Siobhan Daiko's Blog, page 7

Christmas Marketing Opportunities for Indie Authors

Christmas for indie authors is the perfect time to interact with their readers. Savvy marketers have already built up a sizeable group of potential readers via their email newsletters. This is the ideal moment to send out season’s greetings and to offer a free Christmas short story to subscribers. Great strides have been made by those authors who treat their readers as friends. By adopting a conversational tone in the newsletter and giving readers value, authors generally see a huge leap in sales further down the line.

Discounting one of your books and promoting it via Book Bub is a great way to sell books at this time of the year. Especially in the post-Christmas period when people are looking for something to read on their new eBook readers.

Another way for indie authors to promote their books during the festive season is to cultivate a good relationship with their local indie bookstores. Even bookstore chains, quite often, are happy for indie authors to set up a table and do a book signing.

If you still send traditional Christmas cards, why not slip in a small leaflet about your books? And newsletters to faraway friends can always contain a link to your website.

Most indie authors have a Facebook page and a Twitter account. One way to get readers involved is to hold a Christmas giveaway of one of your books. People love a signed paperback and, if they enjoy it, they might buy your next one! Giveaways can be hosted on Rafflecopter.

Local radio is another way to be more visible at this time of the year, especially if you have a Christmas-themed story. And why not try the local press? Indie authors need to be proactive, and those who are proactive in promoting their brand are the most successful.

I wish to thank my indie author friends Mandy Jackson-Beverly, John Holt, Michelle Mc Loughney, Shweta Choudhary, Pam Howes, Ariel Marie, Joy Wood, Jan Ruth, Gisela Hausmann, Todd Speed, Tom Winton, Harriet Steel, Alex Martin, Ann Swinfen, Jo Raven, Prue Batten and Malika Gandhi for joining in a lively discussion on Facebook about the best way to promote books at this time of the year.

This post is reproduced from my contribution to the Asian Books Blog.

My Monday Guest, Ann Bennett, Author of Historical fiction set in S.E. Asia

Today I’m absolutely delighted to welcome back the lovely Ann Bennett.

  Please introduce yourself to my readers, Ann.

I’ve been writing on and off for over twenty-five years, and had written numerous short stories and three full-length novels, none of which had seen the light of day, before I discovered the peer review site YouWriteOn in 2011. The experience of receiving feedback from writers on the site helped me finish The Pomelo Tree, which had reached the top of the YWO charts, and eventually became Bamboo Heart. This book was published by Monsoon Books in 2014. I went on to write Bamboo Island and Bamboo Road. The trilogy is about the second world war in SE Asia, experienced from three different viewpoints. It was inspired by researching the experiences of my father who was a prisoner on the Thai-Burma railway. Bamboo Island is out on kindle now and will be published in the UK by Monsoon in paperback in March 2016. Bamboo Road is likely to be out a year or so after that.

Is there anything you would like readers to know about you.

I was over the moon (almost literally) when Bamboo Heart won the prize for fiction in the Asian Books Blog inaugural book of the Lunar Year in 2014 –
the year of the horse.

So, are you a morning person, or a midnight candle burner?

Probably neither. I like my sleep at both ends of the day, but if I had to choose I’d work into the night as I have a horror of early starts (unless it means the start of a long journey to somewhere exotic).

If your life were a movie would it be considered an action film, comedy, drama, romance, fantasy or a combination?

Probably a comedy (or a disaster movie – depending on your mind-set). I have a huge family and am the youngest of six daughters. My parents were both quite eccentric and there was always something happening when I was a child that was either life threatening or hilarious. We had an old caravan and an ancient Morris Oxford to pull it. Dad, having learnt to drive armoured vehicles in the army, never managed to grasp that the Morris Oxford wasn’t suited to pulling a caravan up steep mountain passes, through fords or along beaches with the tide coming in. I lost count of the number times we got stuck and Dad had to uncouple the caravan, find a farmer to tow it out of whatever scrape he’d got it into, while we girls followed behind carrying all the contents (gas cylinder, bedding, loo bucket etc.). He also had a bubble car and would collect us from the school bus in it (much to our embarrassment). Once the vicar asked for a lift and we all squashed in; Dad driving, my sister and the vicar crammed on the front seat and me crouching on the back shelf. Half way up the A5, as the bubble car struggled up the hill past Towcester racecourse, the vicar’s bowler hat blew off out of the ‘sun roof’ and got squashed under a lorry. Things like that were common place.

 

Hahaha! That’s hilarious, Ann. Let’s talk about your books now.  Which of your own characters was your particular favourite?

I love Tom n Bamboo Heart. It was really difficult to write from the point of view of a man, but it was the only way I could get the reader to experience the Fall of Singapore, the horrors of the Thai-Burma railway and the Japanese hell-ships first hand. I’m not sure I got it exactly right, only someone who was there could tell me that. I tried to see those events from the perspective of an ordinary man, not some sort of super-hero, who would have had normal human fears and failings to overcome.

He’s a wonderful character. So, when you are writing, how do you handle writer’s block?

I just keep going. I force myself to do a little bit every day. When I have writer’s block, I might only manage a few sentences, but I read somewhere that if you want to achieve something, you need to apply your mind to it regularly. That seems to be more effective (for me at least) than working in bursts for a few days then leaving it for months to go cold.

That’s great advice. Do you write long hand first, or does it go straight onto the computer?

My ideal is to write it out long hand first, then hone it by typing it up. For a long time, it felt like cheating if I didn’t do that. Increasingly, though, I find I’m able to go straight to the computer (though I would always have a plan written out in longhand beforehand).

Are you a “sit down and play it by ear” kind of writer, or do you need a structured guideline, or maybe a little of both?

A bit of both really. I do try to plan as much as I can, and will always have a full plan of the book before I start to write, but ideas come to me as I write, so I often change my plan as I go along.

So do I. Is location important in your books?

Location is very important. I love South East Asia, so my Bamboo Trilogy is set there. 

 

I have spent a lot of time in that part of the world over the years, mainly Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. I’m fascinated by the culture and this history of the region – I’m even learning Thai which is quite a challenge.

 

 

 

Writing about the region is a way of going there in my imagination if I can’t be there all the time. I hope people who read the books think that too!

 

Absolutely. What are you working on now?

I’ve got two projects on the go at the moment. Firstly, I’m editing and finalising the third book in my WW2 SE Asia Trilogy, Bamboo Road. It is the story of a Thai woman, Sirinya, a member of the Thai resistance who makes huge sacrifices and risks her life to help the allied prisoners of war building the railway. It is a story of war, love and hope. Like the other books, it was inspired by true events, but the characters are fictional. When I did my research for Bamboo Heart I was struck by how many Thai people took great risks during the Japanese occupation and how little that has been recognised here in the West, particularly in fiction.

Monsoon have already mocked up a cover for the book:

The other book is in its very early stages. Its working title is ‘The Foundling’s Daughter’ and it is the story of three women separated by decades, whose lives are all affected in different ways by mysterious events at an orphanage in the 1930s. This one is set partly in England, but it also has an Asian angle (of course). One of the three characters is the wife of a British officer in the Indian Army in the days of the Raj.

Sounds fascinating. Tell us about your new release, Bamboo Island.

Bamboo Island is the second book in my SE Asia WW2 Trilogy, was released in SE Asia in October and is now available worldwide on Amazon Kindle.

Here’s the blurb:

Malaya 1962: Juliet Crosby, a plantation owner’s wife, has lived a reclusive life on her rubber plantation since the Second World War robbed her of everyone she loved. The sudden appearance of a young woman from Indonesia disrupts her lonely existence and stirs up unsettling memories. Together they embark on a journey to uncover secrets buried for more than twenty years. Juliet is forced to recollect her pre-war marriage, her experiences during the Second World War – hiding from the Japanese in Singapore before being captured, imprisoned with other internees in Changi Prison – and the loss of those she once held dear.

How can we find you? Do you have a web page, Facebook page or any buy links?

Facebook Page for Bamboo Heart

Facebook Page for Bamboo Island

Here’s a link to my website and blog

Bamboo Island on amazon.co.uk

Bamboo Island on amazon.com

Bamboo Heart on amazon.co.uk

Bamboo Heart on amazon.com

Fab. It was lovely chatting with you Ann, and all the best with your books!

Thank you for having me, Siobhan.  :-)

Publishing: A lot of Smoke and Mirrors?

Pertinent words from Jan Ruth.

janruthblog

In which I’m made to eat my words as I come full circle through the maze of publishing to discover that the grass isn’t necessarily greener over there; it’s still mostly desert scrub from every direction…

Last year I wrote a general post about the publishing industry which resonated with a lot of independent authors: https://janruthblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/my-affair-with-john-hudspith-and-why-i-had-to-leave-self-publishing/

It came about through sheer frustration at the lack of visibility and the cost of producing books. A turning point came when a small press offered a contract for Silver Rain. This is it, I thought. This is the change of direction I need… but be careful what you wish for! Don’t get me wrong in that I had huge delusional ideas at this stage. I was simply seeking greater visibility and some respite from the nuts and bolts of self-publishing.

And all the outward signs were good: they took five back-catalogue titles and one…

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My Monday guest, Alys West, debut urban fantasy romance novelist.

Today I’m absolutely delighted to welcome the lovely Alys West.

  Please tell us something about yourself, Alys.

I write urban fantasy and steampunk with romance twist. My debut novel, ‘Beltane’, an urban fantasy romance set in Glastonbury, is now available on Amazon. My second novel, a steampunk romance called ‘The Dirigible King’s Daughter’ is available to read on Wattpad. I’m a member of the Write Romantic blog group and started a MA in Creative Writing at York St John University in October. Apart from reading and writing, my favourite things are tea, cake, folk music and ‘The Musketeers’.

Oh, I love all the same things as you. How would you describe yourself as a colour?

I’m going with turquoise.  That’s possibly a slightly obvious answer because at least half of my wardrobe is shades of turquoise, teal and duck egg blue.  But I think it’s a fairly accurate description of my personality as well.  My friend, Sharon Booth, said it reminds her of me as pretty, gentle and calming but has hidden depths like the ocean.  She is my friend though, so she may be biased!

Hahaha! Are you a morning person, or a midnight candle burner?

Definitely a morning person although I don’t think my mornings start quite as early as other peoples.  As far as I’m concerned if it’s before 6.30am then it’s still night!

What kind of music do you listen to, Alys?

I listen to a lot of folk music, particularly Scottish and Celtic folk.  My favourite song would have to ‘The Whole of the Moon’ by The Waterboys.  I’ve loved it since I was 15 and when I saw them perform it live a couple of years ago I was dancing and crying at the same time.

If your life were a movie would it be considered an action film, comedy, drama, romance, fantasy or a combination?

It’s definitely a drama. Over recent years it’s felt a bit too much like living in a soap opera as too really challenging things have happened close together.   I’d really like it to become a romance though so if there’s any nice guys out there with a good sense of humour looking for a red-headed writer in their life then drop me a line…

Aw, how did you come to write your genre of choice?

With BELTANE I set out to write the kind of book that I wanted to read which I couldn’t find in the shops.  I wanted romance and suspense and fantasy.  Surely, that couldn’t be too hard?  But this was five years ago and the only supernatural creature anyone was writing about was vampires.  As a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, I felt vampires were a bit done and I wanted a more organic hero who belonged in the English landscape which is when I came up with the idea of Finn being a druid.

Which of your own characters is your particular favourite?

I absolutely love Finn who’s the hero in ‘Beltane’.  As a druid, he has a connection to the earth and an ability to do magic through connecting with awen, the earth’s energy.  At the beginning of the book, he’s made a terrible mistake and he really pays for that.  But, even when he’s injured and terrified, he never considers giving up.  Because he keeps his powers hidden, when he starts to fall for Zoe he can’t work out if he should trust her with his secret or push her away for her own safety. 

He sounds fab. Have your characters ever taken the story in a different direction than you had originally planned?

Oh my goodness, yes! In ‘Lughnasa’, which is the second book in ‘The Spellworker Chronicles’ (Beltane being the first) I can’t get any of the characters to do what I planned.  The main problem is Winston, who is a minor character in ‘Beltane’ and then takes centre stage in ‘Lughnasa’ (and boy, is he enjoying that!)  He’s become so wilful that my entire plan for the novel has gone out of the window and, once he started doing his own thing, all the other characters did too.  It got so bad that I put Lughnasa down for a while and wrote ‘The Dirigible King’s Daughter’ just for a bit of a break.  Not that Harriet and Charlie in that book always played nicely either!

Yikes! Is location important in your books?

Location is absolutely key to my books.  ‘Beltane’ is set in Glastonbury which I’ve visited a lot over the past five years.  Even after I’d finished the book, I still felt the pull to go back at least once a year.  It’s hard to put into words but I find that the place is good for my soul. 

My favourite location is Orkney which is where ‘Lughnasa’ is set.  I fell in love with the islands when I first visited five years ago.  They’re a truly magical place and I’m really looking forward to going back next year.  

Lovely! What are you working on now?

I’m about to get back into ‘Lughnasa’, the second book in ‘The Spellworker Chronicles’, and I’m hoping to persuade my unruly characters that we really do need an ending and that they can’t keep on flirting, plotting and falling out any longer.  Wish me luck with that one as I’m going to need it!

I’m sure you’ll be fine. Tell us more about ‘Beltane’, please.  

‘Beltane’ will be published on Monday 14th December and the ebook is currently available to pre-order from Amazon. 

This is the blurb:

Finn McCloud is a druid, connected by magic to the earth.  He’s made a big mistake; one he expects to pay for with his life.

Maeve Blackwell has plans for a new start, free of the façade she so carefully maintains. At Beltane, the Celtic festival of fire on 1st May, all her preparations will come to fruition.

Struggling artist, Zoe Rose is in Glastonbury to work on the illustrations for a book about King Arthur.  But when she arrives at Anam Cara, the healing retreat run by Maeve, it’s not the haven she hoped for.

Maeve isn’t the warm-hearted, hippy she expected and Zoe can’t help feeling there’s something very odd about the place.  Is it coincidence that the other guests become ill after Maeve’s given them healing?  And why did the Green Man carved on a tree in the garden, which she’d felt inexplicably drawn to, mysteriously vanish during a thunderstorm?

As if that wasn’t enough, the weird dreams she’d had all her life are getting worse.  Every night she dreams of a handsome stranger.  Then, the day after the thunderstorm, she meets Finn. Realising he’s the man she’s dreamt of (not that she’s going to tell him that!) she’s forced to accept that her dreams are premonitions. 

With Beltane fast approaching Finn knows that Maeve must be stopped.  He’s torn between wanting to protect Zoe from the supernatural world and his desire to be with her.  And the more time they spend together the harder it is to keep secrets from her. 

When Zoe’s dreams reveal that at Beltane both their lives will be in terrible danger, it’s clear that only by trusting each other can they have any hope of defeating Maeve.

Looks amazing. Definitely one for my TBR list. How can we find you?

‘Beltane’ will be out on Monday 14th December and can be pre-ordered here

You can read ‘The Dirigible King’s Daughter’ on Wattpad here

You can find out more about Alys West on:

Her website: www.alyswest.com

Twitter: @alyswestyork

Facebook: Alys West Writer

You can also check out her steampunk board on Pinterest at Alys West Writes 

Alys is part of the Write Romantics who you can find blogging about life, love and writing at www.thewriteromantics.com

Thank you so much for having me on your blog.  It’s been an absolute pleasure and I’ve loved answering your really interesting questions!

It’s been a joy to interview you, Alys.

Joanna Maitland asks: ‘Why Go Indie?’

siobhandaiko:

Joanna Maitland embraces freedom.

Originally posted on Sue Moorcroft blog:

At the risk of stating the obvious, I’d say the answer is freedom.

Here’s an example of independent author freedom in action. As originally published, in the Harlequin Undone! series of short ebooks, His Silken Seduction was well under 50 pages. That was the length the line required, so that was the length I wrote. Simples!

When I reread it, for the first time in more than five years, I could see that the characters were just begging for more room to tell their story. Some readers had already told me so, in fact, but I hadn’t been able to change anything, first time round.

As I struck off their shackles, the characters gave three excited cheers at the prospect of freedom and simply took charge of the story.

They wanted to show me what was missing before – how they were falling in love in the midst of…

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My Monday guest, Sharon Booth, author of fun-filled fiction with a heart

Today, I’m absolutely delighted to welcome the lovely Sharon Booth.

Please tell us something about yourself, Sharon.

I write contemporary romance—”Fun-filled fiction with heart”. My first two books, There Must Be an Angel and A Kiss from a Rose, are the first half of the Kearton Bay series, set in a fictional village on the North Yorkshire coast, inspired by Robin Hood’s Bay. I’ve also had a People’s Friend pocket novel published recently. I’m one tenth of the Write Romantics, a blogger, a sugar addict, a Whovian, and I’m shamefully prone to getting huge crushes on gorgeous actors.

Ah! How would you describe yourself as a colour?

I’d love to say I’m a deep, mysterious, purple kind of person, or a sexy midnight blue or something. If I’m being honest, though, I’m definitely a pastel person. I can’t stay too serious for too long, and I do tend to see the lighter side of everything. Having said that, I do get my deep and meaningful moments, so maybe I’m baby pink with a purple streak, or powder blue with a flash of midnight? 

Sounds lovely. If you could morph into any creature what would it be?

Does this have to be a real creature, or can it be mythical? Because if I’m allowed to be a mythical creature, I’d love to be Pegasus, because I love horses and he can fly! Imagine having wings and being able to soar away, going anywhere you want to go. I hope I’m allowed to be a mythical creature, because otherwise I’d have to be a wasp or a dragonfly or a sparrow or something, and they’re just not as pretty as even ordinary horses—let alone horses with wings.

Pegasus is perfect. What kind of music do you listen to, Sharon?

I listen to lots of different music. It really depends on my mood. I love Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Abba, most seventies music, some eighties music, power ballads, light pop, classical, Enya, Clannad, even some of the modern stuff, despite being positively ancient. My all-time favourite album is Hounds of Love by Kate Bush. I could listen to that over and over, particularly the Ninth Wave section. Not sure I could pick out one favourite song as that changes frequently. 

Let’s talk about your writing now. Which of your own releases was your particular favourite?

I’ve discovered that my favourite book is always the one I’ve just finished, and my least favourite book is always the one I’m working on at the time. I love all my characters in their own way, and I am completely in love with my heroes. However, I have to admit to having a soft spot for the badly-behaved ones. They’re such fun to write. I loved writing Harry in There Must Be an Angel, Maisie in A Kiss from a Rose, and, in book three, there are a few characters that are so awful they fill me with delight. Maybe I’m just a bit weird.   

Hahaha! When crafting the story do you go from beginning to end, or do you jump around writing the scenes that are pushing themselves forward in your brain?

I generally go from beginning to end, but if I’m in one of my “I can’t think of a single thing to say” moods when I don’t even want to switch on the computer, and I’m in danger of throwing a giant strop, I talk myself round by allowing myself to write a scene that I’ve been looking forward to. It’s guaranteed to get the fingers tapping, the brain cells working, and the inspiration flowing again.

That’s a good tactic. Have your characters ever taken the story in a different direction than you had originally planned? 

Oh, yes! For a start, A Kiss from a Rose wasn’t supposed to happen at all. Rose MacLean was supposed to be a secondary character, and she was never meant to have her own book. While I was writing There Must Be an Angel, however, she just leapt out at me and demanded her own story. I must say, she was quite a handful. I couldn’t think who would be able to cope with her, but funnily enough, it was the quiet man of Kearton Bay who ended up being just perfect for her. I thought I knew what would happen to those two, but then Flynn turned out to have a secret that I honestly had no idea about when I started writing. As if that wasn’t enough, Rose did something that really threw a spanner in the works and changed the entire course of the book. I had absolutely no idea that was going to happen when I started writing. I really did feel that Rose and Flynn wrote that book themselves. Yes, I know that sounds a bit odd, but that’s what happened.

Wonderful! Is location important in your books?

Location is extremely important to me. You wouldn’t believe how many locations I tried to set the Kearton Bay novels in or how many names I gave that village. It was only when I visited Robin Hood’s Bay, for the first time in years, that I realised that right there was the perfect setting for my books. Everything about the village was just right, and now, when I go back there, it’s so easy to imagine my characters walking those streets, climbing that fearsomely steep hill, or sitting outside the pub looking out to sea. Yorkshire is my home and I love it, and so far I’ve set everything I’ve written there, but I do have an idea for a new series and it will be set somewhere else entirely—simply because that’s what suits the stories. That will be an interesting experience!

So, what are you working on now, Sharon? Would you like to share anything about it?

I’ve just sent my third full-length novel to my beta readers, so it’s a question of waiting for their verdict and trying not to be too nervous. It’s not a Kearton Bay novel, and it’s told from the viewpoints of five people, so it’s quite different to my first two books. It’s mostly set in the Yorkshire Dales and it features an ageing rock star and his spoilt brat of a daughter, a naughty politician and his wife, a woman who’s not who she seems to be, and a rather gorgeous farmer—oh, and sheep. I’m hoping it will be out in February or March next year.

I can’t wait. Tell us a bit more about A Kiss from a Rose.

A Kiss from a Rose was published at the end of September. It’s the second in the Kearton Bay series, following on from There Must Be an Angel. It can be read alone, although it features characters who appeared in the first book. It’s Rose MacLean’s turn in the limelight. She’s a single mum, struggling to bring up two daughters, while working full time. The last thing she needs is the return of her mother, but events conspire to ensure that the dreaded Maisie MacLean ends up moving in with her. Maisie isn’t the most tactful mother in the world, and she’s not slow to point out that her own newly-rekindled romance with her childhood sweetheart means that she’s getting a lot more action than her daughter. Since the only man on Rose’s horizon is Flynn Pennington-Rhys, the quiet man of Kearton Bay, things don’t look like improving any time soon. But maybe there are things about Flynn that Rose doesn’t know…

Intriguing! How can readers find you?

They can buy my books from Amazon in either paperback or Kindle format.

A Kiss from a Rose

There Must be an Angel

And they can find out more about me here:

  Blog

Facebook Page

Twitter

Wonderful! Thanks for the interview, Sharon. I wish you every success with your books.

Thanks for asking me, Siobhan.

My Monday guest, Gillian E. Hamer, author of crime fiction set on the island of Anglesey in Wales

Today, I’m absolutely delighted to welcome the lovely Gillian Hamer.

Born in the industrial Midlands, Gillian’s heart has always yearned for the wilds of North Wales and the pull of the ocean. A Company Director for twenty years, she has written obsessively for over a decade, predominantly in the crime genre. She has published six full length novels and numerous short stories. After completing a creative writing course, she decided to take her writing to the next level and sought representation. Gill is a columnist for Words with Jam literary magazine, a regular theatre goer and avid reader across genres. She splits her time between Birmingham and a remote cottage on Anglesey where she finds her inspiration and takes long walks on deserted beaches with her Jack Russell, Maysie.

Tell us, Gill. How would you describe yourself as a colour?

I think I’d be a rich, deep purple – with added shimmer! I like to think I’m quite a serious person for the most part, which comes down to being in business for many years, I guess. Someone recently commented on a photo that even when I’m smiling and relaxing I look like a ‘bitch-at-rest’ which I’m assured was a compliment – but I’m not convinced. So, yes a nice shimmery, layered purple – one of my favourite nail varnish colours actually!

I love purple too. Are you a morning person, or a midnight candle burner?

I have really changed with age. I used to hate early mornings with a passion, and even when I started writing about 15 years ago, I could happily open up a document and start writing at 10pm and go onto the early hours and still be up for work. Now, by 11pm I can hardly keep my eyes open. But the benefit is I’m usually up and working by 7am and in the summer months really get to enjoy the quietness and freshness of early mornings.

If you don’t mind me asking, why do you set your books on the island of Anglesey when you live and work in Birmingham, UK?

I think I’ve always been a city girl with a passion for the coast even as a child. My mum and dad both loved North Wales and we had a caravan for many years and toured the coast of Britain but always seemed to settle in Wales. About ten years ago as a family we bought a cottage on Anglesey as we had friends who lived in Holyhead and we’d been visiting for many years. And I think the main attraction for me as a writer is the beauty of the area and the depth of history. That really came across in my first three novels The Charter, Closure and Complicit as I managed to combine historical threads about Anglesey in with the modern day stories. And lastly, Anglesey is the place I go to do my writing. If I didn’t have the cottage, I doubt I would have ever got a book to publishable quality. It relaxes and releases me from the pressures of work and city life. 

Sounds perfect, Gill. At bedtime, do you listen to relaxing-so-you-can-sleep sounds or do you prefer something else?

If I’m tired when I go to bed, I like complete silence and I can fall to sleep pretty easily. Otherwise, if my brain won’t shut down or I find I’m just not tired, I’ve started listening to audiobooks. I really love them when I’m driving or cooking or cleaning – but they’re also really nice for helping me drift off to sleep. I set the sleep timer for 30 mins but very rarely get that far!

That’s the trouble with audiobooks, I find. Like bedtime stories when we were children, they send us straight to sleep, hahaha. How did you come to write crime fiction?

Crime fiction was my love from a very early age, down to my mum fetching me Enid Blyton books from the village library each week. Then I moved onto Agatha Christie and can still remember the buzz I got when reading the first one ‘Sparkling Cyanide’. From then I moved into horror for a while, but then got back into reading crime, and also I loved detective series on TV like Morse and Wycliffe so when I started to write I just seemed to naturally follow the crime route!

Would you like to write a different genre?

I would one day like to write historical fiction. There are so many periods of British history that totally fascinate. The Roman era for one, which I touched on in my novel, Complicit. Also the Tudors, I love Hilary Mantel’s interpretation of Cromwell and would to research and write the life story of another similar character of the period. And also I find wartime stories really captivating so would like to retell a story from either the first or second world wars. So, I’m spoiled for choice really and have lots of ideas simmering away.

Wonderful! How do you handle writer’s block?

Writer’s block is something that used to stress me out at one time, but I have now hopefully learned to cope with it. I have realised that when my head is not in writing zone that there is very little point in my sitting at a computer staring at a blank screen. I have to move away and do something else! Long journeys help me in terms of plotting and planning and developing new ideas in my head, and now I don’t sit down to write until the words are bursting to come out!

Good tactic! When crafting the story do you go from beginning to end, or do you jump around writing the scenes that are pushing themselves forward in your brain?

I think I am quite a visual writer, so I would find it very difficult to jump around and write scenes out of order. I try to write the story in the order it occurs, that’s not to say I won’t rewrite some scenes, or even add a separate thread later, but in order for me to keep the pace and tension in the writing, I like to live the story through my characters, and work through the scenes as they do. It also helps for me to avoid plot holes by writing the scenes in order.

I’m like you. What are you working on now? Would you like to share anything about it?

At the moment, I am starting the third book in the Gold Detectives series, and I’m at the early researching and planning stage, which is actually one of my most favourite parts of writing a novel.

Great! Do you have a new book coming out soon or recently released?

False Lights, which is the second book in the Gold Detectives series, is out this month. Ebook released on November 14th and paperback on November 28th.

It looks amazing. Your books are now on my TBR list. So, Gill. How do readers find you?

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Here are my Amazon UK Buy Links:

The Charter

Closure

Complicit

Boxset

Crimson Shore

False Lights

Thanks, Gill. It’s been great chatting with you today.

Thanks for having me, Siobhan!

 

 

 

Gondolas, cover bans and affirmation – It’s all in Siobhan Daiko’s writing life

siobhandaiko:

I’m over at the Write Romantics this morning. Do stop by!

Originally posted on thewriteromantics:

Today we are thrilled to welcome back friend of the WRs, Siobhan Daiko, to the blog. Siobhan was born in and raised in Hong Kong. Before becoming a writer, Siobhan had a range of jobs from post office mistress to high school teacher. Siobhan now lives with her husband and two cats in the Veneto region of Northern Italy, where she spends her time writing, researching historical characters, and enjoying the dolce vita. We had loads of questions to ask Siobhan when she came back to visit us and, as always, she has a lot going on!

What’s the best bit of feedback you’ve had about any of your novels so far?

An Amazon USA review of The Orchid Tree which said my characters were now a part of their life. That absolutely made my day.
You have had considerable success as a self-published author, but would you ever consider…

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My inspiring editor, John Hudspith

My interview with John Hudspith, my inspiring editor, for the Asian Books Blog.

As well as editing manuscripts, John also offers advice on such topics as overcoming writer’s block, creating an epic, and the eBook eruption – he is a one-man, one-stop service for indie authors wherever they live.  Meanwhile, he too is an indie author. His first novel, Kimi’s Secret won a highly coveted YouWriteOn book of the year award in 2013. The second novel in his Kimi series, Kimi’s Fear, is out now.

How did you start out as an editor?

A love for great storytelling combined with an eager willingness to stick my nose into other people’s writing brought me an addiction I couldn’t shake. Writers seemed to like what I had to say and before I knew it I was editing full manuscripts. 

How many indie novels have you edited to date?

Over 180 novels / novellas edited to date. Oh, and hundreds of short stories.

Do you have a favourite genre for editing?

Favourite genres are many: supernatural, horror, suspense, humour, erotica, sci-fi, crime, and the just plain freaky or out there. And short stories; I do love helping to form the perfect short story.

Are there any common problems you see in work submitted to you?

The most common problem is fluff. That is, overwriting, straying from the story’s core conflict point and presenting the reader with fluff. This is the biggest fault. And I’m talking all writers, not just self-published ones. Story matters. Story is all. Set up great conflict from the off  – the hook, the what-if, the problem your main character seeks to resolve – get that great and let the story  / conflict unfold. Don’t go off on silly and boring tangents.

Do you think it’s important for an author to have a plot outline before they start writing a story?

Absolutely. I’ve been victim to losing the plot myself. Flying by the seat of your writerly pants rarely brings satisfactory results. The trick is simple: do some plotting. It doesn’t have to be a massive amount, but the minimum you should have, before you start any actual writing is:

A possible beginning / starting point

Some middle bits / pivotal plot points

One or more possible endings

The amount you add to this initial outline is up to you. We all work differently, and you should work the way that suits you best, but having those initial signposts in place will help keep the storytelling in good shape.

There are myriad unpolished indie publications on the internet, but also some fantastic writing. What are your thoughts on the prevalence of less skilful offerings?

Perception of the written word is largely subjective. One reader’s dross is another reader’s magic. But the real magic exists only for those in the know. As a smart young girl once told me: “You have to know the magic before you can see the magic.” 

If an indie author is in the unhappy situation of getting a string of bad reviews, what do you suggest they should do?

It takes a while to develop a thick skin, but if the writing is important to you then you must learn to take a step back and consider your readers’ views. And then do something about it, such as joining a peer review group to help you improve your craft – or hiring an editor. Or ideally, do both.

What advice do you give your writers when they tell you they’re suffering from the dreaded writers block?

Talk. Whether it be to a friend or a fellow writer, simply mentioning the block, the struggle, can bring ideas flowing. What might be days or weeks of procrastination, if kept to oneself, can become almost instantly fixable just from batting ideas back and forth.  A walk in the woods is another great fixer. Get in among the trees, suck in all that oxygen, and the muse will often wake up and throw gems at you.  (Editor’s note: In Asia, a walk in the jungle is perhaps not always such a great idea, unless you stick strictly to well-trodden paths and take sensible safety precautions against snakes, getting lost, and so on. But the general point stands: seek refreshment in communing with nature.)

What do you enjoy most about your job? Is there anything you dislike about it?

There’s lots to love about my job. I get to read stories in every genre, every day. I get to work with writers, teaching them better ways as well as helping to hone their work. As for the dislikes, that might be the excessive amount of sitting; I have to push myself to get up and walk around every hour or so.

Any advice you’d like to give to a writer about to take the first step in indie publishing?

Spend a few years learning the craft, writing, reading, interacting via peer review, and make your work the best it can be before you consider self-publishing.

How should an indie author go about choosing an editor?

Pick three editors with good testimonials to their name and ask for a free sample edit, then go with the one you feel connects best with you and your work. If they don’t offer a free sample edit go with someone who does.

My Monday guest, Liza Perrat, author of the French historical trilogy, The Bone Angel Series.

Today, I’m absolutely delighted to welcome the lovely Liza Perrat.

Liza grew up in Wollongong, Australia, where she worked as a general nurse and midwife for fifteen years. When, on a Bangkok bus, she met the Frenchman who was to become her husband, she moved to France, and has been living with him and their three children there for twenty years. She works part-time as a French-English medical translator, and as a novelist.

Spirit of Lost Angels is the first in her French historical trilogy, The Bone Angel Series.

The second – Wolfsangel – was published in October, 2013, and the third, Blood Rose Angel, was published in November, 2015.

She is a founding member of the author collective, Triskele Books, and reviews books for BookMuse. Liza and I met through fellow writer friends, and I’m thrilled to interview her on my blog.

Tell us, Lisa, are you a morning person, or a midnight candle burner?

Definitely a morning person. My brain refuses to co-operate much after 5pm.

If you could morph into any creature what would it be?

Any of my past, present or future cats, as they have the perfect life.

Ha! Mine do also. Bedtime, relaxing so you can sleep sounds or is your preference for something else?

Soft and relaxing music, something like Hildegarde Von Bingen’s, whilst reading a good book.

So, how did you come to write historical fiction?

I tried writing contemporary fiction but couldn’t pull it off. Then I seemed to “find” my voice in historical fiction. Probably because I’m passionate about history.

Me too. Would you like to write a different genre?

Psychological crime thrillers, as I find them exciting to read.

Snap! What is your least favourite part of writing?

That bumpy, uncertain first draft, when you’re never sure if it’s going to turn out in the end, or becoming a stinking pile of rubbish.

Would you ever consider a joint project?

No, I would be too awful, cranky and pedantic to work with. I’m better left to my own devices.

Is location important in your books, Liza?

Yes, location is vital in my books, as “Time and Place” is the motto of my Author Collective, Triskele Books. For The Bone Angel series, I featured rural French villages and landscape, as that’s where I live, so it makes it easier to write about. This will probably change in the future though.

Tells us about Blood Rose Angel, your new book, please!

Blood Rose Angel, third book of my French historical trilogy, The Bone Angel series has just been published, and will be launched at our Triskele Books annual launch in London on 28th November. It follows book 1, Spirit of Lost Angels and book 2, Wolfsangel, but takes place during the 14th century Black Death years. All three books can be read as standalones. The same family, village, auberge and angel talisman link the characters throughout the trilogy.

Sounds fascinating! I have your series on my TBR list. How can readers find you, Liza?

They can connect with me online via:

WEBSITE

BLOG

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

PINTEREST

GOOGLE+

Sign up to my newsletter   and receive a   FREE   copy of Ill-Fated Rose, the short story that inspired   The Bone Angel   series.

Great! It’s been fab chatting with you and I wish you every success with your writing.

Thanks for inviting me, Siobhan.