.librarything.com/author/alexander... It's where I once had a drunken 1 night stand & left behind some review babies (that I'm not entirely sure are mine).
www.SeaMonkeyInk.com It's my first & main online property. Ok, so it's a seedy faux physical address store front where I get my mail.
www.Amazon.com/grea-alexander/e/B00HV... It’s where I take steamy slow-motion river baths with tall warrior women and sweaty, well-muscled male sex slaves.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/”Gre...” It’s where I ride around in heavy armor and charge at windmills with my quill…Don Quixote style.
Q&A
How do you see the future of contemporary fiction literature? Will contemporary fiction maintain its independence or intertwine with other literary genres?
Contemporary fiction could be interpreted as meaning many things. It could be interpreted as representative of realistic themes, situations or characterizations that could actually take place in the real world as it is today. It could also be interpreted as simply occurring now or within a timeframe relative to now. Some even consider anything occurring as far back as post World War II to be Contemporary.
Personally, my contemporary fiction has never been independent or fit into one genre and one genre alone in either sense. Cabello, for instance, is a supernatural horror story, yes. However, It’s also the story of a survivor of child abuse and how she transitions from victim to independence and ultimately to heroine. It takes place in 2012.
Miael, another supernatural horror story, also has similarly contemporary constructs as Cabello (as the two series are intertwined) and includes the theme of racism. It takes place primarily between the 1960s-1980s though there are elements that take place prior to WWII in the series and thus would be considered historical rather than contemporary.
While it’s true there are some authors who are die hard contemporary…ist, I don’t believe that one should constrain one’s creativity by trying to make their work fit specifically into a pre-determined mold.
That being said (yes, there it is again), many works of contemporary fiction already have and will continue to intertwine with other literary genres just as many pieces of historical fiction do/have (Pride, Prejudice & Zombies, anyone?)
What’s your best and worst experience as a writer so far?
My best experience as a writer thus far was finally publishing my 1st book. I knew absolutely nothing about how to do so at the time, so finally seeing it done and on Amazon, etc., was awesome! So awesome, in fact, that I did ZERO promotion afterwards for approximately 2 years. (laugh)
My worst experience thus far was finding my work (or what is allegedly my work) posted on illegal download sites. Now I don’t know if it’s REALLY my work posted or if my name and book titles are just being used as clickbait (as I’m not about to click on some random download link….at least not on my own computer. (wink)) Still, it’s the principle of it that pisses me off.
Let’s face it, whether someone illegally pirated my work or not, they’re basically using my name, books and thus my reputation in what is likely just a scheme to infect people’s computers with viruses, ransomware and/or other spyware. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it. It’s not like my books are the most expensive ever with individual volumes mostly going for $2.99 except for the Rebellion books at $4.99 (because they are absolute monsters). But hey, if you want to steal from me (whether it’s my work or not, you’re at least TRYING to steal from me), I feel you’ve earned whatever cyber terror you get.
I don’t post my work or allow it to be posted or downloaded anywhere for free except occasionally during promotions and even then, only on legitimate, well-known ebook sights such as Amazon or Smashwords. If you see my work offered for free on xBookDownloader@freesite.com or the like, it’s on you whatever happens when you click that “Download now” link.
Consider yourself warned.
Who creates your cover and are they strictly from your instruction or their inspiration?
Me and CreateSpace’s Cover Creator/free images create my book covers. (laugh) I often design all of my covers for a series at once. By the time I publish, the images are usually no longer available. (wink)
Three of my books have August Farrow photos on the cover. Can you spot them? (Probably! (laugh))
Which novelists and nonfiction writers working today do you most admire?
Of the novelists working today, I like Stephen King (though he REALLY needs to stop with these new, hokey, movie adaptations of his books already) and Dean Koontz. However, I don’t often read fiction. (Ironic, I know).
My favorite non-fiction writer is Richard Zacks (especially An Undergrown Education), followed by James W. Loewen (Lies My Teacher Told Me). I also enjoy Terry Dreary’s Horrible Histories series even though they are technically kiddie books.
Now that you're an established writer, what are the goals that you are seeking to accomplish? What are you doing to get there?
Cliff notes version: Sure, writing fiction is my thing. It’s what I enjoy doing. My name and brand is growing – mostly inspite of my efforts rather than because of them. Though I am self-published, I don’t do really much of anything to reach my goals other than put out what I consider to be interesting fiction.
Full version: In all honesty, I don’t feel I’m anywhere near being an established writer in the traditional sense of the phrase. I’ve written for as long as I can remember having the physical capability of expressing all of the strange, wicked little thoughts that dance around in my mind; however, in all honesty, I’ve done relatively little in the way of getting my name and brand out there as compared to 98% of authors. I’m still kind of a hidden secret that people haphazardly trip over in the dark on the way to the restroom.
My main goal is to be able to make a living off of my writing and my writing alone. It’s really that simple. If my work becomes renown at some point, great; but I’d be over the moon simply not having to work a regular job anymore, not living a cardboard box on the side of the highway and only having to write my strange fiction.
Okay, so I only work 25 hours a week at this point. Still, 25 hours is a long way from 0 hours. Okay, so not that long.
My secondary goal is to be true to who I am as an artist. It’s to put out work that I find interesting, that I enjoy creating and that I can be proud of – even if no one else is as in like or in love with it as I am. Sure, I’m a smart enough and a talented enough writer to see what the current popular trends are and to capitalize on them; however, it’s very important to me to maintain my artistic integrity. (Which is probably why my sales suck so much arse. (laugh))
While I shine like deer eyeballs in the glare of a hunter’s flashlight when it comes to adhering to my creative vision, I suck bowling balls when it comes to financial payoff.
What am I doing to reach goal 1? Apparently, I’m driving in crazy figure eights, taking scenic byways and indulging in leisurely picnics in the countryside. I know what I need to do and what I should do to reach this goal but I’m really not doing it.
Why not?
Well, because I’ve been too busy with other goals such as finishing my MBA (which I did this March), preparing to start application to Doctorial programs, being one with nature and travel. I’m a fairly hedonistic, procrastinistic person in many ways.
What can I say? I just love living life.
That being said, however, getting me to do anything I don’t want to/like to do can be like trying to pry a wildebeest from a crocodile’s jaws. It likely ain’t gonna happen and if it does, it’s only because for some reason or another (having little to nothing to do with anyone else’s actual efforts) I’ve personally decided to do it.
Unfortunately, I don’t like doing what I need to do to market my work.
For self-published writers, the main paths to establishment right now are grass roots/social media and buying your way in.
It takes the average self-published author 5-8 years with a lot of foot work and social media interaction to grow their brand via grass roots/social media – Goodreads, Library Thing, Twitter, Facebook, Blog Tours, Newsletters, Interviews, Press Releases, etc.
Unfortunately, I’m not into social media at all.
Yes, I have a twitter account which I woefully neglect (and I’m expecting Social Services to file charges against me for any day now). I also have Goodreads – which in all honesty, I’m far from the most prolific poster on. Library Thing I’ve barely touched. Don’t even get me started on Seamonkey Ink. I can’t even remember the last time I wrote something original for it.
I do have spurts wherein I’ll spontaneously dedicate a day or two here or there to “grassroots efforts” (if all), but I’m extremely inconsistent. It’s just not for me.
As for the Daddy Warbucks method, I’m poor. (laugh) Ok, so I enjoy life and traveling very much and tend to spend quite a bit on that aspect of my life rather than on marketing my books.
Who is your favorite fictional character of all time? What do you love about it?
That’s a loaded question if I ever heard one. (laugh) I have quite a few favorites and therefore lack a singular one. Some of my favorites include the Frankenstein Monster, Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights), Wolverine (X-Men), Todd Manning (One Life to Live) etc.
I would say I’m more a fan of a particular architype: the Byronic Hero.
Characteristics of The Byronic Hero :
• high level of intelligence and perception
• cunning and able to adapt
• sophisticated and educated
• self-critical and introspective
• mysterious, magnetic and charismatic
• struggling with integrity
• power of seduction and sexual attraction
• social and sexual dominance
• emotional conflicts, bipolar tendencies, or moodiness
• a distaste for social institutions and norms
• being an exile, an outcast, or an outlaw
• "dark" attributes not normally associated with a hero
• disrespect of rank and privilege
• a troubled past
• cynicism
• arrogance
• self-destructive behavior
FUN FACT: One of my English teachers told me I reminded him of a Byronic Hero. I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered or not at time – as they tend to end tragically. Still, it’s a fairly accurate characterization of me on pretty much every level.
Someone else once told me that I am all at once “one of the nicest and meanest people” she’d ever met.
That being said, I think my close personal association to the architype probably has a lot to do with why I am such a big fan of this type of character. As it’s very close to my own personality, I can write it very well.
In addition, I tend to find myself very bored with goody, goody characters in fiction (though in real life I sometimes find myself very protective of what I perceive to be others’ nativity or purity).
What are the challenges you faced when you were first starting out in the publishing industry and how do they differ from the challenges you face right now?
The biggest challenge I faced was how to get my work out there while still maintaining creative control over my artistic vision.
There are so many routes that one can go these days. You can go the maverick route and self-publish. You can find a literary agent and shop around your manuscript through them. You can self-submit to open manuscript calls from publishing houses or contests. You can publish online via a website or blog.
Though in many ways self-publishing can be very challenging, I chose this route as it allows maximum artistic freedom.
Self publishing pros:
• Complete artistic control over your work
• No deadlines to worry about (publish when and if you’re ready)
• No obligations other than to yourself
• Keep all the profit
Self-publishing cons:
• Starting from zero – few if any connections (unless you spent some time in the publishing industry beforehand)
• No team except the one you pay/build (if any) including editors, marketing team, etc.
• Can be very difficult to be taken seriously
• Exclusion from many major publishing industry tools etc (at least until you can prove your worth)
The challenges today remain the same really - my greatest challenge being self-motivation when it comes to doing more than writing and publishing my work. Promotion is a HUGE factor when it comes to successful publishing but one I find myself sorely lacking in.
I published Amarna I in 2012 just kind of to see if I could figure out how to do it. I was ecstatic when I managed it and kind of just ignored it for a year or so after the fact.
Yes, I literally did NOTHING. I just pat myself on the back, said “Yay, me!” then went about the rest of my life. It wasn’t until 2013 or so that I started doing little things here and there such as joining Twitter and Goodreads for my brand.
To date, I still haven’t changed my methods much and; therefore, though my name is growing, it has been slow going (though surprising considering my overwhelming lack of effort). For instance, I’ve somehow reached an author popularity rank of 2,001 on Library Thing. Considering that when I started on there I was somewhere in the hundred thousands, I find that astonishing. It’s like I have a magical secret army behind me working behind the scenes.
Hell, even this AMA I find astonishing. The only reason I even set this up is because someone requested I do one. I mean, why would anyone want to ask me anything as an author? Though I feel I’m quite talented; I’m still relatively unknown.
If you were to co-author a book with any writer dead or alive , who would it be and why?
Edgar Allen Poe. Hands down.
Poe had an incredible imagination, a very interesting way of turning a phrase and invented his own genres. He also was very eccentric in real life, a popular writer though pretty much a failure at making a living off of his work and a self-publisher.
We have much in common….well accept for the alcoholism and child bride marriage thing. (laugh)
My second choice would be Charles Dickens.
He had a knack for writing characters that as some points you dislike and other points you can empathize with such as Pip in Great Expectations or Sydney Carton in a Tale of Two Cities.
Thirdly, I would choose Lord Byron for his poetic sensibilities. (She Walks in Beauty is my favorite poem of all times and the only one I’ve ever bothered to memorize).
Other authors include V.C. Andrews (a more modern, dark, gothic style writer) and Steven King (who has a kind of twisted, campiness to his work that I enjoy (though we’d have to cut down on the setting descriptions)).
Do you feel the more books you write, the more inspired you get or do you fear that you might run out of ideas at some point?
I’m someone who finds inspiration everywhere and in everything so I don’t fear at all that I might run out of ideas.
Right now, for instance, I have enough material to turn out another 20 or so books if I had the time and inclination to do so.
I fear more that I will run of time or the eloquence with which to express the dozens and dozens of ideas that have seen fit to assault my waking dreams.
I also fear having a ghost writer who is inferior in every way to the original (looking at you Andrew Neiderman). (laugh) I’d rather my scraps be left in bits and pieces.
What is the most scalding criticism you've ever gotten? How did it make you feel?
(laughing) You’re trying to get me in trouble with this one aren’t you, you tricky nicky you?
I will just say, that whether I agree with a criticism or not, for the most part, I just let scalding criticisms roll off my back. Not everyone likes the same things I do and I know my writing style, etc. is not for everyone. I have no problem with people not liking my work….so long as they pay me first for the privilege. (wink)
The way I see my reviews (and life in general actually) is that no matter what you do or say, someone somewhere will like/love you and someone somewhere will not. I’m perfectly fine with agreeing to disagree.
Besides, it’s not possible to make everybody happy (even for cute, cuddly little panda bears) and I see no use expending valuable time and energy in trying to make them so. As long as I’m happy with my work I’ve at least succeeded 100% in pleasing at least one person. I don’t worry about the rest of it really.
HOWEVER, there are two types of criticisms that do sometimes get under my skin: inaccurate criticisms and criticisms that are driven by factors other than the work itself.
For instance, I found this one review group. I thought, ok, I’ll submit my book for review. As it turned out, this group was actually just a bunch of authors reviewing other authors. In fact, I was even advised that if I didn’t have a good review for the work, not to post it. In other words, an “honest” review only if it’s a positive review. (laugh)
I did not feel comfortable with this situation at all or with giving one work that was barely readable a good review. I do not now nor have I ever given anyone a positive review or recommended something that I did not or do not genuinely use/enjoy.
Needless to say, I did NOT write the review. Instead I told the author what my feelings were about their work and why, but I put it in a nice and helpful way. Another author I gave a 3 star review. Next thing I know, I suddenly start getting bad reviews from people who are also authors that I definitely feel were a result of me not “playing ball”.
Now THAT pissed me off.
I even had one author have the audacity to give me a negative review on a whole series when he “read” only the 1st book. Yes, he literally sought out the compilation to give me a negative review on as well as the individual book. Looking at this person’s reviews, he had good reviews on his work….only from other authors who were probably involved in the above or similar schemes.
What did I do about it? Privately, I vented to my #1 fan and supporter in outrage and then in my typical Mercutio-like fashion, made a mockery of the situation/author.
Publicly, I did nothing. Dirt done in the dark always, eventually, comes to light.
At the end of the day, I’m still me and he’s still him. I think that’s punishment enough.
For him, wise acres! (wink)
Being a writer of so many different genres, do you have a favorite? What is it and why that particular one?
My favorite genre is historical fiction (whatever else I end up throwing into the story). I find history fascinating – especially the patterns that repeat time and time again. Even in stories like Miael, I throw real, historical tidbits into them. If I can make just one person go to the interweb or to a library and look up more information about a historical event or fact I threw out there, I feel that I’ve done my little, itty, bity part in helping others discover the magic of history.
I also enjoy campy horror. Freddy Kreuger is one of my favorite horror movie villains of all time.
However, I think it’s important that I clarify that I don’t actually write towards any specific genre. I just have a story I want to tell and whatever genre it ends up in or passing through, it does. I think this gives some of my readers a headache. I’ll have someone starting a series thinking it’s A but it turns out being more B or C or B/C/D/A.
Hell, half the time I have no bleedin’ idea of what genre my story is. I just kind of spin the dart board of genre, close my eyes and launch my pen at the damn thing with all the savage glory and strength of a shot putter. What sticks sticks. (laugh)
In conclusion: I don’t choose the genres, the genres choose me.
What is a writing genre you'll never go near and why?
That’s a hard one. I don’t think I consider any genre out of bounds. I tell the story I want to tell regardless of what genre crevasse it happens to get itself wedged into. According to the listing of Amazon categories, my books actually fall into several hundred….each. (laugh)
If I HAD to choose one (what with you having duct taped me to my chair and threatening to prop my eyelids open with toothpicks until I comply) I would choose nonfiction, particularly autobiography.
Though people who know bits and pieces of my life have for years told me I should write one, the story of my life is one I will never tell.
And by never I mean I reserve the full right and obligation to possibly change my mind in the foreseeable future.
If I’ve learned nothing else from James Bond movie titles, it’s Never Say Never….that and that I may or may not have the option to Die Another Day.
What are your thoughts on writing retreats for aspiring authors? What exactly goes on there and do they actually work and can help a writer with his career?
I think I would LOVE to go on a writing retreat as in I have been given free, solitary reign over a beautiful, rambling and possibly haunted estate where I only wear billowy white linen and walk through the Orinocco Flow wilderness barefoot while herds of wild unicorns gallop through the shallow creek in slow motion. (Birds singing with me while I whistle are optional.)
As for OTHERS, absolutely not! I don’t want them at my magical retreat. Why else do you think I choose to leave the drawbridge drawn?!
Oh, you mean as in a learning place for writers to hone and develop their skills? (Hiding my drawbridge key behind my back and visibly relaxing).
Writer’s retreats, in a nutshell, are locations where writers are free (usually after paying a hefty fee) to hone/practice their craft while in the presence of other writers. Such retreats may or may not be accompanied by writing seminars/lectures on everything from syntax to choosing subject matter etc. Some include group assignments/practice drills and some let the writer work on their own thing which they share with the group at some point for critique/pointers.
I think while they can have some value for some, they tend to be quite pricy from what I’ve seen and I don’t think they teach you much of anything you can’t learn on your own by scouring the internet or watching Youtube (cause Youtube is my friend). Hell, even Smashwords and Amazon frequently send me completely unsolicited but free hints, tips, guides etc. and offers to attend online writing seminars (mini retreats I can attend from my home) for free.
There are also numerous writer’s groups that offer the same for free – either online or in real life. Just do a google search of “writer’s groups in (insert your location here)”. If you need solitude, take a vacation and instead of swimming with the manatee or whoring it up with a complete drunken stranger and hoping you don’t end up on YouPorn, write.
As a matter of preference, if I did choose some kind of stay-away educational writing experience, I would personally apply for a writing residency instead. Writing residencies provide much the same as the retreats do except you don’t pay anything (aside from maybe an application fee and/or a refundable deposit).
As Jed Clampett used to say (in my imagination) before he moved to Beverly (Hills that is): Why buy a possum at Possum Mart when you can walk right down the highway and get a road-kilt possum for free?
I’m a life-long learner so for the most part, I don’t think learning more about anything, including your craft, is a bad thing or can hurt. However, for me personally, the thing that has most helped me grow as a writer is actually writing. Practice may not necessarily make perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Writing is a process and not something I think one can learn to perfect in a weekend or even a month (though one can learn rudimentary basics in that time). Finding your voice, finding your style, writing YOUR story is something you have to figure out on your own.
At the end of the day, the writers who end up leaving a real mark on the industry and even on history have one thing in common – originality. Be it their writing style, their ideas, their composition, their flow, there is some level of uniqueness about what they do that sooner or later (sometimes unfortunately MUCH, much later as in after their death) makes them legend. Originality is something you can’t learn.
As for a magic bullet to career success, anyone’s guess is as good as mine (probably better). It’s being at the right place at the right time with the right work, the right connections and the right amount of luck. If you’re looking to be a commercial writer and are more interested in getting your foot into the big door or the financial reward more than artistic expression, there are a myriad of resources on the net that will lead you step by step on the path to figuring out what is popular now/what will likely be popular in the near future and how to capitalize on it.
As a writer, how do you make your characters relatable to the reader?
In all honesty, I really don’t consider if people can relate to my characters or not.
I know A LOT of writers (i.e. successful ones) take the time and effort to do a lot of research into topics, demographics, marketability and such prior to writing their books. I’m not that author.
Maybe I’m just lazy as fuu---da-ge, but I prefer the supreme being method of characterizations. I create my characters, place them in a situation then kick back and relax while hilarity and high jinx ensue.
How often do you write everyday? Do you have rituals or certain habits you do to get yourself in the right headspace for writing?
If I wrote everyday, I’d have a hundred books published by now. (No really. I took all of about a week or so, 8-10 or more hours a day, to write The Pack: Addison.)
I am a terrible procrastinator and even sometimes have a hard time getting myself to buckle down and get to it. I find many things fascinating and sometimes my interest in exploring one thing can interfere with my ability to focus on another. I suffer from too much to do/see and not enough time to do and see it in syndrome…that and Slants Disease (my terrible inability to write in a straight line on unlined paper).
I'm basically a feast or famine writer. I either am completely consumed and write like a mad woman every possible waking moment or I don’t write at all.
Usually what forces me to write is the noise in my head. My brain is in a constant state of creation. If I let it all build up too much inside of me, I start losing the ability to focus on anything, fall into depression or even lose the ability to sleep until I let it out.
I have no rituals at all really except that I write everything down. If I have an interesting dream or an interesting thought, etc., I write it down. I have a ton of scraps of paper and notes everywhere in my home, in my bag, in my cell. You never know what those ideas could grow into.
Every so often, I collect them all, type them out and save them. Eventually they end up growing into either their own story or as a part of something I’m already working on.
Do you have any unpublished work? What do you plan to do with it?
I have a lot of unpublished work in various states of completion. I have the final Miael, Sedition, Books 2 & 3 of Cabello, Books 2 & 3 of The Pack and a bunch of other pieces of other things.
Hopefully, I will finish them at some point and publish them…that or make a stunning paper mache’ quiche out of them.
When writing paranormal fiction, what kind of research do you usually do? Do you actually believe in the paranormal?
It really depends on the work. For instance, with Miael I really had to do a lot of research on angelic lore and hierarchy when deciding what kind of angelic form Zazi (and others in the final volume) would have. I also had to do research on World War II to get Simone’s abscondment just right as the places, movements and even the camp that Simone ends up at were actual real places.
(Ok, so I didn’t HAVE to. I wanted to.)
Fiction or not, I really like to be as accurate as possible when I mention things that exist or even were believed to have existed in the real world such as Phoenix…sis…sis…sis. Whether I take a bit of creative license from there is quite another thing entire; however, I like to start from a concrete place.
I do believe that so-called cryptids may have and may continue to exist. Looking at it logically, people are constantly discovering new (and long believed to have been extinct) species of flora and fauna. In addition, much of this lore has existed all over the world and at times in history when things like international communication/travel and the interweb did not exist or if it did, on a very, very small scale. Is it possible that man, in his imagination, took things that actually existed, made them larger than life and applied his own thoughts, fears and hopes to them? Absolutely.
Still, I believe that the only thing man 100% knows for sure on a concrete, scientific level is that whatever man as a species thinks he knows today, he will sooner or later realize he was mistaken about tomorrow.
As for belief in the paranormal….
Whether they admit it or not, most people do believe on some level (or want to believe) in the supernatural. Hell, if you believe in God and all that goes with it, like it or not, you are in essence believing in the paranormal. The bible and other holy scriptures are full of stories about psychic dreams, divine messages, waking visions, supernatural manifestations, etc, etc.
As for me, I personally will admit that I 1000% believe in God and the paranormal – more from my personal life experiences than anything else.
Now do I believe in EVERYTHING? No.
While I do believe in the supernatural, I don’t believe everything and everyone. I don’t look at a white ball and say, “Oh my gawd! A spirit orb!” I automatically go to logical explanations. However, when those things come along that are fairly black and white or lack any plausible explanation, I give them the benefit of the doubt as being something beyond the norm.
From your intro in this AMA, you seem to have a great sense of humor. How do you incorporate that into your writing?
In real life, people that know me think I’m a hoot and a half. Sometimes even a hoot and a holler.
As for my writings, I think I’m less overt with my sense of humor (except for in the Rebellion books where my protagonists are the closest to my everyday personality). Still, most of my stories do have peekings of my twisted, dark humor and sense of irony.
Why not use my humor more overtly? I think it has to do with subject matter. I don’t want to go all Bollywood and insert a happy comedy routine into a very serious subject/moment…..or do I? (wink)
For example, I created a funny introduction to Amarna I: Ida just because I knew some people would have a conniption because it’s a novella. As a result, I DID have some minor backlash from a few people as for some odd reason they expected a 95% historically accurate book about a dead boy king and his legacy to be a comedy afterwards. (?!)
Have you ever written something that you regreted later on and felt it was subpar?
The only things I’ve ever written and regretted later on and/or felt were subpar are personal notes/letters to other people. And that was mainly because these persons proved in the end not to be worth the associated time or effort involved. (laugh)
I wouldn’t say I’ve ever regretted anything that I’ve written (in the literary sphere) but I feel things are subpar all of the time. And by subpar I mean below my personal standard of excellence not really by anyone else’s.
Left up to me, I would constantly be picking at my books and revising here and there. In fact, most of my books have undergone several editings after publication – not of content/context but of verbiage.
Words are my first and best love so I sometimes put too much consideration into how something is written (which I feel is more important than always standing by modern or proper grammatical conventions and just as/more important than the idea or thoughts being conveyed). It’s a matter of “O Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” vs. “Gee, I wonder where Romeo’s at?” To me the flow, feel and impact of the words I write are paramount.
Of course, this leads to some errors here and there as I’m too poor to afford a good proofreader. (sad face)
All of that being said (and yes I love saying, “and that being said”), I do have some works I personally like more than others. It’s more akin to a parent having favorite children than a dislike or regret. All of my series are very different and I love different things about them.
Rebellion is this snarky, angsty, sex-riddled, dramatic series set in Qing Dynasty China full of twists, turns, secrets and betrayal, centered on a rebel and a princess – both of which are avid liars and neither of which is whom they seem.
Amarna is a pretty serious, dramatic, 95% historically accurate mistress-piece centering on the events surrounding the death of King Tutankhamun (King Tut) and the bizarre but very real historical free for all that occurred in the aftermath - not only in Egypt but in Hattusa (modern day Turkey).
Cabello is a very campy supernatural, revenge gone south horror story set in a small, modern Texas town and centered around an abused teen and her beloved feline friend.
The Pack is my take on a werewolf story centered around the efforts to destroy one of the most powerful werewolf bloodlines in existence and the sadistic, on again, off again relationship between the alpha male and female of the line. It spans from Viking times to post Civil War America (or it will (wink)).
Then you have Miael which is a supernatural horror/suspense story that spans from World War II to the mid-1980s that tells the story of Miael, who may or may not be the worst enemy of a Seraph who is damned to be reborn over and over again in repentance of an ancient sin.
If someone hasn't really read anything in the horror genre before, which books would you recommend them to help them decide if it is for them or not?
As a new horror reader, I would suggest starting with something mild such as Thinner by Richard Backman (AKA Stephen King) as opposed to something that will keep you up all night and give you nightmares.
The mildest of my horror stories would probably be The Pack: Addison. I think.
And by mild, I mean mild for me, not by anyone else’s standards. (wink)
When writing a new book, what kind of goals to you set for it so you'd consider it a success?
In all honesty, I don’t actually consider whether a book will be successful or not when I write it (which could be a major part of my problem). I consider the story I want to tell, how I want to tell it and if I’ve succeeded in pleasing/impressing myself. Therefore, I guess you could say the only extrinsic goals for success I set when writing a book are completing and publishing it. (laugh)
It’s something I think comes down to your ultimate motivation in becoming a writer. If being true to your artistic vision and telling the stories you want to tell how you want tell them is numero uno, completing your work and shoving it out into the world, kicking and screaming, can be considered a great success. (And let’s face it, many aspiring writers never even get that far.)
If your ultimate motivation is making a living out of it on the other hand, depending on your situation, that can be any number of things. It can be sales in dollars, downloads (both free and paid), followers, etc. However, the old guard publishing industry standard for a book being a success is that it sells more than 15,000 copies.
Success, as defined by oneself versus success as defined on a commercial level, is a quandary that faces most creative people as is the question of whether or not one is willing to compromise their art in order to become a commercial success. There’s nothing wrong with making compromises in order to get where you want to be commercially, then later on, once you’ve accumulated the brand recognition/commercial success you desire, focusing on your own vision.
Many successful artists such as (don’t stone me) Anne Rice, Prince, Gretchen Wilson, The Rolling Stones and Mark Twain went the commercial route first. Then, once they achieved a level of recognition, they opted to go it alone so that they could be true to their art (and keep more of the profit (wink)). Even artists who stay with their publishers/labels often release special edition, online only and/or uncut versions of the same work. Why? Because while big labels often come with big results, they also tend to come with artistic comprise.
For me, personally, my writing is just not an area of my life I feel desperate enough to compromise on….at this time. While I would LOVE to write for a living, it’s more important for me to thine own self be true.
Do you take bad reviews or criticisms to heart or do you ignore them altogether?
To quote Dirty Harry: Opinions are like assholes. Everybody’s got one.
I’m not someone who chases down my reviews with bated breath or faithfully watches all of my pages to see what my latest review is. Doing so can drive one mad, really and I personally choose to stay happily oblivious and questionably sane.
That being said, I do check in like maybe once a month to see what my ratings are looking like (only in that we live in a world where people are sometimes too afraid to try something new and different unless other people say it’s ok)…even if it only costs them $2.99.
As I’ve said in another response, I write for myself; therefore, the opinion that matters the most to me is mine. I don’t expect everyone to like my work. It’s very different from a lot of what is out there right now and a lot of the books topping the bestseller charts. It’s very character driven, light on setting, full of a strange blend of modern and antiquated writing conventions and quite unusual in its plot and subject matter.
In short, it’s disruptive.
Knowing that, I well expect some people, particularly those who are used to what the industry is now or that worshipped the ground their English teacher walked upon, to take issue with what I write.
That being said, I don’t take bad reviews to heart. Every work that now exists and has ever exists, even from best-selling, revolutionary and critically acclaimed artists, has some 1 and 2 star reviews (I consider 3 on a scale of 5 and above to be positive). Don’t believe me? Pick a big name and look up their online reviews.
This is nothing new or revolutionary that came along with the internet either. Early reviewers of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick (including friends and fellow writers) said what amounted to they wouldn’t even wipe their arses with it. Walt Disney was told he lacked imagination. Carrie by Stephen King was rejected scores of times. Imagine if they had internalized the negative and changed/given up completely on their vision?
If you spend all of your time internalizing and focusing on the negative and nay sayers, you will never find your feet and/or never grow as an artist. Self-belief is a very powerful thing and very necessary for ultimate personal success. If you’re someone who is easily swayed by the weight of public opinion, if you’re someone who doesn’t have a thick skin, fields where your success or failure rests largely in the hands of the subjective opinion of many, may not be the field for you.
Personally, I’d rather spend my time, energy and emotion on my craft instead.
How do you think writing helps with dark moments in the writer as well as reader's lives.
Interesting question…that AMA Feed also suggested I ask myself. (laugh)
I think writing helps readers with dark moments in the same way as any other form of entertainment or distraction. (Giving Netflix a warm, fuzzy and slightly NC-17… lick). It’s like a mini vacation for the mind, like chitlin soup for the old.
Depending upon the work, it can do as little as pass the time or take a reader away from the here and now or as much as inspire a reader to make change in their own lives, encourage the reader to try something new, or even provide comfort and companionship.
As for myself, I don’t find my writing takes me away from dark moments. In fact, my writing probably puts me in MORE dark moments than I actually go through in real life (at this point in my life anyway).
Maybe different writer’s function differently, but in order for me to create impactful emotional scenes, I personally have to feel what my character is feeling at the time. I’m not capable of writing angst without feeling angst. I can’t write happiness without feeling happiness or betrayal without feeling betrayal.
I guess you can say I’m kind of a method writer in that my process is similar to what method actors go through. The best draw upon prior feelings/experiences to bring a certain realness, a palpability to their work. I’m pretty much the same way.
Have you had to get over any kind of write-something-more-literary type of thing?
Fortunately, I have not. One of the biggest advantages of being self-published is that I can write whatever I want, how I want, without being subjected to the expectations and compromises required when one publishes through a traditional publication house.
Strictly speaking; however, I’m not exactly a genre writer either. I write and publish simply because I enjoy the creativity inherent in doing so. The genres listed above in my intro are generalized genres. My work actually fits into and spans A LOT of genres. It even can be said to genre jump as the series progresses (depending upon who you ask).
I tell the story I have it in me to tell, genre be damned.
I did a rather brief AMA feed sometime ago on AMAFeed.com (back in 7/2018). It ended up being pretty (unexpectedly) popular (much to the horror of the moderators who kept trying to bury my stream). The site did eventually crash and burn into oblivion.
Digging around on my hard drive, I found a copy of the questions I was asked and my answers. Therefore, I decided to share them here.
If any of you have anything else you'd like to ask, feel free. Of course that doesn't mean I'll actually ANSWER your question but you can always ASK. I might even do a new Q&A posting with questions I've been asked more recently.
Enjoy!
Grea.
AMA Description/Intro
Novelist Grea Alexander (specializing in Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Horror, Supernatural Horror, Dark Fantasy & Paranormal Fiction) seeks ardent fan boys and fan girls of all ages (that happen to be greater than 18) for a passionate but short-lived and very public, verbal orgy AKA an Ask Me Anything session.
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Ok, so I've received an email notification that "someone" has requested I do an AMA session. Intrigued, perplexed and utterly paranoid, I crammed my maternity bag full of bear mace, thesauruses and Sweet & Spicy Bacon Burgers (sexy, sidelong glance right at you Whataburger), took enough epidural to birth a large sperm whale and pushed this one out into the world.
Please be forewarned: I have studied the latest in Ka-rah-TE techniques at the Sho-nuff school of Ninjago and graduated with a major in "Let me go mutha-fucka, let me go!" and a minor in "Who's the master?".
Keep your hands and feet inside your keyboard area at all times (lest you feel the burn of my mighty kung-keyboard…and bear mace….lots and lots of bear mace).
That being said, let's get this bastard started.
Don’t want to participate?
That’s fine. I love nothing more than the sound of crickets in the morning. In fact, I eat those chirpy little bastards for breakfast!
Queen of all that she surveys.
Grea.
www.GoodReads.com/GreaAlexander It's where my reviews live.
www.Twitter.com/SeaMonkeyInk It's where I pelt people with lemons then run away.
www.librarything.com/author/alexander... It's where I once had a drunken 1 night stand & left behind some review babies (that I'm not entirely sure are mine).
www.SeaMonkeyInk.com It's my first & main online property. Ok, so it's a seedy faux physical address store front where I get my mail.
www.Amazon.com/grea-alexander/e/B00HV... It’s where I take steamy slow-motion river baths with tall warrior women and sweaty, well-muscled male sex slaves.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/”Gre...” It’s where I ride around in heavy armor and charge at windmills with my quill…Don Quixote style.
Q&A
How do you see the future of contemporary fiction literature? Will contemporary fiction maintain its independence or intertwine with other literary genres?
Contemporary fiction could be interpreted as meaning many things. It could be interpreted as representative of realistic themes, situations or characterizations that could actually take place in the real world as it is today. It could also be interpreted as simply occurring now or within a timeframe relative to now. Some even consider anything occurring as far back as post World War II to be Contemporary.
Personally, my contemporary fiction has never been independent or fit into one genre and one genre alone in either sense. Cabello, for instance, is a supernatural horror story, yes. However, It’s also the story of a survivor of child abuse and how she transitions from victim to independence and ultimately to heroine. It takes place in 2012.
Miael, another supernatural horror story, also has similarly contemporary constructs as Cabello (as the two series are intertwined) and includes the theme of racism. It takes place primarily between the 1960s-1980s though there are elements that take place prior to WWII in the series and thus would be considered historical rather than contemporary.
While it’s true there are some authors who are die hard contemporary…ist, I don’t believe that one should constrain one’s creativity by trying to make their work fit specifically into a pre-determined mold.
That being said (yes, there it is again), many works of contemporary fiction already have and will continue to intertwine with other literary genres just as many pieces of historical fiction do/have (Pride, Prejudice & Zombies, anyone?)
What’s your best and worst experience as a writer so far?
My best experience as a writer thus far was finally publishing my 1st book. I knew absolutely nothing about how to do so at the time, so finally seeing it done and on Amazon, etc., was awesome! So awesome, in fact, that I did ZERO promotion afterwards for approximately 2 years. (laugh)
My worst experience thus far was finding my work (or what is allegedly my work) posted on illegal download sites. Now I don’t know if it’s REALLY my work posted or if my name and book titles are just being used as clickbait (as I’m not about to click on some random download link….at least not on my own computer. (wink)) Still, it’s the principle of it that pisses me off.
Let’s face it, whether someone illegally pirated my work or not, they’re basically using my name, books and thus my reputation in what is likely just a scheme to infect people’s computers with viruses, ransomware and/or other spyware. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it. It’s not like my books are the most expensive ever with individual volumes mostly going for $2.99 except for the Rebellion books at $4.99 (because they are absolute monsters). But hey, if you want to steal from me (whether it’s my work or not, you’re at least TRYING to steal from me), I feel you’ve earned whatever cyber terror you get.
I don’t post my work or allow it to be posted or downloaded anywhere for free except occasionally during promotions and even then, only on legitimate, well-known ebook sights such as Amazon or Smashwords. If you see my work offered for free on xBookDownloader@freesite.com or the like, it’s on you whatever happens when you click that “Download now” link.
Consider yourself warned.
Who creates your cover and are they strictly from your instruction or their inspiration?
Me and CreateSpace’s Cover Creator/free images create my book covers. (laugh) I often design all of my covers for a series at once. By the time I publish, the images are usually no longer available. (wink)
Three of my books have August Farrow photos on the cover. Can you spot them? (Probably! (laugh))
Which novelists and nonfiction writers working today do you most admire?
Of the novelists working today, I like Stephen King (though he REALLY needs to stop with these new, hokey, movie adaptations of his books already) and Dean Koontz. However, I don’t often read fiction. (Ironic, I know).
My favorite non-fiction writer is Richard Zacks (especially An Undergrown Education), followed by James W. Loewen (Lies My Teacher Told Me). I also enjoy Terry Dreary’s Horrible Histories series even though they are technically kiddie books.
Now that you're an established writer, what are the goals that you are seeking to accomplish? What are you doing to get there?
Cliff notes version: Sure, writing fiction is my thing. It’s what I enjoy doing. My name and brand is growing – mostly inspite of my efforts rather than because of them. Though I am self-published, I don’t do really much of anything to reach my goals other than put out what I consider to be interesting fiction.
Full version: In all honesty, I don’t feel I’m anywhere near being an established writer in the traditional sense of the phrase. I’ve written for as long as I can remember having the physical capability of expressing all of the strange, wicked little thoughts that dance around in my mind; however, in all honesty, I’ve done relatively little in the way of getting my name and brand out there as compared to 98% of authors. I’m still kind of a hidden secret that people haphazardly trip over in the dark on the way to the restroom.
My main goal is to be able to make a living off of my writing and my writing alone. It’s really that simple. If my work becomes renown at some point, great; but I’d be over the moon simply not having to work a regular job anymore, not living a cardboard box on the side of the highway and only having to write my strange fiction.
Okay, so I only work 25 hours a week at this point. Still, 25 hours is a long way from 0 hours. Okay, so not that long.
My secondary goal is to be true to who I am as an artist. It’s to put out work that I find interesting, that I enjoy creating and that I can be proud of – even if no one else is as in like or in love with it as I am. Sure, I’m a smart enough and a talented enough writer to see what the current popular trends are and to capitalize on them; however, it’s very important to me to maintain my artistic integrity. (Which is probably why my sales suck so much arse. (laugh))
While I shine like deer eyeballs in the glare of a hunter’s flashlight when it comes to adhering to my creative vision, I suck bowling balls when it comes to financial payoff.
What am I doing to reach goal 1? Apparently, I’m driving in crazy figure eights, taking scenic byways and indulging in leisurely picnics in the countryside. I know what I need to do and what I should do to reach this goal but I’m really not doing it.
Why not?
Well, because I’ve been too busy with other goals such as finishing my MBA (which I did this March), preparing to start application to Doctorial programs, being one with nature and travel. I’m a fairly hedonistic, procrastinistic person in many ways.
What can I say? I just love living life.
That being said, however, getting me to do anything I don’t want to/like to do can be like trying to pry a wildebeest from a crocodile’s jaws. It likely ain’t gonna happen and if it does, it’s only because for some reason or another (having little to nothing to do with anyone else’s actual efforts) I’ve personally decided to do it.
Unfortunately, I don’t like doing what I need to do to market my work.
For self-published writers, the main paths to establishment right now are grass roots/social media and buying your way in.
It takes the average self-published author 5-8 years with a lot of foot work and social media interaction to grow their brand via grass roots/social media – Goodreads, Library Thing, Twitter, Facebook, Blog Tours, Newsletters, Interviews, Press Releases, etc.
Unfortunately, I’m not into social media at all.
Yes, I have a twitter account which I woefully neglect (and I’m expecting Social Services to file charges against me for any day now). I also have Goodreads – which in all honesty, I’m far from the most prolific poster on. Library Thing I’ve barely touched. Don’t even get me started on Seamonkey Ink. I can’t even remember the last time I wrote something original for it.
I do have spurts wherein I’ll spontaneously dedicate a day or two here or there to “grassroots efforts” (if all), but I’m extremely inconsistent. It’s just not for me.
As for the Daddy Warbucks method, I’m poor. (laugh) Ok, so I enjoy life and traveling very much and tend to spend quite a bit on that aspect of my life rather than on marketing my books.
Who is your favorite fictional character of all time? What do you love about it?
That’s a loaded question if I ever heard one. (laugh) I have quite a few favorites and therefore lack a singular one. Some of my favorites include the Frankenstein Monster, Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights), Wolverine (X-Men), Todd Manning (One Life to Live) etc.
I would say I’m more a fan of a particular architype: the Byronic Hero.
Characteristics of The Byronic Hero :
• high level of intelligence and perception
• cunning and able to adapt
• sophisticated and educated
• self-critical and introspective
• mysterious, magnetic and charismatic
• struggling with integrity
• power of seduction and sexual attraction
• social and sexual dominance
• emotional conflicts, bipolar tendencies, or moodiness
• a distaste for social institutions and norms
• being an exile, an outcast, or an outlaw
• "dark" attributes not normally associated with a hero
• disrespect of rank and privilege
• a troubled past
• cynicism
• arrogance
• self-destructive behavior
FUN FACT: One of my English teachers told me I reminded him of a Byronic Hero. I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered or not at time – as they tend to end tragically. Still, it’s a fairly accurate characterization of me on pretty much every level.
Someone else once told me that I am all at once “one of the nicest and meanest people” she’d ever met.
That being said, I think my close personal association to the architype probably has a lot to do with why I am such a big fan of this type of character. As it’s very close to my own personality, I can write it very well.
In addition, I tend to find myself very bored with goody, goody characters in fiction (though in real life I sometimes find myself very protective of what I perceive to be others’ nativity or purity).
What are the challenges you faced when you were first starting out in the publishing industry and how do they differ from the challenges you face right now?
The biggest challenge I faced was how to get my work out there while still maintaining creative control over my artistic vision.
There are so many routes that one can go these days. You can go the maverick route and self-publish. You can find a literary agent and shop around your manuscript through them. You can self-submit to open manuscript calls from publishing houses or contests. You can publish online via a website or blog.
Though in many ways self-publishing can be very challenging, I chose this route as it allows maximum artistic freedom.
Self publishing pros:
• Complete artistic control over your work
• No deadlines to worry about (publish when and if you’re ready)
• No obligations other than to yourself
• Keep all the profit
Self-publishing cons:
• Starting from zero – few if any connections (unless you spent some time in the publishing industry beforehand)
• No team except the one you pay/build (if any) including editors, marketing team, etc.
• Can be very difficult to be taken seriously
• Exclusion from many major publishing industry tools etc (at least until you can prove your worth)
The challenges today remain the same really - my greatest challenge being self-motivation when it comes to doing more than writing and publishing my work. Promotion is a HUGE factor when it comes to successful publishing but one I find myself sorely lacking in.
I published Amarna I in 2012 just kind of to see if I could figure out how to do it. I was ecstatic when I managed it and kind of just ignored it for a year or so after the fact.
Yes, I literally did NOTHING. I just pat myself on the back, said “Yay, me!” then went about the rest of my life. It wasn’t until 2013 or so that I started doing little things here and there such as joining Twitter and Goodreads for my brand.
To date, I still haven’t changed my methods much and; therefore, though my name is growing, it has been slow going (though surprising considering my overwhelming lack of effort). For instance, I’ve somehow reached an author popularity rank of 2,001 on Library Thing. Considering that when I started on there I was somewhere in the hundred thousands, I find that astonishing. It’s like I have a magical secret army behind me working behind the scenes.
Hell, even this AMA I find astonishing. The only reason I even set this up is because someone requested I do one. I mean, why would anyone want to ask me anything as an author? Though I feel I’m quite talented; I’m still relatively unknown.
If you were to co-author a book with any writer dead or alive , who would it be and why?
Edgar Allen Poe. Hands down.
Poe had an incredible imagination, a very interesting way of turning a phrase and invented his own genres. He also was very eccentric in real life, a popular writer though pretty much a failure at making a living off of his work and a self-publisher.
We have much in common….well accept for the alcoholism and child bride marriage thing. (laugh)
My second choice would be Charles Dickens.
He had a knack for writing characters that as some points you dislike and other points you can empathize with such as Pip in Great Expectations or Sydney Carton in a Tale of Two Cities.
Thirdly, I would choose Lord Byron for his poetic sensibilities. (She Walks in Beauty is my favorite poem of all times and the only one I’ve ever bothered to memorize).
Other authors include V.C. Andrews (a more modern, dark, gothic style writer) and Steven King (who has a kind of twisted, campiness to his work that I enjoy (though we’d have to cut down on the setting descriptions)).
Do you feel the more books you write, the more inspired you get or do you fear that you might run out of ideas at some point?
I’m someone who finds inspiration everywhere and in everything so I don’t fear at all that I might run out of ideas.
Right now, for instance, I have enough material to turn out another 20 or so books if I had the time and inclination to do so.
I fear more that I will run of time or the eloquence with which to express the dozens and dozens of ideas that have seen fit to assault my waking dreams.
I also fear having a ghost writer who is inferior in every way to the original (looking at you Andrew Neiderman). (laugh) I’d rather my scraps be left in bits and pieces.
What is the most scalding criticism you've ever gotten? How did it make you feel?
(laughing) You’re trying to get me in trouble with this one aren’t you, you tricky nicky you?
I will just say, that whether I agree with a criticism or not, for the most part, I just let scalding criticisms roll off my back. Not everyone likes the same things I do and I know my writing style, etc. is not for everyone. I have no problem with people not liking my work….so long as they pay me first for the privilege. (wink)
The way I see my reviews (and life in general actually) is that no matter what you do or say, someone somewhere will like/love you and someone somewhere will not. I’m perfectly fine with agreeing to disagree.
Besides, it’s not possible to make everybody happy (even for cute, cuddly little panda bears) and I see no use expending valuable time and energy in trying to make them so. As long as I’m happy with my work I’ve at least succeeded 100% in pleasing at least one person. I don’t worry about the rest of it really.
HOWEVER, there are two types of criticisms that do sometimes get under my skin: inaccurate criticisms and criticisms that are driven by factors other than the work itself.
For instance, I found this one review group. I thought, ok, I’ll submit my book for review. As it turned out, this group was actually just a bunch of authors reviewing other authors. In fact, I was even advised that if I didn’t have a good review for the work, not to post it. In other words, an “honest” review only if it’s a positive review. (laugh)
I did not feel comfortable with this situation at all or with giving one work that was barely readable a good review. I do not now nor have I ever given anyone a positive review or recommended something that I did not or do not genuinely use/enjoy.
Needless to say, I did NOT write the review. Instead I told the author what my feelings were about their work and why, but I put it in a nice and helpful way. Another author I gave a 3 star review. Next thing I know, I suddenly start getting bad reviews from people who are also authors that I definitely feel were a result of me not “playing ball”.
Now THAT pissed me off.
I even had one author have the audacity to give me a negative review on a whole series when he “read” only the 1st book. Yes, he literally sought out the compilation to give me a negative review on as well as the individual book. Looking at this person’s reviews, he had good reviews on his work….only from other authors who were probably involved in the above or similar schemes.
What did I do about it? Privately, I vented to my #1 fan and supporter in outrage and then in my typical Mercutio-like fashion, made a mockery of the situation/author.
Publicly, I did nothing. Dirt done in the dark always, eventually, comes to light.
At the end of the day, I’m still me and he’s still him. I think that’s punishment enough.
For him, wise acres! (wink)
Being a writer of so many different genres, do you have a favorite? What is it and why that particular one?
My favorite genre is historical fiction (whatever else I end up throwing into the story). I find history fascinating – especially the patterns that repeat time and time again. Even in stories like Miael, I throw real, historical tidbits into them. If I can make just one person go to the interweb or to a library and look up more information about a historical event or fact I threw out there, I feel that I’ve done my little, itty, bity part in helping others discover the magic of history.
I also enjoy campy horror. Freddy Kreuger is one of my favorite horror movie villains of all time.
However, I think it’s important that I clarify that I don’t actually write towards any specific genre. I just have a story I want to tell and whatever genre it ends up in or passing through, it does. I think this gives some of my readers a headache. I’ll have someone starting a series thinking it’s A but it turns out being more B or C or B/C/D/A.
Hell, half the time I have no bleedin’ idea of what genre my story is. I just kind of spin the dart board of genre, close my eyes and launch my pen at the damn thing with all the savage glory and strength of a shot putter. What sticks sticks. (laugh)
In conclusion: I don’t choose the genres, the genres choose me.
What is a writing genre you'll never go near and why?
That’s a hard one. I don’t think I consider any genre out of bounds. I tell the story I want to tell regardless of what genre crevasse it happens to get itself wedged into. According to the listing of Amazon categories, my books actually fall into several hundred….each. (laugh)
If I HAD to choose one (what with you having duct taped me to my chair and threatening to prop my eyelids open with toothpicks until I comply) I would choose nonfiction, particularly autobiography.
Though people who know bits and pieces of my life have for years told me I should write one, the story of my life is one I will never tell.
And by never I mean I reserve the full right and obligation to possibly change my mind in the foreseeable future.
If I’ve learned nothing else from James Bond movie titles, it’s Never Say Never….that and that I may or may not have the option to Die Another Day.
What are your thoughts on writing retreats for aspiring authors? What exactly goes on there and do they actually work and can help a writer with his career?
I think I would LOVE to go on a writing retreat as in I have been given free, solitary reign over a beautiful, rambling and possibly haunted estate where I only wear billowy white linen and walk through the Orinocco Flow wilderness barefoot while herds of wild unicorns gallop through the shallow creek in slow motion. (Birds singing with me while I whistle are optional.)
As for OTHERS, absolutely not! I don’t want them at my magical retreat. Why else do you think I choose to leave the drawbridge drawn?!
Oh, you mean as in a learning place for writers to hone and develop their skills? (Hiding my drawbridge key behind my back and visibly relaxing).
Writer’s retreats, in a nutshell, are locations where writers are free (usually after paying a hefty fee) to hone/practice their craft while in the presence of other writers. Such retreats may or may not be accompanied by writing seminars/lectures on everything from syntax to choosing subject matter etc. Some include group assignments/practice drills and some let the writer work on their own thing which they share with the group at some point for critique/pointers.
I think while they can have some value for some, they tend to be quite pricy from what I’ve seen and I don’t think they teach you much of anything you can’t learn on your own by scouring the internet or watching Youtube (cause Youtube is my friend). Hell, even Smashwords and Amazon frequently send me completely unsolicited but free hints, tips, guides etc. and offers to attend online writing seminars (mini retreats I can attend from my home) for free.
There are also numerous writer’s groups that offer the same for free – either online or in real life. Just do a google search of “writer’s groups in (insert your location here)”. If you need solitude, take a vacation and instead of swimming with the manatee or whoring it up with a complete drunken stranger and hoping you don’t end up on YouPorn, write.
As a matter of preference, if I did choose some kind of stay-away educational writing experience, I would personally apply for a writing residency instead. Writing residencies provide much the same as the retreats do except you don’t pay anything (aside from maybe an application fee and/or a refundable deposit).
As Jed Clampett used to say (in my imagination) before he moved to Beverly (Hills that is): Why buy a possum at Possum Mart when you can walk right down the highway and get a road-kilt possum for free?
I’m a life-long learner so for the most part, I don’t think learning more about anything, including your craft, is a bad thing or can hurt. However, for me personally, the thing that has most helped me grow as a writer is actually writing. Practice may not necessarily make perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Writing is a process and not something I think one can learn to perfect in a weekend or even a month (though one can learn rudimentary basics in that time). Finding your voice, finding your style, writing YOUR story is something you have to figure out on your own.
At the end of the day, the writers who end up leaving a real mark on the industry and even on history have one thing in common – originality. Be it their writing style, their ideas, their composition, their flow, there is some level of uniqueness about what they do that sooner or later (sometimes unfortunately MUCH, much later as in after their death) makes them legend. Originality is something you can’t learn.
As for a magic bullet to career success, anyone’s guess is as good as mine (probably better). It’s being at the right place at the right time with the right work, the right connections and the right amount of luck. If you’re looking to be a commercial writer and are more interested in getting your foot into the big door or the financial reward more than artistic expression, there are a myriad of resources on the net that will lead you step by step on the path to figuring out what is popular now/what will likely be popular in the near future and how to capitalize on it.
As a writer, how do you make your characters relatable to the reader?
In all honesty, I really don’t consider if people can relate to my characters or not.
I know A LOT of writers (i.e. successful ones) take the time and effort to do a lot of research into topics, demographics, marketability and such prior to writing their books. I’m not that author.
Maybe I’m just lazy as fuu---da-ge, but I prefer the supreme being method of characterizations. I create my characters, place them in a situation then kick back and relax while hilarity and high jinx ensue.
How often do you write everyday? Do you have rituals or certain habits you do to get yourself in the right headspace for writing?
If I wrote everyday, I’d have a hundred books published by now. (No really. I took all of about a week or so, 8-10 or more hours a day, to write The Pack: Addison.)
I am a terrible procrastinator and even sometimes have a hard time getting myself to buckle down and get to it. I find many things fascinating and sometimes my interest in exploring one thing can interfere with my ability to focus on another. I suffer from too much to do/see and not enough time to do and see it in syndrome…that and Slants Disease (my terrible inability to write in a straight line on unlined paper).
I'm basically a feast or famine writer. I either am completely consumed and write like a mad woman every possible waking moment or I don’t write at all.
Usually what forces me to write is the noise in my head. My brain is in a constant state of creation. If I let it all build up too much inside of me, I start losing the ability to focus on anything, fall into depression or even lose the ability to sleep until I let it out.
I have no rituals at all really except that I write everything down. If I have an interesting dream or an interesting thought, etc., I write it down. I have a ton of scraps of paper and notes everywhere in my home, in my bag, in my cell. You never know what those ideas could grow into.
Every so often, I collect them all, type them out and save them. Eventually they end up growing into either their own story or as a part of something I’m already working on.
Do you have any unpublished work? What do you plan to do with it?
I have a lot of unpublished work in various states of completion. I have the final Miael, Sedition, Books 2 & 3 of Cabello, Books 2 & 3 of The Pack and a bunch of other pieces of other things.
Hopefully, I will finish them at some point and publish them…that or make a stunning paper mache’ quiche out of them.
When writing paranormal fiction, what kind of research do you usually do? Do you actually believe in the paranormal?
It really depends on the work. For instance, with Miael I really had to do a lot of research on angelic lore and hierarchy when deciding what kind of angelic form Zazi (and others in the final volume) would have. I also had to do research on World War II to get Simone’s abscondment just right as the places, movements and even the camp that Simone ends up at were actual real places.
(Ok, so I didn’t HAVE to. I wanted to.)
Fiction or not, I really like to be as accurate as possible when I mention things that exist or even were believed to have existed in the real world such as Phoenix…sis…sis…sis. Whether I take a bit of creative license from there is quite another thing entire; however, I like to start from a concrete place.
I do believe that so-called cryptids may have and may continue to exist. Looking at it logically, people are constantly discovering new (and long believed to have been extinct) species of flora and fauna. In addition, much of this lore has existed all over the world and at times in history when things like international communication/travel and the interweb did not exist or if it did, on a very, very small scale. Is it possible that man, in his imagination, took things that actually existed, made them larger than life and applied his own thoughts, fears and hopes to them? Absolutely.
Still, I believe that the only thing man 100% knows for sure on a concrete, scientific level is that whatever man as a species thinks he knows today, he will sooner or later realize he was mistaken about tomorrow.
As for belief in the paranormal….
Whether they admit it or not, most people do believe on some level (or want to believe) in the supernatural. Hell, if you believe in God and all that goes with it, like it or not, you are in essence believing in the paranormal. The bible and other holy scriptures are full of stories about psychic dreams, divine messages, waking visions, supernatural manifestations, etc, etc.
As for me, I personally will admit that I 1000% believe in God and the paranormal – more from my personal life experiences than anything else.
Now do I believe in EVERYTHING? No.
While I do believe in the supernatural, I don’t believe everything and everyone. I don’t look at a white ball and say, “Oh my gawd! A spirit orb!” I automatically go to logical explanations. However, when those things come along that are fairly black and white or lack any plausible explanation, I give them the benefit of the doubt as being something beyond the norm.
From your intro in this AMA, you seem to have a great sense of humor. How do you incorporate that into your writing?
In real life, people that know me think I’m a hoot and a half. Sometimes even a hoot and a holler.
As for my writings, I think I’m less overt with my sense of humor (except for in the Rebellion books where my protagonists are the closest to my everyday personality). Still, most of my stories do have peekings of my twisted, dark humor and sense of irony.
Why not use my humor more overtly? I think it has to do with subject matter. I don’t want to go all Bollywood and insert a happy comedy routine into a very serious subject/moment…..or do I? (wink)
For example, I created a funny introduction to Amarna I: Ida just because I knew some people would have a conniption because it’s a novella. As a result, I DID have some minor backlash from a few people as for some odd reason they expected a 95% historically accurate book about a dead boy king and his legacy to be a comedy afterwards. (?!)
Have you ever written something that you regreted later on and felt it was subpar?
The only things I’ve ever written and regretted later on and/or felt were subpar are personal notes/letters to other people. And that was mainly because these persons proved in the end not to be worth the associated time or effort involved. (laugh)
I wouldn’t say I’ve ever regretted anything that I’ve written (in the literary sphere) but I feel things are subpar all of the time. And by subpar I mean below my personal standard of excellence not really by anyone else’s.
Left up to me, I would constantly be picking at my books and revising here and there. In fact, most of my books have undergone several editings after publication – not of content/context but of verbiage.
Words are my first and best love so I sometimes put too much consideration into how something is written (which I feel is more important than always standing by modern or proper grammatical conventions and just as/more important than the idea or thoughts being conveyed). It’s a matter of “O Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” vs. “Gee, I wonder where Romeo’s at?” To me the flow, feel and impact of the words I write are paramount.
Of course, this leads to some errors here and there as I’m too poor to afford a good proofreader. (sad face)
All of that being said (and yes I love saying, “and that being said”), I do have some works I personally like more than others. It’s more akin to a parent having favorite children than a dislike or regret. All of my series are very different and I love different things about them.
Rebellion is this snarky, angsty, sex-riddled, dramatic series set in Qing Dynasty China full of twists, turns, secrets and betrayal, centered on a rebel and a princess – both of which are avid liars and neither of which is whom they seem.
Amarna is a pretty serious, dramatic, 95% historically accurate mistress-piece centering on the events surrounding the death of King Tutankhamun (King Tut) and the bizarre but very real historical free for all that occurred in the aftermath - not only in Egypt but in Hattusa (modern day Turkey).
Cabello is a very campy supernatural, revenge gone south horror story set in a small, modern Texas town and centered around an abused teen and her beloved feline friend.
The Pack is my take on a werewolf story centered around the efforts to destroy one of the most powerful werewolf bloodlines in existence and the sadistic, on again, off again relationship between the alpha male and female of the line. It spans from Viking times to post Civil War America (or it will (wink)).
Then you have Miael which is a supernatural horror/suspense story that spans from World War II to the mid-1980s that tells the story of Miael, who may or may not be the worst enemy of a Seraph who is damned to be reborn over and over again in repentance of an ancient sin.
If someone hasn't really read anything in the horror genre before, which books would you recommend them to help them decide if it is for them or not?
As a new horror reader, I would suggest starting with something mild such as Thinner by Richard Backman (AKA Stephen King) as opposed to something that will keep you up all night and give you nightmares.
The mildest of my horror stories would probably be The Pack: Addison. I think.
And by mild, I mean mild for me, not by anyone else’s standards. (wink)
When writing a new book, what kind of goals to you set for it so you'd consider it a success?
In all honesty, I don’t actually consider whether a book will be successful or not when I write it (which could be a major part of my problem). I consider the story I want to tell, how I want to tell it and if I’ve succeeded in pleasing/impressing myself. Therefore, I guess you could say the only extrinsic goals for success I set when writing a book are completing and publishing it. (laugh)
It’s something I think comes down to your ultimate motivation in becoming a writer. If being true to your artistic vision and telling the stories you want to tell how you want tell them is numero uno, completing your work and shoving it out into the world, kicking and screaming, can be considered a great success. (And let’s face it, many aspiring writers never even get that far.)
If your ultimate motivation is making a living out of it on the other hand, depending on your situation, that can be any number of things. It can be sales in dollars, downloads (both free and paid), followers, etc. However, the old guard publishing industry standard for a book being a success is that it sells more than 15,000 copies.
Success, as defined by oneself versus success as defined on a commercial level, is a quandary that faces most creative people as is the question of whether or not one is willing to compromise their art in order to become a commercial success. There’s nothing wrong with making compromises in order to get where you want to be commercially, then later on, once you’ve accumulated the brand recognition/commercial success you desire, focusing on your own vision.
Many successful artists such as (don’t stone me) Anne Rice, Prince, Gretchen Wilson, The Rolling Stones and Mark Twain went the commercial route first. Then, once they achieved a level of recognition, they opted to go it alone so that they could be true to their art (and keep more of the profit (wink)). Even artists who stay with their publishers/labels often release special edition, online only and/or uncut versions of the same work. Why? Because while big labels often come with big results, they also tend to come with artistic comprise.
For me, personally, my writing is just not an area of my life I feel desperate enough to compromise on….at this time. While I would LOVE to write for a living, it’s more important for me to thine own self be true.
Do you take bad reviews or criticisms to heart or do you ignore them altogether?
To quote Dirty Harry: Opinions are like assholes. Everybody’s got one.
I’m not someone who chases down my reviews with bated breath or faithfully watches all of my pages to see what my latest review is. Doing so can drive one mad, really and I personally choose to stay happily oblivious and questionably sane.
That being said, I do check in like maybe once a month to see what my ratings are looking like (only in that we live in a world where people are sometimes too afraid to try something new and different unless other people say it’s ok)…even if it only costs them $2.99.
As I’ve said in another response, I write for myself; therefore, the opinion that matters the most to me is mine. I don’t expect everyone to like my work. It’s very different from a lot of what is out there right now and a lot of the books topping the bestseller charts. It’s very character driven, light on setting, full of a strange blend of modern and antiquated writing conventions and quite unusual in its plot and subject matter.
In short, it’s disruptive.
Knowing that, I well expect some people, particularly those who are used to what the industry is now or that worshipped the ground their English teacher walked upon, to take issue with what I write.
That being said, I don’t take bad reviews to heart. Every work that now exists and has ever exists, even from best-selling, revolutionary and critically acclaimed artists, has some 1 and 2 star reviews (I consider 3 on a scale of 5 and above to be positive). Don’t believe me? Pick a big name and look up their online reviews.
This is nothing new or revolutionary that came along with the internet either. Early reviewers of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick (including friends and fellow writers) said what amounted to they wouldn’t even wipe their arses with it. Walt Disney was told he lacked imagination. Carrie by Stephen King was rejected scores of times. Imagine if they had internalized the negative and changed/given up completely on their vision?
If you spend all of your time internalizing and focusing on the negative and nay sayers, you will never find your feet and/or never grow as an artist. Self-belief is a very powerful thing and very necessary for ultimate personal success. If you’re someone who is easily swayed by the weight of public opinion, if you’re someone who doesn’t have a thick skin, fields where your success or failure rests largely in the hands of the subjective opinion of many, may not be the field for you.
Personally, I’d rather spend my time, energy and emotion on my craft instead.
How do you think writing helps with dark moments in the writer as well as reader's lives.
Interesting question…that AMA Feed also suggested I ask myself. (laugh)
I think writing helps readers with dark moments in the same way as any other form of entertainment or distraction. (Giving Netflix a warm, fuzzy and slightly NC-17… lick). It’s like a mini vacation for the mind, like chitlin soup for the old.
Depending upon the work, it can do as little as pass the time or take a reader away from the here and now or as much as inspire a reader to make change in their own lives, encourage the reader to try something new, or even provide comfort and companionship.
As for myself, I don’t find my writing takes me away from dark moments. In fact, my writing probably puts me in MORE dark moments than I actually go through in real life (at this point in my life anyway).
Maybe different writer’s function differently, but in order for me to create impactful emotional scenes, I personally have to feel what my character is feeling at the time. I’m not capable of writing angst without feeling angst. I can’t write happiness without feeling happiness or betrayal without feeling betrayal.
I guess you can say I’m kind of a method writer in that my process is similar to what method actors go through. The best draw upon prior feelings/experiences to bring a certain realness, a palpability to their work. I’m pretty much the same way.
Have you had to get over any kind of write-something-more-literary type of thing?
Fortunately, I have not. One of the biggest advantages of being self-published is that I can write whatever I want, how I want, without being subjected to the expectations and compromises required when one publishes through a traditional publication house.
Strictly speaking; however, I’m not exactly a genre writer either. I write and publish simply because I enjoy the creativity inherent in doing so. The genres listed above in my intro are generalized genres. My work actually fits into and spans A LOT of genres. It even can be said to genre jump as the series progresses (depending upon who you ask).
I tell the story I have it in me to tell, genre be damned.
